ACTS 27 HANDLING ROUGH SEAS WHEN YOU ARE NOT IN CHARGE2017 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Acts 27 Handling Rough Seas When You Are Not In Charge

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2017. Acts chapter 27 this evening. We're getting really close. Next week we'll be finishing up the book of Acts and it's been a good journey looking at the beginning of the church and how the Lord spread the gospel throughout the world at that time and

We're continuing that journey following along with the Apostle Paul as he's been captive of Rome for several years now. He's appealed to Caesar and so now he's being transported to Rome and chapter 27 and 28 follow that journey as Paul goes from Israel to Rome. And so we're going to begin looking at chapter 27 tonight by reading verses 1 through 12 and then we'll jump into what the Lord has for us.

Acts chapter 27, verse 1, it says, So entering a ship of Adramatium, we put to sea, meaning to sail along the coast of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us. And the next day we landed at Sidon.

Verse 6. Verse 7.

When we had sailed slowly many days and arrived with difficulty off Snidus, the wind not permitting us to proceed, we sailed under the shelter of Crete off Sabmoni. Passing it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens near the city of Lysaea.

Now, when much time had been spent and sailing was now dangerous because the fast was already over, Paul advised them saying, Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives. Nevertheless, the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than the things spoken by Paul.

And because the harbor was not suitable to winter in, the majority advised to set sail from there also. If by any means they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, opening toward the southwest and northwest and winter there. Let's pray. Lord, as we get into your word.

this evening and consider Acts chapter 27 and this voyage of the Apostle Paul and those who held him captive. Lord, I pray that you would minister to our hearts by your Spirit, that you would encourage us and strengthen us, Lord, that we would trust in you and learn how to represent you well the way that the Apostle Paul did in situations that are out of our control. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Well, as we look at chapter 27 of Acts this evening, it's a lot of details about their traveling and their journeys and stuff. And so we're going to go through some of the verses pretty quickly. But at the same time, I believe that there's something that the Lord wants to show us as we look at the example of the Apostle Paul here. And so I've titled the message, Handling Rough Seas When You're Not in Charge.

And as we look at this passage, we know, of course, the passage. We know about the shipwreck at the end of chapter 27. And it's already described in the verses we've read, some of the difficulty and the winds being contrary and those kinds of things. And then Paul gives advice to the people in charge, right?

But the reality is, is he's not in charge. And so although he knows and even predicts the disaster that awaits, he's not able to prevent them going because...

He's not the one making the decisions. He's a prisoner. He's a captive of Rome. He's not the captain. And yet through the process of this chapter, it's been often remarked by many Bible teachers that Paul goes from captive to captain through this chapter. And we get to see kind of that process take place.

But as we look at these things for ourselves and as an example for us, I think you understand what it's like and you know what it's like to be frustrated when you're not in charge. Now, sometimes it's a relief and you're like, hey, I'm good. You know, let someone else be in charge. Who cares? But when there's things that you know how to do it, you know how it should be done. You know how it shouldn't be done. You know the direction to go. Or like Paul, you can predict the things that will take place. And yet...

you are not the one making the decisions, that can be really frustrating. And especially when you're on the boat, you know, in the midst of that, you know, you can be, you know, the Monday morning quarterback and be frustrated about the team. But when you're on the team and then you're not the one making the calls and you just have to do what you're told,

that could be really challenging. And that's where we find the Apostle Paul. And it reminds me of this international sign. You know, they have the international signs with the slash through it. I don't know if you're familiar with this one. It's the international sign for no backseat driving, right? You know what that's like to

you're in the car, but you're not in charge. And so you're the one telling them, no, no, go this way. Don't go that way. You're going too fast. You're going too slow. You know, this or that. And there's this frustration that we feel of, you know, like if only I could just, I could do it right and I could do it better. If only I was the one at the wheel.

