Acts 27:1

And when it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to one named Julius, a centurion of the Augustan regiment. So entering a ship of Adramyttium, we put to sea, meaning to sail along the coast of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us. And the next day we landed at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him liberty to go to his friends and receive care. (Acts 27:1–3)

When your course is set toward an unavoidable storm, remember whose hands are really steering the ship.

Beginning the Journey to Rome

We're starting a new series in the book of Acts called "Journey to Rome," covering chapters 27 and 28. We've moved away from Paul's trials, and now Paul is on his way to the city of Rome. We're zeroing in on the very end of Acts. We began this book in November of 2008—a long time ago—so we've moved slowly, but the end is in sight. No more detours.

To set the context, recall Acts 26. Paul stood trial before King Agrippa, who said, "You almost persuade me to become a Christian." Paul replied that he would to God that all who heard him might become as he was, except for the chains. Agrippa, Festus, and the others agreed Paul had done nothing deserving death, and Agrippa noted, "This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar." But Paul had appealed to Caesar, so to Rome he must go.

Have You Been in a Storm?

Have you ever been in a storm? I'm not talking about a weather pattern—I mean one of life's storms. Just about everyone here knows what I'm talking about: a situation that seems hopeless and helpless, an unavoidable storm you're carried into by others. Maybe along the way you pointed out the dangers, saying, "I don't think this is a good plan," and yet no one listened, and you had no choice.

If you can identify with that, you can identify with Paul here in Acts 27 and 28. Paul is in a situation he cannot keep himself from moving into. Even though he tries to put up his arms and say, "I don't think this is the best plan," there is nothing stopping it.

Our Path Is Planned for Us

The first eleven words of the chapter say, "And when it was decided that we should sail to Italy." The drama that unfolds over these next forty-four verses was decided and planned by others. So point number one: sometimes our path is planned for us, and sometimes that path leads toward an unavoidable storm.

But cross out the word "sometimes." As you study what the Bible says about God, you begin to see that our path is planned for us. Though the path here seemed planned by Festus or Julius, behind the scenes are the fingerprints of God. Paul later wrote to the Ephesians:

For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God ordained beforehand that we should walk in.

A thousand years before Paul, David wrote in Psalm 37:23, "The steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord." And Solomon, given great wisdom, wrote in Proverbs 16:9, "A man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps," and in Proverbs 20:24, "A man's steps are of the Lord; how then can a man understand his own way?" Paul experienced it, David saw it, Solomon knew it—our path is planned.

A Culture That Hates Being Directed

There is an aspect of our sinful nature that does not like this, and we live in a culture that doesn't like it. In a few days we'll celebrate Independence Day. Over 230 years after that first declaration was signed, we've changed what independence means until every one of us claims to be individually independent and self-determinant.

You see it at the youngest ages. My two-year-old daughter Evangeline says it constantly: "I do it all by myself." I go to get her out of bed—"I do it by myself." Into the car seat—"I do it by myself." Until she can't, and then she needs help. As a result of the fall, we want to be the captain of our own ship and the determiner of our destiny, with no one over us.

This even fuels a debate within the church. On one side are Calvinists, holding a strong view of the sovereignty of God; on the other are Arminians, emphasizing man's responsibility and will. Both are well-meaning Christians, and both truths are revealed in Scripture. There is a way—mysterious to us but clear to God—where the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man go together. But our culture has pushed self-determination so far that people now say, "I will determine for myself my sexual identity and gender." That is humanity saying, "You will not rule over me." Yet the Scriptures are clear: our path is planned for us.

God Uses Storms to Bring Salvation

Sometimes God plans that you or I would go right into the perfect storm, and the first question that comes to mind is, "Why?" The New Living Translation renders Proverbs 20:24, "The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?" I'm one of those inquisitive people—my dad said the question I always asked as a child was "Why?" I'm still asking it, and I think it probably drives my Father in heaven crazy sometimes.

Point number two: God uses storms to bring salvation. Some of you would not be here today had it not been for a storm—a crisis, a difficult diagnosis, a separation, a loss—that brought you to the point of saying, "I don't know where else to turn, so I'm going to go to church." God uses storms to bring His salvation, and a greater revelation of who He is.

We see this in the Gospels. After a hard day of ministry, Jesus told His disciples to get in the boat, and He slept in the back. A great storm came up, and the disciples did everything in their own power to fix it—bailing water, fighting to keep the boat afloat. Finally, at their wits' end, they woke Him: "Don't you care? I'm dying here." He stood and said, "Peace, be still," and everything was calm. And what came of it? Greater revelation: "Who is this, that even the winds and the waves obey His voice?"

Paul Set Sail with Friends

When it was decided, Festus had no other option but to send Paul to Rome. Historians tell us Festus came to power in the summer of A.D. 60, and one of his first orders of business was hearing Paul. So Acts 26 happened during July of A.D. 60, and many scholars believe this voyage began around the middle of August.

Notice the word "we" in verses 1 and 2. The author, Luke—a doctor and close friend of Paul, likely pastor of the church at Philippi—was on board. So was Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica who came to faith under Paul's ministry. Paul was not alone.

The timing matters. Those who study the Mediterranean's weather patterns tell us sailing was safe from about April until August, borderline from August until mid-November, and from November to the end of March no one would sail. They were already in that borderline window, but Festus wanted Paul off his hands.

Kindness, Contrary Winds, and a New Ship

The next day they landed at Sidon, about 70 miles north. Julius treated Paul kindly—the Greek philanthropos—and gave him liberty to visit his friends to receive care, which suggests Paul was sick. This is remarkable, because a Roman centurion's life would be on the line if a prisoner escaped. Festus must have told Julius this man was innocent.

