Please turn with me in your Bibles this evening to Acts chapter 27. We will read the entire chapter beginning at verse 1. It is a somewhat lengthier reading and so I ask that you would pay particular attention. Acts 27 beginning at verse 1. When it was decided that we should sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the imperial regiment. We boarded a ship from Edrumidium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us. The next day we landed at Sidon and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs. From there we put out to sea again and passed to the Lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. There, the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Nidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, we sailed to the Lee of Crete opposite Salmon. We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens near the town of La Sia. Much time had been lost and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the fast. So Paul warned them, Men, I see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo and to our own lives also. But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete facing both southwest and northwest. When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had obtained what they wanted, so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. Before very long, a wind of hurricane force called the Northeaster swept down from the island. The ship was caught by the storm and could not hand into the wind. So we gave way to it and were driven along. As we passed through the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure. When the man had hoisted it aboard, they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of Sardis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. On the third day, they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved. After the man had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said, Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete. Then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. but now I urge you to keep your courage because not one of you will be lost only the ship will be destroyed last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said do not be afraid Paul you must stand trial before Caesar and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you so keep up your courage men for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island. On the 14th night, we were still being driven along the Adriatic Sea when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. They took soundings and found that the water was 120 feet deep. A short time later, they took soundings again and found it was 90 feet deep. Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight in an attempt to escape from the ship. The sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved. So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat, and let it fall away. Just before dawn, Paul urged them all to eat. For the last 14 days, he said, you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food. You haven't eaten anything. Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head. After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. they were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. Altogether, there were 276 of us on board. When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea. When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the waves of the surf. The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swinging away and escaping. But the centurion wanted to spare Paul's life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. The rest were to get there on planks or on pieces of the ship. In this way, everyone reached land in safety. So far the reading of God's word. Dear people of God, a man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. What thoughts does this proverb bring to your mind when you think about the events in your life in this past year? Some of us perhaps were very happy at how the Lord directed our steps. If we had any troubles at all, it seems that out of them all, the Lord has delivered us. But for some of us, that's not at all how the year went. Maybe it started out well, but then few, if any, of our hopes were realized. Our prayers went unanswered, and it seems that life is more confusing than ever. And in those times, we can't help but ask, what is God doing in my life? Where is he in the midst of all my trials and difficulties? And how do I know that he is still good to me? and that he's guiding me with his fatherly hand. From Paul's imprisonment, of which we read in Acts 21, until the end of Acts, when Paul finally reaches Rome, it seems that he meets with trial after trial. There's only opposition to the gospel, but the amazing thing is that even in the midst of Paul's trials, God was working out his purposes through Paul. In fact, we can say it even stronger. It was by means of the very hardships that Paul faced that God was working out his purposes. And I'm speaking, of course, of God's purpose of bringing in the elect and spreading the salvation in Christ. And so our story of Paul's voyage to Rome shows that God orders all things, even hardships, for his glory and for the advance of his purposes. God orders all things for his glory if our hope is in Christ. And we will see this theme unfold tonight as we consider three main hardships that