Let's take our Bibles and turn
to the book of Acts chapter 27. Acts 27. When Paul the Apostle said, For
me to live is Christ, You know, every believer enters
into that. There's not a day that goes by,
there's not a moment that things happen that a believer doesn't
relate it to the good pleasure and providence and will of Almighty
God. Whatever happens, whatever comes
your way, He is everything. Everything that happens, the believer will go back to
Romans 8.28. It's the Lord. The Apostle Paul and Luke and
Aristarchus is being transported to Rome
by a group of Roman soldiers. And it's all according to God's
will and purpose. Paul is going to Rome. The Lord
told him that. You're going to Rome. The ship in which they're traveling
is tossed. And that's all according to God's
will. those who were disobedient. Almighty God is just. And to
show those who believed Him that God is going to keep them. Verse 20 of this chapter said,
All hope that we should be saved was then taken away when there
was There was no sun or stars for many days. It was dark, a
hurricane. The Romans, the sailors, the
criminals, they were at the point of despair, but not Paul, not
the others, not the other believers. Tonight, I'd like for us to look
at verses 21 to 24. And I pray that in the experience
of this Apostle Paul, that we can learn. Think of what this man went through
that you and I might tonight sit and consider, behold, the
wonder of God's grace. I pray that this message be a
comfort to God's people. We're not here, as I've said
before, the book of Acts is just so many can look at this as just
a history lesson, just the history of the early church. No, this
is the gospel of God's grace. We don't see the gospel and we
don't We missed it. We hadn't seen it. Four things
I'd like to consider in this passage tonight. Here's the first
one. Because of disobedience, man is guilty before God. Look at verse 21. But after long
abstinence, Paul stood forth in the midst of them and said,
You should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from
Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss." He said, I told you. I told you. Verse 10 of this passage, sirs,
I perceive this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not
only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives. He was taught something by the
Spirit of God. Don't set sail. Stay where we
are. That Word was sent to Paul by
the Spirit of God to tell these men and warn these men. And Almighty
God has never left men ignorant of their responsibility of obedience. Now, here's the bottom line tonight. We are responsible before God
to obey. There's absolutely no excuses.
As I said, we're going through on Sunday morning's book of Proverbs. This is one of the I mean, the
best that I can think of at the moment, the best examples of
God's command and God's people's obedience. You know, the commandments. He that hath my word keeps it. He that keeps my commandments
is my disciples indeed. Obedience. Obedience. Listen
to the Word of the Lord. Trust in the Lord with all of
thine heart. Lean not to your own understanding. In all of thy ways acknowledge
Him, and He shall direct thy path." Is that not a commandment
from God? Trust in the Lord. Now listen,
there's not one of us here tonight that is with no excuse. We're excuseless. We don't have
an excuse. Trust in the Lord. Paul told them, I perceive we're
going to have some problems. Here in verse 21, he said you
should have hearkened. Whenever the Lord told Adam in
Genesis 2 of every tree of the garden, thou mayest free to eat,
but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not
eat of it in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely
die. This was God's Word to mankind. There was all mankind. God spoke
to all mankind in the garden. There was two people, all mankind. Obey and live. Disobey and die. Here is the word tonight. Because
of disobedience, men are guilty before God. Scripture says the
centurion believed the master and the owner of the ships more
than those things which were spoken by Paul. Adam, what did he do? He hearkened to the voice of
his wife who was beguiled by Satan. Mankind fell. Now here's Paul and all of these
men. They're in a hurricane. Why are they there? Disobedience. Why do we go through what we
do? Because of sin. It all goes back to one problem. Disobedience before God. Because of one man's disobedience,
many were made sinners. by the obedience of one. Many
are made righteous. And now, all who have sinned
come short of the glory of God. And the soul that has sinned
is going to die. That's the first thing I know.
Here's the second thing I know. Now listen. Listen to this. There's hope for guilty sinners. Now you know what? That has such a wonderful sound. There's
some hope for guilty sinners. You say, well, is there any other
kind? No. But those that are made to know
it, there's hope for them. Verse 22, ìAnd now I exhort you,
be of good cheer, for there shall be no loss of any manís life
among you but of the ship.î Now you know that was a good word. That had a sound of positiveness. ìI exhort you, be of good cheer.î You that are guilty and know
something of your guilt, be of good cheer. In the midst of this
raging storm, in the midst of your lot, in the midst of your
race, we looked at that last Sunday. Paul said, I've finished
my course. Well, Scott, in the midst of
your race, be of good cheer. Miss Rosemary, in the midst of
your race, be of good cheer. Be of good cheer. In the midst of whatever appears
to be hopelessness, be of good cheer. Paul told those men that were
on that boat, Be of good cheer. I've got some good news for you. We're all in the midst of what
we're in right now because of disobedience. But we're not without hope. Mankind is not without hope. Toward the end of this chapter
right here, I'm going to preach as this chapter proceeds and
show that all the men in this boat were a picture of all God's
elect and how they were all saved. Not one of them was lost because
they were all in the boat. And the boat came crashing in
and stuck fast in the shore there and the boat was rent and the
boat was torn up. But everyone that was on that
boat survived. Every one of them. It was a picture
of all God's elect. And I'm trying not to preach
that message tonight. I'm struggling with it right
now. Suffice it to say right now,
Paul said, I've got some good news for you. I've got some A good message
for you. Be of good cheer. You that are
guilty. Guilty in yourself. Guilty before
God. You that know yourself to be
unable because of your own disobedience. We fell in Adam. But I tell you
this, I came forth from my mother's womb speaking lies. You did too. All of us are personally guilty.
