Lessons From the Storms of Life (Take the Counsel)

Are you going through a storm Christian? This message from (Acts 27) helps us to see how God brings us through even if we have made a bad decision. 

I hope these are an encouragement to you! Please reach out to us through the Fan Mail option on the podcast! 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Alright, if you would please turn in your Bibles to Acts chapter 27, verses 10 and 11. Acts chapter 27, verses 10 and 11. I want to give you a message today on lessons from the storm of life to take the counsel. Look at verses uh 10 and 11 with me in Acts chapter 27. The Bible says, and this is Paul speaking here, he says, and said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with uh with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives. Nevertheless, the centurion believed the master and owner of the ship more than those things which are spoken by Paul. Let's pray this morning and uh ask the Lord to help us. Father, we thank you for the truth of your word. Lord, I thank you the promise that we have that all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction and righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect and thoroughly furnished into all good works. And Lord, I pray that you would take this truth, these things that you've shown me, and I pray that you'll speak to the hearts of the people, Lord, that uh listen to these messages, and that there'll be a help and encouragement to them. And Lord, maybe there's some that are going through the storms of life right now. I pray that you would use this to be a help and a blessing. In Jesus' name, amen. All right, I want you to notice some things about these lessons from the storm of life. Storms of life, I want you to notice in verses one through eight there were things that were out of their control. In verses one through eight, there were things that were out of their control. Notice what it says. It says, And when it was determined that we should sail unto Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius, a centurion of Augustus's band. And entering into a ship of Adramidium, we launched, meaning to sail to the coasts of Asia, one Aristarchus, a Macedonian of the Thessalonica, being with us. 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. And when we had launched from thence we sailed under Cyprus because the winds were contrary. And when we had sailed over the Sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia, and there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy, and he put us therein. And when we had sailed slowly many days, and scarce were come over against Nidas, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under Crete over against Salmon. In verse eight, and hardly passing it came unto a place which is called the Fair Havens, nigh whereunto was the city of Lycia. Now, this uh so this passage in the book of Acts is uh the Apostle Paul has been uh put into uh he's been taken into custody and he's been being have he's had different trials before different judges and things, and he's uh basically just just going through through some troubles for preaching the gospel, for doing what God had called him to do. And uh there were some things that uh it's interesting Paul had completely no control over. And uh this is where we're at here in verses one through eight. And I want you to notice some of these things. There were things that were out of Paul's control. And notice these words, and I tried to emphasize those as I was reading those verses, but it was determined. That word in verse one, uh determined, it means to distinguish, that is to decide. So someone else kind of made a decision where Paul was going at this time. Verse 1, they delivered Paul. That word delivered, it means to give into the hands of another, to surrender, that is to yield up. Uh verse three, Julius courteously entreated Paul, gave him liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself. In verse six, he put us there in. Uh that word put is to, of course, uh to place or transfer from a vessel. But you know what you know what I noticed about reading these verses here is that Paul has no control over his life here. Why? Where did all this begin? And how did he get on this ship in the first place? You ever feel that way sometimes? How did I get in this place? How'd I get onto this boat here? But it all began with a meeting that he had with Jesus Christ. He was confronted with the Savior and about his sin in chapter 9, in verses 1 through 5 of the book of Acts, and the Bible says, And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest and desired of him letters of Damascus to the synagogues that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. So before Paul became uh before the more Paul had met the Lord Jesus Christ, excuse me, um, there was uh he he was a Pharisee, and he was uh he was arresting people that were preaching Christ. And it says in verse 3, and as he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly there shined around about him a light from heaven, and he fell to the earth and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. In verse six, we're going to see here in just a minute, and I want you to notice this. