Sunday Morning Service

Acts 27:1-20 (Click scripture reference for audio access)

"Just Sail Right Out There!"  •  2.5.12  •  Sunday Morning Service, Calvary Christian Fellowship

Intro.

- The final two chapters of the book of Acts, simply stated, contain the story of how God gets Paul to Rome. They are historical in nature. These were real people at a real time in the past.

- In any exposition, you look first for what is explicitly stated. "Are there any commands given?" When we have a pure historical narrative with no explicit command, we turn to look for principles.

- Beyond the power of God to bring His man to whatever destination He desires, this story is an illustration of how God ministers to people who are about to shipwreck their own lives!

- You might even file this section away, as a scriptural illustration, dealing with the subject, "Where is God when I make a mess of my own life?"

Text

•  Acts 27:1,2 : "And when it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to one named Julius, a centurion of the Augustan Regiment. So, entering a ship of Adramyttium, we put to sea, meaning to sail along the coasts of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us."  :  The Augustan Regiment were the elite soldiers of Rome, the Navy Seals. These men served the "August" or worshipful one, a title descriptive of Caesar.

- They were paid twice as much as regular centurions and were given special privleges. There were only 3,000 scattered over the Empire.

- After there term of service, as many as 16 years, they were give the equivalent of $800.00 to retire with, a large amount back then. That is what this man Julius could look forward to.

- Julius, a common Roman name, is ultimately, as with the rest of the centurions named in scripture, a decent man. Rome's emperors were famously infamous, but their centurions were noble.

- They sailed up the coast from Caesarea in a ship of Adramyttium. This was a vessel that took goods from port to port, a short range vessel if you will.

- At each port, it's likely that supplies and other prisoners would be picked up until the boat was full. Not unlike today, cargo determined the value of the trip.

- On this ship, Paul was accompanied by two of his friends. The first  is Aristarchus.

- Aristarchus, the Macedonian friend who had been seized in the great Ephesian riot of Acts 19 and then traveled as one of the Gentile delegates to bring money to the church in Jerusalem.

- In Colossians 4:10, he is called a fellow prisoner and Philemon 1:24, a fellow laborer.

- The second is not named but notice his signature. "We put to sea." "Was with us." Dr. Luke, the author of Acts, went along for the ride as well, which owes to the legendary details that follow.

- According to the commentators, there were only two ways to book passage on a ship like this. One was to proclaim themselves Paul's slaves, the other being concessionary guests of Festus.

- However, they got aboard, God provided friends that stood closer than a brother could to the Apostle Paul.

- A man may have dozens of acquaintances, but it is great wisdom to seek godly friends. Friends that will remind you of who you are when you want to be someone else.

- It's been rightly said, "Show me your friends and I'll show you your future!"

- Perhaps you are the friend that is needed in a brother or sisters life. Be the real best friend by leading them to Jesus.

•  Acts 27:3 : "And the next day we landed at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him liberty to go to his friends and receive care." : Sidon is still on the Mediteranean Coast, 67 miles north of Jerusalem.

- When they got there, Julius, being a man of sense, understood that Paul's status was not deserving of chains, so he gave Paul great leeway.

- The word used of Julius' care for Paul is "philanthropy." He was simply humane toward Paul and cared for his human needs.

- The rest of the prisoners would not have been traveling on legal appeal. They would have already been judged and found guilty.

- Whatever Julius thought of Paul, it was an added blessing from the Lord to have the favor of this centurion and to visit friends in Sidon.

- His treatment of Paul may have been self serving, as Paul may have needed medical attention. The words here in the original language point to medical attention that he received.

- All this seems sort of odd for Paul doesn't it? Usually, this is not the way that Paul stories go!

- Yet, it is God's grace to give Paul a time of refreshing before what will be a very real storm.

- If you find yourself in such a position, cherish it, because the next verses that are written in the book of your life, might be very different!

•  Acts 27:4-8 : "When we had put to sea from there, we sailed under the shelter of Cyprus, because the winds were contrary. And when we had sailed over the sea which is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia. There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing to Italy, and he put us on board. When we had sailed slowly many days, and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, the wind not permitting us to proceed, we sailed under the shelter of Crete off Salmone. Passing it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea."  :  This trip was difficult from the start. The captain decided to stay between Cyprus and the shore of Asia Minor, or Turkey, because of the strong headwinds.

- The winds would be a bit better than those out in the open sea, but they were still contrary.

- For the sailors of this ancient time, sailing on the ocean was a dangerous proposition. The Greeks had learned to navigate the seas well, but wind and weather changes were always a danger.

