Sovereign Grace Chapel, located at 135 Annabel Lane in Beaver, West Virginia, invites you to listen to a gospel message concerning Jesus Christ our Lord. If you would, turn to Acts 27. I'm going to be mainly in Acts 27, and I will go into 28 some. But right now, I just want to read verses 21 through 25.

But after a long abstinence, Paul stood forth in the midst of them and said, sirs, you should have hearkened to me and not have loosed from Crete and to have gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer. For there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. 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. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer, for I believe God that it shall be even as it was told me.

We see in this chapter a decree from God. It was God's purpose that Paul go before Caesar. So who was going to stop that from happening? The last few weeks I've been on God's purpose, God's will, and God's choice. We can hardly read anywhere in the scripture that we do not see that it is God's choice. which comes from His will, and His will purposing all things to come to pass. We read that especially in the New Testament where we read words like this, and it came to pass. What God has chosen by His will, He will also purpose it to come to pass. There's nothing that will stop it.

you try to get in God's way, that is you try to make your own choice, you might be destroyed. We have seen in the scripture when a child of God tries to have their own way instead of bowing down to God's way, and I'm talking about children of God here, Mark 8, 31 through 33. And he began to teach them that the son of man must suffer many things and be rejected of the elders and of the chief priests and scribes and be killed and after three days rise again. And he spake that saying openly and Peter took him and began to rebuke him. But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan, for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.

You try to put forth your opinion, your way, your choices, then you could be demon possessed. Christ will be in the forefront. What he wills, what he purposes will be done, whether we like it or not. Did Paul stand before Caesar? He did. I just want to go through this and see how even in the midst of bad choices by man, God still has his way. And my title today is Be of Good Cheer.

So let's first look at some of the details here that transpired on this trip to go before Caesar. First of all, from the very beginning of this trip, it was not a pleasant journey, you might say, verse 4. Verse 4 of 27. And when we had launched from Vence, we sailed under Cyprus because the winds were contrary. This is nothing new this morning. A lot of what I'm going to say has been said, these very same things have been said before. And I mean from this very same passage, they've said these very same things. But when God starts you out on your journey to be sent before the judge, here Paul was being sent before Caesar, but I'm talking about being sent before the judge. But when he starts you on this journey, the way will be filled with contrary winds. When it says contrary wind here, what does that mean? It means the winds were blowing in the opposite direction of where they needed to go. You will be met with winds, those things which are contrary to God's way. But we must stay on course. Wait for God, because it is his purpose which will stand. I know we want things to go smoothly, But most of the time, it's not meant for us to have a smooth way.

Acts 14, 21, and 22, we read, and when they had preached the gospel to that city and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra and to Iconium and Antioch, confirming the souls of the disciples and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must, through much tribulation, enter into the kingdom of God.

Now understand what this is saying. This is not saying while in the kingdom you will have tribulation, although that is certainly true. This is saying that even just to enter the kingdom, God's people must, through much tribulation, enter into the kingdom of God. Coming to Christ is not a walk in the park. It's not party time. It is a time when we read in Scripture of His gospel, God's Word to us, and what it does to us.

Here's what you will see happen when you first come to Christ and from then on. The Word of God never changes in its purpose. So this is from the start and it's ongoing. Hebrews 4.12, the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

I'm not sure what thoughts you have when you read this, when you see this, but What I see here is something being ripped apart by his word. It will expose you. There will be nowhere to go. There will be no trees to hide behind with your fig aprons. He will come to you and cause you to admit to him you're naked before him.

I often wonder when it comes to doing this or that. you know, whether we should do this or that. We pray, God help me to know if this is what you would have me to do. What we must be careful about is to think about outward circumstances and how they are working and make that our guide as to what we should do.

What do we read here in this passage about this? Verse seven through 14. Seven through 14. And when we had sailed slowly many days, and scarce were come over against Nidus, excuse me for my pronunciation of some of these words, but against Nidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under Crete, over against Salmon, and hardly passing it, came into a place which is called the Fair Havens, nigh wherein too was the city of Lysia.

Now when much time was spent and when sailing was now dangerous because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them and said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and the ship, but also of our lives. Nevertheless, the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship more than those things which were spoken by Paul. And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also. That means the majority of them agreed. Let's go on. If by any means they might attain to Phineas and there to winter, which is an haven of Crete and life toward the southwest and northwest. And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete.

But not long after, there arose against it a tempestuous wind called Euryclodon. Again, we see the trip is dangerous. God puts us in a place where it might not be a commodious place to winter in. In other words, it will not be a comfortable place. It might be an inconvenient place where he places us. but we must take from God's hand and where he guides us to winter and not go about for our own way because we don't like where we are.

