Look at Acts chapter 27 and verse 12, and I'm going to ask you to hold your Bibles there. This is going to be part one of a two-part sermon. We'll finish it off next Wednesday. That was not my intentions in the beginning of putting this sermon together, but as I worked on it thoroughly this morning, I began to look at the depth and the length of the particular message, and I thought to myself, let's just cut this thing in the middle here and we'll finish it off next week. So we begin to look at what happens in the twenty-seventh chapter of Acts, and as you know, there's only twenty-eight chapters in that entire book, and we find out what happens in Paul's life as we get toward the end when he finally gets to Rome. But in the midst of this travel, in the midst of what happens here, we see a reflection in our own life. Many a times in life, decisions are made based on what may or may not happen, and souls of men and women begin to search the what-ifs and the could-happens of life. We all do it, we all HAVE done it, and we probably all will do it again in the upcoming days, months, and weeks, and years. But oftentimes when we focus on the what-ifs and we focus on the could-happens and this and that, it's oftentimes a negative outlook. Rarely ever do we begin to look at things of the what-ifs and the could-haves or could-happens, and is it positive in our own mind? The outlook has resulted in overwhelming fear and a focus on what, in reality, the best of best terms, a fictitious event, something that hasn't even happened and more than likely will not happen, but we engage and we try to navigate our life through that particular event that is just a facade. The choices are determined in situations like this by emotions. They're determined by maybe desires, but quite often, more than not, they're actually determined by comfort. Despite the popular opinion that may uphold in today's world all three of these areas of decisions a Decision-making are not the most healthy our lives guys. Our lives are like a vessel if you will That's sailing on seas the seas of life that I'm calling and sometimes they are difficult to navigate While other days they're just filled with ease nevertheless guys when we make a choice based on what is comfortable and The consequences typically turn out to be troubling to say the least and devastating and the worst. In Acts 27, we find 276 souls on board a ship sailing towards Rome. The events that follow can be traced back to one single decision and its foundation, which I've titled today, Seeking Comfort in the Sea of Life. Seeking Comfort in the Seas of Life. I want to bring a message this morning. I want to bring this message today, looking at the journey of Paul and Luke, mind you. I mean, you know, they got on this ship, a ship of Edremitium, which became a prison vessel. They were part of 276 souls that were on board, and Acts 27 is actually written in the first person by Luke the physician. I mean, this dear friend of Paul who was picked up in Troas during Paul's second mission trip and church-planting endeavor is now on a prison ship with Paul. I mean, it's important for us to note and to really look at that before we get into the depths of it. Luke's a great man of God. Luke writes two books of the Bible. He writes the Gospel according to Luke, and of course, he writes the book of Acts. Keep in mind this morning, Paul's the prisoner. Paul's falsely accused. Paul is the one that is arrested. Paul is the one that appealed to Caesar, yet Luke is with him. I mean, my soul, I mean, you know, we find Paul's last letter written in AD 68, just weeks away from his execution, and this is what he says, is with me." He says, take Mark and bring him with you, for he is probable to be under the ministry. Two men Paul mentions in the last days and last weeks of his life on this earth. He mentions John Mark. John Mark spent 20 years proving himself, proving himself to the Apostle Paul after leaving him on the field. He left Paul and Barnabas on the field, and the Bible says, and went not with them to the work, and then we have Luke. Only Luke is with me. And Paul mentions them in his final letter. They're worth, they're a benefit to him. Beloved, these are the kind of friends in life. especially in the ministry, who are difficult to come by, dependable men, dependable friends who are gonna be there no matter what. Come rain, sunshine, sleet, runny nose, cough, uncomfortable in life, things aren't just going the way they should, they got a responsibility, they don't short shake that responsibility, not only to the man of God, but to the ministry at hand. Man, Luke, what a friend to have. Like Luke, friends like Luke, guys, and the ones that who fight battle, they are the ones who fight battles for you when you're not around over and over. And again, I'm gonna say this, they are few and far between. I had a man tell me one time in life, he said that if you can end up at the end of your days, you'll be the wealthiest man on the earth if you can count true friends on one hand. But not only that, but a friend like this gets the work done. My friend, no man is an island. No man is a one-man operation, at least not for long. And none of us are as strong as all of us. Friends who will go to the work with you are priceless. They're rare. They are a diamond in the world filled with coal. So having said all that, the text reveals a characteristic. Our text this morning Obviously President Paul's day in the first century, which really and truly I believe has become most prevalent in the 21st century. As a matter of fact, it has become a plague to mankind in our world today. So looking back at our text this morning, we find one phrase within that verse that you heard Andy read. It says, not commodious. Now, that simply means It is a compound definition of both words, not commodious, and it simply means uncomfortable and inconvenient. So with this thought, I want us to back up a few verses. If you've got your