WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:03.480 So when I joined the staff years ago, I asked somebody, 2 00:00:03.520 --> 00:00:05.839 I said, hey, where's your family from. Where's your origin? 3 00:00:05.960 --> 00:00:07.440 He said, well, we're Maltese. 4 00:00:07.879 --> 00:00:09.839 Oh well, and I said where they falcons? 5 00:00:12.439 --> 00:00:15.039 No, he said, he said he was Maltese. And I said, Maltese. 6 00:00:15.320 --> 00:00:17.359 Where's that from? And he said the island of Malta. 7 00:00:17.640 --> 00:00:17.960 Cool. 8 00:00:18.120 --> 00:00:20.079 And I said, well, I know Malta. 9 00:00:20.199 --> 00:00:21.879 All right, and I know it's in the Bible. 10 00:00:21.920 --> 00:00:24.039 I know it from one place and it's today. 11 00:00:23.760 --> 00:00:25.719 Right here in the Bible. So he's Chris and I'm Jeff, 12 00:00:25.719 --> 00:00:26.760 and we're the Bible guys. 13 00:00:38.679 --> 00:00:41.799 So Jeff, yes, today we have a segment. Did you 14 00:00:41.840 --> 00:00:42.439 see the segment? 15 00:00:43.039 --> 00:00:44.960 I didn't even look at it today. It is It's 16 00:00:45.000 --> 00:00:45.759 an exciting thing. 17 00:00:45.920 --> 00:00:48.799 It is what made Chris mad. Oh. 18 00:00:48.840 --> 00:00:52.439 This is the favorite. This is the fan favorite, uh 19 00:00:53.600 --> 00:00:56.039 segment that we do. Yeah, I people love it. 20 00:00:56.759 --> 00:00:57.960 I don't think that they love it. 21 00:00:57.960 --> 00:00:59.799 They do, I mean they tune in for it is 22 00:00:59.799 --> 00:01:02.159 my In fact, people skip all the teaching and they 23 00:01:02.200 --> 00:01:05.239 just go to these segments to find out when are 24 00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:08.799 we doing this this, this, this segment. So so the 25 00:01:08.799 --> 00:01:11.439 idea behind the segment is that you are a very 26 00:01:11.439 --> 00:01:16.480 passionate enthusiastic person, and you have strong opinions about how 27 00:01:16.480 --> 00:01:18.480 your life goes and the things that are happening around you. 28 00:01:18.959 --> 00:01:22.680 And this informs a lot of us on maybe how 29 00:01:22.719 --> 00:01:24.920 we should behave whenever there's a potential we're going to 30 00:01:25.000 --> 00:01:25.480 run into you. 31 00:01:25.640 --> 00:01:27.799 So I was with I was with the Trey who's 32 00:01:27.799 --> 00:01:29.400 on our staff. Huh, just yes, sure, this is not 33 00:01:29.439 --> 00:01:30.159 what made Chris map. 34 00:01:30.200 --> 00:01:32.280 But I'm telling you this, okay. And and we had 35 00:01:32.319 --> 00:01:32.959 really bad. 36 00:01:32.799 --> 00:01:34.920 Customer service at a restaurant that we went to, which 37 00:01:34.920 --> 00:01:37.760 I've mentioned before. Wow, and U and I said, I said, 38 00:01:37.799 --> 00:01:39.519 I just can't believe those girls are. 39 00:01:39.519 --> 00:01:40.040 On their phone. 40 00:01:40.079 --> 00:01:42.920 You know, they hired teenagers and they're just doing the 41 00:01:42.959 --> 00:01:45.519 little phone thing together, both of them. So it wasn't 42 00:01:45.519 --> 00:01:48.319 just one person slacking office too, right, And the customers 43 00:01:48.359 --> 00:01:49.159 are getting ignored. 44 00:01:49.480 --> 00:01:52.000 What's a scientific fact. You cannot watch a cat video 45 00:01:52.000 --> 00:01:53.200 without showing it to somebody else. 46 00:01:53.959 --> 00:01:55.079 It's been proven. 47 00:01:55.239 --> 00:01:56.840 And then I said, I said to Tray, I said, 48 00:01:56.879 --> 00:01:59.560 I go, oh gosh, I said, good customer service. I said, 49 00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:01.480 it is just such a rare thing these days. 50 00:02:01.719 --> 00:02:02.480 I sort of got. 51 00:02:02.319 --> 00:02:04.560 Mad, right, I was like, I can't believe that. You know, 52 00:02:04.599 --> 00:02:07.480 we're just walking out and all these different things. And 53 00:02:07.519 --> 00:02:10.560 then and then he said, uh, well, well it didn't 54 00:02:10.599 --> 00:02:12.120 really matter at us. And I said, no, you don't 55 00:02:12.159 --> 00:02:13.520 get it, and I said. 56 00:02:13.280 --> 00:02:13.680 It out loud. 57 00:02:13.719 --> 00:02:14.680 I sort of projected this. 58 00:02:14.719 --> 00:02:17.039 I said, when I get mad about good customer service, 59 00:02:17.319 --> 00:02:20.080 I'm not even thinking to me, I'm thinking of the owner. 