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This week we complete our study on Holy Spirit as we learn about Paul's shipwreck and his visit to Malta.
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00:00Welcome to Studies with Stearman.
00:06Join us as we look deeper into the Bible.
00:10Strengthen your faith with us, even as we see the day approaching.
00:15And now, here's Gary.
00:18Chapter 27 of Acts, the exciting conclusion of the book of Acts.
00:25We've been talking about something very interesting,
00:28and that is the Holy Spirit's guidance of Paul throughout the book of Acts.
00:35Now today, I want to show you something that I imagine you've never seen before.
00:42And if you have, come tell me about it later.
00:45You can say, I actually saw that a long time ago,
00:48and you didn't find out about it until just now.
00:50We'll see.
00:52Because I discovered something in Scripture at the conclusion of the book of Acts
00:57that's just amazingly exciting.
01:00You remember when Jesus talked to Nicodemus?
01:03He said,
01:04Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again,
01:08he cannot see the kingdom of God.
01:11And then they went on and had this conversational exchange
01:14in which Jesus described to Nicodemus that he had to be born of the Spirit.
01:20And in John 3.8, Jesus uses this metaphor.
01:25He says,
01:26The wind bloweth where it listeth,
01:29which in modern English is,
01:30the wind blows where it wants to blow.
01:33And thou hearest the sound thereof,
01:35and canst not tell whence it cometh,
01:37whither it goeth.
01:38So is every one that is born of the Spirit.
01:41And so Jesus likens the Holy Spirit to the wind,
01:44which I think is just a marvelous metaphor.
01:46It's seen all the way through the Bible in different forms.
01:50In the Old Testament,
01:52the Spirit of God is called the Ruach HaKodesh,
01:56which is essentially Holy Spirit in Hebrew,
01:59but it is more than that.
02:01It is something we would call the divine wind, if you will,
02:05the wind that's guided by God.
02:08And when Jesus said this to Nicodemus,
02:11he was speaking in universal terms.
02:14He was speaking in terms of natural law.
02:18When we open Acts 27.28 to conclude,
02:22we're going to see the Holy Spirit continuing to guide Paul.
02:25You remember Paul has a sense of destiny.
02:28His friends say,
02:29Paul, don't do this, don't do that.
02:31They're going to hurt you.
02:31Don't go over there, Paul.
02:32They're going to tie you up.
02:34Don't go over here.
02:35There are people wanting to kill you.
02:37And Paul says,
02:38No, I've got to go there.
02:39The Lord's told me I've got to go there.
02:41In fact, the Lord told me that I had to do this and this and that,
02:44and I've got to do that.
02:46And in some cases,
02:47Paul apparently did what he did from an inner urging,
02:51without being told by God.
02:54But in his own mind,
02:56he was satisfying the will of God.
02:58And that was particularly true
02:59when he ended his third missionary journey,
03:01went back to Jerusalem,
03:03where he was almost killed by a mob,
03:05had to be put under Roman house arrest,
03:07spent two years in Caesarea,
03:10and appeared before Festus
03:12and before Agrippa II.
03:15Agrippa II, as we noted last week,
03:18was talking,
03:19and he said,
03:19You know, this man could have been set free
03:21if he hadn't appealed to the emperor.
03:25But Paul appealed to the emperor
03:27precisely because God said,
03:30You must go to Rome.
03:32And back in those days,
03:33all roads did lead to Rome.
03:35Now, I'm going to read Acts 27 and 28.
03:39And instead of reading it in the King James,
03:42I'm going to read it in Dr. Beck's translation,
03:45which is probably one of the best
03:47conversational translations of the Bible
03:50that I've ever read.
03:52We're going to comment on Paul's trip to Rome.
03:55But as we do this,
03:56I want you to remember what Jesus said to Nicodemus.
04:00The wind blows where it will,
04:02and you can't tell where it's coming from
04:04or where it's going,
04:06but it has a direct effect on you.
04:10And so after Agrippa told Festus,
04:12You know, this guy could have been set free
04:14if he hadn't appealed to the emperor.
04:16The emperor at the time is Nero.
04:19Nero has now been on the throne
04:21in A.D. 60 for about four years.
04:24Nero is still very beneficent to Christians.
04:27That's going to change
04:28in about the next two to three years.
04:31Things are going to get very rough indeed.
04:34But now let's get on this trip with Paul.
04:37Verse 1 of chapter 27.
04:38When it was decided that we should sail to Italy,
04:41Paul and some other prisoners
04:43were turned over to a captain
04:44by the name of Julius
04:45of the troop of Augustus.
04:48We boarded a ship from Adramedia
04:50that was going to sail to the ports
04:52on the coast of the province of Asia,
04:54and we started out.
04:55Now, Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica,
04:58went with us.
05:00Now, Paul is being accompanied
05:02by a group of people,
05:04referred to here as us.
05:06The writer is Luke.
05:08So Luke is on the trip too.
05:10He says, when we did this and we did that,
05:13Luke is including himself
05:14in this whole journey.
05:16They found a ship from Adrametium.
05:18Adrametium is a port city
05:21in the northern reaches of the Aegean Sea
05:23next to the island of Lesbos.
05:25And it was a big, important port city.
05:28You had ships 24-7 circulating
05:30around the Mediterranean,
05:32just almost like airliners
05:33going in and out of major airports 24-7
05:37due to day.
05:38Just ships coming and going
05:39and coming and going.
05:41This is a Roman bark
05:42that they're getting on,
05:44B-A-R-Q-U-E, bark.
05:47And it is what they call
05:48a gaff-rigged ship.
05:51And we'll talk about gaff-rigging
05:53a little bit later.
05:54You know what a mast is?
05:55That's the stick that points
05:56toward the sky.
05:57The boom is a stick that points
05:59toward the back of the ship
06:01and the lower part of the sail
06:02is attached to the boom.
06:04And a gaff is an upper boom
06:06at the top of the mast.
06:07And all these Roman ships
06:10were called gaff-rigged.
06:12They were either gaff-rigged jawls
06:13or gaff-rigged barks.
06:15They were big.
06:16They could carry a lot of load.
06:18They were keelboats
06:20weighted in the keel.
06:22And they carried heavy cargo.
06:25The ship that Paul is boarding
06:27is probably a big ship
06:29capable of carrying
06:29from 250 to 300 people.
06:31The ship in which
06:33he ultimately wrecks
06:34has 276 souls on board.
06:37That's a big ship.
06:39There are a lot of very wealthy
06:41and important things going on
06:43in shipping in those days.
06:45And so Paul takes a ship.
06:47This one happens to be
06:49from Adramedia.
06:51And it's going to sail the ports
06:52on the coast of Asia.
06:54And I don't know who
06:55Aristarchus the Macedonian is
06:57or why he's even mentioned.
06:59But for some reason
07:00he gets mentioned.
