Bread of His Presence

Bread of His Presence is a ministry centered around leading people into the life-giving presence of God in and through vibrant Biblical teaching, prayer, and active discipleship with the aim of ministering to a world that is in desperate need of the healing touch of Jesus Christ. Every week we broadcast an all-new 15 minute show on KGNW The Word Seattle (820AM) at 1:15pm and on AM1300 The Answer at 8:15pm, hosted by senior pastor and Bible teacher Pastor Cameron Ury. Be sure to subscribe to the Bread of His Presence Podcast and visit us at BreadofHisPresence.org.

Bread of His Presence is a ministry centered around leading people into the life-giving presence of God in and through vibrant Biblical teaching, prayer, and active discipleship with the aim of ministering to a world that is in desperate need of the healing touch of Jesus Christ. Every week we broadcast an all-new 15 minute show on KGNW The Word Seattle (820AM) at 1:15pm and on AM1300 The Answer at 8:15pm, hosted by senior pastor and Bible teacher Pastor Cameron Ury. Be sure to subscribe to the Bread of His Presence Podcast and visit us at BreadofHisPresence.org.

Bread of His Presence is a ministry centered around leading people into the life-giving presence of God in and through vibrant Biblical teaching, prayer, and active discipleship with the aim of ministering to a world that is in desperate need of the healing touch of Jesus Christ. Every week we broadcast an all-new 15 minute show on KGNW The Word Seattle (820AM) at 1:15pm and on AM1300 The Answer at 8:15pm, hosted by senior pastor and Bible teacher Pastor Cameron Ury. Be sure to subscribe to the Bread of His Presence Podcast and visit us at BreadofHisPresence.org.

Bread of His Presence is a ministry centered around leading people into the life-giving presence of God in and through vibrant Biblical teaching, prayer, and active discipleship with the aim of ministering to a world that is in desperate need of the healing touch of Jesus Christ. Every week we broadcast an all-new 15 minute show on KGNW The Word Seattle (820AM) at 1:15pm and on AM1300 The Answer at 8:15pm, hosted by senior pastor and Bible teacher Pastor Cameron Ury. Be sure to subscribe to the Bread of His Presence Podcast and visit us at BreadofHisPresence.org.

Bread of His Presence is a ministry centered around leading people into the life-giving presence of God in and through vibrant Biblical teaching, prayer, and active discipleship with the aim of ministering to a world that is in desperate need of the healing touch of Jesus Christ. Every week we broadcast an all-new 15 minute show on KGNW The Word Seattle (820AM) at 1:15pm and on AM1300 The Answer at 8:15pm, hosted by senior pastor and Bible teacher Pastor Cameron Ury. Be sure to subscribe to the Bread of His Presence Podcast and visit us at BreadofHisPresence.org.

The ministry of Bread of His Presence is centered around bringing ourselves and leading others into the life-giving presence of God in and through Bible study, prayer, and ministering to a world that is in desperate need of the healing touch of Jesus Christ.

Hello and welcome to the show today! It is such a pleasure to have you with us again today as we study the Word of God together. 

The Voyage For Rome— You will remember in our study of the book of Acts that Paul has recently stood trial before Governor Festus in Caesarea. And (not getting justice) Paul has been forced to appeal to Caesar. And so he’s going to be transferred to Rome to be tried in Caesar’s court. And so he’s put on board a ship along with Luke and Aristarchus (two men who supported him in ministry); and the ship (which is carrying a bunch of prisoners) sets sail for Rome. And they make a number of stops and change ships at a place called Myra. And from there they continue on their way; but are met with adverse winds that eventually drive them to a port called Fair Havens. From their they wanted to reach Phoenix, which would be a better place to winter in. But Paul warns the captain and Julius (the Roman centurion) not to continue, predicting disaster if they do. However, they don’t listen to him and choose to proceed anyways. And in so doing they get caught in a violent, tempestuous storm known as Euroclydon. And for two harrowing weeks they battle this storm. Now most of the men think they are going to die. And dying at sea was something sailors were terrified of because it was believed that if you died at sea, your soul would never find its way to rest in the realm of the dead; and would wander aimlessly over the surface of the waters in which you had perished. Not a great quality of afterlife to look forward to (at least in their minds), which is why before sailors would set out to sea, they would always offer sacrifices to the gods for special protection. And so we see here that they are absolutely terrified. But there is a person among them who is not afraid: Paul. Paul is calm and courageous in the midst of that storm. And, that is one of the marks of true Christians, by the way.

