February 28, 2010

Sheepfold Ministries - pastor Phil Roland

 

God’s Anchors in Life’s Storms

Acts 27:14-29

 “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast. . .”

Hebrews 6:19

 

The Elders of Jerusalem have accused Paul of crimes against Caesar

Paul appeals as a Roman Citizen and is under armed guard

His journey will end in the presence of Caesar himself

Note the attitudes of the boat owner/crew and the Apostle Paul

Paul’s concern is for safety – See vs. 10-12

Boat owner and crew are only concerned w/making a profit

 

I.  ANALYZE YOUR ATTITUDE

          A. Soul-Searching

                        1. Search your heart

                        2. Do the Introspection

                        3. Allow the painful Self-Reflection

          B. Bad Attitudes

                        1. Immature, Ego-Centric Thinking

                            “Me First”

                        2. Stinkin’ Thinkin’

                            “It’s me against the world!”

                        3. Greed and Avarice (Insatiable desire for wealth)

                        4. Arrogance and Pride – Prov. 16:18

                           “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.”

                        5. Later Hopelessness - Exaggeration of Negative Possibilities

                           “This storm will never end!”

                           “It’s hopeless!”

            C. Good Attitudes

                        1. Put off the Old, Put on the New – Phil. 2:5 

                           “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. . .”

                        2. Think from Jesus’ Perspective – 1 Cor. 2:16

                            “The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he                                        himself is not subject to any man's judgment: "For who has                                    known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?"

                              But we have the mind of Christ.”

                        3. Storm is a God-Sent Crisis to Reveal and Shape Character

                        4. Get God’s Stabilizing Anchor

                                    a. First century sailing survival technique

                                    b. Drop the anchor not to secure a position

                                    c. Anchor rope and weight have a stabilizing effect

                                    d. They dropped FOUR anchors

                        5. Jesus is our Anchor in Life’s Storms

God’s Anchors in Life’s Storms, cont., p.2

 

II. NOURISH YOUR BODY – Acts 27:34

   "Therefore I urge you to take nourishment, for this is for your survival, since not

      a hair will fall from the head of any of you."

            A. Neglect physical nourishment during a crisis and worsen it

                        1. Sailors were fighting for their lives in a stormy sea

                        2. Needed strength to fight off starvation and fatigue

            B. There are Rules of Nutrition in Scripture

                        1. God tended to the physical needs of Jonah

                        2. He took are of Elijah with bread and water

            C. Today we provide food for grieving families

                        1. Food symbolizes nurture and care

                        2. Represents our emotional and spiritual concern

 

III. CALL UPON THE LORD – Acts 27:23,24

"For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom

  serve, "saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and

  indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.'”

        A. Paul was calling upon the Lord and received an angelic message

                        1. God’s in Control

                        2. God knows the outcomes of our lives

            B. Call upon the Lord – Psalm 18:3

                “I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be

                  saved from my enemies.”

                        1. A mother hears the piteous cries of her child

                        2. Your cries are irresistible to God

        C. Call upon the One to whom you belong

                        1. To whom do you belong?

                        2. Whose are you?

            D. Paul belongs to God, so does David  – Psalm 18:1,2

                “I will love You, O LORD, my strength.  The LORD is my rock and my

                  fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My

                  shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

 

IV. HOIST A SAIL – Acts 27:40

      “And they let go the anchors and left them in the sea, meanwhile loosing the

        rudder ropes; and they hoisted the mainsail to the wind and made for shore.”

            A. Determine your Destination

                        1. Decide where you want to go

                        2. Make for the safety of the shore

            B. Raise your Mainsail

                        1. Where do you want to go?

                        2. Where can you find safety?

            C. God finishes what you and He starts – Phil 1:6

                “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work

                  in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;”

            D. God uses Storms to produce Perseverance, Humility, Courage,                          and Faith into our lives

God’s Anchors in Life’s Storms, cont.,p.3

 

        E. Catch the Wind of His Spirit in your Sails

 

V. OBEY ORDERS

        A. To Survive Storms we must Obey Orders

        B. Paul begins as a Prisoner and ends as a Captain

                        1. He survived previous shipwrecks – 2 Cor. 11:25

                  “Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned;

                             three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in

                             the deep;

                        2. Sometimes our orders come from various places

                                    1. Learned Experience – “The School of Hard Knocks”

                        2. Other Experienced Believers

                                    3. Straight from Scripture

                                       “Be strong and courageous.”

                                       “Call upon the Lord in the day of trouble.”

                                       “Consider it all joy when you encounter trials.”

                                       “Hope on  the Lord to renew your strength.”

        C. Remember Paul’s Admonition in the Day of Trouble – Acts 27:31

               “Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these men stay in

                 the ship, you cannot be saved."

                        1. Have a Humble Heart

                        2. Hear and Obey

 

VI. REMOVE BAGGAGE – Acts 27: vv. 18,19,38

      “And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next day they

        lightened the ship. On the third day we threw the ship's tackle overboard with

        our own hands.”

 38  “So when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship and threw

         out the wheat into the sea.“

          A. Anchor Strategy – Remove unnecessary baggage

                        1. Travel Light – Travel safe

                        2. Started with a money motive

                        3. Ended with a Survival motive

            B. Life’s value not measured in THINGS – Mark 8:36

                "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his

                  own soul? "Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

          C. What kind of cargo do you need to unload before the Storm?

            D. Life’s Storms define our Priorities

 

Conclusion:

When the great missionary David Livingstone returned to Scotland after sixteen years of service in Africa, his body was emaciated from numerous diseases. A near-fatal lion attack had disabled his left arm. Livingstone’s endurance and courage are legendary. While he was speaking to a group at Glasgow University, a student asked what sustained him during the most difficult times. Livingstone said, “It was Christ’s promise that He was with me to the end. This is the word of a gentleman of the most strict and sacred honor, so there is an end.” The storm will eventually pass. Until that time, Christ, who is the Anchor of our soul, has promised to stay the course with you.