{"id":338,"date":"2012-07-01T09:00:51","date_gmt":"2012-07-01T17:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/?p=338"},"modified":"2012-07-10T13:58:01","modified_gmt":"2012-07-10T21:58:01","slug":"keep-up-your-courage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/2012\/07\/01\/keep-up-your-courage\/","title":{"rendered":"Keep Up Your Courage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Acts 27: 13-26<\/strong><\/p>\n

13 <\/sup>When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had obtained what they wanted; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. 14 <\/sup>Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the \u201cnortheaster,\u201d swept down from the island. 15 <\/sup>The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 <\/sup>As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure. 17 <\/sup>When the men had hoisted it aboard, they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. 18 <\/sup>We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. 19 <\/sup>On the third day, they threw the ship\u2019s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 <\/sup>When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.
\n21 <\/sup>After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: \u201cMen, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. 22 <\/sup>But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. 23 <\/sup>Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me 24 <\/sup>and said, \u2018Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.\u2019 25 <\/sup>So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. 26 <\/sup>Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/strong>This is a special week for the Smiths.\u00a0 We get our kids home.\u00a0 We get to see our daughter, Katherine, married this week. \u00a0We gain a young man named Luis into our family.\u00a0 And more family is coming to pray and rejoice with us.\u00a0 I think if you turned out the lights, mama might glow in the dark.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also a special time for a certain young lady named Amy who just got engaged to a young man some of us know as Ryan.\u00a0 What a precious thought that this one person wants to share his life with you. The Lord blesses us with these times. \u00a0He gives joy to our hearts during such times. <\/strong><\/p>\n

But we also know, <\/strong>that life in this fallen world is not just happy, happy, joy, joy.\u00a0 Like Jesus disciples on that sea of Galilee, storms can suddenly come upon us.\u00a0 And we know that those storms are not just the kind that appear in the sky.\u00a0 There are also those tough times in life that bear down on us and threaten to steal the confidence right out of our hearts.<\/p>\n

Maybe you are trying to weather one of these storms right now.\u00a0 I know some of you are.\u00a0 This is for you.\u00a0 Maybe you are \u00a0not, yet\u00a0 you wonder what storms may be coming your way.\u00a0 Meet the apostle Paul right in the midst of one.\u00a0 Things couldn\u2019t look worse.\u00a0 Well here Paul\u2019s spirit filled words to these men who did not know the Lord are even more for us who do.<\/p>\n

Keep Up Your Courage
\n<\/strong>I.\u00a0 The storms will come
\nII.\u00a0 It will happen just as God told you.<\/p>\n

What was this sea voyage all about?\u00a0 It\u00a0wasn’t\u00a0a missionary journey of Paul.\u00a0 Well yes and no.\u00a0 No, Paul was a prisoner in the custody of a Roman centurion.\u00a0 He was taking him to Rome to stand trial. Paul would be judged.\u00a0 Yet even in chains, the Lord had told him he would testify about his risen Savior.<\/p>\n

Luke was along and tells us what happened.\u00a0 When they left, they made slow progress.\u00a0 The winds were not helping them. \u00a0Now it was coming to the time of year when the weather made experienced sailors think twice about getting underway in their ship. Many a wreck sits on the bottom.\u00a0 Many a life was lost in this dangerous season.<\/p>\n

Paul had warned the centurion not to chance it.\u00a0 But when the winds seemed favorable the man piloting the ship decided to go for it.\u00a0 The time would soon come when he wished he could make that decision all over again.<\/p>\n

I love reading this log of their journey.\u00a0 Have any of you spent any time at sea?\u00a0 Luke\u2019s description reminds me of my days on the North Atlantic ocean.\u00a0 Even though my ship was a lot bigger than this one, this reminds me of some of those times.\u00a0 Times when a storm with monstrous waves \u00a0tossed us about like our 378 foot ship was nothing.<\/p>\n

The sea can be a treacherous place when a storm comes.\u00a0 That\u2019s why even on a lake you need to have your life jackets in order.\u00a0 You never know when you need them.\u00a0 Listen to what these men were enduring:\u00a0 Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the \u201cnortheaster,\u201d swept down from the island.<\/span> Ever see that movie:\u00a0 the Perfect Storm<\/em>?\u00a0 That was a nor\u2019easter.\u00a0 When the ocean is so rough you get weary from just trying to stand.\u00a0 Some get so sea sick you feel like you are going to turn inside out.<\/p>\n

Think of the desperate measures they took.\u00a0 They pulled ropes around the ship to keep it from coming apart.\u00a0 The next day, they threw off the cargo.\u00a0 No pay now.\u00a0 And still the storm raged into the third day when they threw of the ship\u2019s tackle, the anchors, the equipment overboard.\u00a0 By then Luke tells us:\u00a0 We finally gave up all hope of being saved.<\/span> The storm was too much.<\/p>\n

Ever feel like that? Weary, even desperate. \u00a0I imagine some people have felt that way in Colorado Springs as that fire bear down on their homes.\u00a0 Or what about those medical storms?\u00a0 The test results we are not so sure we want to hear.\u00a0 The pain that is unrelenting.\u00a0 The fall that breaks a hip.\u00a0 The pneumonia that has you coughing and coughing or someone you love. The storms come.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Today many people are facing a financial storm.\u00a0 Houses lost, businesses failed, out of work.\u00a0 A man came to the church door the other day not looking for money but for food.\u00a0 He was hungry.\u00a0 When I took him to get something I saw how hungry he was.<\/p>\n

