Welcome to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton. Here you'll find practical, relevant, biblical information.
The Bible will be broken down verse by verse so that you get the full context of the scripture to better grow in your relationship with Jesus.
Hey everybody, welcome back to the sanctuary. It's great to have you all with us.
And for those of you who are tuning in for the very first time, let me just take a moment to say welcome. It's great to have you as well.
Now, last week we took a short break from our centurion series and this week we're jumping right back into it.
Now, once again, we're looking at centurions in the Bible and the soldiers underneath them, right? They're men.
While these men pull at the heart and strings of anyone who served in the military or in first response as Christians, as soldiers for Christ, there's so much more that we can learn from them as well.
Much more than what we're covering, which is a great reason for all of us to go back and to study the scripture that we've been covering.
Now, this week is especially important for everyone to take a moment to go back and review things because we're going through a huge section, alright?
And much more than what we actually have time to cover. So we're going to be basically kind of skimming over pieces and condensing it, you know, to see the big pieces that we need as we read through.
Because as you see, we're going to be looking at Acts chapter 27, verses 1 through, all the way through to Acts chapter 28, verse 16.
So, Acts 27, the whole chapter, and then Acts 28, verses 1 through 16 is really what we're looking at here.
So, like I said, it's a whole lot. And I'm going to do my best to watch time. I guess I've done everything I can to try to condense this down.
However, you know, please forgive me if I do go a little long. I will do my best to stay out of the rabbit trails today, okay?
So, picking up where we left the series off, looking at Acts chapter 27, verses 1 through 12.
So, Acts 27, verses 1 through 12, Paul is now being shipped off to Rome for a proper hearing.
You know, and this is an especially nice section as we get to know a bit more about this particular Centurion here as well.
Centurion and Julius. Julius is the man in charge of Paul and the rest of prisoners that are being boarded on a ship and then sent off.
All right. And as we see in this passage, they sailed along the coast. All right.
They left but quickly made a stop in Sidon and we can see Julius is showing kindness and love already in verse 3.
So, right off the bat, we're seeing this because Paul, he's allowed to get provisions from his friend before shoving off on the bigger leg of his journey.
Now, this is a big thing, you know, even today because think about it.
How often are people who are in custody, you know, think of it as like, you know, custody of the police, you know, when are they allowed to get anything?
Well, they're not. It's not until after they've been processed, they're jailed, you know, the whole bit that they're able to get anything.
And even then, it's heavily controlled, right?
Next, we see Paul and the other prisoners, they're, you know, they're transferred to another ship to continue on their way.
And the trip became difficult. Why was it difficult? Well, think back to how ships were built back then.
You know, they didn't have today's accommodations and luxuries, you know, whether it was treacherous enough.
But you also have to take into account they didn't have a compass, let alone other modern technologies to guide them or to navigate with.
In fact, the most reliable source that they had to use for navigation was celestial.
They used the stars, the moon, you know, planets, which they, you know, they didn't know where planets necessarily that, you know, they were stars.
Some of them, you know, they they did know.
But basically they used, you know, they looked up on the heavens and depending on the season, they knew where things were going to be and all that kind of stuff.
So even just an overcast day could be dangerous because it blocked their view of what they were using to navigate with.
You know, with all this in account, sailing between September and November was tough at best.
You know, this is going into the winter. This is when those winds are picking up and those storms are blowing in, you know, and what we're looking at here with with this journey,
this journey is believed to have taken place somewhere, you know, when they shoved off, it started in October.
You know, matter of fact, in verses nine through 10, Paul even prophesied disaster.
Now, excuse me there, I did my mute button.
I'm about your ears there.
All this wind and everything, my allergies are going absolutely bonkers.
So excuse me, Julius, he heard Paul.
But then, you know, even though Paul said, you know, hey, watch out, calamity is waiting for us.
Well, Julius, being a centurion, being a man of many years, being experienced the whole bit, you know, he did what anybody in his shoes would do.
He consulted with the professionals.
And when we want an opinion on something, that's what we do, isn't it?
You know, we call plumbers, we call electricians to look at things and to give us estimates.
Something goes wrong with the car. We take it to a mechanic.
You're not feeling well. So you go to a doctor. Right.
So Julius did what any logically thinking person would do.
And he consulted with the ship's owner and its pilot, you know, by today's standards would say the captain, you know, who felt, you know, these these men,
they felt the conditions were good enough to make a run for Crete before they had to dock for the winter. Right.
Before the weather got just too bad. And Julius accepted their opinion.
