94 Acts 27:39-44 Who Commands the Waves and Wind Part 3

September 14, 2025

Christopher C. Freeman

Title: “Who Commands the Winds and Waves?” Part 3 Text: Acts 27:39-44 FCF: We often struggle believing God’s Words to the fullest degree. Prop: Because God’s Word always comes to pass exactly as He says it will, we must believe and respect the Word of God. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 27. In a moment we’ll begin reading in verse 39 from the Legacy Standard Bible. You can follow along in the pew Bible, or in whatever version you prefer. Today we finally complete the maritime adventure story of Paul, the prisoner for Jesus Christ, being taken to Rome to stand before Emperor Nero on the accusation of treason with the expected sentence of death. It has been anything but a smooth trip. Having left late in August, they are prevented by waves and wind and arrive in mid-October at Fair Havens on the island of Crete. Ignoring the advice of Paul and following a south wind they endeavor to get to Phoenix to winter the next three months. Instead, a Nor’easter blew them well off course and out to sea. Paul gave them assurances from God, but still they tried to do everything in their power to save themselves. Finally, the passengers on board believe God and pursue the salvation He promised them. But we ended last week before they were out of the woods. Things were looking up – but the winds and waves still beat on the ship while anchored off the coast of some land mass. Let’s see if God’s Word will be fulfilled. Please stand with me to focus on and give honor to the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: Heavenly Father You have given us Your Word which is full of promises, teachings, commands, and warnings. We are instructed to approach it as a mirror showing us who we are. We are invited to approach it humbly and to seek the words of life and wisdom for salvation in it. May we see today the importance of trusting what you say and not twisting or manipulating Your Holy Word for our own ends. Let us faithfully and humbly approach and receive Your Word today we pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Transition: Well last week’s sermon was a lengthier one. Based on the number of verses, it is easy to believe that the time crept up almost to the hour mark. Today we will bite off a much more manageable piece as we seek to conclude the storm episode. God willing, we will begin the last chapter of the book of Acts next week. So, let’s dive in. I.) God’s Word always comes to pass exactly as He says it, so we must believe every word. (39-41) a. [Slide 2] 39 - Now when day came, they could not recognize the land; but they were noticing a bay with a beach, and they were resolving to drive the ship onto it if they could. i. After this meal of faith taken by the passengers and sailors aboard this Alexandrian ship, they get what sleep they can and wait until dawn. ii. At daybreak, they were able to assess the situation they were in. iii. Sailors who had made these voyages through the Mediterranean several times would have no doubt grown accustomed to the look of the land. iv. Seasoned sailors would be able to look at a beach and with surprising accuracy be able to know where they are. v. But in this instance, they did not recognize the land. vi. [Slide 3] We may wonder why this is since it is well-documented that Malta, the island they are approaching, was an often-used commercial port between Rome and the rest of the Empire. 1. But what is also well documented is that this little island had been dealing with civil wars and pirate raids which had caused it to be skipped over by commercial vessels who didn’t want to deal with either. 2. History often gives us a statement which is generally true, but depending on the specific time period we zoom in on, that may not always be the case. 3. [Slide 4] Malta was on the rise again, recovering from civil wars and pirates. And by the 2nd century it would have been granted the status to be able to govern itself. 4. But when Paul lands, in the mid-first century, Malta had fully recovered from these problems. 5. So, the reason these sailors did not recognize the beach is because they happen upon Malta, probably in a narrow window of time where the island had recovered but was not being used by many commercial ships yet. 6. This little detail actually helps to corroborate Luke’s timeline where he says he and Paul landed on Malta in late October of AD 59. 7. Every detail in the scriptures… even the fact that these sailors did not recognize the land, is important. vii. Malta is actually a diverse island when it comes to available places to dock. viii. There are sheer rocky cliffs on much of the island but some places that would be approachable by a sea faring vessel. ix. [Slide 4] This is the traditional site of this Alexandrian ship’s approach. Today this place is named St. Paul’s Bay. x. You can see, even though modernized, there are areas that a beach would be visible and seemingly attainable. xi. As a sailor it would be much preferred to beach the ship. Just because you are on board a sea faring vessel doesn’t necessarily mean you can swim. xii. The ship’s boat, as we know, was cut away to prevent any of the crew from abandoning everyone else to guide the ship. The crew being the only ones who probably could swim. xiii. So, beaching the ship was the best option. xiv. But we have to go back to what God said, and what these people were required to believe. xv. God told Paul that the ship would be lost and would run aground on some island but all the people on board would be saved. xvi. Are they still believing that this is true? xvii. I believe they are. xviii. To run a ship aground and beaching a ship are virtually the same. And just because they endeavor to beach the ship doesn’t mean the ship will be salvageable. They had already thrown out the wheat. xix. So, it seems that trusting that God would do something doesn’t mean resigning ourselves to the worst possible version of that promise. 