A Centurion Delivers Paul

Coming today to our fifth and final sermon on the centurions in the Bible.

Number one, you remember, was a centurion in Capernaum described for us in Matthew chapter 82 was a man of exceedingly great faith in Jesus marveled at the faith of a Gentile. The second was a centurion at the cross. Matthew 27 records this man, who also confessed faith in the Lord Jesus Christ when he said surely this was the son of God. The third is Cornelius the centurion at Caesarea on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the land of Israel, a man of great faith amount of great influence who influenced his family and friends on a number of others to look to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. When Peter came, and preach the gospel to him last week we looked at seven centurions all bundled together scattered throughout acts chapters 20 through 24. Who all of them ministered to the apostle Paul. All were used by God to advance the cause of Paul in the gospel of Christ in all of these men, the ones that we know quite a bit about of those that we don't know so much about are all presented as honorable men of integrity. The Bible does not point to any centurion with with the review, but all of them are viewed as honorable man. Both of those who look to God for saving grace. And for those who have no evidence of faith in their lives. But now we come to the last 151 in acts chapter 27 the 27th chapter of the book of acts. The human author of course is Luke, the beloved physician. The ultimate author is none other than God Almighty, who by his Holy Spirit guided and directed Luke, and what he wrote. Luke chapter 27 is an exceedingly acclaimed portion of God's word. Not only valued by the people of God would actually valued by secular historians because of the exceedingly great details of sailing conditions in the first century on the Mediterranean Sea. There's information to be found here that cannot be found any place else but all the information that has been confirmed from secular sources indicates that everything Luke wrote was exactly accurate. It is an exceedingly interesting account of Paul's journey to Rome by ship and the ship wrecked which could have taken his life but did not so doubt we will examine how God used a Roman centurion to deliver Paul and the centurion is mentioned. One way or another six times throughout chapter 27 so will pick up each of those six references and learn something about this man would be a number one with his identity is revealed in verse one what it was decided that we should sail to Italy.

They delivered Paul and some other prisoners to one named Julius the centurion of the Augustine Regiment what it was decided that phrases loaded because behind that is a lot of background that brings us up to the point when it was decided that Paul must go to Rome factor takes us back to where we left off last Lord's day next chapter 24 when Paul was placed before Felix for a verdict in Felix was convinced of Paul's innocence. As far as any Roman law is concerned, but he procrastinated his decision wavering politician who is testing the wind didn't want to enrage the Jews and so he left Paul in custody for two years while he was trying to decide how to deal with his hot potato on his hands until he was replaced in his governorship by demanding Festus and when Festus came he found that he had his responsibility for the prisoner by the name of Paul who been left in his custody bike. Felix and not understanding why he was there one from all evidence he was not guilty of breaking Roman law. He conducted his own investigation about Paul that takes up the first few verses of chapter 25 in the course of that investigation.

He called the Jews to come into prosecute their case and you listen to what they had to say any heard what Paul had to say and he couldn't hear anything that sounded like an infraction of Roman law, but still feeling that maybe didn't quite understand the situation fully. He said Depaul would you be willing to go back to Jerusalem to the Sanhedrin one more time. Another trial before the council the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem and they tried their lease so that I can get some better idea what's going on here. Remember, Paul already knew that 40 Jews had pledged that they would neither eat nor drink until he was dead. Now I suppose the passing of two years.

40 men were dead or else they broke their promise and I sure breaking their promises. The right answer to that little question but that means if they broke their promise, there's still alive, but still determined to carry out their plans and Paul knows what they intend to do if they can get him to go back to Jerusalem. They will plan to ambush them.

Along the way killing and so Paul resorts to his legal rights as a Roman citizen in the not many citizens did this wasn't the most comfortable thing to do and you would rather avoid if at all possible. But cases of extremity what it seems like you were being put in danger by the Roman legal system and you are convinced that you are innocent you have this remedy, namely to appeal to the highest governmental court of the land that is to appeal to Caesar himself enrolled. And Paul said I've done nothing wrong. As you know very well no I will not place myself in the hands of the Jews I appeal to Caesar now that actually only increase the dilemma which Festus faced because now and EK consulted tried to consult with all the authorities around him that he could to see if there's any way to wiggle out of this, but it was impossible.

