In the Heart of the Storm: Five Steps to Anchor Yourself in Christ

Sermon given during the Sunday service on May 18, 2025 at the Chapelle du Roi d'Espagne (Marseille), by Jean-Claude DATHEVY, on the text of Acts of the Apostles, chapter 27, verses 9 to 44.

Introduction: the boat of your life and Paul's voyage

Acts 27 tells the story of Paul's voyage to Rome. It's not a pleasure trip. Paul is a prisoner, arrested by the Jews, and he has appealed to plead his case before the emperor. The Lord has promised him: "Cheer up... you must testify also at Rome" (Acts 23:11, WEB). The ship leaves Crete to head for Italy. It's late September, early October. Winter is coming, and sailing conditions are turning unfavorable. Paul warns the ship's officers: this voyage is dangerous.

This scene speaks to the boat of your life. What are your plans? What are your goals? Are they, like Paul's, approved by God? Who do you trust with the decisions of your life? The account in Acts 27 unfolds five steps that I invite you to follow this morning: indifference, personal effort, listening to the Word, faith put into action, and life in Christ.

Outline of the message

1. Indifference to God's warning (v. 9-13)

Paul warned the crew: "Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives" (Acts 27:10, WEB). No one listened. The centurion preferred the words of the pilot and the ship's owner. And above all, they voted: the majority won out over the word of the man of God.

Then "when a south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor" (Acts 27:13, WEB). Every circumstance seemed favorable: the weather, the majority of the crew, the skill of the professional sailors. All of these things can be good in themselves, but one thing was missing: God.

This calls to mind the story of the people of Israel setting out to fight the city of Ai after the victory at Jericho. Confident in their experience of war, they judged that three thousand men would be enough. They did not consult the LORD. The defeat was crushing. The attitude of the Roman soldiers and crew would also have consequences: the loss of the ship and its cargo.

2. Personal effort when the storm hits (v. 14-20)

Circumstances quickly turned. The gentle breeze became a violent wind, and the ship was driven out to sea. The men who thought they were masters of their own fate were now being swept along. Their skills were no longer of any use.

Despite all their efforts, they came to lose hope. Their struggle lasted several days. They tried everything: undergirding the ship with ropes, trying to run aground, throwing the cargo into the sea, taking soundings. Nothing worked. The text says it plainly: "When neither sun nor stars shone on us for many days, and no small storm pressed on us, all hope that we would be saved was now taken away" (Acts 27:20, WEB).

Your own efforts, your own abilities, your own resources have a limit. The storm always ends up revealing it.

3. Listening to the Word of God (v. 21-26)

"I will lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from Yahweh, who made heaven and earth" (Psalm 121:1-2, WEB). This is the moment when Paul stands up in the midst of the crew. The scene recalls Jesus standing up in the boat among his disciples, terrified by the storm. Paul proclaims the Word of God. He reminds them why he is there. He reminds them of the promises God has made to him: "For there stood by me this night an angel, belonging to the God whose I am and whom I serve, saying, 'Don't be afraid, Paul'" (Acts 27:23-24, WEB). Then he encourages his companions to believe in this all-powerful God.

The promise is clear: not one of them will lose their life. God shows grace. There will only be material losses. This promise is also for you today. Jesus died for you. He paid the price once for all. As many of us as are here, he has delivered us. "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1, WEB). "For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16, WEB).

4. Faith put into action (v. 30-32)

The promise comes with a condition. Some of the sailors, pretending they wanted to lay out anchors from the bow, tried to lower the ship's boat into the sea to escape. Paul then said to the centurion and the soldiers: "Unless these stay in the ship, you can't be saved" (Acts 27:31, WEB). And the officer, who had not listened to Paul at the start, now trusts him. He gives the order: the soldiers cut away the ropes of the boat and let it fall off. No more human means of escape. No more backup plan. The Lord watches over each one, together, in the same boat.

What does it mean to stay in the boat? It means keeping your trust in God, in Jesus Christ our Savior. Not trying to save yourself, by your own actions. What are your excuses for not believing in God and in Jesus Christ his Son? No one is perfect. All have sinned, myself first of all. But it is by grace that we are in the boat. It is by grace that we are saved.

This faith put into action is also the faith of Abraham. "Wasn't Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?" (James 2:21, WEB). It was God himself who stopped him. But it required total obedience. Faith isn't an idea you keep in your head, it's a decision you carry out with your hands, even when the decision seems foolish.