1. God guaranteeing that He will be with us and protect us doesn’t mean that we can take foolish risks with our lives. 2. So also, God predicting that the ship would be lost and run aground could mean that the ship is beached with no hope of pushing it back out to sea. xx. In fact, it seems as though they are committed to losing the ship in the process of beaching it because of what they do next. b. [Slide 6] 40 - And casting off the anchors, they left them in the sea while at the same time they were loosening the ropes of the rudders. And hoisting the foresail to the wind, they were heading for the beach. i. Here we see the sailors make every effort to run the ship as fast and as hard as they can into the beach of Malta. ii. They cast off the four anchors which were holding them off the coast of the island. iii. They do so by cutting them away rather than hoisting them up. Again, this is an effort to get the ship as light as possible so they can sit higher in the water. iv. At the same time, they gave way the rudders allowing it to be used to steer freely rather than fighting against where the waves and wind were taking them. v. Finally, they hoisted the foresail to the wind and aimed the ship directly at the beach. vi. In this way, they go as fast as they are able directly toward the land. vii. Given this picture, the sailors were not trying to save the ship at all. They just wanted to get to the safety of land with enough speed to go over the top of shallower areas and stick the ship into the beach without it being pulled back out. viii. In this verse we may suppose some contradictions. Luke had said that they had cast the tackle overboard, meaning the sailing and mooring equipment, but here they clearly still have ropes, sails, and anchors. ix. But the items Luke lists here would not have been included in the tackle. 1. The four anchors used to hold the ship would not have been the main mooring equipment which would have been much larger and heavier. This is probably why they had to use 4 anchors to hold the ship in place. 2. The foresail here is not a large sail used for sailing the high seas. It is a much smaller sail at the front of the ship used to help steer the ship in more precise ways. x. So, there is no contradiction. The heaviest equipment has long been tossed into the sea. They are making due with what they have. c. [Slide 7] 41 - But striking a reef where two seas met, they ran the vessel aground; and the bow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern began to be broken up by the force of the waves. i. Despite their efforts to beach the ship, the currents coming around the island had formed a sandbar or reef before the beach. ii. Just below the surface, perhaps unable to be seen because of the wind and waves, the ship was not able to pass over it. iii. And so the bow of the ship stuck fast into it and was effectively lodged. No amount of rowing would move it. iv. Commentators reflect on the stony make up of Malta and how when that stone is beaten up by salt water it turns into clay. v. The shallow portions of St. Paul’s Bay in Malta is made up of this very sticky clay. vi. Just like when you put your boot into some thick mud and have trouble retrieving your foot with your boot still on, the ship, striking this clay with force, would suck the ship in and not let it out. vii. Meanwhile the stern of the ship, still floating freely, continued to be pushed by the waves and wind. This would have created a great deal of torque on the vessel causing the stern to be beaten and ripped away from the rest of the ship that was immovable. viii. At this point, it is clear that the ship will be utterly destroyed. d. [Slide 8] Summary of the Point: As Luke closes out this narrative episode of the storm, we see very clearly the point he is making. God’s Word always comes to pass exactly as He says it. God told Paul that the ship would run aground on some island and be destroyed, and that is exactly what happened. God’s Word is always true. It always comes to pass. So, we must trust the Word of the Lord. We must trust it explicitly. We must trust every single word. Transition: [Slide 9 (blank)] But there are some things God has told Paul that have not yet come to pass. Specifically, the salvation of every person aboard’ s life. They are not to shore yet. The ship is breaking apart. Many cannot swim. Will God keep His Word… well if you were listening to the summary of the last point you should be saying…. YES! Let’s see how. II.) God’s Word always comes to pass exactly as He says it, so we must be careful how we approach the Word of God. (42-44) a. [Slide 10] 42 - Now the soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim away and escape; i. Since the loss of the ship seems immanent and since it will be a much less organized and supervised disembarking of the vessel, the Roman soldiers seek to protect their own lives after the storm is over. ii. Paul and others were bound for Rome as prisoners. iii. As we have pointed out when we talked about Peter escaping prison and Herod executing the guards, and again with the Philippian jailer, a soldier in charge of keeping prisoners would adopt the sentence of any who escaped. Paul’s charge is a capital one. He is on trial for treason. If Paul escapes, the soldiers aboard would surely be put to death. iv. Since they believe that every single person will live through the wreck of the ship, they understand the very real possibility that some of these prisoners will use the opportunity and the confusion to escape. v. Therefore, they will kill the prisoners now to prevent this. vi. We see immediately the contradiction of logic. If they believe that every person will be brought through the storm, how can they seek to kill them before they are saved from it? vii. But this is in keeping