- The first boat made it's way north and then west as it came across the land of Turkey. When you see Cilicia, know that this is the last time that Paul will ever see home country.

- As he passed by, I imagine that this thought must have crossed his mind. This first leg of the trip ended in Myra, which had a harbor that was frequently used by Egyptian trade ships.

- It was here that a transfer took place. The Centurion found an Alexandrian ship, as in the city of Alexandria in Egypt, seaworthy and capable of hauling grain and about 300 passengers.

- The first leg of the trip was difficult because of the wind. The second leg of the trip, with this new boat was difficult and painfully slow, again because of the wind.

- A trip that should have taken a day or so took many days and the arrival wasn't smooth!

- They came to Cnidus after a great struggle, finally coming to Fair Havens. Fair Havens sounds like a wonderful place to land, but the name was a bit of a misnomer.

- This area was a glorified village, with a harbor, but not much else around the area.

- It was near the city of Lasea, which may have imposed certain taxes upon this harbor and driven up the price of goods to those that were forced to harbor there!

•  Acts 27:9-12  :  " Now when much time had been spent, and sailing was now dangerous because the Fast was already over, Paul advised them,  saying, 'Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives.' Nevertheless the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul. And because the harbor was not suitable to winter in, the majority advised to set sail from there also, if by any means they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete opening toward the southwest and northwest, and winter there." : Much time had been spent. The voyage to Fair Havens had taken much longer than expected.

- Taking on cargo mght also have been delayed. This would not normally be a problem, but this happened at a dangerous time. However, the issue was that the crew was at a crossroads.

- Much time was spent over the decision that now needed to be made regarding this trip.

- Going on to Rome meant potentially treachurous seas, but harboring presented it's own difficulties. Time for good sailing was slipping away.

- The season was shifting, Luke alluding to the Fast that was already over. 

- The Fast was synonymous with the Day of Atonement, which was the only Feast that the Jews believed specified fasting. The Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, happened in October.

- With the pending change in season, Paul issued a warning telling the centurion that this journey would end poorly. Paul would have been an expert in that.

- Prior to this voyage, our beloved Apostle had already been shipwrecked three times! When one has experienced one shipwreck, that is usually one more than anyone wants!

- Paul does not attach the Lord's name to this, but we can be sure that the Lord was giving him wisdom here. Looking at the seas ahead and the calendar, the risk far outweighed the advantage.

- However, it is very difficult to think of such things when one looks at the practicalities that were involved here. If they did not sail now, they would not have another chance until spring!

- This involves commerce, as the owner of the boat would not be paid for making his deliveries. This involves dealing with providing for a large and idle crew for a few months.

- The ship has a group of prisoners on board, some more unsavory than others, that would wait along with the ship. There's a fun prospect!

- Add to it that Fair Havens was a dump with little to offer in terms of supply or entertainment. There was nothing to eat and maybe worse for sailors, nothing to do there!

- At the very least, they should try for Phoenix, a much more expansive and entertaining harbor, the only one historically that was comfortable to stay on.

- It was only 40 miles away and was the final port on the Island of Crete, but even that was a bit of a gamble. What should be done? The Centurion heard Paul, but then consulted the crew.

- Paul was a prisoner and the helmsman and the ship's owner were professionals. Can you blame the Centurion for processing his decision through the men of the sea?

- The helmsman and the captain were both motivated by money and expediency. If it came to losing money or losing lives, the gamble on the front end was worth it!

- After taking a vote, the majority weighed in and voted in favor of taking a gamble. Each of these sailors wanted to get paid and waiting around was not a tenable solution.

- Herein lies the anatomy of a bad decision. Notice four really bad choices that have only one end. The first is ignoring the clear counsel from God.

- In the case of the Centurion, he could not have known that this man was a scripture writer, sent from God!  We however, have no excuse.

- I'm always surprised at believers who feel that they are exceptions to eternal scriptural principles. God's Word warns of sin because it is dangerous to us! You will reap what you sow!

The second key is making a decision simply to avoid inconvenience or boredom. Making a decision based in impatience is a recipe for distress!

- These men had been delayed. Maybe it was their fault and maybe it was not. Waiting at Fair Havens was not attractive, but it could have been done.

- The third way to come to a bad decision is to listen to the voice of the experts over the counsel of God!

- The helmsmen and the captain believed their experience with the ocean would win the day.

- However, in the end, they are going to be incredibly wrong! The experts in this world base their wisdom on faulty knowledge, divorced from the truth found in God's Word and are often flawed.

- Finally, if you want to absolutely guarantee a poor decision, consult the majority! I would challenge you to this: Find a time in the Bible when the majority vote was God's vote!

