Acts 27 Paul Begins the Voyage to Rome | Kelly Keen

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Lecture Notes-Acts 27; Lesson #21

Kelly Keen 4/22/26

DIVINE DETOUR

Main Truth: The sovereignty of God is the believer’s anchor in the storms of life.

1. DELAYED SAILING: Paul’s commitment is anchored in God’s plan.  Acts 27:1-13

Principle: God’s purposes and plans cannot be thwarted by the failures of man.

2. DEADLY STORM: Paul’s courage is anchored in God’s promise.  Acts 27:14-26

Principle: God uses the storms in our lives to teach us to rely on His promises and encourage others to do the same.

3. DEVASTATING SHIPWRECK: Paul’s confidence is anchored in God’s providence.  Acts 27:27-44

Principle: God providentially carries us through all the storms of life and brings us safely to our final destination. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Are you ready for our last second to last Wednesday together? Was anybody else feeling a little pang in their heart when they pulled into the parking lot today? Like, wow, only one more Wednesday. Wow. You know, one thing I haven't taught you guys this whole year, I think, is our symbol for wealth. Because you're gonna run into each other this summer, you're gonna run into each other in turn, and you're gonna think, man, you look so familiar, but I can't think of where I know you from. And so this is the thing that we do. So we go W with our one hand, and then O with our mouth. Oh good practice, ladies. And then W with the other. So it's wow. So when you see each other in, you know, hobby lobby this week, you know, just like and it'll totally get the message across and everybody will know where we know each other then instead of turning into each other, like, man, do I know you from somewhere? So anyway, it'll be fun because every so often you run into each other, even in church, isn't it amazing if you run into somebody sometimes on a Sunday morning? Like, wow, I didn't even know. Wow. I didn't know we came to the same service. But anyway, let's go ahead and bow our heads in prayer after our fun little opening. Dear Lord God, we love you so much. We're so thankful for Wednesdays. Thank you for your word and all you have taught us through it. Lord, we know that your past happened. We believe in it and it's true. We know that your present is here, Lord, and that you're with us every day, and that we know your future, Lord, is planned for us. And we're so grateful that we get to look forward to that, Lord. Your promises do come true. We're so thankful that, like you said to Paul, be of good courage, you say to us regularly, Lord, we can be of good courage because you are always with us. You will never leave us and forsake us. Lord, please bless our lecturer today and fill her with your words, that nothing that comes from her would be opposed to anything that you intend for us to hear today. Delete anything that needs to be deleted from our hair, our hair, our heads, Lord, and leave or add anything that needs to be added to our hearts, Lord, that we would know exactly what you intend for us to have and do with our lives. It's in Jesus' name we pray all things. Amen. Will you pray with me?