with a pagan understanding of oracles and prophesy. viii. Oracles were seen as coming from the gods, but were often quite ambiguous and open for interpretation. So much so, that every predicted outcome comes with a certain level of uncertainty. ix. There would also be a sense of reading between the lines of an oracle. Paul said that there would be no loss of life, but they seek to take life. So, it is a loop hole. x. Paul said that the angel told him that God has granted him all those who are sailing with him. But they are no longer sailing once they run aground. Another loop hole. xi. Paul’s god is surely like their gods who acted in deceit and underhandedness to get their way. So it is appropriate to look for loop holes since he is probably trying to trick them. xii. And so, though they believe God, they perceive His word as something that can be altered and manipulated to serve their own interests. xiii. Of course, God’s Word is never broken… b. [Slide 11] 43 - but the centurion, wanting to bring Paul safely through, kept them from their intention, and ordered that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land, 44 - and the rest should follow, some on planks, and others on various things from the ship. And so it happened that they all were brought safely to land. i. Paul had obviously had a lasting impact on Julius, this centurion of the Augustan Cohort. ii. He had been right about everything so far in the voyage. iii. So, the centurion puts the kibosh on this discussion. iv. Instead, he moves right into action planning. v. He orders that all hands abandon ship. First, that all those who can swim should go overboard and start swimming to the land. vi. The rest should grab on to anything they were able to and use them as flotation devices to help them swim to the beach. vii. There is a possibility that this phrase could be translated for them to hold on to the backs of those who knew how to swim. Either way – we get the idea. viii. And as they obeyed the centurion, so it was that God kept his promise to the letter. No loopholes. No wiggle room. ix. The ship was lost, having run aground on some island that no one knew. x. But all those who sailed with Paul reached the shore alive. xi. God keeps His promises. c. [Slide 12] Summary of the Point: And so, we see, God’s Word comes to pass. Exactly as He said it would. God kept His promise and all passengers aboard are delivered safely to the shores of Malta. But what lessons should we learn negatively from the soldiers who attempted to take the lives of the prisoners while still aboard the ship? It is, really, the inverse of the previous application. We must trust the Word of the Lord to be fulfilled exactly as He says it will be. And therefore, unlike the soldiers, we should not seek to manipulate the Word of God in order to personally benefit or care for ourselves. God’s Word cannot be broken. So, we must break instead. Conclusion: So CBC, what have we learned today that informs or corrects our beliefs and shapes our lifestyles? Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 13] As we reach the resolution of this narrative it becomes abundantly obvious that Luke is making much of the fact that the Word of God cannot be stopped. In fact, if you trace this through the book of Acts, there are multiple times where Luke says that the Word of God spread and the church grew. This is a mega-theme in the book of Acts. God’s Word, His promises, His will, cannot be broken. So much so that to stand against it is to assure yourselves of certain doom. It is to put yourself at odds with the Creator. Because God’s Word will be fulfilled exactly as it was proclaimed, all men are called to believe God and turn from opposing or manipulating what He has said. But let me get a little more specific with how this might apply to us today. 1.) [Slide 14] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that God’s Word will not be broken. a. No matter how unlikely, no matter how ridiculous, no matter how outlandish – God’s Word continues to be true to the letter. b. From the prophesies about Cyrus, naming him, 150 years before he was born, to the predictions of the Messiah which Jesus fulfills, to the promise to Noah about a worldwide flood, to the promise to Abraham to establish a covenant… God has always… ALWAYS kept His word. c. We are overtly told that God doesn’t lie. d. He never makes a promise He won’t fulfill. e. He never says something that doesn’t quite work out the way He said it would. f. And the crazy thing is that God has given us His Word. g. These passengers aboard this boat had to trust Paul that an angel was sent by God to tell him what would happen. By the time it gets to the passengers, it is like 4th hand information. h. But for us the very Words of God are written to us and the Spirit of God illuminates the hearts of those whom He desires to know and understand the Word. i. We read the scriptures knowing that these are the very words of God. j. Therefore, they are not up for debate. They are not up for review. We cannot edit them. We cannot add to or take away from them. k. What does that mean? 2.) [Slide 15] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don’t naturally do or aren’t currently doing?” We must trust God’s Word to the letter. a. We are not sitting as judges over the Word of God determining its value, its legitimacy, or its authority. b. We are, instead, in the humble position of coming to the Word of God to be broken and formed around God’s thoughts. c. Charles Haddon Spurgeon once said, “The Word of God is the anvil upon which the opinions of men are smashed.” d. We must come to the Word of God as though it is an anvil. We take our wills, our thoughts, our opinions, our desires, our hopes, our dreams, our beliefs, our lifestyles, our identities, our orientations, our worldviews, and we lay them on its surface. e. The Spirit of God strikes with the hammer