60 00:02:19.800 --> 00:02:20.560 Of that restaurant. 61 00:02:20.840 --> 00:02:24.639 That poor guy is actually getting a bad name because 62 00:02:24.639 --> 00:02:26.840 of those two girls. And it could be lack of training, 63 00:02:27.039 --> 00:02:29.319 could be his fault maybe, or it's just you know 64 00:02:29.360 --> 00:02:32.080 whatever I said. And then I'm thinking of like, you know, 65 00:02:32.199 --> 00:02:35.120 like what is this world coming to? Like like America, right, 66 00:02:35.159 --> 00:02:36.599 America should have good customer service? 67 00:02:36.840 --> 00:02:38.240 Like is you're just going to decline? 68 00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:40.599 You know, you're turning into your grandparents? I know, what 69 00:02:40.759 --> 00:02:43.599 is this world coming to? These young people stand around working. 70 00:02:43.759 --> 00:02:45.560 But it is true, most of the things I get 71 00:02:45.599 --> 00:02:47.199 mad at it's not just for me. 72 00:02:47.280 --> 00:02:48.879 It's usually it's for the world. 73 00:02:48.919 --> 00:02:54.120 So this is you are vicariously sufferings, selflessly suffering. 74 00:02:54.280 --> 00:02:56.479 Yes, you're angerly angry. 75 00:02:56.719 --> 00:02:59.199 Wow, it's so thoughtful of you. So so how are 76 00:02:59.199 --> 00:03:00.240 you helping us this week? 77 00:03:00.319 --> 00:03:03.680 What made you man today? It's just me, it's you, 78 00:03:03.879 --> 00:03:04.680 It's not for the world. 79 00:03:04.719 --> 00:03:06.159 This is only for you. 80 00:03:06.159 --> 00:03:06.479 You know what. 81 00:03:06.520 --> 00:03:09.360 I just absolutely hate and I experienced it this week. 82 00:03:10.080 --> 00:03:15.039 Runaway eyebrows and untrimmed nosehirs. Oh no, I know, well, 83 00:03:15.159 --> 00:03:17.280 you can't tell me. You can't tell me that when 84 00:03:17.319 --> 00:03:21.000 you see somebody with absolute runaway eyebrows that should be 85 00:03:21.080 --> 00:03:24.479 trimmed or especially nose hairs sticking out of your nose 86 00:03:24.680 --> 00:03:27.240 right and even the ears right. I understand that they 87 00:03:27.280 --> 00:03:30.120 creep up on you, right, But like that stuff is 88 00:03:30.319 --> 00:03:33.280 very easy to maintain. There is not a single person 89 00:03:33.879 --> 00:03:37.039 in the universe that would say, oh, man, you know, 90 00:03:37.080 --> 00:03:41.520 it looks really good untrimmed nosehirs right when noses when 91 00:03:41.560 --> 00:03:42.879 when hairs are sticking out of your. 92 00:03:42.759 --> 00:03:44.840 Nose, maybe there's people who think that's attractive. 93 00:03:45.039 --> 00:03:49.479 Yeah yeah, hey, hey baby, yeah yeah yeah. So anyway, 94 00:03:49.520 --> 00:03:52.719 I'm talking to this guy and it was unbelievable. It 95 00:03:52.759 --> 00:03:55.759 was out of control. And I thought to myself, dude, 96 00:03:55.800 --> 00:03:57.919 I know you looked in the mirror this morning. I 97 00:03:57.960 --> 00:04:01.719 know you did, and it's so bad that, like, I mean, 98 00:04:01.919 --> 00:04:05.280 you expected, like the Navy seals to rope out of 99 00:04:05.319 --> 00:04:09.039 the helicopter, out of the hair sticking out of your nose, right, 100 00:04:09.360 --> 00:04:12.960 they're gonna shoot down and land in the Vietnam because 101 00:04:13.039 --> 00:04:16.199 what is what is happening? And I thought to myself, dude, 102 00:04:16.199 --> 00:04:17.959 you have to have seen that and only that. But 103 00:04:18.000 --> 00:04:21.000 the guy's married, so I'm thinking your wife sees you, 104 00:04:21.040 --> 00:04:23.279 bro right, So let's just let's. 105 00:04:23.079 --> 00:04:26.800 Pretend that is he looked in the mirror, saw those 106 00:04:26.920 --> 00:04:30.319 ropes hanging out of his nose and went, no big deal, 107 00:04:30.360 --> 00:04:31.519 I'm just meeting with Chris today. 