Paul is a Roman citizen. He had a standing upon his right. It appealed to Caesar in the law said that once citizen appeals to Caesar to Caesar.

He must go with the problem of Festus is he knows that he has nothing to write to Caesar to tell him why he's sending this band to Caesar. There is no no breaking of Roman law. He's kind of been up hot spot right now, so he makes the best of it again, but he still going to have to send Paul to Caesar and seller at the appointed time when there were a group of other prisoners. It also needed to be transported to Rome. Festus puts Paul in the care of a centurion apparently a pretty high ranking centurion.

As we shall learn along with these other men who were presumably all prisoners convicted in court of the crime and being sent to Rome probably for punishment. Along with Paul, who has not been convicted of the Roman court of anything. He is still as far as the laws concerned a perfectly innocent man but is being sent to Rome to be tried to pursue his appeal, and he's accompanied we learn by two men number one Dr. Luke, the author of this book who rejoins Paul's company after an absence of two years she hasn't been around during the two years of Paul's been in custody the probably close by. We can trace the presence of Luke by what by the presence of the. The yellow pronoun we would look is there. He says we did this and we did that one looks not there. He said they did this they did that and suddenly the pronoun changes in chapter 27 verse 120 says.

And when it was decided that we should sail to Italy so Dr. Luke is about company Paul and we learned verse two that is also accompanied by one Aristarchus of Thessalonica and he is also appear previously in the record. In acts insult to others are accompanying Paul and one well respected commentator who was very familiar with the the customs and culture of that day suggested probably the only way these two men could accompany a prisoner could be allowed to go along in the company of a prisoner and also at some expense to Roma in order to be able to do that they had to present themselves as servants of Paul. The way to prove this. The Bible doesn't say, but it's a good possibility. Knowing the customs and culture of that day the doctor looking Aristarchus said we are Paul's servants.

We are his attendance, which of not only allowed them to accompany Paul and they wanted to be there to help them out but also raised Paul's status in the eyes of the centurion and others. Here's a man is not only Roman citizen. But he is of high enough status to have servants to attend to him is only the well-connected would be able to do and so Paul is going off to Rome. Under these conditions, and he is placed in the custody of a man named Julius almost certainly named after Julius Caesar the people of that day, particularly those who wanted to advance in the Roman system tended to to adopt names of famous people who had helped them for who they wanted to identify themselves with in some way so centurion by the name of Julius who is attached to. We are told here the Augustine Regiment. The Augustine cohort. The cohort was a company of 600 men that would be six centurions. Remember 100 soldiers each. That would be will make up a cohort, but the Augustine Regiment was a title of an honorary title that was given only to a small number of elite cohorts were regiments and this is one of them. So we take it that Julius being part of that particular elite regiment was rather highly honored within the Roman military system and he would certainly have had soldiers accompanying him probably not all 100 of his men as a centurion that would be quite a sizable company is not entirely impossible. Larger boat they were on ended up having and they tell us. Luke tells us exactly what it when actual shipwrecked. They had 276 people on board. It's possible that 100 of those were Roman soldiers but I don't think it's likely, particularly because the first vessel they boarded was considerably smaller and would have been not likely that 100 soldiers would be able to be accommodated on that smaller vessel so reference number one to the centurion's identity is revealed. Reference number two. His disposition is displayed. Verse three and the next day we landed at Sidon and Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him liberty to his friends give him liberty to go to his friends and receive care journey begins. The centurion engages a ship of a drama tedium to take his prisoners and his soldiers on board. This would be a smaller coasting vessel. There were a lot of those smaller vessels. Smaller ships that that stayed within sight of lien in this coasting vessel would've gone along North along the coast and then Wes on the south of Turkey all the way along the coast and then turning northward again after they got to the end of Turkey.

