20240623 Acts 27:1-38 - The Lord in the Storm

“Through much hardship we must enter the kingdom of God.” According to Acts 14:22, this is how the apostle Paul does discipleship. To strengthen Christians, Paul teaches them about suffering. The Bible makes it plain that Christians will suffer.

In Genesis alone, we read of parents who live knowing their one son murdered their other son. There is betrayal in marriage. Children struggle for their parent’s approval. There is infertility. There are famines.

The Christian life is one of suffering. We need to talk about suffering. This is what Luke does in Acts 27. He writes about a storm. He is not just describing. This text is also theological. This text is spiritual food for Christians. It strengthens us as disciples of Jesus.

We will look at the pain, the paradox, and God’s providence in the storms of life. We will see that pain is part of the Christian life. We will look at a paradox that comes with pain, understanding that we must remain obedient even though God is sovereign. Finally, we see that God provides and remains true to His promises.

First, we look at Pain in Acts 27:1-20.

For the casual reader of the book of Acts, this text might be striking. Acts began with the spreading of Christianity in the ancient world, and now, Acts 27 is about a storm. Why is this text in our Bible? Luke is an intentional author. He does not just tell us about an event because it happened. He is covering 30 years in 28 chapters, so everything he includes is intentional.

This text is part of the Bible, and God wants to minister to us with it. He wants to teach us “how much hardship we must endure before entering the kingdom of God.” Luke illustrates this point in Paul’s life.

Also, not only is Luke teaching us about suffering in our own lives, but this account also serves as part of Apostle Paul's resume. This is how much the author of much of the New Testament has had to suffer to have the privilege of making Christ known in Rome. This fact ought to move us to treasure our Bibles. A lot of suffering had to happen for these texts to be written. Let us not take our Bible for granted.

In Acts 27:4-20, Luke painstakingly describes the hardship of traveling. We read in Acts 27:4, “the winds were against us.” In Acts 27:7, "we arrived with difficulty – the winds did not allow us to go further." In Acts 27:8, "with difficulty," in verse 9, "the voyage was dangerous," verse 10, "Paul warns of damage and death," verse 13, "the storm," and in Acts 27:14, Luke notes “the tempestuous wind." In Acts 27:16, "with difficulty," Acts 27:18, "we were violently storm-tossed," and finally, the hardship reaches its climax in Acts 27:20, "all hope of being saved was abandoned."

Application

In our own lives, the storms of life are part of our resume. Our suffering shows our faith is genuine. The difference between a temptation and a trial is a matter of perspective. The devil tempts us so that we would sin. God allows us to undergo trials to show that our faith is genuine. When you have an exam at school or for a certification, it is to prove our knowledge. So it is with the storms of life in our walk with Jesus.

At any given point in the life of any church, people are enduring different kinds of storms. It can be social, connected with family, friends, or a romantic relationship. It can be professional. It can be physical. At church, we are always among fellow sufferers. Suffering has been from the beginning. Suffering is always an opportunity. If you suffer and still trust in God, your faith is shown to be genuine.

The famous parable of the Sower makes this point in Matthew 13. A man sows seed on the path, on rocky ground, among thorns, and on good soil. The seeds that fell on the rocky ground immediately sprang up. But when the sun rose, the seeds were scorched since they had no root and they withered away (Matt 13:5-6). Jesus interprets his parable in Matt 13:20-21. He says that the rocky ground, “is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.”

Luke shares the story of Paul’s hardship. It becomes part of the stories that we share with each other. We can also share our stories of enduring hardship. When we do this, these stories become part of the life of the church and slowly shape our identities. These shared stories teach that we are a people who cling to Christ when things get hard.

Storms are not a sign that God is not with us. Storms show that our faith is genuine. They encourage others to persevere through suffering. Our stories testify that our God sustains us through storms.

This is how we know that God never abandons us even when it feels like it in the storms of life. When Jesus died on the cross, he quoted Psalm 22. He asked God the Father, "Why have you forsaken me?" We know God does not abandon us, because Jesus did not take the punishment for our sins with us. He did it for us. Because of what he did, no Christian is ever abandoned by God. Jesus made sure of that. We remember this in the storms of life.

Second, we look at the Paradox in Acts 27:21-32

Suffering is complicated. It is tough physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It leads some people to tough theological questions and paradoxes. A paradox is a problem that cannot be solved. A paradox invites us to hold complicated truths together even if we do not know how they fit together.

Acts 27:21-32 offers an interesting paradox. In the midst of the storm, Paul guarantees safety to those on the boat, and he tells everyone they need to obey to stay safe. Which one is it? Is their safety guaranteed or is it conditioned on obedience?

In Acts 27:22, Paul says, “I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. But we must run aground on some island.”

A few verses later, as things were looking dangerous, the sailors had lowered a boat from the ship to escape. Paul says in Acts 27:31, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship's boat and let it go. This is a paradox.

God promised Paul would make it to Rome safely, and all on board would be safe. And they had to stay on board. God’s sovereign plan and human obedience are so intertwined we cannot separate them.

God uses means to accomplish his will. It is our responsibility to be obedient. And we see that God is sovereign and ultimately accomplishes his will. We should never use God’s sovereignty as an excuse to sin. Nor do we ever get credit for sinning if God uses our sin to accomplish his purposes.

