Acts 27
Acts 27
[00:00:00] Hey everyone, welcome to God's Plan, Your Part, Year 2, where this year we're reading through and studying the entire New Testament, one chapter at a time. Thanks again for joining us in discovering God's plan and your part in it. Hey guys, so today we are in Acts chapter 27. We're getting to the end of the book of Acts.
Uh, there's a lot going on in this chapter today, but before we even get there, I did want to just give a little shout out to, um, another podcast that Ryan is a part of. If you need your daily dose of some Old Testament studies in the Bible, uh, the podcast, God's whole story. Not to be confused with God's playing your part.
God's whole story is diving deep into the book of Genesis. So if you want to go check that out, we will leave some, uh, links for you in our description for you to be able to like click there and go and listen to that episode, but then also get a little bit of, The old or the New Testament with us today.
Today's episode focuses on a Genesis one to 11 and it's, it's not necessarily [00:01:00] deep dive, actually, it's more like broad scope, like, Hey, here's a, uh, an overview of what's going on. Um, but ours is more of the deep dive. That one is more of an overview. Uh, but we are working together and, uh, Chris and Chelsea are great to work with.
I think you'll enjoy hearing from them. So if you get a chance, go check out God's whole story. Yep, so back to Axe, we are, like I said, nearing the end of this book. And today I would say, like, coming away from this chapter, it's unique in that it just feels, it feels very much like the narrative, play by play, this is what happened, here's where it happened, here's how long we were there, here's who was involved, moving on.
Um, so I don't know that it's necessarily like, It's just like, it's not the, like the typical format that I feel like we've experienced so far. It's just like traveling records almost, like their diary of what, what was going on on their way to, um, Italy. If, if the travel, like the travel record description is very accurate.
If that strikes you as very boring, um, you can think of it as [00:02:00] a record of how sovereign God is. Like it's essentially like, go here, preach the gospel, go here, preach the gospel, go here, preach the gospel all on Rome's dime. This is how in control God is. Uh, the second thing that might help you not see this as completely boring is there's a couple of really compelling cases to be made for the authenticity of the Bible.
That is that what it is. That what is written is true and we can believe it. And chapters like this actually are one of the compelling cases because Luke is writing the book of acts. And Luke in this chapter is giving a lot of very specific sailing details and they are correct. So it's not like there's a bunch of made up cities.
It's not like the cities and ports are in the wrong places. He mentions things that the sailors are worried about that were authentic things that sailors in the first century were worried about. So this chapter actually acts 27, um, is a chapter that is used to make a really strong case that what is written is not only reliable, uh, but it's also true of first [00:03:00] century sailors.
Like there's, there's not a lot of first century literature that we even have. Um, but these accounts help to paint a picture of the first century world and help us to understand it. Well, what's interesting to me was that it didn't necessarily go into like super deep details of what Paul was ministering, if at all, to any of these places where they stopped.
It was essentially just saying like on his way from point A to point B there were like many stops in between and they just like boarded other ships or made their way here and it was just like this constant switching over. But something that I did notice as we were reading this, was, remember before, Paul was like, when he was imprisoned, or I guess just like, held, where he was before, he was allowed to be with his friends.
And something that came up in verse 6 for me today was, um, it says, essentially when the centurion, the person who, um, I guess was like, guiding them place to place, found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy. He put us [00:04:00] on board. And so the key word for me there was us, because it's not just Paul. Um, he's accompanied by Luke, who is taking account of all of these things, and it's just like, I don't know, the idea of friendship and, um, I don't know, just having someone with you through all of those hard times, thick and thin, like, I'm sure taking a ship trip.
Yeah. Yeah. Like to 50 places and ultimately, like, as we'll see in this chapter, the shipwreck is not on his like bucket list of things to do, but he is like, I don't know. He's super loyal to Paul. He's super loyal to God first and foremost, and knows that his responsibility to this journey is like tracking down.
Like piece by piece and keeping record of what Paul is doing. So I just, I really appreciated that, that word us like, okay, there's like some unity here and like God's sovereign plan is being worked out because Luke is attentive to that call. Uh, just a couple of verses earlier than that in verse three.
[00:05:00] It says that when they were in Sidon, Julius, who's like the commander of all these people, he's basically the guy in charge, treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. So even like as Paul goes places, he has some amount of liberty to come and go, um, to, to visit people or receive people.
And we do know at this point that Paul is sick. Such a strong witness to Christ. Like he, so far in what we've read, he uses every single opportunity he can to preach the gospel. It's pretty safe to assume that that is the kind of life that he lives. And it's going to be evident to the people that he bumps into.
So while this does read like, well, they were in this city, then they went to this city. I think we can safely assume, and this is just assuming, I think we can probably safely assume that he is a strong witness of the gospel every place he goes. And I think something else that's like kind of coming to me right now is that Paul is with Luke, but at the same time he is witnessing in these other areas, he's probably very much [00:06:00] encouraged by what God is doing in these other places as well.
