Our heavenly Father, we thank You so much. Whenever we gather together to remember You, we remember that You died for us, but You overcame death, and now You are living forever and ever.
We know that we face so many difficulties on this earth. We have so many enemies surrounding us. But how can we still praise You? Because Your grace is more than enough.
We thank You, Lord, because Your cross, with Your grace, is more than enough.
Lord, as we open Your Word and meditate upon it, we ask Your Holy Spirit to speak to each one of us, to breathe Your holy grace into our lives, and to refresh and encourage each one of us.
Bring to our minds, our hearts, and our spirits the all-supplying grace of the Lord Jesus. Lord, please speak to us this morning once again.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Let us turn to the Book of Acts, chapter 27.
And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners to a centurion named Julius, of the Augustan band.
— Acts 27:1
And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail unto the places on the coast of Asia, we put to sea, Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us.
— Acts 27:2
And when it was not long after, there beat down from the island a tempestuous wind, which is called Euraquilo.
— Acts 27:14
And when the ship was caught, and could not face the wind, we gave way to it, and were driven.
— Acts 27:15
And as we labored exceedingly with the storm, the next day they began to throw the freight overboard.
— Acts 27:18
And when neither sun nor stars shone upon us for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was now taken away.
— Acts 27:20
For there stood by me this night an angel of the God Whose I am, and Whom also I serve,
saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must stand before Caesar: and lo, God hath granted thee all them that sail with thee.
— Acts 27:23–24
Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that so it shall be even as it hath been spoken unto me.
But we must be cast upon a certain island.
— Acts 27:25–26
But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven to and fro in the sea of Adria, about midnight the sailors surmised that they were drawing near to some country.
— Acts 27:27
And they sounded, and found twenty fathoms: and after a little space, they sounded again, and found fifteen fathoms.
— Acts 27:28
And casting off the anchors, they left them in the sea, at the same time loosing the bands of the rudders; and hoisting up the foresail to the wind, they made for the beach.
— Acts 27:40
And the soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.
But the centurion, desiring to save Paul, stayed them from their purpose; and commanded that they who could swim should cast themselves overboard first, and get to the land;
and the rest, some on planks, and some on other things from the ship. And so it came to pass, that they all escaped safe to the land.
— Acts 27:42–44
These are the verses for the moment.
Some of you should have a handout concerning a hymn. This hymn was written by Miss Margaret E. Barber, a missionary from England who helped Watchman Nee very much. She wrote about forty-three hymns.
This hymn is probably one of the best of her poems. But perhaps it is difficult for us to appreciate this hymn until we understand the last two chapters of the Book of Acts.
In the last two chapters of Acts, we are told of Paul’s experience. It is a very unusual experience.
Paul was a man of God. Paul was a man of three worlds: the Greek world of culture, the Hebrew world of religion, and the Roman world of politics and military power.
The Holy Spirit called him to bring the gospel of Christ to every corner of the earth. For that reason, he traveled here and there—almost throughout Asia Minor and through much of Europe.
Paul probably traveled, on foot, the equivalent of more than half the circumference of the earth. Certainly, Paul was a great traveler. But he never traveled for himself.
He remembered the word of our Lord: beginning from Jerusalem, then Samaria, and then to the uttermost part of the earth. He was simply following the word of the Lord. He wanted to go to every corner of the world to win souls.
That is why he undertook his three famous missionary journeys. If you study those three journeys, you will discover that Paul learned much and grew much in his spiritual life.
He not only worked for Christ; before he worked for Christ, he was worked upon by Christ. Then he really grew. As he traveled, he was growing at the same time.
From the Word of God, we know that Paul had a spiritual life of approximately thirty-three years, from his new birth until his martyrdom. These thirty-three years may be divided into three stages.
The first eleven years were a hidden life. During that period, the water of life was accumulated within him. At the end of that first stage, it pleased God to lift up the dam, and the living water began to gush forth.
Then, in the following twenty-two years, we have the three missionary journeys. Wherever he went, the living water flowed, and many people were saved.