Paul faced on his way to Rome. The first one is that Paul was a prisoner. Second, in the storm, and then thirdly, in the shipwreck. And so, first, we will look at Paul's voyage to Rome as a prisoner. Now, Acts 27, that we have just read, is an exciting story. It's a real story about a sea voyage almost 2,000 years ago in lands that are far, far away from here. You have Roman soldiers and centurions. You have a dangerous storm. And you have places and cultures that are far away from us, things that we don't know. And it's exciting. You could even make a movie about this, perhaps. And we soon learn in the story that sailing then across the Mediterranean was a lot more dangerous than crossing the Pacific now. It's also an exciting story because Paul is traveling to Rome. Paul, who is a Jew from Palestine, the Roman citizen, gets to travel to the most important city in the most important country, empire of his time in Rome, and he would present his case to the most important ruler, to Caesar. Paul had always wanted to go to Rome. We read in Romans 1 that Paul longed to see the Roman Christians, to come and preach Christ to them. And in Acts, we find out that in his missionary travels in what's today, Turkey, Paul was thinking to himself, I must visit Rome also. And so now he had a chance to do it. He was going to Rome. But of course, you realize that this excitement isn't the whole truth about Paul's voyage to Rome. It's not an enjoyable trip. He's not on a cruise. He's a prisoner. Paul is in chains. This is not at all how he envisioned his going to Rome. Originally, Paul went down to Jerusalem, bring with himself money from Gentile Christians to distribute it and give it to the poor Christians in Jerusalem and in Judea. But unbelieving Jews in Jerusalem had Paul arrested and trumped up charges and then through long legal procedures, In order to save his life, Paul had to appeal to Caesar. And Caesar lived in Rome. And so Paul does get to go to Rome, but he's at the mercy of the Roman state. And that must have been very frustrating to him. The Roman centurion, Julius, was appointed to make sure that Paul makes it to Rome safely. That was his task, no more and no less. And at first it seems like when we look at Julius, we have a glimmer of hope for Paul. We read in verse 3 that he was treating Paul kindly and he allowed even his friends in Sidon to care for the apostle. Perhaps Paul's humble faith as a prisoner must have shown through and in some way Julius was attracted to it and so he trusted him a little bit. but really just a little bit. He did not listen to Paul when he gave his prophetic warning about a coming storm. You see, Luke, who wrote the book of Acts, he would have his readers understand that when he mentions that the time of the fast was already over, his readers would know that this was probably late September, possibly early October, and so sailing would have become very dangerous. And therefore, Paul warns the centurion not to sail. But he ignores Paul completely. Instead of listening to Paul, he listens to the pilot and to the ship's owner. And we should consider what it was like for Paul being in this situation. He was not just trying to save his own life. He was scaring for the people around him, but they didn't care. They did not regard him. If he had been traveling on his own, he would have tried to stay out of any kind of unnecessary danger. But here, he couldn't even make decisions for himself and others would not listen to him. He was in a very frustrating place. But being a prisoner was not the only hardship that Paul was encountering. As if that was not bad enough, soon a storm broke out. on the Mediterranean. Now, this is his second hardship. We read of it in verses 13 through 38. And the description of the storm should not be lost on us when we read it. What a storm it was when they leave Fair Havens. It still seems that a gentle south wind is blowing from the sea, and so they think that they have obtained their heart's desire and they can sail safely. But very quickly, a wind of hurricane force comes and the wind is driving the ship. They could not even head into the storm. That means they're completely at the storm's mercy. Now, the waves must have been so strong that the lifeboat that's normally hoisted safely, either on the side of the ship or perhaps on deck, on board, it already came loose and it was in the water, probably connected to the ship still by a rope. That means the waves must have been regularly pounding on the deck where the people are standing. They were at least as high as the ship. And when the sailors were finally able to secure the boat and hoist it up, what do they do? They use ropes to pass them underneath the ship in order to tie the ship together. Now you know you're in a dangerous situation when your ship is held together by ropes. That's the situation they were in. And what's more, lowering the heavy sea anchor that's supposed to give you lots of stability, it is low in the water and it's keeping your ship's stable, even that was not slowing them down. And so they have to start getting rid of excessive weight, and so the cargo goes out, except for the grains that they could still eat a little bit. And even the tackle, which you use to pull weights on board, on deck, Even that had to go off board. Now, why is that important? They didn't expect that they would ever have to use their ship