[효사랑시니어대학 • 경건회] 백승철 목사 | 항해 하더니 • 사도행전 27:13-26 #백승철목사 #효사랑 #효사랑시니어대학

Preacher: Pastor Baek Seung-cheol

Date: 2026-10-03

It might be difficult to preach in a place like Hyo Sarang Mission. This is because it wasn't designed by just one pastor. It seems that many famous pastors have preached here, so our seniors must have high expectations. If they sprout, it could be a big problem. Their level of expectation is indeed quite high. Today's sermon text is from Acts 27:13-26. Let's embark on a journey. Paul is returning to Jerusalem. After his third missionary journey, he is arrested. He goes through three trials, and after those trials conclude, he finally heads to Rome. He boards a ship at a point called Caesa, which is 2,500 miles away from Rome. They travel about 2,400 miles by sea. Isn't that incredible? Then they enter Rome by land for about 100 miles. The starting point of today's message is a very small harbor called the island of Crete. They are docked at a harbor named Myra. The peculiar thing is that ships cannot sail during the winter. The reason is that the weather is so bad that ships cannot set sail for about three months. This was common knowledge among the people of that time. So while the ship was docked at Myra, Paul makes a suggestion. He says, "Let's not leave. Let's wait out the winter here in Myra and then sail to Rome." He explains that if they move, the ship could be damaged, and they could face threats to their lives. Therefore, he suggests they wait out the winter in Myra before departing. What do you think happened? There were 276 people on board, including Paul. Was there even one person who agreed with Paul? No. If there had been even one person, Luke would have surely recorded that person's name. There was not a single person. The ship owner, the captain, and the experienced crew members all thought that the harbor of Myra was too poor. So they decided to go to the nearby harbor of Phoenix, which is about 40 miles away, because the conditions and environment there were much better. This was a very reasonable judgment. It makes sense that staying in a small harbor for three uncomfortable months is not as good as being in a better environment. However, if we observe closely with a microscope, we can discover a negative perspective in our faith: we often mistakenly think that good environments, good conditions, and success are conditions for blessings, and we may believe that these are the standards by which God judges. We may think that this is God's will, God's plan, and God's purpose. But all of that completely collapses. The majority opinion leads the ship to start moving toward the harbor of Phoenix. Now, look at verse 13. Let's read it together. "When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity, so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete." What kind of feeling does this evoke? You should think of Acts 27 and 28 as scenes from a movie, imagining yourself as the director. If you think of each scene as a shot, the scenes of this voyage will resonate in your ears and minds. If you consider verse 13 as one scene, what feeling does it evoke? It feels so calm. Can the world be so peaceful? The gentle south wind is blowing. They are sailing along the shore of Crete. It couldn't be better. It feels so peaceful. It seems like nothing is happening. What is the focus? They think they have achieved their goal. They believe that going to Phoenix is the right decision compared to staying in Myra. This is emphasized. Luke, who recorded this book of Acts, captures the hearts of the people on the ship and writes it down. They are feeling good about it. How happy they must be! And what do you think they talked about? They probably gossiped. "Look at Paul. That guy is a prisoner, yet he thinks he knows better than us about staying in Myra." They thought, "Paul was wrong." They believed they had achieved their goal, and this is all implied in the text. But look at verse 14. Life is truly mysterious. Not long after, a tempestuous wind called Euroclydon arose. This is just the beginning. It didn't take one or two years. Not long after, how could a tempest arise in a situation like verse 13? How could a typhoon occur? Such weather conditions don't happen often. This is a very special case. The Euroclydon wind is a typhoon. The NIV translates it as "northeaster," and other English translations refer to it as a "hurricane." So, the most powerful typhoon is now upon them. In verse 15, we see that the ship was caught and could not head into the wind, so they let her drive. What are they being driven by? The ship begins to move in the direction of the typhoon. In this scripture, the expression "could not head into the wind, so they let her drive" is repeated. The phrase "barely" is also repeated. Then, remember this situation as a series of scenes. They passed by a small island called Cauda, and they were able to secure a small boat. What is a small boat? Yes, a small lifeboat. This is what they call a "lifeboat." In the old translations, you can read about this in chapter 27. Yes, there are unfamiliar terms. A lifeboat is a small boat that is tied to the back of the ship for emergencies. They secured the lifeboat and pulled it up onto the deck. They reacted to the typhoon in every possible way. One thing not to overlook in verse 13 is that the New Korean Translation adds an adverb: "When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity and started to move." The direction toward Phoenix is not God's will. However, everything seems to fall perfectly into place. The land, the environment, and the timing all align perfectly. This scene of everything aligning is also found in the book of Jonah. Jonah was called by God and tried to escape. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. He was trying to escape from God, and everything went smoothly. How can everything align so perfectly? All the conditions were favorable. It was going incredibly well. But that path leads to destruction. It is a path to death. We can confirm this in the voyage. The ship is being pushed by the typhoon, moving past this small island called Cauda. This small island is the last island visible in the typhoon. So, they should have made every effort to settle there, but the scripture does not record such an effort. Imagine the scene of passing by that island. It was their last hope, their last chance. Although it was a small island, they needed to settle there to survive. Yet, they see the place where they could survive and simply pass by. Being pushed by the typhoon, how tragic is that? Look at verse 17. Let's read together. "They hoisted it up, and they used cables to undergird the ship; and fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear and so were driven along." Here, "driven along" is repeated. They are being pushed along by the typhoon, filled with all kinds of fear. They are letting everything go to the typhoon. They have no choice but to entrust everything to the storm of death. What does this mean? Do you want to live such a life? No, they should be avoiding the storm, but they have reached a point where they can only entrust everything to the storm. Look at verse 19. Let's read together. "On the third day, they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands." This is also a tragic scene. They throw everything away with their own hands. This is a large cargo ship. It carries all kinds of cargo, including grain. They throw it all into the sea. They are throwing it away with their own hands to lighten the ship. They are throwing everything into the sea to survive. The cargo and grain are no longer important; they are throwing everything away to preserve their lives. And in verse 20, they reach the final conclusion. Read it. "For many days neither sun nor stars appeared, and no small tempest beat on us; all hope that we would be saved was finally given up." Ah, this is the final conclusion. This is the conclusion reached by the 275 people on board, including Paul. For many days, about 14 days, they were driven by the storm, and some were throwing up. They couldn't see the sun or the stars, and it seemed like the days were overcast. The sun and stars served as their GPS. They needed to navigate according to these celestial bodies, but when they couldn't see the sun or stars, they had no idea where to go. "All hope that we would be saved was finally given up." The English translation captures this so well. "All hope was gone." They completely gave up all their hopes. They had no hope for survival. When they threw their money into the sea, when they cast their cargo overboard, there was still some hope. But that hope had completely vanished. There was no solution. There was no way out. If the scripture ended here, how tragic would that be? But then another scene emerges. Finally, who is the main character? It is Paul on the ship. Paul is the protagonist. His appearance signifies that there is something special to resolve this problem. Look at verse 22. Let's read verse 21 together. "But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, 'Men, you should have listened to me and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss.'" What do you think? Does verse 21 resonate with you? Wow, we are believers, and I said our level is quite high. Before the sermon, I mentioned that you are at a high level. When I look at verse 21, those who say it resonates with them have understood Paul's heart. This is a reminder that many people have been suffering from hunger for a long time. At that time, Paul recalls what he said before they set sail from Myra. "Why didn't you listen to me? If you had stayed in Myra, you wouldn't have experienced this disaster." Look at this. "It turned out well that you didn't listen to me." If you interpret this sarcastically, it could certainly be understood that way. But Paul is delivering the message he shared at Myra. Why? Because Paul's words are based on faith in God's word. So he reminds them of this message again. And in this reminder, there is not a single religious term. Is there any mention of God? Is there any mention of Jesus? Is there any mention of faith in salvation? Not at all. The content is based on God's word and faith, conveyed in a way that is easy for the people present to understand. Shouldn't our language be like that? As time goes by, the words we throw out should be based on God's word and faith, and those words will surely have an effect. So in verse 22, he says, "And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship." What good news this is! "I urge you to take heart." This phrase means "be joyful." It is a verb. It is the same meaning. The storm is raging, and these people are in a state where all hope has vanished, yet in that situation, he tells them to rejoice. Is there any better news than this? Have you ever heard anything like this in your life? There is no solution, yet there is a solution. There is no way out, yet there is a way out. They are destined to die, yet there is a way not to die. What is that? It is the gospel. The power of the gospel, the characteristics of the gospel, are so precious. We have contemplated the journey of Paul heading to Rome this morning. Through this