Living Waters of Grace 12.15.25

This is Living Waters of Grace, the teaching ministry of Clark

Wofford, senior pastor of Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland,

County of Greensburg, PA. Now here's Pastor Clark as he

continues teaching through God's Word.

Paul had health issues and Timothy had health issues, so

sometimes people were sick and they didn't get healed, and

sometimes people were sick and they died.

But then there was many times where God chose to do miracles

right, like He still does today. You just don't know.

You pray, you ask God to touch someone you love you care about,

and sometimes they recover, sometimes there's a miracle,

whatever. But other times nothing happens

and you can't doubt God or disbelieve him.

God does everything after the counsel of his own will.

It's easy for us to dismiss the people of the Bible as

fictional. You don't take a minute to

remember that they were real people with real problems, with

real commitment to God, not unlike ourselves.

In today's message, Pastor Clark reminds us that the main

characters in the Bible even had health issues and ailments that

they dealt with throughout their lives.

We don't know God's plan or reasons for why He does what He

does, but we can know and remember that His plan is for us

to go to heaven now. Here's Pastor Clark in Acts

Acts 28 · chapter mention

Chapter 28 with today's edition of Living Waters of Grace.

When you look at Paul and all you guys, I know you have

challenges in your life, whether it's relationship issues or

health issues or career issues, whatever you might might be

challenged by Paul's an example that when life isn't going right

or the way you were hope it would go.

Paul never complained. He he never said I'm done.

I quit, I'm not following Jesus anymore because I wasn't

expecting this to happen in my life.

This isn't fair. Why did this have to?

Why did this have to happen? As you follow the Lord in your

own life, you come to realize that there's a lot of things you

don't understand why. And you can ask God why doesn't

mean He's going to answer you and tell you why.

There's a lot of things you just have to accept by faith and

believe that no matter what you're dealing with, God has a

plan. And Paul always kept his head

down and kept praying and and asking God to strengthen him and

lead him. So as we go into this chapter

today, they just finished 14 days at sea, violent storms,

winds, swells, almost the loss of life.

And yet God promised that no one on the ship would die, that 246

people, whatever how many there was, would survive and and be

able to get through this storm. And so we're we're beginning to

pick up where they the boat was destroyed.

This pieces of wood and elements of debris.

If you weren't able to swim the amount of distance from where

the boat was moored into the sand, you had to grab a piece of

wood and this flowed in into the sea of Malta.

Malta is an island in between Tunisia in the South and Italy.

The boot as you look on the map in the north, they were on the

side of the island that didn't really have a whole lot going

on. The other side of the island was

where ships would dock and port over the winter time until the

weather passed. So they would be able to start

getting out in the water again and go where they were going.

They were on the side. It was not familiar.

So initially whenever they were being washed up onto the shore,

they weren't really quite sure where they were at.

So let's pick it up here in verse one.

So when they had escaped, then they found out that the island

was called Malta. And the natives showed us

unusual kindness for they can kindle the fire and made us all

welcome. Because of the rain, it was

falling and because of the cold. So you can imagine it's the

winter time. I don't know about you, but I

don't like going into cold water.

I don't even care if it's summertime.

I don't like cold water. I don't like a cold shower.

I want it to be warm. Well, they were freezing cold.

Their clothes are soaked, they had no luggage to pull warm

garments out of. They get up onto this piece of

sand here, this place called Malta, and these wonderful

people that lived on this island knew what they were dealing

with. So they built this fire to be

able to warm all these prisoners that were being washed up onto

the shore to bring some relief to them as they were kindling

this fire to make everyone welcome.

It says that in verse 3 went, but when Paul had gathered a

bundle of sticks. So here's Paul, he's the great

apostle, and he had already told everybody in the ship that not

one life would be lost. Prophetically, not one person

died as a result of this storm. God protected them.

You think everybody would be in awe of his ability to sort of

see into things in the future and and tell people what God was

going to do, the promises. But Paul never thought of

himself as being anything other than a servant of the Lord.

And he represented being a servant because here, instead of

him sitting around like some kind of big shot, he went out to

find other sticks to keep this fire going.

And he gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the

fire. Little did he know what was

going to happen next. It says the Viper came out

because of the heat and fastened onto his hand.

So it's cold. The snakes are tired or sleeping

when it's cold. They get near the heat and all

of a sudden they wake up. And it bit Paul.

And it was scary because the way it bit him, the the snake was

dangling from his hand, bit into his hand, right?

How would you like that to happen to you?

George told me he went to bed last night and he shook his

pillow out and all of a sudden there was a spider about that

big on his pillow. He showed it to Tracy.

