Let's stand together, brothers and sisters, for the reading of God's Word. Moving ahead in the book of Acts, now into chapter 28. The title of today's sermon is Rescued to Serve at Malta. I'll read from verse 39 of chapter 27 through to verse 11 of chapter 28. You'll see verses 1 through 10. There are our verses of focus today. Oh, please listen very carefully because this is God's holy and infallible word. When it was day, they did not recognize the land, but they observed a bay with a beach onto which they planned to run the ship if possible. And they let go of the anchors and left them in the sea, meanwhile, loosing the rudder ropes. And they hoisted the mainsail to the wind and made for shore. But striking a place where two seas meet, they ran the ship aground and the prow stuck fast and remained immovable. But the stern was being broken up by the violence of the waves. And the soldier's plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim away and escape. But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from their purpose. and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land, and the rest, some on boards and some on parts of the ship. And so it was that they all escaped safely to land. Now, when they had escaped, they then found out that the island was called Malta, and the natives showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and made us all welcome because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold. When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on a fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, no doubt this man is a murderer whom though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live. But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god. In that region, there was an estate of the leading citizen of the island, whose name was Publius, who received us and entertained us courteously for three days. And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went into him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him. So when this was done, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed. They also honored us in many ways. And when we departed, they provided such things as were necessary. After three months, we sailed in an Alexandrian ship whose figurehead was the twin brothers, which had wintered at the island. Thus ends the reading of God's word. Amen. Amen. Please be seated. So first today we'll look at the shipwreck on Malta and think and learn a little bit about Malta itself. And then we'll look at these natives, which the Greek word here is they're barbarians, often contrasted with the Greeks. And we'll see their unusual kindness that they showed. And then there's this viper bite episode, which teaches us a lot about thinking under the sun. the way we can misunderstand things, also shows us Paul's poise. We see Publius, this man who's providentially placed there, is probably the leader of that, at least that region, and his noteworthy generosity towards these over 270 people, probably 270 men. And then we see healing taking place, and not just his father, but the people of Malta are healed. Anybody who heard about it and had sickness came to Paul and got healed. And then finally there, after three months, even though they showed up virtually naked and with nothing and no ship and no stuff, they're sent away with everything they need to continue their journey. So at Malta, we see here a perilous shipwreck transformed by God, if you'll think about it, into a prosperous gospel mission work. That's essentially what happens. From out of the morning surf arose as from the dead one, Paul, suddenly to bring good news to both the Greeks and the barbarians on that island. Just as Paul wrote to the Romans, he said, I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. Neither those saved from the sea nor those being saved from their sins on that island could have suspected such a glorious episode to begin on that cold, rainy morning in Malta. These beautiful feet came upon a mountainous storm emerging weakly from the dawn's tide to proclaim peace and glad tidings of good things. Spurgeon says, happy island of Malta to have such a missionary driven onto its shores. The calamities of ministers are often a benediction to the people. Paul's shipwreck resulted in blessings to that island that otherwise it would have missed. Let us, as God's servants, leave ourselves in his hands and believe that he can sometimes use us better by means of a shipwreck than if he had given the winds and waves charged concerning us to bear us safely to our desired haven. So I think an obvious question is, what shipwrecks have you been through? Did you note them properly? Or perhaps even what happy shipwrecks may await you in the future, dear Christian? So verse one, shipwrecked on Malta. When they had escaped, now when they had escaped, they then found out that the island was called Malta. You know, this is not one of those episodes where there's like this long pause and this break between the action. It just rolls right in with the tide into this story and just picks up and keeps moving. It's as if the momentum of the sea just carries them right into these events. You see there in your map, take a look there from Caesarea, by Cyprus, up through what is now southwestern Turkey, down around Crete, across the sea there in the storm, and then just this little dot, Malta, God takes them to. I want us to think this through a little bit. Note how far the malicious Jews, think of it, note how far the malicious Jews had cast Paul from Jerusalem by the great providence of Almighty God. And we can even add that maybe even James and the elders had a part in that too, because remember they said, hey, why don't you go to the temple? But ultimately, it's the malicious Jews. They would have probably found him anyway. So from Jerusalem to Caesarea and then across the sea through