Acts 27 Lesson

TRUST

The Apostle Paul trusted God no matter how difficult his circumstances became. 

What about us? Can we say the same?

When life gets hard, or we get scared, tired, or lonely, do we continue to trust in God's plan?

Or does our faith sometimes get compromised?

DEFINING TRUST

Trust is defined as:

• “A firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.” (Source: Google Dictionary)

Using this definition, we see that in order to trust somebody, they must be:

1. Reliable,
2. Truthful,
3. Able,
4. Strong.

PAUL NEVER STOPPED TRUSTING GOD

In Acts Chapter 27,we see that Paul is being transported to Rome on a big ship. 

The Author of Acts, Luke, was on this trip with him, and provides us with a first-hand report of all that he heard and saw. 

Luke writes about how dangerous and hard the trip was, and how the wind was not cooperating with their plans:

• “When we had sailed slowly for a good many days, and with difficulty had arrived off Cnidus, since the wind did not permit us to go farther, we sailed under the shelter of Crete, off Salmone; and with difficulty sailing past it we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.” – Acts 27:7-8.

This may have been the lowest point in Paul’s journey to date. 

Consider these four points:

1. Paul had now been imprisoned for years, 
2. His future was uncertain,
3. People in power were trying to kill him,
4. He was lost at sea and had to endure deadly seas on his way to Rome.

And as if this was not enough, Paul had no idea what was going to happen to him when he did make it to Rome.

From what Paul saw was done to Jesus, and from what had been done to him already, Paul understood that the Roman leaders might:

1. Order him to be killed,
2. Beat him again,
3. Order him to remain in prison.

This type of hardship might strain some people’s faith.

But not Paul’s.

Paul remained determined to follow God’s plan for him.

No matter how difficult his situation got, or how much adversity he went through, Paul never stopped trusting God or believing in his plan.

That is the example that we are to follow in our own lives.

Luke recorded the following words spoken by the Apostle Paul to everyone on the ship with him at sea:

• “For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.’ Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told. But we must run aground on a certain island.’” – Acts 27:23-26.

Paul trusted the message that God gave him.

He trusted it so much that he wanted to share it with everybody on board the ship.

He believed in his heart that if they trusted in God the way that he did, they would be comforted and better able to endure the challenge that was in front of them.

That is the hope that we receive when we commit to following God’s plan, and not ours.

REVISITING THE DEFINITION OF TRUST

Earlier in our lesson, we defined trust as:

• “A firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.” (Source: Google Dictionary)

Therefore, in order to trust God, we must believe that He is:

1. Reliable,
2. Truthful,
3. Able,
4. And strong.

GOD IS RELIABLE

There are many scriptures in the Bible that talk about the reliability of God.

For today’s lesson, we have highlighted these four:

1. “But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” -2 Thessalonians 3:3,
2. “He will not allow your foot to slip; He who watches over you will not slumber.” -Psalm 121:3,
3. “The Lord’s acts ofmercyindeed do not end, for His compassionsdo not fail.  They are new every morning.” -Lamentations 3:22-23,
4. “And the Lord is the one who is going ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not desert you or abandon you.” -Deuteronomy 31:8.

The Bible tells us everything that we need to know to trust in God’s reliability.

God is perfect!

We are not.

We are human and we make mistakes.

Sometimes, we say that we are going to do something, but we don't do it.

But that is not what God does.

God is not like us.

If God says that He is going to do something, He does it!

And because He is always reliable, we can trust Him.

GOD IS TRUTHFUL

The world is full of lies.

That is not to say that everyone is a liar. They are not.

But we live in a world that is ruled by Satan. This is what the Bible teaches.

God has allowed Satan to TEMPORARILY have power over the Earth.

And because of this, there are lies all around us.

We are lied to on television, by social media, and even face to face.

But not by God!

God is somebody who is always truthful.

And because He is, we can trust Him.

Consider the following four verses that speak about the truthfulness of God, and by extension, His Son, Jesus:

1. “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’” - John 14:6,
2. “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” - John 17:17,
3. “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth.” - John 16:13,
4. “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’” - John 8:31-32.

GOD IS ABLE

God can do anything!

He has supreme power over everything and everyone!

God is the creator of the world and all that is in it (Genesis 1:1-31). 

Listed below are four scriptures that show how God can do anything, and that there is no problem too big for Him to handle:

1. “By faithwe understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.” -Hebrews 11:3,
2. “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible.” -Colossians 1:16,
3. “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” -John 1:3,
4. “It is I who made the Earth, and created mankind upon it.  I stretched out the heavens with My hands, and I ordained all their lights.” -Isaiah 45:12.

God is able to do anything!

And because He is, we can trust Him.

GOD IS STRONG

God is stronger than any problem we have faced or will ever face.

He is the almighty God!

He created the world, and we are toserve Him,not the other way around.

And because God has this strength, He is able to do anything, including bringing the faithful to be with Him in Heaven for eternity.

The following verses talk about the strength of God, and by extension, His Son, Jesus:

1. “And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” - Mathew 19:26,
2. “Yours, Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and on the Earth; Yours is the dominion, Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all.” - 1 Chronicles 29:11,
3. “Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power.” -  1 Corinthians 6:14,
4. “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” -  Romans 1:20.

God is stronger than any of our adversaries, and God is stronger than Satan. And because He is, we can trust Him.

CONCLUSION

Nobody deserves our trust more than God. 

We can trust in God because He is:

1. Reliable,
2. Truthful,
3. Able,
4. Strong.

God has a unique plan for all of us, one that leads to Heaven and eternal salvation.

The only question is, will we follow it?

We will end today’s lesson with the following words from the prophet Jeremiah:

• “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” –Jeremiah 29:11.