Acts 8:1-40

Phillip the Evangelist

Good morning my friends, I hope your week was filled with many blessings.

Let me ask you a question to begin our time this morning.

Are you talking time to spend time with God through your days? Are you reading the Word? Are you praying and trying to listen as well? Are you giving thanks each day for the blessings you have received? And are you communicating the goodness of God with those around you.

Now I ask all those questions to remind us, God has blessed us… even in our worst days, we are incredibly blessed and the world needs to hear our testimony.

Amen!

The followers of Jesus were living this everyday. They understood the rationale that this life is temporal, we cannot waste that time given, we must share the gospel with the world.

I want to do more of that, don’t you?

Today we get to see that in the life ofdeacon, that we do not hear a lot about in the Scriptures, he works behind the scenes living faithfully for God.

His name is Phillip....

This Phillip is known as Phillip the evangelist, but this is not Phillip the apostle that followed Jesus during his earthly ministry.

This is Phillip who was selected as one of the 7, to serve the church and work like Stephen did…

So lets begin with these thoughts as we open the text and examine Acts chapter 8.

1. Continued Persecution...

As we discussed this past Sunday, the church, as it grew faced more and more persecution.

Peter and John were arrested and brought before the High Priest and the council, there they were warned not to teach and preach about Jesus any more...

Later the apostles were arrested and beaten for the sake of the gospel. And just last week we saw the deacon Stephen stoned after he worked and served the Lord.

And today, in our text we see it ramping up more and more. Lets look at our first three verses...

Acts 8:1–3 ESV

1 And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. 3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.

Do you see that, a great persecution arose against the church. Following the death of Stephen, Christians were persecuted more and more.

It’s a sad time my friends. The church is facing so much persecution, the violence against the church has ramped up so much, Christians are having to flee from Jerusalem. They are scattering the Bible says to the surrounding areas of Judea and Samaria.

In fact everyone leaves, except for the Apostles themselves…

This event with Stephen has really added fuel to the fire and you have this zealous Pharisee named Saul, he gave his approval for the stoning of Stephen and now look at verse 3..

Acts 8:3 ESV

3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.

Saul is a bad dude, I can just hear the theme to something like “cops” playing in the background.. (...music...) “What you gonna do, what you gonna do, when they come for you.. Man O’ Man...

Saul is after the church and so much so that they are forcefully entering people homes and if you are known to be a Christian, they are dragging them out and throwing them into prison. It didn’t matter if it was men, women or children. Saul was ruthless my friends

They are being persecuted for loving and following Jesus.... They are being persecuted because lives are being healed and hearts changed… No one wants the status quo disturbed… Especially not the Jewish community.

You see its not only about religion, they believe they are violating the law and truth of God, so they cannot allow them to continue. BUT make so mistake, also it’s about power. And they are afraid the Christian church will usurp them. So

Friends, the church is still being persecuted, it is all around our world, in some places, beating and death are common occurrences for Christians…

Friends, we are not exempt.... But here is the question.. If persecution comes, will you be able to stand with Jesus or deny him?

Now lets move on to this second thought for today...

2. Continued Work...

Phillip, who is one of the first deacons is not detoured, he is not put off, he will serve the Lord regardless.

Now remember, the church is dispersing, fleeing to others and Phillip uses this to carry the message to other places as well.

Look with me at verses 4-8 Acts 8:4-8

Acts 8:4–8 ESV

4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. 5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. 6 And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was much joy in that city.

Phillip went about preaching in a city of Samaria. Now remember in John 4, Jesus witnesses to the lady at the well there. It is an area that the Jews hated, the land and the people. They considered the Samaritans dogs, a mixed race of people.

If you go back to the Old Testament, 722BC, the Assyrians were allowed to take the Northern ten tribes in to captivity, the Jewish people were being punished for their sin.

But they never returned, they just grew content in a foreign land and began marrying those people

And Phillip is down there sharing the gospel with people in those cities.

And look at what is being said here about the gospel being proclaimed there..

V 6. The crowds were in one accord, the people were coming together positively to hear and receive the gospel message.

V 7. Many people were set free from unclean spirits and made whole and many who were lame were healed as well.

Wow, Phillip is working and serving in the power and strength of the Holy Spirit.

And I love verse 8, the city was filled with joy! Wow..

There my friends is the great by-product of the gospel message, it brings joy to people. It releases the heart from darkness and floods it with the light of His mercy and love.

When that happens, there is joy, there is love and peace!

Do you remember when you found Jesus how it liberated and blessed you. The city is experiencing the same thing.

I remember seeing news about cities in the second great awakening where God would show up in these revival meetings and hundreds of people would get saved. If you have hundreds in one area changed, I would say the area changed as well..

Can you imagine how the attitude of this town as Phillip follows the Great Commission mindset to carry the gospel to the world… The community in Samaria is changed.

It is like a brand new place

He is continuing the work my friends, persecution isn’t stopping him nor God’s church.