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. These questions in Acts chapter 9, verses 4 through 6 forever changed the direction of Paul's life. One question was, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? That was the confrontation that the Lord Jesus Christ had with Paul and his sin. And then in verse 6, the question is asked by Paul to the Lord, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And these two questions were a turning point in the Apostle Paul's life. Of course, before he became the Apostle Paul. And by the way, those two questions, they are a turning point in our life. When we're confronted with our sin and we say, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, our uh life is forever changed, and the direction and the course of our life is forever changed. Our eternity and the direction of our eternity is changed from hell to heaven, and praise the Lord for that. But this led Paul's to salvation and surrender. Paul's name is changed from Saul to Paul. It's interesting, the name Paul means uh little, and it comes from a Latin word that means to stop, to restrain, to quit, to desist, and to come to an end. And if you ever had that encounter with the Lord where you came to the end of the road and you were confronted with your sin and the Savior, and have you asked Jesus that question, Lord, wilt thou have me to do? What wilt thou have me to do? Uh listen, I remember on July 16th of 2006, I was confronted with that question, with those questions. Uh I was confronted with my sin. As a matter of fact, I had been coming to church for about five or six weeks to an addictions ministry that we had, and then finally came to a church service on Sunday morning, and guess what question was asked me every single time? Uh why persecutest thou me? Now, that exact question wasn't asked me, but I'm going to tell you something. The Lord was speaking to my heart. Through the peep preaching and the teaching and the witness of other Christians, uh, that question was being asked me. Jonathan Wallace, what are you doing? What are you doing with your life? And uh the Bible says, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. I was confronted with my sin when I heard the preaching and the teaching of God's word. But I also came to a point where I asked a question, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And listen, I had to uh I had a friend that shared the gospel with me. He took the Bible and he showed me from the Word of God how I could accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. He showed me that Christ died for my sins and was buried and raised again the third day according to the scriptures, and that if I would believe on him and call upon his name, that uh whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. And I trusted Christ as my Lord and Savior that day, and I believe with all of my heart that God forever changed the direction of my life at that very moment. But listen, have you ever come to that place? Have you had that encounter with the Lord? Where you came to the end of the road, where you came to the end of yourself, and you just said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? Paul did. He asked that question and was given the answer in verses uh 15 and 16 of Acts chapter 9. I want you to notice what the Bible says. Someone was uh told to go to Paul, Ananias was, and I want you to notice what he was told in verse 15 and 16. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way, for he is a chosen vessel unto me to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel, for I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. And the Apostle Paul there, he he got his calling from the Lord. Uh and listen, this was uh where Paul lost control of his life, but not in a bad way. He became a witness, and all through the book of Acts, he is telling people about the Lord, and he's sharing his testimony and about what the Lord had done in his life, and that's what got him on the ship in the first place in Acts chapter 27. You know, sometimes we think that if we're doing what God wants us to do, that it's going to be smooth sailing and all those things, but listen, it got the Apostle Paul into trouble. Uh, it was a good kind of trouble. Praise the Lord. I'd rather be in that kind of trouble than the kind of trouble I used to be in. But in Acts 26, 32, then said Agrippa unto Festus, This might, this man might have been set at liberty if he had not appealed unto Caesar. But listen, this was God's direction, this was God's path for Paul's life, and this is what got him on the ship. The events prior to are what brought him to Acts 27:1, where it says, And it was determined that we should sail into Italy, and that they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius, a centurion of Augustus' ban. Listen, there were things that were out of Paul's control, but I want you to notice there were things that are out of everyone's control. In verses 2 through 8, verse 2 says that they were meaning to sail by the coasts of Asia. That word meaning means through the idea of expectation to intend. And I love Proverbs. I couldn't help but think of Proverbs chapter 16, verse 9. The Bible says, A man's heart deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his steps. Hey, listen, there's a lot of times that we plan things and we uh try to uh have uh control over our life and the direction of our life and the steps that we take and all those things, and we we come up with all these ideas, as Proverbs says there, a man's heart deviseth his way, but then God steps in. I'm glad that God got in the way of Paul that day, and I'm glad that God got in my way the day that he got in my way. And I'm sure that if you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you can testify right now and