Anchors or No Anchors?

Below is an excerpt from the sermon...

Let's take our Bibles. Let's go to the Book of Acts. I think this is going to be a good time tonight. I'm looking forward to this. I found out a little while ago that we're going to be able to have the chance to preach here tonight. So I'm really, really excited about this. So let's go to the Book of Acts 27. One of the best, well-written stories ever is here in Acts 27.

All the details and all the different words that it uses to describe what's going on. It's a really, really neat thing. So let's get over there all the way to the Book of Acts 27, and I'll read you a few different things. We're not going to read one place in the Bible today. We're not going to read just one verse. We're going to read the story highlight some things out of the verses.

So, let's go. Acts 27:1 I'll read it here. It says, “And when it was determined that we should sail into Italy…”

So, what's going on here? Just to get the setting in the story, Paul has made an appeal to Caesar. He was unjustly judged in his own country. And he said, “You know what, forget this. I'm a Roman. I'm going all the way to Caesar. He will hear my case just so that you guys will not be able to do to me anything that you want to do to me unlawfully.” So, he appeals to Caesar and gets out of there. But it wasn't just like an online appointment with the judge. You have to go. Don't ask me how. I know there's online appointments with judges, but back then you had to go all the way to where the judge or to Caesar was. That was in Italy. He is not in Italy at the time. He is in Israel. So, he has to make this trip. But it's not on the first plane. You have to wait for the right weather. And it's just a long, long time.

So that's the setting here. He's going to Italy. “…they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius, a centurion of Augustus’ band.” Acts 27:4: And when we had launched from thence, we sailed under Cyprus…” This is an island out there. I think Cyprus is the football of the boot of Italy. If I've got it correct, I might be wrong. I'm not a geography person, but somewhere over there. “because the winds were contrary.’’

Acts 27:7: “And when we had sailed slowly many days…” I hate that feeling when you're driving down the road and you have to go slowly. We were driving across the country over to Florida. And when we were going through Texas, remember that in the news there was a storm about Texas. We were there in the middle of the storm. We were driving very slowly. In places our car would go like this and it would get off this way and then skid off this way over here. We were the only car on the highway. Can you imagine this? In Austin and San Antonio, Texas. And Houston, Texas. There are no other cars on the highway. They would not let us get off of the highway. All the exits were closed. All the entrances were closed. It was it was a bad story. Anyway, we were going very slowly, many days. Good thing it wasn't that many days! “…the wind not suffering us…”

They couldn't go fast. They couldn't go the speed they wanted to because the wind wouldn't allow it. Acts 27:13: “And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete.” Acts 27:14-15: “But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon. [15] And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive.”

And that's just a bad situation right there too. You let her drive. Oh, this is bad. This is really bad. Oh no, not good. Acts 27:16: the end of the verse: “we had much work to come by the boat.” It's just not going the way they want it to go. Acts 27:17 “…they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven.”

Can you imagine being on that boat, being exceedingly tossed? Is anyone here a boat person? You like boats? God bless you all. I don't like boats. I like being where the ground doesn't move. It's really, really nice in the boat. It's just not! It's not my thing. “And the next day they lightened the ship.” It was so bad they've been tossed back and forth by the winds. They said this is not good.

We have to get rid of all this stuff. Now, it wasn't a prisoner ship. If you read the context—I'm skipping verses—but if you read the context, it was a merchant ship. It was going to Italy to sell goods and the captain Julius came up and kind of commandeered it and says, “I'm going.” He uses this ship. “You can continue carrying your goods, but we are taking this ship and you're taking us as your merchandise and the prisoners all the way to Italy. Now they're lightening the ship.

They threw all the merchandise overboard. It was what they took, all their money, basically everything they had invested in this in this ship and threw it all overboard trying to lighten the ship. Let's keep on going. Acts 27:19 “…and the third day…” Now after three days of this… thirty minutes is too much for me. Three minutes is too much for me. Three days and you're sleeping in your little hammock thing or you're like the apostle Paul. You're chained to other people here and here, and you're sleeping, and you're moving, and you're rocking. And it's just not a good situation. I'm so glad that I was not on that voyage. And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship. Now, this is a whole different level when you're throwing out that stuff, when you're throwing out the stuff that the boat needs to be able to make a successful voyage. No, we don't need that steering wheel—throw it overboard. This is not a good situation.

Acts 27:20 “And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.” I hate that feeling. You've been there too. Sometimes it's just not a fun place to be.