There's none good. No, not one. There's none righteous.
Not one. Be of good cheer. I've got some
good news for guilty sinners. When God's providence so directs
our lot to cause us to cry unto Him for mercy and compassion,
be of good cheer. It is honoring. to our Lord to
show mercy to sinners. Christ Jesus came into this world
to save sinners. Helpless, hopeless, rebellious
sinners. Those who are not sick. I'm not
talking to you. If you're not sick tonight spiritually,
I'm not talking to you. But if you're sick spiritually,
If you can find yourself in that lot, those ones that said you
should have listened, you should have hearkened. Marvin, why didn't you hearken
before when you was coming up? False religion. Why didn't you
hearken? I didn't hear. I didn't know. I didn't realize. I was ignorant.
I don't have any excuse. Those of you that's been in the
military, that was the first thing they taught me when I was
in boot camp. If you're asked something, why you did so and
so, this is the answer. No excuse, sir. You ever been in the military?
You ever heard that? No, no excuse. What's your excuse? I don't have
one. I should have listened. I should
have listened. But be of good cheer. Be of good cheer. Paul, let me
ask you something. This is the third point. What can I base my good cheer
on? I'm guilty. You said be of good
cheer. It's not going to be anything
concerning me because I'm already guilty. I'm already disobedient. So for me to find anything to
be of good cheer, it's going to have to not be with me. What is it? Verse 23, For there stood by
me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,
saying, Fear not, Paul, thou must be brought before Caesar.
And, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee." Paul, you said that we should
listen And we know we're in the midst of this hurricane, and
that's obvious. You said, Paul, be of good cheer. There should be no loss of any
man's life among you but of the ship. What do you base that on,
Paul? Paul said, this is what I base
it on. I base this on God's Word. All of our security, there is
the third point, is based upon God's Word. Paul said, there stood by me
this night the angel of God, the messenger of the Godhead. Almighty God has sent His messenger. That's good news. God has sent
His own messenger. God Almighty has sent the Lord
Jesus Christ. The angel of God. The angel of
the covenant. The messenger of the covenant.
Almighty God has sent His Word, Christ Himself, and the Word
was made flesh and dwelt among us. Paul said, the angel of God,
whose I am and whom I serve, I am His and He is mine. And I serve Him. I serve His
purpose. Paul, a servant of God, called
to be an apostle. He stood by me this night, and
this is what he said to me. Fear not, Paul. Do you know why
he said that? Because Paul was afraid. Don't be afraid, Paul. You say,
well, Paul couldn't have been afraid. Yes, he was. Yes, he
was. You that believe, listen, don't
be afraid. You know why I can say that?
Because you're just like I am. You've been afraid. You've been
fearful. And I have too. Fear not. Don't be afraid, Marvin. You must be brought. Paul was
going to Rome. Don't be afraid. It stood by
me. The angel, not an angel, but
the angel, the Lord Jesus Christ, He who said, I will never leave
you, I will never forsake you. Lord, can it be that that's truly so? Is that truly so? Lord, is it so that not when
the sun is shining It's 74 degrees outside and there's no wind blowing
in it. But Lord, in the midst of a hurricane
of whatever is my lot, Lord, is it truly so? He said, don't
be afraid. I'm not going to leave you. Fear not. We've got God's Word. concerning
our security and our comfort. Don't be afraid. I want you to
turn with me to 2 Peter. Listen to the words of this.
This was a man. 2 Peter 1.16. Here is the words of one of God's
apostles, the Lord's apostles. 2 Peter. 116. He says, For we've
not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto
you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses
of his majesty. For he received from God the
Father honor and glory when there came such a voice to him from
the excellent glory. This is my beloved son in whom
I'm well pleased. And this voice which came from
heaven, we heard when we were with Him in the Holy Mount. Peter
is saying right here, I was standing there. And he said, I heard the
voice of the Father. He said, I heard it. When we
were on the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter said, I'll stand in there.
