Dharius Daniels - Surviving Shipwrecks

Let’s turn together to the Book of Acts, chapter 27. I want to read a few verses, beginning at verse 42. Acts chapter 27; I’ll read a few verses starting at verse 42. Hey y’all, see me drinking water? My vocal health coach has been on me, so I’ll be drinking my water while I’m speaking. She said I must stay hydrated! Someone put «hydrate» in the chat; somebody say «hydrate» in the room! If you know, over the past couple of weeks I’ve been pausing to drink my water—somebody say you’re proud of me! Come on, tell me; some people are like, «What is wrong with that pastor?» Acts chapter 27, verse 42, says this: The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping, but the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land; the rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way, everyone reached the land safely. The clause of concern is found in verse 44. I want to read it one more time for your mind: the rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. I want to talk from this subject during our time together today: Surviving Shipwrecks. Surviving Shipwrecks, family. Last week, we started a series of sermons titled «Detours,» and we adamantly asserted in last week’s lesson that we cannot have a conversation about destiny without discussing detours. We attempted to articulate that detours are not in the way of our destiny, but rather, that detours are the way to our destiny. We hopefully suggested sagaciously that detours do not cost us time; in actuality, detours save us time. And if we don’t believe detours save us time, the next time you see a detour sign, just run through it, and you will see that what the sign is protecting you from will cost you much more than the detour you experience. In other words, family, if we are going to achieve and accomplish God’s ultimate intention for our life—that’s destiny—if we are going to make our difference, you see, you can make a difference, but making a difference doesn’t mean you’ve made your difference. You only reach destiny when you make your difference. If I’m going to make my difference, if you’re going to make your difference, the only way we’re going to get there is if we properly manage detours. This text we just read here in the Book of Acts is a textbook of sorts to aid us in managing a certain type of detour. Here it is for my note-takers; I want you to write this down: This text teaches you and me that sometimes detours show up looking like shipwrecks. I’m going to say that one more time: sometimes detours show up looking like shipwrecks. What do you mean? I’m simply suggesting, family, that the ship, when I say «shipwrecks,» represents the thing you think—you and most people think—you have to have to get to where you’re trying to go. We all have expectations about a destination we’re trying to reach, but we have also made assumptions about the mode of transportation God’s going to use to get us there. The ship represents the thing you think you need to get to where you’re trying to go. And what do you do when the thing you think you have to have—your transportation—falls apart? Shipwrecks, relationships, friendships, partnerships can all fall apart. If your confidence is in the ship and not in the Savior, you will assume that you cannot reach your destination because something has happened to your transportation. I’m telling you that sometimes God allows something to happen with the transportation to give you a revelation: you have your faith in the wrong thing. Your ship and your Savior cannot both be sovereign at the same time. God is asking, «Am I going to get you there, or the relationship? Am I going to get you there, or the friendship? Am I going to get you there, or the partnership?» Well, if you believe I can get you there, when the ship falls apart, I’ll get you there floating on broken pieces. When the ship falls apart, I’ll find a way to get you to where you need to be. I need to pause and look directly into this camera and speak to someone who needs to hear this right now: God never strips away from you something in your present that you need for your future. The Word says He’ll supply all of your needs, and if He strips it away in the present, it’s because He’s got another way to use in the future. Many people end up panicking and acting impulsively because they’ve confused the transportation with the destination. Sometimes the ships you own wreck, and the text teaches us how to survive a shipwreck. The text shows us how to survive it physically, but most of our shipwrecks happen emotionally. Did you hear what I just said? Do you know that most people, when you look at most relationships in your past, you survived physically, but I want to know: Did you survive emotionally? Did your trust survive? Did your faith in people survive? Did your belief that there are good people in the world survive? Did you hear what?