They would've headed up the coast. The West Coast of Turkey to their home port. That's where they were going ship of a drama tedium which is on the northwest coast of Asia were what we call today Turkey so it's a smaller coasting vessel that's heading home.

It's not going to Italy it would be going to its port city and then no doubt making a return trip back down the coast back down the same route that they had followed back, no doubt, to Caesarea once again. But as this ship begins.

They come to their first port of call, which is the city of Saigon, 70 miles north of Caesarea is where they first began, which will be one days sailing under good condition. They had a fairly good weather, good wins and one day later, they arrived at Sidon where they had cargo either to load or unload or both load and unload the event cargo to take off the event cargo to put on the ship. Apparently not a huge amount of cargo because again to be able to handle that the matter of a few hours during the time there there.

This is the point Julius allows Paul liberty to get off the boat and to go visit his friends in the city which indicates to us that there is a church in the city of Sidon probably established in the evangelistic activity that is recorded in chapter 11 of verse 19. We aren't even told that he was accompanied by a soldier he might've been. It's very evident that is not in train. Julius was very kind to Paul Julius treated him as an honored Roman citizen even though he was a prisoner in the care of Julius and Julius trusted him. We learn something now about the disposition of this man, Julius is very kind toward Paul.

So God once he again uses a Gentile idolater who does not know the Lord to take good care of his servant Paul and we also realize a Julius by his attitude was evidently not inflated by his superior position doesn't try to act.

The bigshot doesn't try to demonstrate how much authority he has is not jerking people around and treating Paul roughly. But just the opposite is treating them very kindly. He holds his authority lightly. We also use it when it's necessary.

But he holds his authority very likely good lesson for people today certainly good lessons for Christians today. God gives you authority in all of us have some kind of authority and some sphere of life, let's learn to hold lightly to not let it inflate our ego to not try to act like the bigshot but to be kind and courteous toward those who are beneath us in levels of authority as Julius of pagan idolater illustrates how this should be done.

We come to the third reference and we learn of Julius that his fidelity is manifested and that's verse six. There we read the centurion found in Alexandrian ship sailing to Italy put us on board. I did read the intervening verses that I read them earlier journey continued on from Sidon, they sailed north on up north. The coast line. Then they sailed west and that put them north of the island of Cyprus which shelter them from some of the winds that were beginning to blow, but they were still close within sight of the of the coast of Asia and they arrived at my rug that would be about half way along the southern coast of Turkey my rug which is a major port for large grain ships coming from Egypt and if you look at the map, you'll realize that my right is just about exactly due north across the Mediterranean Sea. From Alexander and Rome depended upon grain lots of grain wheat and other grain that was grown in Egypt in order to feed Rome they didn't have enough grain to feed themselves and so Rome had actually built a whole fleet of Imperial grain ships and Imperial grain fleet of ships. There were all privately owned, but they were all commissioned into the Roman system of of transportation for grain to be carried to Rome on a regular basis and that's exactly what this ship is doing and they like to sail straight north up to Myra that was a major port and then from there they would make their way on West to Italy, but in this particular case, the sailing conditions didn't give them the privilege of going their normal route but in my run a transfer occurs and the ship. It's not going to Italy is now left in this large cargo ship with the Egyptian grain that is destined for Italy is employed Nellies Egyptian cargo ships is grain ships were huge by the standards of that day and would even be pretty large today and that they could measure up to hundred and 80 feet long and up to five stories high, five-story building, Julius secures passage for his company on the ship. By the way they had 276 passengers, but that was probably only part of their capacity because Josephus describes traveling on a similar ship that had 600 passengers on board in his shipwreck shipwrecked also and he survived as well.

What is to show us Julius is focused on his assignment.

His assignment is to bring these prisoners safely to Rome and he's doing his job is a lot of liberty as resources. Yes the money to be able to pay the fare on the ship sees these doing what he's commissioned to do that is a military officer is pictured to us the military officer who is faithfully discharging his assignment. Again, a man who doesn't know God.