SPEAKER_01 2:24

Heavenly Father, Lord God, we just thank you and we praise you, God. You are our salvation. Lord, we praise you because you caused your promises to bloom in our lives. Lord, we praise you for this lesson that we are about to embark on with Paul. God, I pray that the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts would be pleasing to you, our rock and our redeemer. In Jesus' name. Amen. Imagine you're on your way to an important engagement. You're driving along, and suddenly the road ahead is closed. It's blocked by a detour sign with an arrow pointing in a different direction. Instead of a quick direct route to your destination, you feel yourself traveling back roads that twist and turn in all different directions. You're in the middle of nowhere and you have no idea where you are, but you're faithfully following those bright orange detour signs. The GPS adds to your frustration as it keeps repeating. Rerouting, rerouting, rerouting. You check your arrival time and it's 30 minutes later than it was originally. At this point, you're late. Then all of the sudden, the engine sputters and your car grinds to a complete stop. Yep, your transition, your transmission is gone. At this point, you've given up any hope of arriving at your destination, and you're just waiting on the side of the road for the tow truck to come. This is not how you expected this trip to turn out. In Acts chapter 27, Paul is on his way to Rome, a trip he's been waiting to take for almost three years. In Jerusalem, Christ himself appeared to Paul in Acts chapter 23, verse 11, and said, Be courageous, for as you have testified to the truth about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify about me in Rome also. God's plan for Paul was to go to Rome, but Paul wasn't expecting a detour. He certainly wasn't expecting a long delay, a dangerous storm, and a disastrous shipwreck. But that's exactly what happened. As we embark on this exciting journey in Acts chapter 27, we will see that Paul not only survived the ordeal, he thrived. And at the same time, God orchestrated every detail of Paul's journey, just like he's orchestrating ours. Paul exemplifies the truth that the sovereignty of God is the believer's anchor in the storms of life. At first glance, this nautical narrative reads like a chapter from the Odyssey, but it's far from fantasy. In fact, in 1881, Sir William Ramsey, a British archaeologist, set out to disprove the historical accuracy of the Bible. After years of extensive archaeological research in Asia Minor, his discoveries convinced him that the Bible was historically reliable, particularly the book of Acts. He later became a Christian and a New Testament scholar who wrote several books defending the accuracy of Paul's journeys. So let's dig into Acts chapter 27, starting at verse 1. 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 Adramidium, which was about to sail 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 to be cared for. Notice with me in this passage Paul's commitment to God's plan. Here he was, a prisoner who's been given leave to go visit friends at Sidon. He doesn't try to make a run for it. Paul knew this journey was God's plan for his life. Jesus had chosen him to testify before kings. And because he was a political prisoner, he would now stand before Caesar. God's plan was unfolding, and Paul was completely on board. He would rather live as a prisoner within God's will than as a free man outside of it. The next thing we notice is God's personal care for his faithful servant. He provides him with two companions who willingly join him on his journey, Luke and Aristarchus. If you remember from chapter 19, Aristarchus was one of the guys who was attacked and seized during that riot in Ephesus. Not much is known about him except that he was a loyal, faithful companion who persevered in ministry with Paul and was even imprisoned with him for a time. Julius was a centurion in Caesar's imperial regiment, and he was personally assigned to guard Paul. He took an immediate liking to him. Paul's intelligence and poise likely gave Julius the impression that he was a high-profile prisoner, worthy of some respect, but spirit-filled Paul had a unique winsomeness that seemed to attract loyalty, didn't he? He treated Paul, Julius treated Paul with kindness and granted him freedom to visit his friends when they stopped at Sidon. But who were these friends? Scholars believe that the church in Sidon was founded by the Christians who scattered during the persecution following Stephen's death. Who was chiefly responsible for that persecution? Paul. So here he is, receiving love and care from the very believers he once persecuted. Those who had fled Jerusalem just to escape his wrath. Now through their mutual love for Christ, they're brothers. They sailed on, staying close to the coast, but they made slow progress against the wind. After stopping in Lycia, they boarded a grain freighter from Alexandria on its way to Rome. It was large and heavy, and it wasn't built for storms. When the wind blew harder, they stopped at Fairhavens, but apparently it wasn't so fair after all. Look with me at verse 9. 