The sermon text for today is from Acts chapter 27, verses 1 through 26, Acts 27, 1 through 26. And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustine cohort named Julius. And embarking in a ship of Andromidium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. The next day we put in at Saidan, and Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. And putting out the sea from there we sailed into the Lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Selissia and Pamphilia, we came to Mira in Lissia. There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Knutus. And as the wind did not allow us to go further, we sailed into the Lee of Crete off Salmonee. Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens near which was the city of Lissia. Since much time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous because even the fast was already over, Paul advised them, saying, Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives. But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out the sea from there on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both Southwest and Northwest, and spend the winter there. Now, when the South winds blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete close to the shore. But soon a tempestuous wind called the Northeaster struck down from the land. And when the ship was caught and it could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. Running under the Lee of a small island called Calda, we managed with difficulty to secure the ship's boat. After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that we had grown a ground on the Sirutus, they lowered the gear, and thus they were driven along. Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day to jettison the cargo, and on the third day, they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. When either sun nor stars appeared from many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, Man, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you but only of the ship. For this very night, there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, Do not be afraid, Paul, you must stand before Caesar, and behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you. To take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told, but we must run aground on some island. The word of the Lord. There is a question that I sometimes get, and it goes something like this. After we get saved, why doesn't God just take us straight to heaven?
Why do we have to live life in a sinful world full of trials and tribulations? We know that God is able to just take us straight to heaven after we get saved. Why doesn't he? That is an honest question. It's a real question. But in many ways, I think it is a question that the Bible answers for us. But in order to see it rightly in the scriptures, you must have an understanding of God's sovereignty and know his ultimate purpose in this world. Namely, his own glory and the good of his people. God is consumed. He is jealous. He is jealous for his glory, for the fame of his name. Apart from knowing, apart from dwelling and understanding that truth, I don't know how else you answer the question. When we get saved, why doesn't God just take us straight to heaven? You know, as we have studied the life of Paul throughout the book of Acts, Paul's life has been a series of ups and downs. There has been times of teaching and rejoicing and fellowship with the saints high, spiritual highs, but then there have been times of intense persecution and triumph. But through it all, God has been faithful. He has been demonstrating that he is concerned with his glory, with his fame, and that glory and that fame which he pursues results in good for his people. Texas Morning helps us to see that truth in a very vivid way. God's glory and the good of his people, we see this truth. We see this truth as he provides hope in the midst of a storm. The text starts by telling us that Paul and some other prisoners board a ship to Rome. Now you would remember that last week Paul pled his case before King of Gryppa and because he had appealed to Caesar, he was now going to get a hearing in Rome before Caesar. So he boards the ship with several other prisoners and listen, listen, God, because he is God, because he is all powerful, because he is all knowing could have delivered Paul to Rome with no issues. I mean, clear sailing, no drama, but God's ways are not our ways. God's ways are not our ways, and while our ways may be good, God's ways are best. God's ways are best. Journey begins and as the journey begins, we see God's faithfulness to Paul early on as he is making his way to Rome. We learn that Paul has some friends aboard this ship. There's some friends with him. Apparently Luke has been able to join back up with the Apostle Paul. The text goes from not mentioning we, not a Paul, Lucas, we know that he's the writer of Acts, and so he has given us a count of what happened to Paul before King of Gryppa, but as we get into this text in chapter 27, Luke begins to say, we, and so we have here a first hand account of Paul's journey from Caesarea to Rome. But not only is Luke on the ship with Paul, Aristarchus is on the ship with Paul, the Macedonian who Paul had met back in Ephesians, and actually he went through persecution while he was there in Ephesians. He is also along with Paul for the journey. Here is God being safe with the Paul, granting him friends as he makes this trek from Caesarea to Rome. Not only did God provide Paul with friends for the journey, he provided him with a kind and a caring commanding officer. Look at verse 3. The next day we put in that side and Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and to be cared for. What a blessing. What a