All posts by RHC

‘The Treasure’ Series – Praise

 

This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise.
Isaiah 43:21 (NKJV)

But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel.

Psalm 22:3 (NKJV)

 

Praise prepares our hearts for God’s Word by steering our attention away from our problems and back onto His greatness! It readies us to receive what He wants to do in our lives throughout a church service, small group or even as we seek Him on our own.

 

What is Praise?

‘By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name’.

Hebrews 13:15

 

Praise is simply expressing esteem for a person… we are praising their virtues or their accomplishments…

The first mention of praise in the Bible is at the birth of Jacob’s son, Judah, in Genesis 29:35. JUDAH means Praise. No matter where you see the name Judah in the Bible, it always means Praise

‘Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me’ Psalm 50:23

 

Praise is an act of Faith

Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become restless and disturbed within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence. Psalm 42:5 (AMP)

 

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James 2:17 (NIV)

 

“I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? Jeremiah 32:27 (NIV)

 

 

How is Praise expressed?

Praise is expressed by the whole man, by our whole being – body, soul and spirit.

Psalm 103:1 ‘Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name’.

Praise is to be expressed enthusiastically.

Psalm 95: 1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.

 

Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.

2 Samuel 6:14-15 (NIV)

 

How is Praise expressed?

^{Exodus 15- 20} Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. ²¹ And Miriam answered them:

“Sing to the Lord,
For He has triumphed gloriously!
The horse and its rider
He has thrown into the sea!”

 

What does Praise do?

Praise encourages the miraculous

Acts 16:25-26

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

Acts 16:26

Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.

 

Praise wins battles

2 Chronicles 20:22

As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.

 

Praise drives the devil away

1 Samuel 16:23

And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

 

Praise brings an entrance into God’s presence.

Psalm 100:4

‘Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name’.

 

Praise brings glory to God

2 Chronicles 5:13-14

The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang:

“He is good;
his love endures forever.”

Then the temple of the Lord was filled with the cloud, ¹⁴ and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God.

 

What hinders praise?

self-centeredness

fear of man is a monumental barrier to the power of praise. Proverbs 29:25 says  ‘Fear of man brings a snare’, it is an entrapment.

Traditions

 

True Praise

True praise doesn’t come from modern culture or a rigid religious system

True praise comes from relationship with Jesus

He inhabits the Praises of His people

He dwells in, lives in, and abides in our praise

He just wants a relationship with you

Unleash the Power of Praise!

 

Incorporate Praise into your everyday life

You can turn on praise music while you clean the house

• You can turn on praise music while you are in the car
• You can turn on praise music while you are cooking in the kitchen
• You can turn on praise music while you are sitting on the porch
• You can praise Him before your Prayer or Bible Study time
• You can sing to Him before you pray
• You can praise Him before you open your Bible
• You can turn on praise music as you are driving to church

 

Praise honors God

From the rising of the sun to its going down, the Lord’s name is to be praised. Psalm 113:3 (NKJV)

Proverbs 27:21 says, “AS THE FINING POT FOR SILVER, AND THE FURNACE FOR GOLD; SO IS A MAN TO HIS PRAISE.”

 

Trust The Lion of Judah

–Every chance you get, Praise the Lord

–In good times and bad, Praise the Lord

–In sickness and health, Praise the Lord

–With or without a job, Praise the Lord

–Let everything that has breath, Praise the Lord

–Praise ye the Lord

 

 

 

Teach our Children to Praise

^{Matt 21:14} The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. ¹⁵ But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.

¹⁶ “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.

“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,

“‘From the lips of children and infants
you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?”

 

The power of Praise

accelerate the answers to prayer that we have not got,

to encourage miraculous acts in our midst

to win battles,

to drive the devil away,

to heal hurting souls and troubled spirits,

to bring us into the immediate presence of God.

 

What is keeping you back? Self-centeredness? Fear of man? Negativism, pessimism?

Can we say ‘Let my mouth be filled with Your praise, and with Your glory all the day’? Will you break the vase, will you shatter it, that is preventing the perfume of praise coming out of your heart?

 

 

Sandeep is working at Amity University and worships at Renewed Hope Community. The Renewed Hope Community is situated in the heart of the city between Old and New Panvel. We can confidently share that Renewed Hope Community is a Church in Kamothe, Church in Khandeshwar, Church in Khanda Colony, Church in Karanjade, Church in Panvel, Church in New Panvel, Church in Karanjade because we are centrally located and these places surround our church Venue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Virjil Selvan is Pastoring the Renewed Hope Community. The Renewed Hope Community is situated in the heart of the city between Old and New Panvel. We can confidently share that Renewed Hope Community is a Church in Kamothe, Church in Khandeshwar, Church in Khanda Colony, Church in Karanjade, Church in Panvel, Church in New Panvel, Church in Karanjade because we are centrally located and these places surround our church Venue.

 

Before we actually understand on how to grow Spiritually, let’s dig a little deeper on why we need to be aware of our Spiritual being. We are flesh but also Spiritual beings. It is also important to start from where it all began. Definitely, for some of us it is like a revision but for some of us, it’s all new. While I was preparing for this message, God placed in my heart about growing spiritually healthy. Why is it important? Let’s look at it.

When God made man, He made Him a spiritual being. He made him in Body, Soul and Spirit. As we may have heard of the sin that entered mankind not only destroyed man in body, mind but also destroyed or devoured his spirit.

 When no bush of the field^[a] was yet in the land^[b] and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, ⁶ and a mist^[c] was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— ⁷ then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. ⁸ And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. ⁹ And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2: 5 -9

¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat^[d] of it you shall surely die.” Genesis 2: 15 – 17.

However, after all the instructions given and having a deeper communion with God, man fell for the temptation. He was not able to communicate with God further on as He was used to.

⁸ And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool^[c] of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”^[d] 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” ¹¹ He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” ¹² The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” ¹³ Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Genesis 3: 8 – 13

So we see a hopeless situation, man died spiritually. So when we are dead in our Spirit, why are we talking about growing Spiritually healthy?

The reason is that Jesus wanted to restore our Spirit back into life. So that we have the same access to God, just as it was intended to be. How did He do that? There’s a beautiful instance in the Bible where Jesus speaks to a lady whom he meets at the well. He strikes a conversation about living water.

