Philip and the Ethiopian Eunch

Intro

Open with sharing about reading books at night and hating cliffhangers; move on to movies and popcorn

The martyrdom of Stephen gave us a huge plot twist and left us with a cliffhanger

What will happen to the church now? Will they continue to be bold or will they fold under pressure?

Saul does not make this any easier as he cranks up the heat on Christians after Stephen’s death

It is a peer of Stephen’s that shows the ongoing heart and mission of the church

Philip was one of the 7 deacons appointed to help in the ministry of the church (along with Stephen)

After Stephen’s death, Philip has been preaching the good news of Jesus in Samaria

Bringing many Samaritans to believe in Jesus

The church is expanding beyond Judaism (though Samaratins were closely related)

After his successful missionary journey to Samaria, God tells Philip to go somewhere else

This is where we pick up our story and continue to see what happens next *popcorn ready*

I Go Where I’m Towed

Read Acts 8:26-29.

Share about Garry’s motorcycle hitch, “I Go Where I’m Towed”

Philip shows incredible obedience to go where God tells him to

In this case, it was “an angel of the Lord” that was the messenger

Other parts of our story it is the Holy Spirit that gives Philip guidance

Angels were still very active throughout the book of Acts

The Spirit and the angels are working together to give God’s guidance to Philip

The angel tells Philip to go south on the road between Jerusalem and Gaza...

… which is literally in the middle of nowhere (as Luke says, “This is a desert place”)

Show on map

So many potential questions and doubts! Why here? Why now? Why not more huge crowds? Is this really best?

But Philip does not ask any of those questions or raise any of those doubts. Instead, “he rose and went”

Simple and signficant obedience to God’s guidance

We are called to this same simple and signficant obedience to God’s guidance

In other words, “I Go Where I’m Towed”

Do we choose to go where God tells us to? Or do we tend to raise all those seemingly reasonable questions and doubts

But this is home! My family is close by. I’m too old to consider changing careers. I have always dreamed of going into university, not a trade. The financial risk is too great. What if she doesn’t like me?

These concerns are all valid, but they should NOT stop us from following God’s guidance

Refer to my parents’ willingness to uproot the family multiple times

Sure, I’m willing to go where God tells me, and do what He wants me to, but how can I know for sure?

Philip had a direct message from an angel!

Share about my deal with God about SK

Discerning God’s call and guidance is crucial, and can be far more subtle for us today

Ready

Clarify the question you are asking (job, house, education, moving, relationships, etc.)

Set

Pray for indifference (expound), wisdom and quiet trust

Go

Ask God for guidance

Take time to listen to Him (consolation and desolation)

Compare notes (with Scripture and with other believers)

Share about Karen bursting into tears when bringing up Kenora as an option

Do

This is the simple and significant obedience we see from Philip

This obedience leads Philip to encounter the Ethiopian eunuch on this wilderness road

Who was he?

Ethiopia = significant African political power

Eunuch = … go ask your parents; castrated

Court official = treasurer

He was a really important, rich and powerful person!

He was also a God-fearing man

Had come to Jerusalem to worship

Was reading from the prophet Isaiah

But he couldn’t have been a Jewish proselyte

Being a eunuch would have disallowed him from converting and entering the Temple

He was a God-fearing man on the outside looking in… and he was a Gentile

You Can’t Handle the Truth

Read Acts 8:30-38.

The Ethiopian believed in God, was spiritually searching, but needed help to find the truth

“How can I [understand], unless someone guides me?” (v. 31)

That word “guide” is crucial

NIV misses the mark by translating it as “helps”

It is crucial because we see the Holy Spirit at work, guiding the Ethiopian into the truth

Sure, Philip was involved, but the Spirit is an active part of all of this (the driving force)

Cf. John 16:13.

This is what the Holy Spirit does; not just guide in direction or action, but into the truth

For the Ethiopian and Philip on that dusty, deserted road, it was the truth about Jesus foretold in Isaiah 53:7 - 8 (re-read verses)

The history of Israel has always pointed to Jesus. The covenant has been fulfilled in Him! He is Isaiah’s suffering servant and the saviour of the world

Many similarites between this story and Jesus on the road to Emmaus

A mysterious traveler joining others on a journey, making the truth known

Specifically the truth about how the Law and Prophets (Hebrew Scripture) anticipate Jesus

Cf. Luke 24:27.

Philip is just modeling the best example, and allowing the Spirit to guide into truth

One significant lesson from Acts is that the Holy Spirit is fulfilling the same role today

He was guiding the Ethiopian into all truth, and He does the same for us today

Becomes a promise to lean on during times of questioning… or when those you love are questioning

Talk about parents’ concern when their kids questioned faith; seeking truth is a good thing!

Don’t be afraid of questions; don’t ignore your doubts. Trust that the Spirit will guide you to the truth and continue seeking

Ultimately, the Spirit has the ability to make the truth about Jesus clear in a way that we can’t on our own

Share about taking the architectural cruise in Chicago; the role of the guide was crucial

Just as we could have seen and experienced the Chicago skyline on our own without making sense of it, we can read and hear and see things about Jesus… but never have it hit home

Do you have questions? Do you have doubts? Keep seeking, and with the help of the Spirit, faith in Jesus can be made clear

The result was one of faith for the Ethiopian: He believed and was baptized

A combination of ideas that is described throughout Acts (believed and baptized) lived out in close succession here

No Bible studies, membership classes or time to prove faith genuine. Just belief, baptism, and joy

This is the Great Adventure

Read Acts 8:39-40.

For the Ethiopian, there was joy in knowing Jesus

All of his search for God (in Judaism, of all places) led him to this point

Things clicked into place

Also joy in being fully included in the number of the faithful

As a eunuch, he could never fully participate in worship and faith community

But now Jesus has torn the veil in the Holy of Holies; His holiness allows EVERYONE to have a relationship with God

Even a ceremonially unclean eunuch

Even a Gentile

This is a HUGE development! And he would take the good news of Jesus home with him; the gospel spreads

Joy can be expected, but what Philip experiences is not expected… divine teleportation

The Spirit of the Lord “carried” Philip away

“Carried” = snatched, or seized

Show Azotus on the map

As crazy as this sounds (and it is), it remains similar to Jesus’ experience on the road to Emmaus

Cf. Luke 24:28-31.

Truth is stranger than [science] fiction

All things are possible for God, which makes our following His guidance a great adventure

We won’t always know what comes next; things will happen that we don’t expect; that is okay

Talk about SCC’s “Great Adventure” as family theme song

We follow our leader into the “glorious unknown”

For some, it is the “dangerous” uknown

For others, there is no such thing as “uknown”

Our final lesson: Following God’s guidance requires us to recapture our sense of adventure

Conclusion

Guidance has been our big idea all morning:

God will guide you in what to do and where to go

We are called to discern and obey

God will guide you into all truth

We are called to search honestly for the truth

God will guide you to unexpected places

We follow our leader into the glorious uknown

I for one, can’t wait to see what happens next! Yes, it’s a cliffhanger