If you are born again, nothing should deter you from taking the gospel to everyone everyplace you go

Now As Phillip is faithful, it does attract the good and the bad my friends..

In verses 9-25, Phillip encounters a man who sees the miraculous work they are doing and wants it for himself for all the wrong reasons.

I am gonna let you read over that passage, we do not know if Simon the magician ever really had a change of heart of not…

But we know that Phillip and others, some of the Apostles returned to Jerusalem . They were not going to be run off.

And this brings me to the my last thought, and it is full of good things my friends..

3. Continued Evangelism...

Now I would tell you, it takes some courage to come back to Jerusalem with the persecution that is raging against the church.

We know the apostles are there and with this some of the deacons are there as well. And while back in the holy city of Jerusalem, God speaks to Phillip to come and follow him again.

Phillip, I have a divine appointment for you this day!!

So lets go ahead and look at verses 26 to verses 31

Acts 8:26–31 ESV

26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. 27 And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

Now the Bible tells us that a messenger of the Lord, an angel comes to Phillip with a divine order, get up and get going south toward Gaza..

Now the road leading from Jerusalem to Gaza was the last place one could find water before the desert regions on the journey down to Egypt.

And I love what the Scripture tells us… Phillip arose and went… Here my friends is the best example of obedience. The Lord told him to go and he did that without excuse, without delay, Phillip followed the words of the angel.

And on while making this journey down that route, Phillip comes across the most unlikely person that he would expect that day… but more certainly, this was the man the Lord had sent him for...

Now verse 27 gives us all the details. Phillip comes across a man, an Ethiopian, a eunuch the Bible tells us that he was the minister of finance in charge of the wealth of the Queen of the Ethiopians, whose name was Candace.

Now there was several things here… This Kingdom was indeed a special one, and one time in the past they ruled over all of Egypt. So it was a special kingdom.

Now, as far as this official, we are not told him name, we are only told things. A.) He is a Eunuch… which could be a title since we serves the Royal family or it could be B.) A person who has been emasculated.

But the most interesting fact is that He is a worshipper of the Lord God of Israel. He is a proselyte. He had sojourned if you will to the Holy City, He has worshipped and now was on His way back to his own country.

So he is on his chariot, mostly likely there might be others with him to assist to his needs since he is a high official.

And verse 28 tells us this official is reading from the book of Isaiah, one of the greatest of the Old Testaments prophets.

Now by this time Phillip has caught up to the destination the Lord is sending him. And the Holy Spirit tells him to go up along of the Ethiopian chariot.

Look at verses 29-31 again.. Acts 8:29-31

Acts 8:29–31 ESV

29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

Did you see what’s happening? The Lord through the Spirit tells Phillip to run up alongside of the chariot and in doing so Phillip hears the official reading from Isaiah..

There’s Phillip’s opportunity!

Phillip asks him, Hey man, do you understand what you are reading?

And that man’s answer is wonderful, Hos can I unless someone guides me, of helps me… and He invited Phillip up into the chariot and teach him.

Now the Lord helps us understand this divine appointment even more so… look at verses 32-35 Acts 8:32-35

Acts 8:32–35 ESV

32 Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. 33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” 34 And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.

The right passage for the right moment my friends!!!

Now the official asks Phillip, who is Isaiah speaking of???

Phillips starts with the past scriptures, until present time and preaches to him the good news of Jesus Christ.

Now while we are not told explicitly, we know the Ethiopian official receives Jesus since his next question is this, here is water, what keeps me from being baptized now??

And so the Ethiopian calls for his chariot to stop, he and Phillip go down into the water and that rascal is baptised!

He has received Jesus and now has followed the Lord’s command to baptise them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit

You want to know something even better?

That rascal got him a dose of that old time religion.. how do I know?

Look at verse 39… Acts 8:39

Acts 8:39 ESV

39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.

While the Lord transported Phillip quickly away to a task, the Ethiopian went away how?

Rejoicing… He went away rejoicing..

He has received Jesus, he has been baptised and he is rejoicing cause the old man is dead and the new name in Christ is not alive.

And he carries the message down to Ethiopian nation.

Wow, the Gospel has fled out into a new place and a new people. Praise the Lord.. that is what is supposed to happen..

Verse 40 tells us that the Lord brings Phillip to new place ...

Acts 8:40 ESV

40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

He preached the gospel in every town walking all the way back to Caesarea

Phillip, this early deacon is one fire for Jesus and he is not allowing any one to put it out....He preaches Jesus

It is a solid reminder that it is our calling my friends, everyone of us, from lay person, to deacon to the preacher needs to communicate, to preach the gospel so that other might believe.

Our work, the message we carry under the direction of where the Lord would send us, that message is the only thing that liberates a person, that liberates them from a sinners hell to a saints heaven.

Phillip is an evangelist, but so are we my friends.

The Lord loves us and has saved us.. let us carry that message to others...