The message was brought by Rev. Tim Powers on April 30, 2026. The background scripture is from Acts 27.
13 And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete.14 But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon. 15 And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive. 20 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.21 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. 22 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.23 For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, 24 Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. 31 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.
Paul was on his way to Rome on a ship. Sailors know when to dock and when to sail. Paul told them not to leave Crete, but they did. We see in verse 13 that they felt when the south wind blew in it was safe. That’s life isn’t it. Peaceful. Perfect. But we know things can change in a heartbeat. No warning. Storms pop up suddenly. The bad storm came for the ship. Paul told them not to sail. They did anyway. We do that. Sometimes bad things happen to us because of bad decisions. Some storms pass quickly; others go longer. We go into survival mode. We have to let Jesus take the wheel.
Paul told them not to fear. This storm was intense, dark and strong. With no stars there was no direction. They were stuck. Do we not feel like we have no idea which way to turn sometimes? Does the S-O-N seem far away? We’ve all been there. Who directs the Ship of Zion? The Lord! Let Him keep on directing. It makes life so much sweeter. I’m the type that likes control. I like to fix things. So the sailors began throwing cargo off to lighten their load. Sure enough, we must throw off any sin in our life, but take care to keep the peace, joy, and faith of and in God. Don’t throw the things of God away! Toss the anger and bitterness and keep the good part. We represent Jesus to this world. There is so much darkness in some Christians that Jesus can’t shine as He should, as He wants. Paul got a word from God. We have the Bible. Get into it. Read it! We can show people how to overcome their storms through the Word.
In verse 31 Paul told them to abide in the ship and there would be no loss of life. If you’re saved, abide in the ship. You’ll make it to heaven. You won’t perish in the Ship of Zion. Be of good cheer: for I believe God. You may have lots of trouble and sorrow. It may be breaking your heart. Be of good cheer. We have the victory! Let’s look at verses 27-28. 27 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; 28 And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms. Every step we take gets us closer to heaven. They knew they were near land. In relief, they kept going little by little. On land, their storm would be over. No more worries. Think of a mother giving birth. Labor pains are intense, but when she holds the baby in her arms that bad storm of pain is forgotten. Do what Paul said. Abide. There is victory ahead. In the Ship of Zion you will be saved.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 