WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.200 Whenever I was 17, probably around that time 00:00:04.200 --> 00:00:07.099 when I was reading the Bible for myself, I passed 00:00:07.099 --> 00:00:09.160 my driving test and got my first car. I grew 00:00:09.160 --> 00:00:11.539 up in a rural area where you needed to be able 00:00:11.539 --> 00:00:15.039 to drive early on, so I did. And it was one cold 00:00:15.039 --> 00:00:16.719 evening, I was driving out. It was the eighth 00:00:16.719 --> 00:00:19.899 time that I had ever driven this little blue 00:00:19.899 --> 00:00:23.219 Renault Clio. And it was a frosty evening and 00:00:23.219 --> 00:00:26.140 I was going faster than I should have been. And 00:00:26.140 --> 00:00:29.320 I began to slide on ice. And there's one thing 00:00:29.320 --> 00:00:31.440 that you're always told whenever that sort of 00:00:31.440 --> 00:00:34.259 thing begins to happen. And that is don't brake. 00:00:35.320 --> 00:00:37.899 Don't brake. But those lessons all went out the 00:00:37.899 --> 00:00:40.579 window. In that moment, I slammed on the brakes. 00:00:40.740 --> 00:00:44.920 The car started to slide violently from one side 00:00:44.920 --> 00:00:46.880 of the road to the other side of the road and 00:00:46.880 --> 00:00:50.140 then back to where it was as it did. So it flipped 00:00:50.140 --> 00:00:52.700 upside down, crashed into the trees along the 00:00:52.700 --> 00:00:55.939 side of the road. And I was hanging upside down 00:00:55.939 --> 00:00:59.359 with the seatbelt. The other side of the car 00:00:59.359 --> 00:01:01.659 was all crushed in. The wheels were spinning 00:01:01.659 --> 00:01:05.260 like mad. The windows had all broken. I thought, 00:01:05.260 --> 00:01:09.620 the car's going to go on fire. I thought, I could 00:01:09.620 --> 00:01:13.280 die here. I managed to release myself down on 00:01:13.280 --> 00:01:15.420 top of myself, climb out through the windows 00:01:15.420 --> 00:01:18.280 that had thankfully all been smashed. And I was 00:01:18.280 --> 00:01:20.400 able to climb out from that experience alive. 00:01:20.959 --> 00:01:22.939 And here's a question that I sometimes ask myself. 00:01:23.519 --> 00:01:26.439 And it's this, why did God preserve my life? 00:01:26.890 --> 00:01:30.530 that evening tragic reality as we all know that 00:01:30.530 --> 00:01:33.530 many people are killed on our roads many young 00:01:33.530 --> 00:01:37.390 people are killed including and that I'm sure 00:01:37.390 --> 00:01:39.090 is a question that is very much in the forefront 00:01:39.090 --> 00:01:41.790 of Paul's mind as he goes through a near -death 00:01:41.790 --> 00:01:46.390 experience not on the road but on the sea but 00:01:46.390 --> 00:01:48.049 as we'll see it's a question that he has a very 00:01:48.049 --> 00:01:50.810 clear answer for if you want to turn back with 00:01:50.810 --> 00:01:52.549 me to Acts chapter 27 that's where we're going 00:01:52.549 --> 00:01:55.170 to be thanks so much to Matt for bringing us 00:01:55.170 --> 00:01:59.680 through that reading And in studying this passage, 00:01:59.719 --> 00:02:02.120 I've struggled to think of another part of the 00:02:02.120 --> 00:02:05.079 Bible which is similar to this chapter. Perhaps 00:02:05.079 --> 00:02:06.819 we could think maybe over lunch afterwards of 00:02:06.819 --> 00:02:08.300 any other parts of Scripture that you can think 00:02:08.300 --> 00:02:12.500 of that are similar. But why are there 44 detailed 00:02:12.500 --> 00:02:16.020 verses of this dangerous journey? Why is there 00:02:16.020 --> 