Lesson Fifty-One: Shipwreck and Safety

Acts 27:21-44

Key Verse

"For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee."

— Acts 27:23-24

Lesson Questions

Read Acts 27:21-44 carefully before answering these questions.

1. Review: An overview of Acts chapters one through twelve.

2. After long silence, what did Paul tell the people? 27:21-22

3. Then what did he say? 27:23-24

4. How did Paul seek to comfort them? 27:25-26

5. What did they begin to do? Why? 27:27-29

6. What did some shipmen try to do? Why did they not succeed? 27:30-32

7. What did Paul want them to do? Why? 27:33-34

8. What did Paul do? How did they react? 27:35-36

9. How many were in the ship? How did they lighten the ship? 27:37-38

10. What happened the next morning? 27:39-40

11. When the ship tore apart, what did the soldiers want to do? Why? 27:41-42

12. Did the centurion agree with them? What did he do? 27:43-44

Thought Questions

A. What prophecies were made and fulfilled in this lesson?

B. List prophecies made, but not fulfilled in this lesson.

Supplementary Materials

The Angel's Message to Paul (27:21-26) After days of silence, Paul stood up with a message of hope:

Verse	Paul's Words
27:21	"Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me" — gentle reminder; not "I told you so" but establishing credibility for what follows
27:22	"Be of good cheer" — same words Jesus used (Matt. 14:27); "no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship"
27:23	"The angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve" — Paul's bold confession; not ashamed of his faith
27:24a	"Fear not, Paul; thou MUST be brought before Caesar" — divine necessity; confirms Acts 23:11
27:24b	"God hath GIVEN thee all them that sail with thee" — 275 lives spared because of Paul!
27:25	"I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me" — faith in God's word
27:26	"We must be cast upon a certain island" — prophecy that would be fulfilled at Malta

"Whose I Am, and Whom I Serve" (27:23) In the midst of crisis, Paul made a bold declaration of faith:

"Whose I am" — Paul belonged to God; he was God's possession, purchased by the blood of Christ
"Whom I serve" — Greek: latreuo = worship, religious service; Paul's whole life was devoted to God
Not ashamed — before soldiers, sailors, prisoners, and officers, Paul openly identified as God's servant
Source of his confidence — because he belonged to God, he could trust God's promises absolutely

The Fourteenth Night (27:27-32)

Verse	Events
27:27	Fourteenth night; "driven up and down in Adria" (central Mediterranean); shipmen sensed land approaching
Verse	Events
27:28	Sounded depth: twenty fathoms (120 ft); then fifteen fathoms (90 ft) — rapidly shallowing!
27:29	"Fearing rocks"; cast four anchors from stern; "wished for the day" — desperate for daylight
27:30	Sailors tried to escape in the dinghy "under colour of" casting anchors from bow — a lie!
27:31	Paul warned Julius: "Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved" — human cooperation with divine promise
27:32	Soldiers cut the ropes; dinghy fell away — this time Julius listened to Paul!

"Except These Abide in the Ship" — A Spiritual Lesson (27:31) "Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved." This verse illustrates an important principle about salvation: The Physical Picture The Spiritual Parallel God promised all would be saved God promises salvation to those in Christ (2 Tim. 2:10) But they had to stay in the ship But we must remain in Christ (John 15:4-6) Leaving the ship meant death Leaving Christ means spiritual death (Gal. 5:4) Divine promise + human cooperation Grace + faith/obedience (Eph. 2:8-10)

How does one get into Christ? By being baptized into Christ (Gal. 3:27; Rom. 6:3). How does one stay in Christ? By continuing in faith and obedience (Col. 1:23; Rev. 2:10).

Paul's Encouragement to Eat (27:33-38)

Verse	Details
27:33	"Fourteenth day... fasting" — not religious fasting, but inability to prepare/eat food in the storm
27:34	"This is for your health"; "not an hair fall from the head" — proverbial expression for complete safety (cf. Luke 21:18)
27:35	Paul took bread, "gave thanks to God in presence of them all" — public prayer; witness to his faith
27:36	"Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat" — Paul's faith was contagious
27:37	"We were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls" — 276 people, all saved!
27:38	After eating, lightened ship by throwing wheat (cargo) into the sea — preparing for beaching

The Shipwreck (27:39-44)

Verse	Events
27:39	Daylight revealed unknown land; saw bay with beach; determined to run ship aground
27:40	Cut anchor cables; loosed rudder bands; hoisted foresail to wind; headed for shore
27:41	Hit a sandbar ("place where two seas met"); bow stuck fast; stern broke up by the waves
Verse	Events
27:42	Soldiers' counsel: KILL the prisoners — Roman law held guards responsible for escaped prisoners
27:43	Centurion "willing to save Paul" — kept them from their purpose; ordered swimmers to go first
27:44	The rest on boards and broken pieces; "they escaped all safe to land" — ALL 276!

Prophecies Made and Fulfilled Prophecy Fulfillment "No loss of any man's life" (v. 22) "They escaped all safe to land" (v. 44) "But of the ship" [loss] (v. 22) Stern broke up (v. 41); total wreck "We must be cast upon a certain island" (v. Malta (28:1) 26) "Not an hair fall from the head" (v. 34) All 276 completely safe

Prophecy Not Yet Fulfilled (in this lesson) "Thou must be brought before Caesar" (v. 24) — This would be fulfilled when Paul reached Rome (Acts 28:16ff).

Paul's Transformation: From Prisoner to Leader Notice the change in Paul's role throughout the voyage: Beginning (27:1-12) End (27:21-44) A prisoner in custody The moral leader of the ship His advice ignored His counsel followed immediately Captain and owner trusted Paul trusted above all others One among many The reason 275 others were saved

Key Cross-References

Reference	Acts 27 Verse	Connection
Acts 23:11	27:24	"Must bear witness at Rome" — confirmed
2 Tim. 2:10	27:31	"Salvation which is in Christ Jesus"
Gal. 3:27	27:31	Baptized into Christ
Rom. 1:16	27:23	Not ashamed of the gospel
Luke 21:18	27:34	"Not an hair of your head perish"

Lessons from Acts 27:21-44 1. God's promises are absolutely reliable — every prophecy was fulfilled exactly. 2. Faith gives courage — Paul was calm while others despaired. 3. Never be ashamed of belonging to God — Paul openly declared his faith before all. 4. Divine promise requires human cooperation — they had to stay in the ship to be saved. 5. One faithful person can be a blessing to many — 275 were saved because of Paul. 6. Salvation is in Christ — we must get into Him and stay in Him to be saved.