a great storm and a shipwreck to this little island on foot, on horseback, from Claudius Lysias to Felix to Festus to the kind centurion and now to kind barbarians and a courteous Roman, he has been through quite a bit. This is a wonderful story. Here we have him in an island to which, in all probability, he had never come if he had not been thrown upon it by a storm. Yet, it seems God has work for him to do here. Even stormy winds fulfill God's counsel, and an ill wind, indeed it is, that blows nobody any good. This ill wind blew good to the island of Melita, for it gave them Paul's company for three months, who was a blessing to every place that he came to. Now, this island Melita is almost certainly what has come to be named Malta. They learned that the island they are on is called Melita, now known as Malta. It is located about 58 miles south of Sicily and about 180 miles northeast of Africa. It's about 18 miles long and about 8 miles wide. and its ancient names means refuge, which it's worth noting that Luke makes nothing of the etymology other than to just say the name, and the power of suggestion speaks for itself. Another commentary says the island was first colonized by the Phoenicians, and hence the term barbarian, that is neither Greek nor Roman, and that's the word that's used in the sacred narrative here in Acts 28 too, and a lot of the ancient Greek writings, from whom it was taken by the Greek colonists in Sicily, about BC 736, but the Carthaginians began to dispute its possession about BC 528 and eventually became entire masters of it. So we're kind of tracing the history of this island here in our minds to get to this moment. The Phoenician language in a corrupted form continued to be spoken there even in St. Paul's day. From the Carthaginians, it passed to the Romans in the Second Punic War in 242 BC, who treated the inhabitants well, making Melita a municipium and allowing the people to be governed by their own laws. The government was administered by a proprator who depended upon the praetor of Sicily. And this office appears to have been held by Publius when Paul was on the island. So it appears as though this Greek phrase for Publius is actually a reference to this position. The island's chief officer under the governor of Sicily appears from inscriptions to have had the special title of primus militantium, and this is the very Greek phrase which Luke uses in 28.7. So it's likely, we can't conclude for sure, but it's likely that he's not just a prominent wealthy citizen, but it is also a local ruler under Roman governance. The natives going on, verse two, the natives showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and made us all welcome because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold. So again, this word native here is this Greek word for barbarian, and it's used by the ancient Greeks of any foreigner ignorant of the Greek language. Okay, so they didn't know Greek, they hadn't been Hellenized. and they hadn't been brought into the Greek culture, then they were known as barbarians. And this concept continued through into the Roman time. It was whether, and this ignorance in Greek writings, you could tell they thought it referenced not only mental or moral with the added notion after the Persian War of rudeness and brutality. The word is used in the New Testament without the idea of reproachfulness. So now we would use this word with a sense of reproachfulness and you'd imagine someone wearing some sort of hairy fur and long mangy hair and they need a bath and they carry a club and they attack you with a host of warhounds or something like this. This is what you would think of. But they didn't mean it that way, necessarily. It was just a reference to those outside of the Hellenized culture. So this they bump into first, the natives of Melita. And they showed them unusual kindness. This word unusual is no little. So it was no little kindness. It was a lot of kindness they showed them. And the word kindness there is the root word for a philanthropist, someone who has a general love of mankind. And so what we see here is just this remarkable benevolence that these barbarians show to these strangers. I think 276 of them who just show up that morning out of the sea. We're told that they made them all welcome, not just Paul, not just the centurion, not just the soldiers with their swords, but all of them were made welcome. And that means to take as one's companion, to receive someone with tenderness. So there was a tenderness and a kindness and a friendliness that was extended to them as they came out of the ocean that morning. Now, they also didn't just express their warmth through what they said, but they also kindled a fire for them, and we're told that it was in the rain and the cold. The warmth of their love and tenderness to these soaked, shivering castoffs is right here mingled with the warmth and comfort of a fresh fire. So the scene has changed significantly. They've had their, perhaps many of them thought it was their last supper on the ship the night before. And they've, many of them probably faced those moments where they thought they were about to drown and they didn't. And now they've crawled out of the sea and they think maybe I'm going to freeze to death. But now they're around a fire and they're surrounded by friendly people. And it's just probably all moving too fast for them to even just catch on to what's happening. I love the commentary on this from Matthew Henry. They kindled a fire in some large hall or other, and they received us every one, made room for us about the fire, and bade us all welcome. In swimming to the shore and coming on the broken pieces of the ship, we must suppose that they were sadly wet, that they had not a dry thread on them, and as if that were not enough to complete the deluge, waters from above met those from below, and it rained so hard