And why wouldn't he? I mean, they are the professionals after all. Right.
They know what they're talking about. These are these are, you know, tried and weathered semen.
You know, they've been tested. Now, he was in this is important because he was guarding Paul, a professional on his own.
Right. He was doing what he needed to do to ensure the safety and the provision for the you know, for Paul and the other people under his charge.
He was responsible for them. You know, and that's that's a lot to undertake.
You know, in the words of the Blues Brothers, he was on a mission from God. Right.
And when we get to the end here, you'll see why. You know, if if if they couldn't continue to sail, he had to look into what other you know,
what other options were available, whether it was looking into other means of travel, lodging, you know, whatever was needed.
You know, warriors, they plan things. They have redundancies for when things go sideways and things do go sideways.
You know, that's one of the guarantees.
Nothing ever goes according to plan. A hundred percent. Something always go sideways.
All right. Now, moving into Acts twenty seven versus thirteen through twenty six, the weather is favorable.
So they shoved off and they started to make their run.
And Paul's prophecy began to unfold before them.
A storm had advanced on them and it advanced with such force that they couldn't even fight it.
Basically, they went adrift. They were they went wherever the storm pushed them, wherever the winds took them.
You know, they took preventative measures to try to stay afloat by rigging things of importance, you know,
cargo and other unnecessary items that, you know, were thrown overboard.
You know, they they they lash things down to try to ensure the ship wouldn't fall apart.
You know, and after days of weathering the storm, the crew was at the point they gave up hope.
You know, they had given up and they'd resigned themselves to their fate.
You know, they're going to keep doing what they could because they didn't want to die.
But, you know, odds were not in their favor is how they were looking at it.
They were adrift. You know, they they weren't eating.
They didn't have a way to navigate because, you know, the clouds and everything, let alone.
You know, trying to get out of the storm and to safety.
You know, let me tell you, part of the reason military members and veterans have such close relationships,
it's because the bonds that are made in hardship, you know, when they when they walk into the fire together,
first responders are the same.
You know, for the people aboard the ship, it's a safe assumption.
They they grew quite close as well.
You know, even Julius had to had to be feeling strained at this point.
You know, his as far as he was concerned, his mission was falling apart.
It was about to fail.
And failure is one of the worst feelings in life, isn't it?
Who likes to fail out there?
You know, nobody. I know I don't, you know.
But, you know, you do you do all the things you're supposed to do.
You know, that's how we go through life, right?
We do the things that we're supposed to do. We put forth our due diligence.
You know, we try to go that extra mile and then something happens and everything just gets unraveled.
And for these men, they had already been through a lot.
They had worked together.
You know, they came together as a unit trying to stay alive.
It was now at this point that Paul stood up and essentially what he's doing is he's giving an inspirational speech.
You know, it's that that part when you're watching a movie where one of the main characters gets up and, you know,
they get that powerful music behind them and all that.
Well, that's Paul at this point.
Starting in verse 21, it doesn't start off sounding very motivational.
No, no, no. Instead, it starts off with Paul.
Basically, I told you so.
Y'all should listen to me. But no, not really.
You know, but you know, that's you know, that's that's not how he meant it when he said, you know, you should listen to me.
Rather, what he was doing was he was reminding them that this is what God said would happen.
This is this is what he had prophesied and that they needed to listen to him.
They didn't before because they didn't know him, nor did they know God.
But now, you know, they've been working together for a little bit.
You know, things like this, like, yeah, you have prisoners.
But guess what? People still had duties.
You know, at this point, they've got to know him some right.
But days have gone by. People are talking.
You know, if you ever been out someplace, you know, even camp or something, you know, you start getting to know people.
Right. Most of us would go to the grocery store and, you know, even even cracking a joke standing in line.
Right. Yes. You get to you start getting to know people.
You start talking. So, you know, basically at that point, this is when Paul goes into the message that he'd received from an angel,
that, yes, the ship was going to be lost. They couldn't do anything about that.
However, the good news was nobody would die.
Now, for a lot of people, that would not sound very reassuring.
So, yeah, you know, you're going to lose your livelihood.
The ship's going down. But guess what? You're still going to be alive.
At least you still have your health.
They didn't have, you know, talking geckos or other insurance companies like we do now.
So, you know, sure, at least you lose everything, but at least you have your health.
This isn't something anybody wants to hear, is it?
So here we, you know, at this point, we have a centurion, you know, and several other soldiers, and they're in a dire situation, you know,
surrounded by men who are on the edge.
