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That's connectwithskip.com. Now, let's get started with today's message from Pastor Skip Heitzig. Maybe there was just something about Paul where this centurion said, I know people, I know men.
I've been around a lot of different people, and I know I can trust them. So, it happened. They were at Sidon. I happened to go to Sidon. You know, I've always wanted to go to Sidon. I flew into Beirut. And for years, my buddy, who's a pastor of a church up there, said, hey, let me go to Sidon. And he always says, no, no, it's too dangerous.
It's a radical Islamic city. You can't go there. You'll stand out like a banana among, you know, figs. They're going to hunt you down. So, I talked to one of his assistants without him knowing it. I said, hey, can you drive me to Sidon? And he goes, sure, man, I'll take you to Sidon if you want to risk it.
I said, I want to risk it. Well, when Sammy, my buddy, found out, everybody goes, oh, no, no, no, you can't go. And so, he prevented me.
But the next day, he put me himself in his car. And a couple of us, Murray, you were there with us. And we drove down to Sidon. So, I was able to get out of the car and take a picture of this cool Crusader fortress.
I'd always wanted to see it. And then Sammy and the gang said, get in the car quick, because they saw a local gang kind of coming my way. I stood out like a sore thumb. So, anyway, we faced that. Paul got there and had a welcoming committee when he was there, because there were believers at that time. Verse 4, when we had put to sea, from there we sailed under the shelter of Cyprus, that large island where Barnabas was from, if you remember, because the winds were contrary. And when we had sailed over the sea, which is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia. And there, the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing to Italy, and he put us on board.
So, they take the prisoners off one boat and put them all on this boat. This boat is from Alexandria, Egypt. It's an Egyptian grain vessel. Rome got most of its wheat and bread supplies from Egypt.
They had a contract with that nation. So, there were shipments regularly going over. And we know this was a grain ship, because when we get down to verse 38, God willing by tonight, maybe not, but God willing, we find out that there was grain aboard that they threw out to be able to survive the storm. So, it's a grain ship going from Egypt to Italy. In those days, there were no passenger ships. There were no Disney cruises. There was no love boat princess cruise of the Mediterranean, footsteps of Paul the Apostle, first class, second class, third class. There was just cargo ships and prisoners or people, certain amounts of people, were allowed on board.
So, it was always in a combination. Now, something about this ship. We have discovered since this was written what these ships look like. They were about 180 feet long, 50 feet across or wide, and the hull was 44 feet deep. It was a very sturdy ship to withstand Mediterranean sea travel.
However, it had some distinct disadvantages. Number one, it had no rudder. It was controlled by two large oars at the stern, the back, the rear of the ship. It only had one mass, not multiple mass. It had one solid mass with one sail that was square, a very rudimentary basic sailing vessel. And because of that, though it was sturdy, the disadvantage was you couldn't take it into the wind. You couldn't tack easily with that. So, it could end up just about anywhere.
It was sturdy, it was strong, it was slow moving, and it could not easily be controlled in problem situations. So, that's where we're going with this. Verse 7, when we had sailed slowly many days, don't know how many days, but a lot, and traveled with difficulty off Snitis, the wind not permitting us to proceed, we sailed under the shelter of Crete off Salmoneh.
Passing it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens near the city of La Silla. Now, when much time had been spent and sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was already over, Paul advised them. Now, before we read what Paul advised, the fast was the Day of Atonement.
The one day of the year Jews were required by Jewish law, Mosaic law, to fast, to afflict their souls, literally, they took that to mean fasting. So, the fast is over. The Feast of Tabernacles is over.
The Day of Atonement is over, which means we're dealing with a timeframe of mid-October, just when the weather changes and it becomes very difficult to sail in the Mediterranean. So, because of that, Paul advised them, saying, Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives. So, Paul speaks up. Paul is a leader. Paul is not the captain of the ship. He's just an apostle, but he has an opinion. He goes, Men, not a good idea.