that this would wet them to the skin presently, and it was a cold rain too, so that they wanted nothing so much as a good fire, for they had eaten hardly but just before on ship. And this they got for them presently, to warm them and to dry their clothes. It is sometimes as much a piece of charity to poor families to supply them with fuel as with food or raiment. Be you warmed is as necessary as be you filled. When in the extremities of bad weather we find ourselves fenced against the rigors of the season by the accommodations of a warm house, bed, clothes, and a good fire, we should think how many lie exposed to the present rain and to the cold and pity them. and pray for them and help them if we can. You know, I was writing this sermon, this section of the sermon just this morning during a thunderstorm at my house. And I mean, it shook the house and the rain was coming in. I looked at my little, you know, beep on my phone. It says, you know, tornado watch. And I was so thankful to be, you know, as it said here, sheltered from these rigors at that moment. And it touched me to think of someone not shielded from the weather. And we see this, this tender human kindness, this evidence of the continued dignity of humanity present in even these lost barbarians. This was a kindness from an unexpected source, and it's worth noting that God's favor may fall upon his people anywhere, anytime. We should never walk into a situation expecting to be mistreated. We may well be, but we know God may do amazing things. Consider the stunned gratitude of Paul and Luke and their companions and the other prisoners and the crew. 273 hungry, tired, wet, cold souls. Might we as Christians be put to shame by the sacrificial goodwill of these barbarians? Do we have the same kind of tender soul as these militants did at that time? Commentary says, so far were they from making a prey of this shipwreck, as many, I fear, who are called Christian people would have done, that they laid hold of it as an opportunity of showing mercy. The Samaritan is a better neighbor to the poor wounded man than the priest or Levite, and barely we have not found greater humanity among Greeks or Romans or Christians than among these barbarous people. And it is written for our imitation that we may hence learn to be compassionate to those that are in distress and misery and to relieve and succor them to the utmost of our ability. So certainly one of the most obvious application points in this sermon is for each of us to ask ourselves, do I have this heart? Do I have this heart of tenderness towards people who are in need? It's good for us to grow up in this compassion and this tenderness and know there's sacrifice for strangers, true hospitality. Next we have this viper bite episode that occurs. You know, they're having this wonderful time around the fire. They're all warmed and it's just all good news. But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, no doubt this man is a murderer whom though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live. But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, well, they changed their minds and said that he was a god. So Paul is snake-bitten, and notice that he's snake-bitten as he serves. So while he's receiving their kindness, Paul sets about to be a part of the help he receives. And certainly we shouldn't expect that all service should be risk-free. What does Paul reveal to us here? I think it's something we've talked about here in our church. Paul has this attitude, what can I do to help? How can I help? Have any of you asked that question before? How can I help? What can I do to help? This was Paul's approach to life, even when his own needs were so close and penetrating as this deep, wet coldness of his own body. I mean, just think about the intensity of that experience and the niceness of being near the fire and his choice to get up from that moment and move a bit away from the fire and serve. This is a real message to us about focusing on service and others. Commentary says, when the fire was to be made be made bigger, that so great a company might all have the benefit of it, Paul was as busy as any of them in gathering sticks. Though he was free from all and of greater account than any of them, yet he made himself servant of all. Paul was an industrious, active man, and he loved to be doing when anything was to be done and never contrived to take his ease. Paul was a humble, self-denying man who would stoop to anything by which he might be serviceable. even to the gathering of sticks to make a fire. Oh, we should reckon nothing below us but sin and be willing to condescend to the meanest offices if there be occasion for the good of our brethren. The people were ready to help them, yet Paul, wet and cold as he is, will not throw it all upon them, but will help himself. Those that receive benefit by the fire should help to carry fuel to it." So this is quite a lesson for us, is it not? Yes, indeed. You know, we live in a coddled age. We live in an age of excuses. Paul had plenty, and I don't see him doing anything except throwing off the excuses and serving Christ. May we do the same. May God deliver each of us from our self-deceived, coddling minds that we know, we know we've been the victims of this you-owe-it-to-yourself mentality that we've all been steeped in, in this selfish, dying world. Oh, who will deliver me from this body of death is what Paul said. And I hope that you're kind of bumping into that in yourself right now. Because I'll tell you, if I was there, I don't even think it would have crossed my mind to get up from that hot spot next to the fire. I'd have been using God's word as an excuse along with my cold. He said I wasn't going to die. I better stay here by the fire so I don't die. God gave me a promise. I'm not going to die. So I need to be the closest to the fire. all kinds of excuses that we