Bibles open there, Acts 27, otherwise I'll have them on the screen, and I want us to see the context of the passage at hand today. In Acts 27, verse 9, watch this. The Bible says, now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, now I'm gonna stop for just a second. Some of the things that you're gonna hear this morning should be common sense. I think we just hit one, didn't we? When sailing was dangerous. I don't know about you, but when the time came that sailing was dangerous, that's a good show, that's a good sign to say, let's not go sailing today, okay? But hey, look, I'm not a sailor, I don't play, I didn't play one on TV, so I don't know, but I know now that time was dangerous to go sailing. Now notice with me here, because the fast was now already passed, Paul admonished them and said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with herd and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also our lives. Nevertheless, the centurion," watch this, "...believed the master and the owner of the ship more than those things which are spoken by Paul. So before we get into our text, which is verse 12 this morning, we see that Paul admonishes the centurion, he admonishes the shipmaster, he admonishes the owner of the ship. The word admonish means to warn, okay? It means to advise. You know, and I can testify to this probably more than I'm proud of, that the warnings and the admonishments and the advisement that has gone out to couples and to men and to women and to young people in their life, and they just disregard it. They just go ahead and, no, we're going to do it our way. We're going to do it the way we feel. We're going to do this. We're going to do that. We want to be comfortable over here. And I've seen the results in their lives as a result thereof. Paul simply says, sirs, I perceive that this voice will be with her to much damage, not only of the lady and the ship, but also our lives." So the WARNING is there. The ADVISEMENT has been made by a man of God. Mind you, it's by a man of God who hasn't been wrong yet. And I don't know if they knew this or not, but I do know this, they were given keen instructions to guard Paul's life. They knew in their heart and their mind there was something special about this guy. Out of the 276 souls, even poor Luke, they didn't say anything about Luke. Luke's not even a prisoner, he didn't even do anything wrong, he wasn't falsely accused, it was Paul that was falsely accused, and Luke's like, hey, I'm going with him, I'm not going to leave him nor forsaken, I'm in here with him until the end, amen? And they told that ship master, they told that centurion, you guard his life, you guard Paul's life, and yet he's giving them the admonishment. And what do they do with it? So now since we know the context of verse 12, again, we go back to the idea that where they were in the fair haven was not commodious, it was not comfortable, it was an inconvenient place to winter in. So now that we have the context of verse 12, Let's return and let's get the picture, get the picture with me. Look in your Bibles at verse 12. I'll have it on the screen in a moment, but get the picture with me. It says that much time was spent, they were there, much time had went by. It was a time now that sailing was dangerous, okay? I don't know how to make that a more simple phrase. It's just, now's not the time to go sailing. Pretty cut and dry. Warning was given for the ship and the lives of the people on the ship. Okay, so first of all, we spend a lot of time where we are. Now the seas, we've been here so long, now sailing is a dangerous time. We need to stay the winter here. Also, mind you, that everybody's gonna die and the ship's gonna be destroyed. That's where we are now to make a decision. And the centurion took the words of others over Paul, over the man that he was being given keen instructions to guard his life. So we see in our opening text, notice here if you will, in the very first part of the opening text today, and because the haven was not commodious to enter in, I want you to focus in on that phrase, and because. How many decisions have we made in our life that follow the word because? Every one of them. and because the bills were late, and because I lost my job, and because I didn't get out of bed, and because X, Y, Z, and you fill in the blank. Some of them we make excuses, and because I didn't feel good, and because I overslept, which I'm just going to be honest with you, those are weak. They're excuses. They're not reasons. But a decision is made here. A choice to leave where they were was made here solely because it wasn't convenient to spend the wintertime in the fair haven. And because the haven was not commodious to enter in, the more part advised to depart thence, if by any means they might attain to Pharnaces and there to winter, which is a haven of Crete, that lieth toward the southwest and the northwest." Did you catch that? They're in a place of safety and security, but it's not fun. There's no entertainment there, no comfort there, but it's safe. It's secure. And they're looking across way over the way. Maybe they're looking on their map, they're looking through whatever, but they're looking across and in their heart and their mind that if we can just get over there, if we can get to Phanesi, if we can get there, that's a haven in Crete. It's got all the bells and whistles there. Oh, it's got the entertainment, it's got the pubs, it's got the restaurants, it's got the spas, it's got the Wi-Fi, it's got, oh, if we can just get there, we'll be okay. But the more part, the majority advised to depart the Fairhaven simply because it was not commodious to winter. And I realize hindsight is 20-20, I get that, I understand it. But how often do we see people, young and old alike, children, teens, young adults, make choices in their lives solely because the alternative was just simply inconvenient? It was uncomfortable. I realize I've told this story