Pastor Jahmel K. Robinson
Mt. Zion Baptist Church
Text: Acts 28:1–10
Key Verse: Acts 28:5
“And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.” — Acts 28:5 (KJV)
THE SETTING: PAUL SURVIVED THE STORM
Acts 28 begins immediately after the shipwreck of Acts 27. Paul and the others have survived a terrible storm and reached the island of Malta.
This is important because Paul arrives in Acts 28 already having been through something.
He has survived imprisonment, opposition, a dangerous voyage, a violent storm, and a shipwreck. Yet when he reaches shore, his troubles do not immediately end.
Sometimes we assume that because God brought us through one battle, everything afterward should be easy.
But sometimes you survive the storm and still have to deal with the bite.
Paul made it through the sea, but there was another challenge waiting on the shore.
1. YOU CAN BE IN GOD’S WILL AND STILL GET BITTEN
Paul wasn’t doing anything wrong when the snake attacked him.
In fact, he was serving.
Acts 28 tells us that Paul gathered sticks and placed them on the fire. While he was helping, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself onto his hand.
There is a powerful lesson here:
Sometimes you get hurt while you're trying to help.
You can be faithful and still experience pain.
You can serve and still be wounded.
You can love people and still be betrayed.
You can obey God and still encounter opposition.
The bite does not automatically mean you are outside the will of God.
2. SOMETIMES THE HEAT REVEALS WHAT WAS HIDDEN
The snake was apparently hidden among the sticks until the heat of the fire brought it out.
The heat exposed what was hiding.
Sometimes pressure reveals things we couldn't see before.
Trouble reveals relationships.
Pressure reveals motives.
Hardship reveals character.
Adversity reveals what has been hiding beneath the surface.
Don't automatically curse the heat.
God may use the heat to expose something that could not remain hidden where He is taking you.
3. EVERY ATTACK DOESN’T REQUIRE YOUR ATTENTION
Acts 28:5 says Paul simply shook the snake into the fire.
Scripture doesn't record Paul arguing with the snake.
He didn't study the snake.
He didn't carry the snake around explaining to everybody how badly it had hurt him.
He shook it off.
Some things deserve your attention.
Other things deserve the fire.
There are hurts, offenses, disappointments, opinions, and memories that we continue carrying long after God has given us permission to release them.
Stop carrying what God gave you the strength to shake off.
4. PEOPLE MAY EXPECT YOUR PAIN TO DESTROY YOU
After Paul was bitten, the people of Malta watched him.
They expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead.
Notice this: they weren't watching to see whether Paul survived. They were waiting for him to die.
Sometimes people will form conclusions about your future based on one painful chapter of your life.
They see the divorce.
They see the failure.
They see the betrayal.
They see the financial struggle.
They see the disappointment.
They see the wound.
And they assume they already know how your story ends.
But people's expectations don't have authority over God's purpose.
5. SOMETIMES THE MIRACLE IS WHAT DIDN’T HAPPEN
The people waited.
And waited.
And waited.
But Paul didn't swell up.
Paul didn't collapse.
Paul didn't die.
Nothing happened.
We often celebrate God for what He did, but sometimes we should praise Him for what He didn't allow to happen.
It attacked you, but it didn't destroy you.
It hurt you, but it didn't make you hateful.
It disappointed you, but it didn't take your faith.
It wounded you, but it didn't silence your worship.
It bit you, but it didn't break you!
Sometimes your greatest testimony isn't that you avoided the bite.
Your testimony is that you survived it.
6. DON'T BECOME WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU
Pain has the ability to change people.
If we aren't careful, betrayal can turn into bitterness. Hurt can become hatred. Disappointment can become unbelief. Rejection can become isolation.
But your testimony can be:
I was hurt, but I didn't become hateful.
I was betrayed, but I can still love.
I was disappointed, but I can still believe.
I was wounded, but I can still worship.
I went through it, but I did not become it.
What happened to you does not have to become what lives inside you.
7. THE SAME HAND THAT WAS BITTEN CAN STILL BE USED
This may be one of the most powerful movements in the chapter.
The snake attacked Paul's hand.
But later in Acts 28, Publius's father became sick. Paul went to him, prayed, and laid his hands on him, and the man was healed.
Think about that.
The hand that had been bitten became a hand God used to minister healing.
The enemy attacked the very thing God was still planning to use.
Your wound does not automatically disqualify you from ministry.
Sometimes the place where you were wounded becomes the place from which you minister.
The person who survived grief can comfort somebody grieving.
The person who survived betrayal can encourage somebody whose heart has been broken.
The person who survived failure can help somebody get back up.
The person who survived the bite can tell somebody else:
“You can survive this too.”
8. THE BITE DIDN'T CANCEL THE ANOINTING
Paul was still Paul after the bite.
His calling remained.
His assignment remained.
His destination remained.
His purpose remained.
The bite didn't cancel the anointing.
The pain didn't cancel the purpose.
The attack didn't cancel the assignment.
What happened to you does not have authority to cancel what God put inside of you.
9. THE SHIP BROKE, BUT THE WORD DIDN'T
Before the shipwreck, God had already given Paul a promise concerning where he was going.
The ship eventually broke apart.
But God's Word remained intact.
The ship broke, but the Word didn't.
The route changed, but the destination didn't.
The hand got bitten, but the purpose remained.
Sometimes God will allow the vehicle to change without changing the destination.
Don't confuse a broken ship with a broken promise.
Just because the way you thought you would get there fell apart doesn't mean God changed His mind about where He's taking you.
10. SHAKE IT OFF AND KEEP SERVING
Paul's story didn't end at the fire.
He kept serving.
He kept praying.
He kept ministering.
He kept moving toward his assignment.
That's the challenge of the message.
Don't build your identity around the bite.
Shake it off.
Keep serving.
Keep praying.
Keep believing.
Keep worshiping.
Keep loving.
Keep walking.
Keep trusting God.
Because the ultimate testimony isn't merely:
“I survived.”
It's:
“I SURVIVED, AND GOD CAN STILL USE ME!”
SERMON DECLARATION
It bit me, but it didn't break me.
I survived the storm.
I survived the shipwreck.
I survived the bite.
I'm still standing.
I'm still believing.
I'm still loving.
I'm still praying.
I'm still serving.
I'm still worshiping.
I'm still walking in purpose.
What happened to me will not become who I am.
The bite didn't cancel my blessing.
The pain didn't cancel my purpose.
The attack didn't cancel my assignment.
The ship broke, but the Word didn't.
The route changed, but the destination didn't.
The hand got bitten, but the purpose remained.
I'M SHAKING IT OFF AND MOVING FORWARD BECAUSE GOD CAN STILL USE ME!