There are many such events in the bible which speaks about Jesus coming to give us a new spirit and to give life to us. Let us begin with one of such scripture about a Samaritan Woman and Jesus

⁵ So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. ⁶ Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.^[a]

⁷ A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” ⁸ (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) ⁹ The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) ¹⁰ Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” ¹¹ The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? ¹² Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” ¹³ Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.^[b] The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” ¹⁵ The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” ¹⁷ The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; ¹⁸ for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” ¹⁹ The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. ²⁰ Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” ²¹ Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. ²² You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. ²³ But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. ²⁴ God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” ²⁵ The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” ²⁶ Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.” John 4: 5 – 26

A little background about the Samaritans:

During the ministry of Jesus there was contact with a group of people known as the Samaritans. The Samaritans were half-Jew, half-Gentile. The race came about after the Assyrian captivity of the northern kingdom of Israel in 721 B.C. Certain people from the nation of Israel stayed behind. These people intermarried with the Assyrians producing the Samaritans.

They Had No Dealings With The Jews

We are told that the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans.

Why is that information important to us is because, we too like the Samaritan woman do not belong and Jesus is interested in getting us acquainted with a God who cares to give me a new life. A God who is interested in my Spiritual being so that I can connect and communicate with Him. I will have hope for an eternal future with Him.

Jesus addresses the vacuum in her heart. She is thirsty and so she is seeking it from different ways and means. But Jesus says a day will come when you will be filled with the living water. This water will fill you up and you will worship God once again. You will not be dead in your spirit but will have living water within you. You will worship God through a living Spirit. You will have communion with God again.

We were dead but with the resurrection power of Jesus Christ we have a living Spirit only if we acknowledge that Jesus has died to give me a living Spirit of God. It connects with God and enables us to communicate with Him once again. How do we say that so confidently is through the following dialogue that Jesus does with a man called Nicodemus.

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ² This man came to Jesus^[a] by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” ³ Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again^[b] he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ⁴ Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” ⁵ Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.^[c] 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You^[d] must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind^[e] blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

⁹ Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” ¹⁰ Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? ¹¹ Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you^[f] do not receive our testimony. ¹² If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.^[g] 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.^[h]

For God So Loved the World

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world,^[i] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. John 3: 1 – 18

³⁷ On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as^[f] the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” ³⁹ Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:37-39

When Jesus began the conversation with the woman at the well, she did not know [perceive] what the gift of living water really was (and still is).  When Jesus first mentioned living water to her (John 4:10), she thought of living water only in the physical, flowing sense (John 4:11).  Moments later in the conversation, Jesus helped her to think of living water in the spiritual sense.  In John 4:13, Jesus said (referring to the physical well water), “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again.”  Jesus then explained the spiritual benefits of living water.  “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.  The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14).

When Jesus described the spiritual meaning of living water — perpetual, life-giving power that springs up to eternal life (John 4:14) — the woman then expressed her desire to have that living water.  She said, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water” (John 4:15).

Now the first question to ask ourselves here is that do we have a living Spirit or are we yet dead in our spirit, trying to thirst after different things that will give us momentary satisfaction and contentment but will not revive our dead spirit? Can we claim confidently that I have a living Spirit of God?

Once we are sure of this fact then we move on to understand whether my spirit is healthy or am I just surviving, or starving my new born Spiritual being, by assuming that I am doing well and so is my spirit.

Illustration:

One of the interesting events of parenting is child check-ups.

This is where you take your child in the doctor and they measure the height, weight, and head size of your child.

Then they plot everything out on a handy little chart that shows you “average healthy” growth and where your child falls in comparison.

The purpose of child-check ups and this handy chart is to give you bragging rights if your kid is above average and an anxiety attack if they are below.

If your kid is taller than average at 6 months old they are obviously going to be a basketball player.

If they have a big head they must be smart.

If they are below average you discuss whose side of the family those faulty genes come from.

In reality the point of the check-up and chart is to see if the growth of your child is progressing and if there are any areas of concern.

Scripture describes the new believer as a baby.

The expectation is that this baby will experience consistent growth and eventually become an adult.

Scripture provides the child of God with check-ups and standards with which to measure growth.

Failure to grow past the baby stage and into maturity indicates that something is wrong.

Likewise we need to take a Spiritual health Check up very seriously?

⁹ Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. ¹⁰ Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹ Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit,^[a] serve the Lord. ¹² Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. ¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.^[b] Never be wise in your own sight. ¹⁷ Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honourable in the sight of all. ¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ¹⁹ Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it^[c] to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰ To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12: 9 – 21

Take a Diagnostic Exam (Romans 12:9-21)

• Am I increasing in my love of God? (v.9, 11, 12)
• Am I increasing in my hatred of sin? (v.9)
• Am I increasing in holy living? (v.9)
• Am I increasing in my love of others? (v.10,14-18)
• Am I increasing in the fruits of God’s Spirit? (v.12, 21)
• Am I increasing in generosity to God & others? (v.13,21)
• Am I increasing in forgiveness? (v.18-20)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians 5: 22 – 26

 

 

 

 

Sandra wife of  Virjil, The Renewed Hope Community is situated in the heart of the city between Old and New Panvel. We can confidently share that Renewed Hope Community is a Church in Kamothe, Church in Khandeshwar, Church in Khanda Colony, Church in Karanjade, Church in Panvel, Church in New Panvel, Church in Karanjade because we are centrally located and these places surround our church Venue.

Virjil Selvan is Pastoring the Renewed Hope Community. The Renewed Hope Community is situated in the heart of the city between Old and New Panvel. We can confidently share that Renewed Hope Community is a Church in Kamothe, Church in Khandeshwar, Church in Khanda Colony, Church in Karanjade, Church in Panvel, Church in New Panvel, Church in Karanjade because we are centrally located and these places surround our church Venue.

The Never-ending Journey – Acts 28

Good morning Church! It’s really great and wonderful privilege to be here in this morning to share this amazing End of the Journey, which is actually a beginning. We as a church started with this book of Acts in the beginning of this year and today we are in the last chapter. I’m sure that during all these times we have got lot many learnings, inspirations, takeaways and revelations. Even today I believe that God will speak to each of us through this chapter too.