He is a Gentile.

He is a pagan.

He worships idols, but he is a faithful man who does what he is assigned to do.

Are you such a person surely ought to be. If an unbeliever can be that faithful to his assignment.

Surely believers can be even more faithful to your assignments, both in this world and more importantly the assignment which God has given you to be an ambassador for the Lord Jesus Christ that brings us then to reference number four where we see his worldly wisdom is exercised. Are you following me number one. His identity is revealed. Number two. His disposition is displayed. Number three has fought fight tell. Fidelity is manifested in number for his worldly wisdom is exercised.

Verses 11 and 12. Nevertheless, we read the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship, and by the things spoken by Paul and because the harbor was not suitable to winter in the majority advised to set sail from there. Also, if by any means they could reach Phoenix harbor of Crete opening toward the Southwest and Northwest.

In winter there voyage soon becomes dangerous. This large grain ship from Egypt, sailing to Rome is having trouble we read about that in verses seven and follow it's very slow sailing to nighters switches the westernmost city on the southern coast of Turkey. Once you pass nighters then. If you're going to stay inside of the coast of Turkey you have to turn north and go along the coast in a northerly direction so they got as far as night as they were staying as close to land as possible, because already, winds were beginning to blow. Now having reached as far as they could go with the shelter of the land they wanted to continue going West worldly which would now take them across open water without, not inside of land, but the winds didn't allow them to do that and so the only course they were able to take was to sail south until they could get to the island of Crete and sale under on the south side of the island of Crete to protect them from the winds that were blowing from the north and they arrived.

Eventually port called Fairhaven good name for a report to get out of the weather.

Dr. Luke tells us that by this time the fast was already past and that's a reference to the day of atonement. The Old Testament Scriptures only prescribed one fast one time a year for the people of God. How is it therefore that in the first century we find the Pharisee so proud of the fast fact that they fasted twice a week and prorated. That is evidence of their godliness. Where did they get this twice a week fasting stuff you didn't come from the Old Testament Scriptures. The Old Testament Scriptures prescribed one fast once a year on the day of atonement, that sacred day when the high priest would enter into the holy of holies. The only time during the year when he could go and would sprinkle blood on the mercy seat in order to cover the sins of the nation before a holy God for another year so that his judgment is just judgment would not fall upon them, and while that was taking place. God's people were supposed to be fasting going without food to think about their sins, which had been committed, which were now being mercifully atoned by the blood of the bull upon the mercy seat, but that day of atonement would would vary in the calendar year. It's kind of like Easter.

It tends to jump around a little bit in the calendar, but it always happens sometime in the last part of what is to us now. September up to about the first half of October.

That. And in A.D. or yeah 59 A.D. four 8059 he think in the 80s.

You put the A.D. before the date is the VCs a go after right.

I was have to stop and think about that and I'm never quite sure, but in my notes I put in 59 A.D. but I think I got it back. I think it's 8059 that right scholars 81st thank you glibly got a scholar down here in the front row. Probably quite a few more on other rows I A.D. 59, the day of atonement was on October 5. That's what I was getting at October 5 and that's probably the year in which this took place.

Hard to be certain that's probably the year. This took place. A.D. 59 they've atonement.

October 5. What is that mean, let me tell you what that means is for sailing on the Mediterranean. There were six weeks of dangerous sailing and then three months of impossible navigation when nobody could sail the six weeks of dangerous sailing when it was pretty iffy, pretty dangerous, not the time you really want to get out of the open sea. Maybe you'd like to be willing to risk going along the coast where you could dive into shorter quickly if necessary. The six weeks began the middle of September and continued to the end of October.

Six-week stretch.