Moravians Unafraid— You know, it’s interesting. [When John Wesley was on his voyage to North America as a missionary from England, his ship encountered a terrible storm, so bad that they feared for their lives. The English immigrants on the ship were shrieking with fear. Wesley examined himself, as he usually did in all circumstances, “and found to his horror that he was afraid, mortally afraid of dying.” But a group of Moravian Christians from Germany were singing hymns amidst the storm. After the storm had subsided, Wesley went to one of them and asked, “Were you not afraid?” The man replied, “I thank God, no!” Wesley persisted, “But were not your women and children afraid?” “No,” came the reply, “our women and children are not afraid to die.” This experience had a profound influence on Wesley, and these and other Moravians had a big part to play in his subsequent experience of evangelical conversion that sparked off the eighteenth-century revival in England.] The reason many of us are Christians today is because a handful of Christians chose (in the midst of a storm) to live by faith and not by fear.

Faith In God’s Promise— And so Paul was not afraid to die. But he was also courageous for another reason; and that was that he knew that he (and every person on board that ship) were going to live. Paul (after telling them “I told you so!”) encourages them by telling them that an angel came to him and was going to preserve him and enable him to complete his mission. And the angel told him that He had granted to him the lives of those who were with him. And from here on out, Paul directs them until (as he predicts) they run aground, are wrecked on an island, and make their way onto the beach. And that is where our story today picks up. It says in…

Acts 28:1 (NKJV)— 1 Now when they had escaped, they then found out that the island was called Malta. 

Malta— Now [Malta was {an island that was} part of the Roman province of Sicily and was located about 60 miles south of that island near the toe of Italy.] It [was known as Melita by the Greeks and Romans.] But the name Malta literally means “refuge”. And that is fitting, because it really was a refuge for them in this time of crisis. It says in…

Acts 28:2 (NKJV)— 2 And the natives showed us unusual kindness; for they kindled a fire and made us all welcome, because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold. 

Barbarians— Now the word “natives” or “islanders” (as your translation may say) is literally “barbarians”. Now before images of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Conan the Barbarian come to mind, the word “barbarian” was a term used by Greeks for all non-Greek speaking people. So I think most of you (no offense) are just a bunch of barbarians. You don’t speak Greek. And neither did these natives of Malta. But that doesn’t mean they were uncivilized tribesmen or anything like that. They just didn’t speak Greek. They were actually [Phoenician in their ancestry and used a Phoenician dialect, although they were otherwise thoroughly Romanized.] But we see that these “barbarians” show them kindness. [It was raining and cold at the end of October or the beginning of November.] And so these natives make a fire for these shipwrecked men, who had probably been cold for some time (even before the shipwreck). And it says in…

Acts 28:3a (NKJV)— 3 But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, {In other words, Paul gets busy, seeking to help with the task at hand.}

Unhelpful People— Now let me ask you. Have you ever been part of a work group where there was that one person who (for some reason or other) would simply not do anything? Maybe they were a part of your project group at school and didn’t pull their weight but still got a good grade because of everybody else’s work? They weren’t really very helpful. I don’t know if you’ve been in a situation like that before, but it can be very frustrating.

Media’s Portrayal of Christians— Well, that’s how the media often portrays Christians. Christians are sometimes nice, but are almost always close-minded, uneducated, and often so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good, if you know what I mean. They aren’t wise; and are often absolutely useless in real emergencies. Now those media producers would have a hard time reporting on or making a film about Paul because [Paul did not fit into this stereotype, nor did Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon, Daniel, Mordecai, Nehemiah, or a host of others known for both their wisdom and their godliness.] And what we see about Paul is that he dives right into the manual labor of doing what needs to be done. Now he didn’t have to. He could have sat this one out. He had so much respect from the men at this point, he probably could have asked for a throne and they would have made him one. But he doesn’t do that. 

Too Little Work— I read recently of how [A personnel manager rejected a job applicant because the firm was overstaffed. But the would-be employee persisted, "The little bit of work I'd do won't even be noticed!”] Now sadly, that is how a lot of people live. But true followers of Christ are not that way. And Paul certainly wasn’t. He dives right in to help with the manual labor, despite everything he had already done.

