The Acts of the Apostles- 91

Subtitle:  At the Mercy of the Winds

Acts 27:1-20.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on February 9, 2025.

We now turn to the final act of the book of Acts, which is Paul’s voyage to Rome and the subsequent two years under house arrest while he waits for his appeal to Caesar.

It could be called Paul’s Fourth Missionary Journey, except this journey has him under Roman arrest.  Previously, Paul chose to travel by land and by sea to convert people to Jesus and establish churches.  However, who actually sends us on a mission journey, if not God?  Sometimes, God may use authorities and shackles to put you in a place to witness for Him.

Handcuffs never impeded Paul’s ability to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus to others.  He had presented the Gospel to King Agrippa, several governors, Roman Commanders, Roman Centurions and other magistrates.

The title of this message refers to the stormy winds that will buffet this trip to Rome.  The winds can be a metaphor for things that are bigger than us, over which we have no control or choice, pushing us this way and that way.  But, no matter what gale force headwinds we face, the Lord is greater than any natural or metaphorical storm.  The believer in Jesus does not need to fear.  Instead, they can trust His plan in their life to lead to a good place, no matter how bad the present may seem.

God is able to bring peace to the storm, or, He can use it to get us exactly where He wants us to be.

Let’s look at our passage.

The Voyage from Caesarea to Crete (v. 1-8)

This chapter begins another “we” section.  This means that Luke has joined Paul on this trip to Rome.  He also mentions in verse 2 that Aristarchus of Thessalonica joined them.  This is the same Aristarchus that has helped Paul in his missionary journeys and was even seized by a mob in Ephesus when they couldn’t find Paul (chp 19-20). 

This may seem strange to us, but this is not a military vessel.  It is a commercial ship that any paying customer can board.  No doubt, Paul knows that he will spend a substantial amount of time under house arrest and has asked them both to join him.  They would be able to help him. 

Paul and some other prisoners are put under the charge of a Roman Centurion named Julius.  With a number of soldiers requisite to the number of prisoners, they board a ship that is from a western port of Asia Minor called Adramyttium.  This ship is not headed to Rome, but travels up the Mediterranean coast, most likely headed back to Adramyttium.  At first, there is no mention of bad winds.  They voyage to Sidon and put into port.  It is here that Paul’s treatment by Julius is described.  He “treated Paul kindly and gave him liberty to go to his friends and receive care.”  It is likely that he was one of the centurions who were in the auditorium on the day that he addressed King Agrippa II.  Paul clearly made an impact upon him.  Nice treatment was not a hallmark of Roman centurions.

Verse 4 gives us the first mention of contrary winds.  These winds were making it harder to go where they wanted to go, towards the west.  “Under the shelter of Cyprus means that they sailed on the side of Cyprus toward which the wind was blowing.  Since it mentions Cilicia, Pamphylia and Myra of Lycia, these winds were blowing northeast causing them to sail on the northern side of the Island.

It is at Myra that they switch to an Alexandrian ship bound for Italy.  Here it is mentioned again in verse 7 that they were moving slowly for many days with difficulty.  By the time they reach Cnidus, they realize that the winds are such that they cannot continue East.  This means that a wind from the northeast is coming down from the Aegean Sea.  Thus, they turn south in order to use the Island of Crete as a shield against this wind.  This allows them to sail west along the southern coast of Crete until they reach a town called Fair Havens.

Paul’s wise counsel (v. 9-13)

They had lost a lot of time in this difficult sailing.  It was getting late in the year approaching winter, and they were only half way to Rome.  “The Fast” in verse 9 would be a reference for Jewish people regarding the Day of Atonement.  This occurs between mid-September and mid-October.

Paul strongly advises them not to continue the journey.  It is becoming too dangerous.  If they foolishly push on, he believes they will suffer damage and loss of life.  Essentially, they would have to winter in Fair Havens until the Spring. 

There does not seem to be a word from the Lord in this advise.   In other words, this is not a prophecy from the Lord Jesus.  This is Paul using his experience of traveling on ships.  He recognizes that they are fighting the reality that they have simply lost too much time.

It is important for Christians to understand that God does not always give us a prophetic word or a dream.  In those moments, we use our minds and experience in order to determine the best course.  Yet, it is also important for Christians to use the mind of the Lord and think biblically about the matters before us.  We should bathe such decisions in prayer, asking the Lord to help us make a good decision.