make. And you notice how he used the word here in the commentary, never contrived to take his ease. You know, how dare someone come and challenge you in a moment like that and say, hey, are you being selfish sitting there next to the fire? Like I wouldn't say that to somebody. Like that is an almost impenetrable wall of excuses that you put around yourself to be selfish. especially in a weak world where we so often don't have the courage to ask each other hard questions. So may God deliver us from this world of selfishness that we dwell in and that we've been steeped in so much. And be like the littlest ones in our midst who walk around saying, how can I help? How can I help? How can I help? Amen? Amen. All right, moving on. Note here the natives twice misinterpret Paul's viper bite. Okay, they're kind, they're wonderfully gracious, they go out of their way to help, but we also see that they're silly. Okay, they've got a fallen mind, they don't know how to interpret this striking event. So, hasty, ugliest, firm conclusion. Their first is a no doubt, we're told, like they're absolutely convinced Paul is no doubt a murderer. So this is under the sun thinking, barbarian thinking. This is sin captive minds. They've got a little bit of truth, but they don't know how to put it all together and they reach a false conclusion. They cannot make sense of bad providences upon others or upon themselves. They pridefully and overconfidently conclude evil regarding Paul and rush headlong into devilish accusations. And shame on you and shame on me for doing the same thing. because we do it all the time. Their natural understanding of justice, which is good, rightly sees murder as a heinous crime deserving death, but their darkened understanding sees not God's great power, wisdom, and plan behind all things. They don't understand enough. They've just got a little bit of light, and they don't have enough to interpret the situation properly. Commentary says that they thought all who were remarkably afflicted in this life were wicked people, that a man on whose hand a viper fastens may thence be judged to be a murderer, as if those on whom the tower in Siloam fell must needs be greater sinners than all in Jerusalem. This mistake Job's friends also went upon in their judgment upon his case. But divine revelation sets this matter in a true light, that all things come ordinarily alike to all. that good men are oftentimes greatly afflicted in this life for the exercise and improvement of their faith and patience. So don't think from this set of events here that all Christians who are shipwrecked are going to not drown. Don't think that. And don't think from this event that all Christians who handle snakes and get bit by vipers are going to live. Don't walk out of here thinking that nonsense. and also don't think that all individuals who get snake bit are murderers, right? That's nonsense, isn't it? Isn't it? It's very much nonsense. So we have to be very careful and not get into this back and forth, because you see what happens in the mind. It goes from one extreme to the other when we don't have God's thoughts to think. Because look what happens next. They go to the next, like he's the worst. Oh, no, no, he's the best. Hasty, firm, loftiest of conclusions. And this is similar to what the psychiatrists will call the borderline personality disorder. One moment they love you, the next moment they hate you. It's this back and forth of the fallen human mind because we don't know how to put things together. One minute he's a murderer, the next he's a God. If you will, from murderer to God in less time than a viper can kill a man. Because they apparently kind of knew how long that was. And by the time that time had passed, he's like, well, I guess he's a God. So the question for us really is how often do we in our fallen minds misread others from hellish fiend to hero friend and back again all in time for tea? We can be like these pendulums just going back and forth in our minds the vicissitudes of foolishness. We have these barbarian minds under the sun apart from Christ. The question is how often do we think like barbarians from one extreme to another about others or about ourselves? or about God. Also, we should see here in this section, no limit to God's power. Neither shipwreck nor viper could drown or poison God's gospel plan for this island. God had a gospel plan for these people and shipwreck couldn't stop it. Cold rain couldn't stop it. Potentially violent natives couldn't stop it. A viper couldn't stop it. Let us always remember God's power to complete his plan no matter what we see. Also, I think we should take note here of Paul's poise. What do you think you would have done if a snake, a viper, came out of a bunch of sticks that you picked up and it fastened on your hand? Yeah, we can say that most of us would have lost our cool. And what does Paul do? He just flicks it into the fire. There's no apparent screaming or running about or jumping up on a table or passing out or crying or, you know, nothing. Just flick the snake into the fire. So not even the lethal viper bite could cause him to lose control. Instead, he shakes the viper into the fire and he waits for God's plan to be revealed. He sits and he waits. This is a marvelous example of trusting God. I mean, surely Paul, it would have been okay for him to scream and freak out a little bit. It doesn't, apparently he didn't. He trusted God so much that he immediately just, you know, naturally like anyone would try to get the snake off, flicked it into the fire and it was all done. Now he knew he would go to Rome, that's true. He knew that, so he did have that. But here's a question, did he know for sure he would arrive in good health? I mean, I think he knew he'd arrive good enough to talk, but did he know for sure he'd arrive with his arm? I don't think he knew that. Did he know for sure that he