Philip and the Ethiopian Official

Opening

Have you ever had a hard time understanding something?

For me, it’s anytime I have to learn math. Math has always been my worst subject. I struggled to learn my times tables, didn’t do well in geometry, and more.

However, all of that changed when I had a different curriculum and teacher for Math starting in high school. It changed everything for me.

I was able to understand Algebra more than I ever expected to!

In the same way, sometimes the things we read in the Bible can be difficult to understand, right? Just like any other thing, some things can take more work to understand. However, that doesn’t mean we should give up studying God’s Word, right?

That’s why God gave us pastors, teachers, instructors, parents, grandparents, friends, people who can teach us how to understand certain things.

It’s important that we study God’s Word and try to understand what it means and know what God is saying in His Word.

Lesson

Acts 8:29–35 CSB

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. 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. 33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who will describe his generation? For his life is taken from the earth. 34 The eunuch said to Philip, “I ask you, who is the prophet saying this about—himself or someone else?” 35 Philip proceeded to tell him the good news about Jesus, beginning with that Scripture.

Philip helped the Ethiopian official understand what the scroll of Isaiah was saying. It was talking about Jesus!

Jesus was the one led like a lamb to the slaughter.

He did not open his mouth, He kept silent.

He was denied justice, instead He took the punishment for sin all upon himself.

His life was taken from the earth.

But we know that He came back to life three days later!

Philip was the one who pointed the man to Jesus from God’s Word.

Did you guys know that all of Scripture points to Jesus?

Jesus even helped two of His disciples after His resurrection understand what the Scriptures talked about - and all of them point to Jesus:

Luke 24:27 CSB

27 Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted for them the things concerning himself in all the Scriptures.

Application

So what should we do with this today? Should we give up when things aren’t easy or hard to understand? No!

We should ask for help.

First, ask for God to help us understand what His Word means. Apart from Him, we can’t understand or do anything. We need His help.

Second, we can ask those around us to help us. For example, you can ask your parents what a certain Bible passage means. Or one of your small group leaders. Or me. Or a Bible teacher at school.

God places people in our lives to help us understand His Word.