again. We read in our passage in verse 20, When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved. It was a terrifying storm. But if that's not enough, add to the mix the fact that for probably a good part of those two weeks, those 14 nights that they were in the storm, they couldn't see the sun or the stars. And it's interesting that we, in our song service, we just sang from Psalm 136 where the sun's bringing the day and the stars showing God's might is a sign of God's faithfulness. Well, neither the sun nor the stars were seen. The day looked not very different from night. And when it was night, it was not of much use to you because you couldn't see the stars. If you can't see the stars, you don't know where you are and you don't know how to get back on track. And so it was a serious trial. Now you know as well as I do that we don't have to experience persecution for our faith in order to experience a real difficult trial. Sometimes it can be really hard. It is really hard when there's a problem at work or in your family and you just don't know how it's going to be solved. And this passage is an encouragement to us. That the Apostle Paul went through a storm like this, it tells us that God's people have always had struggles that looked absolutely hopeless to them and God knows how to deliver his own. And so just when the going was at its toughest, God gave Paul opportunity to bear witness to his God in the storm. God could have expected Paul simply to trust his clear promise in chapter 23 of Acts that Paul would make it to Rome. But he speaks to Paul again and look with me at verses 21 through 26 at Paul's speech. Paul says in verse 21, Man, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete. Then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. But now I urge you to keep up your courage because not one of you will be lost. Only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said do not be afraid Paul you must stand trial before Caesar and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you. So keep up your courage man for I have faith in God that it will happen just as you told me. Nevertheless we must run aground on some island. When the people hadn't eaten for three days the mood on the ship became so desperate that the people would actually let Paul speak to them this time. And we see in this speech how much Paul is able to tell them in this moment of desperation for them and a doubt for him as well. He's telling them that God is in charge of the storm and he can save everyone's lives. God is the one who speaks and saves. He's not like the pagan idols. God answered Paul's prayers. God told Paul that he will make it to Rome and stand trial before Caesar. And now this God was saying that they must run aground on some island, that the ship will be destroyed. And that's something that the skeptics could see for themselves. And there certainly were enough skeptics on board. We read later on, after the speech, when the storm was getting dangerous, Once again, some sailors did not trust in God's promise of salvation, but like very often with you and me, they wanted to save themselves. And so they lowered the lifeboat that they were able to secure from the front of the ship, pretending that they're lowering some anchors and were hoping to escape in this way. And again, that created opportunity for Paul to speak about God and to show that he really meant it when he said that he has faith in God, that it will be exactly as God has promised. And if the centurion would not listen to Paul when at first Paul gave his warning about the coming storm, this time Julius listened. And we mustn't miss this, that before Paul's very eyes, God's purposes were being accomplished. Paul was speaking to unbelievers about God's faithfulness, about God's word. And Julius and the sailors and the Roman soldiers were listening to him. A change was already beginning to take place in the people who initially had absolutely no regard for Paul. And still a third opportunity came for Paul to bear witness. If telling others that their lives will be saved is not practical enough or perhaps keeping sailors from escaping didn't seem like he was doing very much. But at something imminently practical, he made sure that the people on board ate and would be strengthened. When the storm is still raging, he's telling them, you need to eat. Why? Because you will need food to survive. You actually will survive the storm. God's word is faithful. You see God's purpose in the storm and at this point was for Paul's faith to be displayed in a desperate situation. In fact, it was not even so much for Paul's faith to be seen as for Paul to point beyond himself to the God who was speaking so faithfully and so truly through him. Sometimes, brothers and sisters, God sends storms our ways in order to show us that his strength is made perfect in our weakness. Now, in three situations, we've now considered that people listen to Paul. Why the change? Why did they believe what Paul was telling them about God's word? It's not because Paul felt so at ease and secure in the midst of a terrible raging storm. Paul was not his own sure anchor of hope. God was his anchor. Paul wasn't perfect. He was no superhuman. He needed to rely on his God to carry him through this storm. And he was pointing the people around him to the one who is perfect, to his Savior, who was and is and