Moody’s Servanthood— You know, [One rainy day, a man accompanied by two women arrived at Northfield, hoping to enroll his daughter in D. L. Moody’s school for young women. The three needed help in getting their luggage from the railway depot to the hotel, so the visitor “drafted” a rather common-looking man with a horse and wagon, assuming he was a local cabby. The “cabby” said he was waiting for students, but the visitor ordered him to take them to the hotel. The visitor was shocked when the “cabby” did not charge him, and was even more shocked to discover that the “cabby” was D. L. Moody himself! Moody was a leader because he knew how to be a servant.] Well, that’s Paul.

A Strong Work Ethic— And you know. That ought to be you and me as well. When people look at us, they ought to see people who are willing to be servants to others and who are not strangers to hard work; people who are always seeking for the next right thing to do and then doing whatever that is faithfully, to the best of our ability and for the glory of God. 

“…no earthly good”— Now there have been Christians who were (as they say) “so heavenly minded that they were of no earthly good.” But that is really antithetical to the kind of godliness we find in scripture. Even Jesus (God in the flesh) new what hard labor was and set Himself to it diligently. And we see that with Paul, who supported himself for much of his ministry with his tent-making. He didn’t want to be a burden on anybody. He didn’t have that laid back mentality. 

Not Just The Spiritual Stuff— I had a young man recently communicated to me that he felt limited in his spiritual walk. He couldn’t devote all his time to prayer and Bible study and ministry and that kind of thing because he has a fulltime job and a wife and kids. And so he doesn’t have a lot of time for the super spiritual stuff. And God led me immediately to correct him (in love of course) because his perspective was wrong. I told him that we are often tempted to think that God cares only about the spiritual stuff. But that is not true. God can be just as glorified in the daily grind as He is during those moments when you are doing Bible study, prayer, or ministry. Now it’s important to find those times two focus on the spiritual things, but how you carry yourself at work and how you devote yourself to the tasks you are given bears great testimony of your faith in the Lord. And God is just as present and can be just as actively working through you while you were at work as He is when you are by yourself doing the “spiritual stuff.” 

And so I want to encourage you today to devote yourself to your work. Whatever God has given to you to do, do it faithfully so that when people will look at you they will have respect and admiration and will see in your life the very reflection of Jesus. Let’s do so. Amen.

Hello and welcome to the show today! It is such a pleasure to have you with us again today as we study the Word of God together. Now you will remember, if you’ve been with us, that in our study of the book of Acts, we have come to Paul’s being shipped off as a prisoner to Rome. Luke and Aristarchus went with him to to be a support to him and to suffer with him for the sake of Christ. They change ships at Myra and eventually come to a small port called Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea. Now they want to move on, but the season for sailing is now over; and continuing on their journey would be perilous. And so it Paul advises them to wait. They don’t listen and set sail anyways. And not long after that the worst thing imaginable happens to them. They are caught in a deadly, typhoon-like storm known as Euroclydon. And they do everything they can to weather the storm. But is says in…

Acts 27:18-21 (NKJV)— 18 And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next day they lightened the ship. {So they are throwing overboard all unnecessary gear and cargo in order to lighten the ship.} 19 On the third day we threw the ship’s tackle overboard with our own hands. 20 Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days {(once again, meaning no navigation)}, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up. {But it is at this point that we see the turning point of the story, as it says in…} 21 But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. 

Told Ya So!— Don’t you hate it when somebody says, “It told you so!”? That’s never easy to hear. But Paul, though he does say, “I told you so!”, he is saying it only because he wants the men to see that they need to start listening to him. He doesn’t rub their nose in it. No, instead he offers them a word of encouragement; but a word of encouragement that doesn’t come from him, but once that had been spoken to him by God Himself. And it is here that Paul’s chains begin to pull their faces upwards towards God. He’s says…

Acts 27:22-26 (NKJV)— 22 And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, 24 saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ 25 Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. 26 However, we must run aground on a certain island.”

