What's Keeping You From Good News?

After Jesus’ resurrection, he ascended into heaven leaving his followers with this mission: be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. They are witnesses to the Good News that Jesus died for sinners, and was raised from the dead so that we can experience life in Jesus.

The Good News has already reached Jerusalem, and spread the surrounding area of Judea, and now in chapter 8 is going even further, up to Samaria. But as Philip, one of the leaders in the early church, is active in spreading the Gospel norther in Samaria God calls him on a detour back south to the desert region.

Sometimes, when we set out to follow Jesus it takes us to places we never expected to go.

Philip doesn’t know exactly where he’s going, he doesn’t know why he is going there, or who he is going to meet. Here’s what he does know. He knows the Good News of Jesus. And he knows God is sending him to share that news, so Philip got up and went.

The Ethiopian

As Philip is going along he looks up and he sees an Ethiopian official sitting in a chariot reading from a scroll. So now, here in this account we have two people. Philip, sharing the good news and this Ethiopian.

We don’t know much about him, but here is what we do know. He had wealth and an important position. And we also know that he was seeking God. Not just any God, but seeking the one true God, the God of Israel. We know this because he was going to Jerusalem to worship. We know this because the scroll he was reading was from the prophet Isaiah from the Old Testament. We know he was searching because he didn’t understand what he was reading and needed help.

1. How Do You Know Good News?

Acts 8:26–31 (CSB)

Explanation

Acts 8:28–31 CSB

28 and was sitting in his chariot on his way home, reading the prophet Isaiah aloud. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go and join that chariot.” 30 When Philip ran up to it, he heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you’re reading?” 31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

Here is the first obstacle to experiencing good news in your life. How do you know the good news? You have to hear about it. No matter how good the news is, until you learn about it it’s not news to you.

Illustration

In America, prior to the Civil War, there was an entire population of people in the bondage of slavery and the best news they could hear would be that they had been set free.

So when Abraham Lincoln proclaimed their emancipation, their freedom, in 1863 that would be great news. When the civil war ended . When the 13th amendment abolishing slavery was passed in congress in 1864, when it was passed by the senate in 1865 this would be good news for the now freed slaves. When the civil war ended in April of 1865 all of the obstacles to the good news of freedom had been removed.

Except one. The act of making slaves free was fully complete. But one obstacle remained. Someone needed to tell the good news.

In Galveston Texas, years after the emancipation proclamations and months after the end of the civil war slaves hadn’t heard the good news and were still living in bondage. They had been made free and didn’t know it because no one had told them.

On June 19, 1865 that changed when they finally heard the news that they were free.

This Ethiopian official was living in bondage and slavery to sin. He wanted to be made right with God, he was seeking, but how could he know the good news that Jesus had already accomplished this if someone didn’t tell him.

Application

If you are here this morning seeking that Good News, asking how you can live in right relationship with God, how you can have forgiveness of sin, how you can experience Good News, you’ve already overcome the first obstacle. You are hearing from God’s word about how Christ’s death on the cross can see you free and you can experience eternal life.

And if you’ve already experience that Good News, and are like Philip looking to follow God, you can see in this passage God’s call for you in your life. How will those around you experience the hope you have unless you are willing to share it?

2. What is the Good News?

And so what does Philip do next? He explains the Gospel starting with the very verse that the Ethiopian was reading.

Acts 8:32 CSB

32 Now the Scripture passage he was reading was this: He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb is silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth.

This passage comes from the Old Testament book of Isaiah. It was written more than 700 hundred years before the death of Jesus promising a future savior.

You see, Israel, God’s chosen people had turned their backs on God. Like us, they had turned away from God and towards sin. The consequences was that this path of rejecting God led to destruction. Their relationships with one another were a mess, and so was there relationship with God.

Through the prophets God had warned them. He had called for them, pleading with them to turn away from sin and turn back to God. To repent, to be sorry for the wrong they were doing and just trust God. But instead they just kept going down the same road that led to destruction.

And now, here in Isaiah 53 the people of Israel have already been conquered by Babylon. They are slaves to the Babylonian empire in need of good news of salvation. They are slaves to sin, in need of good news of forgiveness. They are separated from God, in need of good news of reconciliation.

And in this passage, God answers Israel’s cry good news of a coming savior. I encourage you to read this who chapter, but here are a few verses, and I encourage you to ask, who is this describing?

Isaiah 53:5 CSB

5 But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds.

This passage written more than 700 years before Jesus birth foretells the good news that our sin will be covered when our savior is pierced because of our rebellion against God.

He will be crushed for our iniquities, which just means our sin and our guilt.

It is through his wounds we are healed.

It’s talking about Jesus’ death on the cross and how Christ’s death. In this act of grace and mercy God takes our sin on himself. We can’t save our self so Jesus offers himself as the perfect sacrifice to die in our place.

What is the Good news? Allistar Begg describes it well:

“The good news is not a message of “Do your best, and be good enough!” but rather “Your best is never enough- but Jesus is.” -Alistar Begg,

He’s taken on our guilt, our shame, our sin, even our death, that we might be made right with God and raised with him to new life.

The first obstacle to good news was “how do we know good new.”

The second was understanding what is the good news?

But the third, is how will you respond to the good news?

3. How Will You Respond to Good News?

For the Ethiopian, and maybe for you this morning, this good news calls for a response.

His response was clear. In Mark 1:15 Jesus has been preaching the good news and calls for this response: “repent and believe the good news.”

Mark 1:15 CSB

15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

The Ethiopian believed, and found true good news.

Acts 8:36 CSB

36 As they were traveling down the road, they came to some water. The eunuch said, “Look, there’s water. What would keep me from being baptized?”

He had believed in Christ and was now taking the next step of being baptized.

What what would keep him from this? He had figured out how to know the Good News through Philip. He had found what the Good news was: That Christ had died for him and all he needed to do was repent and believe.

What would keep him from good news? Nothing!

This morning if you are like the Ethiopian, and haven’t experienced the good news of salvation in Jesus, I ask you, what is keeping you from experiencing good news? Will you respond by repenting and believing in Jesus. If that is a decision you’d like to make this morning, I invite you to give your heart to the lord. You are welcome to come and pray with me or pastor Ernie here this morning.

If you are making that decision for the first time this morning or have already accepted Christ but haven’t been baptized yet, I invite you, what’s keeping from being baptized. Come speak with us and let’s make a plan for you to be baptized.

And finally if you like Philip have this Good news, I invite you to pray that God will give you an opportunity to share the Good News.

Sunday, July 30 Worship Overview

Call to Worship: Isaiah 52:7

Scripture Reading: Mark 1:14-15

Sermon Text: Acts 8:26-29

Sermon Title: What’s Keeping You From Good News?

1. How do you know Good News?

2. What is the Good News?

3. How will you respond to Good News?

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