The Prophecy Came to Pass

TRANSCRIPT

Paul had appealed to Caesar, and he was brought onboard the ship to go to Rome. The ship had encountered a terrible storm so much so that the people had to throw the cargo and the ship equipment overboard in order to prevent the ship from sinking. In times of trouble, all the passengers onboard the ship were united together as they fought for their own survival. The weather did not get better, and the people panicked and thought they would die. But Paul remained calm throughout the ordeal. He was calm because he had absolute trust in God’s promise. Firstly, God had told him that he would have to go to Rome to testify for the Lord Jesus Christ there. Whatever God has said, it will surely come to pass. And secondly, through divine revelation, the angel of the Lord had assured him that God would deliver him out of the storm and because of him, the rest of the passengers would be saved. But the ship would be lost because there would be a shipwreck.

That is what we have learned in our previous message. Will the prophecy come to pass? Most certainly. This will be the title of our message: “The Prophecy Came to Pass.” We will focus on two points, the events that happened on board the ship, and the events that led to the shipwreck.

I. The events that happened onboard the ship

Let us begin with verse 27. “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;” So fourteen days had passed since they left the fair havens. And they were still at the mercy of the storm as they were driven about in the sea of Adria. The sea of Adria was located in the central Mediterranean. Without the light from the sun, moon and the stars, the sailors could not be sure of their surroundings. They could only guess where they were based on the sound they heard. Perhaps gauging from the sound of the crashing waves on the shore, they supposed that they were approaching some islands – that is the meaning of the word “deemed”. Amazingly by the providence of God, the storm had driven the ship across the Mediterranean to a small island in the middle of the sea.

In the 19th century, a man named James Smith gathered a group of experienced Mediterranean navigators to find this island. He wanted to find out if they were to allow a ship to drift the same distance with similar weather conditions, what would happen? Would they arrive at a particular island? At the end of the thirteenth day, one hour and twenty-one minutes, they reached an island which today is known as St Paul’s Bay. Some theologians believe that this particular island in this chapter that we are considering was actually St Paul’s Bay. We do not know for sure, but it is a possibility. The point is that Scripture is accurate, and God’s Word is always true.

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.” As we have mentioned in our last message, this account happened in a long time ago when they did not have the modern-day navigation technologies and devices. Today we may use ultrasound devices to tell us how deep the water is. In those days, they did not have this kind of equipment. They would use a long rope with a heavy weight tied to one end and they would lower the weight into the water until it hit the bottom. Then they would measure the length of the rope to ascertain how deep the water was. That is the meaning of the word “sounded” which means to take a measurement. The first measurement indicated that the depth of the water was twenty fathoms, above one hundred and twenty feet. As the ship moved a little further, they took a second measurement and it was fifteen fathoms, about ninety feet. So, the decrease in measurement indicated that they were now approaching an island.

Verse 29, “Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern,” – or the back of the ship – “and wished for the day.” Close to the shoreline there would always be rocks. Therefore, the sailors were afraid of hitting the rocks. So, they quickly let down four anchors to hold the ship down in its place and wish for the daybreak, so that with better vision they would be able to confirm their actual location and then navigate around the rocks to the shore.

Verse 30, “And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship”. However, the sailors had other plans. Remember they had a lifeboat onboard the ship. Obviously, the lifeboat could not take all the passengers. Most likely the lifeboat could only accommodate the sailors. So, they decided to escape on their own and their pretended as though they were letting down the anchors out of the front of the ship but actually they were lowering the lifeboat into the water. That is the meaning of “under colour” which means under pretence.

Isn’t it true that in times of danger and trouble most people would only care about themselves. Take a moment to consider the church and the ministries. People have no problems serving in good times. But when their services would bring them inconveniences, discomfort, struggles, discouragements and disappointments, like the sailors they would abandon ship. All of a sudden, they would stop serving and they would not even tell you the reason why they are leaving the ministry. Or they would pretend to give all kinds of reason, citing problems with the church, with the leadership, with the people, etcetera. Let’s say you know someone who is pretensious. He's leaving the ministry because of his own selfish reasons. What would you do? Would you confront the person directly, reveal the truth? Or would you just let the person go quietly? Well, the sailor’s pretence could not escape the eyes of Paul.

Look at the verse 31, “Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.” How was Paul able to know the intentions of the sailors? Some people may say that he was observant. It may be true that Paul was observant, but I think that it was more than just being observant. God must have revealed to him the pretentious intentions of the sailors. Therefore, Paul said emphatically to the centurion and to the soldiers that ‘Unless these men’ – referring to the sailors – ‘remain in the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved.’ Why? Because God’s prophecy was very clear. Remember the promise in verse 24? That all – every one of them onboard – would be saved. That would mean they must stick together. Take a moment and consider this: If the sailors were to abandon ship, who is going to sail and navigate the ship to the shore? No one would be able to do that.

