Series: It’s a Wonderful Life

 

Title: It’s A Wonderful Life When Things Don’t Go as Planned

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTJCI1FNBfA

 

Bank Run - A bank run occurs when a large group of depositors withdraw their money from banks at the same time.

 

George's breakdown happens on Christmas Eve of 1945. We see how the Great Depression of 1929 causes a run on the bank and threatens the Building and Loan.

 

The types of loans that George's business provided gave the working class a better opportunity to own a home and helped to create a thriving local economy.

 

Things Don’t Always Go as Planned for Believers

 

Just because you are a believer and doing the will of God, does not guarantee that your journey will be free from surprises along the way.

 

Such was the case for the apostle Paul.

 

Paul had aspirations of going to Rome.  In hindsight it was clear that it was more than an aspiration, it was the will of God for Paul to go to Rome.

 

Our Plans Must Align with God’s Plans for Our Life

 

For if we embark on our own plans apart from the will of God it is almost certain that we will fail.

 

We must aspire to do that which is in accordance with the will of God for our lives. 

 

How do we know if the things that we aspire to do is from God or not?

 

What were some key indicators that it was from God and not just his own desire?

 

• Paul Was Set Apart

 

Before stepping foot in Rome, Paul composes the letter of Romans.

 

Romans 1:1,11-12

 

¹ Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,

 

One of the first indicators is that Paul was set apart for the gospel of God.  Meaning he was an apostle who travelled about preaching the good news of the gospel to both Jews and Gentiles, established churches, and raised up godly leaders.  His going to Rome aligned with the calling of God upon his life. 

 

• His motives Were Pure

Another indicator that Paul’s voyage to Rome was from God, is that his motives were pure.

 

¹¹ For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— ¹² that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. 

 

There was a need.  The people of Rome needed an impartation to receive spiritual gifts.  The result of this impartation would bring about encouragement to both Paul and the Romans.

 

(1 Corinthians 12)

(wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues, interpretation)

 

Paul’s motives were pure as he was going to encourage the believers in Rome. 

 

If left to our selfish desires, we would never embark on such a journey as Paul did (nearly 2000 miles over sea and land) just to be an encouragement to others. 

 

By nature, we are selfish and self-centered.  It is only after having encountered the love of God that we then are stirred to move with compassion towards those in need. 

 

Paul’s journey to Rome was God’s assignment for his life.  Know your assignment!

 

Paul was set apart, his motives were pure, he was doing the right things for the right reasons but his voyage to Rome still did not go according to plan.  Well, it did not go according to his plan.  God had other plans, as He often does.

 

Isaiah 55:8-9

 

⁸ For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

 

After Paul's arrival in Jerusalem at the end of his Third Missionary Journey, he went up to the Temple where some "Asian Jews" stirred up a riot against him and he became involved in a serious conflict with them, but a Roman officer arrested him and took him to safety saving his life. 

 

The conflict eventually led to Paul being detained by the Romans and imprisoned in Caesarea for two years. From that moment on, Paul remained in custody, until he invoked his right as a Roman citizen to appeal his case to Caesar himself. So, the governor arranged for Paul to be taken by ship to Rome under escort and as a prisoner on charges of sedition and causing serious unrest in Jerusalem.

 

The Journey to Rome began in early fall of 59 A.D. and ended the following spring of 60 A.D.

 

The way that his journey unfolded is probably not what he envisioned when he wrote:

 

Romans 1:10 …that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you.

 

For he could not have foreseen the incredible difficulty he would face getting there.  The Lord gives us the instruction we need at the time we need it.  Because if He would reveal the entirety of His plan along with all the foreseen obstacles along the way, then perhaps we would never embark on the journey.

 

As we traverse through the story, keep in mind the end goal is getting to Rome.

 

7 Unplanned things that happened to bring about the fulfillment God’s plan in Paul’s life

 

Acts 27

 

1. Paul boards a ship sent to Rome to appeal to Caesar. (Vs 1-2)

 

¹ And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. ² And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica.

 

Though God’s plan may not be fully revealed to us, we must be willing to embark in the journey before we can arrive.  We must be willing to take those initial steps. 

 

2. Paul switches to a grain ship sailing to Italy. (Vs 5-7)

 

⁵ And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. ⁶ There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. ⁷ We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 

 

Paul experienced a number of things that did not go as planned in these two verses. 

• Change of ship – (certain career, degree)
• Slow journey
• Days at sea
• Difficult
• Winds prevented them from going farther as they had planned.

 

3. Paul warns of the dangerous voyage but is ignored. (Vs 9-11)

 

⁹ Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast was already over, Paul advised them, ¹⁰ saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” ¹¹ But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. 