And we have those kinds of situations in our lives. There are family decisions where we really don't have any authority and we can give some advice, we can speak, you know, we can share our opinion, but many times we're frustrated in the midst of stormy seas because of decisions that we didn't make.

And at the workplace, we can find ourselves in similar situations where agreements have been made and deadlines have been set and things have been arranged and you didn't get to have a say. You maybe spoke up, but that was ignored and you don't have authority or things in the government or wherever it might be. And so understanding those rough seas and how to handle them when you're not in charge is

is really helpful for us. And Paul sets a good example for us as he undergoes this journey to Rome. Here's a quick glance at the map so you can kind of see what it looks like geographically. Paul is there in Caesarea at the beginning of chapter 27. He's going to end up in Rome in chapter 28. He's not going to quite get there in chapter 27. He's going to get to Malta

But Luke records incredible detail, very thorough details, which is one of the things that is incredible about the book of Acts as well as the Bible. And there's been many over the years who've tried to disprove the things that Luke has recorded here in the book of Acts, but when they've done it themselves...

At the end of the 1800s, there was a group of Scottish unbelievers, not believers, unbelievers. And they decided to kind of try to follow this path and go to all these places. And as they did, they ended up becoming believers because they realized it really is

all exactly the way that Luke recorded it, that it really is accurate and true to the actual geography, the actual timeline, and all of that. And so this journey is going to take about six months, and Luke's going to give us a bunch of details about how that happens. And so handling rough seas when you're not in charge, we'll look at four points to learn from Paul's example as we watch him go from captive to captain on this journey.

Point number one is in these verses we've just read, and that is give counsel from your experience. When you're not in charge and you don't have the authority to

Really, all you can do is offer advice or counsel. Looking at verse 1, it says, So Paul has appealed to Caesar, and we saw the trials and the hearings that took place as a result of that. And now it's time to actually send him to Caesar. He's going to Rome, and he's going to Rome,

And so in those days, you didn't, you know, go on Expedia and book your travel plans and have it all mapped out and everything. They entrusted Paul to this Roman centurion, and he's kind of making up the journey as he goes along. You'll see, you know, he finds another boat, you know, later on. And so he's working out the arrangements as they go. And they're, you know, entrusted to this Roman centurion to travel.

keep Paul as well as other prisoners in custody while they make this journey.

And so they first get on a ship in verse 2, and they begin to sail along the coast of Asia. It tells us in verse 3 that they landed in Sidon. And so again, just kind of walking through some of the geography here. They're in Caesarea. They're in Israel, the northern part of Israel. The first leg of the journey is a real short one. They just go up north a few miles to Sidon.

And there Paul's given opportunity in verse three to go visit his friends. He has some liberty there, but then he reports back to the ship and now they continue the journey. In verse four, it says, we had put to sea from there. We sailed under the shelter of Cyprus because the winds were contrary. And so already you see, you know, there's some difficulty in this journey. It's not going to be an easy trip.

In verse 5, it says, And so here in verse 5, we have the next leg of the journey. As they're going along the coast, they go around the island of Cyprus and they land at Myra. And so they're going along the coast in this way because of the winds. Now this is happening because

in late September, early October timeframe, which that was the time where it was known to be rough and difficult on the sea. In fact, during September through November, it was advisable not to sail. It's dangerous. But then from November into February, that's like really the winter season, it was absolutely too dangerous, as we'll see. And so they're heading into this time where it's like,

it's really dangerous. It's almost certain, you know, it's going to be more difficulty than the ship that they're on can handle. And so we're going to see that take place. Well, in verse six, it tells us the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing to Italy. So now when they get to Myra, he finds, okay, now we're at the next port. Here's this next ship that's going all the way to Italy. And so he makes a deal and puts them on board.

And so now they begin the journey in verse 7. It says, Passing it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens near the city of Lassia.

So here we have the next leg of the journey. And so they go from Myra and they go around some of the islands and such, but they're going on the opposite side of Crete now to try to protect themselves from the winds. And they land at this place called Fair Havens. But

It says in verse 7, or verse 8 rather, they're getting there with difficulty. So there's difficult winds, there's difficult currents. In those days, you know, their ships were...

