Well, it’s been a big week. I’m glad that everyone is safe and that we are able to gather here this morning. It is really funny to me that we are in Acts 27 this week where Luke tells us about Paul’s journey to Rome and how a huge storm affects their plans. Not only that, but we know from Luke’s reference to the end of the fast that this takes place in the first couple weeks of October. So maybe God has something to tell us this morning:)
Luke is writing using the word ‘we’ so he’s with Paul in this passage. It’s interesting how the validity of this account has been supported over time by the way Luke, who is not a sailor, writes about all the sailing aspects of the journey. To non-sailors, like most of us, Luke sounds like he knows a lot about sailing. The lee side of the island, various types of anchors, and taking soundings for depth. But, if a legit sailor from that day were reading this, they would know instantly by the way he is describing these events that Luke is definitely not a sailor. And the only way for this to be so is if Luke were actually on the boat as he claimed to be. James Smith in his book, The Voyage And Shipwreck of St. Paul, wrote, “No sailor would have written in a style so little like that of a sailor; no man not a sailor could have written a narrative of a sea voyage so consistent in all its parts, unless from actual observation.” So it’s very hard to say that the early church made this story up.
I’m not going to explain all the nautical terms here because that would take about 30 minutes alone. You can google them, but I’ll explain the parts we need to understand the setting. The soldiers transporting Paul used several ships on this voyage. They started from Cesarea on a ship of Adramyttium. Now, some people read this and think that this ship was made of the same material as Wolverine’s blades. Nope. First, this is not what the ship was made of, it was where the ship’s home port is. Second, Wolverine’s blades are made of adamantium. So, they took this ship up the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea around the edge of modern day Turkey and then turned west which was difficult this time of year because the winds came head on from the west. I’m no sailor, but I can see how sailing into the wind is not ideal. Sailing in the ancient world started to shut down in late September and completely shut down for the winter in November because the sailing conditions got so bad. So, these guys are taking a bit of a risk already in October.
When they got to the southern edge of Asia, they got on a larger Alexandrian ship that could navigate the open sea better. Luke says that there were 276 people on the ship. The wind didn’t allow them to use the most direct route which is why they ended up going south to the island of Crete and then to a place called Fair Havens. And it was at this point that Paul warned the sailors that this wasn’t going to go well. It may have been Paul’s intuition from thousands of miles at sea, it may have been direction from God, but the sailors had no interest in hearing sailing advice from a land locked Jewish preacher. They might have seen it like me giving a home builder like Kurt Bowerman a warning about home building or a surgeon like Rod Lovett a warning about surgery. So, you can’t blame the sailors too much I don’t think at this point. For whatever reason, they did not want to spend the whole winter at Fair Havens. So, they set out for a port called Phoenix.
The terrible storm developed and they went 14 days without seeing the sun or stars. This should sound terrible to all of us, but as someone who gets seasick very easily, it sounds especially terrible to me. Even the sailors at this point had given up all hope of being saved.
So, I want to do something slightly different with this text than I normally do. I want to look at the storm metaphorically, but root it firmly in the text. There is a long tradition in the Christian church of doing this. Charles Spurgeon did this, John Calvin did this, the early church fathers did this, and even the Apostles did this. I also think it’s bullseye to what Luke is wanting to communicate. I don’t think Luke cares about how many nautical terms we know or if we know our ancient geography. I think he’s telling us something important about God.
Storms are going to come into our lives. I’ve said many times that my wife, Angela, says that we often think about our lives as a line of stability with blips of difficulty, but the longer you live, you realize that life is really a line of difficulty with blips of stability. Storms are going to come. They may be literal hurricanes that wipe out your home or business. They may be medical diagnoses. They may be the loss of a job or even someone you love. If you live long enough, these things will happen to us.
But we are uniquely at a disadvantage in our Western 21st century context to handle these storms. Even as Christians. Paul’s culture and much of the world even today expects trials to come. But, we, through our technological advancements are the most trial averse culture to ever live. It’s not that trials don’t come to us, but we live in a mindset that they shouldn’t come. We will never be able to out-innovate a world marred by sin. So, when they come, not if, but when they come, we don’t know how to handle them. We begin to question God, blame God or walk away from him. We can be like the sailors and feel like we have lost all hope of making it through the storm.
