The Word Made Plain

Guest (Female): Welcome to The Word Made Plain with Senior Pastor Tony Clark of Calvary Chapel Newport News in Virginia. Currently, Pastor Tony is teaching a study in the book of Acts. Please open your Bible to Acts chapter 27, verses 13 through 22.

Tony Clark: All right, let's dive into the Word of God together. Turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Acts, chapter 27, as we continue to go verse by verse through the book of Acts on Sunday mornings. And as you know, we're in the Old Testament on Wednesdays going through 1 Samuel. So we're in Acts 27, looking at verses 13 to 22.

And Father, we're so grateful that You're the God who changes everything. Lord, we can look to You; we can call upon You to change our hearts. You said the heart of the king is in the hands of the Lord like the rivers of water. You can turn it whichever way You want to turn it, Lord. Turn our hearts to You. Turn our hearts to prayer. Turn our hearts to Your Word.

Lord, give us ears to hear what You're going to say to us today. Lord, as we have opened up the dialogue through worship to talk to You, now we pray that You speak to us through Your Word. Give us a word in season. Lord, reveal the secrets of our hearts today, Lord, so we can leave here knowing that You're in this place. Dear God, we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Acts chapter 27, looking at verses 13 through 22. The title of this message is "Storm Warning." Now, a storm warning indicates that a meteorologist has already observed severe conditions with the weather. If you hear that a storm warning has been issued, it means that there's potential dangerous weather that is imminent or near your location.

Now, this is true physically, but it's also true spiritually as well. We saw last time that there are some signs that a storm is on the horizon in our lives. Number one, the winds in our lives will start to be contrary, like verse four said. Number two, things that were once easy in our lives will start to become difficult, like verse seven said.

Number three, during this time, we will be tempted to listen to the majority of people around us instead of the Word of God, like verse 12 said. So Paul, acting like a spiritual meteorologist, said in verse 10, "Men, I perceive that this voyage will end in disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship but also of our lives."

Now, we talked about last time how Paul said in 2 Corinthians 11, in verse 25, that three times he was shipwrecked, and one of these times he spent a night and a day in the deep, or in the middle of the ocean. So Paul knew from experience the early signs of a storm like a meteorologist does.

However, verse 12 said that the centurion, who was the Roman soldier in charge of 100 men, the centurion in charge was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul. So let's see who was right. Look at verses 13 through 15.

"When the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their desire, putting out to sea, they sailed close to Crete. But not long after, a tempestuous headwind arose called Euroclydon. So when the ship was caught and could not head into the wind, we let her drive."

So just before they set sail, verse 13 said the south wind blew softly. When they saw this, they supposed that they obtained their desire, which was favorable weather for their journey. So they put out to sea and see how the journey is going to go. They stayed close to the shore of the island of Crete.

Now, this is a perfect illustration to warn us of a coming storm. This is how it is in our lives as well when we disobey the Word of the Lord to us. A south wind will blow softly, and it will look like it was a good idea to move in with our partner without being married. Things will blow along softly. You're playing house and everything is going smoothly.

The south wind is blowing softly, even though people are saying, "You shouldn't do that. You shouldn't do that." But as soon as you did it, the soft wind began to blow softly. You said, "Oh no, they were wrong; we were right." However, a storm is coming your way. A storm will come my way because we cannot ignore or disobey the commandments of God and a storm not come our way.

How do I know? Because verse 14 says, "But not long after, a tempestuous headwind arose called the Euroclydon." Now, the name of this storm is a hybrid word from the Greek word "euros," which means east wind, and the Latin word "aquilo," which means north wind. It is what we call a Nor'easter or a typhoon. It was a storm that sailors traveling on the Mediterranean Sea dreaded.

This is the type of storm we don't want in our lives either. Let me tell you, I've been in a spiritual Euroclydon type of storm. You don't want to be in that type of storm. It is a storm that we have no control over, like these sailors. They let the ship go once they saw that it was caught in the winds of the storm, according to verse 15.

The ship was out of control once it was caught up and pushed by the wind. Let me just ask you here as you're sitting here, is your life out of control? Are things chaotic in your life when at one time the south wind was blowing softly? Your storm—don't miss this—your storm is a storm of correction.

God is allowing this storm to blow into your life to correct you and to let you know that your course of action is off course. It's best to repent and get back to the shore as fast as you can. However, if you continue to sail, like most of us would do, then what will happen to these men will come upon us. Look at verses 16 and 17.

"And running under the shelter of the island of Clauda, we secured the skiff with difficulty. And when they had taken it on board, they used cables to undergird the ship; and fearing lest they should run aground on the Syrtis Sands, they struck sail and were so driven."

So as this storm is raging, they found a temporary shelter on the island of Clauda, which was around 23 miles southwest of the island of Crete. They took this time to secure the skiff with difficulty. Now, the skiff was a little boat that served as a lifeboat during these storms. They would also, during the storm, pull up this little lifeboat on board so that the storm wouldn't slam this little boat into the mothership and destroy it and also damage the main ship.