Some Christians also wake up in a country facing a storm of persecution.\u00a0 Just because they worship Christ, people want to hurt them or even kill them or burn their church. \u00a0\u00a0Governments may arrest their pastors and put them in jail.\u00a0 The storms come.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Then what about this storm?\u00a0 We just read it in Bible class:\u00a0 they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead<\/span>.\u00a0 (1Peter 4:5) \u00a0Some day this world will go up in flames and each of us will stand before the Lord, our judge.\u00a0 Talk about desperate times.<\/p>\n

But here is what jumps out at me today.\u00a0 Yes, the storms will come.<\/strong> Even that final one. Yet what Paul said to these men applies even more to us, God\u2019s people.\u00a0 When facing those storms:\u00a0 Keep up your courage.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>Of course, you might think.\u00a0 That\u2019s easy for you to say Pastor.\u00a0 You don\u2019t understand what I\u2019m dealing with.\u00a0 That\u2019s right, I don\u2019t.\u00a0 But I know someone who more than understands. The one who took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows.<\/em> He more than understands.\u00a0 He comes to us in this Word where he gives me the right to say to you.\u00a0 Keep up your courage.\u00a0 It will happen just as God told you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Lord spelled that out to his apostle.\u00a0 He then told the sailors: now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. 23<\/sup> Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me 24 <\/sup>and said, \u2018Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.<\/span> The Lord spelled out his promise to Paul and he spelled it out to these men.\u00a0 25 <\/sup>So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.<\/span><\/p>\n

What does that have to do with me and the storms that come my way?\u00a0 Everything.\u00a0 The Lord did not make this promise to you.\u00a0 But he has made others.\u00a0 Wonderful promises that can give you a fresh dose of courage. You might start with this promising invitation.\u00a0 Cast all your anxiety on God, because he cares for you<\/span>.\u00a0 (1Peter 5:7)\u00a0 God is your Father and you are his dear child in his tender care.\u00a0 Hold onto that when it seems otherwise.\u00a0 Then what about this one when we are feeling weary.\u00a0 For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you.\u00a0 Do not fear; I will help you.<\/span> Is 41:13) \u00a0I will help you<\/em>.\u00a0 For these men, that meant he would save them when their ship wrecked.\u00a0 For us, it can mean any number of things.\u00a0 God doesn\u2019t tell us how.\u00a0 But it will happen just as God told you<\/strong>.\u00a0 You are his.\u00a0 He has taken hold of your hand and He will help you.\u00a0 So keep up your courage.<\/strong><\/p>\n

And that goes for that day when this short life comes to an end. It goes for that time about which God\u2019s Word says, It is appointed for a man once to die and then to face the judgment.<\/span> Even then, when you must face that day, Keep up your courage.<\/strong> For it will happen just as God told you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What has he told you?\u00a0 Your sins are forgiven.<\/span> What has he told you?\u00a0 In my Father\u2019s house are many rooms.\u00a0 If it were not so I would have told you.\u00a0 I am going there to prepare a place for you. <\/span>That\u2019s what Jesus has told you and it will happen just as he said.<\/p>\n

But how can we know?\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0How can we be sure when those storms come?\u00a0 Well first of all, God is bigger than those storms.\u00a0 Think about it.\u00a0 From where did God speak to Job.\u00a0 Out of a storm.\u00a0 God is bigger than those storms that come your way.\u00a0 Or think about what that storm \u00a0had to do when Jesus spoke.\u00a0 It had to be quiet before him.\u00a0 Our God is bigger than those storms that make us feel weak and small.<\/p>\n

Yet this courage is about more than knowing God\u2019s power.\u00a0\u00a0 More than anything we find courage in knowing God\u2019s love for us.\u00a0 \u00a0For look what he did for you.\u00a0 \u00a0God did not spare his own Son but gave him up for you<\/span>.\u00a0 He gave him to live for you.\u00a0 He gave him to take your guilt and mine.\u00a0 He gave him to pay the price to set us free.\u00a0 Then God raised him to show you, yes it\u2019s true.\u00a0 So if you have any doubts that God cares for you, any doubts that God will help you through the storm, look at his love.\u00a0 Look at his love for you in Christ.\u00a0 Look at his amazing grace that saved a wretch like me.\u00a0 I was once was lost but now am found was blind but now I see. <\/em><\/p>\n

So keep up your courage.<\/strong> But don\u2019t try to do that alone.\u00a0 God\u2019s plan is for us to gather.\u00a0 And encourage one another.\u00a0 Then yes, the storms will come.\u00a0 They may fill our life with trouble. But together we can face them with this confidence.\u00a0 It will happen just as God told you<\/strong>, just as God promised.\u00a0 Amen.<\/p>\n

The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.\u00a0 Amen<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Acts 27: 13-26 13 When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had obtained what they wanted; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. 14 Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the \u201cnortheaster,\u201d swept down from the island. 15 The ship was caught by the storm and could not head […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermon"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=338"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/338\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":340,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/338\/revisions\/340"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}