(prayer)

I had the privilege to speak on Acts ch13 where Paul’s journey began and now today I’m here again to talk about the completion of those journeys Paul had. For a quick recap, last week we had discussed on Acts Ch27, Paul and his companions are caught up in a terrible storm. Everyone on the ship supposed that they were going to die. Everyone, that is, but Paul. The Lord sent an angel to comfort Paul and to tell him that the ship would be lost, but that all the lives of those on the ship would be spared, Acts 27:22-25. He comforted all those in the ship with these words and encouraged them to have food. And we saw that the ship was lost in the storm, but all those 276 People on board made it safely to the shore either by swimming or holding to the wooden pieces of ship. Now let’s look at the verses from Acts 28 1-10.

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, the goddess 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 showed us generous hospitality for three days. 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 honoured us in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.

So, we see here that after all those struggles they landed on this place called Malta. Where is this Malta. The island-state of Malta is located in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily about 60 miles away. The Natives called Barbarians were neither Greek or Roman. The Island is relatively unimportant or not so familiar as it is not in the usual route for the traders to travel by. The word Barbarians does not mean they were an uncivilized people, they just did not follow Greek customs or speak Greek. So, all non-Greek speaking were foreigners which made them as barbarian people. It is very common in those days to have a shipwreck, but what’s not usual is for the people to come and help those affected. As because every time there is a ship wreck people try to see what do I get out from there. Like let’s say today if one big electronics store is crashed or collapsed, we would say that let’s go in and get something what we needed. It’s the common attitude towards calamity. But here it’s totally different. Even Luke says that they showed unusual kindness, which means way more than usual.

Just try to visualize the situation, 2 weeks of struggle in storm, no light, no sun, and now ship wrecked, lost all the belongings, fully drenched, heavy rain and cold. Rain is ok, Cold is ok, but definitely not both together. Now they are trying to keep themselves warm. Once again Paul is helpful and involved in the necessary practical tasks of day-to-day living; not functioning as some privileged elite that demands service from others. What if we were in the situation and as Paul- who promised everyone that none of us will lose our lives, everyone will be saved. Of course, it has come true and now all alive in the shore. What would be our behaviour? Do we demand service or do we serve? Even as he still serves, he is facing lot of issues here again. Out of fire, the Viper came out an got stuck in his hand.

Shake off the Viper

• Viper of Unbelief

Many a times, we keep asking God, why me? Again? I don’t think it’s going to happen. I’m helping people even in midst of all my trails but still I’m facing lot of issues.

Paul could have doubted God, will I be saved? What will happen to me? How I will reach Rome, if I die here because of this viper? But rather his action was he shook off the viper, remembering God’s promises. What is it that I’m holding on which is an unbelief / discouragement.

• Viper of Criticism

There was this criticism thrown on Paul – This man is a murderer, in a way it was true some years back. But now he is not. Many times, people might throw lot of critics and accuse us falsely for which we have not done any wrong. Don’t worry you are not the first person to go through this. Even Jesus had gone through continual critics. He was called as blasphemer; acting with the Prince of demon; Remember how he responded to all those? He remained silent. Similarly, even here Paul remains silent, he didn’t react or respond to all those critics. He just shook off the Viper. Let us also shook off all those critics which were thrown on us. We can’t hold on to it and sulk into it. We need to get out of it so that we can move forward.

• Viper of Low Expectations

Those people were thinking that he will now swell up or suddenly die. But he remained alive. Many of those are there waiting to see u and me to stumble and fall because we are following Christ. They are just waiting for us to backslide. But we can’t be afraid on looking at those people. We need to shake off all those comments which are false and not valid. By being faithful to our God, we need to prove them that they are wrong. Christ has given us the life. With the help of Holy spirit, we can win every day.

Those who passed on the comments on him as murderer are those who are now coming to Paul to get healed. He never has this attitude of rejecting but accepted them in love and they got cured. Shake off those vipers of Low expectations.

¹¹ After three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in the island—it was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux. ¹² We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days. ¹³ From there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on the following day we reached Puteoli. ¹⁴ There we found some brothers and sisters who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome. ¹⁵ The brothers and sisters there had heard that we were coming, and they travelled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these people Paul thanked God and was encouraged. ¹⁶ When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him.

Am I clear of

God’s Promise – Paul was very clear that he will reach Rome, because God has promised him. Sometimes in our life God would have promised us something. But because of the storm that we had went through we think that now as I’m in Malta where I’m doing the ministry of God, we come to conclusion that this is where God is intended me to be and do what I’m doing. During the Journey I should not forget for what God has called me for. There may be many things come in between in our lives but we can’t settle down there saying that I’m doing God’s will. No, once u heard God, be clear and stand strict to it. We see here that once the Winter is over they have resumed their journey towards Rome.

God’s Purpose – The interesting part here is Paul was a Roman citizen but has never visited Rome so far. He always only had a vision to visit. But we see here that in way there are lot of brothers and sisters came to meet them. The way the Gospel has spread even though there are no records of missionaries visited these places. The purpose of God is to share the gospel to every corners of the world. What is my part in it? How am I playing my role to fulfil the purpose that God has called me for? Long back God has promised Paul saying that you will reach Rome. Paul also had this vision to be there. After crossing through all those rough tides and struggles, finally they have arrived the destination Rome. Verse 15 says, people from Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns came to meet Paul and his companions. It seems that these people have travelled 40+ miles to meet Paul and it really encouraged him. Even at times, just a visit to someone’s house, or even just a call to check how they are doing or even a text on checking how they are, matters a lot. We never know what the other person is going through, what kind of storms they are in, what kinds of strange things they are facing, what criticism they are going through, how low they are. But we as a child of God, being a family it’s always good and important to encourage each other. Even though such a strong person Paul the apostle is, still he too needed an encouragement.

God’s Vision – We see that Paul had got again a special favour, he was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him 24*7. It was Rome custom that every 4 hours there will be a shift and a soldier change. Think about it, Man like Paul- who is always ready to seek and grab an opportunity to share the gospel the good news, is now having a new face every 4 hours. I think that Paul would ask the soldiers what do u think, u have anything to say then the other says no do u have any and yes, he started sharing the gospel. We see this evidence that Paul himself writes in his letter to Philippians.