Pretty rudimentary. It was one mast with one sail. They didn't have the different sails where they could angle it and kind of handle the wind a little bit better. This particular type of ship didn't actually have a rudder. They would steer the ship with the oars outside of the side of the ship. And so it was not real maneuverable. And so they were having a lot of difficulty as they're going into these rough seas and rough winds entering into the Mediterranean Sea.

Verse 9, now when much time had been spent and sailing was now dangerous because the fast was already over, Paul advised them. So again, it's telling us how dangerous it is. They've spent a lot of time trying to just get this far. The fast was already over. That's referring to the day of atonement that happens in October.

And so Yom Kippur, the day of atonement happens in October. That takes them into, that's pushing into that November timeframe where it's too dangerous to sail. And that's the season where they're in. And so Paul gives his advice in verse 10.

And he says, men, I perceive that this voyage will end in disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives. So they're talking about leaving Fair Havens and continuing their journey to Rome. And Paul speaks up and says, you know, guys, I don't think this is a good idea. He offers his counsel. He offers his advice. Again, he's not in charge. He's a prisoner.

He is, you know, somewhat of a free prisoner in that he's appealed to Caesar, but there's no actual criminal charges against him, but he's still a prisoner. And he doesn't really have much say, but he speaks up. He shares his advice. He shares his counsel anyway, because Paul does have experience. Now, by this time, Paul has been on three major missionary journeys. We've followed along all of those in the book of Acts.

it's interesting too, we also know by this time, Paul has already been shipwrecked three times. So in 2 Corinthians chapter 11, he talks about that. And he wrote 2 Corinthians before this journey takes place. And so he's already been shipwrecked three times. He knows the deal. He's like, look, I've been in the Mediterranean, you know, in these seasons. I know how difficult it can be. And Dave Guzik points out that he's

logged at least 3,500 miles by sea in these previous journeys. And so he spent a good deal of time there on the Mediterranean. And so from his experience, from his just kind of practical wisdom of having been in similar situations, he says, I don't think this is a good idea. I perceive that this voyage will end in disaster. But it tells us in verse 11 and 12 that

that the centurion was persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship rather than the things that were spoken by Paul. So Paul's saying, I don't think it's a good idea. And the navigator and the owner say, no, no, we got this. We could do this. We've got this handled.

And then in verse 12, it also tells us that the majority advised to set sail from there because this harbor was not a very good harbor to try to winter in because of the waves that would be coming in and such. It wasn't the best place to spend the winter. And so they said, you know, there's just right over there. In verse 12, it talks about this place called Phoenix.

and it's not talking about Arizona. It's talking about this other city on the island of Crete. And so again, looking at the geography, you can see Phoenix is just a very short distance from Fair Havens. And so here they are on the island of Crete, and they're like, look, we could just see it right there. It's like right there. If we could just get there, that would be perfect. We'll winter there. We'll be safe. It's a good place to spend some time. And so they disregard Paul's advice and go away.

making their way to Phoenix to try to winter there. And so again, as we look at Paul's example, we learn to give example from our experience that like Paul, we can share our example. We're not the ones in charge. We're not the ones making decisions, but it's appropriate. It's good to share counsel, to give advice from the experience that you have. Now, at this point, Paul did not have a word from God to share.

And he didn't pretend to either. And that's an important point that when you don't have, you know, something specifically from God, then don't pretend like you do. But just share, you know, hey, this is my perception. This is my opinion. Ultimately, Paul is outranked. He's outvoted. And so all he can do is just give his advice, much like us in similar circumstances. Well, moving on to point number two, we're going to look at verses 13 through 26.

