MPC, 22nd December 2002.Acts 27-28 - "Shipwrecked"
Phil Campbell MPC, 22nd December 2002.
There was a strange little song that made the top 40 charts a couple of years ago called Buses and Trains. All about the dangers of falling in love. And the chorus went like this. The verse says, "Hey Mum you should have warned me before I went out into the world…" And then the chorus goes,
So I walked under a bus. I got hit by a train
Keep falling in love which is kinda the same
I've sunk out at sea
Crashed my car, gone insane
And it felt so good. I want to do it again
Life is one disaster after another. In this case, romantic disasters. And the song's using imagery. Walked under a bus. Hit by a train. Sunk out at sea. Crashed my car. Gone insane. and it felt so good… I want to do it again.
Well, as we follow the apostle Paul on this last instalment of the book of Acts this morning, the song almost sums it up. Not as a list of romantic images about his love life. But very much for real.
I wonder if you've ever fallen for the lie that says if you're doing God's work it's going to feel good? If you're doing God's work everything's just going to fall into place? That if you're doing God's will you'll be healthy? And wealthy? And comfortable?
For Paul, it's the opposite. One disaster after another. But at no point losing hope. Or losing sight of his goal.
Will you notice as we pick up the story in Acts 27, Paul's still in chains. A prisoner. Under escort for the sea voyage to Rome, where he's appealed his case to Caesar. Accused by the Jews of causing riots, of public disturbance, he's testified before local governors and kings. And now he's on the way to the top. Under the authority, we're told in verse 2, of Centurion Julius… from the Imperial Regiment.
Ready for the sort of sea voyage that you'd never forget. And notice in verse 2 the small word we. Because at this point, Luke is back in the picture. The writer of Acts is now part of the action first hand.
And the details begin. Boarding the ship. First to Sidon. Then at the end of verse 5 to Myra, in Lycia. With Julius treating Paul with an unusual degree of respect.
And at Lycia, they change ships. An Egyptian registered boat heading for Italy. Which is where they want to go.
But at this point, we need to think ourselves back. To the days of wind power. Where seasons played a profound part in where you could travel. Because of the prevailing winds. There was an old Roman saying. Sailing in September is stupid. Sailing in November is suicide. And they're struggling. Verse 7. Slow headway. And the wind just won't let them hold their course. They're heading west. To Italy. And the wind's from the North East. Pushing southwest.
There's a note in verse 9 that the sailing's getting dangerous, because it's after the Fast, the Day of Atonement. First week of October. Somewhere between stupid and suicide.
And Paul warns them. Verse 10. This is going to be disastrous. Don't go. But they press on. Looking for a better harbour to winter in. Around Crete, hoping to make it to Phoenix.
But verse 14, there are hurricane force winds. The Northeaster. Sweeping down across Crete and driving them right off course. Verse 16, hardly able to tie down the lifeboat. Trying to hold the ship together by lashing it with ropes. Dropping the sea anchor so they won't run aground. If you're a sailing person, you'll be right in your element.
Verse 18, throwing the cargo overboard; then the ship's tackle. Anything to lighten the load and keep them off the sandbars. And the storm goes on for day after day after day. Until they've given up all hope of getting out alive.
Verse20. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.
Until in verse 27 on the fourteenth night, being driven across the Adriatic, the sailors hear breakers. And realise they're going to be dashed on the rocks. Forget about the Captain going down with the ship. The whole crew heads for the lifeboats in secret. Pretending they're lowering more anchors, they're lowering their getaway boat. They're out of here. Until Paul sees what's going on. And has them stopped.
This is bad. So bad even the sailors haven't eaten for all the fourteen days of the storm.
And when daylight finally comes in verse 39, they see a bay. And realise their only hope is to run aground. They hoist the foresail, the bow jams into a sandbar and verse 41, the stern is smashed to pieces by the pounding of the surf.
And if that's not bad enough, it gets worse. The soldiers draw their swords. Policy is, you kill prisoners at a time like this to make sure they don't escape. And the centurion stops them in the nick of time. And it's abandon ship.