over and over and over, and Carol remembers this one like yesterday. She loves it. But I can remember as a young man coming out of college that I watched my dad, blow the knee amputee, work all day long at school, come home, work in the garden, work in the yard, dig this, do that, and I'd help him on all this and that, and he'd come in and he'd lay down, his back hurting, his residual limb hurting, his body hurting, he's tired, but it's a Wednesday. It's a Wednesday night. What's Wednesday night? Wednesday night's church night. And he'd get up, and I'd hear him. He'd get off that saddy, And I remember saying, Dad, I said, I mean, you're tired, man. Your back hurts, your leg hurts, your limb hurts, everything hurts. You've worked hard today. I said, well, why are you going to church on a Wednesday night? Just take it easy. And he said, B, I don't want to go every Wednesday. But every time I go when I don't want to go, God has a plan for me there. He has a blessing for me there. You know, man, he had every right Every justification to just not do. It wasn't convenient. It wasn't comfortable. But he did it anyway. And God blessed him. How many decisions have you made because it wasn't convenient? Because it didn't fit into your schedule? Maybe it was uncomfortable. The whole book, the whole chapter here, the whole event of what happens to that ship comes back to this moment because it was not commodious to winter in. Simply put, it wasn't convenient. It wasn't comfortable. Beloved, taking the path of least resistance will always make rivers and men crooked. The choice has been made because there may be some difficulty involved where our feet are. Too many will run and seek comfort, they'll seek ease, they'll seek a commodious lifestyle instead of remaining in the place less convenient, learning what the Lord has in store for them on the other side. By the way, I gave you the definition of what NOT commodious means, but do you know what the literal definition of commodious means, of what it actually means? It means comfortably or conveniently spacious. roomy, handy, serviceable. Let me put it in our terms today. It means not having a 27-inch doorway, okay? I don't know about you, Dev, I don't know. Do you bump into your, you probably got bigger doorways than we do. We found out our house is 124 years old. There we go. I bump into every single doorway in our house. I'm like a pinball inside that place. And trying to come in with bags on, it's not convenient, it's not comfortable, but it's our home. I'm not going to not go through them. I'm not going through that door. I'm going to stand out here in the rain. You see what I'm saying? That's the sense that it makes, the decision they made today. Commodious simply means comfortable or conveniently spacious, roomy, handy, and serviceable. And let that sink in for a minute. Because the Fair Haven wasn't comfortably spacious, let's just risk everyone's lives trying to find ease and comfort. Now, I say it like that, and we knock ourself on the head and go, man, what's wrong with these people? You mean to tell me that 274 of the 276 have no common sense? How often do we do it? How often do we make decisions and choices in our life just because the alternative is a little less comfortable? Just because where I am right here right now is not convenient, rather than staying where my feet are. and let the Lord lead me in the direction. He let me learn from the situation at hand. Let me say this to you this morning. Resistance will make you a stronger Christian. And I'm not talking about you resisting God. That's called rebellion and it's the equivalent of witchcraft. But inconvenient days, weeks, and months will make you a stronger year. It'll make a stronger parent. It'll make a stronger wife. It'll make a stronger husband. It'll make a stronger citizen. It'll make a stronger employee, missionary, pastor, preacher. It'll make a stronger church member. And the list goes on. Difficulty is designed and designated and delineated and determined your steps. All of those things will only make you better in the long run. Without difficulty. You become weak, sensitive, easily moved, confused, might even say delusional, and eventually depressed in a darkened state of mind. No leader in this world has ever existed without difficulty in the backside. You want to lead your home? Then face up to the difficulties. Take a stand. I've had men ask me in the past about being leaders of their home, and I ask them what they're doing to lead their home, and why I got married, and I say, that ain't good enough. That ain't good enough. Your position as a husband has a requirement, it has a detailed list of what you need to do, and you lead with an open hand and an open heart and kind words, but you lead. If you can't lead or you choose not to lead, you're making decisions based on comfort and ease in your life. But being a leader is going to come with a cost. But you'll be stronger for it. You may say, why? Because if you always look for a way to escape difficulty, which is part of life, mind you, mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, you will break down. and you'll give heed to carnal and sensual and even devilish advice of the world. And we all know where that ends. I want you to notice the results here this morning. Notice the results of this decision made. Notice the results of making such carnal and weak choices based on pure emotions. Read with me in Acts 27. Read it from your Bible or see if you can see it from the screen. Verse 13, the Bible says, And when the south wind blew softly, supposing they had obtained their purpose loosing, thence they sailed close by Crete. But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind called Yerakladon. And when the ship was called and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive. And running under a certain island, which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat, which when they had taken up and used