Shipped Wrecked But Not Dead

 

Acts 27: 9-11

9 Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them,

10 And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.

11 Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul.

How many of us have looked back at our life and realized that it is only the grace of God that we have lived this long?

Car wrecks, drugs, gang violence, drowning, and so many other circumstances have taken the lives of those we have been acquainted with,
(Some of you here, right now you know that if it wasn’t for the grace of God you would have died in that car wreck, you would have been the one spending your life behind prison walls, or you would have been the one who died of a drug overdose.

We begin this message with Paul advising them not to sail.
Acts 27:10 Paul tells them not to sail:

Acts 27:10 And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.

How many know we don’t always listen to wise counsel, (we could have saved ourselves a lot of grief and pain had we just listened to those who tried to instruct us).

But they didn’t listen and they sailed directly into the storm of their lives.

Acts 27:11 Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul.

They lightened the ship.
There’s nothing like a bad storm for realigning priorities, (You find out real quick what you need and what is unnecessary, or excess baggage).

Acts 27:18-19

18 And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship;

19 And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.

The ship was destroyed, but they made it to land on boards, and broken pieces of the ship:

Somebody ought to lift your hands right now and say: (I’m going to make it) I may be:

• Broken, but I’m still coming
• Wounded, but I’m still coming
• Bleeding, but I’m still coming
• Crying but I’m still coming
• Confused but I’m still coming
• Rejected but I’m still coming.

 

 

I know I’m not everything I should be…

• I’m still struggling with some habits and hang-ups
• I’m still wrestling with some anger and forgiveness issues
• I still slip up every once and while and say something I shouldn’t say.
• I know I’m not where I should be by now, but I know I’m moving in the right direction.

I know I’m chopping up the water all around me, but it’s just because I don’t want to drown

They all escaped safe to land:

Acts 27:44 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.

Somebody needs to lift your hands right now and thank God that you made it through the storm.

It should have killed you, but you made it (Most of it was your own fault, you brought it on yourself) but God had mercy on you and you made it.

You shouldn’t have made it, you shouldn’t be here, and you shouldn’t have made it through the storm…
(But just tell the devil) BUT I’m still here!

Acts 28:1-6

1 And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melita.

2 And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold.

3 And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.

4 And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.

5 And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.

6 Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.

 

They’ve made it through the storm and landed on an island.

The barbarians on that island begin to kindle a fire for them.

Paul begins to gather sticks for the fire and out of the sticks; a viper fastens itself to Paul’s hand.

Now it says (Howbeit they looked) = to watch, to anticipate, to wait for,

• There are people that are watching you who do not want you to make it. They are anxiously waiting and anticipating your downfall. They rejoice when they see you going through hardships and trials.
• They’re watching and they’re waiting to celebrate your downfall, celebrate your breakdown and your defeat.
• This means that they had seen this happen before, and every time it happened this was the end result:
  He should have swollen or fallen down suddenly.
• Medical science says you should have died
• Every legal advisor says you should have died
• Every natural circumstance says you shouldn’t have made it
• It should have killed you,
• You should be in a mental institution or strung out on drugs, mad at God and mad at the world,

I came to tell somebody that not only are you going to make it, but also you are not even going to look like you have been through what you’ve been through.
When the children of Israel went through the Red Sea, God didn’t just part the waters; He dried the ground that they walked on.
When they reached the other side, there wasn’t even mud between their toes.

For a little bit it looked like the enemy was closing in on them and was going to overtake them, but they just kept on walking.

And while they were walking God was taking care of their enemies, (while they were walking their enemies were drowning).

I want to tell somebody today (just keep walking)

• It doesn’t matter what they say about you,
• It doesn’t matter what they do,
• It doesn’t matter what the doctor says,
• It doesn’t matter what the rebellious child says,
• It don’ matter what the financial report says (this is no place to sit and cry, just keep walking)

When God gets through blessing you, you won’t even look like you’ve been through what you’ve been through.