And if you think you're safe when you read the first verse of chapter 28, think again.
Luke says, once safely on shore we found out the island was called Malta. And there's an unusually warm welcome. They build a fire, serve up hot cocoa because it's rainy and cold. Paul, being the helpful sort of guy he is, is gathering a pile of brushwood for the fire… and as he drops it in the flames, a viper latches on to his hand.
So I walked under a bus. I got hit by a train
Keep falling in love which is kinda the same
I've sunk out at sea
Crashed my car, gone insane
And it felt so good. I want to do it again.
You know, there was a heart warming Christmas news story the other day from Lancashire. A Christmas Turkey was on it's way to the slaughter house. When it fell off the back of the truck.
It was picked up by a power station security guard, who called the RSPCA. And instead of heading for the slaughter house and the dinner table, the turkey, who they've called Lurkey, went to the vet for a full health check. And is on the waiting list for a happy home. Where he'll live out the rest of his days in comfort.
Whereas for Paul at every point it's like it's out of the frying pan and into the fire.
And the Maltese who are watching what's happening are shaking their heads and saying, this guy must be really bad. To have all this happen to him. This guy must be a murderer. For though he escaped from the sea, verse 4, justice hasn't allowed him to live.
But Paul shakes the snake off into the fire, and though they're watching and expecting him to swell up or drop dead, nothing happens. And he's fine.
Because, you see, Paul's literally a man on a mission. And God's not finished with him yet.
Which is a thread that comes through in Luke's account over and over again. Paul certainly doesn't get a free ride. And he sure as anything doesn't get the comfortable business class seats. But Paul's heading somewhere important. With an important message. And nothing's going to stop him getting there.
Look back at verse 22 in chapter 27.
Because in spite of the fact he's the prisoner, Paul's cheering up everyone else. He says, "But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost. Only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said, 'Don't be afraid, Paul… you must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.' So keep up your courage men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me."
Which is just repeating in essence what Jesus had told him as well, back in chapter 23. Take courage. As you've testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.
Paul's on his way to keep an appointment. With God's guarantee that he'll get there. No matter what. Bus, train, shipwreck, soldiers sword, snake… it's not necessarily going to easy. But he'll take the gospel to Rome. No matter what.
And so after three months on Malta, healing the chief official's dad and anyone else who comes by, they're ready for the last leg of the journey. Ironically, in verse 11, in a ship with the twin gods Castor and Pollux as the figurehead. And it's almost an understatement when you get to it in verse 14. First met by Christian friends just out of town. And so… we came to Rome. Where Paul is allowed to live by himself under guard. House arrest.
And straight away he starts arranging meetings. At first with the Jews. And verse 23 you can see him in action. Doing what he always does. With the same results he always gets. They come to where he's staying. Not much choice. And from morning til evening he explains and declares to them the kingdom of God, and tries to convince them about jesus from the law of Moses and the Prophets. And some are convinced. And others are not.
And for two years that's what he's doing. As verse 30 wraps it up. For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly, and without hinderance… he preached the Kingdom of God… and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.
That's the picture we're left with. And even then it's hardly glorious, is it? I mean, he's in Rome and he's preaching. But it's hardly been a glorious victory march has it? And he's not playing to sell out audiences in the circus maximus. Or the forum. He arrived like something the cat dragged in. And he's preaching with a chain round his ankle. This isn't a captive audience. It's a captive preacher.
Which is right in line with the way we've seen it working.
And in line with what Paul says about himself in his letters.
Because the message of the crucified Christ is unimpressive in our terms. And always has been. Offensively unimpressive. A saviour born in a cowshed. His bassinet is a feed-trough. His future is a Roman death sentence. Nailed on a cross.
And his messenger Paul is whipped and chained and shipwrecked and hungry and snakebitten and probably fleabitten as well.
Which is how Paul describes himself in 2 Corinthians chapter 4. Where he says the treasure of our message is packaged in jars of clay. To show where the real glory comes from. And it's not from us!
Listen to what he says…
7But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.