you can you can remember when the Lord got in your way and uh and he uh changed the direction of your life. But there were some things here that were completely out of the control of these people's lives. They meant to go, they meant to sail by the coast of Asia. And then notice verse 4, it says, We sailed under Cyprus because the winds were contrary. Hey, that wind started blowing in a direct different direction. That word contrary, it means opposite. Verse 7, it says, the wind not suffering us. That word suffering means to permit further progress. Notice where all these events bring them in verse eight, and it says, and hardly passing it came unto a place which is called the fair havens. Nigh whereunto was the city of Lacia. That word, uh the fair havens, that phrase there, it means good harbors. Listen, this was a good safe place for them to be. Everything up to this point was out of most of their control. The people that were making the decisions of when and where to go could have turned back or waited, but there were things that were out of most of their control that led them to where they were. As for Paul, though, he is right where the Lord would have him to be, and praise the Lord. I I don't know about you. Uh, if there's anybody that I'd want to be on that ship, it would be the Apostle Paul because he's he is right in the center of God's will. And though uh from our perspective and from the perspective of people around him, him having the chains on him and all those things, uh I'm sure that they looked at him and said, Man, I sure don't want to be that guy. I sure don't want to be the guy that's gonna go appeal to Caesar and maybe have his head chopped off and all those things. But listen, Paul is right exactly where God wanted him to be. Matter of fact, if you remember back in Acts chapter 9, verse 15 and 16, he said, You're gonna go testify of me and of my grace before the Gentiles and the Jews and all the people, the children of Israel, and and and all these different things. And Paul is right where God wants him. Someone would say that the government led them where they were because uh they were being taken to Rome to appeal to Caesar, or they could say that because of the weather they ended up where they were. Behind all these things that are true, the Lord had brought them to this place. And listen, I don't know where you're at right now in your life, but uh I'm I'm sure that uh just as everyone, the Bible says in the book of Job that man that is born of woman is a few days and full of troubles. I believe every one of us could say that the storms of life have brought us to the place where we were. And though we maybe had plans and directions for our life and we thought that we'd be in a certain place or doing a certain thing, uh, that listen, the storms of life, and of course, I don't want to blame, we can't blame everything on that, and I'll mention that here in just a minute, because God has given to every single one of us a free will, and we do make our decisions, and we do have to reap what we sow, and we reap the good and we reap the bad of the things that we sow. But listen, behind all these things that are true, the Lord has brought them to this place that we're reading about here in the book of Acts. And the Lord's brought you where you are. Psalm 107 25 says, For he commandeth and raiseth the stormy wind which lifteth up the waves thereof. Romans 13 1, let every soul be subject unto the higher powers, for there is no power but of God. The powers that be are ordained of God. What am I trying to say? I'm trying to tell you that there are times in our life when things are out of our control, and they lead us to the place where we are. And I don't in any way, again, want to take away from the fact that God has given us a free will, but there are times when the winds of life happened and the powers that be happened, and we are brought to certain places. Paul being surrendered to the Lord here is right where he's supposed to be. We see, number one, there were things that were out of their control. And then number two, I want you to notice that there was counsel that was given in verses nine through thirteen. Notice what the Bible says. It says, Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous because of the fast that was now already passed, Paul admonished them 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. Nevertheless, the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship more than those things which were spoken by Paul. And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phinnis, and there to winter, which is in haven of Crete, and lieth toward the southwest and the northwest. And when the south winds blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete. All right, I want you to notice there was counsel that was given. There was counsel that was given by Paul in verses 9 and 10. It says Paul admonished them. That word admonished, it means to recommend or advise. And I want you to notice the perception that the man of God had in verse 10. He says, And Paul 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. That word perceive, it means to be a spectator of, that is, to discern. And I want you to know that, listen, God does give insight at times to people. Sometimes godly counselors can see things that we don't see. And I encourage you, listen, uh, a part of your Christian life should be getting godly counsel. Listen, we can get that from the preaching of God's word, we can get that from the teaching of God's word. But