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 the ship, but also of our lives. The fast referred to in verse 9 is the Day of Atonement, which was sometimes as late as mid-October. Sailing the Mediterranean in the fall and winter was very, very dangerous. And even the ports would shut down by the winter time because they were carrying a heavy load of grain, and all those passengers, they were making no progress whatsoever against the wind. Too much time had passed, and now they were in a dangerous situation. Let's reflect on our own progress in our pursuit of Christlieness. Are we fighting hard against the strong winds that blow against us, whether it's the flesh, the world, or the devil? Or are we weighed down by unconfessed sin? If we're not moving forward, we're moving backwards. And we can be sure we're heading toward a storm, one that could be avoided. Paul warned them to stay in Fair Havens, but of course, they didn't listen. Look with me at verses 11 and 12. But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both the southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. Julius had final authority because the grain ships were under Roman control. On one hand, we can understand why Julius took the advice of the ship captain over the advice of a missionary. But what he doesn't realize is that Paul was an experienced sea traveler. Commentators point out that he had traveled nearly 3,500 miles by sea and had already survived three shipwrecks at this point. So Paul knows what he's talking about. At first glance, the decision doesn't seem to be unreasonable, though. Fairhavens wasn't the best place to spend the winter. Phoenix was a better port, and it was only about 40 miles away. So where did they go wrong? And how can we avoid making the same mistake? Well, let's consider five ways to make decisions that lead to disaster. Number one, ignore the warning signs. There were warning signs when they first set sail, but they ignored them. The winds were against them from the very start, and they were moving too slowly, and time was against them. My son used to have a Toyota forerunner that had a V8 engine. And if any of you have ever had a truck or a car with a V8, you know it is a guzzler, right? So his uh forerunner was a gas guzzler. More than once he ran out of gas and got stranded on the side of the road. He was convinced that there was something wrong with the gas gauge. My son and so he took it to a mechanic. And the mechanic said, the gas gauge is fine. And my son explained that when he ran out of gas, the needle showed that he had close to a quarter of the tank left. And the mechanic was kind of a gruff guy and didn't have a whole lot of sympathy for him. And he said, There's nothing wrong with the gas gauge. You just ignored the warning light. Ignoring warnings lead to problems that could easily be avoided. Here's another way to make decisions that lead to disaster. Be a people pleaser. Agreeing with the majority might make everyone happy, but the majority isn't always right. When we choose to be led by the Spirit instead of a popular opinion or the approval of others, we affirm who we really serve. In Galatians 1:10, Paul says, For I am I now seeking the favor of people or God, or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a bond servant of Christ. Number three, leave it to the experts. No doubt the captain and the ship owner had plenty of experience navigating rough waters, but they also had ulterior motives. According to the IVP Bible Background Commentary, there were financial bonuses given to shippers who were willing to take that dangerous sail to Rome during the late fall and winter. We need to seek counsel from someone whose motivation is the glory of God and our good. Number four, roll the dice. Verse 9 says they base their decision on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix. In other words, they cross their fingers and they hope for the best. God doesn't make his will difficult to discern, but it does require our diligence. We need to commit the matter to prayer and evaluate our choices in light of scripture. And finally, the fifth way to make decisions that lead to disaster, give in to the tyranny of the urgent. I have to confess, it seems like I'm always in a hurry. Before I check out at the grocery store, I quickly scan the lanes to see which cashier moves the fastest. Does anybody here do that? Raise your hands. Thank you. Thank you. Getting behind someone who drives under the speed limit makes me crazy. But I know it won't be Amy. We are called to wait on the Lord until we receive his clear guidance. He can't be rushed. We have to stop, pray, trust, and wait. It's not easy, but it's wise. Verse 13. Now, when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. They thought they dodged a bullet. The captain and crew were probably wiping the sweat from their brow, patting each other on the back, given high fives, but all too soon. As we will see, it was the calm before the storm. The truth is it's dangerous to interpret favorable conditions as divine approval while we ignore the warnings and wise counsel. But here's an encouraging truth: God's plans and purposes cannot be frustrated by the failures of man. When others try or fail to make wise choices, or when we do, we will suffer the consequences. But God's good purpose and plan for our lives will always prevail. You've probably heard more details about the spring fling. As Terry had already announced, we're