Dull (Acts 27-28)

In a world where information is just a fingertip away, it's pretty easy for us to become tone-deaf to the most transformative message ever spoken. Today, we find ourselves amid a spiritual epidemic, an affliction that has gradually dulled our senses and stifled our hearts, rendering us deaf to the gospel message.

For a moment, imagine a symphony orchestra of unparalleled grandeur and beauty. A master composer has written an extraordinary piece, and each musician has perfectly honed their craft. Yet, as the music soars, there is an audience member who sits with earbuds planted in their ears, blasting Baby Shark Do Do Do Do Do Do. This individual remains unmoved by the transcendent melodies surrounding them, choosing to stay in the darkness of their ignorance. This, my friends, is the tragedy of being dull of hearing.

Paul's mission is to turn the world from darkness to light.

Acts 26:18 (ESV) — 18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

This mission is about helping men and women everywhere to know what God, the creator of the universe, is offering. He is extending his hand of forgiveness and grace to all who will accept it before the judgment day comes. But there is a problem that Paul faces everywhere he goes: rejection. Most don't receive the message as truth. At one point in Acts, we read about the Jews stopping up their ears. They don't want to hear it. Recently, we have seen the governing officials of Rome taking an interest in his message but refusing to turn away from sin and submit to Christ.

Everyone is dull of hearing. Today, we will look at this problem a little more closely. We want to understand what is happening before we close out of this great book because the same thing will happen when we speak to people.

A Picture of Salvation For The Hopeless

Our story picks up with Paul on his way to Rome. If you remember, Paul has appealed to Caesar to keep from going to Jerusalem, where he would be unjustly tried for crimes that aren't legitimate. In Chapter 27, we read about that journey to Caesar. It's not a simple, straightforward journey. The centurion was kind toward Paul, but the weather made it difficult for the sailors to move quickly. So when they finally made it to the island of Salmone, Paul told them that this wouldn't end well.

Acts 27:10–11 (ESV) — 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.

There comes a point in the year when you don't want to be caught out on the ocean in a boat on a long journey. The storms will make it very difficult to go where you want. That's what happens here. They never make it to the next island. Instead, the sea gets so rough that they throw their cargo and tackle overboard. It got so bad that everyone felt it was hopeless. They believed that they would all die at sea.

Acts 27:21–24 (ESV) — 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. 23 For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, 24 and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’

When Paul told the men they would suffer loss, they didn't listen. They wanted to believe that they knew better. Now, Paul tells them a message directly from God. An angel told him that not one of the men would lose their lives.

This is interesting because it reminds me of the many times Paul has revealed the warning of the gospel to people who haven't listened. They went after sin and continued to live in darkness. They didn't want to hear the truth. Paul is trying to teach them again, but what will they do? They listen, for the most part.

Saving Themselves

But then, when they see land, some men want to save themselves and do things their way again. It was dark, and they started to fear that they would run into rocks, so they threw out four anchors. Then they start to take a lifeboat and travel to shore on it.

Acts 27:29–31 (ESV) — 29 And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. 30 And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had lowered the ship’s boat into the sea under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow, 31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.”

This is fascinating. These men are about to abandon the ship and try to make it to land by themselves. But Paul tells them there is no chance of them being saved if they want to save themselves. They have to stay in the boat and trust God to save them. So they cut the ropes and let the lifeboat go.

Saving Themselves Again

After they finally ran the ship aground, the soldiers planned to kill all the prisoners.

Acts 27:42–43 (ESV) — 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,

Why would they do that? If one of them had escaped, they could all be killed by those in authority over them. Do you see what the soldiers were trying to do? Here they are, saved from the catastrophe of shipwreck by the grace of God, and now they turn to their own devices to save them from possible punishment. Their time of prayer is over. Now, it's time to kill prisoners and prevent our deaths.

I'm glad we would never do something like that. Can you imagine coming out of the waters of baptism, experiencing the forgiveness of your sins by the blood of Jesus, and going right back into sinning to "save yourself" from potential danger? These men started not listening, experienced God's saving grace, and turned right back into the evil they were engaged in at first. It's like a hog getting bathed and going right back into the mud. It's so easy for us to look at these men and think, "How could they even think that's okay?" But we would be considering the same thing. What good is it to be saved from a shipwreck and put to death for letting prisoners escape?

Instead of killing them, the centurion encouraged them to swim or find some way to the island. The text tells us that what Paul foretold came true. All 276 people on the ship were brought to land.

A Picture of Blessing

Once they all make it to land, they realize this is not somewhere they have been. The natives show up and end up showing an unusual amount of kindness toward the men. They provide them with what they need. While they are starting a fire, Paul is bitten by a viper, and all the natives believe he will die. They thought that Paul must have been very evil to escape the shipwreck and still be killed by a snake.

Acts 28:6 (ESV) — 6 They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.

Can you imagine the message this would send to the people? They assume that Paul must be a god if he could take a bite like that and survive. After this, he heals the chief's father, so many other people on the island come to him for healing. Take a second to consider all that God is doing for Paul. Do you see how he delivers Paul from the shipwreck and then glorifies him among all the people? It is also interesting that all the men with Paul enjoy blessing because of his relationship with God. They all receive honor even though they haven't done anything to deserve it.

After three months, they were able to board another ship and set sail again toward Rome. The rest of the journey seemed to go well as Paul met with brethren and encouraged them along the way.