By the end of the second stage, Paul had nearly completed his three missionary journeys. His first journey was in Asia Minor. During the second journey, the gospel entered Europe for the first time, beginning in Philippi and continuing through Thessalonica, Athens, and Corinth.
Paul spent about eighteen months in Corinth. Then, during the third missionary journey, he wrote several important books, including 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Corinthians, and 2 Corinthians.
At this time Paul had become mature. God was using him in a mighty way.
Paul spent three years in Ephesus. He himself testified that a great and effectual door had been opened to him. He not only bore fruit; he bore much fruit.
Ephesus was the center of the worship of Artemis, or Diana. The temple of the goddess was considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was almost as large as St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
Many pilgrims came to Ephesus every year to celebrate the birthday of the goddess. This brought substantial income to the city, and people would purchase souvenirs connected with idol worship.
But because of Paul’s preaching, many people were converted. They turned away from idols and no longer purchased such souvenirs. The business declined sharply.
You remember the great riot in Ephesus. Eventually Paul had to leave the city. Nevertheless, the gospel was powerful, and the door had been widely opened.
When Paul reached the end of his second stage, his spiritual life had become mature. He had received much revelation. If you read Romans and 1 Corinthians, you find the whole counsel of God expressed there.
His revelation was proportionate to his life. Moreover, he had become very useful in the hand of God.
Watchman Nee often told young people, “If you want to be used by God, if you want to be useful in the hand of the Lord, at least prepare yourself for twenty years.”
Do not think you are smart enough. Do not think that after four years in a theological school you can become spiritual. There is no such thing in the spiritual world. There is no shortcut.
It took twenty years for Paul to mature. It took twenty years for Paul to be enriched with the Word. It took twenty years for Paul to become useful. Only then did he begin to become useful in a fuller way.
Paul was in Ephesus when he determined, “I must also see Rome.” Why did he make that determination?
Paul was successful in his spiritual life. The doors were widely open. Yet he wanted to see Rome because he remembered the word of the Lord: the gospel should reach to the uttermost part of the earth.
At that time, if one reached Rome, one had reached the end of the known world. Paul did not want to see Rome because he was a traveler. For himself, he had nothing to ask. But for the Lord, he asked everything.
He knew that the Lord had a program: beginning from Jerusalem and continuing to the end of the earth. He wanted to bring everyone to Christ. He wanted to go to the heartland of the Roman Empire and stand before the emperor to give his testimony.
That was his ambition. For himself, he had nothing. But for Christ, he had a wonderful ambition: “I want to go to Rome.”
Paul desired to go to Rome, not for himself, but to bring the gospel to the heartland of the Roman Empire.
Paul wrote to the Romans that he prayed often to visit them. Perhaps when he was in Philippi or Thessalonica, he was already traveling upon the Via Egnatia, the Roman road leading toward the coast and eventually toward Italy and Rome.
Yet Satan hindered him. Still, Paul told the believers in Rome, “I long to see you.” He prayed that, if it were God’s will, he might come to them joyfully and by a smooth way.
Today we pray much for our needs. We have many needs, and only Christ can meet them. Therefore, we pray earnestly for grace and for the Lord to answer our prayers.
But, brothers and sisters, how often do we pray for the will of God? How often do we pray that His will may be fulfilled on earth as it is in heaven?
Paul loved the Lord so much that he lived every second for his Master. He dared not waste any time. He knew that his time was short.
Of course, he needed rest. He needed time to relax. But he knew the time was short, and he could not waste it. He preferred to wear out rather than rust out.
Paul lived every second for his Master. In that prayer, Paul prayed a selfless prayer. Surely God would honor such a prayer.
He prayed exactly according to God’s will—that the gospel might be preached to the end of the world. Of course, the Lord listened to that prayer.
When we come to the last two chapters of Acts, we find something difficult to understand. This useful Paul, this one who loved his Master so much, experienced something that neither Paul nor we can easily understand.
In Acts 27, Paul is in chains. He has become a prisoner. He must go to Rome, and he must stand before Caesar.
