Free sermon on Acts 27:31

                                "Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved." Acts 27:31

 In the above cited verse, Paul is a passenger on a ship and is being escorted to Rome for a trial. The ship had sailed from port despite Paul’s warning that they would be in great peril if they did and that they should remain in the harbor. Now they are in the midst of a storm and things are looking pretty grim. Some of the crew were about to leave the ship when Paul, speaking to the Centurion in charge said those cited words. Keep those words in mind and we’ll revisit them later in this lesson.

I was reminded of this warning by Paul when I reread something about another "warning." I had read and saved this little piece many years ago and upon reading it again and, what with all the political "goings-on" for the last few years I thought that it might be good to dust it off and let you see if you consider it applicable for a lesson today.

Let me just opine something more before I present you with the article I referred to a moment ago. You know, the word "cannot" is a word that most people really don’t like hearing, do we? And, as we age in life, we don’t even like to think about that word. As in becoming aware of some things we "cannot" do anymore that we had no trouble doing earlier in our lives. The word just sort of incorporates a negative image, doesn’t it?

Okay, that said, here’s some words penned by a minister (name unknown to me) way back in 1916. I perceive his thoughts as being like some that are just apropos, or pertinent, to all times and seem, to me anyway, most appropriate to our recent "times." He entitled his little piece: "The Ten Cannots" and after we read his "cannots" I’ll give you some Biblical "cannots" that I feel are good for us to also keep in mind.

 "You CANNOT bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift."

 "You CANNOT help small men by tearing down big men."

 "You CANNOT strengthen the weak by weakening the strong."

 "You CANNOT lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer."

 "You CANNOT help the poor man by destroying the rich."

 "You CANNOT keep out of trouble by spending more than your income."

 "You CANNOT further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred."

 "You CANNOT establish security on borrowed money."

 "You CANNOT build character and courage by taking away man’s initiative
 and independence."

 "You CANNOT help men permanently by doing for them what they could and
 should do for themselves."

Now I ask you, is there even one of those "cannots" that isn’t dead-on with what we’ve seen going on in our world today? I wasn’t around in 1916 so I can’t testify as to their appropriateness then but, I sure can as to what’s happening now. Now here’s some more "cannots" selected by me that are also appropriate for all times and occasions. You might think of some others, but these are mine.

 "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill CANNOT be hid." Mt. 5:14

 "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other.

 Ye CANNOT serve God and mammon." Mt. 6:24

 "A good tree CANNOT bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit." Mt. 7:18

 "And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom CANNOT stand.

 And if a house be divided against itself, that house CANNOT stand." Mk. 3:23-25

 "And whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after me, CANNOT be my disciple." Luke 14:27

 "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he CANNOT see the kingdom of God." John 3:3

 "Abide in me and I in you. As the branch CANNOT bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me." John 15:4

 "So they that are in the flesh CANNOT please God." Rom. 8:8

 "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood CANNOT inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption." 1Cor. 15:50

 "In hope of eternal life, which God, that CANNOT lie, promised before the world began." Titus 1:3

Remember that I told you we’d revisit our preamble verse? Well, here’s where and how we’ll do that. In a parabolic sense, think of Christ as the "ship" in which we’re traveling on our journey and think of "Rome" as representative of our heavenly home. When we do that, it’s pretty easy to see the parable, isn’t it?

If we "jump ship"

Ron Covey