 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters,^[b] that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. ¹³ As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard^[c] and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. – Ph1:12,13

Now as he was in house arrest he is not allowed to do the ministry the same way how he uses to do all these days, by going from Synagogue to synagogue. But what did he do? Am I carrying the vision all the time or am I sliding away from it? Whenever it’s talked about calling, vision, serving most of us think that it’s not for me. It’s for the Pastor, ministry leaders or someone else who is in some responsible role at church, definitely not me. But when there is something spoke on Promise, blessings, gifts – we try to claim them for me; Amen Yes Lord, Thank you Lord. After the service, meets the preacher and tells that the word was exactly for me today. But such convictions are not there when there is something like this is being spoken. I’m not trying to offend or blame anyone here, rather I want us to be ready and open for God’s work. Because Luke 10:7 says the Worker deserve his wages. How can I be only on receiving end all the time, when I don’t give anything from my side to God?

¹⁷ Three days later he called together the local Jewish leaders. When they had assembled, Paul said to them: “My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. ¹⁸ They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death. ¹⁹ The Jews objected, so I was compelled to make an appeal to Caesar. I certainly did not intend to bring any charge against my own people. ²⁰ For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.”

²¹ They replied, “We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of our people who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you. ²² But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect.”

We see here, that he calls out the Jewish leaders to his home where he stays. He always had a plan B. He never restricted himself by saying ok my situation is not right, I’m not in position to do this, I can’t share the gospel when I’m house arrested; chained to a soldier. No, his heart was always there to connect with the people and tell them the good news. So, he called up for the leaders as he wanted to make himself stand clear and right with his brothers, why he has appealed to Caesar. He has no idea what does the people in Rome think about him, or what news or information they received from Jerusalem. So, he has explained to them what exactly happened. This way of direct communication he made with them had really made them to ask Paul to share this Gospel. They say that they have not received any letter or report concerning you, but all we heard was people taking against your views.

At times, being transparent and open will let the doors open automatically for the gospel to be shared. We don’t have to do anything extra, just be open and transparent. God will open the hearts of people to hear the Gospel. Our role is to be available not giving excuses, blaming the situation or saying I’m tired, I’m chained I can’t. Don’t let your mind get preoccupied with thoughts saying they have a wrong thought about me, they don’t listen to my words, they can’t understand my problem, they don’t know what I’m going through, they can’t accept my view. Rather than doing all these let’s start saying God I’m available, use me. He will let the doors open for the gospel to be shared.

²³ They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus. ²⁴ Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe.

 

We see that they were able to plan for a certain day to meet Paul and listen to the gospel. They also called a greater number of people so everyone gets opportunity to hear what he speaks. As he shares, there are few convinced and accepted what he said and also there are others who would not believe. Our job is not converting anyone, it’s to share the good news. God will work in their life in right time and they will turn back to him. Sometimes they may not be able to understand what is it that we are taking about. That’s what even Paul says here to them referring to what Isaiah has prophesied:

²⁵ So when they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had said one word: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to ^[e]our fathers, ²⁶ saying,

‘Go to this people and say:
“Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand;
And seeing you will see, and not perceive;
²⁷ For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
Their ears are hard of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed,
Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.” ’

²⁸ “Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!” ^29 [f]And when he had said these words, the Jews departed and had a great dispute among themselves. ³⁰ Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, ³¹ preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.

Church! Let’s keep doing our part, God will work on the hearts of those who hear the gospel. Let’s share it, love them truly, care for them and accept them as who they are. God’s kingdom will keep growing no matter whether we respond or not. If we don’t then God choose someone else for his work, but we are the losers. So, lets try to grab all the opportunities to work for the kingdom of God; we never know when what will be taken from us. So, let us not hold on to things that are pulling us back; not allowing us to move forward. Let us shook off the things that are holding us back

(video)

Joseph shook off the treatment of his brothers; David shook off the taunts of Goliath; Job shook off the advice of his friends; Woman at the well shook off her past.; Woman with the issue of blood shook off the doctor’s reports; Lazarus shook off the grave clothes.

When the Plans are not clear and confusing Shake it off – When they got stuck into the storm they have no idea in which direction and where they are, but God was in control. God Knows the way; He Makes a way. John 8:32 says, then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Let’s stick ourselves to God trusting in him fully. Because he has given his own son for us what not he can give us? The End of the beginning. The record of Luke has ended here, but still the book of Acts is continuing till today and we are in some 2000+ chapters. This journey is never ending but am I able to do justification to my role? Will I too be able to say “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

Paul Anand is working at Accenture and worshiping in Renewed Hope Community. The Renewed Hope Community is situated in the heart of the city between Old and New Panvel. We can confidently share that Renewed Hope Community is a Church in Kamothe, Church in Khandeshwar, Church in Khanda Colony, Church in Karanjade, Church in Panvel, Church in New Panvel, Church in Karanjade because we are centrally located and these places surround our church Venue.

ACTS 27 SHIPWRECK ON THE WAY TO ROME

• It is a privilege to preach on Acts 27 – It is in every preacher’s Bucket list. Thank God for the opportunity.
• This chapter is historic, greatly detailed, influenced many Christians, still thoroughly taught about, every time you read it you will learn something new, it has amazing twists & turns, many thrilling moments, like a great adventurous movie.
• Let me open up with these questions, are you going through a problem, no one can walk in my shoes, you don’t understand my pain, why God you are doing this to me? Why do good people suffer? Why a Christian go through storms of life? I am not answering any of those questions, By the end of the message, I pray and believe that God will speak to you and answer to these questions.
• It is the last voyage of Paul the Apostle– last recorded voyage– of Paul the Apostle. We believe after this he will travel again and be re-arrested. But this is the last recorded in scripture voyage of the Apostle Paul. It lasts all of Chapter 27, which is 44 verses long I believe, and into Chapter 28, down to about verse 15 or 16, so a chapter and a half. Luke gives the details of this voyage. It Is one of the most famous stories in ancient history of seagoing and a shipwreck. There are many stories that are told in antiquity, but this is one of the most famous. And, of all ancient stories of shipwrecks, this happens to be the most detailed. And because of that fact, scholars, for years, have studied Acts 27 just to get an idea of how boats were built, how people travelled, and what the facts were concerning seagoing voyages.