Here we see Paul express confidence in God's promises. In verse 13, it says, "'When the south wind blew softly, "'supposing that they had obtained their desire, "'putting out to sea, they sailed close by Crete. "'But not long after, "'a tempestuous headwind arose called Euryclidian. "'And when the ship was caught "'and could not head into the wind, we let her drive.'"

So they had a soft wind there in Fair Havens and they thought, oh, this is perfect. This is exactly what we need. It's just enough wind to get us, you know, around to that other harbor and we'll be safe there. And so they head out, but not long after.

They head out into the open waters and then this tempestuous headwind arose. This was a common headwind, you know, so like we have the Santa Ana's, you know, and we know it's like, oh, we know what that means, right? There's this strong wind that comes. Well, they had this wind. It was a northeastern wind, which means it came from the northeast. And so it would push the ship southwest.

Now, again, just kind of looking at the map real quick, the yellow arrow is the wind, the direction of the wind. And so they're trying to get from Fair Havens to Phoenix and the wind is pushing exactly opposite of that. There's no way that they can get to Phoenix as they want to get. It's just impossible. This wind is too strong and it's going the opposite direction that they need to go.

And so they basically kind of give up and just let the wind drive them. In verse 16, it says,

When they had taken it on board, they used cables to undergird the ship and fearing lest they should run aground on the Cerritos sands, they struck sail and were so driven. And so there's a little island right off of Crete and kind of that sheltered them from the wind a little bit enough to pull up the skiff or the lifeboat that they had that they were tailing behind it.

And so they pulled that up, got that safely on board. Then they undergirded the ship with cables to try to protect it and, you know, firm up the ship a little bit to be able to handle the storm. But then they can't weather there either. They can't stay there either. So they let their sails go and they're just, they have to let the wind just drive them and take them wherever it's going to take them. Verse 18.

And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, that's a nice phrase, right? Tempest-tossed. The next day they lightened the ship. And the third day we, through the ships, tackle overboard with our own hands. Here, Luke is with Paul in this journey. And so he's actually involved. They're involving the passengers and the captives and everybody. This is a life-saving mission at this time. They're just trying to survive this whole ordeal. Verse 20.

And so here you can see the kind of situation they were in. For many days, we learn from another verse a little bit later on in the chapter, they're caught in this storm for about two weeks.

And so they're in this for a good period of time. Two weeks isn't a long time just in normal, but two weeks in a storm on sea, this is a long time. It's so long that they have given up hope that they could be saved. They're at the point where they're just accepting the reality, we're not going to survive this. We're going to die in the midst of this.

Now, some people, of course, give up hope real quickly whenever they're on the seas, right? If you get Pastor Sisko on a boat, you know, it's like, oh no, we're going to die. And it's just a little, you know, a little bump or whatever, or a little bit of turbulence in the air, you know, it's like, oh my goodness, you know, and people freak out. But here's what we need to remember as we look at this. These are experienced sailors, the professionals. They do this for a living. They sail the Mediterranean for a living. This is their livelihood. They've done it for decades and years and

And it's these guys who have given up hope that we're not going to survive this. So they're not just rookies, you know, who don't know anything, but they're actually in some serious trouble. And this storm is so bad that they can't figure any way out of it. There's no way that they're going to survive this whole ordeal. And so the situation is grim. It's dark. It's hopeless. It's bleak.

And you know how God loves to break into those moments. Even as Harvey was just sharing a few moments ago, you know, sometimes God has to get you down with some back surgery and bankruptcy and all of that so that you can look up and learn to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. That God loves to break into those moments where

all hope is lost and man has done everything that man can do and all things have been tried and there is no other possible way except for God to do something miraculous. Verse 21, but after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, men, you should have listened to me and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. And now I urge you to take heart

Here in verse 21 and 22, Paul the apostle stands up and addresses the people on board. And he says, guys, point number one, I told you so.

I don't know if that was a spirit led, I told you so or not. But he says, look, I told you guys that this isn't a good idea. And now we see why. This is why we should not have sailed from Crete. But I urge you to take heart. All hope is not lost. You've all given up hope that we can survive this. But all hope is not lost. He says, there will not be loss of life among you

but only of the ship."