So if the day of the fast. The day of atonement. October 5 was now past. They were about in the middle of a little more of this dangerous. Sailing on the Mediterranean Sea and then the period of no navigation three months long began 1 November. Continue to the first so under those conditions, and in that schedule that time on the calendar. They arrived in the port of Fairhaven and they called a council of the people on board ship who would have some authority and some knowledge and have some kind of a informed opinion as to what they ought to do. And Paul is part of that counsel. That's interesting again. They called the ship's captain, they called the ship cylinder they called the centurion who, because it was an Imperial grain ship that was under the. The authority of the Roman government. He was the ranking officer aboard ship and he was really in charge and apparently they call some others because his reference made here to the majority the call together. This counsel and Paula sitting on the Council. This prisoner Paul advised them and advised them according to personal experience which he had plenty of that. He tells us elsewhere that he had been shipwrecked several times in the Mediterranean. He had sailed on the Mediterranean a lot his missionary journeys. He knew a great deal about conditions of sailing on the Mediterranean and so in this particular case is counsel is not based upon a vision from God, but it is based upon his considerable experience and he tells them that if they proceed that disaster is almost certain to befall them with the loss of the ship and even with the loss of life. His advice is stay put.

Stay in the part of Fairhaven's until February.

Let's go quite a while about up to four months, but that's better than shipwrecked is that loss of life. But Paul's counsel is ignored.

The centurion ways all the competing recommendations and then he makes his decision accordingly and he chooses to follow the advice of the professional seamen. It's not that he completely discounted what Paul had to say.

But Paul is not a sailor. Paul is not a pilot the ship's pilot like this man who spent his whole life guiding ships across the Mediterranean Sea. Paul is not the captain of the ship.

Who would've been the also the owner of the ship captain/owner who also had considerable experience in shipping is he captained his own grain ships across the Mediterranean on a regular basis so it seemed like the wisest course of action to take the advice of the professional seamen as knowledgeable and experienced, and as wise as Paul is. He doesn't have as much knowledge and experience as these other men, and furthermore they would seem to have more at stake. The shipowner has the most at stake. They didn't have insurance. In those days if he loses his ship, he is losing a fortune like a millionaire losing his millions just in one blow.

So Julius is weighing all of this to come to a thoughtful decision and the majority says let's sail on 16 more miles. It's not that far under good conditions. I could do that one day they done it earlier 70 miles in one day. 60 more miles from Fairhaven to Phoenix because Fairhaven is not really the most ideal harbor. We don't know exactly what it was about Fairhaven's the date it was ideal than Phoenix apparently wasn't as large a hardball, maybe not as well protected harbor and I rather suspect that maybe you didn't have as many accommodations on shore for the sailors for a long time to be there with nothing to do except to frequent the bars and entertain themselves during this time Fairhaven maybe didn't have the accommodations which they preferred and so they advised Ceylon just 60 miles just one good day's journey, and maybe a couple three hard days where there is not good.

Ceylon, 60 miles to Phoenix, which seemed like the right decision from a natural viewpoint because Julius at this time had no capacity to understand the insight that Paul had. He had no capacity to understand that Paul had access to inside information that these other people to have you no capacity for spiritual dimension and so he made his decision. According to worldly wisdom and approved to be a costly mistake as we see it in the sand disaster for the ship and only by the grace of God by their life say I wonder how many of us here today have made the same mistake of basing decisions upon the best advice that educated people have to offer the best advice that scientific people have to offer the best advice that the worldly wise have to offer but it or ignore the greater insight that comes to us from the word of God and I'm not talking about visions.

I'm not talking about God speaking to you in the middle of the night. I'm not talking about Angels coming in telling you what to do. Just talking about the understanding which comes from Scripture which the natural man has no capacity to understand just like Julius had no capacity to so he was making a decision.

A good informed decision based upon the best knowledge that he had available to him. Not being able to understand spiritual things, but proved to be a great mistake and some of you have made similar mistakes in the past, and maybe some of you are in the throes of weighing a similar decision now and I urge you look to the Lord.

I urge you get on your knees in prayer. I urge you search the Scriptures. I urge you ask God to give you insight from his word to add to to add to the information that's available to you from natural sources.

No income.

Number five, two his understanding is enlarged.

Now some things about the change of this is this is the whole section from verses 13 and following, but disaster unfolds.