 

Slide 1: Lets Recap

Paul always wanted to go to Rome. It was a heart desire that he had. He even wrote about it. He spoke about it. And back in Chapter 19:21, he says I’m going to Macedonia and the areas of Achaia, then I have to go to Jerusalem for the feast. And then he said this, then, I must see Rome. It’s got to happen. I’ve got to do it. I must see Rome. Well, people warned him not to go to Jerusalem because bad things would happen. He would get arrested. He said, quit bothering me about that. I’m ready not only to get arrested, but I’m also ready to die if that’s what the Lord wants. Sure enough, he gets arrested, taken to Caesarea spends two years there. Goes through three different trials before Felix, a governor of Judea, Festus, another governor who succeeded him, and then King Agrippa, Herod Agrippa II. In the previous chapter ie. 26, Paul made his defence before King Agrippa. He tell his entire life story, his earlier life before coming a Christian and how is life is now. Towards his end of the defense, as soon as he says that Jes will proclaim light to both our people and Gentiles, King Agrippa says ‘Are you out of your mind? Your great learning is driving you out of your mind? Lets read 1 Cor 1:18.

 

Paul had appealed to Caesar, because he felt he was getting the run around. And so Agrippa said, well, you could have escaped all this, because we can’t find that you have done anything wrong, but you appealed to Caesar, so you’re going to Caesar. But Paul believed, even though he was beaten, even though he was arrested, even though he had several mistrials with poor evidence, he believed he was in the will of God. And the reason he felt so sure is that when he was arrested in Jerusalem and then taken to Caesarea, Acts 23:11 the Lord appeared to him at night in a vision and said be of good cheer Paul, cheer up, man. Even as you have testified of me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome. The Lord told him you’re going to Rome. So he’s on a ship– beginning in verse one of Chapter 27– in what he believes is the will of God. Now, we’re going to look at a boat trip, a storm story. But while we look at this literally, let’s just keep something tucked in the back of our little minds. And that is as true as this is historically and literally, there are some parallels spiritually, because Paul’s whole life really was a storm. He’d never had it easy. He followed relentlessly the will of God, but it never came simply. He fought, it seems, at every turn. And all of us, as we sail through life, we go through storms. We have our own storm stories. And this chapter shows us how to cope with it, how to deal with it. So we’re going to look at it historically, literally, but then also make some applications of us going through trials, difficult times, storms, and what to do as we do. Every human being faces heartache, trouble, difficulty, every single one of them. Job said, as surely man is born, he is destined to trouble. And Paul understood this. Eph 6:12 Paul understood that as he traveled to Lystra, and Derbe, Iconium, Athens, Corinth, Ephesus, Philippi, he understood that he wasn’t going to a playground, but a battleground, that he was doing warfare. He had an enemy who was trying to stop him. And so he kept that in perspective. No matter what happened here, he believes he’s in the will of God.

 

1. From Caesarea to Fair Havens.
2. (1-2) Paul and his companions leave Caesarea.
3. Aristarchusand Luke (notice the us of verse 2 and beyond) accompanied Paul on this voyage. The favor Paul enjoyed from Julius (as in Acts 27:3) meant he was allowed to take these companions with him. Or else, Prisoners don’t get to bring traveling companions with them.
4. Julius, a centurion of the Augustan Regiment: A centurion is a leader over a century, a hundred men. They were bold, but they were steady, usually, in personality. And I mentioned that they are noteworthy. In the New Testament, there is an incredible quality about them even when it comes to understanding the principle of faith, especially faith in God. For example, one day Jesus is up around near Capernaum– where his headquarters was up in the Galilee– and a centurion came to him and implored him that he would heal his servant. And Jesus said, sure, man, I’ll come to your house. Let’s go. I’ll follow you. And the centurion said, oh, no, no. I’m not worthy that you should even step into my roof, into my home. You could just from here at a distance, speak a word and I know my servant will be healed, because I’m a man under authority and I’m a man of authority. Being under authority, I know what it is to take orders. Being a man of authority, I know what it is to give orders. I say to one do this. He does it. To another do that, he does it. So, I know that you can speak and you have the authority from a distance. You don’t even have to touch him. You don’t have to sully your feet by coming into my house. Just speak the word, man, and he’ll be healed. And Jesus marveled, and said, I haven’t found this kind of faith even in all of Israel. So high marks for a centurion. You get an A+.

At the cross (Luke 23:47), when Jesus was crucified, there was a storm. The sky darkened. There was an earthquake. And after Jesus died, the centurion presiding over that said, surely, truly, this man is the Son of God. What a statement of faith.

Then we read about in Chapter 10 of the Book of Acts, a guy named Cornelius, a centurion. He was in Caesarea. He summoned Peter to come and tell him about the gospel. And it says, Cornelius was a man who feared God, gave alms to the people, and prayed always. That’s a Roman centurion. You say, well, that sounds like a pastor. That sounds like a reverend. That sounds like a New Testament Christian.

1. Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him liberty to go to his friends and receive care: The ship first sailed to Sidon, where Paul met with Christians and could receive carefrom them. The Roman commander gave Paul a lot of liberty because he wasn’t a condemned man (yet), but waiting for trial before Caesar. Paul’s godly character and display of Christian love were also helpful in gaining favor.
2. Paul was different from the other prisoners on board. The other prisoners were probably all condemned criminals being sent to Rome to die in the arena.
3. An Alexandrian ship sailing to Italy: This was a grain freighter, taking grain grown in Egypt to Italy.
4. Along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra… off Cnidus… off Salmone… Fair Havens:

Paul is getting what he always wanted, sort of. He wanted to go to Rome. But he didn’t just think he was going to go like this. He thought he would go as a missionary, as a clergyman. But he’s not going as a clergyman, he’s going as a convict. He wanted to go to Rome. God said, absolutely. I’ll let you go to Rome. And I’ll have Rome pick up the town. The catch is you got to be a prisoner. To get a free ride, you got to be a prisoner. You’ve got to be in this prison ship.