What happened here? They did not like the accommodations here in the fair havens near La Silla. So they want to go to some other place where it's more convenient.

Folks, I'm gonna tell you, I don't like it when things get uncomfortable or the thoughts of going into a situation that might cause me some anguish or hardships. I don't like the thoughts of that. I don't look forward to that kind of thing, and I don't think any of us do. I would like things to go smoothly, but to have my way is to go against God's way.

What happened here, they listened to men rather than God. They were warned that their way, what they wanted to do, was going to put them in peril. What happened that caused them to think they gained their purpose? The winds began to blow smoothly. The winds were not contrary anymore. They were blowing the right way. They were blowing smoothly. The seas were not rough. Everything was going smoothly.

When everything is going smoothly, Get ready, the storm's about to come. Smooth sailing does not in any way tell us that this is the way we should go. If everything seems to fall in place, we might better brace ourselves. The storm might be coming.

Now, some may never see a storm in this life. Things may fall right into place with every turn they make. But a storm will eventually come and you will not be prepared for it if you have made this journey on your own. I prefer to go through the storm right now rather than later. Our choices will always take us the wrong way and at the wrong time.

But God be thanked. We mean it for evil and he means it for good. The journey he puts us on will be to the saving of our soul. Now just to be clear, were all of these men that were on this ship a child of God? I don't know, but that's not really the point. The point is this. You bow down to God's way, although his way may be rough at times, his way leads to salvation.

Let me also say this, when we are talking about everything being smooth, I'm not merely talking about circumstances and those things that happen around us. We do sometimes have smooth days and smooth times. They are not always smooth, but we do have some smooth circumstances, and I'm thankful to God for that. In fact, this coming week, I hope we have some things go smoothly. I hope we have sunshine and nice weather, no rain. We got, God willing, have a lot of us coming there Thursday for Thanksgiving, and we're gonna have a big herd of dogs there with us too. So I kind of would like them outside playing and stuff. I hope there's no snow or something like that to prevent us from coming together, but it might happen. We might have something go in such a way which is not smooth.

But what I'm talking about, which is not totally devoid of circumstances, but what I'm talking about is the turmoil of soul that undoubtedly comes for a child of God. How could there not be turmoil when an ungodly sinner meets a thrice holy God? There are times when we were brought into the storm ourselves that we will have thoughts just like the Philippian jailer had. I'm going to die. I will surely perish. So I might as well end it right now. But God be thanked. He sent someone to us with this message. Be of good cheer. It is our own fault that we are where we are, but be of good cheer. There will be no loss of man's life, but of the ship. The ship will be broken, but we will be saved. The ship will bear the brunt of the storm for us and it will be broken, but we will be saved. Jesus Christ was broken for us that he might deliver us to the shore. But his brokenness is enough to get us to shore to save our souls.

But see this, this is that fear when you come to know that what you have done has put you in peril. Your choice and your way has put you in peril, verses 27 through 29. But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria about midnight, the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country and sounded and found it 20 fathoms. And when they had gone a little further, they sounded again and found it 15 fathoms. Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern and wished for the day.

They being in this storm thought they were close to land. This can be a good thing or a bad thing. In a ship during a storm, you have to know what's beneath the storm, beneath the waves. Is it rocks or sand? They dropped down their device. It was some kind of piece of lead or brass or something like it on a chain. And they would know how deep the sea was at that place when they dropped it in. They could also, by the feeling I'm guessing, get an idea if it was sand or rock. So they wondered as it was getting more shallow, the next time they checked, they wondered if the ship might be coming up on some rocks to tear the ship apart. So they cast down the anchors. They were scared out of their wits. It says they wished for the day.

But then what do they do again? They go about to try and do things their own way, verse 30. And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea under color as though they would have cast anchors out of the fore ship, they tried to hide what they were doing. They tried to make it look like they were letting down anchors into the water. There are those who may look like they're with God's people, but they are deceiving. But what they were doing is letting down a little dinghy or skiff, a little boat that's on the side of the ship. They were gonna try to escape the storm on their own.

Was it not like that for us? When we first come to know God, what is our first reaction a lot of the time? What is our reaction in times of storms for God's people I'm talking about? I have to do something. But me doing something is not God's way. We do not do things of our own selves. We do not take upon ourselves to save ourselves.