They start out with favorable conditions and they thought that's that some that's proof that our decision was the right one. Verse 13 when the South wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their desire putting out to sea. They sailed close by Crete Maps the back of your Bible. I would encourage you look at them.

You can look and see the Crete is a very long narrow island relatively narrow very long in them in the Mediterranean, so it has a long coastline travelogue to shelter them from the weather and so there going along in the shelter of the island of Crete and with favorable wind whether the sun is shining everything is right and you say see their if if if Julius had been a Christian. If the pilot and the owner of the ship and been a Christian, they would set see their God opened the door for us to say all that was God's will. Be careful about how you interpret circumstances very easy to interpret favorable circumstances is God's will and God's open-door when it's not at all and it certainly is not. If it's something contrary to revelation to God is given favorable conditions encourage the decision, but no sooner had the gotten out of port and started sailing then a dangerous storm quickly arose in northeastern Easter northeastern and it's it's named here the name there storms that like we name our hurricanes now Raichlen on in the ship was driven in a westerly direction that the winds had been coming from the West and had been opposing them trying to go West but now suddenly the storm arises out of the Northeast and it's driving them. It's driving behind them is driving them out to see West from Crete and they don't know exactly where they are. It's dark and stormy, there's no stars there's no moon. That's the way they navigated in those days they can't tell where they are and they know if they are driven far enough West and South. They are very likely to get stranded in the in the shallow waters off the coast of Africa. Sandy shallow waters were many a ship of that size has been lost by being stranded and then and then beaten part so they start jettisoning their cargo and the hurricane goes on for many days off two weeks altogether before it's over and they abandon all hope of being staved and now Paul begins to exert his leadership because he's the only one left who I think wants to exert any leadership at this point and so in verse 21 he reminds them of his previous counsel man you should've listened to me some people look at that say that wasn't very very gracious what Paul's actually saying is I told you so.

I told you so but he said it kindly, and they needed to hear it. They needed to be reminded that if they had listened to him to start with a wooden in the mess they're in now, therefore what he saying is please don't repeat that mistake. For your own good for your own sake, please now listen to me. If you listen to me before you would've been good for you. You didn't but now listen to me and I can help you and he assures them of divine deliverance, though he tells them that they will ground up on an island, so there driven more through the through the Mediterranean and the sailors try to abandon ship secretly take the only would he call those boats lifeboat. There is good community.

One lifeboat about one lifeboat and they'd almost lost it in the storm talked earlier about how what difficulty they been able to pull it up on on the ship. They normally were towed behind the boat and they had one lifeboat in the sailors decide that they're going sneak away in the one lifeboat just the ship, not a single sailor on board who knows how to sail the thing and Paul sees them.

No doubt God alerted to do it in Angel probably tapped him on the shoulder and said Paul, look at that stop them. Paul warns them that he tells them if those men do this, then you can't be saved in the centurion.

Now he's listening to Paul and he gives the command and the soldiers cut the ropes and the lifeboat falls in the sea. I don't know if they were required to do that he could to stop the sailors abusing it. But it shows that he is policing himself, Wheatley and dependence upon Paul. He's willing to let the lifeboat go. He's not. He's not depending upon anything except this one man that they know he now has confidence in you see were talking about his understanding is enlarged now calls Paul's counsel prevails. The center and has learned to listen to Paul.

Does he now understand Paul's relationship to God were not told that sure seems like it.

How else is he willing to entrust himself completely to this man. Paul counsels them to eat and he prays for the food and eat set himself to set an example and they all follow his example 270 68 and then the command commander gives the command and tells everybody abandon ship and get the sure the best way you can. If you he says all those who can swim, go first but I can swim, jump in the water and swim to shore right there on their way.

Now everybody else. You grab a plank or whatever you can find to hold onto you get the water and paddled for dear life and in the midst of the storm that the ship has the they had seen a beach that they thought they could ground on but as they tried to do it. The probably ships docked in the shallow waters quite a ways from shore and the prowess stuck in the stern of the ship is being torn to pieces by the waves, fears, waves of the storm. So there are plenty of boards getting torn loose and they all 276 of them jump in the water and make it to land safely. Not a single one is lost.