You see, God’s promise does not remove man’s responsibility. God uses natural means to accomplish His sovereign purposes. God wanted to save everyone onboard the ship. And He was using Paul as an instrument to advise the people from time to time. He was using the sailors and their skills to navigate the ship. He was using the centurion and the soldiers to maintain law and order onboard the ship. And the passengers as well, they were all His instruments. So, none of them should try and run away from his responsibility.

How do we apply this principle into our lives? Everyone one of us is important. Every one of us has a part to play in accomplishing the sovereign purpose of God. You and I must learn to see ourselves as instruments. And therefore, we must never try to run away from our responsibility. Some people may say, “Well, if this is the Lord’s work, even if I were to give up and walk away, God will raise up another person to take over the work.” While it is true that no one is indispensable, God most certainly is able to raise up another person to do the work. But it is also equally true that you will not have a part to play in the Lord’s work. So, all of us must be careful what we wish for. All of us must be careful not to run away from our responsibilities. We all have a part to play in accomplishing the sovereign purpose of God.

Verse 32, “Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.” The soldiers had listened to Paul’s advice, and they did not want the sailors to repeat the same mistake again so they decided to cut off the lifeboat. Most certainly that was not Paul’s intention because later on they would need the lifeboat.

Verse 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, having taken nothing.” The word “fasting” means that they had not eaten anything. It does not mean fasting in a spiritual sense. That is why the word “fasting” always comes with the word “prayers”, then it would be understood in a spiritual sense. Here it simply means that they had not eaten anything.

“Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.” After a long night of waiting, when the day was about to dawn, Paul encouraged the people to take some food. It had been fourteen days since they had last eaten anything. As we have mentioned our last message, it could be due to the seasickness, or due to fear and discouragement, or the inability to prepare the food during the storm – any one of them could be a possible reason. But now the time had come for them to strengthen themselves for this last stretch so they could bring the ship to the shore. So they needed to eat.

Most importantly, Paul reminded them of God’s promise: “for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.” This was a phrase frequently quoted in the Old Testament. Just to give you a few examples, like in 1 Samuel 14:45, 2 Samuel 14:11, 1 Kings 1:52. This verse was quoted in all these passages. And, of course, we are all familiar with our Lord Jesus Christ’s blessed promise in Luke 21:18 where he quoted this same phrase. At that time our Lord Jesus had predicted to His disciples that they would be persecuted, they would be put into prisons and then brought before the synagogue and the kings because of His name. Their family members would betray them, everyone would hate them. Some of them would be killed. How could they not be discouraged and afraid? That was when our Lord Jesus quoted this phrase, “But there shall not an hair of your head perish.” In other words, they would not lose their physical lives unless God permitted. Even if they were to lose their physical lives, they would not lose their soul. Here Paul quoted the same phrase, but he was referring to their physical lives. God would not permit for any one of them to lose his or her life. And the reason was simply because God had promised that all of them would be saved but the ship would be lost.

Verse 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.” So, Paul led by example. He took the bread, gave thanks to God, before diving amongst the people, and he ate. They were all inspired by his calm and reassuring attitude so much so that verse 36 tells us, “Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.” So, they also ate. “And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls”, which means a total of two hundred and seventy-six people. Isn’t it amazing that the action of one man can inspire all the people: two hundred and seventy-six of them.

My friends, let us consider what actually caused the people to be inspired. What was the thing that Paul had done that caused the people to be of good cheer? That means to be encouraged, and then they took the food and ate it. Fourteen days they had not eaten anything (which could be for a number of reasons) but when Paul gave thanks, gave the food to them, encouraged them, they took the food and ate of it, they were all of good cheer. What was the reason? Was it because he had urged them to eat and to take care of their own health? Was it because he himself had also taken the food and ate of it? Or was it the Word of God?

I believe the people were encouraged to a certain extent when Paul urged them to eat and take care of their own health. But when he quoted a Scripture verse and said, “: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you” – that was what encouraged them. For what can be more assuring and comforting than the Word of God, right? This is a principle that we should all apply into our lives.

Whenever we visit someone in a hospital, or we visit someone who has just lost a loved one, someone going through a most difficult time, we would try find words of comfort, words of encouragement that we would say, human words. But we must always try to end with a Scripture verse and, if possible, end with a word of prayer as well. Our human words can only encourage to a certain extent, but it is the Word of God that can truly convict, comfort, inspire and encourage the people. God’s Word is powerful, not human words.