108 00:04:33.399 --> 00:04:36.639 Is that what I saw them? I don't care about. 109 00:04:36.720 --> 00:04:38.360 Listen, he went, Is that what he did? He went? 110 00:04:38.920 --> 00:04:40.439 Do you think he looked in the mirror and didn't. 111 00:04:40.240 --> 00:04:42.399 Notice places besides meeting with Chris? 112 00:04:43.240 --> 00:04:44.959 Do you think do you think that he just looked 113 00:04:44.959 --> 00:04:47.360 in the mirror didn't notice No, is it possible. 114 00:04:47.480 --> 00:04:50.120 I think that he didn't care for some reason, and 115 00:04:50.160 --> 00:04:52.319 he must be married to a woman who doesn't care. 116 00:04:52.639 --> 00:04:54.720 They don't care, Yeah, they don't care, as opposed to 117 00:04:54.879 --> 00:04:55.639 he didn't notice. 118 00:04:55.800 --> 00:04:57.759 Well, what if he's looking at. 119 00:04:57.720 --> 00:04:59.160 The top of his head and he's fussing about the 120 00:04:59.160 --> 00:05:00.680 top of his head and ever thought to look at 121 00:05:00.720 --> 00:05:01.079 his nose? 122 00:05:01.639 --> 00:05:04.160 Okay, he is he has raging eyebrows. 123 00:05:04.639 --> 00:05:06.240 And by the way, maybe that's what it was. He 124 00:05:06.279 --> 00:05:08.160 was concerned about his eyebrows and didn't notice his nose. 125 00:05:08.199 --> 00:05:10.279 Harris, why are you coming to this man's defense. 126 00:05:11.759 --> 00:05:14.920 Well, clearly this is a soft era, a touchy point 127 00:05:14.920 --> 00:05:16.959 for you. Okay, I'll let you have this one. 128 00:05:17.160 --> 00:05:19.319 You canna have it. Well, I'm just saying, I mean, 129 00:05:19.360 --> 00:05:20.040 your defense is. 130 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:21.920 He looked in the mirror and allowed it. I'm saying 131 00:05:22.040 --> 00:05:23.639 I don't think he lowed it. I don't think he 132 00:05:23.720 --> 00:05:24.240 noticed it. 133 00:05:24.720 --> 00:05:26.360 Oh, there's no way he didn't notice it. 134 00:05:26.439 --> 00:05:26.759 Okay. 135 00:05:26.920 --> 00:05:28.839 And by the way, he is a barber. Guess what 136 00:05:28.959 --> 00:05:32.199 that dude gets his haircut. Okay, right, and so with. 137 00:05:33.000 --> 00:05:36.000 The so so, a word to the wise is we 138 00:05:36.040 --> 00:05:37.959 wrapped this section up because I mean, I'm pretty sure 139 00:05:37.959 --> 00:05:40.680 we could take this most of the session today. Apparently, 140 00:05:42.199 --> 00:05:44.600 if you have a meeting with Chris and you have 141 00:05:44.680 --> 00:05:47.920 to have a person, sure you're well groomed. 142 00:05:48.879 --> 00:05:50.000 If you want to talk to him in. 143 00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:52.000 The lobby at the church on Sunday, yeah, make sure 144 00:05:52.040 --> 00:05:55.160 you come in look in your best, don't come in. 145 00:05:55.120 --> 00:05:57.680 Raggedy, don't And you got to cover it all. You 146 00:05:57.759 --> 00:05:58.759 got to cover the whole thing. 147 00:05:58.920 --> 00:06:01.720 Not just as intelligent as you are It's amazing how 148 00:06:01.800 --> 00:06:03.480 you can come up with the worst conclusions. 149 00:06:03.519 --> 00:06:04.800 What Now, here's the conclusion. 150 00:06:04.839 --> 00:06:06.879 What am I supposed to take? Here's the conclusion if 151 00:06:06.920 --> 00:06:09.680 you accidentally overlook, yeah, here's infuriate. 152 00:06:09.800 --> 00:06:10.279 Look in the. 153 00:06:10.199 --> 00:06:15.399 Mirror and trim the unwonted ross hair that seems to 154 00:06:15.439 --> 00:06:16.160 go out of control. 155 00:06:16.319 --> 00:06:18.560 Okay, just have some common sense. 156 00:06:18.360 --> 00:06:20.639 All right, man, I'm going to try harder. I'll try 157 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:24.839 You're fine, I'm fine today. Yeah, I'll try harder today. 