Putting to sea, they sailed under the shelter of Cyprus because the winds were contrary—antagonistic. I learned a little about sailing as a kid; I wanted a jet ski, but my dad bought a Hobie Cat, saying, "Jet skis need gas; wind is free." There are times the wind makes you want to hit your head against the mast. The wind here was westerly, and they were trying to go west.

They passed Cilicia—Paul's home region—and Pamphylia, and came to Myra in Lycia. There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing to Italy and put them on board. There were no commuter ships then, only merchant and trade vessels. By his Roman authority, the centurion commandeered a portion of this grain ship from Alexandria, the granary of the empire. This was a huge single-masted wooden vessel sitting low in the water; verse 37 tells us there were 276 men aboard.

Slow Going to Fair Havens

Sailing slowly for many days, they arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, the wind not permitting them to proceed, and sailed under the shelter of Crete off Salmone. From Myra to Cnidus was only about 60 miles, yet it took many days. These big grain ships were unwieldy, and the winds were against them. They were pushed below Crete and finally came with difficulty to a place called Fair Havens near the city of Lasea.

Fair Havens has a nice name but is a bad place—like Bishop, California (sorry, Bishop). When much time had passed and sailing had become dangerous, Luke notes "the Fast was already over." That's a temporal marker: the Fast is Yom Kippur, which falls in September or October. If this is A.D. 60, we can date this exactly—Wednesday, September 22nd. The fast had passed, the winds had long been against them, and Fair Havens was a south-facing port unsuitable to winter in.

Paul's Warning and a Fateful Decision

Paul advised them—remarkable that a prisoner with no wealth, power, or position was given a hearing before the helmsman, the owner, and the centurion. God gave him favor. He said, "Men, I perceive that this voyage will end in disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives." Paul knew what he was talking about; in 2 Corinthians he says he had already been shipwrecked three times.

But the centurion was persuaded more by the helmsman and the owner. Because the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority advised sailing on to Phoenix, a better harbor only about 35 nautical miles away—practically visible on a clear day. When the south wind blew softly, supposing they had obtained their desire, they put out to sea and sailed close by Crete.

But—underline that—not long after, a tempestuous headwind arose. The Greek is typhonikos: hurricane-force winds. The seamen even had a name for it, Euroclydon, a strong northeaster. You know it's bad when sailors have a name for the wind. The wind had been from the west, then shifted south, then in one day swung to the northeast and slammed against them, and they could not maneuver this huge ship into Phoenix.

Winds Change and Storms Come

Point number three: if there is one thing we can be certain of in this life, it is that winds change and storms come. But remember, God has purpose even in storms.

When the ship was caught and could not head into the wind, they let her drive. Running under the shelter of a small six-mile-wide island called Clauda—about 21½ nautical miles south of Phoenix—they secured the skiff with difficulty. The skiff, the dinghy towed behind, would create dangerous drag if it took on water, so the first order of business was to haul it aboard.

Then they used cables to undergird the ship—wrapping strong ropes beneath the hull and cinching them to keep the single-masted vessel from breaking apart under the stress. Fearing they would run aground on the Syrtis sands—huge sandbanks that destroyed many Roman ships—they struck sail and put out a sea anchor to give drag. The next day, exceedingly tempest-tossed, they lightened the ship. And on the third day, all hands on deck, they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands.

When Hope in Ourselves Runs Out

When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on them, "all hope that we would be saved was finally given up." Point number four: if our hope is in ourselves, God will allow us to become hopeless. Sometimes He allows storms for that very purpose. If my hope is built on nothing less than Miles DeBenedictis, then storms will come.

Psalm 107 fits perfectly:

Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters, they see the works of the Lord and His wonders in the deep. For He commands and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up the waves of the sea... They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end. Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses. He calms the storm, so that its waves are still... So He guides them to their desired haven.

He commands and raises the stormy wind. If our hope is in ourselves, God will allow us to become hopeless.

God Makes His People Beacons in the Storm

After long abstinence from food, Paul stood in their midst and said, in effect, "Men, you should have listened to me." He couldn't help himself—he told them so. But then he urged them to take heart, "for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.'"

I love that phrase—"the God to whom I belong and whom I serve." And notice the angel reminds Paul of what God told him back in Acts 23: you have witnessed of Me in Jerusalem; you will witness of Me in Rome. So Paul says, "Take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me."

Point number five: God makes His people beacons in the storm—bright, shining lights. Every person, Christian or not, experiences storms; we go through the same difficulties. If a preacher tells you that coming to Christ means no storms, he's a liar. The difference is that the Christian has hope in God. Jesus said His people should be like a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden, so that others see peace, steadfastness, and confidence in the midst of the storm.

A Crash Can Be Inevitable—But So Is Salvation

Paul continued, "However, we must run aground on a certain island." Point number six: in a storm, sometimes a crash is inevitable. But remember point number two—God uses storms to bring salvation. And that is exactly what we'll see next time as we finish Acts 27 and move into Acts 28.

Perhaps today you feel tempest-tossed. Maybe that's the very reason you came to church. You've never really sought the Bible, you're not sure you believe in Jesus yet, but you came because you're in a crisis. Or perhaps you're a Christian in the middle of one. Remember: our paths are planned for us, and for the Christian, all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. Sometimes God directs us into storms so that we see His revelation, so that misplaced hope is redirected to Him, and so that we can shine for Him in the storm.

Closing Prayer

Father God, thank You. Thank You for Your word. Thank You for the fact that these things written 2,000 years ago have application for us right now. There are people standing here who are going through the worst storm they've ever experienced. I pray that You would help us to recognize and see that even in the midst of it, You have something You are doing—even if we can't completely understand or grasp it. Lord, I pray that we would have a greater revelation of who You are, that we would see Your salvation, and that we would shine as lights for You in the midst of it. We ask it in Jesus' name, and all God's people said, amen.