She screamed. He's like, how in the world did

a spider get into our our house? We have exterminators.

But so I'm thinking like every night, I better check my pillow

too. But you wouldn't have expected

Paul didn't expect when he got these sticks.

He's just looking down and picks them up.

This looks like sticks, but one of them happened to be a snake

and it it bit him. It was a poisonous snake.

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 is not allowed

to live. They thought in Pagan terms,

mythology, that because this happened, that Paul had to have

been some kind of bad, bad dude. And so even though he made it

through the sea, they didn't believe in a creator like we do

a God. But they they felt that fate now

would deal with this and the consequences of his crimes,

whatever they might be, would cause him to be taken out and he

would he would die. So they assumed that this was

going to happen to him, but he shook off the creature into the

fire and suffered no harm. And it reminds me of what it

says in Acts 16. And a lot of times it's taken

out of context, but Acts 16 was written to the apostles.

Jesus was speaking to them about the signs that would follow

them. And one of them was they would

be able to pick up a snake, not intentionally to try to prove

that they were, they had supernatural power in them.

But there there would be no snake that would be able to hurt

them or harm them and that they would also be able to lay hands

on sick people and they would be miraculously healed.

So this was an indication of that promise that the snake was

not going to destroy his life. 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.

So isn't it interesting how the public, the community can have

one opinion every one day and think you're wonderful and the

next day they want to say crucify him just like they did

to Jesus, right? So never take the flattery and

applause of people seriously because they might be your fan

one day and the next day they can't stand your guts.

It's like the athlete this time of year, baseball, you got a

good baseball player when he gets up at a plate like

McCutcheon, he's a great ball player and everybody's cheering

him and here, here, oh man, we're going to win because of

his athletic ability. And then he goes into a slump.

And then the next thing, you know, if you're a ball fan and

you watch ball, you hear people booing and hissing.

Isn't that interesting? So that's what you guys are with

preachers too. One Sunday you'd say, wow, that

was a great message. The next song, and you call

yourself a preacher, you know, I mean, but we don't listen to

that, do we, Lewis? We just keep on keeping on.

So anyway, they they're trying to make him feel like a big

shot, but he knows that's not true.

So in verse 7, it says 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.

So Paul had favor on himself and upon justice, the centurion, it

was handcuffed to Paul because of Paul's exemplary behavior in

his testimony. And there was really nothing he

did wrong to be considered guilty of any crime.

God's favor was was upon him. So he got to meet this man in

Malta who was put in position of being in control of that

particular island by the Roman Empire.

And so he was invited to be a guest in this house.

I'm sure Luke was also invited as well as art to curse that

they were with him on this journey in the on the boat and

they were also on the island who had survived the the storm.

It says he received us and entertained us courteously for

three days. What a blessing a favor and

verse 8 and it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a

fever and dysentery. So I I think there's always a

bigger reason why we find ourselves in situations or

circumstances or relationships with people beyond this meeting

people. God knew that Paul had the

ability by the Holy Spirit to do a miracle here and this is what

we're we're going to see here. So they're being entertained in

this home and it it becomes knowledge that this man's father

has a sick with a fever and dysentery.

So Paul went in to him and prayed.

He laid his hands on him and he healed him immediately.

This man was healed. This is a miracle.

And Paul and the apostles had this gifting as the Holy Spirit

LED, not as Paul willed all the time because Paul had health

issues and Timothy had health issues.

So sometimes people were sick and they didn't get healed, and

sometimes people were sick and they died.

But then there was many times where God chose to do miracles,

right, like He still does today. You just don't know.

You pray, you ask God to touch someone you love you care about,

and sometimes they recover, sometimes there's a miracle,

whatever, but other times nothing happens.

And you can't doubt God or disbelieve him.

God does everything after the counsel of his own will.

And we're not all guaranteed to be healed.

I wish we would be if we would. If we had that ability, we would

be spending a lot of time in hospitals, wouldn't we?

Going from bed to bed, laying hands on sick people to see them

recover. But whenever we do go to the

hospitals and visit people or sick people, we do lay hands and

pray if perchance God would decide to deliver them and and

raise them up. So there's a there's a

difference and how God works physically in regard to bringing

people back to health again. Sometimes it's miraculous

through the laying of hands and praying, but many times it's

through the skilled hands of nurses and doctors and

physicians assistants who have the ability because of their

ability and science and and knowledge to provide certain

medicines that are also gifts of God that people would be able to

recover. And so this is what happens in

the next verses. So when this was done, the rest

of those on the island who had diseases also came and were

healed with the Greek word in this sense is gradual healing,

where the word in the Greek on the issue of Pubia's father was

immediate healing. So 1 was miraculous healing and

the other one was healing done through a process of time

because Paul and those guys were on that island for three years.