By way of testimony, this is my usual practice. Whenever I visit someone, especially someone who is going through some trouble, I would try to put myself into that person’s shoes and think of all the Scripture verses that would encourage my heart in such a time. Then I would consider all those verses and then choose one or two verses and prayerfully ask the Lord for the opportunity that He would give me to share with that person. So, when I visit that person, yes, I would say a multitude of words, human words, but then I will always try to bring in this Scripture verse so that it would encourage the hearts of that person. Try to do that and ask the Lord to help you and you will be amazed how God’s Word can really touch and comfort the hearts of people, just like these people onboard, two hundred and seventy-six of them. All of a sudden, they rose up, they were encouraged, they were of good cheer, they took the bread and ate of it.

II. The events that led to the shipwreck

Our second point is the events that led to the shipwreck. Let us move on to verse 38, “And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea.” In other words, they threw overboard the remaining cargo to lighten the ship. The next thing they needed to do was to find a good spot to land the ship. Verse 39, “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.” Though it was daytime, they still could not see the land most likely due to the stormy weather. But they saw a certain bay nearby with a shore and they decided to drive the ship into it.

Verse 40 tells us, “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.” In other words, they lifted up the anchors and threw them overboard because they were no longer needed. The sailors did not want that extra weight onboard. Now they’re going to land the ship. At the same time, they loosened the ropes of the rudder, hoisted the mainsail, and let the wind drive the ship to the shore. That was their plan. But it did not go according to their plan because the ship was caught between a reef where two waters met. The ship was grounded: the front part of the ship was caught, and the entire vessel could not move. Eventually the back part of the ship was broken because of the violent waves. So, you can imagine the entire ship was stuck, the front part was stuck and then the waves kept beating on the side. Eventually the back part was broken. It was a shipwreck. That is what verse 41 means.

Now in this desperate situation, what do you think would be on the minds of the soldiers? There was something more important than their own lives, and that was their job. Look at verse 42, “And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.” They were afraid of facing the punishment if the prisoners were to escape. So, they decided the best thing to do was to kill all the prisoners. Verse 43, “But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land:” The Roman centurion, Julius, had grown to love, trust and respect Paul. And he was willing to do everything he could to save Paul’s life. Most likely he had also believed what Paul had said that all of them – everyone onboard – would be saved. So, he prevented the soldiers from killing the prisoners.

Instead, he ordered all the soldier, prisoners, sailors and passengers to abandon ship at this point since the ship was already broken. Those who could swim should try to swim to the shore. Those who could not swim, verse 44 says, “And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.” How many of them? A total of two hundred and seventy-six people made it to shore safely, all according to God’s promise. Whatever God has promised will surely come to pass.

A moment ago, we learnt than in times of danger and trouble, most people will only care about themselves. But there will always be some people who would stand tall in such times. They are willing to speak up even though they are alone. They are willing to stand for what is right. They are willing to take charge of the situation no matter how difficult it may be and lead the people to do the right thing. Trials will reveal the true character of a person. Isn’t it true? Like the Roman centurion, Julius.

What about us? When trials come, what will be revealed out of our lives? Have you encountered any trials? What have those trials revealed about you? Are we like the sailors who only cared about their own lives? They own selfish reasons and purposes? They wanted to escape without a thought for the rest onboard. They wanted to abandon ship, just drop everything, could not care less about what the rest would be. Are we like them?

Or are we like the soldiers who only cared about their jobs? For some people their entire life is about their job. They only care about their job. Couldn’t care less about anything else. You may speak to them about spiritual things, they wouldn’t care. When trials come, will it reveal us to be like the soldiers?

Or are we like the Roman centurion, Julius, who cared about others? Who cared about doing the right thing? Who was willing to stand and speak up even though he was alone; was willing to do everything he could to save Paul and the prisoners. So, what kind of a person are we? Well, when a trial comes into our life, it will reveal the true character of the person. Who we really are, will all be revealed, and it is good for us to know so that if we are like the sailors or the soldiers, we repent. We will want to be like Paul, we will want to be like Julius the Roman centurion, all to the glory of the Almighty God. Let us pray.

Our Father in Heaven, we thank Thee for enabling us to consider this portion of Scriptures as we come to the end of chapter 27. Indeed, as we study through the book of Acts, there are so many wonderful spiritual lessons that we can learn from the ways people respond to the events of life, from the Apostle Paul himself, from Thy servants. Even in today’s account we can learn many wonderful things that Thou would teach us. Whatever the Lord has promised, whatever the Word of God says will surely come to pass; the prophecy came to pass. Thou has promised that all onboard the ship will be saved, but the ship itself will be lost. And to the jot and tittle, everything came to pass as Thou had prophesied. As we read Thy precious infallible and inerrant Word, we are convinced and we are convicted that everything that Thou has said in Thy precious Truth, will surely come to pass. And we are eternally grateful that Thy Word is true, that everything else may fall, but Thy Word will always stand. And we pray that we will respond to Thy Word in a most godly fashion.