going to have pony rides and petting zoos, we're going to have craft stations, food trucks, games in the gym, face painting, you name it. It is going to be a spring fling indeed. Lots and lots of planning went into that. And so we have a plan A in case it doesn't rain. And please join me in prayer that it doesn't. And we have a plan B for bringing the whole thing inside. And I don't think I'm going to get approval to bring animals into the building. What do you think? So let's pray that it doesn't rain. God never has a plan B. He only has a plan A. Nothing and no one can frustrate his purposes. He doesn't change his plans because he doesn't change his mind. He's both sovereign and immutable. He knows the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end. What an almighty God we serve. Paul's wise advice was rejected, and bad decisions were made for the wrong reasons. But Paul didn't protest because he knew that even bad decisions and sinful choices ultimately serve the sovereign purposes of God. His plan always prevails. And unfortunately for Paul and the rest of the crew, his plan includes a dangerous storm. So let's look at verse 14. But soon a temptuous wind called the 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. Suddenly it all goes terribly wrong. A violent wind of hurricane force takes them by surprise. This was the turning point of their voyage and the climax of Luke's narrative. The journey from Fairhavens to Phoenix was not a long one. Do you guys have the map, by the way? Awesome. Great. Thank you. As you can see on the map, but the northeastern windstorm is so strong, it causes them to lose complete control of the ship and drives them to the south side of Kata. All right. Okay. So anyway, now they're not in the coastal region where they were being protected by the winds. They're out in the open sea. They're briefly sheltered from the wind by the small island just long enough to raise the lifeboat. They secure the underside of the ship with cables to keep it from falling apart. This was a practice commonly known as frapping. Their greatest fear at this point was running into some sandbars off the coast of North Africa in an area notoriously known as the graveyard of ships. Desperate times calls for desperate measures. So they first let down the sea anchor, then throw the cargo overboard, then some of the ship's navigational equipment. Now they're completely defenseless and have no way to contend with the storm. All they can do is to surrender to its mercy. Isn't this such a vivid illustration of how our gracious God deals with us? We set out to face the storm and our own strength, but little by little, wave after wave, our faithful God teaches us to let go of our pride and our self reliance until we come to the point that we realize we're completely dependent upon him. True dependence on God isn't born until self reliance dies. He relentlessly pursues us until all we can do, all we want to do, is to surrender to his mercy. Look with me at verse 20. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. Sailors navigated by the sun and the land during the day, and at night they used the moon and the stars. Overcast skies meant they had no idea where they were or where they were going. They were completely lost at sea. All hope of survival was gone. Can you imagine? Author John Phillips describes the horror of the scene. Days dragged on beneath dark clouds and heavy seas. Nights were pitch black and starless as the wind shrieked and the ship plunged. The gale force winds howled like tormented demons so that one could hardly think. On deck was a roaring nightmare. Below deck was a scene of horror, fear, and despair were made worse by seasickness and the stark reality that even the sailors had given up hope. The ship was being driven helplessly by the wind, sinking and filling with water, moving in an unknown direction. This is a dark description of their hopeless condition at sea. But what's even darker than having no hope of survival is having no hope of salvation. Death was knocking at their door, and they were face to face with the reality that they had no idea what would become of their souls. They were hopeless indeed. We can understand why the Lord sent a furious storm when Jonah fled from his command and sailed in the opposite direction of Nineveh. But why Paul? Paul is obeying God's will. He's fully committed to God's purpose and plan. Why is he on a boat with hardened criminals and soldiers in the middle of the ocean during a violent tempest? Where's his reward for obedience? He didn't deserve this. If we're honest with ourselves, don't we sometimes ask the same question? We ask, Lord, why am I in this boat? I'm trying my best to obey you. Why aren't things turning out the way they should? Why do I feel like I'm being punished instead of rewarded? We're so fixed on our circumstances that we fail to see that sometimes our circumstances are not directly connected to our obedience to the Lord. Unfavorable conditions don't always indicate God's disapproval. But Paul knew something that we need to be reminded of. There is a reward for obedience. Our reward is Christ Himself, who is present with us in every storm. The question for you and for me is: are we claiming our reward? Are we aware of his presence with us day by day, hour by