2024-02-18- Sunday School- Safety During a Shipwreck

The speaker is thankful for the day that the Lord has made and emphasizes the importance of having God with them throughout the day. They mention studying the Bible and learning about the life of Paul. The main theme of lesson 12 is safety during a shipwreck. The speaker discusses how Paul warned the ship crew about the dangers ahead but they didn't listen. They highlight the importance of being in God's will and timing. They also mention their own experience of feeling called to preach but waiting for God's guidance. The speaker concludes by sharing a passage from Acts where Paul assures everyone on the ship that they will be saved. They emphasize the importance of believing in God. Well, I'm thankful that this is the day that the Lord has made. It's He who I got up and prayed to this morning, asked Him to keep me all day long. I've got to live in this world for 24 hours a day, and it's good to know that the Creator of this world and this day is with me all the way. I thought I don't get in roller coasters, but if I did, and I got strapped in, Brother Quentin, and I asked the operator, where's this thing going to go to? And he said, I have no idea. I'd probably be getting out of there pretty quick. It's good to know the Creator of this day. Let's turn to Acts 20, chapter 27. We only made it about two-thirds, maybe half the way through lesson 11, but we'll get into lesson 12. We're going to try to tie them both together here and stay on track. I believe we've got probably new books coming in. If I'm not mistaken, we've got one more lesson here. It's been good reading about the life of Paul. I hope you all feel like you know Paul pretty well. I feel like I know him a lot better than I did, and there's way more to know. We could go through it a thousand times and not know everything, and that's the great thing about studying the Bible. But I surely hope that we've learned something about the life of Paul. Our theme in lesson 12, we'll go ahead and read that theme in the golden text. The theme says, of course, it's safety during a shipwreck. Although Paul was under great pressure, he never bowed to it because of his assurance of safety. Assurance of salvation keeps Christians rejoicing. Our golden text comes from 1 Peter 5 and 7 this morning. Casting all your care upon him, for he cares for you. And like I said, we're going to try to tie both of these and get to the end of chapter 27 this morning, Lord willing. Just as a little recap, Paul is headed to Rome as a prisoner on a ship to stand on trial before Caesar. There's a centurion named Julius that's over him and the other prisoners on the ship. And this trip has taken longer than they first had expected, and it gives us a time frame the day after the Pentecost, the feast, which is about somewhere between September and October. So that just gives us kind of a time frame. It tells us that the—let me make sure I don't get that wrong— it was after the feast of the Day of Atonement, I'm sorry. And that gives us a little bit of a time frame where they're at and tells us that winter was coming on and Paul, like some of the others, would have known that it wouldn't have been smooth sailing. Paul had spent the last few years establishing churches up through the coast of Macedonia, so he knew the waters and the times pretty well. And he knew that they was getting ready to head into some bad weather. He perceived that, the Bible says. And he was a man of God, and his perception wasn't just from him. And I'm thankful that our perception is not just leaning on our own understanding, but if we know the Lord and we depend on Him and we lean on His understanding, we don't just lean on our own perceptions. There's more to it than just that. Not that we can't be wrong sometimes, but the Lord will lead us. And he was leading Paul here, and Paul warned them that they should wait at a place called the Fair Havens. But the master of the ship and the captain disagreed, and the majority of the ship all agreed that they should sail on. I've read some commentaries, and it's just speculation, but it did say that the Fair Havens wasn't commodious for winter stay. Some speculated that it would have been okay for a preacher, but there wouldn't be a whole lot of fun things for sailors to do at the Fair Havens. I don't know if that's true or not, but it's a thought. At first, it appeared to be smooth sailing, but before long, the winds turned, and they were in a tempestuous wind called Euroclodon. And the Bible says, if you want to turn to 27 and 15, we'll shortly turn back to John and 8 here in a minute, but the Bible says Acts 27 and 15, and when the ship was caught and could not bear up the wind, we let her drive. And when we step out of the will of God, it will not be long before we aren't the ones doing the driving, Brother Quentin. If we turn to John 8 and 41, it kind of speaks to that. It says, I'll give you time to turn here. John 8 and 41 through 44 says, Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, this is Jesus talking, Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication. We have one Father, even God. These are the Pharisees. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, you would love me. For I proceeded forth and came from God. Neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do you not understand my speech? Even because you cannot hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and the lust of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning and a bode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it. So he says here, You are the father of the devil. You are the father of the devil. You are of your father the devil, and the lust of your father you will do. So when we get out of the step of God, we have relinquished all control. It is crucial to not only seek God's will, but also his timing, Brother Austin. Nobody wanted to go to Rome more than Paul. This was his mission. He wanted to go. God told him that he was going to go to Rome. He wanted to go to Rome. Staying in the fair havens meant that he was just going to be a prisoner that much longer. He did want to go, but he had a perception that this was not the will of the Lord at this time. Philippians 4 and 11, real quick, says, Philippians 4 and 11 says, Paul saying to the church of Philippi, Not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, and both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. So Paul sought to be in the will of God, not to be in a particular state or a particular circumstance. He just wanted to be in the will of the Lord. And it was God's will for Paul to go to Rome. But Paul was sensitive to God's will and perceived that, hey, we should just wait a little bit. So it wasn't the act of going towards Rome that was wrong, in so much that it was the timing. God, I thought, in the Old Testament, God had a king in mind for Israel. But Israel wanted one right now, and they wouldn't wait for King David. King David was the man. So they got Saul, and they paid a heavy price for it. Paul knew what it felt like to go against God. The famous conversion of Paul that we read about many times in Acts 9 and 5 says, And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecust. It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. This ship would soon be kicking against the pricks. And Paul knew what it was like to do that. He could see that. And it says, The man of God said, 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. In Acts 27.10, Paul tells them that. We can be headed in the right direction, but still be out of the will of God at the same time, if we get ahead of God, if we're not living in His timing. We need to wait upon the Lord. Stay in prayer and be sensitive to the leading of the Lord. I thought God called me to preach this past year, and I'm so thankful that He did. And, but in that, of course, I want to win souls. That's what it's all about. I want to win souls to the Lord. But that doesn't mean I'm going to go to, I'm going to pack up my family and go to the, you know, streets of Detroit, Michigan, and start witnessing to all these people. I'll probably be met with a disaster, or I'm not going to go on my own accord to the streets of Mexico and start witnessing to people without the leading of God. I mean, it would be silly of me to do that. So we not only have to be in the will of the Lord, we have to be in the timing of the Lord. And it takes prayer to understand that. Acts 27 and 16, to get into our lesson a little bit closer here. We'll go through this part here quickly, because we was on that last week. Acts 27 and 16 says, And running under a certain island, which is called Plata, we had much work to come by the boat, which when they had taken up, they used to help undergirding the ship and fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands and take sail, and so were driven. And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship. And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship. And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared and no small tempest lay on us, all hoped that we should be saved as saved was then taken away. But after a long abstinence, Paul stood forth in the midst of them and said, Sirs, you 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. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer, for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me." So Paul says here, Be of good cheer, for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. He's saying, I believe in God. And I'd like to turn to John 6 and 65 through 68 just real quick. John 6 and 65 says, And he said, Therefore, said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except that we're given unto him of my father. This is Jesus talking. For that time many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will you also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that Christ, the Son of the living God. So Paul says, I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. So I had to thank Brother Quentin. Who else, as opposed to what, Paul? Who could you have believed in? What could you have believed in? He had a few options, the way I see it. He could have believed in the master or the captain of the ship. He was probably, aboard the ship, he was the most experienced. He was an expert. And he would have vouched for the ship. It's made it this far, actually, in this tempestuous wind. But Micah 7 and 5 says, Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a God. Keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lies in thy bosom. For the son dishonored the father, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, a man's enemies. There are the men of his own house. Therefore, I will look unto the Lord. I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. So