When Morning Comes…(Part II)
Hillcrest Church,
August 24, 2008
Text
" Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. 2
The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. 3
Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4
When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, "This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live." 5
But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6
The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god. 7
There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and for three days entertained us hospitably. 8
His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. 9
When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. 10
They honored us in many ways and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed. 11
After three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in the island. It was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux. 12
We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days. 13
From there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on the following day we reached Puteoli. 14
There we found some brothers who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome. 15
The brothers there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these men Paul thanked God and was encouraged. 16
When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him." (Acts 28:1-16 NIV)
Introduction
Paul's four "Dark Nights of the Soul":
· The night of frustration and apparent fruitlessness (Troas - Macedonian vision – Acts 16)
· The night of fear and emotional depletion (Corinth – Acts 18)
· The night of controversy and self-examination (Jerusalem – Acts 23)
· The night of extreme circumstances (Mediterranean Sea – Acts 27)
Last week, we began dealing with "the morning after," Paul's "Malta moment."
First we noted the dynamic God used during the crisis to prepare and position Paul for leadership (prisoner – counselor – de-facto leader),:
· He distilled wisdom from experience
· He heard a fresh word from God when others heard nothing.
· He believed when others doubted. (This empowered him to do what others did not do.)
· He cared deeply about other people and knew that the outcome of his life directly impacted them.
· He understood the power of his own example.
· "There are times when one dedicated believer can change the whole atmosphere of a situation simply by trusting God and making that faith visible.[1]" (Warren Wiersbe)
Then, we began noting what Paul's " morning" was like:
· He had suffered unnecessary loss.
· He found himself in an unfamiliar place.
Let's go further this morning.
1. He had been thrust into an unexpected season.
Paul was a man who understood the value of time.[i]
"5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity." (Colossians 4:5 NIV)
"5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time." (Colossians 4:5 KJV)
"7 I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits." (1 Corinthians 16:7 NIV)
"29 What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none;" (1 Corinthians 7:29 NIV)
"4 But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law," (Galatians 4:4 NIV)
"9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9 NIV)
"7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8
that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9
And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10
to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ." (Ephesians 1:7-10 NIV)
"5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time." (1 Timothy 2:5-6 NIV)
"13 In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14
to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15
which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16
who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen."
(1 Timothy 6:13-16 NIV
Time that would have been productive for praying, reflecting, writing, and ministering had they wintered where they should have was lost forever. Now, Paul found himself in an unfamiliar place, lacking the scrolls and parchments he both cherished and needed in order to focus on his work. It looked like an entire season of time had been lost and his time here on Malta would be wasted.
Are you going through some season in life that you did not see coming?
- A childless woman facing menopause? - A hard-working career person facing postponed retirement?
- A grown ch
ild caring for a memory afflicted parent?
- A single person pushing back the panic that comes with the terrifying thought that you grappling with the sinking feeling that you may always live alone?
Are you somewhere you never thought you would be?
Are you in some segment or season or circumstance of life you thought would be a part of your journey or that you thought should be a part of your journey, that is now gone forever?
- Have you been displaced by Katrina or some other natural disaster?
- Have you fled a civ
il war in your home nation or moved to
America hoping for greater prosperity only to find yourself facing unemployment?
- Are you a spouse suddenly living in an achingly empty house?
- Are you a homeowner who cannot pay your mortgage and now must move to another neighborhood? (Last year was the first since WWII when the average American home lost value! Our economy has put many people in an unexpected place.)
- Are you a student whose parents have moved or who through some other circumstance has been forced to transfer to another school?
What God did for Paul He will do for you…!
Wherever you are, however you got there, God wants to bless you and teach you and use you to bring blessing to others…!
Because Paul refused to allow bitterness to infiltrate his heart or to develop a critical or jealous spirit, God redeemed his time on Malta in two very important ways:
· God opened a very fruitful door of ministry for him there.
· God used that time to give him a testimony that has encouraged, comforted, and inspired many, many others…!
ou not only overcome persecution and temptation through "…the word of your testimony…(Rev. 12:11)" but you can also overcome the guilt of the failures of your past by bringing benefit to others through your story…!
Other examples from Paul's life show how he was able to redeem what others would have considered to be lost or wasted time.
- He preached one of his greatest sermons wh
ile he was waiting in
Athens.