Now for the owner of the ship, for the investors of the ship, you know, this was a pretty significant size ship. It would have been probably about like three of our sanctuaries just boom, boom, boom, put together is kind of the way I would describe the kind of ship that they were on. It was hauling wheat from Alexandria to Rome. And so there was a lot of valuable cargo in addition to the people that were on board. And so...

you know, it was a significant loss, but their lives would be saved. And so Paul says, take heart. There's not going to be a loss of life, but just of the ship. Thomas Constable, the commentator, says that Paul mentioned his former advice, not to gloat, but to encourage his fellow travelers to believe what he was about to tell them. What he had predicted had taken place, and now what he's saying would take place also. Paul tells them why in verse 23.

For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, Do not be afraid, Paul. You must be brought before Caesar. And indeed, God has granted you all those who sail with you. Therefore, take heart, men, for I believe, God, that it will be just as it was told me. However, we must run aground on a certain island. So Paul here has a word from the Lord now.

He's able to stand up and say, hey guys, take heart. I know what I told you, and you guys didn't listen to me, but now you're lost hope. Now you're desperate. And I want to tell you, we have good news because God has sent an angel to deliver a message to me. And here's what God says, don't be afraid. He tells Paul, don't be afraid because you're going to be brought before Caesar.

Now God's told Paul this already a couple times, but now in the midst of the storm, God renews that commitment, renews that promise. You're going to stand before Caesar and God says, I've granted you all those who sail with you.

So regardless of what happened to the ship and the crew, you know, Paul already had the promise that he was going to stand before Caesar. But God says, I'm going to give you all the crew, all the people on the ship with you, all the other passengers and captives, their lives are going to be preserved as well as yours through this whole ordeal. And then Paul says in verse 25, something worth taking note of. He says, therefore, take heart, men, for I believe God.

that it will be just as it was told me. Paul here stands confidently, stands boldly, and he encourages the guys to take heart because, well, he says, I believe God. I believe God, and it will be just as he told me. Here, Paul expresses a bold confidence in the promise of God, in the things that God has said. And he declares to them very clearly, I believe God.

God. Now in this, I think it's important to kind of take note of this, that there is a clear distinction between the last time Paul spoke and this time that Paul speaks. The last time Paul spoke, while they were still in the harbor at Fair Havens, he says, I perceive this will end in disaster. It says that Paul advised them. Here, when Paul speaks this time,

It's very clear. God spoke to me. I believe God. It will be just as it was told me. And I think that distinction is really important. It's really important here in the passage. It's very clear that Paul is speaking for God at this time. He's not just sharing his opinion.

It's also very clear earlier when he spoke, he was just sharing his opinion. He wasn't speaking on behalf of God. He didn't have a word from the Lord. He was just sharing, these are my thoughts.

And I point that out just to kind of remind all of us that there needs to be that kind of distinction for us as well. That we make a distinction that we don't presume to speak for God or pretend to speak for God when we don't have a word from God. That we make it clear that, hey, you know, sometimes I'm just sharing my opinion. Sometimes I'm just sharing my perspective, my perception. Sometimes I'm sharing what I think.

And that's appropriate and that's okay. And that's part of what we do as humans. It's part of what God wants us to do. But there's also the times where we speak for God. And there should be a clear distinction that this is not just me sharing my opinion at this point. This is not just me talking and saying what I think or what I want or what I prefer or what I think. It's this is what God says, right?

And so here, Paul makes that clear. It's a clear distinction. Very clearly, there's no ambiguity here that it's clear. And I would just ask you to consider in your life, you know, is it clear? Do people know when you're sharing your opinion versus when you're speaking for God? And that's important for us to consider.