07:01The next day, verse 3,
07:03we landed at Sidon
07:04where Julius treated Paul kindly
07:06and let him go to his friends
07:07to get any care he needed.
07:09Leaving Sidon,
07:10we sailed to the sheltered side
07:12of Cyprus
07:12because the winds were against us.
07:15Now, as they were sailing north,
07:17they were going to sail
07:18along the coast of Israel,
07:20up along the coast of Syria,
07:22and then they would turn west
07:24and sail along the south coast
07:26of Asia Minor.
07:28And the first place they would pass
07:30would be Cilicia and Pamphylia,
07:32which is where Paul grew up.
07:35But notice,
07:36the winds were against us.
07:39Paul wants to go to Rome.
07:41The Lord has said,
07:42you're going to go to Rome.
07:43You're going to face
07:44the imperial house of Rome
07:46because I want you to say
07:48something to them.
07:49And by the way,
07:50what Paul eventually said
07:52to the royal house of Rome
07:54is unknown.
07:54It's not in the Bible,
07:56which is one of the astounding things
07:57I've always thought
07:58about the Bible.
08:00If there's one thing
08:00you'd like to see,
08:02it would be,
08:03what did Paul say to Nero
08:04when he was on trial?
08:06To the Roman judiciary?
08:09What did Paul say?
08:11Not in the Bible.
08:12But we know that he went there.
08:15Some things are just
08:16kind of covered up.
08:18So, he says,
08:19verse 5,
08:20we crossed the sea
08:21off Cilicia and Pamphylia
08:22and landed at Myra
08:23in Lycia.
08:24And there the captain
08:25of the soldiers
08:26found the ship
08:27from Alexandria
08:28sailing to Italy
08:29and put us on it.
08:30So, they're now off
08:31on another ship.
08:33And we don't know much
08:35about this ship,
08:36but we're going to find out
08:38more about it
08:39as we go on.
08:40We were sailing slowly
08:41for a number of days
08:42and had some difficulty
08:43getting near Canetus.
08:46Well, Canetus
08:46is a place that is
08:48on the extreme
08:50southwestern tip
08:51of Asia Minor.
08:53It would be sort of
08:54the last point of land
08:56you passed
08:57until you're out
08:58into the Mediterranean deep.
09:01The wind wouldn't
09:03let us go on.
09:04And so, starting
09:05at Cape Salmon,
09:07or Salamone,
09:08we sailed
09:09on the sheltered side
09:10of Crete.
09:12This is interesting,
09:14that what they wanted
09:15to do was sail
09:16all across
09:17the south coast
09:18of Asia Minor,
09:20cross the Aegean Sea,
09:22and sail around
09:23the peninsula
09:25of Peloponnesus,
09:27where Athens
09:28and Corinth
09:28were located.
09:30And then they would
09:30have just gone
09:31straight west
09:31on over to Sicily,
09:34what is called
09:34Sicily today,
09:35Sicilia,
09:37and then around
09:38and north to Rome.
09:39And it would have been
09:40a fairly straightforward
09:41journey,
09:42but the wind
09:43would not cooperate.
09:44And so,
09:45when they passed
09:45Canetus,
09:46they headed south,
09:48and they had to
09:48sail on the south
09:50side of the island
09:50of Crete,
09:52which is here
09:53called the sheltered
09:54side of Crete.
09:56Hugging the coast,
09:57we struggled on
09:58to a place called
09:58Fair Havens
10:00near the town
10:00of Lyssee,
10:01which is on the south
10:02side of Crete.
10:04Mind you,
10:06it's fall.
10:07It is definitely
10:08fall.
10:10How do we know
10:11that it's fall?
10:12We had lost
10:13a lot of time,
10:14verse 9,
10:15even the day
10:16of fasting
10:16had already
10:17gone by,
10:18and sailing
10:19was now dangerous.
10:20The day of fasting
10:21would have been
10:22the day of atonement,
10:23Yom Kippur,
10:24and as you pass
10:25Yom Kippur,
10:26you're going
10:26into the fall.
10:28And the weather
10:29in those regions
10:30is a lot like
10:32the weather
10:32around the
10:34northeastern
10:34United States,
10:35around Newfoundland,
10:37around the
10:38northeast coast
10:39the United States,
10:40and southward,
10:42you get these
10:42big fronts
10:43that sweep down
10:44across Canada,
10:45and then you get
10:46backdrafting off
10:47of high-pressure
10:49areas that blow
10:50through,
10:51and you get
10:51wind blowing
10:52from northeast
10:53to southwest.
10:55In Maine
10:56and places like
10:56that,
10:57they refer to
10:57that as a
10:58nor'easter,
10:59and it can just
11:00blow like crazy.
11:02Sometimes the
11:03winds in the
11:04mountains up there
11:04can top 100
11:05miles an hour.
11:07Now,
11:08the same thing
11:09is true
11:09of this region
11:11of the
11:11Mediterranean,
11:12going into
11:13fall and winter,
11:14you begin to
11:15get cold fronts
11:15that blow down
11:16across the
11:17area of
11:18eastern Europe
11:19and what is
11:19today the
11:20Slavic country
11:21all the way
11:22over to
11:23western Russia,
11:24let's say,
11:26and down
11:26across Byzantium.
11:28You get these
11:29winds that develop
11:29up north and
11:30blow southward
11:31into the
11:31Mediterranean,
11:32and this is
11:33starting to
11:33happen now,
11:34and things get
11:36very, very
11:37dramatic.
11:37The day of
11:39fasting had
11:40already gone
11:40by,
11:41verse 9,
11:42and sailing
11:43was now
11:43dangerous.
11:44So,
11:44Paul advised
11:45them,
11:45men,
11:46I see that
11:46in this
11:47sailing we're
11:47going to
11:47suffer hardship
11:48and heavy
11:49loss,
11:49not only of
11:50the cargo
11:51and the
11:51ship,
11:51but also
11:52of our
11:52lives.
11:53But the
11:53captain of
11:54the soldiers
11:54listened to
11:55the pilot
11:55and the
11:56captain of
11:56the ship,
11:57and not
11:57what Paul
11:58said,
11:59like,
11:59you know,
11:59I'm going
11:59to listen
12:00to this
12:00little guy,
12:01we are
12:01sailors,
12:02we know
12:03the ocean,
12:03we know
12:04the sea.
12:04Paul,
12:05what is
12:05Paul?
12:06Ex-Pharisee,
12:08tentmaker.
12:09Verse 12,
12:10since that
12:10harbor was
12:11not a good
12:11place to
12:12spend the
12:12winter,
12:14and it
12:14wasn't,
12:15by the way,
12:15because it
12:16was wide
12:16open,
12:17the majority
12:18decided to
12:19sail away,
12:19hoping they
12:20could somehow
12:20reach Phoenix,
12:22which is
12:23called Phenis
12:23in the
12:24King James,
12:25to spend
12:26the winter
12:27there.
