HOW TO AVOID DISASTROUS DECISION

Acts 27:9- 14

Andres C. Guevara Jr.

May 6, 2007

Introduction: Acts 27 describes Paul voyage to Rome and his thrilling adventures he had on a ship and eventual shipwreck.

Let us have a simple and plain message and be a blessing to people.

Teenagers face decision in different aspects that is very important. All of us has make a decision that life demand decision.

Any decision you make is secondary to your decision of destiny what you do with Jesus Christ.

The question of Pilate, “What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?” (It was the decision of those people and they cried, “Crucify him, crucify him”—Matthew 27:22-25)

The question of Pilate for the past centuries still applicable today for all people “what shall I do then with Jesus Christ?” Received or reject Him as Savior, serve or not serve Him as Lord, obey or obey Him not as Lord and Savior.

The most important and the most monumental decision you will ever made is to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior (Eternal decision). After you made that decision by accepting Christ as your Savior you still have some decision to make.

The right decision can lead to blessing and wrong decision can lead to blistering.

Many today even Christian are making decision using unscriptural reasoning.

The story in our text the centurion makes a mistake, a wrong decision that resulted in the lost of a ship, the lost of all the cargo, nearly the lost of 276 souls along the ship, all because he made a wrong decision (a disastrous decision).

Seven factors that lead to this dangerous and detrimental and nearly disastrous decision.

I- DISCONTENTMENT WITH PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES- V.9 “now when much time was spent,..."

Discontenment wth present circumstances leads to wrong decision.

In verse 9 the centurion got uneasy, got impatient, got itchy, got uneasy, and saying “Oh we’ve been here a long time, Let’s go now unto the sea and take off”!

Example: Impatient of going married

Paul said in Philippians 4:11 “I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”

The centurion with his impatience said “I’ll go”, “I’ll do something else” but Paul learned “I’ll stay” (Philippians 4:11) while he is in the prison.

Most of us with our discontentment saying “I’ll do something else” while our God wants us to do the things exactly what we presently doing.

Galatians 6:9 “Let us not be weary in well doing”. The word “weary” means without further patience.

Paul said “don’t come to the point to become impatient of doing well”. Why? Because there is the danger.

Staying, consistently doing good, faithfully serving can be tiring physically and spiritually tiring if you let it but the bible said in Isaiah 40:31 “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

Because of impatience and discontentment, some guys want to get rich quick and ended in prison; some couple are not contented of their situation so they break up their marriage and ended in wrong decision.

Don’t make a decision based upon the discontentment with present circumstances.

II- DISREGARD OF GOD’S MESSAGE AND MESSENGER—v.10-11

Bible described scene in Israel at II Chronicles 36:15-16. People mocking the messengers of God, despising God’s Word and misused God’s prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people till there was remedy.

In verse 10-11 Apostle Paul give them advice but they totally disregarded it. It’s amazing thing how many Christians make decisions with totally disregarding God’s manuscript, God’s message, God’s man. Many Christians after hearing the preacher giving the message of God from the pulpit still saying, “I’ll do my own way” until it missed their lives.

I am a Pastor and not just a preacher. I am a shepherd and not just a shouter. A Pastor is a shepherd caring for his sheep and not just a shouter.

A Pastor is praying to God asking God what message God wants to deliver for His children and praying to God that He may talk to the people of the congregation and to the preacher what they ought to live.

The road to irreverence does not begin of disrespect toward God but begin of disrespect of the things of God. First began to dislike the preacher, then began to strongly dislike the church the Pastor pasturing, then began to dislike of that church where the Pastor is preaching, then it will lead on and on out of the will of God and out of fellowship of God.

When you begin to disregard the man of God, message of God, manuscript of God you’re on the way to make a bad decision.

III- DEPENDENCE UPON UNGODLY ADVICE—v.11

In verse 11 it says, “master and owner of the ships”. It describes that they were experts and not all advice are bad.

Our Lord Jesus used to be our counselor according to Isaiah 9:6. Christ is our counselor, Christ is our physician healer, Christ is our psychiatrist, and Christ is our psychologist.

The centurion walked in the counsel or the advice of the ungodly even though they were experts they were still not in tune with God.

Paul warned in Colossians 2:8 “beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy”…after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”

People do not want information; they want confirmation of what they already believed.

Do not depend upon ungodly even though they are popular and experts.

