July 24, 2022
Acts 27:13-26
“Safety in the Storm”
Service Overview: Life may get messy, complicated, or even frightening, but God’s will cannot be thwarted! While the ship’s crew in this text gave up hope of survival, Paul hadn’t. Why? Because Paul held to the promise God gave him of him getting to Rome.
Memory Verse for the Week:
“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 (NIV)
Background Information:
- The trip is described from a layperson’s point of view but with amazing accuracy concerning the exact techniques that were used by sailors to guard against shipwreck. The dragging anchors, the use of cables to wrap around a ship’s hull, and dealing with the wind are all described according to ancient practice. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 369)
- At this time of year, the winds in the Mediterranean made sea travel difficult. The winds were considered dangerous after September 15 and impossible between November 11 and March 10. But favorable winds and weather at that moment caused the captain to proceed with the journey. Had these conditions continued, the ship would have brought the passengers and crew to their destination within hours, certainly less than one day. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 437)
- These corn ships were not small. They could be as large as 140 feet long and 36 feet wide and of 33 feet draught. But in a storm they had certain grave disadvantages. They were the same at the bow as at the stern, except that the stern was swept up like a goose’s neck. They had no rudder like a modern ship, but were steered with two great paddles coming out from the stern on each side. They were, therefore, hard to manage. Further, they had only one mast and on that mast one great square sail, made sometimes of linen and sometimes of stitched hides. With a sail like that they could not sail into the wind. Worst of all, the single mast and the great sail put such a strain on the ship’s timbers in a gale that often they started so that the ship foundered. It was to avoid this that they frapped the ship. That means that they passed hawsers under the ship and drew them tight with their winches so that they held the ship together like a tied up parcel. (William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles, 184)
- In those days, the lifeboat wasn’t carried onboard but was towed behind the ship. If a storm arose, the boat would be hauled up into the ship, but this storm, came so suddenly and with so much force that they were unable to secure it until they ran under the lee of a small island. (Ray C. Stedman, God’s Unfinished Book: Acts, 316)
- Things being as they were, they had little heart to take food; besides, it would have been difficult to prepare food, and a good part of their supplies must have been spoiled by the sea water. (F.F. Bruce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Acts, 505)
The question to answer…
Again, if God wanted Paul in Rome so bad, why would Paul have to go through a storm like this to get there?
Answer…
Because sometimes a storm one goes through isn’t of their own choosing, but is the result of the obstinacy, stupidity, and/or sin of others.
What’s important to spot and examine in this text?
- Paul’s rebuke.
(v.21 | Prov. 9:8; 12:1; 13:1; 17:10; Ecc. 7:5; Luke 17:3; Heb. 12:11; Jam. 5:20; Rev. 3:19)
When we come to the end of ourselves, we are sometimes beginning in a new way to lay hold on God. (Arnold E. Airhart, Beacon Bible Expositions: Acts, 291)
Before Paul told the others of this God-given assurance, he reminded them of his warnings given before they left Crete. He was not simply saying, “I told you so!” He remembered that they had refused to listen to him before; he wanted to be sure they would listen to him now. So he caught their attention by getting them to admit (in their minds) that he was right. Then he gave the glory to God “whose I am and whom I serve.” (Stanley M. Horton, Acts, Kindle Location 9029)
- Paul’s reassurance.
(v.22 | Psalm 23:4; Proverbs 18:10; Isaiah 40:31; Jeremiah 29:11; Hebrews 11:1; 1 Peter 5:7)
The prisoner became the captain, for he was the only man with any courage left (William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles, 184)
These professional sailors had done everything they knew to make the ship safe, but it all failed, and they had given up hope. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 370)
- Paul’s reasoning.
(v.23-24a | Num. 23:19; Is. 41:10; 2 Tim. 1:12; 2:13; Tit. 1:2; 1 Pet. 5:7; Heb. 6:18)
[Paul] was to bear witness in Rome. But he had not gotten to Rome yet, and it does not take an Einstein to figure out the implication of those two facts. If God had told him that he was going to serve him in Rome, bearing a witness there, and if he had not yet gotten to Rome, then the storm that was battering the ship on which he was sailing was not going to take his life. God was going to preserve him. (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 413)
- God’s mercy.
(v.24b | Deut. 4:31; Ps. 103:8; 145:9; Lam 3:22-23; Mic 7:18; Tit 3:5; 1 Pet 1:3; 2 Pet 3:9)
I do not think the world has any awareness of how much it owes to the presence of Christians in its midst. Here were soldiers, sailors, prisoners—276 of them. All of them were spared because of Paul. (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 414)
Conclusion… What hope or challenge does this text offer Jesus’ people today? In Christ (and like Paul)…
A. …know that God is with you and for you; so keep courage, have faith.
(Deut. 31:6; Is. 41:10; John 14:27; Rom. 8:28; 2 Cor. 13:5; Phil. 4:6-7; Heb. 10:22; Ja. 1:12)
A crisis does not make a person; a crisis shows what a person is made of, and it tends to bring true leadership to the fore. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 406)
Having faith means taking God at his word. It means relying wholeheartedly on the clear-cut promises of God. The issue isn’t whether a person has great faith but whether he or she has faith in a great God. This was true of Paul. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 440)