helps under girding the ship and fearing lest they should fall into the quicksand, straked sails, and so were driven. We being exceedingly tossed with tempest, the next day they lightened the ship, and the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship. And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away." Did you catch those last few words? Taken away. Remember, they set sail against the advisement of the Apostle Paul, and did so because the Fair Haven was not a convenient or comfortable place to winter in. I mean, what was missing, I assume, was the safe spaces, the coffee shops, the Wi-Fi. There was no hammocks in the sun or island on the sands. They would have actually had to WORK for their food. Who knows, guys? I don't know the details, I just know that it wasn't a place of comfort that they would want to spend for a few months. So here's their current situation. What does Luke say here as a result of that? That storm rolls in, that big old tempestuous wind, that thing comes in there and it begins to BLOW, and it says that they had to, speaking of the ship with the wind, we had to let her dry. Verse 15 says, And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive. Guess what? They had CONTROL over here in the Fair Havens. This over here, the place of security and safety, they had control. They could kick back, they could play cards, they may have been tight spaces, they may not have had entertainment. Hey, they HAD that here, but they had safety. But they CHOSE to leave. And beloved, when they chose to leave, here's what happens. Their choices were removed. Now they're into the consequences. All hope was taken away from them. They had a choice while they were in a fair haven, but because they would not be comfortable there to winter, they fled a place of safety, security, and even a place of strength. The more part led by their emotions, the majority And now the consequences were driving them. Watch what it says there. It says, we let her drive. The results of their choices based on emotions, we said, man, now we can't control it. It's out of our control. Now we're in the consequences, so we just let her drive. The results were out of their hands. They had control in the Fair Havens, but they did not have control in the sea. It was the sea and the winds that were controlling them. And the sea of life was now running the ship. Now it is in the midst of a tempest. It was having their way with them, and now they're in the midst of turmoil, this tempestuous wind called Eroclodon. That word Eroclodon only occurs in this chapter, and it literally means a violent agitation. And a northeast winds caused by a storm from the southeast. The word tempestuous is used, which means like a whirlwind. I mean, for all practical purposes, they're probably in the midst of a hurricane. When we see how long this storm lasts, 14 some odd days, that's probably what they're in. I don't know. But this was their choice. I mean they may not have HAD to weather the weather channel like we have, but they had the man of God, I'll tell you that. We have the weather channel and weather radios and sirens and all these things that tell us to do this, that, and the other, but they had the man of God WARNING them to make the right decisions. And beloved, you may not have a spiritual weather channel today. We may not have a device to tell us what specifically will happen tomorrow, but you've got a preacher, you've got a man warning you and teaching you and giving you the whole counsel of God, and it's your choice this morning to make decisions accordingly. What you do with it is what you do with it. Secondly, not only do they have to let it drive the results of their own personal choices, now they're in the midst of despair. And verse 20 says, And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was taken away. Now guess who's writing this? Luke. You know, the guy who wasn't accused of anything. The guy who was there just to support his dear friend Paul. He says, all hope. that we should be saved was taken away. I have read this, I have written this verse probably a thousand times, and every single time I come to the verse, each time I read it, it digs in just a little bit deeper. It stirs up memories, thoughts of the past, when ill choices were made and when consequences of tepestuous winds came into my life. These winds of consequences rolled in, overwhelming pressures of despair. I don't know if you've ever been there, but I have. Of when the feelings that no hope that I would be saved, barrel in like a freight train. Despair. The literal feeling of no hope, which causes many to fall. Guys, this is a feeling like none other. It is an experience I wish no one to have. So here they are. They had to let go. They made a choice in the Fair Havens, now the choice is up to, they're in the midst of the consequences. We just had to let her drive, there's nothing we can do now. We had the choice, we lost it, now it's just up to the winds and the storm. It's up to the sea of life. The result of that was utter desperation. On the next day, still in the midst of the storm, they started to lighten the ship. Now get the picture with me. The goods, the personal items, they start chucking them off, extra things are all removed. And in the midst of despair, things in life that seemed to be so important, all of a sudden they lose their appeal. Well, I gotta keep that book, I gotta keep this, I gotta keep, and they're taking these things with them. Now, because of their choices, now because of desperation, the only thing that was important was survival. They're cutting weight in the midst of the winds of consequence, loss. By the third day, they started emptying the ship of their tackling, which means any apparatus, equipment, or furniture, tools, et cetera. They're all thrown overboard. The only thing in their mind right now is saving lives. That wasn't just extra personal items when you're throwing the tackling off. Now anything