listen, I'm gonna tell you something. Certainly, first and foremost, we need to get that from the study of God's word. But I'm gonna tell you something. There's times that we should go to other Christian, spiritual Christian brothers or sisters, and we should say, hey, I need your advice on this situation. And listen, there is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord. You need to make sure that that person gives you scripture when they give you that counsel. Because, but listen, I'm telling you, there's times that other people can see things that we don't see. And we need to be open and receptive to that counsel. And here, Paul, he tries to give these people some counsel. By the way, we're gonna see here in just a minute, it wasn't received, and there was damage that came from that. But I want you to know that God does give insight at times to people. Amos 3 7 says, Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants, the prophets. In Genesis chapter 18, verse 17, I love this passage about Abraham. Abraham was given some information that others were not given, and some insight on some things that others were not given in Genesis 18, 17, and the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do? And then, if you go on and read the passage, he shares with Abraham the things that he's going to do. In John chapter 15 and verse 15, Jesus said, Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth, but I have called you friends. For all things that I have heard of my father I have made known unto you. Listen, the Lord Jesus Christ, he shared with his disciples those truths. Why? Because they were open to it and they were receptive to it. But I'm going to tell you something. There was counsel that was given. First Peter 5 2 talks about a pastor, and it says, feed the flock of God which is among you. And it says that he should take the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind. That word oversight, it means to oversee by implication to be aware, to look diligently. And listen, there are times that the man of God can see things that we can't see. If we look at their uh position behind the pulpit and think of maybe they're on a an elevated platform and how they can perceive in uh over the congregation, they can see from a vantage point that you and I don't have physically, but also spiritually through prayer and through the study of God's word and through experiences that God has brought them through, they can see things in the congregation that maybe the congregation may not see in themselves. And listen, it's a wise thing to take counsel. And if you ignore that counsel, it's a dangerous thing, as we'll see here in just a minute. Let's let's see what Paul saw. What did Paul see? Danger ahead. Notice what he says: this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives. Paul didn't know everything at this time, but he did have some insight on the situation, and later had been told clearly in verses 21 through 26, which we'll see in a little while, but I'll read them. It says, But after long abstinence, Paul stood forth in the midst of them and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer, for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul, thou must be brought before Caesar, and lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Therefore, sirs, be of good cheer, for I believe God that it shall be even as it was told me. Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island. Paul said, Hey, listen, we're we're going to get through this thing, but there's going to be some damage because you didn't listen to what I told you originally. There was counsel that was given by others in verse 11. I want you to notice it says, Nevertheless, the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship more than those things which were spoken by Paul. Hey, listen, danger, danger ahead. When we listen and we ignore the counsel of the man of God, things that are coming from the inspiration of God's word and all those things, and we lean into our own understanding. This is bad counsel. The counsel of the ungodly. Psalm 1-1 says, Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly. This is said of Rehoboam in 2 Chronicles chapter 10, verse 8, but he forsook the counsel which the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men that were brought up with him and stood before him. This is counsel that lacked experience and wisdom. Lacked experience and wisdom. I was sharing with our teenagers in uh the school the other day in our Bible class. I was sharing with them that, hey, listen, if you want to get somebody to go. Along with what you're doing, you can find someone that will agree with you. But I'm going to tell you, a good friend, a good friend will give you the truth, and they will give you good counsel and good advice and wisdom with that from the scriptures, and of course, is the source of that. And it may seem practical on our end at times to take counsel from someone else. I want you to notice in verse 11 it says that this was the master and owner of the ship. Hey, this guy's a ship owner. He's a sailor. Where's Paul's boat? But listen, Proverbs 3, 5, and 6 says, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy path. Did you know that one of the hardest things, and I'm just learning this, I'm just beginning to see this after 20 years of being a Christian, knowing Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, one of the hardest things to me to have learned over the years, and not that I've arrived or attained