12:28Phoenix is
12:29a harbor
12:30of Crete
12:31facing southwest
12:32and northwest.
12:34When a gentle
12:34breeze blew
12:35from the
12:36south,
12:36they felt
12:36they could
12:37easily make
12:38it.
12:39They took
12:39up the
12:39anchor and
12:40sailed close
12:41to the
12:42shore of
12:42Crete.
12:44And so,
12:45it's amazing
12:45to me,
12:46as you read
12:47this narrative,
12:47how observant
12:49Luke is in
12:50his historical
12:51account of
12:51this voyage.
12:53Luke had
12:54apparently done
12:54a lot of
12:55traveling by
12:55sea,
12:56because he
12:57incorporates a
12:57lot of
12:58technical terms,
12:59a lot of
12:59weather terms.
13:01In verse 14,
13:02for example,
13:03in the
13:03King James,
13:04it says,
13:04but not
13:05long after,
13:06there arose
13:07against it
13:08a tempestuous
13:09wind called
13:10a Euraclodon.
13:12And so,
13:13there they are
13:13on the shore
13:14of Crete
13:14down there,
13:16hoping that
13:16they could
13:16sail up
13:17around into
13:18a safe
13:19harbor,
13:20but they
13:20didn't make
13:21it.
13:22After a
13:23little while,
13:23a hurricane,
13:25actually in
13:25the Greek
13:26it says a
13:27typhoon,
13:28uses the
13:29Greek word
13:29typhonium,
13:31which is
13:31translated
13:32in the
13:33King James
13:34as a
13:34tempestuous
13:35wind.
13:37But it's
13:37actually a
13:38typhoon.
13:39We would
13:39use the
13:39word hurricane,
13:40but after
13:41a little
13:41while,
13:42a typhonic
13:43wind called
13:44a Euraclodon,
13:45which by the
13:45way means
13:47a northeaster,
13:48a nor'easter,
13:50came down.
13:51It dashed
13:52down,
13:52to use the
13:53Greek,
13:53it dashed
13:54down from
13:54Crete.
13:55It caught
13:56the ship so
13:57that it
13:57couldn't face
13:58the wind,
13:58and we
13:59gave up
14:00and we
14:00were swept
14:01along.
14:02And here
14:03it's important
14:04to note
14:04that these
14:05cargo ships
14:05were gaff-rigged
14:07yawls,
14:08or gaff-rigged
14:09barks,
14:10because a
14:11gaff-rigged
14:12bark cannot
14:13sail close to
14:15the wind.
14:15If you know
14:15anything about
14:16sailing,
14:17you point
14:17your prow
14:18as close to
14:19the wind
14:19as you can,
14:20and you
14:21pull your
14:21jib sheet
14:22and your
14:22main sheet
14:23in as tight
14:23as possible
14:24and sail
14:24close to
14:25the wind,
14:25and you
14:25can almost
14:26sail into
14:27the wind.
14:27But an
14:28old Roman
14:29bark with
14:29a gaff-rigged
14:30could not
14:31sail close
14:31to the wind
14:32at all.
14:32They had
14:32to sail
14:33crosswind
14:33or downwind.
14:35And that's
14:36what Luke
14:36is saying
14:37here.
14:38The wind
14:38caught the
14:39ship so
14:39that it
14:39could not
14:40face the
14:40wind.
14:41In other
14:41words,
14:41to use
14:41the old
14:42nautical
14:42term,
14:43it couldn't
14:43sail close
14:44to the
14:44wind.
14:45And we
14:45gave up
14:46and we
14:46were swept
14:46along,
14:47and as we
14:47ran into
14:48the shelter
14:48of a small
14:49island called
14:49Clauda,
14:50we managed
14:51to struggle
14:51to get a
14:52hold of
14:52the lifeboat.
14:53They pulled
14:57ship to
14:57reinforce it,
14:58fearing that
14:59they would
14:59run on
15:00the great
15:00sandbank
15:01near Africa.
15:02They lowered
15:03the sail
15:03and so
15:04drifted
15:04along.
15:05And so
15:05here's this
15:06nor'easter,
15:07now the
15:08ship is
15:08out of
15:09control,
15:09sailing
15:10essentially
15:10with the
15:11wind,
15:12and they
15:13were afraid
15:14they would
15:14be beached
15:15on the
15:15northern
15:15coast of
15:16Africa.
15:17By the
15:17way,
15:17that's
15:17Libya,
15:19very near
15:19Benghazi,
15:21where the
15:21sandbanks
15:22are,
15:23just to give
15:23you a little
15:24geographic note
15:25here.
15:25Had they
15:27been blown
15:27onto the
15:28sandbanks,
15:28they would
15:29have all
15:29died.
15:30Because the
15:31ship would
15:31have been
15:31grounded,
15:32turned over,
15:32they would
15:32have drowned.
15:33There's nothing
15:33they could
15:34have done
15:34about it.
15:35And so
15:35they are,
15:36I guess,
15:37just drifting
15:37and praying.
15:38It says
15:38they passed
15:39ropes around
15:40the ship
15:40to reinforce
15:41it,
15:41fearing they
15:42would run
15:42onto the
15:43great sandbank
15:43near Africa.
15:45They lowered
15:45the sail
15:46and so
15:46drifted along,
15:47and we
15:47continued to
15:48be tossed
15:49by the storm
15:49so violently.
15:51The next
15:51day the
15:52men started
15:52to throw
15:52cargo overboard,
15:54and on
15:54the third,
15:55with their
15:55own hands
15:56they threw
15:57the ship's
15:57equipment
15:58overboard.
15:59They started
16:00throwing away
16:00tackle and
16:01lines and
16:02anything that
16:03would weigh
16:03a lot,
16:04get it off
16:05the deck,
16:05because anything
16:06that you can
16:07get off the
16:07deck will
16:08lower the
16:08center of
16:08gravity of
16:09the ship,
16:09which is a
16:10keelboat,
16:11and keep the
16:12ship from
16:12capsizing.
16:14For a number
16:14of days,
16:15we couldn't
16:16see any sun
16:17or stars.
16:17We were in a
16:18great storm
16:18until at last
16:19we were giving
16:20up all hope
16:21of coming
16:21through alive.
16:22verse 21,
16:24since hardly
16:24anyone wanted
16:25to eat,
16:26and I can
16:27imagine that,
16:29you're not
16:29going to be
16:29eating in
16:30weather like
16:30that,
16:31you're just
16:31going to be
16:32kind of hoping
16:32you don't get
16:33any more
16:33seasick than
16:34you already
16:34are.
16:36Paul stepped
16:37before them
16:38and said,
16:38man,
16:39you should
16:39have listened
16:40to me and
16:40not have
16:41sailed from
16:41Crete.
16:42You would
16:43have avoided
16:43this hardship
16:44and damage,
16:45but now I
16:46urge you to
16:47cheer up,
16:47because you
16:49will lose
16:49no lives,
16:50but only the
16:51ship.