But Paul here is able to say, take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. I think if Paul had the opportunity, you know, there on the boat that day, he would have been wearing one of our shirts. It just says, keep calm and ask me to pray for you. That's like, that's what Paul is saying. Look, look, guys, we can keep calm. We can, here's what God has said, and we can trust God.

And so in this dark and bleak and hopeless situation, Paul is able to express confidence in God's promises and encourage the men, take heart for I believe God. And in the midst of that situation, you know, it's easy to sit here on a Wednesday night and say, I believe God, right? But on the boat that's been rocked by the waves and the wind for days and days and days where all hope has been lost,

Paul here has an unshaken faith. I believe God. And he makes it clear we can trust God in the midst of the situation. Well, moving on to verses 27 through 32, we have point number three, and that is remind others about what God said. In verse 27, it says, now when the 14th night had come,

As we were driven up and down in the Adriatic Sea about midnight, the sailors sensed that they were drawing near to some land. And they took soundings and found it to be 20 fathoms. And when they had gone a little farther, they took soundings again and found it to be 15 fathoms. Then fearing lest we should run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come.

So here in verse 27, we learn about the timeframe. The 14th night had come. So this is the 14th night that they've been in the storm since they left Fair Havens. 14 nights they've been tossed and turned and driven back and forth. It says up and down in the Adriatic Sea. And that's what they described, that middle area of the Mediterranean Sea. And so they're just going back and forth, back and forth, trying not to crash, you know, trying to survive this storm that is going on.

The sailors, experienced sailors, they can't see the land, but they're noticing, hey, either they're hearing the waves crashing or maybe they sense the change of scent. You know, it's like, you know, when you and I, we get close to the shore, we can start to smell the ocean. Oh, wow, we're near the ocean.

So sailors do it the other way. They go, oh, wow, we're near land. And so perhaps they caught the scent of the land or they heard the crashing of the waves. They knew they were getting close. And so they began to measure the depth of the water and it's getting more and more shallow. And so they put some anchors down and pray for the day to come because they want to be able to see the land that they're trying to get to so that they can navigate to it without crashing in a bad spot.

In verse 30, it says, and as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, when they had let down the skiff into the sea under pretense of putting out anchors from the prow, Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved. Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the skiff and let it fall off.

So here in verses 30 through 32, we see there's a little escape plot happening. The sailors, they're the experienced ones. So they set down the anchors in the back. Then they go up to the front. They're like, okay, guys, pretend like we're putting down anchors. Really, we're going to try to put the boat, the lifeboat in the water, and we're going to get in there and we're going to take off and leave the rest of the soldiers, the passengers, the captives, the

All the sailors are getting off, right? All the people who don't know how to sail, they're the ones that they're going to leave behind. But Paul sees what's happening and he tells the centurion, hey guy, these guys are trying to escape. If they get off here, we're not going to be saved. And so he sends his soldiers, they cut away that lifeboat and everybody stays on the ship. Now again, Paul has no authority. He's a captive. He's a prisoner. He's not in charge.

But he speaks to the centurion and he says, look, here's what God said. And if these guys leave, it's going to break what God asked us to do. And so we're not going to survive. We need to make sure that we hold fast to what God has asked us to do. And so the centurion this time listens to Paul.

Again, having heard Paul's advice and ignore it, having heard Paul's declaration and encouraged by it, now the centurion has learned, this is a guy I can listen to. And so he responds this time as Paul speaks. And as Paul reminds him about what God said, he sends his soldiers to deal with the situation so that they can survive this whole ordeal.

And so we see progress taking place in the sense that now God has brought Paul to a place where he is listened to, he is heard, and it's going to be a bigger influence as we go forward. Well, moving on to point number four, verses 33 through 44, finishing up the chapter. Point number four is to encourage others by example. In verse 33, it says, And as day was about to dawn...

Verse 36 says,

Then they were all encouraged and also took food themselves. So here Paul sets an example for them as the day began to dawn. Here they are, they're anchored, there's land nearby, they know that they're going to have to make a break for the shore. Paul says, you know, now is our opportunity to eat. We haven't eaten for two weeks.

