Acts 27

Acts 27:1-12  When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment.  We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us.  The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs.  From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us.  When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia.  There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board.  We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone.  We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.  Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Fast. So Paul warned them, "Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also."  But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship.  Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest.

Paul was on his way to Rome.  He had appealed to Caesar.  He had refused to be judged by the Jews in Jerusalem and so Festus had sent him off to Nero.  And the story of Paul’s journey to Rome is one of the more fascinating adventures in the book of Acts.  Did you notice the “we” in these passages?  I suspect Luke was along for the ride to Rome.  Luke was there for this adventure and it made an enormous impact on him, so he packs in all the details he can squeeze into Acts 27.

Most of the 12 verses, we have just read, are setting the circumstances up for this adventure.  You have all the characters; Paul, Luke & Aristarchus, a centurion named Julius, an owner and a pilot of the ship.  You even have some foreshadowing, "Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also."  But Paul is ignored at first; but that is going to change.  That creates the tension in the story.  It is late in the sailing season.  Can they make it to Rome or will they all die at sea?  Wow, I am excited, let’s jump into it. 

Hang on.  We need to ask a question before we jump into this adventure.  Is this just an adventure story or does it have a point. That is a good question to ask anytime you read a story, or watch a movie, or even see a sitcom.  Does it have a point?  As you may suspect; it does.  And I can’t decide if I should tell you the point before we read the story or not.  I know this will take away some of the suspense, but I want to watch Paul live the point of this story all the way through.  No, never mind, I’ll tell you later.  Let’s get to the story.

Acts 27:13-19  When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had obtained what they wanted; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete.  Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the "northeaster," swept down from the island.  The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along.  As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure.  When the men had hoisted it aboard, they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along.  We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard.  On the third day, they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands.  

What other stories does this remind you of?  Three come to my mind. 
-Jesus calming the storm.  That would have been a great trick.  Paul could have stood on the bow (that’s the front) reached his hands out and said, “Peace be still!”  That would have been spectacular. But that is not what happened in this story.  Asking why may give you a clue to the point of the story.
-Peter walking on the water.  That would have been cool.  Paul could have taken everyone by the hand and walked to the island of Cauda.  But that didn’t happen either.  Remember we are in the Neapolitan type of miracles not wow ones. Hmmm… another clue.
-Jonah on the way to Tarshish.  That one is really close to this story.  What was the point of Jonah?  He was going the wrong way.  That is not the point of this story, but it is a clue.  Paul was on his way to Rome.  Jonah was supposed to be on his way to Nineveh.   That also is interesting.  Enough speculating; back to the story.

Acts 27:20-26  When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.  (The perfect storm)  After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: "Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. (Even Paul couldn’t resist an “I told you so.”)  But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed.  (That was the good news) Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.'  So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.  Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island."  (That was the bad news)

Who is in charge now?  The Centurion or the pilot or Paul.  This is really getting close to the point of the story.  Why do the people on board listen to a prisoner?  What was it about Paul that gave him the clout to take over?  In the storms of life there are some people to whom others turn.  Oh, this whole storm is a metaphor for my life… That is a significant thought.

Acts 27:27-37  On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land.  They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feet deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feet deep.  Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight.  In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved."  So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it fall away.  Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. "For the last fourteen days," he said, "you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food-- you haven't eaten anything.  Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head."  After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves.  Altogether there were 276 of us on board.

Paul is now in complete control.  So much so that the soldiers cut the lifeboats loose go on Paul’s command.  And then in the darkest moment, before daylight, Paul encouraged all 276 people on board. Paul even takes time to thank God during the storm!  This is amazing! 

Acts 27:38-44  When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.  When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could.   Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach.  But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf.  The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping.  But the centurion wanted to spare Paul's life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land.  The rest were to get there on planks or on pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land in safety.

The story goes on next week as Paul ultimately got to Rome.  But that is enough excitement for one week.  The sun came.  The centurion didn’t kill the prisoners, which is what protocol dictated. They all jumped in the water and swam to shore.  They washed up on the beach, safe; but in on an unknown island.

That is a really good story.  It would even make a good movie. But why did Luke devote an entire chapter to this adventure?  Why all the details?  How did Paul go from a prisoner, who was ignored, to being in charge of 276 people?  What does this have to do with our theme of being witnesses?  What is the point?

Luke is an amazing writer. He is doing more than just telling a story; even such an exciting one.  Luke is staying true to his theme. He is teaching us how to witness.  He is teaching us how to witness in the storm.  That is the point.  In our lives we are called to witness in the storm. The whole story is a metaphor, almost an allegory, about life. Let’s go back and work our way through the story again and explore parts of the story and see how it works to teach us how to witness in the storm. 

Storms come into our lives.  Am I right? Sometimes we can see them coming like a hurricane on the Weather Channel as it slowly approaches.  Even though we see them coming we are helpless to stop them. Sometimes they are unexpected storms.  Like Paul’s storm it hits after a gentle breeze.  Life is smooth and then out of nowhere it hits.  That has to be the first lesson.  Expect storms… because in them we have powerful witness! 

Sometimes the storms are not even your fault.  Paul warned them.  He told Julius, “This is a bad idea. We should not sail.”  It wasn’t fair to Paul. That he had to go through this storm.  But he did and sometimes so do we.

I thought it was interesting that they did what they could.  They sailed the storm.  They threw stuff overboard.  They went with the wind.  They put out anchors and too soundings and did all they could. I think that is a good lesson.  When we are in the storms, we do what you can.  Part of witnessing in the storm is how you continue to do what you can. We are not called to be passive recipients; but active participants.   We work in the storms.  And that is a witness!

Verse 20 is such a graphic verse. How many times could you have said these words?  

Acts 27:20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved. 

When all hope is lost; faith is the ultimate witness!  It is all about faith.  When everyone had cast in their chips, Paul’s faith kept them going.  It is in the darkest moments that faith shines the brightest. 

While we are in the storm it absorbs us.  Everyone had been so worried and so busy that they hadn’t eaten for 14 days.  Isn’t that the way of it? When we are in the midst of a storm that is all we think about. But Paul encouraged them to eat.  It is in doing the common that faith is restored.

Paul broke the bread and gave thanks.  Allusions to the Lord’s Supper; echoes of worship; the praise of Thanksgiving in the storm; wow what an amazing witness.  When we can praise God in the storm we become his witnesses! 

Then we have that scene where the sailors are going to sneak off the boat and launch the lifeboats. Paul stops them. Faith triumphs over panic.  In the storms we can’t abandon our faith.  Don’t leave God in the storm, that’s silly. 

But, there is a time to jump.  In following God sometimes we do have to jump from the safety of our comfort zones and leap out in faith into the sea.  Listening to the Spirit leads us to be able to know when we take the leap of faith. 

It was 475 miles from where the storm hit to where they ended up. There is safety after the storm but it will be in a new an unknown place.  Isn’t that the way life is?  After the storm, when God has delivered you to safety, it will be in a different place.  Your faith will have been transformed.  You will be different; and that is a good thing! 

I told you this story was almost an allegory.  Most every line is packed full of meaning and lessons about our faith.  I’m glad Luke was along for the ride and was able to write such an amazing story.  There is one more detail in the story I would like to close with. 

276 people may be watching your faith in the storm! 

 

Los Alamos Church of Christ
November 9, 2008