or anything like that, I still struggle with this, but is the fact of just ignoring what my feelings say, ignoring what my own thoughts say, ignoring what the world system says and what maybe what uh the advice of people who may seem to uh be educated and be smart as far as this world is concerned, ignoring those things and just saying, hey, I need to trust what the scripture says. Listen, I struggled with that. I I there are times in our life when we think, no, this is, in my mind, this is how this is supposed to work out. But I think of a passage in uh Isaiah chapter 55 right now. This isn't in my notes, but I want to let me look at this and share this with you. But the Bible tells us in the book of Isaiah that God doesn't think like we think. Listen, what what's the problem with our thinking? We have a sin nature. God doesn't have that. And praise the Lord for that. But listen, you and I, our our thoughts are corrupt and they're they're messed up. And I want you to listen to what Isaiah 55 7 says or verse 8, for my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth in bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Hey, listen, there is times in life that we may not understand things. It didn't make sense to these people to believe Paul over the master and owner of the ship. Paul was sitting there in chains. Paul, he wasn't driving the ship, he wasn't leading the ship, he was the he was the he was a passenger. You understand? But God was speaking through this man, and God was trying to tell these people, say, hey, don't go that way, don't go that direction. And again, Proverbs 21:30 says, There is no wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel against the Lord. People can make mistakes, good people can make mistakes, but counsel that comes from God's word will never be a mistake. Paul didn't know every single detail of how the voyage would go, but later God told him that they would make it through. They could have avoided shipwreck and loss by listening. I want you to notice what they do in verse 12 and 13. The Bible says, And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised the depart to advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phinnis and there to winter, which is in haven of Crete, and lieth toward the southwest and the northwest. It wasn't convenient for them to wait. Notice in verse 12, the haven was not commodious to winter in. That word commodious it means inconvenient. It was an inconvenient thing. Not we we don't need to wait here. Let's keep going. They went with the majority in verse twelve. The more part advised them to depart thence also. In verse 13, it seems like this was the right thing to do. Notice what it says, and when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose. And again, I can't help but uh remember that verse in Proverbs chapter 3, and lean not upon thine own understanding. Listen, there's some times when it just seems like everything's going right. Hey, this is the this is the right thing to do. I think of decisions that I've made in the past that I should not have made, that I could have avoided shipwreck for myself and for others, but I ignored the counsel that was given. I ignored the things that God was trying to speak to me from his word about. I did not listen. And hey, at first it seemed like everything was going well, but it ended in destruction. There was a lot of damage that came from that. And praise the Lord, still here. The Lord's been gracious and he was merciful to me during that time. But listen, it just seems like everything is going right up to this point. But I want you to notice what verse 14 says. But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind called Euryclid. There's this tempestuous wind. It means to throw. All of a sudden the wind comes against means down, and uh the the opposition comes now. Tempestuous is a whirlwind, stormy, and then uh kind of smoky. There's a darkness to that. There's that wind again, changing the plans of man. It was said by many of the Titanic, even God can't sink this ship. But that ship today lies at the bottom of that ocean. Life hits us sometimes, doesn't it? Unexpected, unanticipated things happen. Notice the name of this wind, Euroclidon, a violent agitation. I'm so thankful that even though there are times in life when these things happen, and we shouldn't tempt God and just ignore God and say, well, God will just make it all okay. Listen, Psalm 107, 23 through 30. I love this passage when we have when we are in the midst of those storms and those decisions. It says here, they that go down to the sea in ships that do business in great waters, these see the works of the Lord and his wonders in the deep. For he commandeth and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount out they mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths, their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet. So he bringeth them unto their desired haven. Praise the Lord. Aren't you glad that when you messed up, that when you ignored the counsel, that when you you made a complete mess of everything, that you came to your wit's end, but you cried unto the Lord, and he brought you to your desired haven. He made the storm a calm. Isn't that a blessing? Praise the Lord. Listen, I'm so thankful that we have that promise to hold on to from the Lord. But I want you to notice what happens to the ship here in verse 15. It says it was caught, and when the ship was caught and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive. In other