00:02:18.280 so much attention given to characters like Julius 00:02:18.280 --> 00:02:22.199 the Centurion or sailors instead of Paul? Why 00:02:22.199 --> 00:02:25.659 is there such a little emphasis on the spiritual 00:02:25.659 --> 00:02:29.650 focus? which dominates the rest of the book of 00:02:29.650 --> 00:02:31.909 Acts. It's not even explicit in this section 00:02:31.909 --> 00:02:34.349 or the later section that Paul tells people the 00:02:34.349 --> 00:02:36.250 gospel whenever he arrives in Malta as well. 00:02:37.409 --> 00:02:39.069 Whereas the rest of Acts, that's all that he's 00:02:39.069 --> 00:02:41.650 ever doing. And all of this comes, of course, 00:02:41.650 --> 00:02:43.990 in the penultimate chapter towards the very end 00:02:43.990 --> 00:02:46.490 of the book of Acts. So what on earth is going 00:02:46.490 --> 00:02:49.189 on? Well, let me just recap some of what we heard 00:02:49.189 --> 00:02:51.370 in our reading, and then I'll consider what I 00:02:51.370 --> 00:02:53.370 think might be the big point for us and how it 00:02:53.370 --> 00:02:56.210 might help us. and today we see in the book of 00:02:56.210 --> 00:02:58.110 acts of course the journey of the message of 00:02:58.110 --> 00:03:01.150 jesus beginning at jerusalem then on to judean 00:03:01.150 --> 00:03:03.030 samaria and then all the way towards the ends 00:03:03.030 --> 00:03:05.729 of the earth we see the trials of the apostle 00:03:05.729 --> 00:03:08.750 paul who's been arrested he's been told by god 00:03:08.750 --> 00:03:12.330 that he's going to testify before caesar and 00:03:12.330 --> 00:03:14.990 in verse one they find a boat that's going for 00:03:14.990 --> 00:03:17.969 italy some things go okay initially but then 00:03:17.969 --> 00:03:20.090 from verse seven onwards everything that can 00:03:20.090 --> 00:03:24.550 go wrong does go wrong What should be over in 00:03:24.550 --> 00:03:27.590 just a couple of days is slow and takes many 00:03:27.590 --> 00:03:31.169 days. Verse 8, they move along the coast with 00:03:31.169 --> 00:03:33.770 difficulty. They come to the place called the 00:03:33.770 --> 00:03:37.169 Fair Havens near the town of La Silla. After 00:03:37.169 --> 00:03:39.349 much time had been lost, sailing had already 00:03:39.349 --> 00:03:42.389 become dangerous because it was now after the 00:03:42.389 --> 00:03:44.310 Day of Atonement. They're now in the beginning 00:03:44.310 --> 00:03:48.120 of October. And in ancient times, sailing in 00:03:48.120 --> 00:03:50.020 the high seas after September was not considered 00:03:50.020 --> 00:03:53.099 wise. So Paul warns them, verse 10, doesn't he? 00:03:53.539 --> 00:03:55.580 Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be 00:03:55.580 --> 00:03:58.159 disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo 00:03:58.159 --> 00:04:01.699 and to our own lives. Also, I don't think this 00:04:01.699 --> 00:04:04.379 is a kind of divine intervention that Paul has 00:04:04.379 --> 00:04:06.199 experienced to have this knowledge. It seems 00:04:06.199 --> 00:04:08.000 to be just experience, knowledge that's come 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:10.939 from his own experience. He's been across the 00:04:10.939 --> 00:04:13.360 Mediterranean already several times by this point. 