And make no doubt about it, I mean, they're fighting for their very lives.
So, yeah, they're on the edge and they're on a mission that appears to be in jeopardy at this point.
So it's not looking very good. The outlook is grim.
You know, and I don't care how strong you are.
This is the type of situation that breaks really strong men, the strongest among us.
All right. Acts 27 verses 27 through 42.
Prophecy is coming in full send, full send.
All right. You know, in the military, this is what we say, fire for effect.
Light it up. Let's go.
You know, notice in verse 27, the word tells us it's the 14th night.
They've been in survival mode for a full two weeks at this point.
And Julius has been next to Paul the entire time, right?
In two weeks, being in danger, struggling and fighting to survive,
these men have gotten to know quite a bit about one another at this point.
Enough so that Julius is now listening and places value on what Paul has to say.
So when the crew decided that they're going to try to sneak away in a lifeboat,
basically abandoning the ship and everybody on board,
when Paul spoke up, it was now with authority.
What he said carried weight.
And when he said that their lives were going to be forfeit unless they kept on the ship,
unless they stayed on the ship, at this point, when he was talking,
his word was not going to be taken lightly.
It wasn't going to be taken for granted again.
You know, get me once, shame on you. Get me twice, shame on me. Right.
And that's how it goes. At this point, like I said, they've been adrift for a couple of weeks.
They've been throwing things overboard. They've rigged things to keep the ship from breaking apart.
They've been
they've been
they've been rationing their food.
They really haven't been eaten.
So much so that in verses 33 through 38,
Paul is telling them, hey, it's time to eat.
You know, the war tells us there were 276 men aboard that ship
that had been fighting and facing death, nearly starving,
they were rationing. They don't know how long they're going to be out there. Right.
And Paul has to stand up and be the voice of reason.
You know, the Lord's speaking to everyone through Paul and tells them, hey,
wake up. It's chow time. You're starving.
You guys have been out here for two weeks. You're getting weak. You need your strength.
This is like when you're on a flight, you know, and you think about it.
If you've ever been on a plane, even just watch a TV, you know, they have it down pretty tight.
You know, they tell you put the air mask on yourself first and then help the person next to you.
You know, it comes down to this.
You know, you cannot take care of others if you can't take care of yourself.
And at this point, they're being told, don't worry, you're going to live,
but you're going to need your strength for the last leg of this journey.
So it's time to dig in. You know, the dinner bell is being rung.
So after all this time, I will tell you, this is probably one of the best meals that they'd ever had.
This is going to be one that stayed in their memory for a long time.
Granted, the whole ordeal was, but still, you know, however, I want you to notice something.
Look at verse 35.
So in verse 35, before eating, Paul takes the food and he prays over it.
He thinks God, he's pointing the way to God.
Yes, he's setting an example of how to live, but he's doing it in a way that we all should
by thanking God for the blessing and the provision he's given and then enjoying it.
You know, it's like they're already going through a hard time during hard times.
It's, you know, it's very easy to go into the whole woe is me type attitudes.
Like, oh, man, really? Come on, God, get me a break.
And in the midst of all this, Paul saying, look, we have food.
This is something to be joyful for. You know, this is a blessing.
So he's pointing the way to Jesus and he's doing so in a way where he's not shoving it down people's throats,
nor is he condemning anyone. He's simply giving praise to the Lord and then moving about his business,
moving about his day. That itself is a great example of how we can start sharing the gospel
without putting people on guard.
You know, how can we show the same love to others as Jesus has shown for us?
Well, this right here is how.
Then after everybody had their fill, you know, basically they'd eaten all that they wanted.
They took what was left of the grain and they tossed it overboard to help lighten the ship just a little bit more.
You know, they're doing everything they could to make sure it stayed afloat for as long as they needed it to.
Now, going into Acts 27 verses 39 through 44.
Well, let's sum it up like this.
Land ho! Right? It is now daytime and land has finally been spotted.
This is exciting. This is, you know, excitement's at hand. This is a good time.
They don't recognize where they are, but so what? You know, the time it sees come to an end, there is land right there.
Finally!
And just as Paul predicted, they ran the ship aground.
Oh, happy day, happy day indeed!
Now, at this point, you'd start to think, OK, cool, there's land. We got the happy ending.
Nope, not yet.
Now, we look to the soldiers who had been guarding the prisoners.
And the soldiers at this point, they're like, OK, cool, we found land.
But oh boy, now we've got to get everybody from the ship to the land.
And that spirit of fear is starting to overtake them.