- If the majority had been consulted, Israel would have gone back to Egypt!

- If the majority had been given their way, Jesus would have been the King who healed temporary ailments and given fresh bread, but he would not have been the Savior of the World! 

- These men made all of these mistakes. What happens when one makes these decisions? At first, nothing happens. In fact, things often look pretty good!

•  Acts 27:13 : "When the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their desire, putting out to sea, they sailed close by Crete." : They made their decision and a south wind blew softly. The sea was picture perfect, whale song in the air!

- This might have carried on for a few days and with each passing moment, there was the glib smile that betrayed a moment of self glorification.

- Paul looked pretty bad In the early going. The picture is perfect for sailing!

- "See common sense and experience beats spiritual wisdom every time!" They got so confident that they put out to sea, sailing close to Crete, but soon moving out toward open water.

- For one who has made a poor decision, this is exactly how the enemy keeps you on that course. The wind blows softly and you think that you have gotten away with murder.

- Things seem to be going according to your desire. I've obtained my desire in spite of God's warning and in spite of God's Word.

•  Acts 27:14-20 :  "But not long after, a tempestuous head wind arose, called Euroclydon. So when the ship was caught, and could not head into the wind, we let her drive. And running under the shelter of an island called Clauda, we secured the skiff with difficulty. When they had taken it on board, they used cables to undergird the ship; and fearing lest they should run aground on the Syrtis Sands, they struck sail and so were driven. And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next day they lightened the ship. On the third day we threw the ship’s tackle overboard with our own hands. Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up."  : Please note those words: "But not long after!" For the captain and the helmsmen, this was the worst realization: Paul was right!

- Friends, when sin is involved, there is always a moment not long after the fact!

- When men of God speak into your life, with even a hint of reservation, be warned, the wind might blow softly at first, and you may think that you will have your desire, but not long after...

- Lord, give us all wisdom to listen to the godly counsel that comes our way!

- It can be any number of things and all of you know what I am talking about. Sin has a way of biting you at the height of it's season of pleasure.

- The wind that blew was not merely a strong wind. The word "tempestuous" refrers to a wind with typhoon quality wind called "Euroclydon."

- Those from the east coast call this wind a "Noreaster," the Greeks called it a "Gregale."

- The word "euroclydon" comes from a word that means to billow up or to surge up. What happened? The ship was caught! They could neither run through or run back! They were trapped!

- There comes a time in your experience with sin that this is the case. Sin catches you and holds on for dear life. Before you know it, you begin to see that the sin you once had, now has you!

- "We let her drive" is a funny way to say it, when that was the only option! When you feel trapped as they did, as with the boat, so also is the life, driven! Sin is a merciless, tireless driver!

- Again, they ran under the cover of the island to minimize the wind, making sure that the lifeboat or the skiff, was solidly secure.

- The wind was blowing them toward the coast of Africa, which featured the shipping graveyard of the Syrtis sands. At the end of one day, this was the case: Fear all around!

- Sin is the playground of Satan and fear is the emotional commodity that is guaranteed!

- Day one featured fear of the elements and the fear of eventual loss.

- Day two featured the loss of much of the valuables, with the jettison of equipment, some of it cargo and some being the tackle. It was gone, a complete loss!

- Sin drives you and makes you pay a cost of some part of your life. It is never free!

- Here is the worst part: Every light begins to be obscured! The old pirate romance of being led by the stars is the perfect complement to the adjacent nightmare of not having the stars.

- The overcast ocean obscured the sun and the stars for many days! Days past when there was simply a solid gray!

- They got beat up to the point of losing all hope! How quickly things turned from a pleasure cruise to a death march! And so it is with sin!

- What begins with pleasure, turns to misery and the misery is always greater than the initial pleasure had been!

- For those in that condition, they are trapped and eventually lose all hope of being saved! "What can God do? I've made this mess. I guess I just have to live with it!"

- Hopelessness begets more sin, more entanglement, more misery and more hopelessness!

- What a vital warning for each of us! Certainly most in this room would say that they are not necessarily tempted with some great sin today.

- Remember: It's potentially right around the corner, perhaps waiting at your next decision!

Conclusion

- It's hard to have to leave us at this moment. Beautifully, the table turns and God reaches out a handful of hope through His Apostle and prayerfully through me as well.

- For any person still breathing, there is always a reason to hope. Whatever you are going through and with whatever you are tempted, know that Jesus is greater and He is a great Savior!

- When everything is gray and gloomy, look on high and see that Jesus holds out His hand to rescue you.