This is going to be a problem. Now, before you dismiss Paul, yes, he was a preacher, but he had a lot of experience in sea travel. He had done already three missionary journeys. He had been on that sea, on those islands. He knew it well.
In fact, do you remember what he said in 2 Corinthians 11? He said, three times I was shipwrecked, and I spent an entire night and a day adrift in the sea. So, he knew the ocean. He knew the seasons of the sea. He had experience at sea.
So, he's giving a learned opinion that it's going to be problematic. They're at a place, notice, called Fair Haven. Sounds like a good place, doesn't it?
Sounds sweet. It was boring. It was small. It wasn't a great place for sailors to spend a winter in. So, they want a bigger town. They're thinking, look, the preacher wants to stay here. I mean, this is good for a preacher, but not for a group of sailors. We need a bigger place to hang for the winter.
So, nevertheless, verse 11, the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul. And because the harbor was not suitable to winter in, the majority advised to set sail from there also, if by any means they could reach Phoenix. So, you know, why not go to Phoenix in the wintertime, right? Of course, it's not that Phoenix.
It's not our Phoenix. It's a Phoenix, which is the seacoast town on this island of Crete. A harbor of Crete opening toward the southwest and the northwest and winter there. When the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their desire.
Ooh, the breeze is good. Putting out to sea, they sailed close to Crete, but not long after a tempestuous headwind arose called Eurokleidon, or Eurokleidon, depending on how you would want to pronounce it. So, when the ship was caught and could not head into the wind, we let her drive. Now, I want you to notice some phrases that we have read so far. Look at them again and notice them together about this particular voyage and the storm that they're heading into. Notice in verse 4, it says, the winds were contrary. And then in verse 7, notice the word with difficulty. We arrived with difficulty. Verse 8, passing it with difficulty. Verse 9, sailing was now dangerous. Verse 14, not long after that, a tempestuous headwind arose. Something about storms, we know this to be a fact, trials we go through, stormy problems in our life, we know this to be true. Storms change our comfort.
That's why we hate them. No, I like it just the way it is, thank you. I don't want any change in my comfort zone. I don't want you to take me out of my comfort zone. But storms always do. It brings difficulty, it brings danger, it brings headwind. You think, man, I've been serving the Lord, this gets tougher and tougher and tougher as I go.
Remember, the Lord spoke to Paul and confirmed he is in the will of God. And yet, though in the will of God, danger, headwind, difficulty, trial. Some of us say, self-included, I've said this, man, I love change. I hate when things are just boring all the time. I love change. I've discovered when people say that, self-included, what we mean is I love change as long as I initiate that change. I don't like it if somebody else initiates it and changes my comfort in the process. I don't want to get out of my comfort zone. Yeah, I like change as long as I'm the one doing it. This is a difficult situation that Paul is in.
However, it's needed. You're listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig. Before we get back to Skip's teaching, God desires to work in and through your life as a believer. And he does this through the Holy Spirit who lives in everyone who places their trust in Jesus. We want to help you better understand the Holy Spirit by sending you The Holy Spirit Then and Now, a resource featuring two books by Chuck Smith. The book of Acts commentary, Empower, a biblical balance on the person and work of the Holy Spirit, with an introduction by Skip Heitzig. This resource is our thanks for your gift of at least $50 today to help share biblical teaching with more people around the world through Connect with Skip Heitzig.
Go to connectwithskip.com slash offer or call 800-922-1888 and request your copy when you give at least $50 today to reach people around the world through Connect with Skip Heitzig. Let's continue with today's teaching with Pastor Skip. You and I need from time to time in the will of God to get our comfort challenged. Look how flabby we get if we don't keep working out, if we eat whatever we want and just don't do any exercise, if there's no resistance in our life. And we can get into a rut psychologically, spiritually, as well as physically. When the United States was being settled years ago, there weren't roads, there weren't freeways, there was not even railway at the time, but it was being settled by covered wagon with wooden wheels with a band of metal. So the wagon wheel was very narrow and it would cut grooves, especially after it would rain on the soil and it was soft. If a stagecoach went, it would sink down and create a deep groove. And then when it would dry, they would keep going and going and it would just kind of go, it would be a rut.