 

LOOK on the MAP to understand the travel route.

3. (9-10) Paul’s advice to the captain and crew of the ship.
4. Sailing was now dangerous because the Fast was already over: TheFast date in question here was Feast of Tabernacles, around probably October 5, which was the date of the Day of Atonement in A.D. 59. The idea is that as winter approached, the weather became more dangerous for sailing.
5. 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”: Paul did not necessarily speak here as a prophet of God, but perhaps as an experienced traveler on the Mediterranean, having already traveled some 3,500 miles by sea. Knowing the seasons and conditions – and perhaps with supernatural wisdom – Paul advised that they not go on.
6. 2 Corinthians 11:25tells us that by this time, Paul had already shipwrecked three times. He, like most everyone, knew that sailing in this season was dangerous. He said three times I was shipwrecked. And I spent an entire night and a day adrift in the sea. So he knew the ocean. He knew the seasons of the sea. He had experience at sea. So he’s giving a learned opinion that it’s going to be problematic.
7. (11-12) The decision is made to sail on.
8. Nevertheless the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul: It isn’t a surprise that the centurionhad more respect for the opinion of the chief sailor and the owner of the ship than for Paul’s opinion. They both had much to lose if the ship didn’t make it to Rome.
9. Because the harbor was not suitable to winter in: The name Fair Havens(Acts 27:8) was not entirely accurate – at least not accurate in the winter. The position of the bay made it vulnerable to winter winds and storms. It was not an ideal place to wait out the coming season.
10. It was also not a funplace to spend all winter, and the crew of the ship didn’t look forward to months in a small town. One commentator suggests that the local Chamber of Commerce named the place “Fair Havens.” There are at a place known as called fair havens. Sounds like a good place, doesn’t it? It sounds sweet. It was boring. It was small. It wasn’t a great place for sailors to spend a winter in. So they want a bigger town. They’re thinking, look, the preacher wants to stay here. I mean, you know, this is good for a preacher, but not for a group of sailors. We need a bigger place to hang for the winter.
11. The majority advised to set sail from there also: Taking a vote of the crew, they decided to sail on to the harbor of Phoenix. Paul raised his hand against sailing, he pinched Luke & Aristarchus. The port at Phoenix was on the same island of Crete and only about 40 miles away. It didn’t seem crazy to them to make it to Phoenix and be spared a miserable winter at Fair Havens.
12. Yet they failed to properly regard the wise word from the Apostle Paul, which turned out to be prophetic: This voyage will end with disaster and much loss. They should have listened to Paul, and later told them so (Acts 27:21).
13. The stormy journey from Fair Havens to Malta.
14. (13-16) A good start is made from Crete, but the ship quickly encounters great difficulty in a storm.

Even with this, the ship continued to drive in the wind for many days. they’re not just throwing the cargo, but they’re throwing the ship’s tackle. That’s a generalized term, a broad term, for things like beds, tables, any kind of furnishings at all. They’ll just throw it overboard. OK. What kind of a ship is it? What are they bringing to Rome? Grain. They wouldn’t get paid unless they delivered the full amount of grain. It’s a grain ship. Its duty, its sole purpose, is to bring grain from Egypt to Rome. But now, they’re throwing it overboard. And there is a second principle in storms. They don’t just change your comfort zone, they change your values. When you have a storm suddenly, that grain that is so important, man, that’s my paycheck. You kidding? I’m not going to throw that overboard. When it comes to the paycheck or your life, throw the grain overboard. Throw the tackle overboard. It changes your values. Suddenly, other things are more important to you than just that. And storms will do that. It’s one of the refining ways that the Lord uses them in your life. It changes your value system. It turns salesmen into survivors.

3. (20) The hopelessness of crew and passengers.
4. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days: On the open sea they could only navigate with either the sunor the stars. Many days in this storm drove the crew to desperation. The great tempest drove them blind westward across the Mediterranean. Now in those days, they navigated by the stars. They didn’t have a compass. They didn’t have radar, sonar. They didn’t even have a compass. They would navigate by the stars. You’re going to see that they won’t be able to do that because it’s cloudy, as we go on. They don’t know where they’re at. They don’t have a radar screen or a computer. They just know they’re going in that direction. And they’re afraid, because it’s a legendary place where ships can get caught. And so they did a common practice. They put ropes underneath it, cables, tightened it up, so that that sturdy wood wouldn’t come apart in the strong storm. But then it’s interesting, in verse 18 and 19, they start throwing things overboard. So in verse 18, they lightened the ship. This is a grain ship. They’re throwing grain overboard, probably.

 

1. All hope that we would be saved was finally given up: Acts 27:37tells us there were 276 people on board, both passengers and crew. It seems that they had all finally given up, and had no hope of survival.

Something about storms– we know this to be a fact. Trials we go through. Stormy problems in our life. We know this to be true– storms change our comfort. That’s why we hate them. No, I like it just the way it is, thank you. I don’t want any change in my comfort zone. I don’t want you to take me out of my comfort zone. But storms always do. It brings difficulty. It brings danger. It brings headwind. You think, man, I’ve been serving the Lord, this gets tougher and tougher and tougher as I go. Remember, the Lord spoke to Paul and confirmed he is in the will of God. And yet, though in the will of God, danger, headwind, difficulty, trial. We’re just used to things a certain way. And then when our storm comes and we change our comfort, we flip out. We freak out. But could it be that God has something so much better than what you’re already experiencing right now? And this is why this storm is coming? Example, you get the dream job. Man, this is awesome. I don’t want things to change I love it just the way it is. I’ve been looking for this a long time. We just get settled. Then, you walk into work one day. And the boss says, sorry, we have to make cutbacks. We’re laying you off. You go, Lord, why would you do that? Why would you allow that? Well, perhaps, the Lord has a better job in mind and in store for you. But you weren’t looking for it before. You were happy the way things were. But God has something better for you. But you wouldn’t have looked for it. You wouldn’t have cared about it. But now you are looking for it. You’ve been shaken from that place. God will shake you up in your comfort zone.