16:51I am
16:52God's
16:53own,
16:54and serve
16:54him.
16:55Last night
16:56his angel
16:56stood by
16:57me.
16:57Don't be
16:58afraid,
16:58Paul,
16:59he said.
16:59You must
17:00stand before
17:01the emperor,
17:02and now God
17:03has given
17:03you all
17:04who are
17:05sailing with
17:06you.
17:06So Paul's
17:07visited by an
17:08angel of the
17:09Lord,
17:09and assures
17:10Paul everybody
17:11is going to
17:11come through
17:12this disaster,
17:14and that Paul
17:14is going to
17:15stand before
17:15the emperor.
17:16That, of
17:16course,
17:17would be
17:17Nero.
17:18And again,
17:19the Bible
17:19does not record
17:20the meeting
17:21that Paul
17:22ultimately has
17:23with Nero.
17:25In a judicial
17:26setting,
17:27no doubt,
17:27in which there
17:28would be Roman
17:29lawyers and
17:30Roman senators
17:30present,
17:32Paul would
17:32have received
17:33a hearing.
17:35Man,
17:36what a book
17:36in the Bible
17:37that would
17:37have been.
17:37The 67th
17:38book of the
17:39Bible,
17:40entitled Paul
17:41in Rome,
17:42or something.
17:42I don't know
17:43what that book
17:43would be called,
17:44but God did
17:45not see fit to
17:46include it in
17:47the Bible.
17:47But you
17:49understand where
17:50we're going
17:50here.
17:51We're going
17:52where the
17:52wind blows
17:53us.
17:55Like the
17:55Lord told
17:56Nicodemus,
17:57you know,
17:57the wind blows
17:58where it will.
17:59You can't tell
18:00where it's
18:00coming from
18:01or where
18:01it's going.
18:03And guess
18:03who's being
18:04blown along
18:04by the
18:05wind?
18:06Paul.
18:07The wind
18:08is taking
18:08Paul where
18:09the wind
18:10wants to
18:10take Paul.
18:12And along
18:13with it,
18:13there's hardship
18:14of various
18:15kinds.
18:16And uncertainty.
18:17Will we
18:18be beached
18:19in northern
18:19Africa?
18:21Will we
18:21be drowned?
18:23Questions.
18:24It's like
18:24life in a
18:25way.
18:25You're moving
18:26along and
18:27these things
18:27happen and
18:28you sort of
18:29get blown
18:29from one
18:30thing to
18:30another and
18:31you say,
18:31wow,
18:32where am I
18:32going now?
18:33And that's
18:34exactly the
18:34way God
18:35wants it.
18:36I promise
18:36you.
18:37And I
18:37don't like
18:38that any
18:39more than
18:39you do.
18:40I really
18:41don't.
18:41I would
18:41just love
18:42to know
18:42what's going
18:43to be
18:43happening to
18:43me for
18:44the next
18:44year or
18:45two or
18:46five.
18:47It would
18:47just be
18:47really nice.
18:49It would
18:49aid planning.
18:51But you
18:52never know.
18:53You're being
18:53blown by,
18:55shall we
18:55say,
18:56the Holy
18:56Spirit from
18:57one port
18:58of call
18:58to another.
18:59That is,
19:00if you
19:00serve the
19:01Lord.
19:01So Paul
19:02says to
19:03the guys,
19:03the angel
19:04of the
19:04Lord showed
19:05me last
19:05night that
19:06we're all
19:06going to
19:06make it
19:07through
19:07this.
19:09So,
19:09cheer up,
19:10men,
19:10verse 25,
19:11because I
19:11trust God
19:12it will be
19:13just as he
19:14told me.
19:15But,
19:16verse 26,
19:16we must
19:17run on
19:18some
19:18island.
19:20So the
19:20angel of
19:21the Lord
19:21told him
19:21that they
19:22would crash,
19:23have a
19:23shipwreck on
19:24some
19:24island.
19:26Then in
19:26verse 27,
19:27it was the
19:2814th night
19:29and we
19:30were drifting
19:30through the
19:31Adriatic sea
19:32when about
19:34midnight the
19:34sailors'
19:35suspected land
19:36was coming
19:36closer.
19:37they dropped
19:38the lead
19:39and found
19:40the water
19:40to be
19:40120 feet
19:41deep.
19:42A little
19:43farther they
19:43dropped it
19:44again and
19:44found that
19:45it was
19:4590 feet.
19:47Fearing we
19:48might run
19:48on rocks,
19:49they dropped
19:49four anchors
19:51from the
19:51back of the
19:51ship and
19:52prayed for
19:53the morning
19:53to come.
19:55So it's
19:56nighttime,
19:56they are being
19:57blown by
19:57this
19:58uroclodon.
19:59Now the
19:59uroclodon
20:00or uroclodon
20:01comes down
20:02out of
20:02the Black
20:03Sea region.
20:05It blows
20:05down from
20:06northeast to
20:07southwest across
20:07Mediterranean.
20:08As you go
20:09westward,
20:11the wind
20:11begins to
20:12be more
20:13westerly in
20:14its direction.
20:15So now they
20:15have a tailwind.
20:17And by the
20:18way, this has
20:19all been
20:19studied
20:19meteorologically.
20:20I've studied
20:21a couple of
20:22books on
20:22Mediterranean
20:23meteorology as
20:24I have studied
20:25this passage.
20:26It's fascinating
20:27to look at the
20:28meteorological
20:29aspects of it.
20:29There's also
20:30a book that
20:31was written
20:31by a friend
20:32of mine,
20:33Bob Cornuke,
20:33Robert Cornuke
20:34wrote this
20:35book called
20:35The Lost
20:36Shipwreck of
20:37Paul in
20:37which he
20:38went to
20:38the island
20:39where the
20:40ship was
20:40wrecked and
20:41he believes
20:42that they
20:42have found
20:42at least
20:43two of
20:44the four
20:44anchors that
20:45were cast
20:46out of the
20:46back of the
20:47ship in
20:47the Bay
20:48of St.
20:48Thomas on
20:49Malta.
20:50In fact,
20:51he believes
20:51that he's
20:52found the
20:52exact location
20:53of the
20:53shipwreck
20:54because it
20:54so carefully
20:55matches point
20:56by point
20:57what we read
20:57in Scripture.
20:59The four
21:00anchors that
21:00were cast
21:01out would
21:01be about
21:02six feet
21:03tall.
21:03made out
21:04of very
21:04heavy wood
21:05with a
21:06lead headstock.
21:08So you
21:09have these
21:09very heavy
21:10anchors made
21:11of wood
21:11reinforced
21:12with iron
21:13and then
21:14across the
21:14top of the
21:15anchor would
21:15be a lead
21:16crossbeam or
21:17headstock so
21:18that when you
21:19drop the
21:19anchor the
21:20lead would
21:20cause the
21:21top of the
21:21anchor to
21:22fall over and
21:23catch the
21:23sea floor with
21:25a hook.