words, that word drive, it just means to give over by hand or surrender. This thing got out of control and they had to just let go of the wheel, hands off. Verse 16 and 17, uh, there comes a lot of work needed and help to hold the ship together. It says, and running under a certain wind and running under a certain island, which is called Clouda, we had much work to come by the boat, which when they had taken up, they used helps undergirding the ship and fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strike sail, and so were we, so we're driven. Hey, listen, there's times that we get to that point and we just have to take our hands off and say, I I need, I need help here. Hey, listen, I can't do this. I I was I was praying this morning before uh before studying and before coming in here and recording this, and and I I noticed something that I there's a word that I repeat oftentimes in my prayer, help. Help. I cannot tell you how many times I just come to the Lord and I'm like, Lord, I need you to help me. Lord, I need you to help me with my family. I need you to help me with my children. I need you to help me with this ministry. I need you to help me to study your word. Lord, I need you to help me to get up this morning and go and face this day and do what you've called me to do. Lord, I need you to help me to in these decisions that I have to make. Listen, there there was there come a place where where these people needed help. There was the hurt and much damage that Paul warned of earlier is begun. In verses 18 and 19 it says, and we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lighten the ship. And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship. Hey, listen, there were some things that they had to get rid of. Uh they're tossed around getting beat up by the waves for three days, and now they have to start getting rid of some things. I think of the passage in the book of Hebrews, I believe it's chapter 12, it says, Lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us. Hey, listen, when they got to this point in their life, there were some there were some things that were on that boat that weren't as important to them as it was when they got on that boat. And listen, I believe as we the further we get into life and when those storms come and those trials come that come our way, I believe we get begin to realize the value of those things and we say, hey, you know what? I think I could do without that. Lord, I just need you right now. I love that song that Ron Hamilton sings. Lord, I need you. Lord, I need you. Uh verse 20, which happens to all of us at times when we ignore counsel and God's word, notice what happens. 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. Have you ever come to that place where you just said, I I have no hope. I have no hope. Uh this is a time of darkness. This is a time when wave after wave hits you. We took our kids to the beach this past summer, and I'm so thankful that we got to do that. And uh, but uh my my little ones, they're they're in the in the ocean, and and listen, the beach we were at, it was little tiny waves, but to them, uh each one that would come, it would knock, it could, you know, knock them over, and and some of them they could stand against one or two, but then every now and then a big wave would come and just just knock them over. And uh this tempest is a storm, a pouring rain. And sometimes those things, I think about Job's life, something that I noticed about Job when uh the beginning of the book of Job is trouble after trouble came. He got bad news after bad news about his family, about his uh his his uh things that he owned and all those things, his health, everything, just one thing right after another. This is a time of despair. All hope that we should be saved was then taken away. Praise the Lord for Psalm 1828, for thou wilt light my candle, the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. There were things that were out of their control, there was counsel that was given, and then number three, I want you to notice, and praise the Lord for this, there was a second chance. But after long abstinence, Paul stood forth in the midst of them and said, Sirs, you should have hearkened unto me, and should not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. Hey, but listen, there was a second chance. He gives them a I told you so in verse twenty-one. He said, Sirs, you should have hearkened unto me. Proverbs one thirty-three says, But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely and shall be quiet from fear of evil. Listen, we should we should listen to wisdom when it cries out. But he said, I told you so. He wasn't, I'm sure, not in a uh condescending way or anything. But he then he gives the encouragement in verse 22. Notice what he says, and now I exhort you to be of good cheer. Praise the Lord. He said, Hey, I got good news. Yes, we messed up. Yes, we made a mistake, but there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. Yet we're gonna lose the ship. But listen, you're you're gonna make it through this, all right? And praise the Lord for the encouragement. Uh and then he I want you to notice the source of encouragement in verses 23 through 25. He says, For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul, thou must be brought before Caesar, and lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer, for I believe God that it shall be even as it was told me. Listen, that came from the Lord. There was a message, a source of encouragement that came from