158 00:06:25.959 --> 00:06:26.279 Okay. 159 00:06:26.639 --> 00:06:31.319 So yesterday they were anticipating this storm. They were anticipating 160 00:06:31.360 --> 00:06:35.079 the shipwreck, right, yes, Now today it actually happens, right right, 161 00:06:35.160 --> 00:06:37.959 So here we go verse twenty seven in chapter twenty 162 00:06:38.000 --> 00:06:39.800 seven of the Book of Acts. As we continue through, 163 00:06:39.920 --> 00:06:41.959 we're coming close to the end. Here it says, about 164 00:06:41.959 --> 00:06:44.920 midnight on the fourteenth night of the storm. Fourteen nights 165 00:06:45.240 --> 00:06:46.480 is a two week storm. 166 00:06:46.600 --> 00:06:49.199 I'd be throwing up this well every moment. 167 00:06:49.000 --> 00:06:50.160 Especially in these little boats. 168 00:06:50.199 --> 00:06:52.680 This isn't a giant cruise ship, right, he says, So, 169 00:06:52.839 --> 00:06:55.279 about midnight on the fourteenth night of the storm, as 170 00:06:55.279 --> 00:06:58.079 we were being driven across the Sea of Adria, the 171 00:06:58.160 --> 00:07:01.360 sailor sensed land was near. They dropped a weighted line 172 00:07:01.360 --> 00:07:02.879 and found that the water was one hundred and twenty 173 00:07:02.920 --> 00:07:05.319 feet deep, But a little later they measured again found 174 00:07:05.360 --> 00:07:07.279 it was only ninety feet deep. At this rate, they 175 00:07:07.279 --> 00:07:10.160 were afraid we would soon be driven against the rocks 176 00:07:10.199 --> 00:07:12.959 along the shore. So they threw out four anchors from 177 00:07:13.000 --> 00:07:16.439 the back of the ship and prayed for daylight. Then 178 00:07:16.680 --> 00:07:18.639 the sailors tried to abandon the ship. They lowered the 179 00:07:18.639 --> 00:07:21.360 lifeboat as though they were going to put out anchors. 180 00:07:21.000 --> 00:07:21.759 From the front of the ship. 181 00:07:21.800 --> 00:07:24.279 But Paul said to the commanding officer and the soldiers, 182 00:07:24.519 --> 00:07:27.560 you will all die unless the sailors say aboard. So 183 00:07:27.639 --> 00:07:30.079 the soldiers cut the ropes and to the lifeboat. Let 184 00:07:30.120 --> 00:07:33.120 it drift away. That's a sad moment. Just as day 185 00:07:33.240 --> 00:07:36.279 was dawning, Paul urged everyone to eat. You've been so 186 00:07:36.360 --> 00:07:38.519 worried that you haven't touched food for two weeks. He said, 187 00:07:39.160 --> 00:07:41.480 please eat something now for your own good, for not 188 00:07:41.560 --> 00:07:44.160 a hair of your heads will perish. Then he took 189 00:07:44.199 --> 00:07:46.800 some bread, gave thanks to God before them all, and 190 00:07:46.839 --> 00:07:48.920 broke off a piece and ate it. Then everyone was 191 00:07:49.000 --> 00:07:51.399 encouraged and began to eat. All two hundred and seventy 192 00:07:51.399 --> 00:07:54.199 six of us who were on board. After eating, the 193 00:07:54.279 --> 00:07:57.199 crew lightened the ship further by throwing the cargo of 194 00:07:57.240 --> 00:08:01.079 wheat overboard. When morning dawned, they didn't reckon ignize the coastline, 195 00:08:01.199 --> 00:08:02.920 but they saw a bay with a beach and wondered 196 00:08:02.920 --> 00:08:05.199 if they could get to shore by running the ship 197 00:08:05.240 --> 00:08:07.480 of ground. So they cut off the anchors and left 198 00:08:07.480 --> 00:08:10.600 them in the sea. Then they lowered the rudders, raised 199 00:08:10.600 --> 00:08:12.920 the foresail and headed towards shore, but they hit a 200 00:08:12.959 --> 00:08:15.600 shoal and ran the ship of ground too soon. The 201 00:08:15.639 --> 00:08:17.560 bow of the ship was stuck fast while the stern 202 00:08:17.680 --> 00:08:19.920 was repeatedly smashed by the force of the waves and 203 00:08:19.920 --> 00:08:22.720 began to break apart. The soldiers wanted to kill the 204 00:08:22.720 --> 00:08:25.639 prisoners to make sure they didn't swim ashore and escape, 205 00:08:25.639 --> 00:08:28.079 but the commanding officer wanted to spare pall, so he 206 00:08:28.079 --> 00:08:30.720 didn't let them carry out their plan. Then he ordered 207 00:08:30.720 --> 00:08:33.480 all who could swim to jump overboard first and make 208 00:08:33.519 --> 00:08:36.279 the land, and the others held onto planks or debris 209 00:08:36.320 --> 00:08:39.120 from the broken ship, so everyone escaped safely to shore. 