Survival Kits -- Getting Rid of Excess Baggage
Theme: Living by Faith in Christ Alone
Theme Verse: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20 NIV
Readings: Acts 27
Memory Verse: "1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, ." (Hebrews 12:1-2a)
Last year we walked with Abraham by faith in God. God wants us to continue walking by faith in Jesus Christ with the apostle Paul and others. Paul sees his life in Christ as a race (for example 2 Timothy 4:7), a marathon, not a sprint. In the theme verse he tells us that he lives his present life by the power of Christ, by faith and trust in Christ, who lives in him. To run our race of life we will need perseverance and we need to keep our eyes on Jesus who both lives with/in us and goes ahead of us. We too need to fix our eyes on Jesus. It is when we "fix our eyes on Jesus" that we can do what is in the memory verse, Hebrews 12:1.
In this lesson we see Paul fixing his eyes on Jesus in personal crisis (arrest) and then in a corporate one (storm and shipwreck). He is running his race, walking out living by faith in Christ alone. He becomes an example and leader for all the crew and passengers of the ship. How did he get there? We'll see that in later lessons. He was a man transformed by Jesus Christ. He is in a very different place than he was when he approved the stoning of Stephen.
( Background) When Paul came to Jerusalem with a gift from the gentile churches of "Asia" and Greece he was arrested in the temple (Acts 21:27ff) after some Greek speaking Jews jumped him because they thought he was defiling the temple with Gentiles. A Roman officer saved him and he was put on trial before the Sanhedrin. After a riot in the Sanhedrin, that night the Lord stood by him and told him the he would be testifying to Him in Rome also (Acts 23:11). A plot to kill Paul was uncovered and Paul was taken by night down to Caesarea to the Roman Governor. He testified to two governors, Felix and Festus and appealed to Caesar to avoid being taken back to Jerusalem, ambushed and killed.
(See Map) Trace Paul's journey on the map. Note the time involved. How would you keep a ship's log about this trip? Where did he start from (Acts 25:24)? Why had sailing already become dangerous (Acts 27:9)? (Because the Fast of the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, which could fall in Sept or Oct on a lunar calendar, was a usual marker of when the Sea had many winter storms.)
Look at Paul. To the world around him he was a prisoner of Rome and of Julius the Centurion. How does he see himself? (Read Philemon 1:1, 9; Romans 1:1, Philippians 1:1, 13, Ephesians 6:20) He has surrendered himself to God. He says in Philippians 3:7, "I count everything as loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus my God."
A word received: Whose prisoner are you? A prisoner of impulse? self? ideology? ambition? To put it another way, whom are you serving? Whose "service" are you in? ("Service" as in the military or foreign service.) A word received: Paul knew who he was in Me and he knew that he was My servant, and he speaks of himself as My prisoner. Paul does not carry the baggage of being a prisoner of Julius or of Caesar.
Notice already in vs.4 that the "winds were against them" and note the detour around Cyprus. After they got on a Ship from Alexandria at the city of Myra they were delayed "many days" (vs. 7) and "had difficulty arriving" at Cnidus, only a short distance along the southern coast of Turkey . They couldn't go on their chosen course so they sailed to the protected side ("lee") of Crete and still had "difficulty". "Much time had been lost." Note that when Paul speaks of God in verse 23, he speaks of the God to whom he belongs, not the other way around.
Listen to God's leading and timing. In verses.9-10, Paul the prisoner (and a veteran of 3 previous shipwrecks and a day and a night adrift at sea -- 2 Corinthians 11:25) warns them that sailing was now dangerous because the "Fast" was past and they had lost a lot of time. The Centurion in charge of Paul and the other prisoners (vs.1 and 42) listened to the ship owner and the captain rather than Paul The majority felt it was not a good place to spend the winter and they saw a gentle wind and took off. Word received: There are times when I tell you what to do. You need to listen to Me and follow Me because I love you and want the best for you. How often have we taken things in our own hands and ignored guidance from the Lord that came through another person, the Bible, directly or some other way---or maybe we forgot to ask? When we go forward in our own way there is often shipwreck and loss.
Word received: Stay close to Me and My Holy Spirit so you will be able to properly read circumstances and situations. (vs.11-13) Here we see the difference between the wisdom of men and the wisdom from God. They "thought" they had what they wanted but misread what was really going on. What is the equivalent of a "ship" in our lives? -- a job? school? a project? a marriage? If we are not listening to God's guidance and timing we may head into a storm that was not part of God's original plan. He can work in that situation but it may not have been part of his best plan for us.
So after a little while, on what should have been a journey of about 60 miles, a hurricane force wind, a "Nor'easter", caught the ship so it couldn't sail into the wind so they had to let the ship be driven by the storm. (vs. 14-15) Word received: Where will you be when the storms of life come upon you? Where will you be when you are in the midst of the storm? You must know that you are in My sight. I AM and I AM the only One who can save you.