00:04:14.060 --> 00:04:16.420 He's a seasoned traveler, according to 2 Corinthians 00:04:16.420 --> 00:04:19.100 chapter 11. He's already been shipwrecked three 00:04:19.100 --> 00:04:21.860 times. So he's a bit of an old hat when it comes 00:04:21.860 --> 00:04:25.800 to shipwreck. And then verse 11, but the centurion, 00:04:25.879 --> 00:04:29.079 instead of listening to what Paul said, did what 00:04:29.079 --> 00:04:31.660 I think most of us would do. And he followed 00:04:31.660 --> 00:04:34.300 the advice of the pilot and the owner of the 00:04:34.300 --> 00:04:38.000 ship. Julius the centurion has treated Paul very 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:40.379 well. Up until this point, you can see that. 00:04:40.779 --> 00:04:43.480 Clearly, Paul is a very unusual kind of prisoner. 00:04:43.660 --> 00:04:46.000 You know, he was a Roman citizen. He hasn't been 00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:49.759 formally charged. He hasn't been found guilty, 00:04:49.959 --> 00:04:52.180 much less than that. He seems to be quite happy 00:04:52.180 --> 00:04:54.899 to be taken to Rome and he's certainly not trying 00:04:54.899 --> 00:04:58.000 to run away. So he's quite willing to follow 00:04:58.000 --> 00:05:01.160 his decisions in many cases. And then you can 00:05:01.160 --> 00:05:03.199 see just the increase in level of suspense from 00:05:03.199 --> 00:05:07.279 verse 13 onwards. Cue the tense music, the creeping 00:05:07.279 --> 00:05:10.220 camera angles. The wind starts off as a gentle 00:05:10.220 --> 00:05:13.180 wind. The sailors are seduced into thinking that 00:05:13.180 --> 00:05:16.300 everything's going to be okay. And then things 00:05:16.300 --> 00:05:20.740 get worse and worse and worse. They encounter 00:05:20.740 --> 00:05:23.600 a hurricane force. The ship is caught in a storm 00:05:23.600 --> 00:05:27.259 and they could not head into the wind. They're 00:05:27.259 --> 00:05:30.839 unable to make the lifeboat secure and they're 00:05:30.839 --> 00:05:34.160 worried in verse 17. already that they're going 00:05:34.160 --> 00:05:36.839 to make shipwreck they take a violent battering 00:05:36.839 --> 00:05:38.959 and then they begin to take really desperate 00:05:38.959 --> 00:05:43.180 measures like throwing tackle overboard there 00:05:43.180 --> 00:05:45.759 are 300 people crowded into a vulnerable boat 00:05:45.759 --> 00:05:48.519 the winds are getting higher the waves more furious 00:05:48.519 --> 00:05:51.839 the passengers watch experienced sailors take 00:05:51.839 --> 00:05:55.040 an extreme action throwing cargo and tackle overboard 00:05:55.040 --> 00:05:58.160 they knew only too well how dire things were 00:05:58.160 --> 00:06:01.300 the nights would have been truly terrifying the 00:06:01.300 --> 00:06:04.420 stormy day is not much better they're soaking 00:06:04.420 --> 00:06:07.540 wet chilled to the bone huddled together eating 00:06:07.540 --> 00:06:10.600 nothing they can hear and smell people vomiting 00:06:10.600 --> 00:06:14.279 misery and terror for soldiers and for slaves 00:06:14.279 --> 00:06:17.740 tradesmen and apostle alike they're all in the 00:06:17.740 --> 00:06:22.220 same condition until finally first 20 when neither 00:06:22.220 --> 00:06:25.399 sun nor stars appeared for many days and the 00:06:25.399 --> 00:06:27.980 storm continued raging we finally gave up all 00:06:27.980 --> 00:06:35.339 hope of being saved Very bleak. And yet God had 00:06:35.339 --> 00:06:38.579 promised Paul that he would go to Rome and testified 00:06:38.579 --> 00:06:41.480 before Caesar. If you flick back with me to chapter 00:06:41.480 --> 00:06:47.160 23 of the book of Acts, we read in verse 11. 00:06:49.939 --> 00:06:52.639 That the Lord stood near Paul and said, take 00:06:52.639 --> 00:06:55.000 courage as you have testified about me in Jerusalem. 