IV- DISCOMFORT OF PRESENT CONDITIONS—v.12

It says in verse 12 “Because the haven was not commodious to winter in”

They said “this is not convenient to stay into particular port, this is not comfortable, so let us make a decision.” That is disastrous decision.

Paul said in Philippians 4:12 while in prison “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to around and to suffer need.”

Paul said “I know how to be in uncomfortable circumstances (that’s real Christianity).

In Romans 5:3 Paul said “we glory in tribulations”

Most folk don’t glory but they grumble of drown.

In Romans 12:12 “..patient in tribulation;..”

Example: Job is an example that is patient in tribulation that while his wife telling him, “honey, why you not curse God and died?”—Job 2:9

But the Bible said, “In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.”—Job 1:22

And Job said “though he slay me, yet will I trust in Him.”—Job 13:15

Job know how to survive in tribulation to continue in discomfort.

It’s surprising even though God used discomfort in ages part many people feel they are uncomfortable that they are out of God’s will.

Bible said we are not to look of way out. Jesus in Hebrews 12:2 “endured the cross, despising the shame”

Discomfort causes Pastors to leaves pulpit, causes Sunday school teaches to leave classes, causes backslider to abandoned churches, caused Politicians to leave offices, caused husbands to walk away from marriages, caused slackers to quit job, caused student to drop out of school.

God never say that when we got saved it’s going to be easy.

Remember, SUFFERING BUILD CHARACTER.

Many Christians are spoiled in many churches but have no character.

V- DECISIONS MADE BY THE MAJORITY

In verse12 “The more part advised to depart thence also”..

It seems they are saying about Paul “What’s that Baptist preacher is saying we ought not to sail while everybody wants to go sailing.”

There are some occasions that the majority is right but there are many more times that the majority is wrong.

Example: In the book of Numbers chapter 13 and chapter 14 of twelve spies to spy out the land of Canaan. The ten discourages the people of Israel to go up and brought a bad and evil report while the two spies encourages the Israelites to go up and possessed the land and doing good report.

The Bible said in Exodus 23:2 “Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil.”

Example: We should not follow the majority: The gambling crowd, the liquor drinking crowd, the free loved crowd, the rock music crowd, homosexual crowd.

Listen the Bible says in Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

Do not follow the flow.

It’s always right to do right and there’s no right way to do the wrong thing.

Right is right when nobody is right and wrong is wrong if everybody is wrong.

Example: If we follow the majority and think we are in a wrong and some other religion—Matthew 7:13-14

VI- DESIRES TO SATISFY THE FLESH

In verse 12, “If by any means they might attain to, Phenice and there to winter; which is an haven of Crete,”

Most of the time we do every means just to satisfy our fleshly desire.

Do you know that what our old nature desires is not good for our spiritual being?

In Galatians 5:16 “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”

In Galatians 5:17 “The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh”..

In verse 12 “By any means..” they have to attain what they desire they will get there.

Example: I know some Pastors, they are just using some churches like stepping stone hoping to get on top (sinful desire using big churches using church money to get on top).

One of the most dangerous decisions are decisions based purely on fleshly gain and even based on financial gain.

Bible said in I Timothy 6:9-10 these people who are after money, wants money, and based how they will get out of financially pierced themselves with many sorrows.

I am warning you! Don’t make your decision based purely on financial gain. You’ll be sorry.

Listen to the richest man of the world Solomon and wrote in Ecclesiastes the emptiness of everything and made the wrong decision purely to advance His kingdom for his own financial gain, even married women just to advance his kingdom and to enlarge his coast and made decision to get more money and now writes in Proverbs 15:16 “Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith.”

Proverbs 15:17 “Better is dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.”

VII- DEVELOPMENTS THAT SEEM FAVORABLE

In verse 13 “And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete.”

It seems smooth sailing it seems everything fine and God opened the door.

Really, did God opened the door and provide the soft wind to blow softly.

In verse 14, many soft winds have erupted in tempestuous wind.

Things may go smoothly for a while and then you began to find out the reality of the wrong decision you made.

Bible said, “Lean not unto thine own understanding”—Proverbs 3:5

Paul said in Acts 21:13 “I am ready not to be bound only but also to die.”

Jesus said in Hebrews 12:2, before the joy that was set before Him and before to set down at the right hand of the throne of God He first endured the Cross.