Trials may come into our lives, but we will not give up. We will not run away from our responsibilities for we know that we are all but instruments in accomplishing Thy sovereign purposes. We all have a part to play. We must not run away from our responsibilities, but we must assume our responsibilities. And we pray that we will remain faithful. Let us not be like those who only cared about themselves and their own selfish reasons. Let us not be like those who only cared about their jobs and clung onto that little job that they had. Let us be like the faithful ones who will care for Thy Work, Thy people, do the right thing and be able to take charge, and even lead others to do the right things as well. Oh Lord, help us. All these we want to be for the glory of Thee. We give Thee thanks and we pray all this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

SERMON OUTLINE

• I. The events that happened onboard the ship
• II. The events that led to the shipwreck

THE BOOK OF ACTS

30th Anniversary Seminar - Message #3: The Church and the Sacraments

30th Anniversary Seminar - Message #3: The Church and the Sacraments

Acts 2:41-47

30th Anniversary Seminar - Message #2: The Church and Fellowship

30th Anniversary Seminar - Message #2: The Church and Fellowship

Acts 2:42

30th Anniversary Seminar - Message #4: The Church and the Prayers

30th Anniversary Seminar - Message #4: The Church and the Prayers

Acts 2:42

30th Anniversary Seminar - Message #1: The Church and The World

30th Anniversary Seminar - Message #1: The Church and The World

Acts 2:42

Always Ready to Defend the Faith

Always Ready to Defend the Faith

Acts 6:8-15

The First Christian

The First Christian

Acts 11:19-26

Low Expectations

Low Expectations

Acts 12:1-19

Message 5: The Church & Discipleship

Message 5: The Church & Discipleship

Acts 14:20-28

God Encouraged His Servant

God Encouraged His Servant

Acts 18:9-17

The End of the Second Missionary Journey

The End of the Second Missionary Journey

Acts 18:18-28

The Beginning of the Third Missionary Journey

The Beginning of the Third Missionary Journey

Acts 19:1-7

The Riot at Ephesus

The Riot at Ephesus

Acts 19:21-41

The Characteristics of a Faithful Servant

The Characteristics of a Faithful Servant

Acts 20:1-6

The Lord's Day Worship Service

The Lord's Day Worship Service

Acts 20:7-16

The Characteristics of the Faithful Servant (Part 1)

The Characteristics of the Faithful Servant (Part 1)

Acts 20:17-19

The Characteristics of the Faithful Servant (Part 2)

The Characteristics of the Faithful Servant (Part 2)

Acts 20:20-24

A Charge to Keep (Part 1)

A Charge to Keep (Part 1)

Acts 20:25-28

The Believer's Conviction (Part 1)

The Believer's Conviction (Part 1)

Acts 21:1-6

The Believer’s Conviction (Part 2)

The Believer’s Conviction (Part 2)

Acts 21:7-16

Paul’s Arrival At Jerusalem

Paul’s Arrival At Jerusalem

Acts 21:17-26

Paul's Arrest at Jerusalem

Paul's Arrest at Jerusalem

Acts 21:27-39

Paul's Response to His Arrest

Paul's Response to His Arrest

Acts 21:40-22:21

The People’s Response to Paul

The People’s Response to Paul

Acts 22:22-30

Paul Stood Before the Sanhedrin

Paul Stood Before the Sanhedrin

Acts 23:1-11

God's Miraculous Deliverance (Part 1)

God's Miraculous Deliverance (Part 1)

Acts 23:12-17

God’s Miraculous Deliverance (Part 2)

God’s Miraculous Deliverance (Part 2)

Acts 23:18-35

The Accusers before the Roman Governor Felix

The Accusers before the Roman Governor Felix

Acts 24:1-9

Paul’s Defence Before Felix

Paul’s Defence Before Felix

Acts 24:10-21

Felix's Response to Paul's Defence

Felix's Response to Paul's Defence

Acts 24:22-27

Paul’s Defence Before Festus

Paul’s Defence Before Festus

Acts 25:1-12

Paul Stood Before King Agrippa (Part 1)

Paul Stood Before King Agrippa (Part 1)

Acts 25:13-27

Paul Stood Before King Agrippa (Part 2)

Paul Stood Before King Agrippa (Part 2)

Acts 26:1-18

Paul Stood Before King Agrippa (Part 3)

Paul Stood Before King Agrippa (Part 3)

Acts 26:19-32

A Friend In Need Is A Friend Indeed

A Friend In Need Is A Friend Indeed

Acts 27:1-12

What Can Trials Do To Us?

What Can Trials Do To Us?

Acts 27:13-26

The Prophecy Came to Pass

The Prophecy Came to Pass

Acts 27:27-44

Paul's Arrival at Rome

Paul's Arrival at Rome

Acts 28:1-16

The Story Did Not End Here

The Story Did Not End Here

Acts 28:17-31