Because we've been fighting for our lives. You've been working hard. You've been striving. You've been struggling. You've been working so hard and continuing without food. Probably for one, because every moment was a fight to just stay alive. But also, secondly, they were probably, you know, constantly losing their stomach because of the seas and the wind that was happening. And

And so their appetite was not really, you know, what it once was. But Paul says, now's the time, guys. We need to take nourishment. And he says, this is for your survival. Whether you like it or not, whether you feel like eating or not, listen, you're going to survive this, but you need to take some food. You need to eat. And then he does what he's encouraging them to do. He takes the bread and notice he gives thanks to God in the presence of them all, it says. So openly, publicly,

Thank you, God, for this bread. Thank you for providing for us. Thank you for the promise that we're going to survive this. And he begins to eat in front of them. And it sets the example. He shows them how to trust God and how to have a meal in the midst, well, of...

The shadow of death, right? Like the Psalm 23, that in the presence of my enemies, he sets the banquet table, right? That Paul is there in the face of death, but he's able to trust God and have a meal. And he shows them by example what that looks like.

And it tells us in verse 36 that they were all encouraged and took food themselves. And so Paul here is now making an impact into the lives of these sailors and the passengers and the captives and all those who are there as he has established himself now, or really God has established him as someone to pay attention to and someone that has a connection to God. And as he openly thanks God and begins to eat food,

It's an encouragement. They're all ministered to. They're all built up and edified and encouraged as they're preparing now to make their escape to shore. Verse 37. And in all, we were 276 persons on the ship.

So when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship and threw out the wheat into the sea. Notice how many people, this is a significant group of people. It's a significant amount of people on this ship. And so when they eat, then they start throwing stuff off because they're trying to lighten the ship because as they drive it to the shore, they want to be, you know, not deep in the water. They want to be as shallow as possible so they can get as close to the land as possible. Verse 39 says,

Verse 1.

But striking a place where two seas meet, they ran the ship aground and the prow stuck fast and remained immovable. But the stern was being broken up by the violence of the waves. Verse 42. And the soldier's plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim away and escape.

But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from their purpose and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land. And the rest, some on boards and some on parts of the ship. And so it was that they all escaped safely to land.

Here we see the conclusion of this whole storm and this whole trouble in the waters that they get stuck there. They see the land. They have a beach in mind. They cut the anchors. They're just going full force all the way they can to try to make it to that beach. But

where the two seas meet, there was a buildup of mud and sand and such. And so the ship gets stuck in that mud bar and is not able to move. And so the front of the ship is stuck, but the back of the ship is still getting beat up by the waves. And so it begins to break apart and this ship is going to be destroyed. And so the soldiers have their plan, that is to kill the prisoners. Now we know from

other passages as well. That Roman rule was, if you're a soldier and your prisoner escapes, well, you receive the penalty that prisoner deserved. And so rather than risk that, the soldiers were thinking, we're just going to kill the prisoners because we can't risk them escaping and, you know, being punished ourselves for that. But the centurion intervenes. Again, he's

Well, Paul has made an impression on the centurion. And so he is taking steps and risking his own neck really to preserve Paul. And so he keeps them from killing the prisoners. And instead he says, all right, everybody, if you can swim, jump overboard. If not, grab something to hold on to, you know, and try to make your way to shore. And so through that process, it says that they all made it safely there.

And many Calvary Chapel pastors over the years have pointed out this is the first record of surfing in the Bible because on boards, they went across the sea onto land. I picture it more like boogie boarding because that's more my speed. And so they're not standing up on the boards. They're holding onto them and riding the waves in.