And if you're in that kind of a rut with that kind of a wheel, it's impossible to get out. So there was a sign when our country was being settled that said, avoid this rut or you'll be in it for the next 25 miles. Some of us get in ruts. We're just used to things a certain way. And then when our storm comes and we change our comfort, we flip out, we freak out.
But could it be that God has something so much better than what you're already experiencing right now and this is why the storm is coming? Example, you get the dream job, man, this is awesome. I don't want things to change. I love it just the way it is.
I've been looking for this a long time. We just get settled. Then you walk into work one day and the boss says, sorry, we have to make cutbacks. We're laying you off. You go, Lord, why would you do that?
Why would you allow that? Well, perhaps the Lord has a better job in mind and in store for you. But you weren't looking for it before. You were happy the way things were. But God has something better for you. But you wouldn't have looked for it.
You wouldn't have cared about it. But now you are looking for it. You've been shaken from that place. The prophet Jeremiah, the Lord was speaking about Moab and said, Moab has been at ease from his youth. This is Jeremiah, I believe, chapter 48 or 49.
Moab has been at ease from his youth. He has settled on his dregs and he has not been poured or emptied from vessel to vessel. It's an illustration from the world of wine in antiquity. When they would ferment wine, the dregs, the sledge would collect at the bottom and that would affect the taste. It would have to be agitated regularly and poured from one vessel into another. And as it was poured, it would mix things up and it would keep the taste and keep the wine better.
So what a picture. Moab has been at ease from his youth. He has not been poured from vessel to vessel. He has settled down in his dregs, the sledge. Some of us have sludge in our lives.
Just gunk, man, just junk. We just got so used to this and God starts shaking things up. And before you shake your fist at God, just think that God might have something better for you down the road. So storms change comfort. Head winds all the way. So verse 15, when the ship was caught and could not head into the wind, we just let it go.
Let her drive. Remember, there's no rudder on this baby. There's just some oars and pick those babies up, just let it go.
And running under the shelter of an island called Clouda, we secured the skiff. That's the small ship, the dinghy with difficulty. And when they had taken it on board, they brought that little ship that usually hangs off the end, brought it on the hull.
They used cables to undergird the ship, fearing lest they should run aground on the certain sands. They struck sail and were so driven. 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, in those days, they navigated by the stars. They didn't have a compass. They didn't have radar, sonar. They didn't even have a compass.
They would navigate by the stars. You're going to see that they won't be able to do that because it's cloudy as we go on. So what they were afraid of when they said the certain sands, these are probably the shoals, the sandbars off the coast of Libya in northern Africa. They don't know where they're at.
They don't have a radar screen or a computer. They just know they're going in that direction. And they're afraid because it's a legendary place where ships can get caught.
And so they did a common practice. They put ropes underneath the cables, tightened it up so that that sturdy wood wouldn't come apart in the strong storm. But then it's interesting, in verse 18 and 19, they start throwing things overboard. So in verse 18, they lightened the ship. This is a grain ship. They're throwing grain overboard, probably. We know they do that down in verse 38.
When it was day, they didn't recognize the land, but they observed a bay with a beach. Oh, that's verse 39. So when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship and threw out the wheat into the sea. Then in verse 19, they're not just throwing the cargo, but they're throwing the ship's tackle.
That's a generalized term, a broad term, for things like beds, tables, any kind of furnishings at all. They just throw it overboard. Okay, what kind of a ship is it? What are they bringing to Rome? Grain. They wouldn't get paid unless they delivered the full amount of grain. It's a grain ship.
Its duty, its sole purpose is to bring grain from Egypt to Rome. But now they're throwing it overboard. And there's a second principle in storms.
They don't just change your comfort zone. They change your values. When you have a storm, suddenly that grain that is so important, man, that's my paycheck.
Are you kidding? I'm not going to throw that overboard. When it comes to the paycheck or your life, throw the grain overboard.
