HOW TO GET IN TROUBLE
Acts 27:1-44
Any Christian who studies the Bible and applies what he learns
from the Bible will avoid many pitfalls in this world. In Acts
27 we find Paul, a prisoner, on his voyage to Rome. This experience
in Acts 27 of Paul is not written in Scripture so that we can
just have a record of what happened to Paul. Shipwreck was nothing
new to Paul for in II Corinthians 11:25 he mentions that he had
experienced other shipwrecks. However, Acts 27 records the only
one reported in detail.
Knowing that this shipwreck experience is not written just to
record facts, I began to look for the truths it would teach to
us. I discovered several truths that would guarantee a shipwreck
in our own individual life. May we profit from the experience
of the shipwreck from the adventures of Apostle Paul.
The shipwreck was the result of wrong decisions.
I. Headed for trouble when your decisions are forged in haste.
Verse 7 records that the progress has been slow. With a favorable
wind, the distance between Myra and Cindus should have been covered
in day. The question now was, should they put into Cnidus and
wait for better weather, or should they sail on. They sailed on
because the captain of the ship wanted to make all speed to Rome
with his cargo, and the centurion was anxious to deliver his prisoners
without costly delays.
When you get impatience, you will get impulsive. Haste leads to
waste.
Proverbs 19:2
Proverbs 14:29
Haste leads to shipwreck. Haste brings trouble and regrets. Haste
leads to many a false step.
Haste makes waste. The hurrier I go, the behinder I get. More
haste, less speed.
Haste is the road to error.
Abraham and Sarah are the classic example of haste. Got impatience
at the promise of God. The trouble the Jews have today are with
the Ishmaelites (Arabs).
II. Headed for trouble when your decisions are fashioned on
human reasoning rather than divine revelation (9-12).
Delay after delay now forced a critical decision on the ship's
officers and the Roman centurion. Should they continue or not?
Paul admonishes them to continue sailing at this time of the year
would be disastrous.
Julius the centurion looked at Paul, the missionary, a prisoner
and underestimated him. He looked at the ship's captain, and he
saw a successful businessman, the owner of the large ship, a seasoned
sailor, and he overestimated him. It should be no surprise that
Paul's warning was rejected by the centurion. After all, who is
going to listen to a prisoner instead of the master and the owner
of the ship about when to sail and when not to sail. He would
naturally think him best able to judge. The centurion decided
that the professional should know whether or not it is safe to
proceed. The voice of the humble believer in touch with God is
ignored.
The centurion sided with the man who had the most hours at the
helm sailing instead of siding with the man who had the most hours
communion with God on his knees. Surely the people connected with
the ship are more competent in making decisions abut sailing than
a lowly prisoner. He chose human reasoning instead of divine wisdom.
Shipwreck is a probability when you regard human reasoning above
divine revelation.
III. Headed for trouble when your decisions focus on comfort
or convenience (12a)
The Fair Havens presented some problems for a ship if it wanted
to stay there over the winter. The harbor apparently was not protected
as well as sailors like a harbor to be, and it did not provide
as much in the line of supplies and entertainment to winter in
as sailors would like. The Fair Havens was too small to accommodate
their desires. To stay in the Fair Havens seemed ludicrous
The sailors longed for the taverns and the gaiety of Phenice.
Their decision to sail on was based on comfort and convenience.
It would have been much better to suffer some temporary inconveniences
in Fair Havens than to suffer shipwreck. However, oftentimes we
make foolish decisions because we are afraid of suffering a bit
of inconvenience to do what is right.
If you live by faith, you will make some decisions that are not
comfortable nor convenient.
IV. Headed for trouble when your decisions are formulated on
the majority's voice instead of Sovereignty's voice (12b)
Paul was in the minority. The majority said, "Let's sail."
The majority doesn't make something right; neither does the minority
make something wrong. The majority cannot be wrong when it includes
the experts-can it?
Exodus 23:2 "Thou shalt not follow the multitude to do evil."
The majority is for sin and not for holiness.
Just because everybody is doing it doesn't make a thing right.
Majority of humanity is going to hell, but I am not going with
them.
Majority deny the Bible, but I am not going with them
Majority deny Godly living, but I am not going with them
You and God make a majority. Get on the side with God, and you
have a majority.
V. Headed for trouble when your decisions are founded on circumstances
(13)
The wind blowing softly out of the south provided the circumstances
for rejecting Paul's wise warning. This calm of the soft breeze
was most promising to the mariners. They thought surely they could
obtain their goal of reaching Phenice.
They knew what Paul had said, but look at the conditions. As the
ship left the harbor, perhaps Julius, the pilot, and the captain
smiled tolerantly at Paul and said, "See, you were wrong."
However, it was not long before the soft wind became a storming
wind.
We know from the account in Acts, the soft, southern breeze only
led them to disaster. It was a deceitful lull, the prelude to
the unexpected. Instead of obtaining their goal, they lost everything
they had.
Beware when the south wind blows softly, especially when it blows
in the teeth of the counsel given by Paul. Far too many have been
lured away by the south soft wind. It is al too easy to take seemingly
favorable circumstances as the deciding factor in the matter of
guidance and ignore the sterner counsel of the Word of God.
Circumstances can be an important factor, for God can open and
close doors. However, so can Satan. Just because the south wind
blows softly does not mean we have attained our direction. Never
allow circumstances to outweigh God's Word.
When Jonah decided to flee from the presence of the Lord and go
to Tarshish, the Bible says he "found a ship going to Tarshish."
The ready way is not the always the right way. Satan always sees
that transportation is provided for those who are running from
the will of God. Just because Jonah found a ship does not make
his actions right. "Don't make circumstances into a kind
of Bible." The only sure and accurate way of evaluating circumstances
is to interpret them in light of the eternal Word. It is our duty
to follow God's orders, and not the apparent leading of circumstances.
Let me mention also that the soft, southern breeze certainly illustrates
the deceptiveness of sin. Sin often looks harmless. Furthermore,
it also looks promising. It looks like that which will bring much
pleasure and gain.
Conclusion:
Headed for trouble when your decisions are forged in haste, fashioned
on human reasoning rather than divine revelation, focus on comfort
or convenience, formulated on the majority's voice instead of
the voice of God, and founded on circumstances.
We can curtail many troubles by learning from experiences of the
Bible.