blessing. Paul, the prisoner was given leave to visit and be cared for by friends. Commanding officer that was leading the ship, got so much of Paul was so kind and compassionate to Paul, even though he was a prisoner, he was able to leave the ship and visit some friends to be cared for. This is God's faithfulness. This is God's kindness being displayed to Paul. So far, this trip is moving quite well. I mean, it seems like it's a high yet Paul is still a prisoner, but it seems like this is somewhat of a respite. He has found a favor with the commander. He's got friends on the ship. He's been cared for by those whom he visited in a city. All is going well. Life sometimes is like that, isn't it? Smooth, smooth sailing. Things to be seen to be clicking and going well. Relationships are good. You feel close to the Lord. You're getting time and the words spending time in quiet time and prayers and in the word. And things are just moving along. There's money in the bank account. The car is running well. Things are running smooth. This is though, there is a high brothers and sisters as we have learned from our study of acts, the question is not if there will be trial and difficulty. The question is when will the trial and the difficulty come? Someone we've said it before to come and phrase. It's rightly said that you are either headed into a storm in the midst of a storm or coming out of a storm. Brothers and sisters, we don't have to be told this. We don't have to be told that truth. We experience that on a regular basis. We experience that all of the time coming out of a storm going in a storm or in the midst of a storm. We experience this. Paul and the men on the ship were headed into a storm. They were headed into a storm. You know, in storms, storms come. But sometimes storms come because there are those who fail to heed warnings. We need to heed the warnings. After some miles of smooth sailing, Paul and these prisoners, Luke and Aristarchus, there are some smooth sailing that they are experiencing. But then they began to run into some difficulty. That's what verses 7 and 8 tells us that they were running into some difficulty. They weren't reaching their intended stops along the tour as easily as they had in the past. Paul was quite familiar with these seas. He had been on these seas through his various missionary journey. He had actually been shipwrecked before. And so Paul begins to see and to recognize all of the signs and he's thinking to himself, I'm not sure about these waters. I've seen the winds rise up like this before. I've seen difficulty like this before and things do not end well. So what Paul does is he begins to speak up and we see what he says in verse 10. Sir, excuse me, excuse me, sir, it's captain. I, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss. Not only is the car going on the ship, but also of our lives. Paul begins to warn them. We may, maybe we shouldn't go on. Maybe we should hold up where we are. I want to get to Rome as much as you want to get to Rome. But maybe, maybe this isn't the time. We need to stay here. Things are not as safe as they seem. You know, Paul does what all Christians are supposed to do in a volatile, unpredictable world to warn of impending danger. We are to make it up. We are to make it our business to remind ourselves and to communicate to and to persuade others that all is not well. We need to let people know that pursuing fame and fortune will not satisfy. Don't keep down that road. That's not going to give you the satisfaction your heart yearns for or desires. People need to be told that just because it feels good doesn't mean that it's right. They need to know that living together and participating in sexual immoral behavior does not lead to calm waters. These bring storms into your life. Storms that you are not going to be able to handle. This was the job of the Old Testament prophets. Was it not? They were sent to warn the people. This path that you are heading down is full of pitfalls and trouble. So you need not continue. Seek after the Lord. Seek after the Lord. Your lack of heating his warnings and his commands will bring curses. I'm often amazed at how people hear warnings. See the signs. The writing is on the wall and they blatantly miss it. They miss it. Paul warns these men about the danger ahead and look at their response versus 11 and 12. But the Centurion. This is Julius. The Centurion. The commander of the ship paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. Because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in the majority decided to put out to see from there on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix. A harbor of creed facing the southwest west and northwest and spend winter. It was it was danger ahead. Paul is Paul is warning them. He is clear. Paul who had been on the seas he had been there before gives wise sound and rational and reasonable counsel but they ignored it. Sound wise reasonable counsel but they ignored it. Sound like some like Israel to you. They wanted a king like all the other nations around them. Samuel wants. God is your king. You don't want an earthquake king. I'm warning you that desire is going to produce many hardships. It's going to bring many storms. They ignored this council and they got a king and with it came storms and perhaps Israel isn't personal enough for you. Does ignoring sound wise counsel as it sound like you. I know it sounds like me. I know there have been times when I have been given wise sound counsel and I have ignored it and I am dealing still to this day with those consequences. I did not heed wise. Get caught up. Get caught up just like these men did. We go with the majority. We go with what everybody else is saying what everybody else is doing. Look at verse 12 