4. (21-22) Paul tells the crew to take heart.
5. After long abstinence from food: We shouldn’t think that the sailors fasted and sought God. Instead, their abstinence from foodprobably was due to the poor condition of the food and seasickness. but because they’re sick to their stomach. Nobody wants to eat, they want to just survive.
6. Men, you should have listened to me: Paul could not resist (rightly so) an “I told you so” moment. Had they listened to his wisdom at Acts 27:10, they would not be in this seemingly hopeless situation.
7. I urge you to take heart: As a messenger of God, Paul hoped to bring hope to these passengers and crew who had given up all hope. His point wasn’t simply to tell them he was right, but to bring them good news.
8. There will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship: This was a mixed message. The promise that no lifewould be lost was hard to believe if the ship were to be lost. It was also bad news to hear that the voyage would be a complete financial loss, with the cargo already overboard (Acts 27:18) and the ship to be lost.
9. (23-26) Paul tells the crew of the angelic visit.
10. There stood by me this night an angel: God sent an angelic messenger to Paul to bring good, encouraging news when all else seemed hopeless. This wasn’t a direct appearance of Jesus (as in Jerusalem, Acts 23:11), but of an angel. God’s word came to Paul different ways at different times.
11. An angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve: The angelic presence was an encouragement; this was also. Paul remembered that he belongedto God and that he served God. God never forgets those who belong to Him and serve Him.
12. That doesn’t mean everything goes easy for those who belongto God and serveHim. Paul’s present calamity proved that. It does mean that God’s watchful eye and active care is present even in that kind of calamity.
13. Do not be afraid: There was a reasonPaul needed to hear this. He was also afraid in the storm (at least some of the time). In his strong moments, Paul knew he would make it to Rome because God promised it. Yet in the storm (here, a literal storm) it was easy to doubt and Paul needed the assurance.
14. Indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you: This implies that Paul soughtGod for the safety of everyone on the ship. He already had a promise for his own safety, but that wasn’t enough for Paul. He labored in prayer for the safety and blessing of those with him, believers and not-yet-believers. Paul cared for them and loved them, and he labored for them in prayer until God granted the apostle their safety.
15. Therefore take heart, men: Paul encouraged them to take heart just a moment before (Acts 27:22). He repeats the encouragement again, this time in light of the revelation from God. “You have reason to take heart – God has given me assurance of your safety, and I believe God.”
16. Paul couldn’t keep his hope to himself. He had to pass it on to both the believers on board the ship and to those who had not yet believed.
17. I believe God that it will be just as it was told me: Paul’s confident word to the troubled sailors on a storm-tossed ship express the essence of what it means to put our faith in God and His Word. God said it to Paul (through an angel) and Paul said, “I believe God.”
18. Take note of what Paul said: “I believe God.” He didn’t say, “I believe inGod.” Every demon in hell agrees with the existence of God. Paul declared his total confidence in God’s knowledge of his situation and His promise in his situation.
19. Paul believed God when there was nothing else to believe. He couldn’t believe the sailors, the ship, the sails, the wind, the centurion, human ingenuity or anything else – only God. This was not a fair-weather faith; he believed God in the midst of the storm, when circumstances were at their worst. Paul would say along with Job: Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him(Job 13:15). The storm and the danger were real, but God was more real to Paul than the dreadful circumstances.

iii. Paul was not ashamed to say that he believed God. “I would to God that all Christians were prepared to throw down the gauntlet and to come out straight; for if God be not true let us not pretend to trust him, and if the gospel be a lie let us be honest enough to confess it.” (Spurgeon)

1. Paul’s unshakable confidence in God made him a leader among men, even though he was a prisoner of Rome.
2. However, we must run aground on a certain island: This was mixed news, and in these circumstances to run agroundmight be fairly called to shipwreck. Paul essentially said, “We’re all going to shipwreck on an unknown island, but everyone will be alright.”
3. A certain islandmeans that God did not tell Paul everything about what was going to happen. Paul had to trust that God knew which island they would run aground on, even if Paul didn’t know.

Now you notice that Paul starting to take charge. It’s what leaders do. When there is difficulties and everybody is burned out and there is no way out, a leader arises. And he moves now from captive to captain. He said you should have listened to me, but don’t despair. Take heart. Cheer up. The Lord appeared to me through a messenger. And he gave a message of God. Now storms will do this to you. They’ll bring out the best in you or they’ll bring out the worst in you. And the metal of a man or a woman is tested in difficulty. If you want to find out who a person really is, listen to them, watch them, observe them in a trial. That’s who they are. And Paul rises to the top. Now, as we go through this, I want you to notice something of what we just read. What kept Paul so calm? What kept him so tethered where he could say cheer up? Everybody’s saying, we’re dead. Cheer up, man. What are you a nut case? No. Listen. Paul had three anchors. Three anchors that kept his faith strong that he let down. He let down three anchors. First of all, he let down the anchor of ownership. Ownership. Notice what he says. Verse 23, “For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong.” Do you belong to Him? Have you given Him your life? Have you turned your life over to Him? As I like to tell young believers, you’re turning the pink slip of your life over to Him. You’re not saying, God is my copilot. Man, you’re getting in the back seat and letting him drive. Do you belong to Him? Because if you belong to Him in a storm, that gives you an anchor, you see. There was an old man who was asked by a younger group. Hey, what do you do in trials? What do you do in temptations? What do you do when life goes crazy? He said, simple. I lift my head toward heaven. I say God, your property is in danger. It’s a good perspective. If you’re the Lord’s, then you’re His property. Then you’re His responsibility. Well, I’ve got this disease, this problem, that’s his responsibility. You belong to Him. That’s an anchor of ownership. Second is the anchor of service. “The Lord to whom I belong and whom I serve–” Paul is saying I’m on this boat because I’m on a mission from God. And if you’re on a mission from God, do you know that you’re invincible till God’s done with you in that mission? Oh, he died such an untimely death. He died before his time. No, he didn’t. He died right on time. You don’t know his time. God knows his time. It is appointed to every man to die once. You don’t know that date. You have a shelf life. You don’t know the end date. God does. But if you’re serving the Lord, you’re on a mission. Like the two witnesses in Revelation, and when they had finished their testimony, then, power was given to the beast, the false prophet to kill them. Only when they finished their testimony. So that’s an anchor. The anchor of ownership, the anchor of service. Third is the anchor of trust. He says, verse 25, “for I believe God.” That it’s going to be just like God said. Man, I want to hang out with Paul. What faith. Dude, you’re in a storm. We all think we’re going to die. Aah. I’ve got three anchors down, man. And one of them is I believe what God told me. I trust His word. He’s a promise keeper all the way. I believe God.

