Synopsis of Sermon 6.9.24
Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

Acts 28:1-6 NKJV N
1 Now when they had escaped, they then found out that the island was called Malta. 2 And the natives[a] showed us unusual kindness; for they kindled a fire and made us all welcome, because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold. 3 But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand. 4 So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live.” 5 But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. 6 However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.

I.               INTRODUCTION

1. Make no mistake, whenever you are in the will of God and walking out your assignment, know that God gives you an anointing for that assignment. He never gives out an assignment without giving you the anointing you to do it.
2. Anointed people have God’s hand on them. This means God puts His super on your natural. God’s hand is upon your life.
3. God always has a destiny for you. When you walk out your assignment, there will always be people out to destroy you.
4. As a child of God, you will discover that God will take care of His children. You got the devil and his affiliates going crazy, because you keep surviving stuff. People think you should be going crazy by now. You keep showing up, because you are anointed.
5. People will testify that they have seen God make ways for them. If God did it in the past, he can do it again. When things go crazy, you recognize that the same power that worked back then, is here now.
6. Know that dogs don’t bark at parked cars. When you are working in your assignment, expect to be attacked!
7. One attack you don’t anticipate is when something comes out of nowhere, while you are doing your assignment. No matter what comes into your life, know that you will survive this too.
8. Paul is anointed and God has his hand upon him. Paul has a desire to take the gospel to Rome. Before he died, he wanted to declare Jesus to Caeser.
9. In Acts 21, Paul gets arrested. In Acts 27, with other prisoners. There were over 260 prisoners on this ship. A storm came and the ship began to break into pieces.
10. The soldiers were given the order to kill all of the prisoners, so that none of them would escape. In acts 27, one of the soldiers, a centurion, kept the guards from killing all the prisoners, because he wanted to save Paul.
11. The order was then given to the prisoners, instructing those who could swim, to swim to shore. Those that couldn’t swim were instructed to grab onto some of the ships’ broken pieces, so they could float to shore.
12. The bible says all of the prisoners made it safely to land. They made it because somebody anointed was on the ship. That anointed person was Paul.
    1. They did not perish out there, because someone anointed was on the ship. We know that you are going to make it, because there is someone anointed around you.
13. Some prisoners floated to shore on broken pieces, but others swam.
14. In acts 28, they went to an Island called Malta. It is a Mediterranean Island.
15. The natives of this Island were kind to the prisoners. They built fires for them and fed them.
16. When Paul grabbed a bundle of sticks to lay on the, trying to make the fire better for everyone around him, a snake came and bit Paul on the hand and it latched on to him.
    1. When you are on a journey and trying to get to a destination, you can’t control what happens in between, but know that you will survive.

II.               YOU WITHSTOOD THE STORM

• If you made it to Acts 28, you got to pause and give God back praise! In Acts 27, you already survived the storm. People came out of brokenness, but they are reading this today, because they are survivors. They may not have all gotten to their destination the same way, but just like the prisoners in the story, they made it to their destination (the shore).

A.    What You’ve Been Through Prepared You

1. There is no such thing as a senseless season. Each season is to prepare you.
2. Every time God does something, you ought to file it away. Put it in the deep freezer. There will be a time you will have to bring it back up, to remind you that if God did it for you before, He can do it again.

B.    God Always Takes Care Of You

1. We know that the Lord saves his anointed. Paul simply wanted to share the gospel with Rome. You have to know that when it is in the will of God, it will come to pass. Gods word will accomplish what it is sent to do.
2. Don’t Be Discouraged By Detours – Even though the route changes, know that your destination will be the same. Paul never expected to be in a shipwreck, but he still made it to his destination.
3. Don’t Doubt His Directives – When God says move, you need to move. No matter what comes at you, you have to be determined to stay in the assignment.
4. Be Determined To Make Your Destination – We already know that nothing will stop us from getting to our destination.

