Introduction:
A. When I was growing up, one of my favorite TV shows was the silly comedy “Gilligan’s Island.”
1. Every episode opened with the catchy theme song that introduced the plight of the group.
2. “Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, A tale of a fateful trip, that started from this tropic port, aboard this tiny ship. The mate was a mighty sailin' man, the Skipper brave and sure. Five passengers set sail that day, for a three hour tour, a three hour tour.
The weather started getting rough, but the tiny ship was tossed. If not for the courage of the fearless crew, the Minnow would be lost. The Minnow would be lost.
The ship set aground on the shore of this uncharted desert isle with Gilligan, the Skipper too. A millionaire and his wife, a movie star, the professor and Mary Ann, here on Gilligan's Isle.”
3. So seven people set sail on what was scheduled to be a three-hour sightseeing tour on the charter boat The Minnow, but they got caught in a storm and end up stranded on an uncharted tropical island.
4. The comedy develops from the failed attempts at escaping the island and the interaction of the very diverse group.
B. Their shipwreck was turned into a comedy, but most shipwrecks are anything but a comedy.
1. I’ve seen bumper stickers that say, “I’d rather be sailing,” but I’ve never seen one that says, “I’d rather be shipwrecked.”
2. The adventure of sailing across the open seas carries a certain exhilarating thrill that can become almost addicting, but there’s nothing fun about sinking into the cold waters of the deep in the midst of a violet storm.
C. I can thankfully say that being shipwrecked is not something I can list on my resume of life experiences, and you can probably, thankfully say the same.
1. But such is not the case for the Apostle Paul.
2. By this time in his life, you would hope that he had paid his dues and been through his toughest times; surely his final ministry years would be smooth sailing the rest of the way, right? Wrong.
3. In Acts 27, Luke vividly records their shipwreck experience and Paul’s reaction to it.
4. What begins very innocuously as a Mediterranean cruise, turns into one of the most frightening ordeals of Paul’s life.
5. Luke, having endured the same death-defying adventure, gives us his eye-witness account.
6. As we study Luke’s account of Paul’s perilous voyage to Rome, we want to learn lessons for our own lives.
7. All of us will inevitably face our own perfect storms of life, and we need to learn how to face those storms head-on and stare down our feelings of panic.
I. Paul’s Shipwreck
A. Paul’s shipwreck story begins with these words: 1 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. 2 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.
3 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. 4 From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 5 When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 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. 8 We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.
9 Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Fast. So Paul warned them, 10 "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." 11 But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. 12 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. (Acts 27:1-12)
1. And so, the journey began with all the pleasant expectancy of a memorable ocean voyage.
2. Placed under the care and custody of a Roman centurion named Julius, Paul was joined by Luke, and a Macedonian companion named Aristarchus.
3. Now would be a good time to take a look at a map and trace the route of Paul’s voyage from Caesarea up around the island of Cyprus, through Myra (where they changed ships), past Rhodes, down south below Crete, across to the obscure island of Malta, then up through the strait past Sicily and to the harbor near Rome.
4. God had told Paul that he would make it to Rome, but Paul had no idea of the circuitous, treacherous route that would eventually bring him there.
5. Luke describes the two vessels Paul would take.
a. One was a large vessel that had originated at Adramyttium, a harbor town on the western coast of what is now Turkey, southeast of Troas.
b. It was a merchant ship that worked the southern coastline, eventually docking at Caesarea.
c. They sailed on that ship up the coast to Myra, and then they boarded an Alexandrian cargo ship destined for Rome.
6. The ships that Paul sailed on were nothing like the wonderful ships that we might sail on today.
a. The ancient vessels Paul sailed on were made of wood and the one that shipwrecked was probably one of the largest available, perhaps as long as 180 feet, which is 60 yards long – about 3 times as long as this auditorium, and about as wide.
b. That might sound big, but it is not very big out on a body of water as big as the Mediterranean Sea. Notice the difference in sizes on the chart on the screen.
c. Paul would have been on a ship like the smallest shown on the chart.
7. Their departure date was most likely late in August, but their delays along the way forced them to look for a suitable port to stay for the winter.
a. It was not a pleasant time to travel the seas and fight the cold winds and harsh currents of the Mediterranean.
b. There are few more treacherous bodies of water than the route below the southern reaches of Greece, and it was there the storm hit full force.
B. The story continues: 13 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. 14 Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the "northeaster," swept down from the island. 15 The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure. 17 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. 18 We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. 19 On the third day, they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved. (Acts 27:13-20)
1. In many respects, the storm Paul and his companions encountered developed along the lines of what modern meteorologists consider a perfect storm.