he wasn't to put his trust in the master. He could have looked to the owner of the ship. There was the owner that we read that the owner of the ship was there. This man probably built the ship himself, or he maybe had it built, and he paid a good price for it. And he would have vouched for this ship and the stability of the ship, and that it would probably make it. There's a famous quote, and I don't even know that it's true, but some people attribute it to a ship worker, or some people say it was John Smith, the captain of the ship. Some people say it was the builder of the ship on the Titanic that said, this ship is unsinkable by God, or God himself couldn't sink the ship. I don't even know that it's true, but people say that that was said. But the owner of the ship would probably say something like that. But Jeremiah 17, 5 says, Thus saith the Lord, Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and make his flesh in his arms, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. So he wasn't to put his trust in the owner of the ship. But what about the majority? Acts 27 and 12 says, And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part of vice to depart thence also. So they've taken a consensus before, and the majority said, hey, we should sell on. They've made that mistake before. And Acts 27, 37 says, And we were in all in the ship two hundred, three score, and sixteen sows. So there's 276 men on this ship with an opinion. Wouldn't it always be safe to place your vote in a majority of that much? You know, maybe not 10, maybe not 15, maybe not 50. But what if 275 of them says, let's go on? We have example after example from the current presidency to the crucifixion of Jesus that the majority can be wrong. Abortion, homosexual rights, slavery, and so on are all great points of not following the majority. Exodus 23 and 2 says, Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil. Psalms 118 and 8 says, It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. If it were a single man that had something against Paul, Felix and Festus wouldn't have thought much of it. But they desired to please the Jews. If one person made an accusation against Jesus, Pilate probably would have thought, would have threw the case out. But in Luke 23 and 1, if we turn there, we can see. We'll read there, Luke 23 and 1 says, And the whole, excuse me, And the whole multitude of them arose and led him unto Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ the King. And further on down in verse 18 says, And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man and release us unto Barabbas, who for a certain sedition made in the city and for murder was cast into prison. Pilate therefore willing to release Jesus spake again to them. But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil has he done? I have found no cause of death in him. I will therefore chastise him and let him go. And they were instant with loud voices requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. So we can see how a majority can be very wrong. Paul knew better than anyone not to put his trust in a majority. So he said, Sirs, be of good cheer, for I believe God that it shall be even as it was told me. Why was he so inclined to believe God then? In Acts 9 and 4 at the beginning of Paul's conversion, he fell to the earth and Jesus asked him, Why persecutest thou me? And Paul asked him a very important question, Who art thou, Lord? That's a question we all should seek to know. Paul writes to the Philippians concerning this in Philippians 3 and 8, Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but done, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith, that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death. Paul desired to know Christ as intimately as possible, to share in his sufferings even unto his death. Nothing else mattered to Paul. When you love someone that much, you will believe every word that they say, just as they said it. He knew Christ and he knew that he could trust him, forsaking all others' opinions. When we started Gospel Light Church, we could have called the builder and asked if he thought it would make a good church. We could have called the owner and said, what's your opinion, do you think a Holiness Church would go good there? He may say yes just to sell it, I don't know, but he probably wouldn't think a whole lot of a Holiness Church. We could have polled all the neighbors down the road, hey, would you like a Holiness Church there in that area? Most of them would say, no, I'd like the auction back, or I'd like a gas station back. Most wouldn't say, yeah, I would love to have a Holiness Church right there. We could ask the surrounding Holiness Churches, how do you think that would have went? But we trusted God, didn't we? We had a good south wind for a while. We had a good south wind for a while. We found a church building, a couple of our own got saved, a good revival. The pastor set a vision a while back of 50 people saved by the end of the year. And it's awesome. But we've had a couple of setbacks. An unexpected $5,000 went out. Our pastor had a health scare just a couple weeks ago. Is it time to put our trust in something else, or believe God just how He said it? Acts 27 and 26 is, how be it we must be cast upon a certain island. The prophecy was given. Everyone is going to make it out alive, but there will still be a shipwreck. When we witness