B. …strive to be a hope dealer.
(Ps. 73:26; Job 19:25; Rom. 5:5; 12:12; 15:13; Eph. 4:29; 1 Thes. 5:11; Heb. 6:11; 10:25)
In the midst of this general dejection and despair, Paul stood up one morning and spoke cheering words to his companions in distress. It warms our hearts to see, first of all, that in some very human respects he was quite like ourselves: he could not resist the temptation to say “I told you so!” to those who had rejected his advice at Fair Havens. But what he went on to tell them was exactly what the situation most needed, a message of encouragement and hope. (F.F. Bruce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Acts, 506)
Christians testify that God has been with them in a way that is supernatural. God has quieted their hearts. He has made himself known in small ways that turned out to be so significant the individuals could testify afterward that God did what he did just to reassure them. He taught them that he had a purpose in it all. Do you know that God is with you? Are you aware of his presence? When the storms come, that will make a great difference. (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 412)
C. … know that storms will come, but God’s Word stands true; you will arrive safe.
(Prov. 18:10; John 14:27; 16:33; Rom. 8:28; 2 Cor. 4:8-10; 2 Thes. 3:3; 2 Tim. 4:18)
One truth stands clear in the middle of this nerve-racking voyage: Life may get messy, complicated, or even frightening, but God’s will cannot be thwarted! (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 437)
Those who pass through deep waters become qualified as no others can to bring hope to their fellow travelers in the hour of trouble. (Arnold E. Airhart, Beacon Bible Expositions: Acts, 292)
Gospel Connection…
The gospel (or good news) of Jesus is the promise that those who trust and turn to Him will arrive safe. Have you done this? Are you doing this?
(John 3:16; 3:36; 5:24; Romans 2:6-8; 5:1; 8:1; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Eph. 2:8-9; 1 John 5:13)
We are not saved because we have led a good life. We are saved only for Christ’s sake. God saves us for the sake of His Son. God honored Mephibosheth, the lame son of Jonathan, not because Mephibosheth was righteous but because David loved Jonathan; so for Jonathan’s sake Mephibosheth was saved. For Jesus’ sake, we are saved. That is what happened here in the providence of God. God’s mercy extended beyond the individual to those who were part of his family or entourage. God spared the whole crew on that ship. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 372)
Spiritual Challenge Questions…
Reflect on these questions in your time with the Lord this week, or discuss with a Christian family member or Life Group.
- What did Paul and the others have to go through to get to their destination? What might that tell you about the journey of Jesus’ disciples today?
- How do you see Paul reaching out to those around him while they travel to Rome (vv. 9-10, 21-26, 31-36)? How might that impact your view of trusting God and offering hope to others in the midst of life’s storms?
- Paul had great confidence in God, and many others were profoundly affected by it. What promises from God were the foundation for Paul’s great confidence that they would all arrive safely in Rome (vv. 23-26)? What has God promised you as Jesus follower?
Quotes to note…
Anybody can believe that God exists. Believing in God isn’t hard; what is difficult is believing God. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 372)
God had promised, and God cannot lie. To this alone [Paul] clung, and it was enough. (Arnold E. Airhart, Beacon Bible Expositions: Acts, 291)
Human society has no idea how much it owes, in the mercy of God, to the presence in it of righteous men and women. (F.F. Bruce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Acts, 506)
Dr. Luke was certainly not writing an allegory, but he did use this exciting event to show how one man’s faith can make a big difference for him and others “in the storms of life.” What an encouragement to our own faith! (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 405)
His trust was not in the ship or its crew, but in the resurrected Lord. The Apostle had been through every imaginable kind of danger and difficulty. And the Lord had come to him at just the right moment. This crisis at sea was no exception. (Lloyd J. Ogilvie, The Communicator’s Commentary: Acts, 346)
As soon as the sailors had one day of good weather, they cast all caution to the wind and set sail. This is typical of human nature. You and I are often fooled by seemingly favorable circumstances. There’s something we want to do so badly that we’ll take any favorable circumstance as a good omen, even if we know, deep down, it’s wrong. We ignore the facts and plunge ahead—and we live to regret it. That’s what these sailors did. (Ray C. Stedman, God’s Unfinished Book: Acts, 316)
We can know that as long as God has work for us to do, God will preserve us to do it. God will not be frustrated; and if God is not frustrated, we do not need to be frustrated either. If God has work for us to do, then God will keep us alive to do it. And if you have finished the work that God has given you to do, why should you want to linger around here any longer? (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 413)
The angel told Paul, “Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar.” This is what Paul had told them in the first place. He knew that he would get to Rome because the Lord Jesus Christ had told Paul that he had a mission to perform there. The angel had told Paul that he would be brought before Caesar and that all onboard the ship would make it to land. None of the sailors on that ship had any claim to redemption. The only reason those sailors survived that storm was that God in His mercy granted them rescue for Paul’s sake. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 372)
In deeply depressing circumstances even the exercise of prayer becomes very difficult. Shaken though he was, Paul had not surrendered two great principles: first, his own integrity (“whose I am, and whom I serve”); and second, his confidence in the character of God, against all odds (“for I believe God” ). His faith was not grounded (no pun intended) on any ray of light in the circumstances, or any human rationale, or any special insight. There was none. Faith rested solely on his conviction of God’s unchanging character. (Arnold E. Airhart, Beacon Bible Expositions: Acts, 291)