hour, and moment by moment? Paul's godly character throughout the rest of the chapter shines like a beacon of light in the dark, stormy sky. His courage and selflessness amid the crisis is really incredible. Did you notice it? But he isn't a superhero. He's just a servant, a servant who's completely dependent on his Almighty Master. Knowing Paul the way we do, we can almost hear him as he turns to the Lord in desperate prayer. I doubt he says, Lord, save me, but rather, Lord, use me. Paul's perspective was so eternal that his goal wasn't self-preservation, it was the glory of Jesus Christ. He says to the Philippians in chapter 1, verse 21, for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Paul could courageously face death because if he lived, that meant he had more opportunities to bear fruit for God's kingdom. If he died, he would be with Christ for eternity. From Paul's perspective, it was a win-win. We can't help but examine our own attitude toward death in light of Paul's example. Because of our faith in Jesus Christ, we don't grieve the way the world grieves. And we don't face death without hope. Whether we live or whether we die, it's a win-win. We gain either way. Let's look at verse 21. 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. At this point, the sailors could have thrown him overboard. They didn't want to hear I told you so. But Paul, the prisoner, whose advice was ignored, is now commander of the ship. Paul's in charge. Because he has something they all desperately need: hope. They didn't listen to him then, but they'll listen to him now. God used the storm to get their attention. Storms have a way of doing that, don't they? When everything is calm and peaceful, we tend to lose sight of our desperate need for Christ. Paul says in verse 22, yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. We can almost hear him shouting God's promises above the crashing and waves and creaking ship, strengthening and encouraging the weary spirits. It must have been impossible for 275 people to hear what Paul was saying, but surely the message spread quickly throughout the boat. We can imagine one prisoner saying to the other, Who's that guy? What's he saying? And the other answers, he's a messenger from God. He says we're all going to be saved. Paul was courageous, but not because he wasn't afraid. Obviously, he had his moments of doubt and despair, like we all do. It has been well said that courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear. The most important thing to Paul was spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, and he refused to allow fear to get in his way. He continues on in verse 23. For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve. 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. Paul was reassured that the storm hadn't changed God's plan. The storm was God's plan. He boldly professes the God to whom he belongs and whom he serves. Matthew Henry beautifully describes what it means to belong to God and serve him. He wrote, His we are by creation, for he made us. His we are by preservation, for he maintains us. His we are by redemption, for he bought us. We are more his than our own. Therefore, we are bound to serve him, to devote ourselves to his honor, and employ ourselves in his work. Do we live in obedience to this truth? Are we devoted to God's glory and his service? Paul certainly was. Paul continues to encourage the weary in verse 25. So take heart, men. Some translations say, keep up your courage. For I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. But we must run aground on some island. Think about it. Here they are clinging to a sinking ship that's taking a constant beating from the wind and the waves, with no visible hope of survival. The odds are not in their favor. Paul gets up on his soapbox and proclaims, Last night an angel of God told me we're all going to be saved. They must have thought he was a little off or a little crazy or a naive fool at best. But courageous Paul was not ashamed of his childlike faith. He essentially says, I believe God because God said so. Against all odds, when all outward signs of hope were lost at sea, Paul stood on the authority of his father's word. Do the forceful winds and waves drive you to the word of God or away from it? His anchor holds. No storm can negate God's promises. It can only reveal how deeply we believe in them. God uses storms to teach us to rely on his promises and encourage others to do the same. In one sense, the storm wasn't really about Paul. He certainly didn't cause it the way Jonah did. God used the storm not only to deepen Paul's dependence, but also to bless others through his faith. Paul was able to comfort others because of the comfort that he himself had received. Sometimes our storms are less about us and more about the people whom he's calling us to minister to. He wants to use us to bless others in the storm as they witness our godly character and our faith in his promises. God promised Paul he would stand before Caesar in Rome and everyone on board would be spared. But he also promised the ship would be lost in a disastrous shipwreck. Verse 27. So they took a sounding and found 20 fathoms. That's about 120 feet. A little farther on, they took a sounding again and found 15 fathoms, which is about 90 