again and because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in the majority decided to put out to see from there. The majority decided it. Everyone else is doing it. Everyone else is going along. It must be right then. Matthew 7 and 14 tells us for the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life and those who find it are few. The road to destruction is why the road to salvation is small. It is narrow and few. You look at this account and you say why didn't these men. They could see the signs. They could see the winds riling up. They knew that they were experiencing some difficulty. Paul gets up who has been shipped back before. He knows what's going on. Why do they not heed his wise counsel. Perhaps the better question is why don't you heed wise counsel. It's pretty simple. It's pretty simple why you and I don't heed wise counsel because the judges would happen in the judges. They were framed that we hear over and over and over and over again in the book of judges because the people wanted to do what was right in their own eyes. That's why we don't heed counsel. We think we know best. We want to do what is right in our own eyes. This was certainly the case for these men. Perhaps their desire to get to Rome for financial reasons. You see this was a large ship with multiple prisoners, multiple passengers. There was grain on the ship and so probably there were financial reasons in which they wanted to why they wanted to get to Rome. Whatever the reason is we can make speculations all day long. The real reason they didn't heed wise counsel is because they wanted to do what was right in their own eyes and they could not see the danger ahead. The storm was coming. Here's the thing about storms. We don't know when they hit. We have no idea when they're coming. We have no idea when they're coming. We don't know when it will hit sometimes. Sometimes they are a result of our own actions and sometimes they are a result of others, but they come. They come nonetheless. They often come suddenly and when storms hit. We need to recognize and know the storms when they hit they hit hard. They hit hard. Look at verse 13 and 14. Now when the South wind blew gently. Maybe supposing that they had obtained their purpose. They weighed anchor and sailed along Crete close to the shore. But soon a competuous wind called the Norrister struck down from the land. It was a gentle wind. They thought they were in the clare. Oh yeah we made the right decision. See Paul you didn't know what you're talking about. We're good. Look at these clare skies. But soon the storm hit with sudden and it was hard. And these next few descriptions that Luke gives us about this storm brothers and sisters. I hope you are getting what Luke is trying to communicate here. This was an intense storm. This was no sun shower. Luke for us is describing in detail a tense and a frightening and an unnerving situation. They are in the midst of a Norrister. This is a typhoon that these men are in the midst of their ways crashing in on the boat. There is wind. The boat is rocking back and forth. It is a violent storm. When the storm hit it hit hard on the midst of the storm. They are fighting for their lives. They are scared. They are trying to save their lives. I don't think it's hard to identify with what these men are going through. You see we have all we have all been in storms. Perhaps not the ones with wind and waves. Few of us have been in those types of storms the storms that we see here. But they are storms nonetheless situations where fear grips your heart. There are situations where you feel alone and like you are drowning you are uncertain of what is coming around the corner. When these storms hit they hit hard and you feel them. We are all familiar with that saying. When it rains it pours. I like to say and I have experienced this. When it rains it monsoons. It seems like you are just crashing in over you. I mean something is hitting and one after the other. You just can't catch your breath. You can't come out from under it. You feel like you are drowning. You feel helpless. You feel fearful. It's a waste crashing in on you. The storm hits. It hits hard. 2008 when the economic downturn hit it hit hard. People lost jobs. People lost homes. Savings and 401 accounts were wiped out. People were fearful. They were scared that storm hit hard because of the sinful actions of a few men. Storm hit hard. You know what? When storms hit hard it affects Christians and non-Christians alike. You remember that Luke and Aristarchus are passengers on the ship. They are in the midst of the storm too. They are unbelievers on the ship and they are both dealing with this storm. Paul was on the ship. The one who warned that this storm was coming, the one whom they didn't listen to who wanted to do the right thing, he is feeling the effects of this storm. When that economic downturn hit in 2008 churches lost buildings. Pastors lost homes. Missionaries lost homes. You don't get a pass. You don't get a pass from the storm. Christians don't get a pass. Christians and non-Christians alike deal with the effects of storms. Here is the devastating thing. Here is the devastating thing. Storms don't just destroy or set bodies, buildings, and ships. Storms wreak havoc on people's emotions and their hope. These men in the midst of the storm were fearful at season for 17. So much so that they were trying to do everything in their power to save their lives. They began to throw cargo off of the ship. They began to make provisions so that the ship would not tip over. They dropped an anchor into the sea so that they would be stabled from the pummeling winds and the ways that were coming against them. They were pulling out all of the stops trying to save themselves. It is amazing