So there was a lot of people that were sick that needed

treatment and Doctor Luke was with them to be able to help

with medical assistance as well. It says in verse 10.

And they also honored us in many ways.

And when we departed, they provided such things as were

necessary. So these people had such an

appreciation for the ministry of the gospel.

I'm sure the word was preached. I'm sure people became believers

as a result of Paul and those guys being on that island for

for three years. And the people showed their

appreciation by providing offerings, gifts, material

things to take with them on the ship.

Because you got to realize these guys lost everything in that

storm. In verse 11, after three months,

we sailed in an Alexandrian trip, a ship whose figurehead

was the twin brothers, which had wintered at the island.

Three months winter's over. Now they're able to get back

into the sea and head up toward Rome, which is where Paul knew

he was being called. God promised that he would get

to Rome and give his defense and also have a chance to share his

faith with the Jews in Rome as well as the Gentiles.

It's interesting. It says this ship had a

figurehead. So on the top of the in the

front of the, of the, of the bow there, there would always be

like these idols. And these were Greek

mythological gods that represent extended Pagan deities.

And they believe because of these things being on the boat,

they would be protected in storms, which, you know,

obviously wouldn't work. But nonetheless, that's what

these people believed. And that's the significance of

the the twin brothers, a figurehead there.

And landing at Syracuse, we stayed three days.

So Syracuse is about 70 miles up the coast from Malta.

The weather is awesome, gentle breezes, unlike the storm that

they encountered when the ship was destroyed those 14 days.

Everything's smooth sailing now. And they, they went up to

Syracuse was the capital city of Sicily and Italy.

So they're, they're real close to getting to Rome.

From there we circled around and reached Riggium that was another

90 miles up the coast. And they were making this within

a day or so. It wasn't taking weeks because

the water was real calm. And after one day the South wind

blew and the next day we came to Patole.

And Patole was about 180 miles north of this riggium.

And they got up there in about a day and a half.

And it's, it's interesting here because this was the main port

that you would go into, to go on to the road that would take you

down to Rome, which is, you know, about, you know, so many

miles. I guess it was about 100 miles

down to Rome from this place. And also Paul would be able to

see the, the naval fleet of the Roman Empire, which was quite

impressive up up the coast. He would see all the ships

there. I'm sure that was interesting to

him. And when they got to this

pitole, it says in verse 14, we found brethren and we're invited

to stay with them seven days. And so we went toward Rome.

So how exciting would that have been?

You get the Rome and you have a an entourage of Christian people

wanting to see you and meet with you and hang out with you and

fellowship with you. You wonder how in the world

these people became Christians. You know, Paul wasn't at that

point in time in the book of the Acts evangelizing up there, but

you got to realize that in Acts 1/8 when the Holy Spirit came

down upon the church and it and it told us that you shall

receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.

You shall be witnesses of me in all Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria

and the other most parts of the earth.

So all those people, those 3000 people that got saved in the day

of Pentecost through Peter's sermon were able then to go

after the persecution started into all the different regions

of Asia Minor. And some of them got up into

Rome and, and preached the gospel and planted churches.

So there, there's believers there and, and Paul's obviously

excited to, to hang out with them.

And from there, when the brethren heard about us, they

came to meet us as far as a pre forum and three ends.

Now a pre forum was about 40 miles from Rome and three ends

is about 30 miles from Rome. So there's more people coming to

me, Paul. And when Paul saw them, he thank

God and he took courage. And I don't know about you, but

I need to be encouraged in my faith.

You guys encourage Lewis and I Pastor Lewis and I you, you

come, you're you're faithful, You're you're interested in the

things of God, you're in the word.

You want to follow Jesus, you love him.

You're living life and your challenge.

You got struggles and trials like everyone else, but yet you

know the faithfulness of God and this would be able to be in a

room worshipping with Gina and the team and hearing your voices

and, and just being reminded that you're in a world right now

that is not real interested in Christianity.

You're in a world where there's cultural wars.

You're in a world where where people are making big deals out

of nothing, right? And trying to get their

positions as as being front and center as being normal versus

being abnormal. You know what we're dealing with

all this stuff every day and, and sometimes you can feel

alone. You can say was anything

changing or is anything shifting or is there any hope or is there

any possibility of of, of maybe seeing a move of God's Spirit

again and a survival to bring people to faith and get serious

about being followers of Jesus Christ.

Well, there is every time we gather together as a church,

Jesus promises whenever two or three or more people are

gathered together, he is there in the midst of us, isn't he?