And the only evidence of you going through what you went through will be a greater faith, a greater love, a greater confidence, a greater commitment, and a greater testimony.

Somebody said: “But you don’t understand, I’m going through hell with this marriage, with this job, this sickness, this financial struggle.”

You ought to be shouting right there. You’re going through.
You just prophesied your victory.
David said, “Yeah though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.”
You’re going through because you’re going to!

Let me remind you, you’re not the only one who has walked through the fire, (The bible tells us about 3 young Hebrew boys who walked through the fire, and when they came out the other side the only evidence that they had been through the fire was they were liberated from their bondage, (Bondage) = The things that the enemy put on them, got burned off in the fire

They came out the other side with no hurt, their clothes were not burnt, their hair was not singed, and there was not even the smell of smoke on them.

I’m telling you that God doesn’t always take the heat out of the fire, but he will walk with you through it.

I shouldn’t be here right now; if the devil had his way I’d be strung out on drugs, or in a mental institution or in some hospital room, or prison.

But I’m here to tell you:
If you’ll keep your faith in God, God is going to bring you out,

 

Now back to Paul (The Bible says, that Paul shook off the beast).
This wasn’t’ a little wimpy wave of the hand (come on mister snake, this is not nice, please get off of me, please remove your fangs from my skin).

That viper had attached itself to Paul:
He had to become violent and aggressive against it.

There are some things that you can pray about and ask God to take away, and there are some things that you must become violent, and aggressive against.
And you must shake it loose, (You must shake like your life depends on it, because it does).

Shake that fear loose, shake that depression loose, shake that addiction loose, shake that spirit of hopelessness and suicide loose, shake that spirit of lust and perversion loose, shake that spirit of poverty loose, shake that spirit of sickness loose.
Shake that dead powerless religion loose.

• Shake for your family
• Shake for your health
• Shake for your mind
• Shake for your ministry
• Shake for your finances
• Shake, shake, shake, shake,

Samson said: “I will go out as at other times and shake myself” (this leads us to believe that there was some physical action on Samson’s part that was a signal for the anointing, the anointing would come upon him as he shook.
There’s something about shaking that activates the anointing.

But shaking is not all there is to it (You need to be close to the fire).
There are a lot of people who shake = go through the motions of being a Christian, but not that many really have the fire.

In fact we have reached the place where we are considered old fashioned and out dated if we talk about the Holy Ghost and fire.

But I still believe that the only thing that can destroy the devils power is the fire of God.

We still serve a God that answers by Fire.

Paul shook that viper off into the Fire.
You need to ask yourself, are you living close enough to the fire?
Is there fire in your car?
Is there fire in your home?

It should have killed me, but I shook it off
It should have killed me, but I got close to the fire, and the fire delivered me.

It should have killed Paul, they fully expected him to die, but he shook it off into the fire.
It was the fire that destroyed the thing that was trying to kill Paul.

Somebody listening to me, the devil has sent something out to try and destroy you, but it’s not going to kill you because you’re turning up the heat.

Tell your neighbor (excuse me but I’ve got to turn up the thermostat) You might want to move to the other side of the room because I’m getting ready to praise like I’ve never praised before, I’m getting ready to shout, I’m getting ready to worship.

I haven’t got time to try and be cute, I haven’t got time to try and fit in, I’m praisin for my life.

• I’m praisin for my destiny
• I’m praisin for my ministry
• I’m praisin for my children
• I’m praisin for my health

Tell somebody I know it should have killed me, but I’m still here
I know I don’t deserve it but I’m still here.
I know the devil meant it for evil, but God is turning it around for my good.

I know what it feels like to be ship wrecked, and I know what it feels like to be bitten by the serpent, but I also know what it feels like to shake that snake off into the fire.

Somebody listening to this message right now: You know it should have killed you, you know if the devil had his way you’d be dead, You know if some people had been able to carry out their intentions you’d be dead, (but tell your neighbor) I’m still here.
I’m still here because God has a plan for my life, and a destiny and I’m going to fulfill it.