I can testify to this myself. As it happens, while I was preparing this sermon, I was invited on a sailboat outing. I thought: alright, I trust him. When the boat tilted, I looked at my wife and said, "No, we'll all come through safe and sound, the Lord is watching over us." We headed out to sea along the coast, and the wind really picked up. In the moment, I found myself thinking we'd be better off on dry land. This is exactly to say that in our lives, when storms come (illness, discouragement), that's when we need to lean on the only one able to understand us, because he made us: Jesus Christ, our Savior, the good mechanic.

5. Life in Christ, to arrive safe and sound (v. 33-44)

After affirming the promise and calling them to cut away the boat's ropes, Paul encourages everyone to take some food and regain their strength. How do you nourish your faith? "When he had said this, and had taken bread, he gave thanks to God in the presence of all, and he broke it, and began to eat" (Acts 27:35, WEB).

This wording brings another scene to mind. Christ, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and said: "This is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in memory of me" (1 Corinthians 11:24, WEB). Taking the Lord's Supper means remembering Christ's sacrifice on the cross and waiting for his return. "I am the living bread which came down out of heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever" (John 6:51, WEB). Jesus is life. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4, WEB). To regain your strength, you must feed on the Word: reading it, meditating on it, encouraging one another with it.

The rest of the account shows that everyone made it safely to land (Acts 27:44). Their professional experience was then useful, but in service to the Lord, no longer as a matter of personal judgment. Who gives you understanding? Who gives you wealth? Who gives you skill? It is the Creator. However much you know in your own field, your faith must remain fixed on Jesus Christ. "There is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12, WEB).

Key takeaways

• God's warning comes before the storm. Don't mistake it for a restriction: it's a signal of love.
• Your efforts have a limit; God's don't. The storm reveals where you truly place your trust.
• When Paul stands up, everything changes. The Word proclaimed at the right moment lifts up those who were about to go under.
• Cutting away the boat's ropes is an act of faith. Give up the backup plans that let you off the hook of relying on God.
• The Lord's Supper and the Word are your food for the storm. Without them, the soul starves partway through the crossing.

Personal application

1. What warnings from God are you tempted to work around right now?
2. Who (or what) have you trusted with the helm of the big decisions in your life this year?
3. What personal efforts are you trying to multiply, when the Lord is first inviting you to stand up and listen to his Word?
4. Is there a "lifeboat" (a backup plan, an escape hatch) that you should cut away in order to trust Christ completely?
5. How are you nourishing your faith this week: the Lord's Supper, reading the Word, fellowship with other believers?

Scripture references

• Acts 27:9-44 (WEB) - Paul's voyage and the shipwreck
• Acts 23:11 (WEB) - "Cheer up... you must testify also at Rome"
• Psalm 121:1-2 (WEB) - "Where does my help come from?"
• John 3:16 (WEB) - "For God so loved the world"
• Romans 8:1 (WEB) - "There is therefore now no condemnation"
• James 2:21 (WEB) - Abraham's faith put into action
• 1 Corinthians 11:24 (WEB) - Institution of the Lord's Supper
• John 6:51 (WEB) - "I am the living bread"
• Matthew 4:4 (WEB) - "Man shall not live by bread alone"
• Acts 4:12 (WEB) - "There is salvation in none other"
• Hebrews 11:1 (WEB) - "Faith is assurance of things hoped for"

FAQ

Who should I trust with the important decisions in my life?

God, first, before experts, the majority, or your own skills. The centurion in Acts 27 trusted the pilot and the ship's owner rather than Paul's word. The result: shipwreck. Consulting the Lord doesn't replace careful thought, but it directs it. Get in the habit of laying your plans before him before you raise the anchor.

How do you nourish your faith when the storm goes on and on?

By drawing strength from the Lord's table and from his Word. Paul broke bread in front of the 276 passengers before the shipwreck, foreshadowing the Lord's Supper. Remember Christ's sacrifice, read, meditate, encourage one another with fellow believers. God's Word is the bread that keeps your soul alive when everything around you is shaking.

What does "cutting the ropes" mean for my life?

It means giving up the backup plans that would pull you away from God. On Paul's orders, the soldiers cut the ropes of the lifeboat: no more escape boat, no more possible flight, only trust in God's promise remains. In your life, these are the escape hatches you keep "just in case," the ones that keep you from trusting Christ completely.