What he is doing actively when he arrives or after he's spoken or, um, just whatever he's doing within his ministry. But it just like. It compels me to think of how important it is to have those relationships. I'm sure you can think of plenty in your own life of how that, like, helps firm up your faith and what Paul's ministry would have looked like if someone decided a couple chapters ago that he was isolated.
Like, nobody's allowed to be around this guy. He has to be by himself. Um, or what would have happened on the ship. Like, where Paul's mindset could have gone if God's sovereign plan had not allowed him to be with his friends. And now, ultimately, his faith does not rest in his, in his friend's hands. Um, but I think that that is such a key thing to take from this too, like the importance of godly Christian friends who are, Either ones, you know, super well that encourage you daily or ones that you meet throughout ministry.
And you're like, wow, God's doing amazing things in you [00:07:00] too. Like, it's just so cool to have that. I don't know. What would you call that? Like that building up of each other's faith? Like, it's just, it's really cool. Supporting each other. Um, and another, Extra credit side note from the text is that in my mind, when I envision Paul sailing around, I don't know why this is in my mind, but it's like a small boat, but it's not, it's like a very large ship.
At one point in, I think it's later on the chapter, it's verse 37. Luke records that there were 276 persons and they are jumping from ship to ship. So that is not, it doesn't mean that they were always this many. I think the number, it, it seems, feels to me like the number grows as they travel further and get on bigger ships.
Um, but there's a lot of people, even just on the boat, there's quite a few people and thinking about those people on the boat, Paul is going to have a very strong witness to those people because he has a vision and says, We're going to wreck, but God's going to save the lives of everyone involved. Um, even though we will be shipwrecked, we'll essentially lose everything, but our [00:08:00] lives will not be lost.
Which if you're not a believer sounds crazy. If you haven't experienced any of this stuff that Paul has been a part of sounds crazy, but then you start to see it actually play out and actually be true. I bet a lot of these 276 people were like, huh? That crazy guy said he had a vision from God. He said he served God.
And everything he said would happen is happening. Certainly they would have been at least forced to decide if they believe in God or not. So when we were looking over this chapter before we started, it struck me that this is really just a play by play of what happened. Um, but when, when I was just looking back through.
Um, logos, I always wanna say logos. Logos. Um, I was looking through one commentary that gave like several reasons as to why this may have happened. I don't know that I necessarily resonate with all of them, um, but it is really interesting that Luke, there's one that says that Luke's intention for this may have just been to show that [00:09:00] God is leading Yeah.
His people to seek the Gentiles. Mm-Hmm. , the lost Gentiles. Um, and. Paul essentially, like, although he was imprisoned, although he was going to Rome, like, what an ex like, what, what a place to go to find lost Gentiles, um, in order to spread the word of God and what Jesus had done for us. By, like, ending up there, of all places, and while he is there, uh, very interesting, our Bible tells us, too, like, this is where he will eventually die, but at the same time, this is where he has those moments to be able to write those letters to all those churches and be in a serious influence to the Gentiles that, like, Jesus was proclaiming, like, seek the lost.
Just Jews or Gentiles, but specifically for Paul is the Gentiles. It's interesting as you're talking, I'm thinking Jerusalem definitely would have been the center of the Jewish world. There's no question. Yeah. Jerusalem remains the center of the Jewish world even today. Um, Rome, you could make a case would have been the center [00:10:00] of the Gentile world at that time.
There were certainly, there would have been other very influential city centers. Um, but. It's a pretty important city, and it has a lot of influence, and bringing the gospel to Rome is going to allow the gospel to be present in many other cities after this because of the nature of people coming and going through Rome and the influence that comes out of Rome.
So it's clear that God is doing something pretty incredible through this journey. Um, it, it, it, It's worth noting, at least from me, like, as we were reading over this, I just feel like this parallels so closely with the story of Jonah, uh, minus a couple big differences. Like, Paul is being extremely obedient to God.
Um, Jonah was not. But, Like Jonah, one of the powerful things of Jonah's story that always gets my attention is that Jonah was a powerful witness to the guys sailing on the ship to the point that the guy, the pagan sailors on the ship become believers in God. They actually, they offer sacrifices to God, even in Jonah's disobedience.
Here, Paul is going to be an [00:11:00] incredible witness to the people on the ship and there's a supernatural element both times. There's like huge storms. Um, there are things revealed through the power of God. And just reading through this is like, Oh, this really reminds me of the story of Jonah. And ultimately like Jonah gets to Nineveh and calls the people to repentance.
Paul's going to get to Rome and call the people to repentance. So it's, it's just interesting. Well, verse 23 kind of goes along with that same thought. This is when Paul receives that, that vision from the angel of of God. Um, and it's the angel says to him, actually, I don't think it's a vision. It just there stood before me an angel of God.