the Lord. And listen, I think of what David did when he was in a time of trouble and a time of difficulty in his life. The Bible says that he encouraged himself in the Lord his God. I think of what our uh pastor uh that uh was before Pastor Schumate, Pastor Lonnie Moore, he told us one time. He said, he told me, I asked him, he was getting ready to step out into another direction of the ministry, and uh and I was getting ready to step into another direction of the ministry, and I said, Is there some advice that you can give me? Is there some, you know, I said, What what what should I do? He said, John, learn to encourage yourself in the Lord. And I'm just gonna be honest with you. He I know he was he was absolutely right. There are there are gonna be, listen, there's times that other people encourage us, and I praise the Lord for that. But listen, there are times in life where, as David said, I looked at my right hand and beheld on my left, and no man would know me, no man cared for my soul. And and listen, he came to a point in life where it seemed like no one else was concerned with the trouble that he was going through, but he learned to encourage himself in the Lord. And uh, listen, we need to learn to do that. And I thank God for the people that God has put in my life that encouraged me. There's so many of them. But listen to me. There was a source of encouragement, and it came from the scriptures. 1 John 5 4 says, For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world, and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. In verses 26 through 29, it shows us hope despite the consequences. It says they wished for the day. They still had that hope that, hey, listen, that day's coming. That day's coming when we're gonna arrive on the other shore, and everything's gonna be all right. Amen. And listen, you and I, we're heading to a destination. If you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, uh we're we're heading to the other side of the shore. And yes, this ship that we're in, this body that we have, it's gonna be beat and it's gonna be battered, and it's gonna be it's gonna be uh a mess because of bad decisions that we make, but praise the Lord, one of these days God's gonna make it new, and we're nearing that shore. But verse 30 and 31, you need to understand that it can't be done through deception. You can't get out of trouble by running from it. It must be faced. It says there in that passage, except these abide in the ship, you cannot be saved. Verse 32, they learned to take counsel. Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat and let her fall off. Paul had said unto them in verse 31, uh Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved. And they took the advice. Verse 33 through 36, practical things needed to be done. Hey, they needed to eat. They had been fasting for several days. They hadn't eaten for several days, and there was some practical things that needed to be done. And then verse 37, everyone is accounted for. Encouragement that God was keeping his promise. Notice what it says in verse 37. And we were in all, and we were in awe in the ship, two hundred and three score and sixteen souls, and and they made it. They every one of them, God said that nobody'd lose their life, they didn't lose their life. Verse 38 through 40, they laid aside the weights and the had and had to let go. It says here, and when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea. And when it was day they knew not the land, but they discovered a certain creek with a shore into the which they were minded if it were possible to thrust in the ship. And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoisted up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore. Listen, uh, they had to lay aside the weights, and they had to let go and say, Hey, this is this is the course that we're on. And then finally, verses forty-one through forty-four, they're safe at last. And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground, and the forepart stuck fast and remained unmovable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves. And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out and escape. But the centurion will the centurion willing to save Paul kept them from their purpose and commanded that they should uh that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea and get to land, and the rest, some on boards and some on broken pieces of the ship, and I love at the end of verse 44 it says, And so it came to pass that they escaped all safe to land. Hey, listen, maybe you've made some bad decisions. Maybe the ship's beat up, maybe it's battered, maybe there ain't nothing left of it. But I'm gonna tell you something, friend. If you trusted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior before the voyage began, we're gonna get to the other side of the shore, and it's gonna be all right. Amen. Praise the Lord for that. Hey, what a wonderful, wonderful message and encouragement. This has encouraged me even this morning, and I praise the Lord for it. Listen, I hope these messages are a blessing to you, but I pray that the Lord will bless you. I know this was a long one, but I hope that you'll listen to it, and I hope you'll share it with others as well. If there's anything we can do for you, listen, reach out to us. There is a an option on the uh podcast to send fan mail, so I'd encourage you to do that. If we can do something to be a help and a blessing to you, please do that. But may the Lord bless you and have a good day.