voyage, we can confirm three important things through Paul's lips. First, look at verse 23. Let's read it together. "For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve." The first element we can confirm is belonging. When the storm was raging and people were engulfed in fear of death, Paul clearly expresses his belonging. "I belong to God." Not to the ship owner, not to the ship, not to you, but I belong to God, and I am a servant of that God. He is revealing this. It is difficult to declare that you are a Christian when death is looming like a storm. Is it possible to do that? During the Japanese colonial period, when the Shinto shrine worship was enforced, many people thought it was nothing. They could just bow to the shrine and pass through that era comfortably. But there were those who went to prison and suffered to keep their faith. When we calculate the percentage of Christians who stood firm in their beliefs during that time, it was less than one-tenth. Pastor Park Ji-dong, whom I served with, was also a former president of the Korean Presbyterian Church. He suffered because of his faith. His parents did not send him to school. The final grade was elementary school. He became a pastor after taking the high school equivalency exam. When he went to school, he had to bow to the shrine and study, and that system was unbearable for him. It is remarkable to reveal one's faith when it is difficult. In 2007, what happened? At Sammul Church, which is also our Korean Presbyterian Church, 23 missionaries went to Afghanistan and were all captured. Two were shot dead. In 2004, what happened? We all know too well about Kim Sun-il. He was a Christian. Yes, he was a lay missionary. He appeared on TV. How did he appear? He was pleading, "I want to live. Please help me. I really want to live." He was crying, and people watched that scene. "How can a person who believes in Jesus confess like that?" He was desperately preaching the gospel, and it was a great opportunity. That YouTube video is still alive today. While preaching the gospel, how can you plead for your life? When a serious situation arises at the door of death, it is incredibly difficult to reveal the fact that you belong to God. This is directly related to your life. Peter also failed, didn't he? Yes. Therefore, as we live the remainder of our lives, I hope that the lives of the seniors here at Hyo Sarang will be a journey where their belonging is revealed until the moment their lives are taken. Amen. The second thing we can confirm is in verse 24. Let's read it together. "Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed, God has granted you all those who sail with you." The second aspect is ministry. It is God's calling. God's calling does not change. If God has called Baek Seung-cheol to be a pastor, that fact does not change. Do you believe this? Amen. If God has called you as an elder, as a servant of God, as a child of God, that calling will never change. Who can damage that unchanging fact? We damage it ourselves. We humans damage it, but in our relationship with God, it is never damaged. In this urgent situation, Paul confirms his ministry. How amazing it is that God spoke to him! In Acts 19, Paul receives the calling to preach the gospel in Rome. Then in chapter 23, Jesus appears again and clearly testifies to him. In chapter 27, amidst the turmoil, he reassures him once more. "All those who are here have been given to me." The verb "given" comes from the word for gift or grace. You are a gift from God to me. You are grace given to me by God. Therefore, not a single one of you will be harmed. Is that true? Amen. All 276 people will survive. If one minister of God's calling is rightly present among the multitude, many will be saved. In our ministry, I teach the Bible and culture. When I assigned homework, one senior said it was too difficult. They said it was hard to even open their eyes. They were exhausted and struggling. "At your age, shouldn't you be living more comfortably?" Yes. Why are you doing this until the end of your registration? And you don't just let the things you learn pass by; you utilize them. It seems there is nothing like this. Yes, it seems there is no organization like this. You have speakers, you go to mission fields, and you are using it to preach the gospel, so you are living so well. I bless and support the lives of our seniors who carry out the ministry God has given them until the very end. Amen. The third confirmation is in verse 25. Let's read it together. "Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me." Is there such assurance? Amen. There is nothing better than this. As I live my life on this earth, I believe that it will be just as God has told me. I am not believing in myself; I believe in God. Amen. The Bible consists of 66 books, and this word of God should come into my heart and be realized as I live on this earth. Amen. It should not end with me but should flow down as a legacy of faith to my descendants. I believe that the word of God will be fulfilled just as He has said. I pray that such a history will surely be accomplished in the remainder of my life. It is powerful. Therefore, we will certainly run aground on a certain island. We will not be sent off without reaching the island designated by God, and we declare that all will survive. Today's message will once again lead us to the kingdom of God in Korea, where our faith and belief will be revealed, where we will fully complete the ministry entrusted to us, and where we will live a journey that fulfills God's word as it is. I pray that this will be our path of ministry. Amen.