Um, but it says, don't be afraid, Paul, because you will stand before Caesar. That has not changed, but God has granted you all those who sail with you. So like, This is an opportunity too. Um, so there will be, what did he say? Uh, take heart men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have told you, but we must run aground on some [00:12:00] island.
So like, he's aware that there's going to be a wreck. Don't lose, like, the opportunity right here with what we have seen, 270, what, 74 others, not including Paul. And. Luke, um, as opportunity for spreading the gospel even to these men, and it does happen, and they do eventually have a shipwreck where they have to, like, land and just stay on a little island for a little while.
So it's just, it's really cool how that all played out just as much, like every single turn is an opportunity to spread the gospel. Yeah. Definitely. Definitely. And I think. This is where we round out the chapter. I mean, tomorrow we're going to be in chapter 28. That will be the end of the book of Acts. Um, but we see here that they are shipwrecked at the end of this chapter.
We'll see how this all plays out tomorrow. Uh, but as far as the, your part, what do we take from this, Jenny? What do we actually do with what we read? Well, I think there is definitely room for. application with [00:13:00] friendships. Um, I think the friendships that you have like Luke for Paul, they were constantly seeking God's will for their lives.
And because of that, they could encourage each other and build each other up. But also they were able to be encouraged and their faith was strengthened by the, um, testimony of other people who also believe the same thing. So I think friendship is a huge, valuable piece. So think about maybe even consider the.
friends that you have. Um, who is encouraging you to grow deeper in your faith with God? Who are those people in your life? And if you don't have certain people that maybe you call friends, but they don't necessarily push you towards Jesus, like what does that look like for you? And how do you start turning that to a place where you do have those people that are encouraging you in your faith and pushing you more towards, um, God in your relationship with him?
I think there's also, again, just that sovereignty piece that we've been talking about so many times. Like, consider God's sovereignty in all of these pieces. Like [00:14:00] every single one of these things, like God planned out specifically so that Paul's ministry of who God was and who Jesus was, was evident to so many.
To the people on the ship, to the people that he was visiting place to place, to the people that he'll write to. Ultimately, to the people that he will, um, come in contact with when he arrives at Rome. I think it's pretty incredible. And it was not God doing this to make a bigger name for Paul. It was God doing this to make a bigger name for himself.
He wants more people to come to know him. That actually shows us his heart for relationship, uh, his desire for people to be drawn to him. Ultimately, his desire for people to know him and follow him so that they actually live lives that are aligned with his will and what he's already revealed. So appreciate your, your part for today.
Um, be encouraged by that. If you hadn't had a chance to check out God's whole story, uh, please do. There'll be a link in the description. You can go check out that podcast. I think you'll enjoy it. Uh, we'll be back in tomorrow with the end of the book of acts. We'll see you then. Thanks for joining today's episode of [00:15:00] God's plan.
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And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan cohort named Julius. And embarking in a ship of Adamitium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica.
The next day we put in at Sidon, and Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for, and putting out to sea from where we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the [00:16:00] winds were against us. And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia.
There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off of Nidus, and the wind did not allow us to go further. We sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmon. Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lacia.
Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous, because even the fast was already over, Paul advised them, saying, Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and of the ship, but also of our lives. But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and the owner of the ship than to what Paul had said.
And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from [00:17:00] there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. Now, when the south wind blew gently, supposing that we had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete close to the shore.
But soon a tempestuous wind, called a northeaster, struck down from the land. And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. Running under the lee of a small island called Cotta, we managed with difficulty to secure the ship's boat. After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship.
you Then, fearing that they would run aground on Cyrtis, they lowered the gear, and thus we were driven along. Since we were violently storm tossed, they began the next day to jettison the cargo. And on the third day, they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, we had no small tempest lay upon us.
[00:18:00] All hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. Yet now 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 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. When the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land. So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms. A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms.
And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and [00:19:00] prayed for the day to come. And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship and had lowered the ship's boat into the sea under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow, Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, 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. As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, Today is the fourteenth day, that you have continued in suspense, and without food having taken nothing. Therefore I urge you to take some food, for it will give you strength.
For not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you. And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all, he broke it and began to eat. Then they all were encouraged to eat some food themselves. We were in all 276 persons in the ship. And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.
Now when it was day, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned, if possible, to run the [00:20:00] ship ashore. So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea, and at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders. Then hoisting the foresail to the wind, they made to the beach.
But striking a reef, they ran the vessel aground. The bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the surf. The soldier's plan was to kill the prisoners lest any should swim away and escape. But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship.
And so it was that all were brought safely to the land. Thank you so much for listening to today's episode of God's Plan, Your Part. Don't forget, you can find us on just about every social media platform and YouTube. Let us know what you thought of today's episode, and if you have any questions, go ahead and post them there.
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