Reflecting Hope— And so Paul tells of this [last of six visions …{he}… received as recorded by Luke (cf. 9:3-6; 16:9-10; 18:9-10; 22:17-18; 23:11).] And personally this vision must have meant so much to Paul. Often when Paul was going through intense circumstances, God would send him a word of encouragement through a vision. And now is one of those times, and so God gives him a message, reaffirming the promise that Jesus Himself had made to Paul in 23:11; but I love how Paul doesn’t view this vision as just his word of encouragement. No, he shares it with the rest of his shipmates. He receives hope from God but also reflects that into the lives of those who also need to hear it. And that is a great model for the Christian life, by the way. You and I need to be more than receivers from God; we need to be channels of grace; reflectors of grace in people’s lives. Whatever you have been given, whether financially or educationally or spiritually is not meant for you alone. It is meant to be shared. And in sharing it, you will also be blessed.

Granted to Paul— Now I also find it interesting that the angel tells Paul God has granted you all those who sail with you., which shows that the lives of these sailors was a real concern for Paul. And that leads to my next point, which is that the angel is making it very clear that the reason they are being preserved is because of Paul and his mission; and God’s intention of helping him to complete that mission. Paul is the only reason they are going to be spared; and not by whit or cunning, but by the Almighty hand of God. Had Paul been on another ship rather than this one, this ship would have perished. And what you need to see here is how God is establishing Paul as the means of their physical salvation. 

Take heart, men, for I believe God— Now note how Paul models what we are supposed to do when God speaks. He tells the rest of the men on board in verse 25: Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. He has absolute faith and trust in God and knows, without a shadow of a doubt that God will be faithful to keep His promises: take heart, men, for I believe God…. I just love that. Here is a man who is in the midst of turmoil, but isn’t himself in turmoil. To borrow the words of a famous hymn, he’s “leaning on the everlasting arms”. And what you absolutely cannot miss about this (I mean, it’s so powerful and yet so obvious) is how his faith creates faith in those around him. He becomes an anchor for these men stronger than any other anchor these men are frantically trying to use (and we’ll see eventually lose). And what you to take from this is the reality that your being anchored in faith and trust in God can be a source of encouragement to others. And that’s a theme we will come back to. But when you are strong in the Lord; when you know who you are, what your purpose is, and have assurance in God’s plans for you, you are like a lighthouse in a world just as dark as this tempest. People will be drawn to you; people will come to trust and follow you and may even come to faith through you. 

Acts 27:27-29 (NKJV)— 27 Now when the fourteenth night had come {(meaning the fourteenth night from when they had set out from Fair Havens)}, as we were driven up and down in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors sensed that they were drawing near some land. {(This was probably because they started hearing waves hitting the shore.)} 28 And they took soundings {(which they did with a weight attached to a length of rope with markings on it, by which they could measure the depth of the sea after the weight would hit the bottom. So they did this…)} and found it to be twenty fathoms {(or 120 feet)}; and when they had gone a little farther, they took soundings again and found it to be fifteen fathoms {(or 90 feet)}. 29 Then, fearing lest we should run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern {(And the reason they dropped the anchors was in order to help hold this ship in place, but also to keep the bow pointed toward the shore. But that’s not all they did. It says they dropped the four anchors)}, and prayed for day to come.

No More Prayer Needed— Now who’s praying? Not Paul; the text doesn’t tell us he was praying at all at this point. Now he may have been. But verse 27 has identified the ones engaging in all these actions as being the sailors. I honestly don’t think Paul was praying at this point; or if he was, he certainly not asking God to move on behalf of the situation. Why? Because God has already told him what’s going to happen and Paul already has said he believes in God. You see, Paul is a man of faith; he’s not going to keep frantically praying for something God has already promised him. I think Paul is completely and utterly at peace. These other men are frantically beseeching their gods to act. But Paul knows that (because of God’s promise) this ship has now become invincible, as indestructible as God Himself; because God Has made a promise. Now let me ask you, how sure are you about the promises of God? How deeply do you trust in them? God never goes back on His word. And if He has a plan and a purpose for you, as long as you remain obedient at faithful to Him, He will bring that plan and purpose to completion. All you have to do is keep following Him. Now, contrast this kind of faith-filled, assured way of living with what we see in the very next verse, as it says…

Acts 27:30-40 (NKJV)— 30 And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, when they had let down the skiff into the sea, under pretense of putting out anchors from the prow {(which would have provided additional stability for the ship)}, 31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the skiff and let it fall off.