Paul wanted to go to Rome by a smooth way. He said to the Roman believers, “I want to come to you joyfully.” Did the Lord answer Paul’s prayer? Yes. Finally, Paul arrived in Rome.
But he did not arrive according to Paul’s way or Paul’s desire. Paul desired to go smoothly, with grace and joy. Instead, he went all the way in chains as a prisoner.
The ship became a prison ship.
Two free men willingly became slaves in order to accompany Paul. One of them was Luke, a physician. Under Roman law, if someone wished to accompany a prisoner, that person had to become a slave.
That is why, when you study Acts 27 and Acts 28, Luke records the account in the first person: “we did this” and “we did that.” It is the eyewitness record of the physician Luke.
This journey to Rome was not smooth sailing. It was against Paul’s wish.
Sometimes we think we are doing something for the Lord. We even pray for the Lord’s will to be done. The Lord honors such prayers.
At the same time, He does not always answer our prayers in the way we expect. We want smooth sailing, but sometimes there is no smooth sailing.
Paul was in chains. When someone is bound with chains, that person can become discouraged. Paul was a man of flesh and blood, just as we are. He must have had moments when he was down and deeply depressed.
The journey from Israel to Rome was long. During his missionary journeys, Paul knew the geography well. He knew that the winds generally blew from the west.
When traveling westward, he would walk when possible; when returning eastward, he could travel by ship because the wind would speed the journey. If Paul had been given a choice, he would have chosen smooth sailing.
But on his last journey to Rome, everything was against him. He was traveling westward, against the wind.
The journey took place around the middle of October, near the Day of Atonement. It was already dangerous to sail because winter was approaching.
When they reached the island of Crete, a hurricane came. The Bible even gives the name of the storm: Euraquilo, meaning a northeastern wind.
The wind was so strong that the ship had to be driven along. If you read the record carefully, you discover that the account contains details from which one may calculate the approximate direction in which the wind drove the ship.
Finally, the ship came to Malta. Malta is so small that one can hardly see it on a map. Yet, according to God’s will, that ship would be wrecked at that island.
Before the shipwreck, the boat had been at sea for more than fourteen days and nights. They had lost all hope of being saved.
But thank God, at that time the Word of God came to Paul. He was reminded that he would stand before Caesar.
In other words, the ship would not be lost in the sense that the people would perish. All the people would be saved. The ship, however, would be damaged and wrecked on an island.
After fourteen days and fourteen nights, it was midnight. Today, if you visit Malta, you can find St. Paul’s Bay. In the northeastern corner of the bay is a place called Kallara Point.
If one calculates the direction of the wind, the size of the ship, and the number of people on board—276 people—one can estimate the velocity of the drifting ship and the approximate time it would take to reach Malta.
According to such estimates, the journey would take approximately thirteen days and some hours. That agrees remarkably with the biblical record.
The ship was finally wrecked near St. Paul’s Bay. The night before the wreck, the sailors sensed that they were approaching land.
Normally, sailors could recognize approaching land by its smell. But after fourteen days and nights of drifting in the storm, with the wind still blowing strongly, they could not depend upon that.
Nevertheless, they knew they were nearing land. They took soundings: first twenty fathoms, then fifteen fathoms. They realized that they were about to strike rocks.
They cast anchors from the stern rather than from the bow. This was very unusual, but it was wisdom for the situation.
Today, if you visit the area near Kallara Point, you can still measure the depths described in Acts 27. The Word of God is accurate.
The ship was wrecked not merely on Malta, but in the very region of St. Paul’s Bay. Before the bay is a small island called St. Paul’s Island. There the waters meet.
That is why the biblical record says that the ship struck “a place where two seas met.” Even today, many remains of shipwrecks may be found beneath the sea in that dangerous area.
But lighting upon a place where two seas met, they ran the vessel aground; and the forepart struck and remained unmovable, but the hinder part began to break up by the violence of the waves.
— Acts 27:41
The whole ship was destroyed. The people had to swim or make their way to shore on planks and pieces from the ship.
Before this happened, after fourteen days of fasting, the people had no appetite. They thought they were going to die. But Paul urged them to eat, because they would need strength to reach the shore.
