Eastside Missionary Baptist Church

Euroclydon 
Surviving Life’s Storms!
Text: Acts 27:1-44
Introduction: A Category 4 Hurricane name IDA was reported to hit South Louisiana my original home area tonight.  Storms Happen.  I been through lots of big Weather Storms/ Hurricanes. Betsy 1965, Edith 1971, Camille 1969, Carmon 1974, Frederick 1979, Juan 1985, Bonnie 1986, Andrew 1992, and are some of the ones I remember surviving.       
Life is like a voyage. And the circumstances of life are like the weather. Sometimes there's smooth sailing, sometimes there's storms. And we're caught up sometimes in these storms because we are sailing on the sea of time between two eternities. Our lives are like that, there will be storms. An entire chapter of the Bible is devoted to a storm and a shipwreck! This story tells us how to Survive  the storms of life. The storms of our life sometimes are not our fault-like Paul here in this story. Other times, the storms of our life come because we are sailing contrary to the will of God-like the owner of the ship, captain, and centurion.  (Example: Jonah) Sometimes there is smooth sailing. At other times, we will encounter storms because we are sailing on the sea of time between two eternities. Decisions are made before and during our storms of life.  The owner and the master of this ship decided to sail despite bad weather and the warning by God’s man Paul not to sail. (Acts 27:9-11) 
So, they sailed contrary to God’s will. They ran into a hurricane while at sea. Acts 27:13-14, 
This was a 14-day storm involving 276 souls named Eurockydon!  Let’s learn how Surviving Life’s Storms, floods, tornadoes, and even hurricanes that we all will face in our lives.
I.  FIVE WAYS TO SINK YOUR SHIP IN LIFE’S STORMS       
ACTS 27:9-14
Troubles and trails are a lot likes babies - they grow larger if you nurse them. 
1.) The Compulsive Way   Acts 27:9, 
2.) The Consultation Way     Acts 27:10-11
3.) The Comfortable Way    Acts 27:12
4.) The Consensus Way       Acts 27:12      
5.) The Circumstances Way   Acts 27:13
II. GOD CAN GUARD YOU IN OR FROM THE STORMS OF LIFE   
Acts 27:22-24
A.) Storms We Are in Today
B.) Storms of Tomorrow    Luke 21:16-18, John 11:26
III. GOD CAN GLADDEN US IN OUR STORMS   ACTS 27:20-22,
A.) Wandering Out of Control        Acts 27:15
B.) Transgression Is Hard Work     Acts 27:16
C.) Sin Is Wasteful            Acts 27:18-19, 
D.) Wishing Won’t Work    Acts 27:29, 
E.) No Withdrawal from The Storm   Acts 27:30-31,
While trials, suffering and pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.  
God has a way of gladdening us in our storms.
IV. GOD’S GUIDANCE THROUGH THE STORMS OF LIFE      
Acts 27:23-24, ACTS 23:14
A.) Acts 27  Was the Will of God for Paul.
B.) Where Man Rules, God Overrules.
Conclusion: A jeweler gives as one of the surest tests for diamonds the ‘water test’.  He says: ‘An imitation diamond is never so brilliant as a genuine stone.  If your eye is not experienced enough to detect the difference, a simple test is to place the stone under water. The imitation diamond is practically extinguished. A genuine diamond sparkles under water and is distinctly visible.  If you place a genuine stone beside an imitation under water, the contrast will be apparent to the least experienced eye.’   Many seem confident of their faith so long as they have no trials; but when the waters of sorrow and affliction overflow them, their faith loses its brilliancy.  It is under these circumstances that the true children of God shine as genuine jewels.  
Job 23:10, I Peter 1:7, Acts 16:25-26