 

In addition to the difficulty of the trip, Paul is now stuck with people who refuse to listen to his counsel.  He must go along with them in the ship knowing that it will be disastrous.  Of course, this too is totally against his plan of doing things. Yet he has no choice in the matter.

 

 

 

 

4. His ship is caught in a storm for 14 days being tossed around by the sea (Vs. 13-15 & 20)

 

¹³ Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. ¹⁴ But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land. ¹⁵ And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along.

 

²⁰ When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.

 

5. The ship that Paul was on was shipwrecked off the coast of Malta. (Vs. 41-44)

 

⁴¹ But striking a reef, they ran the vessel aground. The bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the surf. ⁴² The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape. ⁴³ But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, ⁴⁴ and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land.

 

Because they did not listen to Paul, they found themselves tossed by the sea and driven by the wind for 14 days.  Paul’s life and those on board were in serious danger.  He would have never planned for such a trip to take place.  Perhaps if he had insight about his voyage, he would have never appealed to Caesar in the first place.

 

6. Paul was bitten by a venomous viper, but no harm had come to him (Chapter 28:3)

 

 ³ When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand.

 

As we can see from the text, Paul’s journey was marked with uncertainty.  It was characterized by hiccups and bumps along the way that he could have never anticipated much less plan for. Even the most experienced sailorcould not have planned for these events to take place.

 

I believe that God will bring us to the place which He has appointed for us to be.  However, I also believe that we too will experience many unplanned things along the way. 

 

When things do not go as planned we must understand that God is still in control and that He is working on your behalf even if it is behind the scenes. 

 

There was some things that God was doing in Paul, through Paul and for Paul along the way. 

 

There are so many ways in which God was acting behind the scenes in Paul’s life

 

Who knows, that just because things don’t go as planned in your life that God could be working in the lives of those around you.

 

Though Paul and the remaining crew were in the same dire circumstance, Paul had hope that no one else had. God may use your response to seemingly hopeless situations to speak volumes to those with no hope.

 

Paul’s Response Throughout

 

Paul’s journey is remarkable not only by what he had experienced but how he responded when things did not go his way.  

 

Chapter 27

 

Be Patient

 

⁷ We sailed slowly for a number of days 

 

Perhaps the plan of God for your life is not unfolding as quickly as you had planned.  Sail slowly, meaning realize that you are in the boat, heading the course, it’s slower than expected, but be patient, you’ll get there.  God is in control. 

 

Labor, Even When it is Difficult (Certain things that are our responsibility to do)

 

¹⁶ we managed with difficulty to secure the ship's boat. 

 

The traveling took longer than planned and was quite difficult, it required more work than expected, but we managed.  Paul is writing this on the other side of the voyage and says we made it through. We did not know if we would, but we did.

 

We could take it a step further and say that God strengthened our physical bodies so that we could endure the difficult unplanned voyage.

 

            Psalms 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

 

Expect Change

 

¹⁷ After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear, and thus they were driven along. ¹⁸ Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day to jettison the cargo. 

 

Speak To Your Situation

 

²¹ Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. ²² Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 

 

Shake it Off (Chapter 28) … don’t go as planned you need to shake it off and not let it affect you.

 

⁵ He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.

Embrace the unplanned as opportunities for the miraculous

 

⁸ It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him, healed him. 

 

When things don’t go as planned use it as an opportunity for God to the miraculous.

 

Determine to be Thankful for the past and Courageous towards the future

 

¹⁵ Paul thanked God and took courage. 

 

When things don’t go as planned remain thankful for the past and courageous for the future.

 

As we have already established Paul makes it to Rome.  The dream came true.  But even upon accomplishing the goal, things still don’t go as planned.  For it was laborious work to convince them about Jesus.  It was not like Jonah.

 

Jonah 3:4-5

 

⁴ “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” ⁵ And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

 

Perhaps after enduring all that Paul did, he thought things would go just as smoothly in Rome.

 

²³ From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. 

Some receive his message but others did not.  ²⁴ And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. ²⁵ And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:

 

²⁶ “‘Go to this people, and say,
“You will indeed hear but never understand,
    and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
²⁷ For this people's heart has grown dull,
    and with their ears they can barely hear,
    and their eyes they have closed;
lest they should see with their eyes
    and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
    and turn, and I would heal them.’

 

Some of them believed others walked away.  When things do not go as planned as a believer, know that God is still working on your behalf.  Even if it is behind the scenes. 

 

Is it still a wonderful life even when things don’t go as planned?  Absolutely.  While things are not going according to our plan, we remain in the hands of the Master and His plans will be fulfilled.