They ate, and then they threw the wheat into the sea. At the last moment, everyone had to grasp something. Finally, everyone was brought safely to shore.
Paul had lost everything. Yet he was received by the people on the island.
Through the shipwreck, Paul was not only tossed about in the sea for fourteen days and nights; after the wreck, he lost everything. The stripping hand of God stripped Paul of everything.
He was already a prisoner. Roman law was very strict. There had to be official records proving that he was a prisoner. Yet after the shipwreck, the documents concerning Paul were lost.
Why was Paul under house arrest for two years when he came to Rome? He was waiting to stand before the emperor. But why did it take two years? Because he had been stripped of everything.
You may think, “I am humble enough. I am already a prisoner.” But the Lord says, “You are nobody.” This was the Lord’s dealing with Paul.
On the one hand, the Lord said yes to Paul’s desire. Paul would reach Rome. On the other hand, the Lord dealt with Paul through the chains and the loss of everything.
At first, Paul may have been upset by the chain. But after a while, he discovered the usefulness of the chain. The chain limited Paul, but the same chain also limited the soldier who was chained to him.
Then Paul opened his mouth and preached the gospel to the soldier. The soldier could not run away. For six or eight hours, he had to listen to Paul.
That is why Paul could write in Philippians concerning those of Caesar’s household. The gospel had penetrated into the heartland of the Roman Empire.
Thank God. On the one hand, God answers prayer. On the other hand, the stripping hand of God allows His servants to lose everything.
The most humiliating thing was to become a prisoner of Rome. Yet even that humiliation was part of the Lord’s stripping work.
By this way, Paul learned something. By this way, Paul learned how to have deep joy in Christ.
Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say, Rejoice.
— Philippians 4:4
Paul was in prison. He had lost everything. How could he rejoice? He rejoiced in the Lord.
Paul learned a very wonderful and precious secret.
Some of us were privileged to visit Malta. There we discovered more concerning why Paul went through the experience of shipwreck.
Of course, because of the shipwreck, the governor of the island was saved, and many people were saved. The gospel flourished on that island.
To preach the gospel is one thing; to maintain the flourishing of the gospel is another thing. The enemy of God always tries to snatch it away.
In the eleventh century, before the Crusades, some merchants from Italy built a hospital in Jerusalem to help pilgrims. At that time Jerusalem was under Muslim control.
Many Crusader knights were wounded in war and were healed in this hospital. Some of them made vows to remain and care for others who became ill in Jerusalem.
Gradually, a Catholic order was formed. They called themselves the Order of St. John.
Not everyone could join this order. A man had to be a knight, belong to a noble family, promise never to marry, and vow obedience. These became known as the Knights Hospitaller.
They began by serving people, but because of danger they also took up weapons to protect pilgrims. Later, they became involved in the Crusader battles.
There was something paradoxical about them. On the one hand, they operated hospitals and sought to do good for people. On the other hand, they carried weapons.
Gradually, because they received much wealth from Europe and were connected with noble families, the order became very influential during the Crusades.
When the Crusaders were defeated, the Order of St. John was forced to leave Israel. They retreated to Cyprus.
In Cyprus they encountered pirates. Therefore, they had to build their own navy. Eventually they conquered the island of Rhodes and almost formed a kingdom there.
Their navy created a serious problem for the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire sent two hundred thousand soldiers and seven hundred warships against them.
Eventually, the order was forced to leave Rhodes. They were permitted to choose another place to settle. Very interestingly, Malta received them.
They had been defeated and had lost everything. Yet they came to Malta. There were only about six hundred knights on the island.
The Ottoman Empire still wanted to take Malta. Their ambition was to conquer the world. If they could gain Malta, they could gain Sicily; if they gained Sicily, they could gain Rome; and if they gained Rome, they could gain the whole Western world.
If one has spiritual eyes, one can see the power of darkness at work. If the Ottoman Empire had succeeded in Malta, history would have been rewritten.
The Ottoman Empire sent approximately fourteen thousand regular soldiers against the island. In Malta there were only about six hundred knights and eight thousand other people, many of whom were farmers who did not know how to fight.