Dull Hearts

Once Paul finally arrives in Rome, he is given more freedom than he has had. He was allowed to stay by himself with a soldier to guard him. It is as though he has received an armed escort to Rome. But he doesn't waste any time. He finds the local leaders and defends himself. He is worried that they might have already heard something about Paul. He explains his situation to them, but he finds out that they have not heard of Paul, and they want to hear about the teaching that has been spoken against everywhere.

Acts 28:23–24 (ESV) — 23 When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. 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. 24 And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved.

So Paul spends an entire day, 12 hours, explaining the kingdom of God to them. He tells them about Jesus using the Law of Moses and the Prophets. I would have loved to sit in on that. Can you imagine how convincing it would be to have someone work their way through the Bible and point out all that Jesus fulfilled? Who wouldn't believe it after hearing those convincing arguments?

But we read that some were convinced and others disbelieved. Not everyone accepted these things as accurate. This has been the case everywhere Paul goes. Many Jews refuse to believe that Jesus could be the Messiah. We have seen that repeatedly. But why? Look at what Paul says to finish the book.

Acts 28:25–28 (ESV) — 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.’ 28 Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”

Paul is bold. He tells them point blank, "You are doing exactly what God said you would do." God has sent them the gospel, and they are too wrapped up in what they want to be true to listen. They have stopped listening and trying to see and understand the truth with their hearts.

Accepting this truth about Jesus and turning from Jewish tradition to follow Christ results in healing and salvation for the hopeless. But they are hopeless, like sailors on a ship who refuse to run the ship aground. They want to save themselves.

The Message

When we read this final section of the book, we see many people struggle with the truth. The sailors and the Jews have difficulty hearing the truth because the world fills their hearts with noise. Interestingly, God saves the sailors along with Paul even though they didn't completely submit to Christ. Also, we see that the most unsuspecting people, the island natives, appear to develop faith. They were kind, respectful and open.

Application

Let's look at a few lessons we can glean from this. What does being dull to the truth mean for you? How does it affect you?

Never Wake Up

A dull heart puts us in a state where we can never be saved. We learn throughout this that some will be fully convinced of the truth, but others will choose to disbelieve. It doesn't matter if Paul expounds the whole Old Testament to them. They won't accept it. We have to learn to accept this truth. As much as we want people to believe the truth and as convincing as we might become, people will still be dull of hearing. People will still have a heart that loves this world and their situation too much to change. Like the sailors trying to board the lifeboats, they will try anything except listening and submitting to God's plan for salvation.

It's easy to look at these Jews and think, "How foolish could they be?" But what about us? Have you ever been dull of heart when someone tries to convince you of what is true? Maybe they provide all the needed evidence, but you just can't examine it. You would much rather hold on to what you have always believed instead. When we act this way, we are being proud and foolish. We have no hope because we are shutting our eyes and clogging our ears.

Death

Notice what that stubborn pride does for the sailors. It almost gets them killed. We see the sailors repeatedly trying to rely on themselves and their wisdom to save themselves. They are in a bad situation because they chose to go to sea at the wrong time of the year. They should be dead, but Paul offers them an opportunity to live. They must listen and follow what Paul says, but they struggle to believe him. This perfectly parallels what the Jews have been doing since early on in the book of Acts. They would rather face judgment before God alone instead of accepting his grace and instruction and submitting to him.

What about you? Are you relying on God's help or trusting in yourself? Many people today claim to be Christians but aren't relying on Jesus. They refuse to be submissive and follow the instructions from the apostles. They refuse to confess their sins and faith, repent, be baptized, and live faithfully. If we are trying to be in a saved condition without listening and abiding by those instructions, we are just as foolish as the Jews or the sailors. Being dull of hearing puts you in a situation where eternal death is imminent.

Struggling Evangelism

Considering this truth about people being dull of heart, we must understand that the problem is not us when we try evangelizing. It's not about them hearing the truth with skillful exposition or eloquent speech. The problem isn't that we didn't say the right things. If we speak the gospel truth, we don't make a mistake. It's not our fault.

Consequently, we shouldn't think that the solution is to appeal to their worldly nature (as many churches commonly do). The solution must be on their end because the problem is inside them. The solution is inside of them, a complete change in their hearts. They have to do like the sailors and cut the lifeboats. They have to let go of their pride and their wisdom so they can rely on God's help for salvation.

If we expect others to do that, we must also do that. As people who actively seek the truth and embrace it wholeheartedly. As we listen, discern, and respond to the gospel message, may we find our lives transformed by its power, our hearts awakened to its beauty, and our spirits ignited with a passion to share it with others. We must continually work on opening our hearts wider to what might be true. That doesn't mean we accept everything we hear. We need to use discernment and evaluate the evidence, but we must not close our minds to the truth, especially if our rejection of that truth is based on fear of discomfort and a lifestyle change. We must change our lifestyle to become all God wants us to be.

Follow Christ

If you are relying on God's help, have you submitted your life to following Christ? Salvation being freely given does not mean that there is no cost. God calls us out of darkness and into light.

1 John 3:4–10 (ESV) — 4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

When we accept the truth, our battle begins against Satan and sin. Jesus is always there for us, providing what we need to be forgiven, but accepting the gospel means that our hearts are fully committed to serving God faithfully.