what man will do in the midst of a storm to save himself. It's amazing. It's amazing what we will do in the midst of a storm when things are crashing in on us, when we can't breathe, when we're struggling, it's amazing what we will do in the midst of a storm. To try to save ourselves. And you know what? That is the nature of shame. It takes place through the light of Satan. Satan would have you try and save yourself from the storms of life. You and I try to rescue ourselves. We try to figure it out on our own. I believe me. I know that I am not alone and thinking that whatever storm comes my way. I can get out of it. I don't need help. You don't need to help me. I can do this on my own. I've got this. No need to help me to get out of this situation. What happens when that which you face is insurmountable? What happens when you can't handle the storm? What happens when the storm that you are seeking to get out from under is your sin? I can tell you what happens. Our text tells us what happens. Because what happens is what happens to these men. You lose hope. You lose hope. Look at verse 20. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and no small, tempest lay on us, they are still being buffeted by the winds and the waves. All hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. All hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. They had come to the end of themselves and they realized that there was no hope. No hope. Our lives are going to end on these feet. Here's the interesting note. You can kind of understand it from the perspective of the unbeliever. Let's talk a little bit about that. They lost hope or hope. But Luke, the Christian who experienced the storm and was writing this account, says this. Luke is talking here. All of our hope of being saved was at last abandoned. Luke counts himself in this. His hope was gone. Brothers and sisters, this should be a reminder that Christians too suffer from the temptation of losing hope. As I said for the unbeliever, this makes sense. This is an everyday reality for the unbeliever living without Christ is hopeless. Remember what Paul told the church at Ephesus in Ephesians 2 and 12. Remember that you were at one at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and was out of God in this world. All of those who live apart from Christ lived without hope in this world. There was understandable that the unbelievers in this situation in the midst of a storm would be crying out. We must understand that Christians come to this hope as well. It's feeling of hopelessness. But we know that it's a fallacy. We know that for every Christian, every Christian has hope. But we let the devil convince us that we don't have any hope, struggle like the Psalmist in Psalm 42, finding it hard to trust and believe the promises of God and find hope when the storm is raging, when we're drowning, when the waves and everything around us seem insurmountable in the systems. The storm just doesn't damage bodies, ships and building. It wrecks havoc on people's emotions and their hope. It wrecks havoc on those things. And a few years ago, when I was still single, I was courting Allison at the time. But I was here in Georgia, I was a student, I was working and I was overwhelmed. I had no money, felt like I had a lot going on. Listen, I felt hopeless. I felt very tempted to despair, struggling. It was hard. Like a good son. I reached out to my dad. I needed help. So I reached out to him. One of the biggest concerns of mine was that I didn't have any money. I've got a court of pretty little lady. I have any money, struggling, feeling without hope. I reached out to my dad and he sent me a card in the mail. And then it was a was a was a money. Thank the Lord. That wasn't the best part. In the midst of my hopelessness, my dad ended that card saying, surely goodness and mercy. So I follow you all the days of your life. Hope came in the midst of a storm because my dad declared to me the word of God. We need to hear the word of God in the midst of a storm in the midst of the storm. After all these men had lost hope. Paul, who I'm sure was praying, he was praying and struggling. Remember, he is being buffeted by these winds in these ways too. Paul is not, he's not, he's not shielded from the storm. He is receiving the blows and the feeling of hopelessness from the storm. So I bet in the midst of that storm, he is praying out to his Lord and asking for help, trying, struggling to believe the promises of God. God, he was told that he was going to get before Caesar and proclaim the gospel. This doesn't look like it's going to happen. Struggling and praying, the midst of that storm, he receives a word from the Lord. And angel of God stood by him and said, do not be afraid Paul. You must stand before Caesar and before God has granted you and the whole God has granted you all those who sell with you. In the midst of that storm, the word of God comes and brings comfort and the hope of salvation. Word of God came and brought comfort and the hope of salvation. It brought comfort, it brought comfort. As these men are physically beaten and being buffeted emotionally, they are fearful and sure they are going to die. Paul stands up in the midst of them and says, take heart, be encouraged. What do you mean Paul? Take heart and be encouraged. The winds are raging. The waves are breaking in on us. Take courage. You know why he could say that? You know why he could comfort the men with that word because he had been comforted by the word of God. Do not be afraid Paul. You know what makes those words so comforting. Those are the words of the Lord. Those are God's words. Those are God's words. That's the only reason why they are comforting. The God who controls all of the winds and the waves who has