33 And as day was about to dawn, Paul implored them all to take food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day you have waited and continued without food, and eaten nothing. 34 Therefore I urge you to take nourishment, for this is for your survival, since not a hair will fall from the head of any of you.” 35 And when he had said these things, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all; and when he had broken it he began to eat. 36 Then they were all encouraged, and also took food themselves. 37 And in all we were two hundred and seventy-six persons on the ship. 38 So when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship and threw out the wheat into the sea.

39 When it was day, they did not recognize the land; but they observed a bay with a beach, onto which they planned to run the ship if possible. 40 And they let go the anchors and left them in the sea, meanwhile loosing the rudder ropes; and they hoisted the mainsail to the wind and made for shore. 41 But striking a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the prow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern was being broken up by the violence of the waves.

42 And the soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim away and escape. {And that was [because they knew Roman military law. If a prisoner escaped, the soldier or guard would be liable for the punishment of the one who escaped.] Well, that would certainly meant death for them. However, it says…} 43 But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land, 44 and the rest, some on boards and some on parts of the ship. And so it was that they all escaped safely to land. {And so God we see that God did indeed keep His promise to Paul and the sailors.}

Anchors Found— Now for many years it was believed that all this happened at what is now St. John’s Bay. But for a number geographical reasons, this is likely not the case. But because of the incredibly exacting detail with which Luke records these events, a team of researchers was able to pinpoint the most likely location as actually being St. Thomas Bay. And sure enough, four first-century lead anchors had been found there. Now the divers who first found them didn’t realize what they had found and, over the years, [two of the anchors had been melted down for use in scuba-diving weight belts, and a third was lost—to a place unknown.] But [the fourth anchor was preserved as a part of a deceased diver’s legacy to his widow.] And there is a very strong case that this is indeed one of the anchors. Now we don’t know for sure; perhaps we’ll never know. But what we do know is that that anchor was not what saved the ship; it was the hand of God. And the true anchor for the men on board was the faith of Paul. Paul (because of his faith) was an anchor for those men. But you know, that’s pretty typical.

Anchors for Others— Have you ever noticed how, when times of crisis come in the lives of lost people, it is Christians who step in (or are sought out) as persons who can provide stability and offer answers. The reality is that people look to Christians when times get tough; Christians who have confidence and assurance; Christians who are anchored in Christ and are therefore anchors for other people. That is the central point of this passage; not that Paul simply took leadership but that people came to trust him and follow him because God was speaking though him telling him what would happen and then how things would go after those very things happened. The unsaved crew came to understand that their very lives depended on their following Paul’s instructions to a “T”. Through Paul, they would be delivered. And that was true spiritually as well. Their lives were headed for shipwreck, eternally. And Paul was the bearer of instruction on how to be delivered from THAT shipwreck. And God used this scenario to open their ears not just to yield control of the helm of the ship to God, but to make them also open to hear what Paul had to offer them spiritually as well.

Now what you and I are to take from this story is this: If you are close to Jesus, you are going to find people coming to you. They won’t always ask questions (they may not even know what questions they should ask you). They may not even understand why they find you an anchor for them or a person they want to be around. But (for some reason) they know their life is better with you in it. And the signature mark of a Christian is to allow these kinds of people to come to you or (like Jesus often did) seek those people out; because lost people who find you to be an anchor for them will often not even have the sense to come to you. 

Our People— William Booth (founder of the Salvation Army) said “Go straight for souls, and go for the worst.” And that’s why [One Sunday evening, William Booth was walking in London with his son, Bramwell, who was then 12 or 13 years old. The father surprised the son by taking him into a saloon! The place was crowded with men and women, many of them bearing on their faces the marks of vice and crime; some were drunk. The fumes of alcohol and tobacco were poisonous. "Willie," Booth said to his son, "These are our people; these are the people I want you to live for and bring to Christ." Years later, Bramwell Booth wrote, "The impression never left me."]

In Their Midst— The reality is that there are people all around us who are shipwrecking their lives. And after they hit the rocks, the don’t even know how to get back up on their feet and pick up the pieces. And what they need are people like you and me to be Paul’s in their midst. To bring into their midst the hands and feet of Christ; to be anchors who will keep them from washing away and point them to He who can be anchors for their souls. Let’s be anchors for people so that through us they may come to faith in Christ. Let’s do so. Amen.