He's right here with us. So I get strength as being with

you guys and I can leave here today and be encouraged that

we're not alone. We are not the minority of the

world says we are. We are really a majority in the

sense of God's Kingdom eventually going to be coming on

earth as it already is in heaven.

So we have every reason to be joyful and happy people, right,

and not be down and discouraged and complaining about the

condition of the world. Jesus said in the world you will

have tribulation, but be of good cheer.

I have overcome the world. He has Amen.

He's overcome the world, and we can be overcomers, walking by

faith, staying in the Word, being prayerful people.

I'm looking for opportunities in this life to speak into the laws

of people who are hopeless or may be searching for an answer.

And so now when he came to Rome, he eventually gets to Rome.

The centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the

guards. So all these people that

survived this incident and Glendon and Malta are now in

Rome, and every one of them are accounted for.

And Paul was permitted to dwell by himself with a soldier who

guarded him. So again, God's favor.

Paul wasn't a vicious murderer or someone who had committed

some horrific crime. He committed no crime.

So he's able to live in his own house, but he's chained to

someone six hours, and God takes a break.

Someone else chained to him for six hours.

This is just how he's permitted to dwell.

And so the soldier says, guarded him.

And it came to pass after three days, verse 17, that Paul called

the leaders of the Jews together.

So when they had come together, he said to the men and brethren,

though I've done nothing against our people or the customs of our

fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into

the hands of the Romans, who when they had examined me,

wanted to let me go because there was no cause for putting

me to death. So he's emphasizing again that

he's not guilty of anything, and he's with these Jewish people

that really don't know a lot about anything yet in regard to

the gospel. All they know is by hearsay.

There's a sect called The Way, which is the move of what is now

known as Christianity, Christians.

So Paul's expecting them to have all these complaints about who

he is. And when the Jews spoke against

it, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar.

Not that I had anything of which to accuse my nation.

So Paul made it clear I was never against the nation of

Israel, and I never said anything derogatory about the

Kingdom of the city, the plan of God.

For this reason, therefore, I've called for you to see you and

speak with you because for the hope of Israel, I'm bound with

this chain. Though the hope of Israel is the

Messiah who is to come, the Messiah, the Lord Jesus.

Today the hope of Israel still is a Messiah.

But unfortunately majority of Jewish people don't believe that

Jesus is a Messiah. They're waiting for Messiah who

will come, who will come as a conquering king to rule and

reign in Jerusalem and and put everything in this world in

place the way we know prophetically, it will be put in

place when Jesus comes the second time and he lands on the

feet of the Mount of Olives and he sets up and establishes

Kingdom for the millennial reign of 1000 years that will come to

pass at that point in time. When Jesus comes again the

second time, there'll be this technology.

We already have it now we're we're going to be able to see

through TV and media and iPhones, whatever.

What's that object coming from the middle of the universe?

What's that bright light moving and, and this crowd of looks

like an army with him. That's the Lord Jesus coming

back with his Saints, and he's going to land.

And the Bible says every eye shall see him.

And the Jews in Jerusalem, it says when they see him, they

will see him is the one whom they've pierced.

And at that point in time, they'll realize that Christ is a

Messiah. And a lot of people will come to

be born again at that time, to come to be saved at the second

coming of Jesus Christ. So Paul's reasoning with them,

and it's explained to them this I'm bound because I'm telling

you guys that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the hope of Israel.

Then they said to him, this is interesting.

We neither receive letters from Judea concerning you, nor have

any of the brethren came and reported or spoken evil of you.

So everything that was made to be like a big deal when he was

in Jerusalem and they wanted to kill him and martyr to him.

Martyr him. Now he's in the situation where

no one's got any complaints. Isn't that amazing?

They can't even accuse him of anything.

Thanks for joining us on today's edition of Living Waters of

Grace, a ministry of Calvary Chapel, Westmoreland.

Today, Pastor Clark is teaching about the Book of Acts, and as

we learn more about Acts, it becomes clear that the early

church didn't miss a single opportunity to share the gospel.

In nearly every chapter, you see apostles like Peter and Paul

stepping into conversations, crowds, and crises with

boldness, ready to proclaim the name of Jesus.

Their example challenges us to consider how we might step into

gospel moments in our own lives. What doors might God open this

week for you to speak truth, offer hope, or live out your

faith in a way that points others to Him?

The story of Acts reminds us we are part of the same mission.

Today, let's live with eyes open and hearts ready to respond.

We hope you are challenged by today's message.

If you're in the Greensburg, PA area, we'd love to see you in

person this Sunday at 10:30 AM at 400 E Pittsburgh St.

Unit 6B. For more information, visit

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