6. (27-29) Drawing near land.

 

1. When the fourteenth night had come: They spent two entire weeks in the misery and terror of the storm.
2. The sailors sensed that they were drawing near some land: Sensing land was near (probably by hearing the breakers in the distance) the sailors took proper precautions against being crashed against some unknown rocks (they dropped four anchors from the stern, and prayed for day to come).
3. And prayed for day to come: The threat of shipwreck and death made them men of prayer.
4. (30-32) Some sailors seek to escape from the ship.
5. As the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship: These sailorsdidn’t care for the passengers. Seeing a chance to save their own lives in the darkness, they hoped to abandon the ship leaving the passengers.
6. Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.”Paul knew two reasons why they had to stay together. First, the ship’s passengers desperately needed the crew’s expertise, and it would be fatal if the crew abandoned the passengers. Second, Paul probably sensed that God’s promise to give him the lives of the whole ship’s company assumed that they would stay together.
7. The soldiers cut away the ropes of the skiff and let it fall off: At this point, it seems the soldiers had great trust in Paul.They were submitting to Paul the leader.
8. (33-38) Paul encourages the passengers and crew at dawn.
9. Since not a hair will fall from the head of any of you: Paul had a word of faith and confidence from the Lord for the frightened crew and passengers. But this word only benefited those who believedit.
10. God has scores of promises of His comfort and care for us in desperate times, but they only benefit us if we believethem.
11. 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. Then they were all encouraged: There are hints that Paul regarded this meal as communion at the Lord’s Table for the Christians present. So again, Paul’s taking charge. And he’s just so practical, man. He says, look, here’s what we need, guys. You haven’t eaten for a while, so what we need is prayer and a good breakfast. So practical. “And when he said these things, he took bread and he gave thanks in the presence of them all.” Interesting. If you wonder should I pray in a restaurant like in front of people out loud? I mean I don’t want to– why not? Paul did it in front of all these 276 people, including the centurion and the helmsmen.
12. They lightened the ship: Throwing out the wheat into the sea reflected their great desperation. This was the last of the essential cargo of the ship, after they had already lightened the ship (Acts 27:18). This was a struggle for survival.
13. (39-41) The ship runs aground and breaks apart.
14. They did not recognize the land: They did not know it at first, but they came to an island called Malta. The place where the ship came aground is now called St. Paul’s Bay.
15. The prow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern was being broken up by the violence of the waves: As the ship was stuck faston shore, the still-stormy sea pounded the weakened vessel and started breaking it apart. All on board had to jump ship or be broken up with it.
16. (42-44) Leaving the ship and coming safely to shore.
17. And the soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim away and escape: To the soldiers, it made sense to kill the prisoners, because according to Roman military law a guard who allowed his prisoner to escape was subject to the same penalty the escaped prisoner would have suffered – in the case of most of these prisoners, death.
18. But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from their purpose: God gave Paul favor in the eyes of this Roman centurion, and that favor kept Paul and all the prisoners alive – in fulfillment of the word spoken to Paul, God has granted you all those who sail with you(Acts 27:24). God’s word never fails.

 

Prayer

Father, we want to thank You that in the midst of storms, in the midst of change, in the midst of difficulties, we are being refined as our values are being changed, as our comfort is being challenged. That we can be anchored, we can be tethered, by the fact that You own us. We serve You. And we trust Your promises. We can live boldly, publicly, being undaunted by the storms that come our way, because You always provide boards, parts of a ship that will take us safely to Your desired port. Strengthen us, Lord, those of us who are dealing with difficulties. Pray for brothers and sisters in this flock, those listening, Lord, on the airwaves, by television, or their computer, Lord. You know where they are. You know what kind of situations they are facing right now. Some very dark and difficult. They can’t see the stars. They can’t navigate. But like Job said, You know the way that I take. And I will come forth as gold after I am tested. Lord, if you are driving some to a closer relationship with You, I pray we would embrace You with all of our hearts. And I just simply want to pray, Lord, right now for anybody who hasn’t committed their life to Christ. They are going through storms, but they don’t know Your fellowship with them. They don’t have the anchors like Paul had. They don’t know You personally enough to trust You with their lives. I pray they would turn to You, that they would surrender. Maybe it is that You are just driving them back to Jesus. So as we close this service with heads bowed, if you don’t know the Lord yet, but you feel like the Lord has been trying to get your attention and taking you to Him, would you just respond to Him and say, yes, I want to give my life to Jesus tonight or I want to come back to the Lord tonight. Just raise your hand in the air if that describes you. If you want to give your life to God for the first time or come back to Him, would you just raise your hand so I can acknowledge you and pray for you as we close? Anybody at all? Raise it up high enough so that I can see it. Well, Father, just keep us all close to Your side for Your purpose, for Your pleasure, for Your will. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Sandeep is working at Amity University and worships at Renewed Hope Community. The Renewed Hope Community is situated in the heart of the city between Old and New Panvel. We can confidently share that Renewed Hope Community is a Church in Kamothe, Church in Khandeshwar, Church in Khanda Colony, Church in Karanjade, Church in Panvel, Church in New Panvel, Church in Karanjade because we are centrally located and these places surround our church Venue.

 

Virjil Selvan is Pastoring the Renewed Hope Community. The Renewed Hope Community is situated in the heart of the city between Old and New Panvel. We can confidently share that Renewed Hope Community is a Church in Kamothe, Church in Khandeshwar, Church in Khanda Colony, Church in Karanjade, Church in Panvel, Church in New Panvel, Church in Karanjade because we are centrally located and these places surround our church Venue.