Mexico Missouri message., 1916-10-26

bis address before Agrippa. He
reached Malta about November 10.
Paul knew how to meet mobs,
but none of his adventures are more
outstanding than the one we are
studying today. Luke, his physician,
was a companion, and the historian,
Josephus, states that on board the
ship there were more than 600 people
travelling with Paul. Paul was a man
Of distinction, q Roman citizen. He
had his own hired house in Rome.
Aristarchus may possibly have been
his servant to furnish comfort for
the journey. Ramsey believes Paul
bad received hereditary property, thus
making him Roman citizen of rank,
OF learning and Of standing finan-
cially.
!. Fair Weather and Contrary Winds
wv. 1-12). Sidon was about 20
miles north of Caesarea on the coast
of Palestine. Here Paul received lib
erty to go ashore and visit his Chris
tlan friends. Myra is in Asia Minor.
It requires IL days to reach this point
from Sidon, distance of about 400
miles. Here, instead of going up the
Aegean sea route, often used in going
to Rome, the centurion found a grain
ship bound from Alexandria to Italy,
end put his prisoners on board, Sep
TENDER they started for Italy. The
direct course would have been west
ward, but the wind was contrary, and
the progress was slow. On the 23d
TnfHT1c no cOI1fh.
west point of Asia Minor, $50 miles
from Myra. September % they
entered the harbor of Fair Haven,
near the middle of the south shore
of the island of Crete. The fast day,
October 5, the day of the great atone
ment, was observed in this place. The
question of going farther was a de-
batable one, yet the commander per-
sisted, and about the 10th Of October
they sailed for Fair Haven.
II. The Hurricane wv. 1920. TAX
ing advantage of a gentle wind they
Put out of Fair Haven, and almost
| Immediately encountered the hurri-
cane. 1t was perhaps hard for Paul
during those IA days to discern the
wise, gentle hand of God. Jonah
1-4). Gods most faithful servants do
not always find smooth sailing. (Phil.
4:6, z; Isaiah 26:3; John 16 1887, but
they may, no matter how fiercely tenn
pest tossed, know that God has not
ceased to look upon them with favor.
Sometimes the best thing for us to
do, when thus tempest tossed, is ito
tighten the ship" ". 1S).
Ill. The Message of Cheer: al Be-
IieVe God" wv. 20-26). Neither sun
nor stars having shone for many days,
and all hope that any should be saved
seemingly taken away, yet God is able
to save in the darkness as well as in
the sunshine, in the tempest as well
as in the calm, and there was in that
boat one man at least whose hope was
not gone, for God had said to him,
"Thou must bear witness at Rome
also" (23 :11). Paul's message Of
cheer in the midst of this despair and
after they had been so long without
food, Immediately stamped him as a
leader of wisdom and power.
Paul could make this promise be-
cause "an angel of God whose am
and whom I serve" had come to him
and assured him that God would re-
deem the promise made two years be-
fore. This implies that Paul had given
himself to prayer. Observe how one
cody man can save many ungodly
men (Gen. 18:22-33). Gods vision
came to Paul, but Paul used it for the
comfort and cheer Of the whole ships
company (II Cor. Id. A modern IL
Illustration Of a silhilar experience was
that of Mr.. Moody and General How
ard, returning from Europe on the
steamship Spree in 1892.
General Howard relates that Mr..
Moody did a great deal to cheer the
passengers, by both his words and his
actions, during those days of stress
and storm. The darker and stormier
the night, the more likely are the
angels of God to appear II we are in
deed his ". %: OF. Oh. S:9-23 :1D
Sometimes these angels stand beside
us and we do not see them, we are
taken up with the darkness and the
bowling of the storm. 1t is d great
thing to be able to look up to the in
finite God and say, II am his" TT
make this statement intelligently, ant
with a deep realization of its meaning
, will give significance and solemnity t
, oil.
w. Paul, the Life Saver wv. 27-37)
Paul did not stop with simply sayini
that God was his, but went on TO say
''Whom also serve" Many say the,
I are Gods but do not prove 1t by thei
i lives of service. Paul loved to thinl
: and speak of himself as the servant o
I God (Rom. 1:9; II Tim. 1:3; THU
y 1:1). Some of the sailors thought t
launch the boat, leaving the passenger
to their fate.
All the hurricanes that ever strucl
t the sea or the ships Of the sea coul
y net prevent the fulfillment of God
: promises, and Paul fully accepted tn
e aignifeance of Gods word "fear not.