Hello and welcome to the show today! It is such a pleasure to have you with us again today as we study the Word of God together. In our study of the book of Acts, you will remember that Paul has recently stood trial before Festus in Caesarea. And (not getting justice) Paul has been forced to appeal to Caesar. And so he’s going to be transferred to Rome to be tried in Caesar’s court. And so it says in our passage today in…

Acts 27:1 (NKJV)— 1 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. 

Luke Returns— Now the word “we” here in the opening verse signals to us that Luke (who has been absent since 21:18) has now re-joined Paul and is accompanying him on this journey. Luke [had likely been living near Caesarea so he could care for Paul during his imprisonment.] But now he is with him again on his voyage to Rome. And you know, that can make all the difference in your life when you go through a trying time; somebody to walk with you. He’s kind of to Paul what Samwise Gamgee was to Frodo in Lord of The Rings. He was willing to walk with him through the worst of circumstances out of love for Paul. And it must have been such a strength to Paul to have Luke there with him. Now we see here that Paul is just one of many prisoners being transported to Rome. Some of these other prisoners may have appealed to Caesar like Paul did, or it could also be that these were prisoners were under the sentence of death and were therefore on their way to Rome to die as combatants in the Colosseum. We don’t know for sure. But it says in…

Acts 27:2 (NKJV)— 2 So, entering a ship of Adramyttium, we put to sea, meaning to sail along the coasts of Asia. {[Adramyttium was a city on the northwest coast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey) near Troas, where the centurion planned to find a ship sailing to Italy.] And it also says…} Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us.

Aristarchus— Now if you don’t remember Aristarchus, he was the Christian who [had been dragged {by the crowd} into the theater at the beginning of the riot in Ephesus (19:29; 20:4; Philemon 1:24)] [while accompanying Paul to Jerusalem with the offering (20:4).] He would also be with Paul during his first Roman imprisonment. So both he and Luke are definitely fellow sufferers with Paul for the sake of Christ. Paul had some good friends. Now it says in…

Acts 27:3 (NKJV)— 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. 

Julius— Julius was the Roman officer who had been assigned to guard Paul and would therefore have had to remain close to Paul at all times. But, as we can see, as he witnesses the kind of man Paul is, he comes to respect Paul deeply and gives him a generous degree of freedom. And we will see in verse 43 that he even spares Paul’s life. And that kind of makes you wonder, if someone was bound to you (day and night) for any significant period of time, would they (based on your righteous character) be moved into awe and respect, both of you but also of the God you claim to follow? That person stuck at the desk near you at work or beside you at school; your boss or whoever you are chained to daily (so to speak). Does your chain upon them pull them up to Christ or down and away? Or, for us married folks, how is your spouse drawn closer to Jesus because of you? If you are a spirit-filled, devoted, and loving person as Paul was, you will; marriage is a means of grace, ideally for both husband and wife.

Acts 27:4-8 (NKJV)— 4 When we had put to sea from there, we sailed under the shelter of Cyprus {(which means they sailed between it and the mainland)}, because the winds were contrary. {(And so they used Cyprus to help block the wind.)} 5 And when we had sailed over the sea which is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia. {And Myra was [One of the main ports of the imperial grain fleet, whose ships brought Egyptian grain to Italy.]} 6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing to Italy {(which would have been one of the grain ships part of that fleet), significantly larger than their first ship}, and he put us on board. 7 When we had sailed slowly many days, and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus {(which was [on the southwest tip of Asia Minor, some 130 miles from Myra, which would have been their last port of call before sailing across the Aegean Sea to the coast of Greece), it says}, the wind not permitting us to proceed, we sailed under the shelter of Crete off Salmone {(so [again using the island to break the force of the wind])}. 8 Passing it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens {(a small port)}, near the city of Lasea.

A Dangerous Time To Sail— Now they have lost a lot of time, which was not good when you consider what time of year it was. You didn’t want to travel in the open sea between mid-September and mid-November if you could avoid it. In fact, all sea travel would cease between mid-November and February. And that was both because of sea conditions, but also because of sky visibility. Keep in mind that they didn’t have GPS or guidance systems or even compasses. No, ancient ships navigated using the stars. And if the weather is overcast, sailing would be both impossible and dangerous. And here we see that the Fast (which was Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement) is already over; so early October (of A.D. 59, if you’d like to know) has already passed. The season for sailing is now over; and continuing on their journey would be very very perilous. And so it says…

Acts 27:9-10 (NKJV)— 9 Now when much time had been spent, and sailing was now dangerous because the Fast was already over, Paul advised them, 10 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.” 