21:26It was a
21:26very well
21:27designed anchor.
21:28In fact,
21:28the anchor design
21:29used by the
21:30Romans is in
21:31a modified
21:31form used
21:32by the
21:32U.S.
21:33Navy today
21:33except it's
21:34all made
21:35out of
21:35steel.
21:37But these
21:37lead anchors,
21:38four of them
21:39were dropped
21:40at 90 feet,
21:4215 fathoms.
21:44You can go
21:45to the Bay
21:45of St.
21:46Thomas today
21:46and measure
21:4815 fathoms
21:49all the way
21:50into a
21:50sand beach.
21:52They believe
21:53that three
21:54of the four
21:54anchors that
21:55were cast
21:55out have
21:56been found.
21:56Not the
21:57wood, but
21:58the lead
21:58headstock has
22:00been found.
22:01And one of
22:01them still
22:02exists, the
22:02others have
22:03been destroyed
22:04because Greek
22:06fishermen and
22:07Roman fishermen
22:07love to find
22:09antique lead
22:10at the bottom
22:10of the sea.
22:11They bring it
22:12up, they melt
22:12it down, and
22:13they use it
22:13for all kinds
22:14of goodies.
22:15Make everything
22:16from sinkers
22:17to mechanical
22:18parts out of
22:19molten lead,
22:20and so they
22:20scavenge these
22:21anchors, and
22:22it's a miracle
22:23that the anchors
22:24of Paul's ship
22:24even remained
22:25there.
22:26By the way,
22:27if you can
22:28ever find any
22:29anchor lead
22:30from 2,000
22:31years ago, be
22:32sure you don't
22:33throw it away
22:33because it's
22:34worth more
22:34than gold.
22:36And the
22:36reason for
22:37that is it's
22:37used in
22:38medical research
22:38because the
22:39lead in an
22:40ancient anchor
22:41has lain in
22:42the bottom
22:42of the sea
22:42for so long
22:43that it has
22:44rid itself
22:45through radiation
22:46and decay
22:47of certain
22:48isotopes, and
22:49so anchor lead
22:50is isotopically
22:51clean, and it
22:52can be used in
22:53medical research.
22:54Don't ask me
22:54how, but it's
22:55worth more per
22:56ounce than
22:57gold.
22:58So if you're
22:58ever over in
22:58the Mediterranean
22:59and you find
22:59anchor lead, don't
23:00throw it away.
23:02It was the
23:0314th night, and
23:05we were drifting
23:06through the
23:06Adriatic Sea, by
23:08the way, going
23:09from east to
23:09west.
23:10About midnight,
23:11the sailors
23:12suspected the
23:12land was coming
23:13closer.
23:14They dropped
23:14the lead and
23:15found water
23:16120 feet deep.
23:17A little farther
23:17they dropped
23:18it again and
23:18found it was
23:1990 feet.
23:20Fearing we
23:20might run on
23:21rocks, they
23:21dropped four
23:22anchors from
23:23the back of
23:23the ship and
23:24prayed for the
23:24morning to come.
23:25Then the
23:26sailors tried to
23:26escape from the
23:27ship.
23:28They let the
23:29lifeboat down
23:30into the sea
23:30pretending that
23:32they were going
23:32to take out the
23:33anchors from the
23:33front of the
23:34ship and let
23:34them down.
23:36But Paul told
23:37the captain, the
23:38soldiers, and his
23:38men, if these
23:39don't stay on the
23:40ship, you can't be
23:41rescued.
23:42In other words, the
23:42sailors were trying
23:43to abandon ship and
23:45make it to land and
23:46let the passengers
23:47fend for
23:48themselves.
23:49Then the
23:50soldiers cut the
23:51ropes that held the
23:51boat and let it
23:54drift away.
23:54Remember now, Paul
23:56is under the care
23:57of Julius, of the
23:59troop of Augustus,
24:01meaning that, and
24:02these would be
24:02crack Roman
24:03troops, Julius was
24:05of the house of
24:06Nero.
24:07That is, he was
24:08directly connected
24:08with the royal
24:09house because he's
24:11referred to in the
24:12Bible as being of
24:13the troop of
24:13Augustus.
24:14He was an imperial
24:15guard.
24:16He would do
24:17things right, and
24:18he's doing them
24:19right here.
24:2033, just before
24:22daybreak, Paul was
24:23urging them all to
24:24eat something.
24:25This is the
24:2614th day you've
24:27waited and gone
24:28hungry and not
24:28eaten a thing.
24:29So I urge you to
24:31eat something.
24:31It'll help you come
24:32through this safely.
24:33None of you will
24:34lose a hair of his
24:35head.
24:36And after saying
24:37this, he took some
24:38bread, thanked God
24:39in front of everyone,
24:40broke it, and started
24:40to eat.
24:41They were all
24:42cheered up.
24:43They too had
24:44something to eat.
24:45There were 276 of
24:47us on the ship.
24:49276 people on a
24:51Roman bark.
24:54Just amazing to me
24:55to think about this.
24:56Obviously, it's a
24:57grain ship.
24:58It'd be a big old
24:59wallowing gaff rig
25:01Roman bark.
25:03On a good day
25:03with a tailwind,
25:04it might make two
25:05knots.
25:07And yet, here it
25:08is, the most
25:10important ship in
25:11the world.
25:12It's got Paul on
25:14it, along with
25:15275 other people.
25:17Don't you wonder
25:18about things like
25:19that?
25:20What kind of
25:20luggage would Paul
25:21have been carrying?
25:22Maybe a bag,
25:23something like a
25:24canvas bag, I
25:25don't know, with a
25:26few changes of
25:27clothes, extra
25:28pair of sandals, I
25:29don't know.
25:30What did other
25:31people carry?
25:31What kind of
25:32luggage?
25:32Where did they
25:33stow their
25:33luggage?
25:35In fact, where
25:35did they sleep
25:36aboard this ship?
25:37Because typical
25:38Roman bark would
25:39have grain in the
25:40lower hold, it
25:41would have cargo
25:42on the deck,
25:43which now they've
25:44thrown away, and
25:45there would be a
25:46few cabins down
25:47below the first
25:47deck.
25:48And maybe
25:49another row of
25:50cabins, but
25:51276 people?
25:54You're not
25:55talking about a
25:55really comfortable
25:56place to be.
25:57You're talking
25:58about a crowded,
25:59miserable, slow,
26:01sloppy ship, and
26:03now in the storm.
26:04And I mean, this
26:05has got to be just
26:06a terrible experience.
26:09But they had
26:09something to eat.
26:11Verse 38,
26:11And after they
26:12had eaten all
26:13they wanted, they
26:13lightened the ship
26:14by dumping the
26:15wheat into the
26:15sea.