wouldn't arrive and die immediately after he got there from the effects of a snake bite? No, he didn't know for sure that this wasn't going to bring terrible suffering into his life. So think upon how he's an example to us of power, love, and a sound mind. The Holy Spirit at work in this man, even that fast. Oh, dear brothers and sisters, consider the great and mighty calming hand of God available to you immediately, immediately in every moment as well. Next, we see noteworthy generosity from Publius. Verse 7, in that region, there was an estate of the leading citizen of the island, whose name was Publius, who received us and entertained us courteously for three days. Let's think about his providential presence. If we look at the extended history of this island, from Phoenician to Carthaginian to Greek to Roman, now to this moment, for this particular man to be its overseer, its leading citizen, One so kind and also, as we will see, one who in that moment had significant need in his life. Now granted, it was apparent that the centurion was on an important Roman mission and there would have been some duty that he would have had to help him complete his mission. So we have to see that it wasn't just purely motivated by courtesy, but he did demonstrate what Paul calls courteous. So the way that he entertained them was not with a grudging spirit. It's like, oh, great, what a hassle. No, he brings them in and he's courteous towards them. With extended courtesy and generosity, Paul and the whole group receive another unexpected kindness. So they've survived the shipwreck. They've made it to shore. The natives didn't kill them. They get a nice warm fire. Paul is bitten by a viper and he doesn't die. Surely that's their fill of God's goodness for a day. Surely that's, there can't be any more. But here's another one. So really, as I thought about this, I thought, how often do we limit God's kindnesses toward us? Do you think that when you ask him for good things that maybe you kind of are pushing him a little bit? You better not ask for too much more because you might, you know, wear out your welcome or something. It's kind of akin to seeing God as judge and taskmaster. He delights to over-abundantly display his love and kindness to his people. Oh, how often do we limit his his kindness toward us as if there's some daily limit or something like that? Surely a warm fire from barbarians is the best we can expect on this day or deliverance from a viper bite for Paul or deliverance in the morning from shipwreck. Perhaps in some passage of quite a few days, we may find another unexpected kindness. But until then. No, instead here we see the overabundant hand of God's favor displayed to his people and he can do this as we read in our liturgy this morning. He sits in heaven and does whatever he pleases. And it may well please him like in this situation from time to time to just bring unexpected blessing upon blessing and deliverance upon deliverance for you, dear Christian. This whole section further challenges us in regards to our hospitality. We see it from the barbarians and we see it from the Greeks. Is our Christian hospitality as noteworthy as the barbarians and the Greeks of Malta? This apparently untouched by the gospel island. It's likely, you can think about that culture at that time, the word of the gospel would have, perhaps, or of Jesus, or the whole story there would have made its way through, but it does appear to be an unreached people group in terms of having a gospel minister coming and preaching. And look at how kind they were. So judge yourself, brothers and sisters, judge your own hospitality. Verses eight and nine, Malta is healed. We see a great thing here and a great message to all who will receive the gospel. All cultures that will receive the gospel will be healed. That is a life maxim. Will there still be suffering and sadness? Of course, we're not going to escape misery until the other side. But there is a gospel healing influence upon any culture that receives the Lord Jesus Christ. And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went into him and prayed and he laid his hands on him and healed him. So when this was done, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed. Publius' father was healed by God as Paul prays and think about it as Paul lays his hands upon him. God's providence is piled one upon another here on Malta. It's not some unknown father of an unnamed citizen, but rather the father of likely the best known man of the island. And herein God's great kindness and power displayed grandly in a bleak bedroom is broadcast upon the whole island's breadth as a result of that providence. Providence ordered it that he should be ill just at this time, that the cure of him might be a present recompense to Publius for his generosity, and the cure of him by miracle a recompense particularly for his kindness to Paul, whom he received in the name of a prophet and had this prophet's reward. We're told also that the rest of the island is healed. Paul does not limit God's healing power to one man, but readily receives God's power to heal. And like Jesus, awaiting the endless fountain of God's grace and favor to accompany the gospel message, he apparently goes on to spend himself in the time necessary to pray and likely lay hands on all of these people to heal them. If he can heal diseases so easily, so effectually, he shall soon have patience enough. And he made them all welcome and sent them away with what they came for. He did not plead that he was a stranger there thrown accidentally among them under no obligations to them and waiting to be gone by the first opportunity and therefore might be excused from receiving their applications. No, a good man will endeavor to do good wherever the providence of God casts him. Paul reckoned himself also a debtor, not only to the Greeks, but to the barbarians, and