210 00:08:40.039 --> 00:08:42.679 Okay, this is If this were made into a movie, 211 00:08:42.720 --> 00:08:46.399 this would be one of the most intense shipwrecks ever, yeah, 212 00:08:46.440 --> 00:08:50.120 and it's so amazing how Luke again he's riding because 213 00:08:50.159 --> 00:08:54.399 he was there right apparently, and yet he doesn't give 214 00:08:55.159 --> 00:08:58.840 as much attention to how they felt. 215 00:08:58.879 --> 00:09:02.159 Like he could have said everybody thought they were going 216 00:09:02.240 --> 00:09:03.360 to die, you know. 217 00:09:03.679 --> 00:09:06.000 And it was like, so think about this. How bad 218 00:09:06.039 --> 00:09:11.240 does it have to be for skilled sailors, skilled sailors 219 00:09:11.279 --> 00:09:14.679 who know like what to do to cut their life 220 00:09:14.759 --> 00:09:18.480 rafts and then to cut their anchors, to say, we're 221 00:09:18.519 --> 00:09:20.320 going to leave the anchors in the sea at a 222 00:09:20.399 --> 00:09:22.600 desperation to head to the beach. 223 00:09:23.120 --> 00:09:25.320 And then for them once. 224 00:09:25.120 --> 00:09:28.240 Their shipwrecked and cut off the rescue boat. 225 00:09:28.559 --> 00:09:31.519 Yes, and then which is what I try to say, lifeboats, 226 00:09:31.639 --> 00:09:34.840 and then not to mention, throw their wheat overboard, like 227 00:09:34.840 --> 00:09:36.480 in other words, like hey, I know it's wheat, I 228 00:09:36.519 --> 00:09:39.399 know it's food, but it's either that or you know, 229 00:09:39.559 --> 00:09:43.200 obviously we're going to die here. And then they shipwrecked, 230 00:09:43.240 --> 00:09:45.960 the boat gets crashed up, and then imagine in that moment, 231 00:09:46.960 --> 00:09:49.960 it's so weird how the Roman soldiers they were charged 232 00:09:50.480 --> 00:09:54.080 to have prisoners, that was their job, and yet here's 233 00:09:54.120 --> 00:09:54.720 what they thought. 234 00:09:54.919 --> 00:09:56.960 They thought, We're going to die. 235 00:09:57.679 --> 00:10:01.120 So the best, the best, you know, forget orders, forget 236 00:10:01.120 --> 00:10:05.639 everything else. Let's just kill the prisoners just so that 237 00:10:05.840 --> 00:10:08.519 we're not charged with letting them escape. And then let's 238 00:10:08.519 --> 00:10:11.559 save ourselves. That's how desperate they were. Let's save ourselves 239 00:10:11.600 --> 00:10:16.159 at any cost. And yet somehow they all grab planks 240 00:10:16.200 --> 00:10:20.639 of boat and then just use debris to sail ashore. 241 00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:23.799 I mean, think about the imagery of that. It's got 242 00:10:23.840 --> 00:10:25.159 to be incredibly desperate. 243 00:10:25.960 --> 00:10:29.919 Yeah, so it drives them to prayer. Yeah, is what happens, right, 244 00:10:30.120 --> 00:10:33.360 and which, unfortunately for many Christians, has got to get 245 00:10:33.639 --> 00:10:36.679 this desperate before we pray. But hey, when there's nothing 246 00:10:36.720 --> 00:10:38.879 else left, you better that's all you've got left, you 247 00:10:38.919 --> 00:10:41.559 better pray. I think it's always better for us to 248 00:10:41.600 --> 00:10:43.559 have it a habit of prayer that we spend regular 249 00:10:43.600 --> 00:10:47.120 times in prayer. But when it gets particularly bad, we 250 00:10:47.200 --> 00:10:49.519 have to remember that every problem is a prayer problem. 