of illumination… and only what remains unbroken is of value. f. Everything else must be cast aside. g. It could not be simpler. h. If you believe something God’s Word says is false, then YOU are wrong. i. If you do something God condemns, then YOU are wrong. j. If you desire something God forbids, then YOU are wrong. k. If you are hoping in yourself when God calls you to hope in Him, YOU are wrong. l. So let the hammer fall. Trust what God has said and let everything destroyed by it fall away. m. Which means we must stop doing something too… 3.) [Slide 16] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop twisting or manipulating God’s Word to fit our desires. a. Even natural desires and things that might be relatively amoral or even morally good… are subject to the Word and will of God. b. The soldiers desired to live and not die because a prisoner escaped. A morally good thing. c. God did NOT promise that the prisoners would not escape. d. God did NOT promise to spare the soldiers from death after the storm. e. In one sense, they trusted God’s Word. f. But not without twisting and manipulating it for their own ends. g. But before we start thinking that this is an activity of pagans alone… h. Christians do this all the time. We twist and manipulate the scriptures to fit our own agendas and desires. i. Christians do word searches to find where the scripture uses the particular word or theme they desire and cherry pick that verse and insert meaning into it. j. Others read passages of scripture and before asking the questions, “What is God saying and what does it mean?” They skip right to the question, “What about my life is this passage speaking to?” Or worse, they ask, “What does this text mean… TO ME?” k. And still others find passages of scripture which directly conflict with what they believe or how they live and rather than breaking on the anvil, they discard the anvil itself and replace it with something much less firm. They reinterpret passages creatively to allow for their aberrant belief or lifestyle. l. Every week I preach I ask the same question. m. What have we learned that informs and corrects our belief and guides or shapes our lifestyle? This is the question that must be asked and it can only be asked after we learn what God says and what He means by saying what He has said. n. This is how we MUST treat the Word of God. If we do not come to it humbly, ready to be broken and changed by it, we will still be judged by what it says. o. No matter how much we have abused, twisted, or manipulated it, what it says will condemn us. p. I read a quote just last night. It said I have read the bible through and found many errors and they were all of them… in me. q. May this be the way we see the Word of God. 4.) [Slide 17] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” God’s Word declares that each person is appointed once to die and then to be judged. And that the Lord will punish every sin and reward the righteous with life. a. In the end the Word of God promises that only those who are perfectly and perpetually righteous will inherit the Kingdom of God. b. Only those who have never sinned and have fulfilled all of what God has said will be included in God’s Kingdom. c. Only those who are holy as God is holy can join His holy kingdom. d. But you say, no one is perfect. No one is righteous. No one is holy. e. You are right. You agree with the scriptures. They teach the same. f. So, if God’s requirement is that everyone be perfect and no one is… how is it that any inherit the Kingdom of God? g. THAT, is the riddle that the bible puts forward. That is what was so shocking to those who listened to Jesus when He said that our righteousness must exceed the Pharisee’s righteousness. h. So what is the answer to the riddle? i. Christ takes the punishment of sin and Christ provides perfect standing before God. j. II Corinthians 5:21 says that He BECAME sin who knew no sin that we might BECOME the righteousness of God. k. Just as Christ took sin to pay its price so also he gave us righteousness so that we might always be declared perfect before God. l. And this transaction is only available to those who trust in Jesus as Savior and who submit to Him as Lord. m. My friends, if you are within the sound of my voice and you have not trusted what God has said, that you are a great sinner and that Jesus is a greater savior and Lord… then I implore you to turn from your sin, and trust in and follow Jesus. n. If you are here today and would like to talk to someone about this, you can talk to any Elder here. We’d be happy to share more about this with you. [Slide 18 (end)] Let me close with a prayer by the church father Augustine of Hippo My soul yearns to know this most entangled enigma, Lord. Please do not shut it away, good Father. I beg you through Christ, do not close off those familiar and not-so-familiar things from me. Do not keep me from entering, but let their light dawn on me in your mercy. Who else could I ask? And to whom can I admit my ignorance? I long to understand your word. I never grow tired of it. Please give me what I love, for I do love it. And you have given me this love, because you know how to give good gifts to your children. Please grant me understanding, since I have done my best to understand, and I will continue in that hard labor until you open the way. I beg you, through Christ and in his name, let no one sidetrack me in this. "I believed; therefore I have spoken" (2 Corinthians 4:13). This is my hope and I live for this: that I may contemplate the joys of my Lord. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Benediction: Now, as you depart, Take His Yoke upon you and learn from Him for He is gentle and humble of heart that you might find in Him, rest for your souls. For he has said, I give My sheep eternal life and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of My hand. Until we meet again, go in peace.