So, I would argue that we need this passage more than most of the Christians who have ever lived. Now, we might not have God or angels speaking directly to us like Paul, but we can still have the same confidence Paul did because Paul knew the God of the storms and he knew that God is using storms to redeem the storms. Those are the two things I want to flesh out from this passage.
- Paul knew the God of the storms
In the midst of this major storm, Paul has something to say to the crew. And at the beginning it could sound like a big ‘I told you so’ from Paul. “Does anyone remember who said this was a bad idea? Oh, yeah, it was me.” But that’s not what he’s doing. He’s showing his own credibility and then he explains the vision he had. An angel told him that the ship would be lost, but all the people would be spared. And he starts that announcement by saying, 23 For this very night qthere rstood before me san angel of the God tto whom I belong and uwhom I worship…- Acts 27:23 This is an important verse because it shows us that Paul’s confidence isn’t actually in the angel or the vision, but in God himself. God to whom Paul belongs and God whom he worships/serves.
Let’s dial in there. There are three aspects to Paul knowing the God of the storms. First, he knew the God of the storms to whom Paul belongs. In what sense do we belong to God? Well, the Bible gives us three metaphors for this. We belong to God like a bride does to a bridegroom. It’s not that the bridegroom owns or controls his bride, this metaphor communicates the love a bridegroom has for his bride. I have officiated a lot of weddings and when the bride enters the room and walks down the aisle, I always look over at the groom because the joy on his face and often tears in his eyes is a picture, a glimpse, of the way God tells us he loves us. The security we will find in Him. The joy we will have with him through sickness and health, richer or poorer, to love and cherish and no death can ever cause us to part.
The Bible also says that we belong to God as a child to his or her father. I mean, there is nothing that could make me start a prison ministry faster than someone harming my children. I am so relentlessly jealous for their joy and satisfaction. There is nothing I can think of that I wouldn’t give and sacrifice for their success. When my children are hurting, I not only feel their pain, but sometimes I feel it more intensely than they do. The same is true of our Heavenly Father, but exponentially more for all who put our faith in Jesus.
Then, lastly, the Bible gives us the metaphor of a sheep belonging to a shepherd. A sovereign shepherd who leads them to green fields and streams where they can be nourished. A loving shepherd who will leave the 99 to go and find the lost one. A sacrificial shepherd who stays up at night as the sheep sleep to protect them from any enemy or trial that might come upon them.
Paul knew this God. He didn’t just pray a prayer and then come to God when things got tough as so many of us do. He walked with God daily. He knew the love, security, and protection of God. So when the storm came, he embodied a peace that surpasses understanding.
I want to pause and ask here, because I think it’s appropriate given Paul’s posture -- how many of us in this room genuinely feel like we’re “ready” for trials? I’m not saying we intellectually know they’re coming. I mean deep in our bones, we are so rooted in the daily, experiential knowledge of God’s sovereign goodness, that though we may experience unimaginable sorrow in trials, we will never doubt His goodness to carry us through?
The book Gentle and Lowly makes the case that knowing facts about Jesus isn’t the same as knowing Jesus and growing in our relationship with him. “A wife may tell you much about her husband - his height, his eye color, his eating habits, his education, his job, his handiness around the house, his best friend, his hobbies, his Myers’ Briggs personality profile, his favorite sports team. But what can she say to communicate his knowing gaze across the table over a dinner at their favorite restaurant? That look reflects years of ever-deepening friendship, thousands of conversations and arguments through which they safely come, a time ripened settling into the assurance of embrace, come what may? That glance that speaks in a moment his loving protection more clearly than a thousand words? In short, what can she say to communicate to another her husband’s heart for her?
It's one thing to describe what your husband says and does and looks like. It’s something else, something deeper and more real, to describe his heart for you.” It’s one thing to know about God, to know his doctrines, but it is a whole other thing to know him and grow in your relationship with him. That’s what Paul is communicating here.
I remember a story from my time in Mississippi. There was a woman who was asleep and about midnight she got a knock on her door, she opened it and there was a police officer. Her heart sank and the officer informed her that her husband had been killed. He then asked her if he could do anything for her and she said, “No one can help me now except my Lord Jesus. I’m going to go be with him right now.”
Paul knew he belonged to God and what that meant, but that didn’t just allow him to approach the storm with peace in his soul, it allowed him to bring that peace to others. This is the second aspect of Paul knowing the God of storms. He knew the God of the storms whom he served. Back to verse 23. 23 For this very night qthererstood before me san angel of the God tto whom I belong and uwhom I worship - Acts 27 This word worship isn’t the normal word for worship. Other translations translate it as whom I serve. This word brings connotations of worshipful service in all he does. Or serving God no matter what out of sense of worship to him.