created all things and upholds the world by the power of his words. Listen, he is sovereign. He is all powerful. He is all knowing. He is ever present. And so when he says, be not afraid. Listen because he is the God that controls all things. That is comforting. Do not be afraid. Fear not. These are the words that God has been declaring to his people throughout all of redemption history, redemptive history. But perhaps my favorite. My favorite account is when the children of Israel are in the banks of the Red Sea in Exodus 1430. We read it in our Psalm this morning. We read it and I say it's my favorite. It's one of my favorite accounts of seeing the salvation of the Lord. Here are the children of Egypt. Israel who have been delivered out of Egypt. The Red Sea is right in front of them. They know that if they go into the Red Sea they're going to drown and they're going to die. But if they turn back, Pharaoh's army is coming against them. So they're fearful. They start mumbling and complaining and trying to figure out, God, why do you have us here? You said that you will bring us out so that we might worship you. But we're going to die here. Moses stands up and declares the word of the Lord and says, fear not. Stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, we shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you and you have only to be silent. Fear not and watch the salvation of the Lord. In a nutshell, that's the word that the angel brought to Paul and the word that he can convey to the men. Word brought comfort, but it also brought the hope of salvation. Look at a second half of 24. God has granted you all those who sell with you. These men have come to all to the end of all their efforts to save themselves. They come, they come, they can no longer save themselves. They were, they were without hope. They were broken and hopeless. And the word of God came and gave them hope. Paul said there will be no loss of life among you, but only the ship. God promises salvation from the storm. Sure and Paul was promised that he would stand before Caesar. And we see how the providence of God and how he's been working that out orchestrating all of the events in Paul's life so that he might get to Caesar that same surety was given to Paul that they would be saved from the storm. Paul was in the midst of that storm declaring the word of God, not his thoughts about what would happen, but the very word of God, a word that these men could stand on and place their hope in. Unlike before, Paul, Paul perceived that there might be some trouble ahead. He perceived that, okay, these waters are going to be dangerous. I perceive that they're going to be some trouble ahead. This time he says an angel of the Lord stood by him. The God to whom he belonged and worshiped declared this word to him. If my God said it, then you can believe it. We are getting off that boat. We need to sing like our children sing. My God is so so so big, so strong and so able. There's nothing my God cannot do. This is what Paul is declaring. My God said it. You can believe it. This is so instructive for us as Christians in the midst of storms, in the midst of trials. Christians are supposed to bring a word of hope. Somebody needs to be praying. Somebody needs to stand up and declare the word of God when the storms are raging in your life. If you go to somebody for counsel, they should be opening up the word of God to you and bringing you hope. We don't bring our opinions. Our opinions don't bring hope. The word of God brings hope to people. We should always as Christians be leaving each other hopeful, hopeful, clearing hope. Why? Because if we are faithful in doing what Colossians 316 says, we'll bring hope. But the word of Christ, well, and you're richly teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom. What teaches what admonishes one another? The word of God. You do that. People leave with hope. Here's what we need to remember. However, hope in the midst of a storm doesn't mean there still won't be pain and suffering and that salvation doesn't come immediately. Look at verse 26. But we must run aground on some island. Here is what hope in the word of God says in the midst of a storm. Here's what it says. Everything may not be all right. What is going to be all right. Everything may not be all right, but it's going to be all right. These men, Christian and non-Christian were promised salvation from the storm. If you are not a Christian, God may graciously save you from the storms in this life. But I must tell you there is a storm coming that is the wrath of God against sin. Don't ignore the warnings. Don't try to save yourself here today. Listen, trying to save yourself is going to cause you to be hopeless there in the end. It's going to cause you to be hopeless. You will have no hope. But I want to declare to you the word of the Lord today and let you know that there is hope. There is hope found in Jesus. It turns from your sin and follow after Christ. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Hope in the midst of your hopelessness. If you are apart from Christ, you have no hope if you are not in Christ. Run to Christ. Turn from your sins. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. That's not my opinion. That's the Bible says. That's the word that comes if you are Christian this morning dealing with the storms of life and you are feeling hopeless. We are subject to it. I know we deal with the storms that come and we are tempted to despair. We are tempted to worry to be fearful to feel like we have no hope. It is the word. Take heart. Do not be afraid and watch the salvation of the Lord. As a sister, you are a Christian. Things may not be all right, but it's going to be all right. Hope in the word of the Lord. Let's pray.