Series: Action [#190]
STORMS
Acts 27:1-26
Introduction:
This morning, as we continue in Acts, we are going to follow Paul as he was being taken to Rome. The ship that he was on got into a storm and things got pretty rough for everyone on the ship. This passage teaches us some things about storms.
My Uncle Roger and I both considered ourselves to be good fishermen. If you didn’t believe it, you could just ask my Uncle Roger and he would say, “Trust me, I know”. I have many fishing stories about my Uncle Roger and I- Most of them are probably exaggerated a bit; but the 1 thing I know is when we went fishing together something crazy seemed to happen almost every time.
When I was in College, I went to see my Grandparents; and my Uncle Roger and I decided to go fishing at Bill Evan’s Lake. Now, you must understand that my uncle had this special little island that he would go to, and the boat that he would take was an 8 foot aluminum boat. We went to this island that was about 15x15 and started fishing. While we were fishing, we noticed that the clouds were building up around the mountains and seemed to be moving our direction; but not very quickly. As we continued to fish, all of a sudden, we noticed that about 20 feet in front of us was a storm that looked like a black wall; and it was coming quickly. We were in a bit of a bind because we knew that we didn’t have time to leave, didn’t have a place to safely hide, and simply weren’t prepared for a storm. Almost immediately, the wind began to blow, the lightning was striking all around, hailstones the size of golf balls were hitting us in the head, and our island was gone. I remember thinking, “This is it- This is the day I will die”. Hoping that my Uncle Roger would know what to do, I asked, “What do we do” and his reply was, “Get under the boat”. I have to tell you that getting under an aluminum boat during a lightning storm while sitting in water up to your chest is not the best plan I had ever heard of, but that’s what we did. Since then, when I go fishing, I’m prepared for a storm. With that in mind, I want us to look at going through the storms of life and how we as Christians should deal with them.
Acts 27:1-12
Remember that storms…
1. Are out of your control.
Paul was given over to a Centurion that put him and other prisoners on a ship. The trip was difficult because it was the wrong time of the year to be traveling in that area. Paul explained to them that it was a bad idea to keep going; but Paul’s warnings were not listened to. Regardless of what was going to happen, Paul had no control over the situation.
There are many times that you end up in a storm because of bad decisions. Sometimes those bad decisions are yours and sometimes they are someone else- Either way, once you are in the storm, you are in the storm. How you weather the storm shows who you are. How you weather the storm shows who you trust.
Acts 27:13-20
Remember that storms…
2. Can make you desperate.
The pilot of the ship decided that the wind was just right for them to leave. It wasn’t long before the wind was out of control and the ship was being thrown back and forth. At that point, the men started becoming desperate and tried to figure things out on their own. We need to notice the actions that they took, because there is a spiritual equivalence to it.
They tried to…
* Secure their own salvation.
The lifeboat was not secure, so they hoisted it in the ship. They were not sure what was going to happen; but they started looking for a way to save themselves. That is human nature.
They tried to…
* Hold everything together on their own.
They started passing ropes underneath the ship to try to hold the ship together. How often during a storm do we start trying to hold it all together in our own power?
They tried to…
* Stay in place.
Their new strategy was to lower the anchor and be held in place. Unfortunately, their plan did not work. They were drug around; but held in place enough that the ship was battered from the storm. Trying to hide from a storm usually ends up into you being damaged even more.
They tried to…
* Get rid of extra baggage.
When all else fails, start getting rid of stuff. Have you ever made deals with God? Like, “God if You will rescue me from this storm, I will get rid of this sinful thing”.
After all of their desperate attempts to save themselves did not work, they gave up. They gave up all hope of being saved on the 3rd day.
Acts 27:21-26
Remember that storms…
3. Can draw you closer to God.
Just when it seems like it is all over, God can change everything in a moment. Everyone was starving and Paul telling them that he told them so didn’t help; but then he tells them to not be discouraged because no one was going to die. He shared with them that an angel of God stood beside him and told him that they would not die. God’s plan was not complete in Paul’s life yet.
You must remember to call upon God before the storm, during the storm, and after the storm. Notice that although they were told they were all going to be saved, they still were going to crash.
Conclusion:
Storms will happen in your life many times. It is not if; but when. When storms are raging in your life, you must choose to draw closer to God.