2. In 1991, such a storm occurred in the waters of the North Atlantic when volatile fronts from the north, the east, the west and the south converged off the coast of Massachusetts.
a. It created such a threatening combination of hurricane-force winds and towering waves that the entire East Coast went scrambling for cover.
b. Most fishing vessels retreated for safer waters, but author Sebastien Junger, in his book The Perfect Storm, tells the tale of that strange storm and the ill-fated Andrea Gail, whose captain and crew vanished without a trace in the middle of that storm.
c. The book was turned into a movie by the same name, staring George Clooney.
d. Junger’s dramatic retelling of that freak convergence of elements in a single storm system eerily resembles what Luke describes here in Acts 27.
3. When the centurion chose to go with the majority rather than heed Paul’s advice, he made a grave error in judgment.
4. The voyage changed from difficult to dangerous almost overnight – the velocity of the winds increased as did the ocean swells.
5. The storm grew so violent and their situation so serious that they began to jettison cargo and the ships tackle, rendering the vessel impossible to control.
C. Thankfully, in the middle storm, God sent a message to Paul, that he conveyed to everyone, the Bible says: 21 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. 22 But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. 23 Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me 24 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.' 25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. 26 Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island."
27 On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. 28 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. 29 Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. 30 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. 31 Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved." 32 So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it fall away.
33 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. 34 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." 35 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. 36 They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37 Altogether there were 276 of us on board. 38 When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.
39 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. 40 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. 41 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.
42 The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. 43 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. 44 The rest were to get there on planks or on pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land in safety.
1 Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. 2 The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. 3 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, "This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live." 5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.
7 There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and for three days entertained us hospitably. 8 His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. 9 When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. 10 They honored us in many ways and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed. (Acts 27:21-28:10)
1. Can you imagine going through that kind of storm and shipwreck?
2. What an exhausting and terrifying experience it must have been!
II. How to Handle Our Own Shipwrecks
A. If we are honest about the reality of life, then we can acknowledge that life presents many storms.
1. We may wish that life only had sunny days and smooth sailing, but it is just not that way.
2. Some people may have more sunny, calm days than others, but eventually, everyone experiences their share of dark and stormy days.
3. Therefore, we must prepare for those days and learn how to handle them.
a. For example, what do you do when you find yourself in the hospital, and you’re trying to get your brain around the news you have been given.
b. What do you do when you discover your mate has been unfaithful, or your mate walks out, and you’re left alone, and you’re wrestling with the months and years of opportunity that passed when something could have been done to address the problems that were obvious?
c. What do you do when the threatening storm clouds have begun to roll in at the office and the once-clear skies of long-term employment now look ominously dark?
d. There are so many other storms and shipwrecks that life can bring, like the inevitable death of our parents, or spouse, or illness, or problems with our children, or problems in the church, and the list can go on and on.
B. The best plan for surviving a storm is preparation.
1. No seasoned fisherman or responsible ship captain heads across the open sea without a thorough knowledge of the vessel and its’ equipment, and without making sure that everything is in proper working order.
2. They make sure they familiarize themselves with the course charts and weather conditions.
3. And they never leave port without anchors.
4. They do all of this ahead of time, in calmer conditions, well before they face any challenges.
C. Preparation is also the secret to our survival.
1. Today I want to suggest that God makes available to us a number of anchors that can help stabilize us in the midst of our storms.
2. These are anchors that we should be putting to use every day in our lives so that we will be so familiar with them that we know how to use them in the most extreme situations we face.
D. The first anchor is the anchor of spiritual stability.
1. The anchor of spiritual stability helps us to stand firm when it would be easy to lose our bearings in the midst of the storm.
2. In Paul’s shipwreck story, Luke tells us that the folks on the ship reached a point where they lost all hope of being saved.
3. It was at that point that Paul pointed all of them in the direction of spiritual stability.
4. God had sent Paul a message filled with promise for everyone, and Paul encouraged everyone to hold on to God’s promise.
5. Our stability in the storms of life is anchored in the promises of God found in God’s Word.
6. Isaiah 43:1-2 contains one of the great promises we need to cling to, it says: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you…”
7. When the waters of life rise to dangerous depts., when difficulties reach maximum proportion, and life’s ship seems destined to sink, we can put our trust in God, knowing that He is with us and that He will faithfully bring us through.
8. God did not promise to take the storm away from Paul, but God promised to bring him through the storm, and that is what God did.
9. When we trust in God and put our faith in God’s promises it gives us an anchor of spiritual stability in the midst of life’s storms.
E. The second anchor is the anchor of interpersonal stability.
1. As Paul and his companions faced their life-threatening storm, Paul knew that staying together was the secret to their survival.