Joseph’s brothers in Genesis do not get credit for selling him into slavery, even if God used that to save Jacob’s family. Similarly, Judas does not get credit for betraying Jesus even if it was part of God’s plan to provide atonement for sin. Judas is still guilty of betraying an innocent man.

When we find ourselves in the storms of life, we are called to continue to trust God. We trust that he is sovereign and will fulfill his purposes. We trust by obeying his Word. Both God is sovereign, and we have a responsibility.

Cheating on exams to graduate to get a job that is pleasing to God is still sinful. Cheating on taxes to have more money to give to Christian causes is still sin. Marrying an unbeliever who ends up becoming a Christian was still wrong even if we rejoice in the results! God is sovereign, and there is human responsibility.

God guaranteed to keep all the men on the boat alive. And to live, they had to stay on the boat! God is sovereign, so let us obey him and live joyfully for him! We can wonder if God would have stayed true to what he promised Paul if the men had not stayed on the boat. The Bible offers tensions that do not always satisfy us. At this point, we can praise God and trust in his promises. While we also seek to obey him in all things.

Third, we look at God’s Providence in the Storm in Acts 27:33-44

The text ends with God’s providence in Acts 27:33-43. Acts 27:44 reports, "So it was that all were brought safely to land." We will face storms in life. Storms are not an excuse to sin. Now, we see God stays true to his promises.

To understand what God promises us, we need to read the Bible in context. We cannot take Acts 27 and trust in God's promise to deliver us from a storm at sea, or a turbulent flight because God does not make that promise to us. Christians died on the Titanic. Acts 27 teaches us that God keeps the promises that he actually makes, not promises we find in the Bible out of context.

I remember a young Christian couple bought a house. They wrote on social media: "We bought a house, God is faithful!" I appreciate that they recognize God is the giver of every good gift. But, I did have some questions! What about people who can't buy a house? Is God not faithful to them? Also, when did God promise they would buy a house? It is best to connect God's faithfulness to promises that he makes. There are many promises that God makes to all Christians in the Bible and these we can hold onto

These are Three Promises All Christians Can Cling To

The first promise is that He Accepts Those Who Come to Him.

John 6:37 teaches us, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” We live in a complicated world. We have a lot of demands placed on us. We have deadlines to meet. Some of us want to please our parents. Some want to become more healthy. Others want to get married. Whatever it may be, we might be striving to get what we want. Now, the promise of John 6:37 assures us that we already have all we need. God accepts us. I remember in Seminary, a student was really struggling to keep up with the workload, and then he said, "I know Jesus still loves me." He was exactly right. The gentleman was in his 50s. What he said was so simple, so childlike, and yet so profound! God is faithful. Nothing you do or do not do will change that. He accepts you. He rejoices that you are his son or daughter.

The second promise is that God Is With Us

Jesus promised, "I will be with you until the end of the age." We will never be alone. Christ is with us by the Holy Spirit. In the present, Jesus is our high priest who sympathizes with us. One of our struggles is that it seems intangible when we are lonely, grieving, or suffering. Even when we do not feel it, his promise remains true.

The Lord does give us relational practices to enjoy his presence. We sense his presence when we hear his word in the Bible, meet physically with the body of Christ, enjoy the Lord's Supper, and pray to God. If we do not practice these relational practices, we will struggle believing that God is always with us. If we do practice these means of grace, it becomes easier to experience the Lord's presence in hardship.

The third promise is that God Gives Us Wisdom

According to James 1:5, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him." It can be that out of nowhere the Lord impresses on us a specific insight that will help us in a situation. Most commonly, the Lord guides us through ordinary means. We immerse ourselves in the scriptures. We surround ourselves with people who do likewise. Through the ordinary means, the Holy Spirit renews our minds and we think like God. James 1 refers to wisdom in the context of suffering. God gives us wisdom so we would not waste our suffering. Suffering strengthens our faith and shows us it is genuine. Suffering that is not wasted shapes our character and makes us mature.

Conclusion

Acts 27 is a long story about a storm. It is part of Luke's theological narrative for our instruction and comfort. There is pain, a paradox, and God’s providence. Learning about suffering strengthens us. We must accept pain, we must hold the paradox, and trust in God's providence. In a way, this is what it means to be a Christian and walk in Christ’s footsteps.

Jesus accepted pain. The Westminster Shorter Catechism (WSC) 27 reads, "Christ’s humiliation consisted in his being born, and that in a low condition, made under the law, undergoing the miseries of this life, the wrath of God, and the cursed death of the cross; in being buried, and continuing under the power of death for a time." Jesus held the paradox. The devil tempted Jesus to sin, but he did not compromise. It was God’s will that he would die, but those who led to his death, like Judas, are guilty. Christ trusted in God’s providence. He knew that on the third day, God would raise him from the grave. This allows him to go to the cross joyfully. Hebrews 12:2-3 says, “for the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Even when we fail to trust God during our suffering, we still have good news. Our standing with God does not depend on us but on Christ who was faithful. Jesus is our example but even more important, he is the way to enjoy abundant life today, even through the storms of life.