feet. And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. The author of our lesson notes points out that in verse 27 that's not actually referring to the modern day Adriatic Sea, which is located between Italy and Croatia. In Paul's day, the central Mediterranean Sea was referred to as the Sea of Audria. And this is the area that Luke is referring to. The New Living Translation uses this reference. Just wanted to clear that up. It had been 14 nights since they left Fairhavens. They sensed they were near land, took soundings to confirm it, then they dropped anchor. Since the ship was being held together by ropes, they decided it wasn't the best idea to try to drive the ship into the shore in the middle of the night. This time they weren't going to take foolish risks. God used the storm to dismantle their pride and their self-reliance. But some still resisted and thought it was time to take matters into their own hands. Let's look at verses 30 through 32. And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship and 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. The scene is kind of ironic. The sailors thought the lifeboat would save them, so they sneak off and try to escape unnoticed. Paul catches them in the act and he says they have to stay on the sinking ship if they want to be saved. God's commands seem counterintuitive to unbelievers, especially when they're in dire straits. But faithful Paul never apologizes for the word of God. On board this broken ship, full of broken people, he lives as salt and light. Instead of retreating into a holy huddle with Luke and Aristarchus, he stays fully engaged in the situation. On one hand, he compassionately shares his faith, bringing hope to the hopeless. And on the other hand, he confidently and boldly approaches the centurion, exposes the sailors' plan to escape, and basically says, Hey, you better do something about this or you're going down with the ship. Even though God promised all would be saved, Paul instinctively knew that they needed to be warned. But why? If God already promised to protect them, what difference would it make if they jumped ship? This is where divine sovereignty and human responsibility come into view. Kent Hughes puts it this way: God knew that all on board the vessel would be preserved. At the same time, God's sovereignty, which ensured their safety, was not intended to discourage human effort. For this was the means by which God would achieve the end in view. In other words, God ordains the ends and the means. It's impossible for us to fully understand how these two doctrines can coexist, but the Bible teaches that they do. Finite minds cannot fully grasp our infinite God. And we can praise him for that, can't we? Commander Paul compassionately urges the famished crew to eat. He comforts them with the assurance of God's protection. And then he gives thanks in prayer. Starting in verse 33, as day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, Today is the 14th 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 one of you. And when he 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 were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. Notice how Paul didn't pray for their rescue. God had already promised it, and it was as good as done. He thanks God and gives them the glory so that all could hear. That's why Hebrews 11, chapter 13, verse 15 calls it a sacrifice of praise. But God's commands are always good for us. Gratitude keeps us from drifting into negative emotions that steal our joy, our peace, and our hope. In verses 37 through 42, Paul and his fellow travelers engage in their final battle with the storm. At daylight, they tried to run the ship onto the beach. They cut the anchors and steered toward land, but the ship struck a reef, causing the front to get stuck while the waves smashed the rest of it into pieces. But it gets worse. Another evil plot develops. The soldiers plan to kill all the prisoners. But look at verses 43 and the first part of 44. 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 in pieces of the ship. Paul had made such an impression on Julius the Centurion that he was willing to risk his life to protect Paul. If the prisoners had escaped, all the Roman soldiers, including Julius, would be executed. This is further evidence of God's providential protection. Scripture doesn't confirm it, but we sense that Julius may have even surrendered his heart to the Lord, and possibly many others did as well. The rest of verse 44 says, and so it was that all were brought to safety, safely to the land. This was not a partial rescue. All 276 men on board were brought safely to shore. It happened exactly the way God said it would. Despite detours and difficulties, God's plan and purpose for our lives are always for our good and for his glory. And when we battle our final storm, he will bring us safely to heaven's shores. Amen. Let's pray, Lord God. We just bow before you, Lord. We are in awe of your almighty power at work in our lives, at work in the world. We trust in your sovereignty, God. It is the anchor for our souls. We thank you and praise you for this lesson. We thank you for the example of all. But we most of all, Lord, thank you. you for your precious son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And it's in his name that we pray. Amen.