will be perfect and reliable. You see, you and I are tempted to think that people will only listen to us if it looks like we have our lives completely figured out. But in the storm, it was God's purpose to have a storm-tossed apostle who couldn't but look weak and helpless testify to his faithful God. Now, that is now the second hardship that God had sent Paul's way besides him being a prisoner and besides him being in the storm. We know that in our story, the story doesn't end at this point and we see God's purposes more clearly even in the shipwreck that's still coming. Now, remember with me what happened. The storm was over and the visibility was clear enough to see a bay and it looked to the sailors like a good place to run the ship ashore. It looked like they could do it. And so with the utmost precision, and we have these detailed descriptions, they make sure that they can steer the ship and they lower the rudders. They put their sail up and they head for the beach. But of course what they didn't see is what was most likely a sandbank and the front of the ship gets stuck. It's immovable. The back of the ship was being destroyed and battered by the surf of the waves. And it's clear that sooner rather than later, the whole ship would be destroyed. And for the Roman soldiers, that put them in a predicament. If the ship is going to be destroyed, there's a good chance that the people that you're trying to bring safely, the prisoners to Rome, will be able to escape. Roman law said that as a guard, as a Roman soldier, If your prisoner escaped, you would have to bear that prisoner's punishment. If you had to pay a sum of money, that's what you were required to do. If he was accused of death and there is no chance to try him, well, you would pay with your life. And so they decide that, well, if you wanted to make sure that you would never have to account for the death of these people or rather for their escape, kill them all now. Cruel, but very clever from their perspective. And an absolutely remarkable change happened in Julius at this point. Turn with me again to the end of this chapter and we'll read beginning at verse 43, the last two verses of the chapter. But the centurion wanted to spare Paul's life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump on board first and get to land. The rest were to get there on planks or on pieces of the ship. And in this way, everyone reached the land in safety. If at first in our story we read about Julius, and he is only somewhat kind to Paul, he allows his friends to care for him, but he really has no desire to listen to this apostle, then by the time of the shipwreck, a clear change has happened. By the time of the shipwreck, he had been watching Paul. He remembers that Paul predicted a storm and a storm came. He remembers that Paul spoke of his God's intention to bring him to Rome. He remembers how Paul cared for the lives of the sailors who were with him on a ship and he was displaying such faith in his God. And he saw how Paul ate and encouraged everybody to also take some nourishment because they will need it in order to survive. And surprising for us, we see Julius do something that he never would have done in the very beginning. He wants to spare Paul's life. Now for Julius, as a centurion, he would not have gotten in trouble at all if in Rome he had only had to report that in this dangerous situation we decided that the safest thing to do was to execute everybody. That would not have been a problem. Humanly speaking, though, deciding to keep everyone alive and risking a mass escape was at the very least unsafe and was most likely foolish for others. How can we explain, then, this change in Julius? I don't think we have any other way in our story to explain this than the fact that he saw something of God's purpose to bring Paul to Rome. Julius didn't want to stay in the way of a God who showed himself so true and faithful to his word and he did not want to stay in the way of a God who could strengthen the weak apostle in the midst of such a storm. And we know that on Paul it could not have been missed that he gained such credibility with Julius. How did this happen from Paul's perspective now? The first thing that we need to consider is that Paul was ministering out of weakness and not some kind of innate strength that he had within himself. Paul was a prisoner, and when in Sidon he had to ask Julius to allow him to go to his friends and be cared for, it was absolutely clear to both, if it wasn't before that, that one had power over the other. Paul was not standing before Julius as a success story. There was nothing in him naturally to make Julius look up to him and think that, oh, well, here's a man that I perhaps need to listen to, that maybe could teach me something about the most ultimate things in life. What could this Jew teach him? But in the storm, out of his weakness, Paul was able to point Julius beyond himself, beyond even his good works and his faith, to his God. And so ministering in weakness as one who can only rely on his God, Such a change could occur. But secondly, when Paul was walking there and living out his life in the storm before Julius, it was because he came to identify himself with God's purposes that he was able to have such an impact on Julius. Now we've said that Paul was no superhuman. His arrest in Jerusalem and then his imprisonment must have felt like an