" 16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17
So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there... 19
Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?... "22
Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23
For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you… 34
A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others. " (Acts 17:16-17, 19, 22-23, 34 NIV)
- He wrote many of his best epistles wh
ile
in prison.
" 9 Do your best to come to me quickly, 10
for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. 11
Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. 12
I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 13
When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments." (2 Timothy 4:9-13 NIV)
Many times, the "little" thing that you do while you are "waiting" for the "big" thing to happen turns out to be the "big" thing…!
In order for this to happen, you must make four critical choices:
· You must choose to move from bitterness and blame to forgiveness.
· You must choose to move from fear to faith.
· You choose to move your focus from your loss in the past to your life in the present.
· You choose to lift your eyes from your own needs and start looking at the needs of those around you.
Ø touch your eyes with the tips of your fingers and say aloud with me, "Lord, open my eyes by your spirit and help me to see what you want me to see in my surroundings."
As God opens your eyes, He will invariably show you the needs of other people around you. This is an extremely important part of the process when one finds oneself in a "Malta moment."
2. He was surrounded by an unknown people.
He did not have any friends, Christian brothers and sisters, or even acquaintances at Malta as was the case at some other stops on this same journey, i.e., Sidon (27:3) before the storm or Puteoli (28:13) and the Forum of Appius (28:15) after the storm:
"3 The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs." (Acts 27:3 NIV)
"13 From there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on the following day we reached Puteoli. 14
There we found some brothers who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome. 15
The brothers there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these men Paul thanked God and was encouraged. 16
When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him." (Acts 28:13-16 NIV)
Because he was surrounded by unknown people…
· There was not anyone to care for him.
· There was not anyone to sympathize or commiserate with him.
· There was not anyone to appreciate his gifts.
· There was not anyone to honor him for his past sacrifices
· There is not even any specific mention of anyone ever thanking him for his extraordinary leadership during the crisis just passed, neither captain, centurion, soldier, or prisoner…! (The prisoners had been in double jeopardy, both from the soldiers and from the storm…!)
SOMETIMES IN LIFE, THE PEOPLE YOU HELP THE MOST SEEM TO APPRECIATE IT THE LEAST…! When that happens, rejoice in the fact that you are becoming more like Jesus than before…! (Only one out of ten lepers returned to thank Jesus, etc.)
Part of what God had been doing in Paul's life during the preceding chapters of the Book of Acts was establishing his reputation among a certain sphere of influence, thereby positioning Paul to exercise his apostolic ministry among that network of churches and that group of people.
Now, in this new place, through no fault of his own, but simply as a result of his circumstances, he not only found himself lacking his good reputation, but Satan saw to it that he quickly developed a bad reputation by seizing a cultural "key" as a means to discredit him…! God, however, delivered Paul and used that same "key" to quickly restore Paul's reputation…!
"4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, "This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live."" (Acts 28:4 NIV)
Ancients argued in courts that their survival of troubles at sea proved their piety and hence innocence; on the importance of arguing Paul's innocence, see the introduction to Acts. In some stories, the impious escaped one form of terrible death (e.g., at sea) only to face something worse (besides Greek stories, see Amos 5:19). "Justice" was a goddess who executed the will of Fortune or the Fates; although the Maltese observers refer to some Punic deity, Luke translates their idea into the idiom of Greek poets…Some Greek initiates to mystery cults may have practiced snake handling. Paul simply deals in faith with a situation thrust upon him. 28:6. Whenever sim
ilar stories were told, those who survived bites from poisonous snakes or lizards were considered holy men (e.g., the pious Jewish holy man
Hanina ben Dosa); Greco-Roman paganism often considered such holy men to be divine or
semidivine.
…(IVP)
One of the most important skills we can learn in life is the ability to perceive where we are and how God wants us to function here, realizing that it may be very different from the way we functioned there…!
This is true on the job, in ministry, when marrying into an extended family, when enrolling in a new school, etc. God used this opportunity to connect Paul with new people.
New relationships rarely feel as comfortable or as valuable as old relationships.
Do not make the common, yet tragic, mistake of allowing your relational loss to rob you of your relational future…!
His new relationships brought new opportunities for ministry and for prosperity.
Ø Say it out loud with me, "Lord, I commit to you today that I will open my heart and my life to the new relationships you want to bring me in this new place and this new season of my life."
