STORMS
INTRODUCTION
The problems began when
Chippie’s owner decided to clean Chippie’s cage with a vacuum cleaner. She
removed the attachment from the end of the hose and stuck it in the cage. The
phone rang, and she turned to pick it up. She’d barely said "hello"
when "ssssopp!" Chippie got sucked in. The bird owner gasped, put down the phone, turned off the vacuum,
and opened the bag. There was Chippie -- still alive, but stunned. Since the bird was covered with dust and
soot, she grabbed him and raced to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and held
Chippie under the running water. Then, realizing that Chippie was soaked and
shivering, she did what any compassionate bird owner would do . . . she reached
for the hair dryer and blasted the pet with hot air. Poor Chippie never knew what hit him. A few days after the trauma, the reporter who’d initially written
about the event contacted Chippie’s owner to see how the bird was recovering.
"Well," she replied, "Chippie doesn’t sing much anymore -- he
just sits and stares."
If we are not careful how we
deal with storms, we will be left sitting and staring out in space.
I. STORMS
A. They Come
1. They come to us all.
Matthew 5:45 “That ye may be the
children of your Father which is in heaven:
for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good,
and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”
2. They come suddenly and unexpectedly.
Acts 27:13 “And when the south
wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing
thence, they sailed close by Crete. 27:14 But not long after there arose
against it a tempestuous wind, called
Euroclydon.”
3. They come from
different and often unsuspecting directions.
B. Worldwide
1. On
the land.
2. On
the sea.
3. In
the desert.
4. In
the valley.
5. In
the mountains.
C. They Can Make
Our Living Conditions Uncomfortable
1.
Power outages.
2.
Road blockage.
D. They Can Do
Considerable Damage
More than one unsuspecting individual has
even lost their lives due to storms.
E. Natural Storms
vs. Spiritual Storms
II. STORM WARNINGS
A. Warning Signs
1.
Darkening clouds
2.
Distant thunder
3.
Stirring in the wind.
B. Warnings
Sounded
1.
Speaking From Experience Or By Inspiration (Paul had experienced 3 shipwrecks.)
Acts 27:9 “Now when much time was spent, and
when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them,
27:10 And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not
only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.”
2. By
the “fast” here is evidently intended the fast which occurred among the Jews on
the great day of
atonement. That was on the tenth of
the month Tisri, which answers to a part of September and part of October. It was, therefore, the time
of the autumnal equinox, and when the navigation of the Mediterranean
was esteemed to be particularly dangerous, from the storms which usually
occurred about
that time. The ancients regarded this as a dangerous time to navigate the Mediterranean.
Albert
Barnes’ Notes
3.
Paul exhorted, entreated, or persuaded them. He was somewhat accustomed
to the navigation of that sea, and endeavored to persuade them not
to risk the danger of sailing at that season of the year. Albert Barnes’’ Notes
C. Who Will You
Believe?
Acts 27:11 “Nevertheless the centurion believed
the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul.”
D. Sometimes You
Don’t Have A Choice
Acts 27:1 “And when it was determined that
we should sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius, a
centurion of Augustus’ band.”
III. SAILING IN THE STORM
A. Friends In The
Storm.
The first way God works in our lives in
stormy times is by putting the right people in the right places at the right time. Matt Condon @sermoncentral
1.
Luke (v.1) “we”-> Possible that Luke was allowed to go as Paul’s
physician. Warren W. Wiersbe
--> Perhaps traveling
as the ship doctor. David Guzik
2.
Aristarchus (v. 2)--> Paul’s personal attendant.
a. Acts 27:2 “And entering into a ship of Adramyttium, we
launched, meaning to sail by the coasts of Asia; one Aristarchus, a
Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us.”
b. He
[Aristarchus] now appears to have attended him, not as a prisoner, but as a voluntary
companion, choosing to share with
him his dangers, and to enjoy the benefit of his society and friendship.