thanked God for an opportunity of being useful among them. Nay, he was particularly obliged to these inhabitants of Malta for the seasonable shelter and supply they had afforded him. And hereby he did, in effect, discharge his quarters, which should encourage us, brothers and sisters, to entertain strangers, for some thereby have entertained angels, and some apostles unawares. God will not be behind hand with any for kindness shown to his people in distress. We have reason to think that Paul, with these cures, preached the gospel to them, and that coming thus confirmed and recommended, it was generally embraced among them. And if so, never were any people so enriched by a shipwreck on their coast as these Maltese were. You know, it was a challenge for them to serve the way they did, to serve Paul the way they did. It was a sacrifice. Little did they know what they would be receiving. Another thing for us to see here, not just God's power displayed through Paul on this island and his great kindness to these people, but there is also here a message to us Christian people about the Christian response to serious illness. And this is particularly important in our day and age. You see, Paul does not fear becoming sick, but rather he returns kindness for kindness, risking even his own health. He goes in and he lays hands on this man who has fever and dysentery. And certainly Paul would have known enough to know that it's something that he possibly could have contracted when he went into that room with that man and laid his hands on him and prayed for him to be healed. Paul knew and determined by his judgment at that time that it was a work of necessity for him to go in and take that risk. And he did it. In this world of planned pandemics of panic, and I'll say it again, planned pandemics of panic and propaganda, we Christians must be the antidote. We are the vaccine that works. We are the vaccine that is safe and effective in a world filled with lies, giant lies, and little sicknesses. And even if they became giant sicknesses, fear not. unafraid to die like Paul, we are called to serve in the midst of feverish death, even risking our own lives in the midst of works of necessity, counting it an honor to have this opportunity to display Christ and to do this in his name as we do so, showing forth Christ's courage and his love. in the midst of all darkness. And his incarnation is the ultimate example. He came to a feverish world filled with dysentery, and he laid his hands on us. There are examples of this. Calvin, Luther, they wrote of this. They participated in acts of mercy during times of great plague with very high death rates. And we see them blending this wisdom of fearlessness and also care to take part in works of necessity only during such times. So may God grant us this rare blend, brothers and sisters, of courage, fearlessness, faithfulness, and wisdom for the likely coming attacks upon us in this world. May God defend us from it and protect us from it, but lest we repent as a people, there's no reason to expect it shouldn't just occur again and again until such time as we turn back to him. Finally, we have this happy moment to bring this section to a close. They also honored us in many ways, and when we departed, they provided such things as were necessary. Think of the transition. We read about it, the ship is stuck. The back of the ship is torn to bits, an Alexandrian ship. Everything's emptied into the sea. Maybe they saved a few things, we don't know, but it's basically they've lost everything and they're alone on this island. And now they're not. Now they have people treating them with friendship, caring for their needs, providing for them, and giving them everything they need to continue their journey. So it should be a real message to you, to me. Nothing can take us from this life and the call of God upon us until his design for us is completed. And this should fill us with this courage, this bravery. You know, we're already dead, right? Like, we're already dead to this world. We're already dead to the things that others are afraid of. We have actually been freed from the fear of death through the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And freed from the father of all fears, we can be fearless people. So neither storm nor viper nor poverty nor any of these other challenges could stop God's plan for Paul's journey to Rome, and for God's plan to deliver the gospel to these people. This is such a great encouragement to us Christians individually in our lives, especially also to ministers, especially also to missionaries, this particular story. Ephesians 3, 20 and 21, a few verses in closing. Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us, to him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever, amen. There is no end to his power and his wisdom and his goodness, brothers and sisters. And he is always directing everything towards us, his people, according to his infinite love towards us, without exception. Romans 8, 28. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. Amen. Let us pray. Almighty and gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for this most glorious set of events here in displaying your great love and power and how you amaze us and clearly you joy to demonstrate your power to us in these great events. And we rejoice today to know that the same God of power and love who delivered Paul and that entire shipwreck through all of these events on Malta, the same God of power and love who brought the gospel to these lost souls of Malta, the same God of power and love now directs us in this day. And Lord, we look to you and we are happy and glad to be on whatever ship you have us upon. Doing your will Oh change us and grow us we pray God make us hospitable Make us servants make us humble and grant us all the joy that comes from fully entrusting ourselves to you in Jesus name