26:16In the
26:19morning, they
26:21couldn't tell what
26:22land it was, but
26:24gradually could see
26:26a bay with a
26:28beach on which
26:30they planned, if
26:31possible, to run
26:32the ship ashore.
26:33Now, on the
26:34island of Malta,
26:35in this book, by
26:36the way, which is
26:37called The Lost
26:37Shipwreck of Paul,
26:39and if you want to
26:40read it, fine, it's
26:42an interesting book,
26:42but there's only one
26:43bay on the island of
26:45Malta that matches
26:46this description
26:47given by Luke.
26:48It's called the
26:49Bay of St. Thomas.
26:51Now, traditionally,
26:52around on the
26:53north side of the
26:53island, there is
26:54St. Paul's Bay,
26:55where for the last
26:571,500 years, people
26:58have said, this is
26:59where Paul's shipwrecked,
27:00but actually, it's not
27:02the right place at
27:03all.
27:03There was a city
27:04built there, and
27:05people said, you
27:06know, they pointed
27:07to the bay and said,
27:08this is where Paul's
27:09shipwrecked.
27:10There's no beach on
27:11St. Paul's Bay on
27:12the north side of the
27:13island, and furthermore,
27:14St. Thomas Bay is on
27:16the east end of the
27:17island, and they were
27:18running before the
27:19wind, and they were
27:20blown into this bay
27:22with a beach, and
27:25guess what?
27:27They would have run
27:28right into the bay,
27:30whereas on the Bay of
27:31St. Paul, which is on
27:32the north side of the
27:33island, the wind would
27:33have just blown them
27:34right past.
27:35And so, you can get
27:40this idea here, there's
27:42a rather broad bay that
27:44comes to a sharp
27:47closure, and there's a
27:49beach.
27:54They were wanting to run
27:55aground on the beach.
27:58So now they cut off the
27:59anchors, verse 40, and
28:02left them in the sea.
28:03Those are those four
28:03anchors, which laid
28:05there, by the way, until
28:09very, very recently.
28:11And it's believed that
28:13they have been
28:13discovered.
28:18At the same time, they
28:19untied the ropes that
28:20held up the steering
28:21oars, spread out the
28:22foresail to catch the
28:23wind, and steered the
28:24ship to the shore.
28:25What they're doing, a
28:28Roman ship had external
28:31rudders that were
28:32attached by cords.
28:34And if you cut the
28:35cords on the rudders, the
28:36rudders will fall away,
28:37and you can run with
28:39very little draft.
28:41The rudders otherwise
28:42would be hitting the
28:42ground, and it would
28:43stop the progress of the
28:45ship.
28:45It would not blow up
28:47into the bay and onto
28:48the beach.
28:49So they cut the rudders
28:50away, which reduced the
28:52draft of the ship, and
28:54allowed the ship to blow
28:57into the beach.
29:00And I just think it's
29:01marvelous that Luke is
29:03writing about all this
29:04with such precision,
29:05perfectly describing
29:06what's going on.
29:10Verse 41, they struck a
29:12bank in the water, and
29:13the ship ran aground.
29:14The front of the ship
29:15stuck, couldn't be moved,
29:17while the back was
29:18pounded to pieces by the
29:20sea.
29:21To keep any of the
29:22prisoners from swimming
29:23away and escaping, the
29:25soldiers planned to kill
29:26them.
29:27But the captain of the
29:28soldiers wanted to save
29:29Paul, so he kept them
29:31from doing this.
29:32He ordered that those
29:33who could swim jump out
29:34first and get to the
29:35shore, and the rest to
29:37follow, some on planks
29:39and some on pieces of the
29:40ship.
29:40In this way, all of them
29:42came safely to the shore.
29:49And I can't help but
29:51think, you know, the
29:52Lord, looking down on all
29:54of this, saw what Paul was
29:57going through.
29:58He had taken Paul on
30:00those three missionary
30:02journeys back to Jerusalem,
30:05put him in the hands of a
30:06centurion, the captain of the
30:08guard, the Kiliarch, put him
30:09in the hands of Portius
30:11Festus and Agrippa, and all
30:13these things transpired, and
30:15God's watching all this and
30:17putting Paul through all of
30:18these gyrations that make no
30:21sense whatsoever to us.
30:23Why didn't God just simply
30:25put Paul on an ice ship and
30:27send him over to Rome?
30:29There was no problems.
30:31Wasn't he doing the will of
30:33God?
30:33And if you're doing the will
30:34of God, you never have any
30:35problems, right?
30:39Wrong.
30:39And to me, that's the
30:45lesson.
30:45It's the same lesson that, in
30:48another way, Jesus was giving
30:50to Nicodemus.
30:51The wind blows where it wants
30:53to.
30:53You can't tell where it's
30:54coming from.
30:55You can't tell where it's
30:56going.
30:58But the Lord controls the
31:00wind.
31:01Don't you believe the Lord was
31:02controlling that Euraclodon that
31:04came down?
31:05That typhoon?
31:06Yeah, absolutely.
31:12So Paul and 275 other people
31:16are now safe on shore.
31:18Verse 28.
31:19Once we were safe on shore, we
31:21found out the island was called
31:23Malta.
31:26The natives were unusually kind
31:29to us.
31:31It had started to rain and was
31:33cold, so that they made a fire
31:34and welcomed all of us around
31:36it.
31:37If you read this in the King
31:39James, these people are later
31:41called barbarians when you get
31:43down to verse 4.
31:45And I want to comment on that.
31:51Verse 3.
31:53Paul gathered an armful of dry
31:55branches and put them on a fire.
31:57The heat made a viper come out
31:59and bit his hand.
32:00When the natives saw the snake
32:02hanging from his hand, they said
32:03to one another, this man certainly
32:05is a murderer after all this
32:07uprisonship, taking prisoners
32:08back to Rome.
32:11He did escape the sea, but
32:13justice didn't let him live.
32:17So he shook the snake into the fire,
32:19suffered no harm.
32:20And they were waiting for him to
32:22swell up or suddenly fall down
32:23dead.
32:24But they waited long and saw nothing
32:27unusual happen to him.
32:28And then they changed their minds
32:30and said, he was a god.
32:33How fickle these people are indeed.
32:36In verse 4 in the King James, it says,
32:41and when the barbarians saw the venomous
32:44beast hang on his hand.
32:46They're referred to as barbarians.
32:50In the King James, in the, in Dr.
32:54Beck's translation, they're called
32:55natives.
32:56Anytime you use the term barbarian,
32:59barbar in the Greek, it simply means
33:02someone who speak, who does not speak
33:04Greek.
33:05If you couldn't speak Greek, you were
33:07called a barbarian.
33:11And these people didn't speak Greek.
33:13They spoke a native dialect.
33:15I would imagine a subgroup of Latin.
33:22And somehow they were able to
33:25communicate.
33:25And how, we don't know.
33:28But we do know that Latin was spoken
33:30there.
33:31Because in the next verse, verse 7,
33:33the governor of the island, whose name
33:35was Publius, had land around that
33:38place.