By this time, it was filled with water, and this is why Luke, the author, said that we secured it with difficulty. Luke, using the plural pronoun "we," implies that everyone on ship was helping the crew with their duties. It was what we would call "all men on deck" to help out during this time.

It's like this in our lives spiritually. Instead of repenting and running back to the safety of the harbor of Jesus Christ, we keep sailing in the storm, and now we have other people involved in our storm intended to correct us. When we're disobedient, we always bring other people with us.

In the Gospel of John, chapter 21 and verse three, it says Peter said, "I am going fishing." And the other disciples said, "Well, we're going with you also." Now, this statement will seem innocent at first or on the surface until we realize that Jesus had called them out of fishing for fish into fishing for men. But Peter, being disobedient, said, "I am going back to fishing for fish." And the other disciples said, "We're going with you."

Who are you taking or have taken into your storm? We always take innocent people with us. The storm is sent to correct us, but those who are closest to us and those who are attached to us end up going into the storm and end up suffering in the storm of correction that was intended just for us. We always take innocent people with us. Men, listen to me. Men, you're the head of the home. Single parents, so are you.

And when you're disobedient—when I'm disobedient as the head of my home—unfortunately, my precious family suffered for it. They get dragged into the storm that was sent to correct me, but because they are attached to me, they're in the boat with me. Then so often, they get taken into that storm as well.

Who are you taking or have taken into the storm of correction? Is it some best friend that's close to you? Some coworker that you work with or beside? Now, their lives, our children, our wives—their lives are in danger because we have decided to keep sailing into the storm sent to correct us.

So often—after they took the little boat on board, verse 17 said that they used cables and used a technique called frapping to secure this lifeboat with cables. They were also concerned because they thought that the storm was going to blow them toward the Syrtis Sands, according to verse 17.

Now, even though the Syrtis Sands were some 400 miles away off of the northern coast of Africa near the country of Libya—even though it was 400 miles away, remember, they had no control. This storm was blowing them wherever the storm wanted to blow them. So they were concerned that they would end up heading toward the Syrtis Sands.

Now, you've got to understand the Syrtis Sands were known as a graveyard for ships because of its well-known quicksand in the area. And this is why Luke writes in verse 17, "fearing lest they should run aground on the Syrtis Sands." So they raised the sail and were so driven. They just put the sail up and just said, "We have no control. This storm is going to blow us where it wants to go."

Now, at this time, there is nothing you can do about this storm you are in when it's a storm of correction. Oh, you tried to get other people to help you, but their help didn't work like we see here. See, what God is doing is bringing you and me to the end of ourselves. He is not trying to destroy us but to bring us to Himself. Remember that this is a storm of correction.

Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 11 says, "Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." So God uses storms to discipline and train us, to bring us back to righteousness, to bring us back to right living, to bring us back to Himself.

Oh, look at verses 18 and 19. "And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next day they lightened the ship. And on the third day, we threw the ship's tackle overboard with our own hands." Now, even though everyone on the ship was helping the crew out, it was to no avail because verse 18 said that they were exceedingly tempest-tossed.

And the next day, they lightened the ship, showing that the crew was getting desperate now, throwing miscellaneous things and unnecessary equipment overboard to try to lighten the ship. Because you know with all the crew that's on it—we're going to see later it was 276 people on the ship—with all the crew, with all the equipment, everything, it would weigh the ship down in the water.

Remember, they were already afraid to go toward the Syrtis Sands, which was quicksand. So they were trying to throw stuff overboard to lighten the ship so it wouldn't be so deep into the water. So they threw all the miscellaneous, unnecessary things and equipment overboard. And there is a beautiful parallel spiritually.

And so too, when we are being exceedingly tempest-tossed by our storm of correction, the ends are no longer going to meet financially. So what do we do? It's trying to get rid of things. Selling them online on eBay and Facebook Marketplace, trying to secure some kind of income, trying to lighten the load and throwing cable and satellite TV and cell phones overboard, Xboxes and PlayStation systems, doing all these things to try to lighten your load like they were doing now.

But we can see that they were miserable and it did not work. And so they were forced to ride the storm out. Oh, in the storm of correction, we'll do—we'll get desperate; we'll do anything to get out of that storm. But no, no, no. God will not let us get out of it until we've been disciplined and trained by the storm of correction that was sent to correct us.

You can do all you can. You can sell everything in your house. You can be sitting on the floor, living room furniture gone, dining room—you sold it all. It's all on eBay; it's all on Facebook market and all this stuff. You can sell everything, but all you're going to be left to do is just ride that particular storm out until you are corrected and correct the course of action that you find yourself in.

Look what it says there in verse 20. Notice it says, "Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we should be saved was finally given up." One of the things—let me just say this—one of the things we have to realize is that as we are in the midst of our storm of correction, we can't row ourselves out on our own strength.