00:06:55.500 --> 00:07:00.860 So you must also testify in Rome. And I wonder 00:07:00.860 --> 00:07:02.079 if you've ever been in that kind of a situation 00:07:02.079 --> 00:07:04.560 as a Christian person. You know, Lord, you've 00:07:04.560 --> 00:07:07.259 promised this to me in your word. But in all 00:07:07.259 --> 00:07:09.620 honesty, life feels very different at the moment. 00:07:09.699 --> 00:07:11.540 Or Lord, I thought we were going down this particular 00:07:11.540 --> 00:07:13.740 path, this particular direction in life. But 00:07:13.740 --> 00:07:16.300 actually now the kind of the way there seems 00:07:16.300 --> 00:07:18.500 to be closing off. And we seem to be going this 00:07:18.500 --> 00:07:22.439 way instead. Well, Paul had that kind of experience 00:07:22.439 --> 00:07:25.199 intimately. But actually for Paul, it was even 00:07:25.199 --> 00:07:28.930 worse. Because for Paul, and probably for Luke 00:07:28.930 --> 00:07:31.730 who writes this narrative as well, they would 00:07:31.730 --> 00:07:33.970 have a particular way of understanding a storm 00:07:33.970 --> 00:07:37.470 like this. Tom Wright points out that they were 00:07:37.470 --> 00:07:40.250 part of a biblical tradition which recognized 00:07:40.250 --> 00:07:44.009 storms to be part of the dark and satanic forces 00:07:44.009 --> 00:07:48.069 of chaos within our worlds. And so not only is 00:07:48.069 --> 00:07:51.310 this an assault by wind and water and the sailors 00:07:51.310 --> 00:07:52.970 who don't know what they're doing and impending 00:07:52.970 --> 00:07:57.370 death, but for... In all of those things, Paul 00:07:57.370 --> 00:07:59.189 would have also felt that he was enduring one 00:07:59.189 --> 00:08:02.389 of the most profound spiritual attacks that he'd 00:08:02.389 --> 00:08:05.129 ever encountered. This chapter comes towards 00:08:05.129 --> 00:08:08.970 the end of the book of Acts. And I think I'm 00:08:08.970 --> 00:08:10.569 going to suggest here that in that way we can 00:08:10.569 --> 00:08:13.449 see a kind of a parallel to the narrative of 00:08:13.449 --> 00:08:16.110 the life of Jesus. The pattern of Paul's life 00:08:16.110 --> 00:08:18.709 in so many ways in the book of Acts maps onto 00:08:18.709 --> 00:08:23.149 the pattern of the life of Jesus. And in the 00:08:23.149 --> 00:08:24.730 accounts of the life of Jesus right up towards 00:08:24.730 --> 00:08:27.370 the end of course we have his crucifixion. Where 00:08:27.370 --> 00:08:29.430 the powers of darkness were unleashed upon Jesus. 00:08:29.990 --> 00:08:32.230 And where he endured the most profound spiritual 00:08:32.230 --> 00:08:37.269 attack that he ever faced. In Luke 22 Jesus says 00:08:37.269 --> 00:08:39.070 to those who are coming to arrest him. He says 00:08:39.070 --> 00:08:40.769 every day I was with you in the temple courts 00:08:40.769 --> 00:08:43.990 and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is 00:08:43.990 --> 00:08:49.289 your hour when darkness reigns. When darkness 00:08:49.289 --> 00:08:52.600 reigns. When Jesus was crucified, darkness reigned. 00:08:53.179 --> 00:08:56.899 And so too here now, darkness seems to reign 00:08:56.899 --> 00:09:01.480 because there's no sun or stars. The storm continues 00:09:01.480 --> 00:09:04.879 to rage and they've given up all hope of being 00:09:04.879 --> 00:09:07.700 saved. And in the midst of this darkness, we 00:09:07.700 --> 00:09:10.340 have an intervention finally by God in the hope 00:09:10.340 --> 00:09:13.259 of desperation. Paul starts off with the good 00:09:13.259 --> 00:09:16.080 old, I told you so, verse 21. Men, you should 00:09:16.080 --> 00:09:17.960 have taken my advice not to sail from Crete. 