33:39Well, Publius, of course, would have
33:41been a Roman procurator.
33:46We would call him a governor.
33:49But in a sense, he would be a lot more
33:51than a governor because he would report
33:53directly to Rome.
33:56He welcomed us.
33:58He treated us kindly.
33:59Publius, and we were his guests for three
34:01days.
34:02The father of Publius, happened to be sick
34:04in bed with a fever and dysentery.
34:07Paul went to him and prayed, laid his
34:09hands on him, made him well.
34:11After that happened, the other sick people
34:13on the island came also to him and were
34:16made well.
34:16And they honored us in many ways.
34:19And when we were going to sail, they put
34:22on board whatever we needed.
34:24So they managed to get another ship to
34:27continue their journey to Rome.
34:29And the people of the island were their
34:31friends.
34:32Doubtless, there were churches established
34:34on the island of Malta.
34:36Now, it's my suspicion that the Lord
34:40shipwrecked Paul on Malta specifically
34:43for the purpose of establishing churches
34:45there.
34:45And it is a historical fact that Malta was
34:48a Christian island, basically has been a
34:51Christian island from then until now.
34:55It's called Melita, Malta.
34:57And he says here, they gave us all the
35:03provisions we needed.
35:04Now they're going to sail to Rome.
35:06Verse 11, after three months, we sailed on a
35:08ship from Alexandria that is stopped at the
35:11island for the winter.
35:12It had in front a figure of the twin sons of
35:21Zeus, is what it says here.
35:26Actually, the references to the stars Castor
35:33and Pollux.
35:35But in the Greek, they are called Dioxurois,
35:38the twin sons of Zeus.
35:42Why would we have that in Scripture?
35:49Why would the Lord have said, why would the
35:51Holy Spirit have said to Luke, I want you to
35:54write down the name of that ship?
35:57Why in the world?
36:00Well, because it establishes something about
36:04the ship.
36:05The ship is from Alexandria, the land of the
36:09Ptolemies, perennial enemies of the Jews and the
36:15early Christians.
36:16And furthermore, the ship is called Dioxurois,
36:20which is a pagan, pagan name.
36:22So Paul is now being placed by barbarians on a
36:28pagan ship bound for Rome.
36:30It really just sets the scene.
36:32This is not the good ship lollipop.
36:37We're going to Rome, and furthermore, we're going to
36:39the house of Nero, and it ain't going to be
36:43comfortable.
36:44We stopped at Syracuse and stayed there for three
36:48days.
36:49Well, Syracuse is on the east side of the island of what is
36:54today Sicily.
36:55And we have here, if you will, a descent into the culture
37:01of Rome by degrees.
37:03We stopped at Syracuse, stayed there for three days, and from
37:07there we sailed around, came to Regium.
37:10Regium is at the southern tip of Italy.
37:12It's called Regia today.
37:14If you look it up on a map, it's called Regia di
37:19Cabria.
37:21Hey, it's a Regia di Cabria.
37:23What do you know?
37:23No, it's, but today, but in the Bible it's called Regium.
37:28And the, it marks the southernmost point of Italy, but it
37:35also marks the Strait of Messina.
37:39And so, from that point on, going through the Strait of Messina
37:47at Regium, after a day, a south wind started blowing.
37:51On the second day, we came to Puglioli.
37:54There we found fellow Christians who urged us to stay seven days with them.
37:59Now, Puglioli today would be known as Naples and Salerno on the west coast of Italy.
38:09Naples and Salerno.
38:10Gorgeous, beautiful, beautiful country.
38:12The country of the Caesars, Tiberius Caesar, had huge estates in the area of Salerno and Naples or Puglioli.
38:23But there were also Christians there.
38:26Isn't that interesting?
38:28There were already Christians there.
38:30How did they get there?
38:32Where'd they come from?
38:34Isn't that interesting?
38:36Paul came up from the south on a ship, and when he got to Puglioli, there's a region of,
38:41by the way, that's where Mount Vesuvius is.
38:44That's where the beautiful country is on the coast of Italy.
38:50Christians were already there.
38:57By this time, and by the way, it's 30 years after the resurrection of Christ, approximately,
39:04Christianity had taken root in the Roman soil.
39:11So we stayed seven days with those Christians, and so we came to Rome.
39:20The fellow Christians in Rome who had heard about us came as far as the market town of Appius
39:28and the three taverns to meet us.
39:35Apparently, it was kind of like a little shopping stop on the road, on the Appian Way,
39:41as you come up south from the south toward Rome.
39:45And there was a place there called Triantavernon, three taverns.
39:50Where you could stop and slake your thirst, I suppose, and shop and provision yourself with supplies.
39:55It was probably a nice little place, you know.
39:59When Paul saw them, he thanked God and was encouraged.
40:04I'm sure they sold non-alcoholic beverages at the three taverns.
40:08I'm just, I'm just really sure.
40:13This is the Bible, you know.
40:16So.
40:21Why is this in the Bible?
40:23Why is this whole story in the Bible?
40:25And the part where Paul meets Nero at the court in Rome is left out of the Bible?
40:39Here's why I think this is in the Bible.
40:42It's in the Bible to show us what life is like.
40:45You know, life is not anything that you'd ever choose to do.
40:54Like, if you could have talked it over with the Lord before you came here,
40:59assuming that you existed before you came here,
41:02and said, Lord, what am I going to have to do when I go down there?
41:05And he would say, well, I really, I don't want to tell you everything.
41:08I want it to be a surprise.
41:09And besides, you know, if you found out what you were going to have to go through,
41:14you might not want to go down there.
41:16Oh, well, what am I going to have to go through?
41:18Well, I'll be with you all the way.
41:21Whatever you do, I'll be with you.
41:23Oh, okay.
41:25You mean, so I won't have to experience anything bad.
41:27The Lord said, no, I can't say that.
41:30You might have to experience something that you don't want to experience.
41:34But I'll be with you all the way.
41:36And I think this, Acts 27-28, is in the Bible to show us how it is to be in the service of the Lord.
41:48It's a sea.
41:49It's a wind-tossed sea.
41:51Sometimes it's a shipwreck.
41:54And by the way, speaking of shipwreck, you know, it's fascinating that,
42:02and I wanted to take a minute here.
42:06And point out something.
42:10In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul says,
42:16Are they ministers of Christ?
42:20I speak as a fool.
42:21I'm more.
42:23In labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths often.
42:29Of the Jews, five times I received forty stripes, save one.
42:33Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was stone.
42:37Thrice I suffered shipwreck, says Paul.
42:40A night and a day have I been in the deep, in journeyings often, in peril of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of mine own countrymen,
42:50in perils by the heathen, in perils of the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among the false brethren.
42:57Now, he wrote that in A.D. 56.
43:00He had already been shipwrecked three times.
43:03And now it's A.D. 60.
