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Remain STEADFAST IN THE STORM
September Theme: STEADFASTNESS
Theme Scripture — 1 Corinthians 15:58 (KJV)
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
“But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”
Acts 20:24 NKJV
Sermon Text — Acts 27:20–25 (KJV)
“And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.
But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto 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.”
THE HISTORY BEHIND ACTS 27
Paul was a prisoner.
He had appealed his case to Caesar and was being transported by ship toward Rome.
Paul wasn't on a pleasure cruise.
He wasn't going on vacation.
He was traveling as a prisoner under Roman authority.
Acts 27 tells us that Julius, a Roman centurion, was responsible for Paul and other prisoners.
As they traveled, sailing conditions became increasingly dangerous.
Paul warned them:
Acts 27:10
“Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage…”
In other words:
“We shouldn't leave here.”
But the centurion listened to the shipmaster and owner rather than Paul.
They sailed anyway.
Then everything changed.
Acts 27:14
“But not long after their arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.”
This was a violent storm.
The wind became so powerful that the sailors eventually lost control of the vessel.
They started throwing things overboard.
The storm continued for days.
Then Acts 27:20 gives us one of the saddest descriptions imaginable:
“…all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.”
They had reached the point where they believed:
“We're going to die.”
But there was one man on that ship who still had a word from God.
Paul stood up.
The prisoner became the preacher.
The captive became the encourager.
The man in chains became the man with confidence.
Why?
Because everybody else was looking at the storm.
Paul was standing on the Word.
INTRODUCTION — YOU CAN'T AVOID EVERY STORM
There are some storms you can see coming.
The weather report tells you:
“A storm is approaching.”
The sky becomes dark.
The wind starts blowing.
The temperature changes.
The clouds begin gathering.
And you know:
Something is coming.
But life's storms don't always give you a weather report.
You can wake up one morning thinking everything is fine and before the day is over, your whole situation has changed.
One telephone call can bring a storm.
One doctor's report can bring a storm.
One financial problem can bring a storm.
One family crisis can bring a storm.
One unexpected death can bring a storm.
One disappointment can bring a storm.
One betrayal can bring a storm.
And sometimes you didn't do anything wrong.
You were serving God.
You were praying.
You were faithful.
You were doing what you believed God wanted you to do.
And the storm still came.
That's important because sometimes Christians think:
“If I'm serving God, why am I going through this?”
But serving God doesn't exempt us from storms.
Sometimes God doesn't keep you from the storm.
God keeps you in the storm.
And sometimes God uses the storm to show you something about Himself that you never would have learned on calm water.
Our theme Scripture says:
“Be ye stedfast, unmoveable…”
That doesn't mean the wind won't blow.
It means:
When the wind blows, don't move.
It doesn't mean trouble won't come.
It means:
When trouble comes, don't move.
It doesn't mean you'll never cry.
It means:
Cry if you have to—but don't move.
It doesn't mean you'll never become afraid.
It means:
Even when you're afraid, keep trusting God.
Somebody needs to declare:
“I'M GOING TO BE STEADFAST IN THE STORM!”
S.T.O.R.M.
S — Stand on God’s Word
“Be ye stedfast, unmoveable…” — 1 Corinthians 15:58
When everything around you is shaking, stand on something that cannot shake.
T — Trust God through the Trouble
“For I believe God…” — Acts 27:25
You don't have to understand the storm to trust the God who controls it.
O — Overcome Your Fear
“Fear not, Paul…” — Acts 27:24
Fear may show up, but don't allow fear to take over.
R — Remember Whose You Are
“For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve.” — Acts 27:23
The storm may change your circumstances, but it cannot change who you belong to.
M — Make It to the Other Side
“…they escaped all safe to land.” — Acts 27:44
The ship broke apart, but everybody made it to shore!
1. STEADFAST PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT STORMS WILL COME
Acts 27:14
“But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind…”
Notice:
The storm arose.
Storms have a way of arising unexpectedly.
Jesus said in John 16:33:
“In the world ye shall have tribulation…”
He didn't say:
“You might.”
He said:
“You shall.”
Christianity isn't a promise of storm-free living.
It's the promise that when the storm comes:
YOU WON'T BE IN IT ALONE.
ILLUSTRATION — THE TWO HOUSES
Jesus told the story of two men.
One built his house on sand.
The other built his house on rock.
But notice something:
The storm came to both houses.
Being built on the Rock didn't stop the storm.
It determined whether the house would survive the storm.
The question isn't:
“Will storms come?”
The question is:
“What are you standing on when they come?”
If you're standing on money, money can disappear.
If you're standing on people, people can leave.
If you're standing on feelings, feelings change.
But if you're standing on Jesus—
SHORT ILLUSTRATION — FLYING THROUGH CLOUDS
When an airplane enters thick clouds, passengers may see nothing outside the window.
But the pilot doesn't throw away the instruments because visibility disappeared.
The pilot relies on information that is more dependable than what the eye can see.
That's faith.
Sometimes your eyes say:
“It's over.”
But God's Word says:
“I'm still with you.”
Your circumstances say:
“You won't make it.”
God says:
“My grace is sufficient.”
Your feelings say:
“Give up.”
God says:
“Be steadfast, unmoveable.”
Stop allowing what you see to cancel what God said.
DON'T THROW AWAY YOUR FAITH!
Don't throw away your prayer life.
Don't throw away your worship.
Don't throw away the Word.
Don't throw away your commitment.
Don't throw away your relationship with God.
The storm may take some things from you.
But don't let it take God out of you.
5. STEADFAST PEOPLE CAN ENCOURAGE OTHERS WHILE THEY ARE STILL IN THE STORM
This is one of my favorite parts.
The storm hadn't stopped.
The ship was still in danger.
Yet Paul stood up and said:
Acts 27:22
“And now I exhort you to be of good cheer…”
Wait a minute, Paul!
The storm is still raging!
How can you tell people to cheer up?
Because Paul's joy wasn't based on the weather.
His confidence was based on God's promise.
This is spiritual maturity:
When you're going through something yourself, but you can still encourage somebody else.
You're hurting—
but still encouraging.
You're waiting—
but still praying for somebody else.
You're fighting—
but still telling somebody:
“God is going to bring you through.”
SHORT STORY — THE CANDLE
A candle doesn't lose its flame because it lights another candle.
Instead, the room becomes brighter.
Sometimes when you're going through your own dark season, helping somebody else can remind you:
God still has light inside of me.
Don't let your storm make you so inwardly focused that you
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