Synopsis of Sermon 8.25.24

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III 

Acts 27:42-44 And the soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim away and escape. 43 But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land, 44 “and the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.”

I.               INTRODUCTION

1. The plan of God over our life’s is always progressing. God will impose his will to show us that He is in control. No matter the circumstances that occur in your life, understand God is in control.
2. Every part of your journey is controlled by God. He will place and assign people along your path, at the right time, to help you get to your destination. This is why it’s important not to be mean to people. You never know who God has connected to you, to help you get what you are supposed to be.
   1. It could have been a teacher or custodian or maybe even a stranger who got on your nerves. When you look back over your life, you thank God that they got on your nerves. They may have been one that God assigned to you. God places people at the right place and at the right time to help us get where we are supposed to be.
3. Paul writes a 3^rd of the New Testament. He started as a terrorist to Christian’s. His name was Saul, until after having that experience on Damascus Road with God. During this experience, his name was changed to Paul, and he spent the rest of his life lifting up the name of God.
4. In this scripture today, Paul is in prison for his stance on Christ. He has a right to appeal his case in Rome. He wants to declare his case to Caesar.
   1. Nero is the Emperor at this time. He was so cruel, he made a sport out of persecuting Christian’s. He would persecute Christians in an arena and allow crowds to watch, like it was a soccer game.
   1. He would even set Lions loose in the arena to attack Christians.
5. As a prisoner he went before the local courts. Felix and Fetus try him in their courts. Paul realized that they were biased, so he asked them if they could go before Caesar and plead his case.
6. Now Paul is on a boat ferrying with other prisoners. He’s on the boat with 276 people (King James says two hundred threescore and sixteen souls).
7. They encounter a storm in the sea. This was like a tropical depression. It lasted 2 days. Eventually, it broke the boat into pieces. The Leader gave the command to kill all of the prisoners, so that they would not escape.
   1. What’s important about this is, in Rome, if your prisoners escaped, they would kill you too. This is why when Paul and Silas sang hymns at midnight, and the chains came off of all the prisoners, the Guard was about to kill himself.
8. There was one Centurion named Julius who wanted to save Paul, so he said, “Those that can swim, swim to the shore. The rest of you that can’t, float to shore on the broken pieces of the ship’.

II.               RECOGNIZE THE PLOT OF SATAN

A.    Storms Will Bring Out The Best And Worst In People 

1. Storms will show who is with you and who is not.
   1. Your Mind—What Do You Really Think About Me? – Your realities show up in the storm. The enemy wants to make sure you don’t get where you’re supposed to be.
      1. If God let you survive, it ought to indicate to you that you’re going to make it. You’re still here!
   1. Your Motives—What You Want To Do To Me – What is your hidden agenda?
   1. Your Morality—What Is Your True Moral Compass? What are you willing to stoop down to?

B.    The Enemy Wants To Kill You Before You Reach Your Destination 

1. The storm came to take them out, but God saved them.

III.               REALIZE GOD’S GOT A PERSON SITUATED

• God has someone situated to remind you that God is sill God.

A.    Even Your Enemy Knows You Are Anointed

1. When you are anointed, you don’t have to say anything. Psalm 20:6 says “Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; He will hear him from his holy heaven With the saving strength of his right hand.”Psalm 20:6 KJV
2.  
3. God will save you just because you’re in the presence of someone anointed. God will save the whole operation, just because there is one person there that is anointed!

B.    God Will Send You Help From Unlikely Sources 

1. God Will Often Use The Assistance Of A Stranger – Many have entertained angels unaware. Many have gotten help from someone that they haven’t seen before, and they never saw them again.
2. God Will Use Your Adversary Strategically – God will make your enemy your foot stool. God will good out of what the enemy meant to be bad for you.
3. God Will Use People Assigned For Your Season – If Julis the Centurion hadn’t got that assignment, everyone would have died.

IV.               RECEIVE THE PROVIDENTIAL STRATEGY

• God is the ultimate strategist. God uses Julius to put forth the ultimate plan.

·      God Gives Directives According To Our Abilities

1. When you give directives, you do so according to people’s abilities. The Centurion said those who can swim, “swim!”.
   1. This is not like swimming at the YMCA. It is like swimming in the ocean, with waves coming over your head and currents pulling at you.
2. The ability to swim in these conditions is a spiritual skill set. This is just like somebody being able to pray and praise when they are under attack! We can admire people like this.
3. God, being a strategist, makes accommodations also for those that are not that strong. They told those that couldn’t swim to float on the broken pieces. There are those that can swim and the rest just have to float. God makes a way for those who are weak.

·      There Is A Blessing In The Brokenness 

1. Often, we see the brokenness, but we don’t see it as a blessing. You must know that broken stuff can still bless you. For example, on your cellphone, your screen can be broken, but you can still get calls. Your lens on your glasses can be broken or scratched, but you can still see.
2. People are just like this. They are broken, but they still keep showing up.

V.               REJOICE ON THE PIECES YOU SURVIVED ON

1. Some people complain, because things are not like they used to be.

A.    It May Not End Like You Thought 

• You don’t always know how the journey is going to turn out. The route may change, but the destination is still the same.
• Paul never expected to experience a storm like this.

B.    You Are Going To Get There Unscathed 

1. The Bible says that they all made it safe to land. Would you please remind your hater that you’re going to make it and God loves you so much, He is going to let them make it too, just because of you. Everyone made it to land unscathed.
2. Even those on broken pieces made it. Everyone on your row is going to make it.
3. When surfing, the thing you are depending on may lose its way, such as a Surfboard. Every now and then, a surfer may have to swim in, because he or she lost their surfboard.
4. This requires stamina and courage. It’s called paddling in. You might be navigating some crazy places in order to make it in. If you lost your board, the water isn’t going to be gentle. You may have to navigate against some high tides and some big waves. You may even have to navigate around rocks and reefs.
5. Just like this, know that a lot of people reading this came paddling in. They had to navigate through some rough stuff to get here. When you paddle know that you are a survivor.