00:09:18.590 --> 00:09:20.330 then you would have spared yourselves this damage 00:09:20.330 --> 00:09:22.850 and loss. Everyone loves to hear that, don't 00:09:22.850 --> 00:09:25.970 they? But actually, Paul's not angry, is he? 00:09:26.429 --> 00:09:30.250 He's encouraged. Look at verse 22 with me, if 00:09:30.250 --> 00:09:33.129 you've got your Bibles there. But now I urge 00:09:33.129 --> 00:09:35.830 you to keep up your courage, because not one 00:09:35.830 --> 00:09:38.490 of you will be lost, only the ship will be destroyed. 00:09:38.929 --> 00:09:42.090 Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong 00:09:42.090 --> 00:09:45.289 and whom I serve stood beside me and said, do 00:09:45.289 --> 00:09:47.940 not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before 00:09:47.940 --> 00:09:50.899 Caesar. God has graciously given you the lives 00:09:50.899 --> 00:09:53.960 of all who sail with you. So keep up your courage, 00:09:54.059 --> 00:09:56.700 men, for I have faith in God that it will happen 00:09:56.700 --> 00:09:59.419 just as he told me. Nevertheless, we must run 00:09:59.419 --> 00:10:03.639 aground on some island. Probably this message 00:10:03.639 --> 00:10:06.879 by the angel was in the response to the prayers 00:10:06.879 --> 00:10:09.820 of the people. So you can imagine even as the 00:10:09.820 --> 00:10:12.200 sailors are trying to secure the ship physically. 00:10:12.830 --> 00:10:15.309 Here Paul is, he's engaged in spiritual warfare, 00:10:15.450 --> 00:10:18.009 spiritual battle, trying to secure the safety 00:10:18.009 --> 00:10:21.730 of the ship through prayer. It's good news. We're 00:10:21.730 --> 00:10:24.269 all going to make it. I will stand trial before 00:10:24.269 --> 00:10:26.409 Caesar. The gospel will go to the ends of the 00:10:26.409 --> 00:10:29.029 earth, but the ship itself is going to go down. 00:10:29.149 --> 00:10:31.470 The anchors go down, verse 29, and they pray 00:10:31.470 --> 00:10:34.450 for sunlight. As they understand it, the anchors 00:10:34.450 --> 00:10:36.250 would have been let down one by one to slow the 00:10:36.250 --> 00:10:40.519 ship as much as possible. And then each in turn 00:10:40.519 --> 00:10:42.179 would have threatened to break the ship under 00:10:42.179 --> 00:10:43.779 the pressure. So the ship would have lurched 00:10:43.779 --> 00:10:46.759 50 yards forward or so and then been jerked back 00:10:46.759 --> 00:10:50.799 again and again and again. Afterwards, the sailors, 00:10:51.000 --> 00:10:52.960 they still aren't convinced by Paul's message, 00:10:53.019 --> 00:10:55.419 are they? And so they try selfishness instead. 00:10:55.519 --> 00:10:58.200 You can see their scheme there in verse 30. In 00:10:58.200 --> 00:11:00.240 an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors 00:11:00.240 --> 00:11:03.580 let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending 00:11:03.580 --> 00:11:07.320 they're going to lower some anchors from the 00:11:07.320 --> 00:11:10.320 bow. hoping not to be seen, but Paul, he keeps 00:11:10.320 --> 00:11:13.200 them in check. They have something to eat before 00:11:13.200 --> 00:11:15.100 they make their way towards the final crash. 