to someone, we shouldn't promise that salvation is something that it's not. It's a wonderful thing, but this is a belabored point, so I won't stay on it. But becoming a child of God will not exclude you from heartache and pain. But those things that are a part of life already, He will help us through. Don't forget that Paul was in this storm as well. But unbeknownst to everyone, he had been speaking with an angel. Matthew 5 and 45 says, that you may be the children of your Father, which is in heaven. For He maketh His Son to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. And then in Psalms 46 and 1, that God is our refuge and our strength of very present help and trouble. And then the best part, Paul states in Romans 8 and 18, for I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Sorry, I'm moving a little fast this morning. Back to Acts 27 and 27 in our text, it says, But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country. They've now been in the storm for a couple of weeks. The night time makes everything more difficult as it is, but with the lingering storm, they didn't even have the light of the stars. Jesus tells His disciples in Matthew 5 and 14, You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Paul's prophecy must have been a ray of hope to even the hardest of criminals on that ship. Verse 28 says, And sounded and found it twenty fathoms. And when they had gone a little further, they sounded again and found it fifteen fathoms. Then, fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern and wished for the day. So they can't see anything and they're afraid they're going to hit the rocky embankment. I looked this up. Most of you might know. I don't know, but a fathom is six feet. And the way they would measure that, of course, they didn't have rulers like we do or measuring tape. Back in the day, they measured stuff by fathoms. And it would be outstretched arms. And it's about the length of six feet. That's how they would measure things. So what they did to figure out if they were getting close to land because they didn't want to shipwreck, they would take a lead anchor or some type of anchor, a weight, and they would tie to it and they would mark it six feet on a cable or rope, whatever they had. And they would take that and they would give it a good, from what I understand now, they would take a good toss and throw it out ahead of them where the ship was going. And when they got just, of course, when the ship was moving, when they got, when that cable was straight, they would pull it up real quick. And then they would measure it off with their arm length. And then, of course, they would figure out how many fathoms they had. So they were at 20 fathoms or 120 feet. And then shortly after, it was 15 fathoms or 90 feet, which told them that they were quickly approaching land. It was dark, so they had no other way of knowing. They cast four anchors out of the stern and wished for the day, meaning that they prayed for daylight. Acts 27 and 30 says, And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship when they had let down the boat into the sea, under color as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship, Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, you cannot be saved. So these shipmen had it with the ship and the storm. Remember the lifeboat that we talked about last Sunday? There was a lifeboat that was trailing behind them, and the water, it got so rough that they had a hard time pulling it in. Well, now they got that lifeboat again. They got it in the ship. These shipmen moved to the front of the ship. They cast four anchors out of the back, and now they're moving to the front of the ship, and they're lowering that lifeboat down, but they're pretending like they're putting more anchors out. They're being sneaky. They're trying to save themselves. The shipmen are usually pretty tough men, but they want off this boat, and they're doing it in cowardly fashion. They don't even care if anybody else gets off. But Paul catches them. The man of God catches them and tells Julius, the centurion, If you want to be saved, these men abide in the ship. And this makes a few points in my mind. If God lays out his plan, Paul knew they needed to stick with the plan. God will not help if there's a plan B. God will not help even if he's a plan A. God is the only plan. Take it or leave it. Trust in the Lord fully with your whole heart or all bets are off. You cannot choose a merciful God but forget that he's also a just God. You cannot choose God's promises and then forego his commandments. You cannot take some of the Bible and then leave the rest. It's all or nothing. And I'd also like to reiterate a point that I made last Sunday. We play a crucial role in our lost loved ones' salvation. The devil likes to tell us that it's not necessary to keep reaching for our lost loved ones. But if you notice here that even though the prophecy was given that they would all survive, it was dependent upon Paul's diligence and instruction of God's Word. Paul still had, if they got off the boat, it was over. Paul still had to be diligent of these other people that was on the ship with him, that they would abide, that they would do what was said. If Paul just turned a blind eye to those jumping ship, God's plan would be void. We must not stop warning our loved ones. God's safety is still in the good old gospel ship. If we want to land safely on that eternal shore, we must remain in the ship. We must stick to the instruction that God laid out. It's the only way. I thought, I wonder what John Calvin thought of the scripture. I understand it's not speaking of spiritual salvation, but it does show that man's actions have an effect on God's actions. What God had said the men had to abide by. Acts 27, 31 says, Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, except these abide in the ship, you cannot be saved. Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat and let her fall off. And I'd like to say, if God has exposed your sin, and the pastor has to come to you about it, don't get mad at him. If you've been caught doing something that will send you to hell, it's God's mercy that is trying to get it out of your life. We are human, it would be embarrassing, but it's not worth fighting over or going to hell over. Just cut the ropes and go on. We can't miss heaven over trivial things. There may be others on the boat that see that lifeboat bobbing up and down out there in the ocean that you used to hang on to, but someday it'll pass. Just cut the ropes and get back to work on the ship. Can you see the lifeboat sailing off and the whispers on the ship from the others? There's that boat so-and-so was messing with. Just get back to the Lord's work. Someday they'll forget about it. You'll go on. You'll do a work for the Lord. They'll see a change in you. Just cut the ropes. 33, And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, and have not taken nothing. Wherefore, I pray you to take some meat, for this is for your health, for there shall not a hair fall from the head of any of you. Paul was a very practical man. He knows that these men need strength and their morale lifted. If we aren't careful, we will forget that this is a resurrection-believing prisoner on a ship full of prisoners, a Roman centurion, a master and owner of a ship. And he, Paul, is taking charge, a prisoner. People are starting to listen to the man of God. I don't think this is in your holiness' heritage, but I'd like to read something here that Fr. Matthew Vance wrote concerning this. He says, Some have become worried in troubles and not taking care of their bodies. I think this is, yeah. Some have been worried through trouble and not taking care of their bodies. This only complicates the matter of the trial. Remember that our bodies are the temples of the Holy Ghost, and if they are not properly taken care of, it can cause emotional instabilities. Listen to the instruction of Psalms 127 and 2. It is vain for you to rise up early and to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows, for so he giveth his beloved sleep. Sleep and food are gifts from God, and to go without them because of worry is not his plan. If he calls us to a fast or an all-night prayer, strength will be given for those. But if worry has dominion of our sleep habits and eating habits, we need to allow God to take control. I thought that was good. If worry and anxiety has taken your appetite, then you're submitting to that worry. You're not submitting to God. Fasting should be a willing omission to get closer to the Lord. Acts 27 and 35, And when he had thus spoken, he took bread and gave thanks to God in presence of them all. And when he had broken it, he began to eat. These are not God-fearing men that Paul was breaking bread with, but that did not stop Paul from giving thanks to God in their presence. It is all the more reason to do so. We should not fail to give thanks over our meal while at a restaurant, a place of work, or a family function, or anywhere. Notice that the Bible is sure to note that Paul not only gave thanks to God, but he did it in the presence of them all. So it's important to give thanks. Acts 27 and 36 says, Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat. Let's go through our Holiness Heritage here and read the verse 36 commentary where it says, Were they all of good cheer? Give me a second to find that. Were they all of good cheer? The Holiness Heritage says, The food, the encouraging words, and the prayer of Paul had an effect upon the men. They were all of good cheer. Courage arose in their hearts, and hope burned in their soul. One person with a positive faith can influence many others. One more thing needs to be pointed out in this story. The sailors were about to desert the ship earlier, but there is not a hint of animosity toward them. Everyone was in the storm together and forgave the crew for their misdeed. Maybe they felt merciful because they all knew the fear and hopelessness they all experienced in the storm. For whatever reason, they did restore the crew to the ship. This was for their own safety, as well as the security of the rest of the soldiers, merchants, and prisoners. It reminds of Paul's admonition to a church about a fallen brother. Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. That's in Galatians 6 and 1. Verse 37, And we were in all in the ship, two hundred and three score and sixteen souls. We said earlier it's 276 souls, people on the ship. And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship and cast out the wheat into the sea. So verse 38 lets us know that it was still a struggle out there. The storm wasn't over. They still had to throw out what they don't absolutely have to have. This was desperate measures. It seems like a small thing, but in the midst of the storm, Paul kept doing what he would have always done. He gave them a word from God. They gave thanks. They ate some dinner. If you're going through a trial, it's not a time to stop giving up the fundamental things. Keep praying, keep going to church, keep fellowship, and one day things will change. It's not for us to think of a new way to do things when times get tough. The old way still works. Galatians 6 and 7. Galatians 6 and 7 says, Be not deceived. God is not mocked. For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption. But he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well-doing. For in due season we shall reap if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. Like the old song says, my mother-in-law likes this song, You gotta keep on keepin' on. You'll surely win the victory if you keep on keepin' on. Back to Acts 27 and 39. 39 says, And when it was day, they knew not the land, but they discovered a certain creek with a shore into which they were minded, if it were possible to thrust in a ship. When they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves into the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoisted up the mainsail to the wind and made toward shore. And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground, and the forepart stuck fast and remained unmovable. But the inner part was broken with the violence of the waves, and the soldier's counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out and escape. Acts 27 and 39 said, And when it was day, they knew not the land. Remember back in verse 29, it said, Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon the rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern and wished for the day. They prayed for daylight. They are now seeing the day that they wished for. It's finally daylight. And sometimes we wait for the storm to pass by, and for the sun to come out, and we tell ourselves, if things would just change, maybe it'll shed some light on all this mess. And then we get what we pray for. The storm eases up. Something changes in our circumstances. But if we didn't have our faith in God, if we didn't believe God that it shall be even as He told us, if our faith is in the changing of the circumstances, and not in the Word of God, then we just shine light on the mess. We're no better off. If nothing else, we're more confused than we were before. We can see all the confusion better. It's your willingness to serve God based upon whether your circumstances change or not. If you aren't happy unless the prayer gets answered the way that you want, then you are your God. I remember thinking, if we could just find out what was wrong with Dad, then, you know, we could fix it. Things could be fixed. Then we finally found an expert. He just happened to be, I told you before, right up in Louisville. Somebody that just specializes in that. Wrote many books. They're still out there. They're like $1,000 a piece. And we got before him, and I couldn't wait to hear what it was. And she knew pretty quick that he had cortical basal degeneration. I thought, oh, finally, we know what's wrong. We can fix it. And our first question was, what can we do about it? You know, we know what it is, so what's the cure? Do we give him medicine? Do we give him therapy? Does he take shots? What do we do? And she told us right off the bat, there's no cure. And then we was more confused than we ever was. We found out what was wrong. We shed light on what was wrong. But there was no solution. Our trust can't be in the circumstances changing. It's just got to be in God. I thought, Brother Tim, you look forward to that minister's conference all year. You talk me into going. I've rushed down there. We rushed down there and just in one day, I wanted to be a little bit part of it. I wanted to see some of it. But you never thought you'd been spending half of it at the LeConte Medical Center. You made it out, but the fact remains that one morning, and we don't like to think about it, but one morning you open your eyes and Sister Carrie won't be there. Either that or one morning Sister Carrie will open her eyes and you won't be right there. That's part of life. I can't imagine living a moment in this world without my wife. But it will most likely happen to one of us. One of us is going to wake up and the other one won't be there one morning. 1 Corinthians 15 and 12 says, Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen? And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain and your faith is also vain? Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ, whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised? And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain, you are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall be made alive. But every man in his own order, Christ the first fruits, afterward they that are Christ at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule and authority and power. For he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is expected which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead? If they dead rise not all, why are they then baptized for the dead? And why stand we in jeopardy every hour? I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord. I die daily. If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage of it if the dead rise not? Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. Be not deceived, evil communications corrupt good manners. Awake to righteousness, and sin not. For some have not the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame. If we have a hope far greater than anything this world has to offer, or we do have a hope far greater than anything this world has to offer, in Acts 27 and 39, when the daylight came, the sailors saw land, but they did not know what land it was. They saw a bay with a beach and wanted to sail the ship to the beach if they could. We have to remember that the Israelites wasn't teleported from Egypt to the Promised Land, Brother Quentin. There was a wilderness that they had to go through. They had to learn to lean on God. Daylight came for these men, but they didn't find themselves at the banks of Rome. And you may find yourself in some unfamiliar territory at times. But remember the words God spoke to Joshua in chapter 1 and 9. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage. Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee, whithersoever thou goest. And Acts 27 and 40 says, So they cut the ropes to the anchors and left the anchors in the sea. At the same time they untied the ropes that were holding the rudders. Then they raised the front sail into the wind and sailed toward the beach. These men see dry land for the first time in weeks. They didn't know the land, but it must have been a site for sore eyes. Dry land. Even still they had to cut away those anchors that they depended on for stability and put their trust in what lay ahead. Often God is bidding us to cut away those anchors that are holding us back and to move closer to Him. Hebrews 12 and 1 says, Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. It must have felt unnerving to cut away those anchors. I remember when we was going through that COVID scare and nobody really knew what to do and we had to wear those masks for a long time and a lot longer than I wanted to. I didn't have a hard time breathing anyway, especially when I was 350 pounds and then having a mask on. But we had to wear them for a long time. If you wanted to go to the grocery store, you had to have your mask on. If you wanted to go to Walmart, you had to have your mask on. And I remember after that was over with and they released the ban on that, several times going into Kroger's I'd go like that. I felt like I was doing something wrong. I'd feel for that mask. You get used to putting your trust into something else. But whatever is holding you back from going further with the Lord, if you cut those things away, you won't regret it. Verse 41 says, But the ship hit a sandbank, the front of the ship stuck there and could not move. Then the big waves began to break the back of the ship to pieces. The front of the ship hit the land and the waves continued to crash, breaking the back of the ship. 42 says, They decided to kill the prisoners so that none of the prisoners could swim away and escape. The soldiers had to get these prisoners to roam. That was their job. Preferably alive, but better dead than not at all. They didn't want to show up without these prisoners. This is my assumption, but these prisoners helped work. I figure these prisoners probably helped work the ship when their lives were at stake. Everybody was running around probably doing something. And they were part of that 276 that Paul told to be of good cheer. There was probably a camaraderie that began between the soldiers and the prisoners, but at the end of the day, these soldiers worked for Caesar. 2 Corinthians 6 and 14 says, Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness, and what communion hath light with darkness? Whether we like it or not, this world works for the devil. He is out to steal, kill, and destroy. So be careful who you keep company with and who your children are friends with. 43 says, But Julius, the army officer, wanted to let Paul live, so he did not allow the soldiers to kill the prisoners. He told the people who could not swim to jump into the water and swim to land. The others used wooden boards or pieces of the ship, and this is how all the people went safely to land. God told Paul that he would go to Rome, so he softened Julius' heart towards Paul. He didn't allow the soldiers to kill the prisoners. We're almost done. We'll read the Holiness Heritage here. 44, that they escaped all safe. We'll read that and then we'll close with a verse. That they escaped all safe. Those that could not swim floated on pieces of the ship and boarded to land. When the count was taken, all on board the vessel were safe on land. The promise of God was true. We should have the same confidence that Paul exhibited in today's lesson. God has promised that we can make it safely to heaven. Trials will come, but they will only make us more like Jesus. Temptations will come, but God will not allow us to be overpowered by these. He'll either make a way out of it or give us strength through the temptation. The important thing for us is to stay where God wants us to be. That is a safe place in his will, under his care. Faith demands that we trust the will of God for our lives. Those that trust and obey will make it safely to the heavenly shore. This old body may break up near the end of our trip, but rest assured, God can see us through that also. When the count is made in heaven, all who committed their lives to the Lord will have made it safely home. I'd like to close with a verse, give God the last word here. 1 Corinthians 1 and 8 says,