43:07And he's in another shipwreck.
43:09And has to wait it out on the island of Malta, get another ship, sail up now into Rome.
43:19And he's going into, and I don't know how to put this, I labored with what to say here.
43:28Because when he took the Appian way, after Puccioli, the things he would have seen, the way people behaved.
43:37The interesting thing about first century Rome, under Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Vespasian, Titus, Domitian.
43:56The interesting thing about that period of time is that it was marked by economic expansion, social growth.
44:05It was considered a time of great plenty, a time of peace, a time when you could get any and everything you wanted.
44:16You could make enough money.
44:17It was a wonderful time in Rome.
44:20There were some upsets and some difficulties.
44:23Claudius persecuted the Jews for a while, but that didn't last long.
44:29But it was, Rome was considered to be a place where you could go and make your living.
44:34You could get all the food you needed, a place to live, make money, buy and sell, and do anything you wanted to do.
44:43There was basically no morality.
44:45And I don't know how to address this subject, but when I say there was no morality,
44:50they did things in Rome that you can't talk about.
44:53Lots of things that you cannot talk about.
44:56And right out on the street.
44:58There were frescoes everywhere, on the street, in houses, depicting Roman life.
45:08A lot of them have been seen at the ruins of Pompeii, which they've uncovered by degrees in the last 40 or 50 years.
45:14With each new revelation of Roman art from that period, and by the way, this would have been exactly where Paul met the Christian brethren and stayed seven days with them.
45:25With each new revelation of those frescoes from the first century, people were shocked, and I do mean shocked, at how the Romans lived.
45:34And I can't talk about it.
45:35This is a gathering dedicated to studying the Word of God and not discussing Roman society, but use your imagination.
45:43And then use it even more.
45:46And then even more than that, and you still will fall far short of what the Romans did in daily life.
45:53Wow.
45:54And here is where the Christians are developing a new society.
45:59They're spreading the Word of God in this incredibly pagan culture, going right straight to the house of Nero himself.
46:08Only God can do this.
46:12Verse 16,
46:13When we came to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself with a soldier guarding him.
46:17After three days, he called the leaders of the Jews together.
46:19And when they came, he said to them,
46:21Fellow Jews, although I haven't done anything against our people or the customs of our fathers,
46:26I'm a prisoner from Jerusalem who was handed over to the Romans.
46:30They examined me, and they wanted to let me go because I had done no wrong to deserve to die.
46:35But the Jews objected and forced me to appeal to the emperor.
46:40Not that I'm accusing my people of anything.
46:42That's why I ask to see you and talk to you, since it is for the hope of Israel that I wear this chain.
46:48And, of course, Paul was chained to a Roman centurion.
46:53This is Paul's first arrest.
46:55We have had no letters from Judea about you, they told him.
47:00And no Jew coming here has reported or said anything bad about you.
47:04We'd like to hear from you what you think, because we know that everywhere people are talking against this sect.
47:10In other words, against the Judeo-Christian sect.
47:13Back in those days, the Romans couldn't separate Judaism from Christianity, and they just thought of it as one mishmash.
47:21They thought of Christianity as a sect of Judaism.
47:24And the Jews themselves were still trying to figure out where these new Christians fit into the whole picture.
47:29They're kind of ignorant.
47:33In verse 23,
47:33They said a day to meet with him, and more of them came to him where he was staying.
47:38And from morning until evening, they explained the matter to him, earnestly telling the truth about God's kingdom,
47:42and trying to convince them about Jesus from the law of Moses and the prophets.
47:47Some of them were convinced by what he said.
47:49Others wouldn't believe.
47:50They disagreed with one another as they were leaving, and Paul added a statement.
47:57The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your fathers through the prophet Isaiah when he said,
48:03Go to these people and say you will hear and never understand.
48:07Look and never see, because these people have become dull and hard of hearing.
48:12They've shut their eyes so that their eyes don't see.
48:15Their ears don't hear.
48:16Their hearts don't understand.
48:17They never turn to me for healing.
48:21Now that's kind of the modern language paraphrase of Isaiah 6, 9, and 10.
48:28But you get the idea of what Paul is doing now.
48:32He's facing challenges from his Roman imprisonment, from the Jews.
48:37He's having to explain, doctrinally explain and set up the early church.
48:43Really got his work cut out for him.
48:45You should know, verse 28, that God's salvation has been sent to the non-Jews.
48:53Salvation has been sent to the Gentiles.
48:59And that they will hear it.
49:02For two whole years he lived in his own rented place and welcomed all who came to him.
49:09He preached God's kingdom and very boldly taught the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ.
49:15And no one stopped him.
49:18This is Paul's first imprisonment in about A.D. 62, going into 63, maybe as late as A.D. 64.
49:27He is under house arrest with a Roman centurion.
49:31He has the ability to preach.
49:34It is during this time, by the way, during Acts chapter 28, verses 28, 29, 30, 31.
49:45During that time is when Paul wrote Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.
49:53The prison epistles.
49:55Ephesians may be the greatest statement of Christian doctrine ever written.
50:00There's six beautifully written chapters while he was chained to a Roman centurion during his first imprisonment.
50:09It's astounding to me that such a thing could happen.
50:13When you read Ephesians, I'll just pick a spot in Ephesians that he would have written during this imprisonment.
50:20He said in Ephesians 6.18, referring to himself, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit,
50:31watching thereunto with all perseverance, supplication for all saints and for me,
50:36that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,
50:42for which I am an ambassador in bonds, that therein I may speak boldly as I ought to speak.
50:52Now he wrote those words during the time described here at the end of Acts chapter 28,
51:00while chained to a Roman centurion.
51:02After going through all the stuff that we have investigated,
51:09and if you really cataloged everything that Paul went through during his entire ministry,
51:13it's a staggering, staggering series of horrifying events that most of us could not possibly live through.
51:23Culminating in this incredible shipwreck,
51:25and then transferring over to a new ship and sailing up,
51:30and then being under house arrest for two years in a row while writing Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon,
51:37all after having been blown, if you will, by this wind called the Euraclodon across the Mediterranean.
51:46When I read that, I thought, wow, that's what Jesus was talking about when he's talking to Nicodemus.
51:52The wind blows you where it wants to blow you,
51:56and you can't tell where it's coming from or where it's going.
51:59Your job as a Christian is just to know that even though you're being blown somewhere,
52:06and you may not know exactly where,
52:09as long as your faith is in the Lord, everything's going to be okay.
52:13In the end, it's going to be just fine.
52:17To me, that's the reason.
52:19I mean, why else would you put the story of a shipwreck on the way to Rome in the Bible,
52:26other than to demonstrate the leading of the Holy Spirit?
52:30It's perfect.
52:31It's absolutely perfect.
52:34I take great heart in the realization that no matter where I'm being blown,
52:41it's okay.
52:42It's okay.
52:43It's okay.
52:49It's okay.
52:50It's okay.
53:12It's okay.
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