incredible setback to the gospel. And Julius' ignoring of Paul must have also been very frustrating to him. But Paul knew that if God was using him to spread the gospel, then ultimately God would do no harm to Paul. Then ultimately even his hardships would work out for him. He was making God's purposes his own. Now, how can you and I, what does it mean to make God's purposes our own? We're helped by Paul's own writing, by something he said before the storm and something he wrote after the storm to see his mind, to see what it means for Paul to identify himself with God's purposes. Before the voyage, Paul wrote to the Roman Christians those famous words in Romans 8, 28, that all things work together for good of those who love God and who are called according to his purpose. And because Paul was a believer in Christ, he knew himself called by Christ, and so he knew that whatever is coming his way, it would turn out for his good. There would be no harm to him. But especially after the storm, we see what it meant for Paul to be identified with God's purposes. In Philippians 4, you may turn there if you wish. I'm going to read the words to you. In Philippians 4, verses 11 through 13, we have the mind of Paul as reflecting on his life up to this point, written after the storm. And Paul said these words. I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. People of God, Paul could not have learned this from any other than Christ. Jesus, as a man, also had to learn to glorify God and his suffering. Only he did it on our behalf. Jesus is the only one who really knew what it means to be content in any circumstances. And he is the one who perfectly identified himself with God's purposes for you and me in a way that you and I never can and will never be able to do. When he was obedient to his father, obedient to death, even death on a cross, he was satisfying God's justice. God's purpose of redemption that the triune God made was being accomplished through Jesus. And God the Son, incarnate now as Jesus Christ, he knew that God the Father would vindicate him in the spirit, that he would not see decay. And so when he tasted death for everyone, he offered willing obedience. He was being submissive to the purposes of God. And so now he's highly exalted, but he's also drawing sinners to himself. He's drawing you and me to himself. And because he is the only one who died for our sins and he was raised so that we can be made right with God as the ones who enjoy his righteousness, he says, now take up the cross and follow me and learn that my power is made perfect in weakness. Paul said that he learned in all things and in all circumstances to be content. And it's easy to say this when all things are going really well. But that's not always the case. Jesus told his disciples that in the world they will have tribulation. And so Jesus overcame the world in order that whatever hardships you and I are facing, we will know that even those are working for our good. Ironically, being tested and tried as Paul was and as you and I often are is a good place to be. It takes away every prop that you and I create and it gives you no other chance than lean on God. We began with a proverb this evening, a man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. Paul had desired to go down to Jerusalem and from there on to Rome, on his way to Spain. Instead, he was sent on quite a detour and quite a battering. He's arrested in Jerusalem, gets imprisoned in Caesarea. He is not trusted by Julius. He is in a storm. Back in Palestine, he almost got killed by Jewish leaders. In the sea, at sea, he's almost killed by Roman guards. Quite an experience. And it seemed as if everything was working against him. But however impossible it was for him to make it to Rome, he knew that with God all things were possible. Now, there's really one lesson that I would like for you to take away with you tonight. Don't think that God, in whatever he's doing in your life, however difficult it seems and you can't see it, remember that first and foremost, God is not after your own comfort. But take heart. God is accomplishing his purposes. He's drawing you closer to himself and that can't but turn out for your good. And he gives more grace as more grace is needed. And he knows what you and I can bear and he will not put on us more than that we're able to handle. And whatever temptations by our own fault we may get ourselves into or whatever trap others may put before you, he will always provide a way of escape. And so pray that you will make God's purposes your own in your life. Pray to your loving Heavenly Father to teach you what it means to live by faith, to teach you what it means to be well-fed when you're hungry, to abound when you are in need. Because just as God showed to Paul then, So he's showing us now that even now we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Amen. Before we turn to number 48, let us briefly thank our God. Our gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for your word. and we thank you that your power, your grace, your strength is made perfect in our weakness, that your light shines all the brighter when we are but weak earthen vessels. Oh, Lord, draw us closer to yourself and be our only comfort, Lord, not only in this night but for the rest of our lives and even into the world to come. In this we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.