251 00:10:49.919 --> 00:10:53.840 We had an old grizzled missionary that I used to 252 00:10:53.879 --> 00:10:59.159 work with, and he just had this calm about him. 253 00:10:59.399 --> 00:10:59.600 You know. 254 00:11:00.360 --> 00:11:02.080 I would bring teenagers with me back when I was 255 00:11:02.080 --> 00:11:04.240 a youth pastor, and we would go to do some 256 00:11:04.320 --> 00:11:07.360 mission work, and it was always a little intense and scary, 257 00:11:07.399 --> 00:11:09.399 and they were doing things they'd never done before, and 258 00:11:09.440 --> 00:11:11.799 they were you know, cross cultural work is hard. And 259 00:11:11.840 --> 00:11:15.159 then you know the way that the police work and 260 00:11:15.200 --> 00:11:18.200 the way that all the cultural things were happening. And 261 00:11:18.240 --> 00:11:19.600 then we were in an area that had a certain 262 00:11:19.639 --> 00:11:21.559 amount of danger to it, and so there was just 263 00:11:21.600 --> 00:11:24.120 a lot of intensity because of that. There'd always be 264 00:11:24.240 --> 00:11:28.399 little just scruffs between students, kids that have been friends 265 00:11:28.399 --> 00:11:29.960 for years now, all of a sudden it kind of 266 00:11:29.960 --> 00:11:33.120 at each other's throat. Everybody's tired, it's uncomfortable, it's hot, 267 00:11:33.120 --> 00:11:37.720 it's gross, dirty kind of stuff, and so it gets frustrating. 268 00:11:37.919 --> 00:11:40.320 So every time I was with Jack, Jack could get up, 269 00:11:40.320 --> 00:11:42.960 he'd always give the same speech. Listen, it's going to 270 00:11:43.000 --> 00:11:45.519 be uncomfortable. Listen, you're going to be in situations you 271 00:11:45.519 --> 00:11:47.039 don't want to be in. But he said, you have 272 00:11:47.080 --> 00:11:49.159 to remember whether it's you feel like you're on a 273 00:11:49.200 --> 00:11:51.840 verge of persecution, or you're in real physical danger, or 274 00:11:51.840 --> 00:11:54.159 it's just that you're uncomfortable because it's hot and you 275 00:11:54.200 --> 00:11:56.720 feel grumpy towards the person who was you know, getting 276 00:11:56.759 --> 00:12:00.240 too loud. Every problem is a prayer problem, he said. 277 00:12:00.240 --> 00:12:02.600 If you don't learn anything else from this drip, I 278 00:12:02.600 --> 00:12:04.759 hope you go home knowing every problems a prayer problem. 279 00:12:05.000 --> 00:12:07.919 And of all the things in my life that I've 280 00:12:07.960 --> 00:12:11.480 learned from grizzled old Christians that came before me, that's 281 00:12:11.480 --> 00:12:13.159 probably the most important thing that I've ever learned. 282 00:12:13.200 --> 00:12:15.200 It's every problems a prayer problem. And you find that here. 283 00:12:15.200 --> 00:12:18.559 So he's giving all these details in verse twenty nine. 284 00:12:19.000 --> 00:12:21.639 You know, hey, it was one hundred and twenty feet, 285 00:12:21.639 --> 00:12:23.399 then it was ninety feet, and you're reading, going, what, 286 00:12:23.480 --> 00:12:23.919 no world? 287 00:12:23.960 --> 00:12:24.879 Why? Why? 288 00:12:24.679 --> 00:12:26.639 Why do we even care that this is in the Bible. 289 00:12:26.879 --> 00:12:28.200 But what you get in the back is so they 290 00:12:28.200 --> 00:12:30.360 threw out four anchors from the back of the ship 291 00:12:30.799 --> 00:12:34.159 and prayed for daylight. Right, so they finally prayed. They 292 00:12:34.200 --> 00:12:36.000 did everything they could do. At this point, they've thrown 293 00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:37.879 everything out, they cut off the life raft, they did everything, 294 00:12:37.960 --> 00:12:39.919 and the only thing left is prayer and the really 295 00:12:39.960 --> 00:12:42.080 great note. You know, we love the Life Application Bible, 296 00:12:42.120 --> 00:12:44.519 so I know this is a long, long piece for me, 297 00:12:44.600 --> 00:12:48.200 But Life Application Bible. The note for verse twenty nine 298 00:12:48.320 --> 00:12:50.679 is in the middle of a midnight squall, the passengers 299 00:12:50.759 --> 00:12:53.679 and crew did all they could possibly do. They dropped 300 00:12:53.720 --> 00:12:55.919 some anchors to try to stop the runaway ship. Then 301 00:12:55.960 --> 00:13:00.120 they prayed. Of course, Paul Luke and Aristarkis were praying 302 00:13:00.120 --> 00:13:02.279 to the true God, the only one who could do 303 00:13:02.360 --> 00:13:05.399 anything about this situation. It's a good reminder for us 304 00:13:05.600 --> 00:13:08.399 we must never rely solely on our own wisdom or skills. 