Even though he doesn't speak until later, we can be sure that Paul and his Christian companions (Luke and Aristarchus) were interceding for the whole ship as well as themselves. Paul knew he was in God's hands and His purposes even though he was afraid. He knew that God had a plan for him to witness to Caesar but the storm was terrifying. Have you ever been in a terrifying situation but knew at the same time that you were in God's hands? (For the little children you might teach them the song, "He's got the whole world in His hands.")
Next we see the sailors coping with an out of control situation (vs. 16-19) They got some temporary relief from the wind by going under the shelter of the island of Cauda and secured the lifeboat (skiff) "with difficulty" and used cables to under gird the ship. They folded their sails. It was very rough so the next day they threw a lot of cargo overboard. On the third day they threw overboard the "tackle"- the things that were used to control the ship (verses.6-9). Word received: What are you willing to give up to save your life? What is worth your life?
Is there some good thing you are clinging onto that is pulling you down in a storm in your life or is there some emotional "survival kit" that helped you through a crisis in your childhood that is now keeping you from being healed? (The Bp. Pytches Healing Conference. talked about this.) For example, did you make an inner vow never to allow anyone to get close enough to hurt you again? Is there unforgiveness or sin you are holding on to? Now it is a block to inner healing. What are some GOOD things (like the ship's tackle and cargo) that God is calling you to let go of in the storms of life? (Example: a certain life style)
Word received: You have done everything you could to save yourself. Yield to Me. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. I alone can save. When you have done all you know to save yourself, it is not enough. Remember the disciples in the storm. They were all experienced sailors but at a certain point they woke Jesus up to tell them the boat was going to sink and they would drown. Jesus was the only one who could save them. Peter walked on water (briefly) and then looked at the wind and waves and began to sink. He cried out to Jesus and Jesus saved him. In the storms of life Jesus wants us to call out to him and let him save us and fill us , for the first or hundredth time with His Spirit. Both the ship and the men had become empty. In that situation Paul reveals the God "whose I am and whom I serve" in a way he could not have before all hope was gone.
Note in vs. 20 that God rescued them, after all human hope was gone. Then it was clear that it was God who rescued them.
Now look at verses.20-24. The storm went on for 14 days! The people are all weak from not eating and Paul stands up and speaks words of encouragement and hope. He takes the lead in this situation and gently reminds them of his warning earlier. He has a message from God to deliver. READ vs. 22-24. God has answered Paul's prayers for the others as well as himself. (Note Paul's attitude of thanksgiving in the midst of severe trials.) Word received: That is My word to you as well, "Do not be afraid." I can deliver you from death and I AM with you when you cry out to Me in your peril. Cry out to Me for My people that they will turn to Me in their peril.
God want us to cry out to Him in trouble and encourage others to do so too. The Bible is full of messages from God, "Don't be afraid." So Paul gets everyone to eat and regain strength and tells them what is going to happen (running aground on an island). Even through they had missed the guidance God had given them through Paul, Paul interceded for them and God made a way for them to be saved. God's purpose for Paul would not have been thwarted, but in God's mercy he saved them all! God is glorified in this. We can also ask God, "What do you want me to learn? What do you want me to do?"
Now the sailors and centurion have a choice to make when they sense they are drawing near land. Whom will they believe? The centurion believes Paul and stops the soldiers from killing the prisoners in order to save Paul (and risked his own life to do so.)
Word received: Whose word do you believe? Mine or the words that do not last that come from men? It was because of their willingness to finally listen to God that they were saved. When the ship ran aground and was being broken up by the waves they were all able to either swim ashore or hang onto board from the ship. All got ashore safely. They lost everything physically but saved their lives. They had to let go of everything accept God's promise to save them.
Teaching Ideas for Lesson 01
Please read the Study Guide first. Go over Memory Verse to make sure the children understand it and then if they have memorized it.
Remind them their parents need to sign a report slip monthly if they have read the lessons, so they will get credit at the end of the year.
Make sure they know what happened in the story. Get them to tell you.
Basic points of the lesson for little ones:
1. God has plans for us and He wants us to follow Him, because His plans are the best and safest.
2. We can trust God. Paul trusted God.
3. Paul prayed for his friends and shipmates and God answered his prayers.
4. God wants us to listen to Him so we can follow Him and be safe when things are difficult. When we stay close to God we can hear Him.
5. God loves you, so you don't have to worry or be afraid. When bad things happen, keep your attention on Jesus, stay close to Him and He will lead you through it.
SONG: He's got the whole world in His hands. (Itty, bitty baby; each child's name)
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