But they make it safely to land. And so again, looking at the geography here, they left from Fair Havens for two weeks. They're crossing, they call it the Adriatic Sea. It's the Mediterranean Sea there. It's about 600 miles. But it's not the direct route like the arrow shows. It's a back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, you know, wherever the wind is blowing them and the currents are taking them. And they crash land on Malta. The commentator FF Bruce points out if they missed Malta,

there would have been nothing for them to hit. You can see, you know, Sicily's up north. They were afraid of running down to Africa. In fact, they weren't even sure where they were. You know, they didn't recognize this island. They didn't know where they were. But as you look at this and just kind of think about it for a minute, you can see the hand of God involved here and the sovereignty of God in that even in the midst of this great storm and they were lost and they didn't know where they were going and they were off course. But

But, you know, God landed them on this little island and we'll see in the next chapter, it also has a purpose because the

The island is going to hear the gospel and the people are going to respond to that. And so God is going to be working even through the midst of the off course in the storm, you know, crash landing on Malta. But if they had missed that, they would have, you know, had a long way to go before the next and probably wouldn't have survived and, you know, so on and so forth. You could imagine all the what ifs. Yeah.

And so just to point out and remind us of the sovereignty of God, the hand of God, even in the midst of the storm. And again, you know, considering the topic or the title of the message, handling rough seas when you're not in charge, the thing to remember when you're not in charge is that God's still in charge, even when you're not in charge.

uh, cause you're not God. And so you can still trust God and, and, and let God do his work. And even if it is a crash landing, it will be a crash landing precisely where God wants that crash landing to take place. And so in the midst of it, uh,

we can give counsel. We can encourage, or sorry, we can express confidence in God's promises. We can remind others about what God says and we can encourage others by example. And I want to encourage you as you're in situations, as you experience things that it's out of your control, but you,

What's in your control is how you walk with God, how you represent God, how you seek first the kingdom of God and trusting him to take care of all of the other things and to do that by example, not just to tell other people what they should do, but to

But again, notice what Paul says in verse 34. I urge you to take nourishment for this is your survival since not a hair will fall from the head of any of you. And when he had said these things, he took bread, gave thanks to God in the presence of them all.

He openly and publicly thanks God and shows them this is how to trust God in the midst of a storm. This is how to trust God in the midst of a difficulty. And so he demonstrates and he models for that. And in doing so, again, as I pointed out at the beginning, Paul goes from captive to captain on this journey because, well, as Guzik says, he has unshakable confidence in God and

And it made him a leader among these people, even though he was a prisoner of Rome. And we can follow Paul's example here and be used by God in similar ways to have influence and make an impact in people's lives.

even when we're not in charge, even when our advice is not heeded. And yet in the midst of that, and the way that we handle that, even when things fall apart, just like we predicted, the way that we handle that can make a big difference in the lives of the people around us, in our representation of God, in our honoring and glorying of God before the world around us.

And so I want to finish with just a quote from Warren Wiersbe. He says, although Paul started the voyage as a prisoner and passenger, he ended it as the captain of the ship. Can the Lord depend on you to sail by faith when you face the storms? Let's pray. Lord, I pray that you would help us, your people here, living water, Lord, that we would be those that you could count on.

to be people of faith in the midst of storms, in the midst of difficulties, Lord, especially when we're not the one making the decisions and we're not in charge and we don't have authority and we're not able to make a direct impact, Lord, as far as the direction and things that are decided. But Lord, we can still make a great impact for you, for your glory and

We can represent you well. And so God, I pray that you would speak to us in those situations, that you would bring forth your word, that we would be able to share it boldly, just like Paul did, to bring encouragement and comfort and hope. And I pray, God, that you would teach us, Lord, to model, Lord, that trust in you, that faith in you that you call us to have, that we would be able to be an example to the people around us, Lord, of what it looks like to trust you in the midst of the situations that we face.

And Lord, it's probably not literal waves and water and wind and things like that. But Lord, it's the chaos, Lord, of life and the difficulties and the pressures and the financial things and the relation things and all of those things. I pray in the midst of those things, Lord, that you would help us to walk with you, to hear from you, to trust in you and to represent you well to the world around us. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

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