305 00:13:08.639 --> 00:13:10.960 But it's equally wrong to sit and do nothing when 306 00:13:10.960 --> 00:13:13.440 there are still actions we can take to overcome certain problems. 307 00:13:13.720 --> 00:13:16.240 Do all that you can to fix the problem, then 308 00:13:16.279 --> 00:13:18.639 trust God to do his part. And I think that 309 00:13:18.639 --> 00:13:21.919 that is the lesson to take away from this passage. 310 00:13:22.320 --> 00:13:24.200 You know, it reminds me of one time I did 311 00:13:24.240 --> 00:13:27.159 a message a long time ago, like twenty something years 312 00:13:27.200 --> 00:13:30.559 ago on self help, and it's the idea that, like, 313 00:13:30.799 --> 00:13:34.159 you know, we are told, you know, self help is 314 00:13:34.200 --> 00:13:36.399 a good thing, and it's sort of elevated. 315 00:13:35.919 --> 00:13:37.080 Way beyond what it should be. 316 00:13:37.360 --> 00:13:37.440 Like. 317 00:13:37.480 --> 00:13:39.759 For instance, if you go into Barnes and Nobles, oh sure, 318 00:13:39.840 --> 00:13:40.399 it's like the. 319 00:13:40.360 --> 00:13:44.000 Second biggest section in the entire in the entire store 320 00:13:44.399 --> 00:13:47.679 is self help. You know, go to you to fix you. 321 00:13:47.679 --> 00:13:50.320 You can help you, only you can help you kind 322 00:13:50.360 --> 00:13:51.840 of a thing. And it sounds like, you know, we 323 00:13:52.240 --> 00:13:54.720 finally get to the end of ourselves, you know, when 324 00:13:54.759 --> 00:13:57.639 circumstances are beyond our control and everything is out of 325 00:13:57.679 --> 00:14:00.679 our control, then we go to God. Anyway, in this 326 00:14:00.759 --> 00:14:03.840 message that I wrote, I remember that I said, like, 327 00:14:04.759 --> 00:14:08.759 I don't know anybody who when you know, when circumstances 328 00:14:08.799 --> 00:14:12.039 are beyond their control and in the bottom drops out 329 00:14:12.120 --> 00:14:14.159 beneath them, nobody drops to their. 330 00:14:14.120 --> 00:14:17.360 Knees, looks up in the sky and yells self help. 331 00:14:17.879 --> 00:14:21.279 Right right, they yell God help, you know, because the 332 00:14:21.320 --> 00:14:23.200 problem is this, let me see if I can get 333 00:14:23.240 --> 00:14:25.279 this right from all those years ago when I wrote it, 334 00:14:25.879 --> 00:14:29.120 I wrote that, so when you go to self for help, 335 00:14:29.480 --> 00:14:32.279 self will help. But the problem is the help that 336 00:14:32.320 --> 00:14:35.840 self gives usually isn't really helpful help. And then you'll 337 00:14:35.840 --> 00:14:39.159 be going to self asking yourself to help you get 338 00:14:39.200 --> 00:14:41.120 out of the help that self helped you get into 339 00:14:41.200 --> 00:14:44.840 in the first place. Right, And so it's just a 340 00:14:44.960 --> 00:14:48.720 whole entire idea that like self help is only going 341 00:14:48.759 --> 00:14:50.759 to get you so far, which is exactly what you 342 00:14:50.840 --> 00:14:51.159 just read. 343 00:14:51.200 --> 00:14:51.399 You know. 344 00:14:51.759 --> 00:14:54.720 So they are in a boat, apparently a big boat, 345 00:14:54.720 --> 00:14:56.279 two hundred and seventy six passengers. 346 00:14:56.440 --> 00:14:57.600 Yeah that's a big boat. 347 00:14:57.679 --> 00:14:59.200 Yeah, it's not as big as a cruise ship like 348 00:14:59.200 --> 00:15:01.279 you mentioned, right, it's going to be a big book. 349 00:15:01.320 --> 00:15:03.480 Yeah, this is going to be like we're thinking the 350 00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:04.559 big wooden ships. 351 00:15:04.600 --> 00:15:05.960 This isn't just a little tiny fishes. 