He went with him to Rome, and was a fellow-prisoner with him there (Colossians 4:10),
and is mentioned (Philem.1:24) as Paul’s fellow-laborer. Barnes’ Notes
c. Some believe that in order for Aristarchus to travel with Paul on
this journey, he had to become Paul’s personal slave! Matt Condon
It was
doubtless a great comfort to Paul to have with him two such valuable friends as
Luke and Aristarchus; and it was an instance
of great affection for him that they were not ashamed of his bonds,
but were willing to share his dangers, and to expose themselves to peril for
the sake of accompanying him to Rome. Barnes’
Notes
3.
Friends at Sidon (v. 3)
a. Acts 27:3 “And the next day we touched at Sidon. And Julius
courteously entreated Paul, and gave him liberty to go unto his friends
to refresh himself.”
b. To enjoy the benefit of their care; to make his present situation
and his voyage as comfortable as possible. It is probable that they
would furnish him with many supplies
which were needful for his long and perilous voyage. Barnes’
Notes
4.
Has God put people in your life who love you like that? Take heart when the seas get stormy, and look
around for
the people God places in your life.
He’s put them there because he loves you and because He knows you can’t make it on your
own! Like it or not, we need each
other! Because the storms of
life
aren’t meant to be weathered alone. And
we’re foolish if we try. Remember, God
will put people in
our lives at the right time and at the right place who will be with us through
the storm. Matt Condon
B. We Struggle In
The Storm
Acts 27:17 “Which when they had taken up,
they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands,
strake sail, and so were driven.”
1.
Undergirding the ship. (v. 17)
They used ropes, cables, stays,
or chains, [helps] for the purpose of securing the ship. The danger was
that the ship would be destroyed, and they therefore made use of such aids as would prevent its loss. The ancients were accustomed to pass cables or strong ropes
around a vessel to keep the planks
from springing or starting by the action of the sea. Barnes
Acts 27:18 “And we being exceedingly
tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship;”
2.
They lightened the ship --> By throwing out a part of the cargo.
Acts 27:19 “And the third day we
cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.”
3. Cast out the tackling.
The anchors,
sails, cables, baggage, etc. That is, everything that was not indispensable to
its preservation,
for it seems still (Acts 27:29) that they retained some of their anchors on
board. Barnes
4.
They did everything that was humanly possible, and it wasn’t until
they’d exhausted all their ingenuity and all their
resources. Matt Condon
@sermoncentral
C. Possessions
Don’t Matter In The Storm
1.
When the storm hits and your life is thrown upside down, that’s when we
start thinking about what’s really important. Matt Condon @sermoncentral
2. We all have too much excess baggage in our
lives.
3. Sometimes we need to clear the decks. Matt Condon @sermoncentral
D. It’s Dark In
The Storm
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.”
1.
Darkness is Frightening.
2.
Darkness can cause us to lose hope.
They navigated by the skies.
As they could see neither sun nor
stars, they could make no observations; and as they had no compass,
they would be totally ignorant of their situation, and they gave up all as
lost. Barnes
E. Turn To God In
The Storm
1.
After long abstinence, Paul stood forth. Abstinence may have been involuntary fast.
2. I
exhort you, be of good cheer.
3. No
loss of any man life.
4.
God sent an angel.
5. We
must be cast upon a certain island.
Why do you suppose that many people
become depressed, discouraged or frustrated by circumstances? Maybe
they are focusing more attention on what they do not have rather than on what
they possess in Christ Jesus. Paul Fritz @ sermoncentral
IV. DOING GOD’S WILL IN THE STORM
A. Must Go To
Rome
Acts
23:11 “And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good
cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so
must thou bear witness also at Rome.”
B. Souls To Be
Saved From Danger (275 + Paul = 276)
C. An Island Called
Melita (Malta) (Acts 28)
1. A
snake in the sticks (v. 3)
2. A
sick chief, Publius;. (v. 8)
CONCLUSION
Someone has suggested five actions to take when you find yourself in one of
life’s storms.
1. Spend some time alone with God
(Acts 27:21).
2. Acknowledge His presence (Acts
27:23).
3. Believe His promises (Acts
27:25).
4. Count your blessings (Acts
27:35).
5. Get rid of excess baggage (Acts
27:38).