2. The temptation in the midst of that storm was to abandon ship and to let each person fend for himself, but that’s no way to survive a storm.
3. Our tendency in dire straits is to cut and run, and to declare “each man for himself!”
4. Unfortunately, human nature often causes us to retreat into isolation, to lock the door, and pull the blinds.
5. Tragically, we then find ourselves isolated and alienated, and we sink into depression, and often turn to destructive helps, like the bottle, or drugs, or worse.
6. A much better choice is to reach for the anchor of interpersonal stability – to reach out for the support of family, friends, and especially God’s people.
7. Rather than lowering the dinghy and jumping in all alone, we need to stay with others aboard ship, and lock arms together.
8. By God’s design, you and I need each other, we have been designed to make it together.
9. The anchor of interpersonal stability can hold us steady in the midst of life’s storms.
F. The third anchor is the anchor of physical stability.
1. Can you imagine fighting a storm for two weeks and getting virtually no nourishment or sleep? That’s what the men on Paul’s ship experienced.
2. Amazingly, that’s how many people respond to life’s storms – they run their tanks empty, and then end up physically weak, emotionally drained, and unable to sleep.
3. The anchor of physical stability helps us guard against physical depletion and exhaustion.
4. Paul encouraged his men to eat and be renewed.
5. In 1 Kings 19, when Elijah the prophet was exhausted and depressed, God sent an angel to minister to Elijah. What was the remedy that God supplied? Eating, drinking and sleeping.
6. In the midst of life’s storms, we must be sure to meet the needs of our physical bodies, for our bodies play an important part in helping us maintain emotional and spiritual stability.
7. But what is important in the midst of the storm is also important before the storms come – let’s be sure to give proper attention to helpful habits of healthy eating, sleeping, and exercise.
G. The fourth anchor is the anchor of mental stability.
1. In the midst of Paul’s storm, he didn’t waste any time or energy by fighting against reality.
a. He didn’t like the fact that they were in a two week long storm.
b. He didn’t like the fact that they were way off course.
c. He didn’t like the fact that they ran aground and had to jump into the rough seas.
2. But rather than complain about these things or rail in anger against them, he simply accepted the reality of the situation and sought to do whatever had to be done in the midst of them.
3. We waste a lot of time and energy when we fight to accept the reality of the situation we find ourselves in.
4. Fighting against whatever the reality is will not change the situation.
5. Accepting the reality of the situation and seeking God’s help in the midst of it gives us the mental stability needed in the midst of the storm.
H. Finally, the fifth anchor is the anchor of purposeful stability.
1. Once we have the other four anchors giving us stability, then we can seek to use the storm to accomplish the purposes of God.
2. No matter what storm we are going through, God can use it for our good and for the good of others.
3. If our overall purpose in life is to serve and glorify God, then that shouldn’t change when we find ourselves in a storm or shipwreck.
4. Our goal should be to be a blessing to others and to serve as an example, even in the storm.
5. Paul is an excellent example of this in the midst of the storm and shipwreck he experienced.
6. Look at the different ways Paul served the men on the ship as they went through their storm:
a. He prayed for them, encouraged them, comforted them, protected them, and fed them.
7. Julius the centurion and probably most of the rest of the passengers and crew, were not believers, but watching Paul trust God through the storm must have had a huge impact on them.
8. We can be sure that many people are watching us to see how we navigate the storms of life.
9. What lessons are we teaching them about trusting God and remaining faithful servants of God in the midst of the storms?
I. Like I said, earlier, the secret of survival is what we do ahead of time in calmer waters.
1. Today, if our lives are storm-free, then we need to take advantage of this peaceful lull before the storm, and work on mastering the use of these anchors.
2. We need to get the anchor of spiritual stability in place by growing our relationship with God through prayer and study of His Word, learning to trust in God’s promises.
3. We need to get the anchor of interpersonal stability in place as we develop strong relationships with others, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ.
4. We need to get the anchor of physical stability in place as we take care of our bodies with helpful habits of healthy eating, sleeping and exercise.
5. We need to get the anchor of mental stability in place as we understand clearly whose we are and how that God is the one in charge so that we will accept the realities of our situation.
6. Finally, we need to get the anchor of purposeful stability in place as we look to serve and glorify God every day and in every way, regardless of what we are going through.
J. If we will get those anchors in place, then when the inevitable winds of adversity begin to blow, and they most certainly will blow, then we will be ready to respond in faith, rather than in fear.
1. Then those anchors will hold us strong and secure in the midst of the storms and shipwrecks of life.
Resources:
Paul: A Man of Grace and Grit, by Charles Swindoll, Word Publishing, 2002, Chapter 20.