352 00:15:05.960 --> 00:15:07.679 Which, by the way, when they said they threw the 353 00:15:07.720 --> 00:15:10.600 wheat out, it wasn't just one box of wheat. 354 00:15:10.679 --> 00:15:12.679 No, no, no, this was cargo right, not for. 355 00:15:12.639 --> 00:15:14.840 Two hundred and seventy six people, right, right, Well it might. 356 00:15:14.679 --> 00:15:15.639 Not have been for feeding either. 357 00:15:15.679 --> 00:15:17.480 This could have been a cargo ship because they caught 358 00:15:17.519 --> 00:15:19.559 an Egyptian ship that was already going. Oh that's right, 359 00:15:19.639 --> 00:15:22.919 So this isn't necessarily yeah, so it was an Egyptian 360 00:15:22.919 --> 00:15:25.600 ship that was already heading there to Malta. They get 361 00:15:25.639 --> 00:15:28.320 on that boat and put them on as passengers. 362 00:15:28.519 --> 00:15:30.320 Well so still, I bet you they wish they would 363 00:15:30.360 --> 00:15:31.360 have had a multa. 364 00:15:31.120 --> 00:15:32.159 Y yeah, yeah, exactly. 365 00:15:32.559 --> 00:15:34.799 So the the well, they gave up some of their 366 00:15:34.799 --> 00:15:37.879 living here if this was a business proposition, they threw 367 00:15:37.919 --> 00:15:40.919 off a bunch of stuff. They're sacrificing everything at this point. 368 00:15:40.960 --> 00:15:44.480 This is Hey, we're filing chapter thirteen, right, is what 369 00:15:44.480 --> 00:15:44.879 we're going to. 370 00:15:44.919 --> 00:15:45.399 Have to do on this. 371 00:15:45.799 --> 00:15:50.559 But so you have humans that I have conquered the 372 00:15:50.639 --> 00:15:56.320 ability to make floating things so they're very in you know, ingenius, 373 00:15:56.360 --> 00:15:58.840 they're very intelligent. They figured out how to travel, they 374 00:15:58.919 --> 00:16:01.320 figured out how to find. Malta is a little island 375 00:16:01.360 --> 00:16:04.639 out in the middle of the of you know, they're 376 00:16:04.639 --> 00:16:07.000 not going for Sicily, which is odd. They're going for Malta, 377 00:16:07.320 --> 00:16:09.559 which is a little tiny island, so their ability to 378 00:16:09.679 --> 00:16:11.360 navigate by the stars, they. 379 00:16:11.200 --> 00:16:13.840 Weren't going for it. They said, they give up. It's 380 00:16:13.840 --> 00:16:15.960 just where they found themselves. Yeah, because they gave up. 381 00:16:16.200 --> 00:16:17.919 It says that they wanted to sail into the wind, 382 00:16:18.080 --> 00:16:19.639 but they give up, let the storm take them where 383 00:16:19.639 --> 00:16:21.120 it was going to go. And said when they saw 384 00:16:21.120 --> 00:16:23.320 the beach, it was unrecognizable. They didn't recognize that. Oh 385 00:16:23.320 --> 00:16:25.679 that's true, which means that they actually didn't know where. 386 00:16:26.080 --> 00:16:27.559 Here's what they thought land. 387 00:16:27.679 --> 00:16:29.120 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's what they thought. 388 00:16:29.279 --> 00:16:31.440 Yeah. So which, by the way, let me just say this. 389 00:16:31.600 --> 00:16:37.279 It says that Malta was eighty miles south of yeah, 390 00:16:37.519 --> 00:16:38.600 which which yeah, there you go. 391 00:16:38.759 --> 00:16:39.240 Yeah. 392 00:16:39.440 --> 00:16:44.120 So the the point that I was making is they 393 00:16:44.200 --> 00:16:48.320 have leveraged every bit of human wisdom. They know how 394 00:16:48.360 --> 00:16:50.200 to make the sails, they know how to make a 395 00:16:50.200 --> 00:16:53.159 boat that floats on this thing. They they've built such 396 00:16:53.159 --> 00:16:56.000 a great system that they have this great commerce that's 397 00:16:56.000 --> 00:16:59.600 happening all over the Roman Empire, all around the Mediterranean Sea. 398 00:17:00.039 --> 00:17:02.360 These guys are courageous. They think they know a better way. 399 00:17:02.559 --> 00:17:04.359 Even though it's not a good time to sail. We're 400 00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:06.400 really good sailors. We're going to go ahead and do it. 401 00:17:06.599 --> 00:17:10.359