Throw the tackle overboard. It changes your values. Suddenly, other things are more important to you than just that.
And storms will do that. It's one of the refining ways that the Lord uses them in your life. It changes your value system. It turns salesmen into survivors. It changes entrepreneurs into endures.
These people are just hanging on for their life as the storm gets worse and worse. There's a great story. And I've read it before, and I confirmed it on a couple of different sources this week. But years ago, there was this famous European wrestler from Turkey. His name was Yusuf Ismail. Yusuf was nicknamed the Terrible Turk, Yusuf the Terrible Turk.
He was 305 pounds. He won all the championships in all of Europe in wrestling. He came to America to go up against a guy named Strangler Lewis. You know, wrestlers had like gangster names in those days. So, you got Yusuf the Turk against Strangler Lewis.
And Yusuf the Turk won on American soil the title, international title. He was paid $5,000. He demanded that the payment be given to him in gold coin. And he wore a belt around his pack, around his body, where he put his money. He kept gold coin. And he had between $8,000 and $10,000 of gold coin, including the five that he won in America, around his body. Now, you think, well, that's dangerous. Not for him.
You know, nobody's going to come at Yusuf the Terrible Turk. So, he kind of bore it around quite proudly. Well, he's going back to Europe on the USS Burgoyne, a ship that was taking him back home. Got into a storm. The ship began to sink. He was tossed overboard, but because he had that gold around him, it was an anchor. He was trapped. He sunk to the bottom to his death. And that reminds us of one of the Proverbs that says, Riches do not help in the day of wrath. Caught by his own greed, so to speak, pinned by it. Storms will change your value. I bet if you could interview Yusuf as he's going down, he'd say, Take this stupid money belt off. I just want to breathe, man.
I just want to live. Now, verse 20. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days. Remember, no compass.
They're navigating by stars. They can't see any. And no small tempest beat on us. That's the diminutive way of saying it was a big old storm. All hope that we would be saved was finally given up.
You just have to picture utter despair. They have fought headwinds. They have fought this massive nor'easter called the Eurokleiden. They can't see to navigate. They're afraid. They can't control the ship.
They're throwing stuff overboard. They still can't see the stars. We're dead. We resign ourselves to a death at sea. But after long abstinence from food. Now, they're fasting, not because they're holy, but because they're sick to their stomach. Nobody wants to eat.
They want to just survive. It says, Then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, Man, you should have listened to me. Don't you hate it when somebody says that to you? And Paul said, Now let me tell you what to do. I think you ought to stay here in Fairhaven. Oh, you're just a preacher.
What do you know? Well, now the preacher was right. And so he said, Well, you should have listened to me.
But he didn't do that to rub it in as much as to give them better counsel now. And not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. And now I urge you, take heart. Cheer up.
Cheer up. For there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night an angel of God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, Do not be afraid, Paul.
You must be brought before Caesar. Indeed, God has granted you all those who sail with you. Therefore, take heart, men.
For I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. However, we must run aground on a certain island. Now, you notice that Paul is starting to take charge. It's what leaders do. When there's difficulties and everybody's burned out and there's just no way out, a leader arises.
And he moves now from captive to captain. He says, You should have listened to me, but don't despair. Take heart.
Cheer up. The Lord appeared to me through a messenger, and he gave a message of God. Thanks for listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig. We hope you've been strengthened in your walk with Jesus by today's program. Before we let you go, we want to remind you about this month's resource that will help you understand the person and work of the Holy Spirit.
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That's 800-922-1888. Or visit connectwithskip.com slash donate. And did you know that you can find full message series and libraries of content from Skip Heitzig on YouTube? Simply visit the Connect with Skip Heitzig channel on YouTube and be sure to subscribe to the channel so you never miss any new content. Come back next time for more verse-by-verse teaching of God's word here on Connect with Skip Heitzig. Make a connection Make a connection At the foot of the crossing Cast your burdens on his word Make a connection Connection Connect with Skip Heitzig is a presentation of Connection Communications, connecting you to God's never-changing truth in ever-changing times.
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