III.               YOU WILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH SNAKES

A.    In Every Blessing There Is Always A Snake To Bite You

1. All of us will have to experience what Paul did. Paul was bitten by a snake. If you haven’t been bitten yet, just keep living.
2. There are snakes among you. Everyone doesn’t have good intentions for us. The more you do the more snakes you will encounter.
   1. The more cheese you have, the more rats you attract, and snakes eat rats. In every blessing, there is a snake waiting to bite you.
3. Blessings and bites – The natives at Malta showed the prisoners great kindness. It was a blessing to eat and have a fire to get warm.
   1. When Paul went to put sticks on the fire, trying to do something selfless for others, he was bitten by a snake. Paul did nothing wrong, but he was still harmed.
   2. Sometimes snake bites are not a result of a bite back. Often a person is bitten, because a snake doesn’t like movement. You experience your greatest bites, when you are moving or do something selfless. Your blessed times are often the times when you are most vulnerable.
4. Every time you get a breakthrough, here comes a snake. No matter what snake comes, no weapon formed against you will prosper!

B.    The Enemy Assigns Latching Spirits

1. This snake was assigned with an attaching spirit. Paul says the snake latched onto him.
   1. Normally snakes bite and move away quickly. They let the venom do its job.
   2. This snake latched on and didn’t let go. Some spirits will latch onto you. Snakes want to inject their venom into you. They want to inject what’s inside of them into you.
2. Venom is designed to cause paralysis so that you lose momentum and eventually die.
3. God is about to release you from every latching spirit in your life.
   1. Maybe it is time to release the latching spirit in your life.

IV.               HAVE THE WISDOM TO SHAKE IT OFF

• Paul refused to let this snake stay attached to him. This is a word for somebody that is fed up.
• It is time to start shaking things off that have become attached to you, yet have no value.
• When the people saw Paul shake it off, they looked at him, and some of them said, “He must have gotten bit, because he is a murderer. Maybe justice finally caught up with him”

A.    You Can’t Control What People Think

1. You better learn emotional intelligence. Some people have judgements built up concerning your life, when they don’t know anything about you. Stand still and let God fight your battles.

B.    Don’t Just Shake It Off, Send It Off

• Paul didn’t just shake it off, he sent it off. He shook the snake off into the fire. You have to give your enemy a destination.

1. This Is About Control – No enemy has control over me, because I am anointed.
2. This Is About Closure – This snake is going into the fire. This is about closure! Let it go, it’s over! What’s ahead of you is greater than what’s behind you.

V.               YOU WILL SURVIVE

• You were anointed for this attack.
• When Paul shook the snake off into the fire, the people of Malta looked at him, waiting for him to swell and to fall over and die.

A.    There Is Always An Audience Waiting To See What Will Happen To You

1. There are people waiting to see if you are going to get over this. They’ve seen people die over this kind of snake bite, but this has nothing to do with us. We will survive whatever comes to take us out!
2. Don’t think people are calling to check on you. They are calling to see if you have lost your mind.
3. Our anointing is antivenom. This is why we will survive it.

B.    You Will Outlive What Tried To Outlive You

1. Paul was standing there. The snake bite had no impact on his life. You have no idea how many people are waiting for your demise.
2. Know that you will outlive your diabetic situation, your unemployment, even your divorce. God is about to turn your situation around! God is about to turn your situation around!
3. You will outlive what is trying to outlive you. When Paul stood there something unusual happened.
   1. The chief heard that Paul did not die from the snake bite. As a result, he asked Paul to lay hands on his father and his father was healed. When Paul finished laying hands on the chief’s father, he noticed there was a line waiting for him to lay hands on them also.
   2. Turn to your neighbor and say the same hands that were snake bitten, are the same hands that will be used to bless somebody else. These are the hands that are going to change your community. These are the hands that will make sure that everyone in your community becomes a homeowner. These are the hands that will make sure that every child in your community goes to school.
4. Raise your hands as high as you see God taking you! God has anointed us for the attack. Don’t wait until the battle is won, shout right now!
5. Your hands are anointed hands. Everything our hands are laid on, God will use our hands to bless it. The anointing doesn’t belong to you, it belongs to God!