See, what they were afraid of is they were afraid the prisoners, or at least some of them, would start swimming away and escaping.
And this was not something that they could allow or would allow to happen.
Things are starting to get real scary now.
And I'll explain why.
See, the thing is, if any of these prisoners escaped, even just one, the soldiers would be punished.
And by punished, I mean they would pay with their own lives.
That's right, they'd be killed.
If the prisoners died, OK, so what, so be it, as long as they didn't escape.
And the soldiers, and these are soldiers who are on transport duty, they're expected to go from point A to point B, turn the troops over, and then go about and do it again.
However, at this point, they're in a foreign land now, they're in a foreign place.
They don't have anyone to turn the prisoners over to, let alone care for the prisoners.
They didn't know what was going to come next.
So in their head, it would be better to put out this fire before it started so that they could focus on their own survival.
So they came up with the plan, and they were going to execute the prisoners, right?
They were going to kill them all.
Julius, on the other hand, he was not OK with this.
He wasn't all right at all.
This was not a plan he was ready to go along with.
Now, at this point, he'd gotten to know Paul.
He'd heard what Paul had to say.
He didn't want him to die.
He showed compassion, as we all should.
He showed civility, as we all should.
I'll remind you, this isn't something that Roman soldiers, let alone Centurions, were known for.
Figuratively speaking, they were very much a shoot first, ask questions later type.
And clearly, Paul had made his mark on Julius.
Now, fortunately, Julius was the ranking officer.
He was the top of the food chain there, right?
So he was able to make that call and nix the soldiers plan, and he is thereby able to save Paul's life.
Remember what I was saying earlier about God being at work?
This is God hard at work.
First, there's a prophecy that everybody would survive.
And using Julius to save Paul and thereby the rest of the prisoners, that prophecy came true.
Secondly, God is using Julius like this to spare Paul for the ministry he'd been told he would have in Rome as well.
Remember, he was told that, you know, he said, you will testify for me in Rome.
So a second prophecy is being fulfilled there as well.
A further evidence that God keeps his promises.
Julius said, here's a Centurion.
These were tough, rugged men.
They were battle tested, hardened, and he's showing humanity.
And he continued to show humanity in planning on how everybody was going to get safely from the ship to the shore.
And then as we see in Acts 28 verses 1 through 16, another three months have passed.
I'm sorry, or do pass before Julius's mission is finally completed.
And that time, Paul has been placed in a position where he's able to perform many acts, many miracles.
Now, while Julius isn't mentioned here, it's safe to assume that he stayed with him and stayed on mission.
Because it wasn't like Paul could just walk in at the end and say, Hey, guys, I'm Paul.
I'm supposed to be here for a trial.
Can you hook me up? Where am I going?
Where's my cell? Right?
Nobody would have taken him seriously.
Like, really? Are you kidding me? Joking?
Get out of here before you get hurt.
Yet having a centurion there on the other hand to turn him over to local agents.
Well, then that would have been exactly what was needed.
So now, you know, I know we spoke a lot about Paul here, which is important because we need the context of what was going on.
But while Julius has only mentioned at certain points, his importance is not diminished.
He was there. He was in the mix the whole time.
Warriors around the world are seen as stone cold, you know, cold blooded killers.
In some instances, yeah, it's true.
You know, soldiers are there for a reason.
However, most of the time, it's not the case.
And Julius is just, you know, he's a great example of troops around the world going all the way back then and all the way to today.
You know, our warriors, our soldiers, our Marines, our sailors, our airmen, you know, our guardsmen.
They're, you know, they're not just mindless robots.
They're they're they're people. They're men and women.
Right. They're human. You know, and in this case, you know, Julius, he was a man who listened, witnessed, learned, interacted and made the tough call even when it wasn't the popular one.
You know, it's the best of humanity.
It's, you know, the finest of compassion.
And while we don't know what happened with Julius after this, it does not take a rocket scientist to know that his life was going to be much different moving forward.
After what he lived through and what he witnessed, he had, you know, had a testimony of his own.
Right. And we all have a testimony.
We've all witnessed things. We've all been a part of things in our life.
Those are gifts from Jesus to you, to all of us, to help you, to help me, to help us all to share the gospel with the world, to share the good news with the world.
It's another reminder that when life gets hard, God is still there.
He's still keeping his promises and he's helping to prepare you for the next chapter.
Now, remember, you are blessed and you are loved.
Now go and be the church.
Thank you all for joining us here today at Healing Scars with Pastor Burton.
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We look forward to hearing from you all.
God bless.