of weight, anything that is even needed for life or to help the sailboat go where it needed to go, it was removed because of the current storm, because they don't seem like they have any option. Think about it. These decisions of desperation are a result of a choice only made because they wanted to be comfortable. Now anything and everything of comfort is lost, and they are in a place without hope, that even their life would be spared. What a turnaround. I wonder if the many, the majority, you know, the more part, I wonder if they begin to think, man, I'd take those stony beaches back there in the Fair Haven now. I'd take those uncomfortable seats now. I'd take some hard preaching now. You know what? Now I would take what we chose to give away because we're in the midst of desperation. Despair, beloved. You know, a prodigal son got into a level of despair, didn't he? When did he get into despair? When he got hungry. He squandered and wasted all his living. What happened? He found himself next to a pig in the muck, in the mud, eating the husks, the leftovers. And I wonder if he thought, My soul, how'd I get here? Thirdly and finally today, we see that they had to let it drive. We see they're in despair, but as a result of choosing comfort over discomfort, we find destruction. In these next verses we're going to see, we'll use these, we'll pick up here on these verses next week, but notice here with me these results. Verse 27 through 29, we'll pick up in verse 40 through 44, but it says, And when the fourteenth night was come, two weeks. As we were driven up and down in Adraea, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country, and sounded and found it twenty fathoms. And when they had gone a little further, they sounded again and found it fifteen fathoms. Then fearing lest they should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern and wished for day." Now we skip to verse 40. When they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves under the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoisted up the main sail to the wind, and made toward the shore. And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground, and the forepart stuck fast and remained unmovable. But the hinder part was broken with violence of the waves, and the soldier's counsel was to kill the prisoners lest any of them should swim out and escape. But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose, and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land, and the rest some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass that they escaped all safe to land." You see, beloved, the battle will bless you. Looking back now when the admonition of Paul was refused in verse 13, we find here that it says, and watch this, "...when the south wind blew softly, supposing they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence they sailed close to Crete." I'm going to say this to you this morning, that just because the winds are blowing softly, it's not always the time that you begin to move and take direction. Just because the soft wind they supposed their purpose had obtained, just because ease was in their favor, just because they thought they could find comfort away from the fair havens, they were fooled. And then in verse 14, to repeat it, but not long after, not long after what? Not long after the soft winds, not long after they loose-thence, there arose against it The tempestuous wind called Yerakladon. Comfort seeking, my friend. Avoiding the discomfort will always result in destruction in your life. Taking the advice of those who do the same will result in being driven by your emotions and despair of heart, soul, and mind. Seeking comfort in the seas of life, my friend, will rarely EVER result in a positive outcome. It is the weight we lift, it is the battles we face, it is the struggles we endure, which made us and make us stronger day in and day out. Listen, if you'll quit on something small, you're going to quit on something big. And I've always said, a quitter will always be a quitter. By seeking comfort, the results in the midst of the sea are often the storms, resulting in much greater devastation than we ever even imagined, solely because we simply wanted to be comfortable. So here's the caveat, and we're done. Despite the discomfort at the moment, despite the lack of spacious convenience, if you will, none of us are as strong as all of us. So rather than running away from the inconveniences of life, the lack of comfortable footing, and maybe even missing commodious lifestyles, You become accustomed to our accumulating things in our life today. Rather than that, why don't you lock in with a brother or sister in Christ? Why don't you dig your heels in together? Why don't you support one another while the wintertime passes in our life, and then we set sail when the seas are safer? You'll both be stronger for it, the bond will be greater. and you'll be better prepared for the next challenge that begins to rock your way. Will you bow your heads this morning? Father in heaven, we thank you, Lord, for who and what you are, for all that you've done, and we pray that you'd take this message this morning, that you'd write it upon the table of our hearts, that you may help us, Father, that in the midst of inconvenient decisions and choices that we must make, that we would take a stand, Be the leader that we desire to be. Leadership is only determined in the midst of battle. Leadership and guidance and direction is only determined in the midst of inconvenient times. Anyone can do anything in the midst of comfort. But Father, we pray today. that even before the storm set in, if you have us in a fair haven that may not be spaciously comfortable, let us reside there for the winter and be prepared when the sailing of the seas are safer. We ask this in the precious name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen and amen. Well, I hope and pray that the preaching teach for the