Seen a Thing or Two— And Paul no doubt said this because he was anticipating their wanting to move onwards. But why would they listen to him? I mean he’s just the prisoner. Now he won’t be by the end of the story. At the end of the story roles become so reversed, everyone by that time will be following his leadership; but not yet. However, they probably should have listened to him. He had traveled by sea many many times before this and had actually already been shipwrecked at least three other times, which are accounted for in his writings (2 Cor. 11:25). And so that likely makes this one number four. Now I love the Farmer’s Bank slogan. Anybody know what it is? “We know a thing or two because (what?) we’ve seen a thing or two.” Well Paul would have been a good spokesperson for Farmer’s Bank, because “He knows a thing or two because he’s seen a thing or two.” Right? But unfortunately, they don’t listen to him. It says in…

Acts 27:11-12 (NKJV)— 11 Nevertheless the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul. 12 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.

On To Phoenix— Now Phoenix wasn’t too far from there (some 40 miles). And that was a better place to winter in both because the harbor there [provided better shelter from the winter storms], but also because keep in mind that they have all this grain on board the ship. And so the owner’s probably thinking that if he can get the ship to a larger port, he can sell it. And the centurion is also looking at Phoenix as a much more suitable place for his men to winter in. And ultimately ([Because the ship was part of the imperial grain fleet…, Julius, not the helmsman nor {even} the ship’s owner, was the ranking official on board.]); and so the decision was ultimately his. And he’s said basically “Let’s go!”, so they went. And things seem pretty good at first. It says in…

Acts 27:13-14 (NKJV)— 13 When the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their desire, putting out to sea, they sailed close by Crete {(in other words, hugging it for protection. However, it says…)}. 14 But not long after, a tempestuous head wind arose, called Euroclydon.

Euroclydon— And this word, which kind of sounds like a creature you’d encounter in Jurassic Park 6, was the name given to [a strong, dangerous {northeasterly} windstorm greatly feared by those who sailed the Mediterranean.] In fact, that Greek word translated as tempestuous that is used to describe it [is the root of our word typhoon.] If this ship had been the Millennium Falcon, some crew member somewhere would have been saying, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” And rightly so, because the ship gets caught in this tempestuous typhoon. And it says in…

Acts 27:15-21 (NKJV)— 15 So when the ship was caught, and could not head into the wind, we let her drive. 16 And running under the shelter of an island called Clauda {(which was [An island 23 miles southwest of Crete])}, we secured the skiff with difficulty. {So they take advantage of the shelter of the island and [rig the ship for the storm by hauling the ship’s dinghy on board.]} 17 When they had taken it on board, they used cables to undergird the ship {(and this was a [procedure know and frapping. The cables, wrapped around the hull and winched tight, helped the ship endure the battering of the wind and waves.]}; and fearing lest they should run aground on the Syrtis Sands, they struck sail and so were driven. {The Syrtis Sands is a reference to the sandbars of Syrtis, a place of sandbars and shoals just off the northern coast of Africa, which was [much feared as a graveyard of ships.] You didn’t want to hit those.} 18 And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next day they lightened the ship. {So they are throwing overboard all unnecessary gear and cargo in order to lighten the ship.} 19 On the third day we threw the ship’s tackle overboard with our own hands. 20 Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days {(once again, meaning no navigation)}, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up. 

Pulled With You— And next week we will see how they are ultimately delivered; and how God uses Paul to be the means of their deliverance. And he’ll deliver the ultimate “I told your so.” But what we are going to see emphasized over and over again is the fact that the reason they are saved is because of how they have become attached to Paul. And so, like I said before, I think that raises the question of what happens when people attach themselves to you and to me? Are they lifted up closer to Jesus? Are they pulled along with you on the mission God has given you? That is what Jesus meant when he called us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world; we help lead people to redemption. And so my encouragement to you today is to be that redeeming force. Let every one of our interactions with people be tempered with the desire and intention to draw them closer to Jesus. Let’s do so. Amen.