3. He was facing unusual opportunities.
· Unusual witness (both to Maltans and to us…!)
· Unusual favor ("…islanders showed us unusual kindness…built a fire and welcomed us…")
The Maltese were of Phoenician descent, and commoners there spoke and read only Punic (the late Phoenician dialect of the Carthaginians). But Roman citizens and retired soldiers also lived there, and the island was certainly not considered culturally primitive. Anyone who did not speak Greek was called a "barbarian," and Greeks did not expect kind treatment from them. (IVP)
· Unusual miracles ("…Publius, the chief official of the island…father was sick…")
…the Maltese were affected by a special sickness due to a microbe in the milk of the goats there; although such organisms would have mutated over the centuries, perhaps a similar illness is in view here. The attacks are intermittent, and the sickness described here is similar to malaria. (IVP) · Unusual provision
God moved on the hearts of unknown people to make up Paul and Barnabas's loss (so he could rent his house in Rome?!)
"Green park bench testimony in Paris" (Word from God – "I am far too wise and I love you far too much than to meet your needs today through means that tomorrow would hinder you from doing my will!")
Car story in the 16th (Following theft of "Ford," God gave us a " Volkswagen" – the car I wanted from the beginning…!)
THE "COIN" YOU NEED IS IN THE "FISH'S MOUTH…!
As you meet the needs of others, God will meet your needs! True in ministry, true in the marketplace (Your value in the marketplace is determined by the needs you meet for others and the problems you solve for others…!)
" 24 After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, "Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?" 25
"Yes, he does," he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. "What do you think, Simon?" he asked. "From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own sons or from others?" 26
"From others," Peter answered. "Then the sons are exempt," Jesus said to him. 27
"But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours." " (Matthew 17:24-27 NIV)
"18 Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and asked, "Would you please tell me where the seer's house is?" 19
"I am the seer," Samuel replied. "Go up ahead of me to the high place, for today you are to eat with me, and in the morning I will let you go and will tell you all that is in your heart. 20
As for the donkeys you lost three days ago, do not worry about them; they have been found. And to whom is all the desire of Israel turned, if not to you and all your father's family?"" (1 Samuel 9:18-20 NIV)
" At that time Abijah son of Jeroboam became ill, 2
and Jeroboam said to his wife, "Go, disguise yourself, so you won't be recognized as the wife of Jeroboam. Then go to Shiloh. Ahijah the prophet is there—the one who told me I would be king over this people. 3
Take ten loaves of bread with you, some cakes and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy." 4
So Jeroboam's wife did what he said and went to Ahijah's house in Shiloh. Now Ahijah could not see; his sight was gone because of his age. 5 But the Lord had told Ahijah, "Jeroboam's wife is coming to ask you about her son, for he is ill, and you are to give her such and such an answer. When she arrives, she will pretend to be someone else." 6
So when Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps at the door, he said, "Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why this pretense? I have been sent to you with bad news." (1 Kings 14:1-6 NIV)
"26 But Elisha said to him, "Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money, or to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, flocks, herds, or menservants and maidservants?" (2 Kings 5:26 NIV)
"32 Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. The king sent a messenger ahead, but before he arrived, Elisha said to the elders, "Don't you see how this murderer is sending someone to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold it shut against him. Is not the sound of his master's footsteps behind him?"" (2 Kings 6:32 NIV)
"7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8
Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." (Matthew 6:7-8 NIV)
Invitation
1. Do you need God to help you "make it through the night until morning comes" or to "maximize your Malta moment?"
2. Do you need to begin a relationship with Jesus Christ? There is no better time to do that than during a "dark night of the soul" or as the morning breaks following a stormy season in your life!
Maybe you have just gone through a divorce or you have just got out of jail or you have just lost a job or you have just started a new career or a new relationship. Right now is the right time to serve the Lord!
Notes:
IVP Bible Background commentary
28:1. Malta (ancient Melita) was on the shipping route from Rome to Egypt, whereby empty ships would sail quickly to Alexandria to load up more cargoes. …
28:3. In cold weather some snakes can look like twigs until the heat of a fire stirs them.