Verse 31, Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved. The ship is where salvation is going to come. We must stay on the ship because if we do, we will be saved. We dare not try to add anything to our salvation at any time. The ship is enough to save us. We will ultimately be on the shore just as it was with Noah. The ship will bear the judgment of the waves of God's wrath, but you will not be saved outside of the ship. The ship must be broken first before we will make it to shore. Jesus Christ was made a curse and sin for his people. He was forsaken of the Father. He died the sinner's death in their stead, all the while his people being in him. The ways of God's judgment tore him apart so that those in him would be saved forevermore. Do not try to get out of the ship. It's your only way of salvation. Jesus Christ is the ship. We must cut off all idols that we might think that would commend us toward God. But that idol, when it boils down to it, is the idol of self. I will make my way. I will do this. I will do that. If you get out of the ship, you will perish.

It is He, our ship, that has been broken for us, and although we may not see it all the time because of this flesh, but the ship has already been broken. He's already brought us to shore. But also, our sustenance comes from the ship for our journey, that journey that we'll have to embark upon once we know the ship was broken for us. When we eat on the ship, then we will be of good cheer. We will be comforted, we'll be strengthened when we partake of the goods of the ship, verses 33 through 36.

And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, this day is the 14th day that you have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing. Wherefore, I pray you to take some meat, for this is for your health, for there shall not a hair fall from the head of any of you. And when he had thus spoken, he took bread and gave thanks to God in presence of them all. And when he had broken it, he began to eat. Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.

He will fill us with his sustenance. He will feed us the body and blood of Jesus Christ, and it will suffice us. It will cheer our souls. We will and we must feed on his sustenance.

But then we also have this, when God by his mercy and grace causes us to commit to his judgment in the ship, then will salvation be realized by his people. You look for salvation anywhere else, you will find nothing but condemnation and death. But thank God that he, by his grace, allows some to commit themselves to his judgment on the ship, so that they might be safely conducted to shore. It will not be easy, but we will be conducted safely to the shores of his kingdom, where we will be with him, the one who was broken for us.

Now I just added something in here and I want to look at this verses 43 through 44 and I know there's some it says they who could swim and others couldn't but just look at this 27 43 through 44. But the centurion willing to save Paul kept them from their purpose and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea and get to land. And the rest, some on boards and some on broken pieces of the ship, and so it came to pass that they escaped all safe to land.

And I just wanted to say this about this part. If you see a part of Christ grab on for dear life. What does Paul tell us in Philippians 3.2? And I got a turn of that. Philippians 3.2. Anybody know where Philippians is? Philippians 3.2. Philippians 3.12, sorry. He says, if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead, not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect, but I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ. He's saying I'm holding on to Christ for dear life.

Now, verses back to verse 39 and 41. And when it was day, they knew not the land, but they discovered a certain creek with a shore into the which they were minded, if it were possible to thrust in the ship. And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves into the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoist up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore. and following into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground and the fore part stuck fast and remained unmovable, but the hinder part was broken with the balance of the way.

But as we started out, when God says something will happen, then it will happen. our outright rebellion notwithstanding. His purpose will be accomplished. We may make our choices and it might make the way rougher. But if he intends to save someone, then they will be saved.

Numbers 23, 19 we read, God is not a man that he should lie, neither the son of man that he should repent. Hath he said and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? God's purpose will stand. I don't care what it might look like around us. God is in absolute sovereign control.

I must cry out daily, God calls me to wait on you. I want to follow your way, but my God and my Father keep me in this ship.

Now let's read the rest of the chapter. I think I done read it. Verse 42 through 44. I've just got through reading that, so let me just go on. Even though the storm may be raging, we will be brought safely to the shore if we abide in the ship.

But we also had one other thing that God said would happen, and it could not do anything but happen. because God said it. But let's read this in chapter 28, verses 11 through 13. And after three months, we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the Isle, whose sign was Castor and Pollux. And landing at Syracuse, we tarried there three days. And from thence, we fetched a compass and came to Regium. And after one day, the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Ptole.

Now those who follow Christ, when you rest in Christ, that's where you'll get the south wind blowing. This is said in the sense that it was just what was needed to push them, and I think I had the wrong verses there or something, to push them forward in the sea to where they were bound to arrive.

But what was the purpose of God for Paul? Verses 24 and 25 of 27, we already read it. Saying, fear not, Paul, thou must be brought before Caesar, and lo, God hath given thee all them that sell with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer, for I believe God that it shall be even as it was told me.

Did he arrive where he was supposed to go in 28, 14 through 16? where we found brethren and were desired to tarry with them seven days, and so we went toward Rome. And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appia Forum and the three taverns, whom when Paul saw, he thanked God and took courage. And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard, but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him.