Humanly speaking, they were no match for their enemy.
We need not discuss whether the order itself was according to God’s will, or whether Christians should carry weapons. But according to their strength, they were no match for the enemy.
Yet something happened. A miracle happened.
After four months of siege, the Ottoman Empire retreated. From that time on, they did not advance into the Western world in the same way.
Europe owed much to Malta. In gratitude, European nations gave gold, silver, and wealth to Malta.
If you visit Malta today and see its cathedrals, you can understand this. St. John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta is remarkable. The interior is richly decorated with gold, even twenty-four-carat gold.
The point is this: only God is God in history.
God knew that one day the gospel would be preached wonderfully. But He also knew that the powers of darkness would seek to take away the flame of the gospel.
Malta is a tiny island that can scarcely be seen on a map. Yet God did a wonderful work there.
Because Paul was wrecked in Malta, the soil was prepared. Later, it became possible for the Order of St. John to retreat to that island, and Malta became a fortress.
God used a small, tiny island to accomplish His purpose. If Malta had fallen into the hands of the Ottoman Empire, the whole course of history would have been changed.
Why was Paul shipwrecked in Malta? God’s ways are always higher than ours.
Now we can come to this hymn written by Miss Barber. After understanding Paul’s shipwreck, we begin to understand the lesson of this hymn.
Brothers and sisters, sometimes we are wrecked. Sometimes our business is wrecked. Sometimes our marriage is wrecked. Sometimes our physical body is wrecked.
We do not know in what way. Only God knows. Sometimes we ask why. We may be living for the Lord, and we think we ought to have smooth sailing. But why does this happen to you and to me?
The shipwreck of Paul gives us an answer. Miss Barber translated this lesson into a poem.
Wrecked outright on Jesus’ breast—
Only wrecked souls can say,
“Little boats that hug the shore,
Fearing what the storm may bring,
Never find on Jesus’ breast
All that wrecked souls mean by rest.”
Wrecked outright! Though storms have done their worst,
Then the soul, surviving all,
Eternal arms hath nursed;
There to find that naught can move
One embosomed in such love.
Wrecked outright! No more to own
In craft to sail the sea;
Still a voyager, yet now
Anchored to infinity.
This is the best phrase: “Still a voyager, yet now anchored to infinity.”
Nothing left to do but fling
Fear aside and simply cling;
Wrecked outright! Toward purest gain,
Henceforth other craft can see
That, however rough the sea,
God Himself doth watchful stand,
For the wreck is in His hand.
When we read this poem, it gives us a poetic way to appreciate the shipwreck of Paul.
For young people, perhaps this kind of thing has not yet happened to you. But in the process of our growth in the Christian life, God never promised that the sky would always be blue.
We wish for smooth sailing. But sometimes things happen that are against our will.
We thank the Lord because He answers prayer. Yet we also thank the Lord when He does not answer our prayer in the way we expect, for a higher purpose.
Let us learn this wonderful lesson from the shipwreck of Paul.
Let us have a season of prayer. Two or three brothers may lead us in prayer.
Thank You, Lord, for this lesson that we have learned today. We can see what happened in the life of Paul. Lord, we are reminded that even today we can apply this to our lives for the growth of our brothers and sisters.
We commit all the brothers and sisters to You, and everything that we may face. We thank You that Your ways are higher than our ways.
Even though sometimes we are shipwrecked, we can come before Your presence, Lord, because You have a purpose in our lives.
Lord, we thank You that we can declare that it is no longer we who live, but Christ Who lives in us. We pray this in Jesus’ name.
By Your hand, continue to strip everything from us until we can be used by You. Lord, today it is also our desire that we may be prisoners for Christ and that we may be used by You.
Lord, may Your way become our way, and may Your burden become our burden. How often we care only for ourselves and the things surrounding us.
How often we pray only for our own interests, Lord, and forget that You died for us and died for our sins.
Lord, we pray that Your Word may bear fruit in our lives. May You be our focus and the center of our lives, that we may be fully used in Your hands.
We thank You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.