00:11:16.240 --> 00:11:18.399 Nobody on board knew the place where they might 00:11:18.399 --> 00:11:21.019 bring the ship in, but they see land ahead of 00:11:21.019 --> 00:11:23.840 them, don't they? And they don't recognise it. 00:11:24.519 --> 00:11:26.639 They're going to decide to let the ship run aground, 00:11:26.679 --> 00:11:29.460 verse 40. They cut the anchors, let the tillers 00:11:29.460 --> 00:11:32.679 go slack and hoist a sail to try and bring them 00:11:32.679 --> 00:11:34.799 in. They aren't quite ready for the hard ridge 00:11:34.799 --> 00:11:38.240 of rock when the ship is struck. And it begins 00:11:38.240 --> 00:11:41.779 to break up in pieces. They hear a horrible grind 00:11:41.779 --> 00:11:45.080 and a crunch of the ship as it's headed into 00:11:45.080 --> 00:11:47.440 the rock. The winds are pounding upon the sails. 00:11:47.659 --> 00:11:50.720 Sailors shouting, passengers screaming. And then 00:11:50.720 --> 00:11:53.580 water finally rushes into the body of the ship. 00:11:53.620 --> 00:11:55.840 And amidst all of this chaos, finally, almost 00:11:55.840 --> 00:11:58.100 when they're nearly there, the soldiers are about 00:11:58.100 --> 00:12:01.320 to kill the prisoners. But then Julius the Centurion 00:12:01.320 --> 00:12:04.059 comes to the rescue and ensures that their lives 00:12:04.059 --> 00:12:06.970 are safe. And then towards the very end we read, 00:12:07.090 --> 00:12:12.169 in this way everyone reached land safely. And 00:12:12.169 --> 00:12:17.509 chapter 28 and verse 1, once safely on shore. 00:12:17.590 --> 00:12:19.909 They've been through storm and shipwreck and 00:12:19.909 --> 00:12:22.730 they've got to safety. Salvation, safety has 00:12:22.730 --> 00:12:25.149 come at the end of this terrible, terrible event. 00:12:25.710 --> 00:12:28.210 So what are we to make of all of this and all 00:12:28.210 --> 00:12:36.480 the details of this passage? Seven times in this 00:12:36.480 --> 00:12:40.000 passage. Salvation for Paul comes at the end 00:12:40.000 --> 00:12:44.340 of this disastrous event after Paul has had an 00:12:44.340 --> 00:12:47.320 encounter with the forces of darkness. And for 00:12:47.320 --> 00:12:50.320 Luke, I suggest here that this word safety or 00:12:50.320 --> 00:12:52.259 salvation is being used maybe with a blend or 00:12:52.259 --> 00:12:55.480 range of meaning. Acts 27 shows us the pattern 00:12:55.480 --> 00:12:58.179 of the book of Acts, of course, but it also gives 00:12:58.179 --> 00:13:00.340 us an insight into the pattern of the life of 00:13:00.340 --> 00:13:03.059 Jesus working through Paul. And the pattern of 00:13:03.059 --> 00:13:04.580 the life of Jesus working through the church. 00:13:05.139 --> 00:13:07.539 And the pattern of the life of Jesus working 00:13:07.539 --> 00:13:10.899 through the lives of you and I. God brings his 00:13:10.899 --> 00:13:14.460 people through these kinds of messes. He doesn't 00:13:14.460 --> 00:13:16.120 make his church avoid these kinds of encounters. 00:13:16.279 --> 00:13:17.820 But he saves his people through them ultimately. 00:13:18.960 --> 00:13:22.399 It's a little bit like the kids storybook. I'm 00:13:22.399 --> 00:13:24.159 going on a bear hunt. I'm sure you all know it. 00:13:24.799 --> 00:13:28.600 Can't go over it. Can't go under it. We've got 00:13:28.600 --> 00:13:31.679 to go through it. God delights to bring his people 00:13:31.679 --> 00:13:34.759 through these kinds of messes, delivering the 00:13:34.759 --> 00:13:36.639 lives of his people through storm and shipwreck 00:13:36.639 --> 00:13:39.480 to bring his message ultimately to the ends of 00:13:39.480 --> 00:13:42.019 the earth. Just consider how many things God 00:13:42.019 --> 00:13:44.940 is in control of here, how many details are in 00:13:44.940 --> 00:13:49.799 the palm of his hand