28:4. Ancients argued in courts that their survival of troubles at sea proved their piety and hence innocence; on the importance of arguing Paul's innocence, see the introduction to Acts. In some stories, the impious escaped one form of terrible death (e.g., at sea) only to face something worse (besides Greek stories, see Amos 5:19). "Justice" was a goddess who executed the will of Fortune or the Fates; although the Maltese observers refer to some Punic deity, Luke translates their idea into the idiom of Greek poets. Several groups of Jewish catacombs dating between the second and fifth centuries a.d. have been found on the island; but if Jewish people were on the island in the first century, this narrative does not mention them.
28:6. Whenever similar stories were told, those who survived bites from poisonous snakes or lizards were considered holy men (e.g., the pious Jewish holy man Hanina ben Dosa); Greco-Roman paganism often considered such holy men to be divine or semidivine. …
28:8–10. In subsequent times the Maltese were affected by a special sickness due to a microbe in the milk of the goats there; although such organisms would have mutated over the centuries, perhaps a similar illness is in view here. The attacks are intermittent, and the sickness described here is similar to malaria.
28:11. The seas opened as early as February 8 or as late as March 10, depending on the weather; in the year in view here they seem to open toward the earlier date. On Alexandrian ships see comment on 27:6; like most ships, this one would have harbored on the other side of the island. Ships were named for their patron deity (e.g., "the Isis") in whose protection they trusted and whose image was used as the ship's figurehead. The Dioscuri (Castor and Pollux, twin heroes, sons of Zeus who had been deified) were considered special protectors of ships, on whom one might call in a storm…
28:14. The Jewish community in Puteoli had been there a long time, as had Egyptian and Phoenician cults. As the regular port receiving visitors from the East, it naturally received foreign religions as well as goods. Thus it is not surprising to find Christians there; but readers of Luke's day might be more surprised that these Christians offer hospitality to Paul's captors, who accept it from them.
28:15. In older times, isolated inns had grown into larger settlements that retained the names of the inns. One of these was the Tres Tabernae, or Three Inns, thirty-three Roman miles from Rome on the ancient and famous Appian Way. The "Market of Appius," or Appii Forum, was about forty-three miles from Rome on the same paved road. Jewish communities had existed in Italy for a long time and may have formed the basis for the first Christian groups there (cf. 2:10).
New Bible Commentary
27:1–28:31 To Rome itself
27:1–12 Paul sails for Rome. … 1–2 The narrator once again uses we (see on 16:10; 21:8), to indicate his own presence on the voyage. The other notable characters in the story include a centurion named Julius, some other prisoners who were also in his charge and the Christian Aristarchus. About the latter, however, Acts does not tell any more (but see Col. 4:10 and Phm. 24, perhaps written during Paul's captivity in Rome).
27:13–44 Storm and shipwreck. The events of this final voyage to Rome might itself be considered a trial scene: trial by nature. There are various tales in the ancient world of people who commit crimes and though they escape from their human prosecutors, the gods, notably Poseidon the sea god, find them and punish them. That the sea 'spared' Paul through the shipwreck would not, of course, make the same supernatural point for Luke and for Christians, but the escape from the sea would have been charged with significance for most Gentiles of Luke's time (see 28:4 below)…
21–26 Paul's speech appears at first to have a touch of 'I told you so' about it, but in fact his previous advice is highlighted in order that the ship's crew might have more cause to believe this latest 'forecast', which came to Paul from God, through an angel. Not that everything was going to come out fine, there was to be danger and loss, but everyone would survive. The main thrust of Paul's address is found twice in the space of five verses: Keep up your courage, men.
The speech also tells us something about the nature of accidents and tragedies…
33–38 …Although some of the cargo had already been abandoned (18), the grain appears to have been retained as ballast. Now that the objective was to be beaching the ship, the higher it could be made to ride in the water, the better. It may have been the decision to throw the grain overboard that occasioned Paul's call for the people to eat first…
7–10 Eventually the party made contact with the Roman governor of the island, Publius. The sickness suffered by his father and cured by Paul is often thought to have been a local affliction caused by contamination of goat's milk (known widely as 'Malta fever'). Healing came about through prayer and the laying on of hands, and the prominence of the person healed led to much publicity. We may assume that Paul and the other Christians in the party preached the good news and had at least some success, even though the text is curiously silent about the matter, saying only that the natives honoured us in many ways. The islanders' good will stood the whole party in good stead and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed (10).[2]