Paul tells them to stay in the ship, that they need to let it wreck on land, and to eat and that it will all be ok and that is what they do. They ate, they cut the lines and let the ship drift, and then threw everything else out into the water. Paul’s inner peace brought peace to the others. It’s worth saying that God is going to keep us in this world as long as there is work for us to do in worship of him. We have low points in life when we wonder what point there is in continuing on, but if you are still here, the answer is that God has more to do with you. And when our work is up, we should be glad to go home. Paul says exactly this to the Philippian church 21 For to me mto live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in theflesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 nIam hard pressed between the two. My desire is oto depart and pbe with Christ,for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on youraccount. - Phil. 1:21-24
Remember, Paul is no newbie to being lost at sea. One time he had apparently floated on a piece of wood for a day and a half. It is the storms that allow us to grow in our service toward others. If someone loses a spouse or a child, those of you who have been through that horrible tragedy are better equipped to serve them. I remember years ago a church was looking for a pastor and one candidate looked great. He was a great communicator, had the right degrees, and a very winsome personality. But, one elder wisely said, “But he hasn’t suffered.” He hasn’t experienced a real storm. And they went with someone else. I’m not saying the more storms you have, the holier you are. But how someone responds to a storm tells you volumes about their relationship with God.
Knowing that we belong to God allows us to have peace in the storms and it allows us to serve others by bringing peace to them in the storm. Then, the third aspect of Paul knowing the God of the storms: he new that God will do what he says he will do. Back to 23 again, but we will keep reading. 23 For this very night qthererstood before me san angel of the God tto whom I belong and uwhom I worship,24 and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; vyou must stand before Caesar. And behold, wGod has granted you all those who sail with you.’ 25 So take heart, men,for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. 26 But xwe mustyrun aground on some island.” - Acts 27:23-26
Take heart, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. God is faithful to the promises he makes. I think this is actually at the heart of what Luke wants to show us. But, some of you might be thinking, “Yeah, Jim, but an angel showed up to him and gave him that promise. No angels are making me promises.” True, but we have even greater promises than Paul is given here.
21 And it shall come to pass that ceveryone who calls upon the name of the Lordshall be saved.’ - Acts 2:21 36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that jGod has made himkboth Lord and Christ, this Jesus lwhom you crucified.” - Acts 2:36 42 And ahe commanded us to preach to the people and to testify bthat he is theone appointed by God to be judge cof the living and the dead. 43 dTo him eall theprophets bear witness that feveryone who believes in him receives gforgivenessof sins hthrough his name.” - Acts 10:42,43 31 And they said, x“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, youyand your household.” Acts 16:31 31 because he has fixed ma day on which nhe will judge theworld oin righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and pof this he hasgiven assurance to all qby raising him from the dead.” - Acts 17:3114 But this I confess to you, that according to ethe Way, which theycall fa sect, gI worship hthe God of our fathers, believing everything ilaid downby the Law and written in the Prophets, 15 jhaving ka hope in God, which thesemen themselves accept, that there will be la resurrection mof both the just andthe unjust. - Acts 24:14,15
And those are just from the book of Acts. What would we prefer, a God who only gets us through the small storms of this life? Or a God who gets us through the great storm of life after death? No promise Paul received on this boat can compare to the promises we have in Jesus. But, we do have a promise in the here and now that that is so familiar that we can actually miss it. Second, and much shorter, point.
- Paul knew God is using the storms to redeem the storms
This takes us back to my comment in the beginning of the sermon. We are the most suffering averse culture that has ever lived and this creates a very unhealthy relationship between us and our inevitable suffering. Our task isn’t to avoid suffering or seek suffering, but to embrace it when it comes. Dr. Curt Thompson is a psychiatrist specializing in neurobiology and a Christian. In his book The Deepest Place: suffering and the formation of hope, he writes ,“When much of our lives has been committed to protecting ourselves from the od we believe has betrayed us, left us, or at the very least simply never shown up, it is not easy to create new brain-cell firing patterns—neural networks—that are durable enough to carry our experiential belief that we are loved…..We cannot form hope that is able to weather the storms of our lives if we are unwilling to encounter the suffering that today’s culture attempts to deliver us from at all costs.”