He said, Peter, it was me and James and John. He said, I heard
the Father say, this is my beloved Son. And then
look in verse 19. He said, we have also a more
sure word of prophecy. He said, I'm telling you, I was
standing there. And I'm telling you, I heard
the voice. I heard the voice of the Father
say concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. This is my beloved son.
He said, we've got a more sure word of prophecy. Whereunto you
do well that you take heed, as unto a light that shineth in
a dark place until the day dawn and the day star arise in your
hearts, knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture
is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in
old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as
they were moved by the Holy Ghost." This is what Peter is saying.
He said, I was standing there and I'm telling you that God
spoke. And he said, you've got a more
sure word than what I'm telling you. He said, you've got God's
Word right here in the Scriptures. Paul, you said that you told
us Be of good cheer. You said that you've got God's
Word on that. You that believe tonight, let
me ask you this. What else do you have? What else
do you have? Do you have any confidence whatsoever
in anything that you've done? You that believe don't. No, you
don't. John 6, 47 says, Verily, verily,
I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. Do you know the comfort that
you've got tonight? You that believe, do you know
what your comfort is? That God's given you a heart
to believe in. And that's all you've got. What did these men have other
than God's Word? That's what Paul told him. He
says, Sirs, be of good cheer, for I believe, God, that it shall
be even as it was told me. Be of good cheer. Here's the last thing, fourthly.
God Almighty has saved His people for Christ's sake. You that are knowingly disobedient. See, here's the problem. I heard
Brother Scott say this years ago. He said a sinner is a precious
thing because there's so few of them. You say, well, I thought
everybody's a sinner. Yeah, but very few are brought
to see themselves as that. A man that sees himself to be
a sinner is a man that truly needs redemption. Salvation. You that are knowingly disobedient.
These men, that boat knew. Paul told them. He said, you
should have hearkened. How did they know that they were disobedient?
Because Paul had told them before they ever left the haven of rest
there. He said, it's going to be bad.
It's going to be bad. And it was. And in the midst,
he told them. He said, I told you. Well, I've got some good news.
I've got good news. What's your good news based on,
Paul, the Word of God? Why has God done this, Paul? It says, the last part of verse
24, And lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Paul is truly, A picture here
of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a picture. Truly of the Lord Jesus alone
could it be said, in verse 23, whose I am and whom
I serve. Oh, Paul was the Lord's and no
doubt about that. And Paul served the Lord and
no doubt about that. But I'll tell you this, there's
only one that's ever served Him obediently. One. Paul served Him, but there was
sin mixed with all that he did. And there he is with me and you
too. But of the Lord Jesus Christ, Him alone, it can be said, I serve Him. My meat is to do the
will of Him that sent me. I do only always those things
that please Him. The Lord Jesus Christ. All those made to see themselves
as disobedient have this word of comfort and good cheer. You've
got God's word on this. You're not going to perish. Why? Because of Christ. All that sail
with Him. Ephesians 4.32, And be ye kind
one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as
God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. This glorious truth. of a federal
head? That glorious truth in picture
and type? How many times have we seen it?
There it is, pictures and types of hope and peace and comfort
for another's sake. Why did Moses' wife and his three
sons and their wives and all those animals, why did they find
security? Because Noah found grace in the
eyes of the Lord. There was Noah as a picture of
Christ. And there's the ark as a picture
of Christ. And there's two pictures of Christ.
Is there any left of the house of Saul that I may show mercy
to for Jonathan's sake? There's a little old bitty crippled
boy. He ain't worth killing. Well, both his legs is broken
and he ain't good for nothing. He's over there in the loaded
bar. You go fetch him. And you bring him and he's going
to sit at my table. And he's going to eat with me
for the rest of his life. Can you imagine? what Mephibosheth
thought. He said to David, how is it that you could show
mercy to a dead dog like I am? I could be gone that quick. It was my family. It was my granddaddy that tried
to take a spear That was my granddaddy. Yeah, and you trace it all the
way back. Gene, you talk about heritage all the way back. Adam,
that was my great-great-great-great-grandfather. And you're too. Disobeyed God. And here, for Christ's sake,
God has shown mercy to this sinner. All that find hope and peace
and comfort and security in the Lord Jesus Christ find it for
His sake, for His obedience, His work, His life, His death,
His resurrection, His intercession. The Lord God of heaven gave deliverance
to all that sailed with Paul. You take Paul out of this scenario
right here, and I'm telling you, those sailors had no hope whatsoever except for the Lord Jesus Christ. You and I have no hope. Almighty God is pleased with
His Son. Blessed be His holy name. You
that are disobedient, you that are sinners, you that are wretches,
you that are hopelessly in yourself lost, be of good cheer. I've got some good news for you. Almighty God has mercy and compassion
on whomsoever He will. And He does it for His Son's
sake. Do you believe that? Do you believe
that? Do you believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ? Then God is going to save you
for Christ's sake. Amen.