And then later on. 2 Corinthians 11. In the face of another version of Christianity that seemed more attractive. And prosperous. False teachers in fast cars. Paul says, look at the prosperity Christians and ask, which one looks more like Jesus. Them? Or me? He says,
23Are they servants of Christ? I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? 30If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.
Just like the song.
So I walked under a bus. I got hit by a train
Keep falling in love which is kinda the same
I've sunk out at sea
Crashed my car, gone insane
And it felt so good. I want to do it again
Because in Paul's weakness, you can see at every point his confidence is in God's strength. And God's purpose. Which is to have the gospel preached faithfully in the very heart of the Roman Empire.
And so if you're expecting life as a faithful Christian is going to be an easy road, maybe you need to change your expectations. If you're thinking that being impressive is going to make an impression on your non-Christian friends, it's time for a re-think.
It's interesting, Hugh McKay the social commentator said recently that one of the virtues that Christianity introduced to the world was humility. Wasn't considered a virtue at all. Until the world met the servant king. In humble circumstances. Which I suspect needs to keep challenging us right to the core.
Now as we say goodbye to Acts, I want to change tack for a minute. And spend a few minutes thinking about the book of Acts as history.
Because it's been a fashionable thing to say that the stuff recorded in the New Testament is sort of a hazy bunch of half made up legends. Written long after everything happened.
And so there are scholars who say the gospel accounts are kind of legendary scraps of half remembered sayings of Jesus. That probably weren't really said by Jesus at all. That if you trust what's written in the bible as a historical record, you've got rocks in your head. And at the very best, the gospel records were written down 70 or 80 or 120 years after things happened. With no real historical accuracy at all.
Now it makes sense, doesn't it? I mean, a soldier writing his diary in the trenches back in World War 1 is actually going to give a more accurate idea of what's going on than some historian trying to do it two or three generations later.
And the reason it's worth raising an issue like the historical value of Acts is when you think about it, it's a strange way to end.
Does it strike you that way? Because I reckon it's kind of a let down. There's a climax building up. And the climax is, after a trial with Felix and a trial with Festus and a trial with Agrippa, the climax you're looking forward to as you read the last section of Acts is the big one. And over and over again, every time you turn the page there's another reminder where it's heading. On trial before Caesar.
And so it's sort of odd, isn't it… that the story ends in the year 61AD with the Apostle Paul preaching in his house. Waiting.
I mean, if you're reading it as an adventure story, it's an anticlimax. An absolute fizzer.
But if you're reading it with an eye to real history, it's very interesting. And an American Lawyer by the name of John Mauck has written an interesting book called Paul on Trial that argues the reason the book of Acts ends where it ends is that it's actually written by Luke as a pre-trial briefing. For Theophilus. Who he suggests is the Roman Official in charge of assessing the case. And so he starts off with Part 1. Luke's gospel. Which opens with the words it seemd good to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus the things you've been orally informed of.
Which is one reason why there's so much historical detail of all the previous charges. And previous trials. And which would mean Luke's committing it all to writing as fast as he can. No long delay between when it's happening. And when it's written down. And accounts for the incredible detail in the bits where Luke's actually there in the action. How long it takes to get from town to town. How many people on the ship. 276. The details of the anchors and sails and the cargo and the winds. Real history. Written down real soon. With real accuracy. And so you can imagine the picture. As Paul has his day in the Roman High Court… Caesar's officials have been reading what you've been reading. And maybe even Caesar himself.
And as far as we know, Paul's later on released. And writes to Timothy and Titus. And keeps preaching the same message we're still preaching today. That the way to be right with God is to repent. Turn around from the way you've been going. And turn to Jesus instead. Which is something we need to listen to carefully.
Paul's last word to the Jews is there in verse 27. He says, be careful. You've got caloused hearts. What you need to do is listen. And look. And understand with your hearts. And turn. But they won't. And they don't.
And so Paul says to them, verse 28, I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles. And they will listen.
The Gentiles are you. And the Gentiles are me. They'll listen. Have you?