So how do we do this? We can only embrace the storms if we embrace the promise Paul wrote in Romans 8:28 and do so with the power of the Holy Spirit inside of us. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together hforgood,8 for ithose who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom hejforeknew he also kpredestined lto be conformed to the image of his Son… - Rom 8:28,29a This is a promise that God is using every storm in our life to redeem the storms in life. A promise that he is actually using our suffering to redeem suffering. All those who love God are going to have all the circumstances work out for our good, including the hardest and most painful ones. But, Paul doesn’t stop there, he defines what that good is: that we would be conformed into the image of Jesus through our suffering. This is actually amazing. God is now using our suffering to build us up and bring us more joy in the Christian life. He’s redeeming suffering. Suffering is not punitive, it is now purifying.
When a Christian suffers, we are made more human. We cry ‘Abba’ ‘Father’ in the same way Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane. This cry is a cry in the hardest moments of our lives of the painful expectation of God’s goodness in any trial. This is why as Christians, we consider our sufferings differently. Why we can embrace them and not run from them. We see a different purpose in them. We know that if we are heirs with Christ, not only do we share in his sufferings, we will also share in his triumphs. This is why Paul says, 20 For the creation pwas subjected to futility, not willingly, but qbecause of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that rthe creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. - Rom 8:20,21 Do you see that our being subjected to this suffering, what Paul calls futility, is not because we want to be subjected to it. Paul says that this has not happened to us willingly. So, who has subjected us to it? Some have said Satan, but this can’t be because of the next two words: in hope. Our purpose in suffering is actually based in hope.
Paul says that all creation is groaning together in the pains of childbirth. And don’t you want to hear a man tell you women something about childbirth? As best I can tell, childbirth seems to be very uncomfortable. When Angela and I were newly married, we were invited to go fishing for free at the number one offshore fishing resort in the world off the rainforests of Panama. She caught a 500 pound blue marlin. She fought that thing for two hours and after she was finished, she said, “There’s no way childbirth can be worse than that.” Two years later, Turner was born and she took back every word of that statement. Then, she did something crazy, she had three more children! Why would she do that…why would any of you do that? Because childbirth is a sort of pain and groaning that leads to life. There is a purpose that makes all the pain worth it. And as you’re holding that child in your hands, you forget about all that pain because that suffering was not worth comparing to the glory that you now hold in your hands.
That’s the point Paul is making. All this is leading to a world without strife, without sin, and without suffering. And more than that, we will be with God. The Spirit inside of us will cause us to continue in the faith even when our suffering feels insurmountable. The Spirit will use our suffering to make us more human. And he will take us to a kingdom that will make all the sufferings of this world seem like a bad night in a tent. All our storms will be redeemed. And this is only possible because Jesus has taken the greatest storm we could ever face for us. The storm of God’s wrath for our sin. He took that on the cross. He’s given us his perfect righteousness and his Holy Spirit.
This is what Paul knew. This is what had been reinforced over years of suffering. Suffering that he embraced as God’s good gift to him. Are we Jonah running from God only to be lost in the storm, or are we Paul embracing the inevitable storms of this life knowing God is redeeming the storms by using them for our good? In the book The Velveteen Rabbit, the story goes that the Skin Horse says to the Velveteen Rabbit, “When a child loves you for a long, long time, then you become real.” “Does it hurt?” asks the Velveteen Rabbit. “Oh yes,” says the Skin Horse. “That’s why it doesn’t happen to those who break easily or who have to be very carefully handled. By the time you are real, most of your hair has been loved off and your eyes drop out and you get really loose in the joints and you look awfully shabby, but once you are real, you can’t be ugly except to the people who don’t understand.” That’s a picture of the Christian hope in suffering.
God has given us his Holy Spirit so that when we suffer, it doesn’t break us, it makes us more real. Our hair may be loved off, our eyes may droop out, our joints may be loose, but we’ve been changed on the inside. And just as Jesus’ marred body on the cross gave way to his glorious resurrected body, so will ours. And we will live with him more appreciatively, more joyful, and more satisfied than we can possibly imagine now. And that joy and satisfaction will only grow for the rest of eternity. God will do what he said he will.
More in The Book of Acts
November 10, 2024
When God Answers Questions You Aren't AskingNovember 3, 2024
God Did What He Said He Would DoOctober 27, 2024
And So We Came to Rome