No matter what we try to do with our own hands, it won't be fruitful, like we see here in this story. And as we see that the storm was raging so badly that it blocked out the sun in the daytime and the stars at night, showing us that we will not be able to see our way out. When you're in the midst of a storm of correction, you get desperate to do anything to get out of that storm.

But no, no, no. You're going to be in that storm, and God will make it where you won't be able to see your way out. This storm will block the sun and block the stars, those things used to navigate through life. God will make sure that you won't be able to see your way out until you learn the lesson.

See, God is not trying to make us hopeless but hopeful. You say, "Well, how is that?" Remember how it said that the storm beat on them to the point that all hope that they should be saved was finally given up. See, God is not trying to make you hopeless but hopeful. Like I said earlier, He is using the storm to bring us to the end of ourselves so that we can come to the beginning of Him.

This is why you feel hopeless because you've used up all of your human resources and human abilities. You used them all up. The key is to run back to Jesus, back to the safe arms of the Lord. He is waiting on the shore for you, like He was waiting on the shore for His disciples to return from their little backsliding adventure, according to John 21 and verse four.

Look at what it says in verses 21 and 22. It says, "But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, 'Men...'" I just love this sentence. "Men, you should have listened to me and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only the ship.'"

Now, we can see in verse 21 that they have gone a long abstinence from food. Why is that? Maybe because they were rationing out the food because they threw a bunch of stuff unnecessary things overboard. They also went a long time not eating out of depression, being seasick, out of fear. All of these things, especially depression, can have a way of suppressing our appetites.

Oh, I didn't mention this first service; I'm going to mention it here because somebody needs to hear this. Be it your spouse, be it your children that's living under your roof, if you watch them and all of a sudden they're no longer eating, pay close attention to that. Something is going on. Something is going on. They're depressed in some kind of way.

You've got folk that'll try to not eat because they want to lose weight. We're not talking about that. But I'm talking about, husbands, pay attention to your wife. And all of a sudden, she's not eating, and you haven't seen her smile in a long time. Wives, pay attention to your husband. Now, if he's not eating, call the National Guard because you know we like to eat. Way to a man's heart is through his stomach. If he's not eating, something is definitely not right.

Because depression can easily cause some issues and has a way of suppressing the appetite. So just be mindful, just be mindful of that. Your children—they're just stuck up in a room and not coming out, not wanting to eat. Now, some of that is just being a goofy, silly teenager. And we all have been teenagers before, and we just like the boy he liked said he didn't like them, and now they're depressed and don't want to eat.

Still pay attention to that, but some of that is just teenage stuff you've just got to deal with. But I'm telling you, depression will have a way of stripping us, suppressing our appetites. So just pay close attention to one another. Be close. So often, we're so tunnel—we have tunnel vision; all we see is our situation, our problems, our issues. And there are people all around us that's going through stuff. And an outward indication that something's not right inwardly is a lack of appetite.

So just pay close attention to each other. When God called Cain on the carpet for killing his brother Abel, and God said, "Cain, where's your brother?" He said, "Am I my brother's keeper?" See, we are. We are each other's keeper. And pay attention to each other and watch if there's a suppression of appetite. Just begin to start inquiring, asking some open-ended questions. And another sign: avoidance of the conversation. That's another sign. Be watchful, be watchful of that kind of stuff because it can happen to any of us.

Now, back to the statement that I love that Paul made. He said, "Men, you should have listened to me and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss." Paul wasn't—now see, here's the thing. Paul wasn't trying to make them feel worse, like we would say, "You should have listened to me." Paul wasn't doing that. But to point out that he prophesied that this would happen.

He told them back at the area called the docks of Fair Havens. He said, "Look, hey, do not sail and incur disaster and loss. I think that it's going to be a disastrous trip, not only for the boat but also for our own lives." See, here's the thing. The very people that ignored Paul's wisdom when they were safely at the docks of the city of Fair Havens in verse 10, now they are ready to listen to the man of God.

The same is true for us. When the south wind was blowing softly in our lives, we didn't want to listen to the man or woman of God sent to warn us of the storm that is coming our way. And now, after being exceedingly tempest-tossed for days, you're now in a place to listen.

See, God is so gracious that He will send the man or woman of God not to rub it in but to encourage us, just like we see Paul is doing here. He said in verse 22, "And now I urge you to take heart." I bet that they were listening very closely, especially when he says, "for there will be no loss of life among you, but only the ship."

Now, we are in a place at this time where we can listen to the man or woman of God. Depending upon how powerful the storm of correction is in our life. Let me just say: you may lose some material things. You may lose a car, you may lose a house, and other material things, but you will be fine as an individual, just like Paul said here. There'll be a loss of some things but not of your lives.

So too, when you're in a storm of correction, depending upon how far you go into that storm, you're going to be okay, but you may lose some material things along the way. Somebody needs to hear that because maybe you're in the midst of that right now. But see, the more we ignore the man or woman of God sent our way—the more we ignore that—the more material things the storm of correction is going to take from us. And we've got to be mindful of that. Now, just know: you will get through this storm. The longer you sail in it, the worse the material things you're going to lose.

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