Yet, even when we think biblically and prayerfully, Christians can be wrong in their decisions at times.  Our opinions and conclusions should be held humbly, but also expressed.

The centurion puts the question to the captain (the man who owns the boat) and the navigator.  It appears that there is some poll of the crew as well.  The sailors do not like the idea of staying at Fair Harbor.  Apparently the name of the town was overstated, at least in winter.  There are several reasons sailors would not want to winter for three months in a particular harbor.  It may be that the prevailing winter winds blow directly into the harbor, reeking havoc upon any ships docked.  However, it may also have to do with the number of men on the ship (267 according to verse 37) and the ability of the town to put up and entertain that many men.  Their decision is to attempt a run along the coast to a harbor called Phoenix on the same island that is about 40 to 80 miles away (the exact location of Phoenix, Crete, is in dispute).

At some point, a south wind began to blow softly, and the sailors take advantage of the turn in winds to attempt a run to Phoenix.  Have you ever been suckered by a “favorable wind?”

Caught in a violent storm (v. 14-20)

They do not sail far when a northeast wind begins to pound the vessel.  It is so strong that they are unable to turn into the wind and hold their position.  Thus, they turn and let it push them along.  It is clear that they end up in an existential crisis.  They may die, and so, Luke describes a series of increasingly desperate measures.

Have you ever told yourself that you couldn’t live without something or someone?  If you end up in a situation where holding on to it may get you killed or severely injure you, then you may find that you do not want it that badly.  “I don’t want to let this go, but I want to live.”  How many things are people holding onto at the expense of eternal life?

These men begin throwing cargo into the sea in order to lighten the boat.  Later they begin to throw expensive tackle overboard.  They even run ropes around the boat in order to band it (strap it) so that it doesn’t split apart from the violence of the storm.  This is a lot of dangerous work in the middle of a violent storm.  Yet, sometimes human power and expertise is not enough.

We should praise God for guys who do stuff like this in the middle of storms, or for the reconstruction efforts they do after such storms.  However, the power of man is quite limited in the face of the powers of nature.  Praise God that He is greater than the storms!

These men abandon all hope (verse 20) of making it through the storm.  These experienced sailors have reached a point where they are at the end of their wits and strength.

From the Apostle Paul’s perspective, this is a bad situation.  However, Jesus had told him that he must go to Rome.  Still, he doesn’t know what that is going to look like.  Sometimes your experiences are roped together with the choices of others.  It can be frustrating and angering.  We can rage against men and against God.  Yet, God does not intend for any of us to live unto ourselves.  We are born for relationships and into relationships that affect us in many ways.  We can complain, or we can trust God and honor Him in our choices.  When someone else’s decision seems to ruin our life- keep in mind that we are quick to be overly dramatic in such times, it is better for us to cast ourselves upon God and look for His direction.  Raging against people and God will not fix anything.  Paul represents a man with his ear to the Lord, who gives good help and counsel to others.  Yet, he is still yoked to their decisions.

We can think of this as being at the mercy of the winds that other people create.  Some create good winds and others bad winds.  Of course, we might ask ourselves if we are perfect in our determinations of which is which.  Sometimes things that we call bad can end up doing the greatest good in our life.  This good thing can only be seen with retrospection.

As we move forward in this culture, we are going to be continually challenged.  Things in our Republic (things in our families, things in our jobs, etc.) will insert themselves, and we will be unable to control these violent prevailing winds of the time.  Yet, there is one thing we must hold fast.  Jesus is greater than all that we face, and he has promised not to leave us alone in it, but rather, to work it towards our good.

I am reminded of the time when Jesus was sleeping in the boat while a storm threatened him and his disciples.  These fishermen shook Jesus awake crying that they were about to die.  Jesus stood up and commanded the winds to cease, and they did.  “What manner of man is this?” they exclaimed!  God is greater than deep states, globalists, wannabe dictators and even natural disasters.  We can rest in that knowledge, even when he doesn’t cause it to cease immediately.

Greater than God’s ability to put an end to anything we face is His ability to make the storm serve His purpose.  Goliath served a purpose on the battlefield that day.  He glorified God in his death before an inexperienced, young man named David.  No one else had faith in God that day, but David did.  May God help us to face these storms, even when it becomes clear that He means to take us through it.  He loves you and has your best in mind!

Mercy of the Winds audio