How do you explain that Paul said tonight an angel from God stood by me and told me that there would be deliverance, not only for myself but everybody was with ship and the six thing about the centurion is his appreciation is expressed in verse 43 but the centurion wanting to save Paul kept them from their purpose and command of those who could swim, jump overboard first to get the land.

What's he talking about all the soldiers had decided that under the circumstances.

The best thing for them to do was to kill all the prisoners why because under Roman regulations. If a soldier had been given charge of a prisoner and the prisoner escaped and the soldier received the same sentence that had been passed upon the prisoner. And if the prisoner was was designated for execution in the soldier would be executed.

And so here there in a place where if they get away they can scatter.

Who knows where we can find these prisoners can all get scattered in God and so the safest thing for me to kill the prisoners. The soldiers don't show a lot of integrity except the no concern for anything anyone but themselves. Unlike Julius Julius is a man of much greater honor and Julius is determined to save Paul and so in order to save Paul. He forbids the soldiers from killing any the prisoners, all of them must be allowed to get loose tooth to go to land the best they can. And again, Julius is just going to trust Paul and I think the God of Paul to look out for them in the situation and he does the prisoners escape like the Philippian jailer jail doors were thrown open, but none of the prisoners escape. There was an unseen hand that kept them from doing that unseen hand got them to shore here, but kept them from scattering but Julius is appreciation is expressed in his preservation of Paul. He's learned to appreciate Paul Paul's wisdom, his integrity, his godliness and Julius is the kind of man who will express his appreciation.

Are you get a pagan showing us the way someone has helped you express appreciation someone has been used by God to to do you a kindness or to help you in some way. Don't be don't be even and just ignore it, learn from this idolater to express appreciation will to lessons we should take from this passage before were done. The first one is to recognize the beneficial presence of God's people in this world. Paul's presence saved all the other prisoners. They were spared because of otherwise they'd all be dead and beyond that all 276 people on board were spared.

Why, because of Paul's present God chose to spare Paul and all the benefited all of them in that way the Bible talks about unbelieving spouses being blessed by God because of their believing husband or wife, there's their partner. A Christian husband or wife is of benefit to the unsaved partner God's word says the United States of America has been greatly blessed because of the presence of Christians in America. This is a reminder if all the Christians were taken out of America and some people wish they were. Wish we were. Some people would like to see everyone of us, God, you cannot imagine what this country would become of that happened this country is as bad as it is, is is being kept from total destruction a disaster because of the no doubt millions of God's people who are scattered throughout America. There's a benefit to the presence of God's people, then the second lesson is the beneficial effects of difficult circumstance. When we become sufficiently desperate were often willing to listen to God to listen to God's messengers when things were a little bit tough but not so bad Julius doesn't listen to God's messenger when things get really bad. He's ready to listen to God's messenger. Is there a lesson there. How desperate must America become the fortune to start listening to God's word again.

I don't know but I pray that's what God is doing with this mess that's going on now. I pray that God is bringing America to desperation. So we will stop trusting in our human wisdom and start looking God's word seeking guidance of Almighty God has that effect. We will be grateful for it. How desperate are some of you going to have to become before you start listening to God.

Some of you can trace times in your life when God got your attention through illness.

God got your attention through the death of a loved one God got your attention to the loss of a job. God got your attention through difficult circumstances you weren't paying him any attention until brought those things into your life, and he got your attention and you look back now and say that was one of the best things that ever happened to be because it caused me to look to God for some of you there now some of you need to look to God. If you're not there now. I tell you, you probably got some even tougher days ahead. If God will be merciful and kind to you. God sends these things went, and uses MS he chooses to. There's no guarantee the desperate circumstances are going to have this effect unless God works in them, but if he does, what a blessing.

What a benefit. What mercy and goodness of God, shall we pray, father, teacher, sideways shows life as we pray