Sunday School Lessons 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25 (Acts 26-28)
~ Pastor Thuamminlian Guite
LESSON 21 (Acts 26:1-32)
A. Paul's Defense before King Agrippa (Acts 26:1-23)
Paul had complete freedom to present his stand so he started off by speaking about his early life, how he had fought against the name of Jesus of Nazareth, his conversion when he saw the light and heard Jesus' voice, how the Jews tried to kill him and declared that they too should repent and turn to God.
B. Festus, Agrippa and Paul's debate (Acts 26:24-29)
Festus lost his patience and said in a loud voice, "Paul, much learning is driving you mad" but Paul promptly replied saying he is not mad but has come to speak "the words of truth and reason".
Paul's confidence in claiming that Agrippa believes in the prophets scares the King a bit, admitting that Paul almost succeeded in persuading him to become a Christian. Paul says he wants not only him, but everyone hearing him out, to welcome God as he has.
C. Agreement on Paul's Innocence (Acts 26:30-32)
Agrippa and the Jews conclude that Paul has done nothing deserving of death and that he might have been set free if he hadn't appealed to Caesar.
LESSON 22 (Acts 27:1-26)
A. From Caesarea to Myra (Acts 27:1-5)
Paul and some other prisoners were delivered to a centurion named Julius. In the ship of Adramyttium, Paul and the other prisoners were joined by Luke and a Macedonian named Aristarcus and they set sail along the coasts of Asia.
The pastor points that they started in the month of October to reach Rome before the onset of winter as Mediterranean sea starts to get rough and winds become unpredictable in winters.
Through Sidon, Cyprus, Cicilia and Pamphylia, they came to Myra, a city of Lycia.
B. From Myra to Crete (Acts 27:6-8)
The centurion put them on board an Alexandrian ship sailing to Italy. They reached Cnidus with great difficulty. Because the wind wasn't permitting them to to move forward, they sailed under the shelter of Crete through Salmone and reached Fair Havens, near Lasea.
C. Paul's Warning Ignored (Acts 27:9-12)
Paul warned that if they continue, the voyage might end with loss of cargo, ship and of lives but the centurion went with the opinion of the sailor and the owner of the ship who were trying to get to Phoenix by any means.
D. Swept off by Euroclydon (Acts 27:13-20)
Not long after they set sail, they were caught in the tempestuous wind called Euroclydon and it drove them to an island called Clauda. Fearing they would be stuck on Syrtis Sands (which was also known as Graveyard of Ships) they struck sail and were driven by the wind again.
They lightened the ship the third day but when they didn't see the sun nor the stars for many days, they gave up all hopes of being saved.
E. Paul's Assuring Words (Acts 27:21-26)
Paul was quite upset that they had to face all the hardships because his warnings were ignored. After having not eaten in a long time, Paul assured the men, telling them that an angel of the God came to let him know that there will be no loss of life but only of the ship.
LESSON 23 (Acts 27:27-44)
A. Towards the Shore (Acts 27:27-29)
On the fourteenth night, the sailors sensed that they were closer to some land or shore so they checked the depth of the sea. They didn't want to crash on the rocks so they anchored the ship at 15 fathom and waited for day to come.
B. Attempts to Escape the Ship by the Sailors (Acts 27:30-32)
The sailors tried to let down the small boats in order to escape the ship so Paul warned the soldiers that these men cannot be saved if they leave the ship. The soldiers cut away the ropes of the skiff.
C. Nourishment on the Ship (Acts 27:33-38)
On the fourteenth day, Paul urged all the 276 men on the ship to eat and when they had eaten enough, they threw out the remaining wheat to lighten the ship.
D. Shipwrecked (Acts 27:39-41)
By the day, they were unable to recognise the land but were planning to run the ship to the beach. The ship was stuck fast to the shore but the violent waves broke the ship apart.
E. Safe Escape (Acts 27:42-44)
The soldiers intended to kill all the prisoners fearing they'd escape but the Centurion was determined to save Paul so he kept the soldiers from executing their plan and ordered the swimmers to get to safe land first followed by the rest.
LESSON 24 (Acts 28:1-16)
A. Paul in Malta (Acts 28:1-10)
Paul and the men found out that they were in the island called Malta. They were welcomed very warmly by the natives. Paul helped heal many that were sick and diseased and particularly, the father of the leading citizen named Publius .
B. Arrival at Rome (Acts 28:11-16)
After spending 3 months in Malta, they left for Rome. On their way, they stayed at Syracuse, Rhegium and Puteoli and then came to Rome where Paul was permitted to dwell by himself with the soldier who guarded him.
LESSON 25 (Acts 28:17-31)
A. Paul and the Jews of Rome (Acts 28:17-29)
After three days, Paul called the leaders of the Jews together and began with his story of how and why he had to appeal to the Caesar. The Jews said they have not received any letter from Judea concerning him nor did they hear evil of him so they desired to hear from him. The Jews were now divided among those who were persuaded and those who did not believe and they had a great dispute among themselves.
In the two years he spent in his rented house, he did not face any hindrance and continued to preach the Kingdom of God and everything concerning the Lord Jesus Christ to all who came to him.
TAKEAWAYS:
Acts 27:9-20 teaches us that no matter how educated and learned we become, we must lay our trust in the Lord as it is he who controls everything.
Like Paul, we must always walk in the way of the Lord and even when we find ourselves unable to preach verbally, our faith must reflect in our actions and way of life.