to tell Paul that the ship 00:13:49.799 --> 00:13:51.759 would be destroyed, but every one of the passengers 00:13:51.759 --> 00:13:54.980 would be safe. That every decision of the sailors 00:13:54.980 --> 00:13:56.639 and every detail of the ship was in the knowledge 00:13:56.639 --> 00:14:00.399 and within the power of God. To finally arrive 00:14:00.399 --> 00:14:03.279 at Malta. Again all within the power and within 00:14:03.279 --> 00:14:06.100 the knowledge of God. Salvation comes at the 00:14:06.100 --> 00:14:08.639 end of this storm. And this shipwreck. Because 00:14:08.639 --> 00:14:12.779 salvation comes to all those on the ship. And 00:14:12.779 --> 00:14:14.740 enables the preservation of the life of the Apostle 00:14:14.740 --> 00:14:17.419 Paul. So that God's promise that he would testify 00:14:17.419 --> 00:14:20.860 before Caesar. In Rome can be fulfilled. God 00:14:20.860 --> 00:14:23.139 has sovereignly preserved the life of his servant. 00:14:23.700 --> 00:14:26.879 So that his gospel can go forth. And this is 00:14:26.879 --> 00:14:29.519 the pattern of life now. The pattern of the progress 00:14:29.519 --> 00:14:31.500 of the gospel is consistently through storms 00:14:31.500 --> 00:14:34.080 and through disasters and through shipwreck. 00:14:34.519 --> 00:14:37.120 That's ultimately just how Jesus does things. 00:14:38.019 --> 00:14:41.820 Simon Gilbert writes that we are immortal until 00:14:41.820 --> 00:14:46.120 God calls us home. We are immortal until God 00:14:46.120 --> 00:14:48.940 calls us home. In other words, you cannot die 00:14:48.940 --> 00:14:51.759 until God has fulfilled the plan that he has 00:14:51.759 --> 00:14:57.379 for your life within you. And then he wants to 00:14:57.379 --> 00:15:00.549 bring you home. So why did God preserve my life 00:15:00.549 --> 00:15:02.490 that night when I was 17 and rode off my car? 00:15:04.190 --> 00:15:05.990 Well, it must have been because God had some 00:15:05.990 --> 00:15:08.889 purpose in my life that was not yet fulfilled 00:15:08.889 --> 00:15:12.110 in that moment. And that is something I need 00:15:12.110 --> 00:15:17.450 to remember a lot. And therefore not to go through 00:15:17.450 --> 00:15:20.129 life on autopilot. I find it very helpful to 00:15:20.129 --> 00:15:22.429 reflect on this again this week, to get up every 00:15:22.429 --> 00:15:24.690 day, to take each day as a gift, to know that 00:15:24.690 --> 00:15:27.429 God has a purpose for me. God is working through 00:15:27.429 --> 00:15:29.669 me in the events and the days of this life and 00:15:29.669 --> 00:15:34.049 this week that I have. Friends, you, if you still 00:15:34.049 --> 00:15:36.470 have breath in your lungs, it's because God has 00:15:36.470 --> 00:15:39.750 a purpose in your life. To live for Christ. Now, 00:15:39.909 --> 00:15:42.789 Paul, his life was preserved. So he could go 00:15:42.789 --> 00:15:45.669 to Rome, preach about Christ. And for you and 00:15:45.669 --> 00:15:48.809 I, it's something else as well. And it may be 00:15:48.809 --> 00:15:51.529 that this afternoon, God, after this afternoon, 00:15:51.629 --> 00:15:54.870 God takes my life tonight. I don't know when 00:15:54.870 --> 00:15:58.100 it will be. Could be today, could be tomorrow, 00:15:58.200 --> 00:16:00.620 could be any other day after that. We never know. 00:16:01.080 --> 00:16:03.440 And all of us are moments away from death every 00:16:03.440 --> 00:16:05.399 single day. Something could go wrong, something 00:16:05.399 --> 00:16:09.259 small. We take our final breath. And so we take 00:16:09.259 --> 00:16:12.940 each day now as a gift and fulfill the purpose 00:16:12.940 --> 00:16:15.279 that God has given us to complete. Here's a prayer 00:16:15.279 --> 00:16:16.740 that I sometimes like to pray at the beginning 00:16:16.740 --> 00:16:20.360 of the morning. It was like this. As I rise from 00:16:20.360 --> 00:16:22.919 my sleep, I thank you, Holy Trinity. that in 00:16:22.919 --> 00:16:24.659 your great goodness and patience you were not 00:16:24.659 --> 00:16:27.980 angry with me an idler or a sinner nor have destroyed 00:16:27.980 --> 00:16:30.059 me in my sins but have shown your usual love 00:16:30.059 --> 00:16:32.639 for me for when i was prostrating in despair 00:16:32.639 --> 00:16:35.399 you raised me up to keep to glorify your power 00:16:35.399 --> 00:16:38.399 now enlighten my mind's eye and open my mouth 00:16:38.399 --> 00:16:40.340 to study your words and understand your commandments 00:16:40.340 --> 00:16:43.480 and to sing to you in heartfelt adoration and 00:16:43.480 --> 00:16:45.600 praise your most holy name of father son and 00:16:45.600 --> 00:16:48.840 holy spirit now and ever and unto the ages of 00:16:48.840 --> 00:16:53.750 ages amen It's not a prayer that I wrote. I nicked 00:16:53.750 --> 00:16:55.590 it from somebody else, as you can probably tell. 00:16:56.309 --> 00:16:58.389 But I like it because it gets to that sense of 00:16:58.389 --> 00:17:00.710 why has God given us this new day as a gift? 00:17:01.070 --> 00:17:03.490 He has a purpose for us to complete. He has a 00:17:03.490 --> 00:17:06.309 work for us to do. For Paul, he saved his life 00:17:06.309 --> 00:17:09.130 so he could testify before Caesar in Rome. And 00:17:09.130 --> 00:17:10.829 it may be that for us, God is bringing us through 00:17:10.829 --> 00:17:12.890 all kinds of storms and shipwrecks and disasters 00:17:12.890 --> 00:17:17.730 for a final purpose. Jesus is with us. He has 00:17:17.730 --> 00:17:21.500 a purpose in you. to spread his message throughout 00:17:21.500 --> 00:17:23.980 the world. So Christian, let's take each day 00:17:23.980 --> 00:17:27.380 as a gift. Let's confront any negative self -talk 00:17:27.380 --> 00:17:29.839 that we might have about our lives. Let's confront 00:17:29.839 --> 00:17:33.380 our self -pity. We are immortal until God takes 00:17:33.380 --> 00:17:36.319 us home. And let's know that salvation will come 00:17:36.319 --> 00:17:38.240 when God brings us through the storms of this 00:17:38.240 --> 00:17:41.880 tempestuous life and lands us safely and securely 00:17:41.880 --> 00:17:46.420 on the shores of heaven above. Let's pray and 00:17:46.420 --> 00:17:57.119 thank God for his word. Heavenly Father, we thank 00:17:57.119 --> 00:18:00.779 you that you know the details of our lives. You 00:18:00.779 --> 00:18:02.380 know the end from the beginning and the things 00:18:02.380 --> 00:18:05.779 that have not yet taken place. Father, thank 00:18:05.779 --> 00:18:07.559 you that you've called us to be part of your 00:18:07.559 --> 00:18:10.420 work in our world. And what an immense privilege 00:18:10.420 --> 00:18:12.819 that is. Help us never ever to take it for granted. 00:18:13.359 --> 00:18:15.740 Help us to take this day and all days as a gift 00:18:15.740 --> 00:18:20.339 from you. Help us to arise from our slumber and 00:18:20.339 --> 00:18:24.130 be called forth towards a higher purpose. until 00:18:24.130 --> 00:18:26.210 that final moment when you take us home into 00:18:26.210 --> 00:18:29.210 glory forever. We pray these things in Jesus' 00:18:29.289 --> 00:18:30.529 name. Amen.