The Joyful Chariot

Intro

Joy. Joy is a gift of the Holy Spirit and every follower of Jesus must learn to live joyfully (Galatians 5:22-26).

It's a gift. Like all gifts, joy must also be used if we want to experience its benefits. Use the joy that God has given you.

The bitterness. Unfortunately, I happen to see more and more believers without joy. It's a shame!

The apostle Paul exhorts us, commands us to rejoice: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4 - NIV).

Yet it is easy to see many people without joy. They live their lives without any joy.

There is also the danger of serving the Lord without any joy, dragging out the service of God, Sunday after Sunday. What a tragedy!

Dangers. Maybe you once had the joy of the Lord, but unpleasant events or bad choices stole it from you.

The Fight for joy. Over the next few weeks we will explore together this precious subject of Christian joy. My desire is to encourage each of us to fight for joy.

Sermon's outline. Through the story of this eunuch, I want to underline the fact that the joy we are talking about does not depend on any external element, because it is rooted in the Person of Christ Jesus: When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing (Acts 8:39). Here are the 4 challenges that will not be able to stifle the joy of this Ethiopian:

Same road;

Same social position;

Same difficult pages;

Same condition.

Same Road

Desert road. The location of the meeting between the Evangelist Philip and this Ethiopian officer is a desert road that connected Jerusalem to Gaza.

After accepting Jesus, the eunuch decides to be baptized. The Lord takes Philip and makes him reappear in Ashdod (distant 40 km from Gaza).

Luke tells us that the Ethiopian takes his path again: which way? The desert road.

The term "desert" indicates an abandoned, empty, desolate place, in stark contrast to cultivated and inhabited places.On this inhospitable road, devoid of trees or grass, there is a joyful man, happy because he has met Jesus.

The road is the same. The road remains the same, with the usual characteristics. What has changed is the heart of Ethiopian.

The joy we are talking about does not depend on the type of road we are traveling on: if the road is beautiful and comfortable, then we can rejoice.

Perhaps nothing has changed since you accepted Jesus: the road of your life has remained a desert road, an inhospitable place, without trees, yet there is joy in you because this joy is based on Jesus.

Continue your journey with joy.

Same Social Position

Eunuch. The Ethiopian was a eunuch. Jesus himself talks about this physical condition by mentioning some possible background information regarding eunuchs: For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.” (Matthew 19:12 - NIV).

We don't know what the Ethiopian's background was, but one thing is certain: after his baptism, Luke continues to identify him as the eunuch (Acts 8:39).

After the miracle of salvation, we read of no other miracle in this man's life.

His body remained the same, with the same limitations. Eunuch was before the baptism, eunuch was after the baptism.

On the contrary, the Syrian general Haman entered the water leper and came out of the water healed; but in this case nothing changes: the Ethiopian continues to have the same social position.Only now there is the joy of salvation!

The same but different. Many are not joyful because they see that nothing has changed in them despite having accepted Jesus.

Their social position remained the same, with the same limitations as always.

Onesimus, the slave. In the New Testament there is a very small letter that tells of a slave who harmed his Christian master called Philemon.

Onesimus escapes from Philemon and, we don't know how, this slave meets Paul who speaks to him about Jesus and Onesimus converts to the Gospel.

The apostle intercedes for Onesimus and asks Philemon to forgive him.

At the end of the story all the characters remain in their starting social position: the master remains master and the slave remains slave.

The only difference is that in both there is the joy of the Lord.

Same Difficult Pages

Difficult Scriptures. The Ethiopian could not understand the Scriptures (Acts 8:30-31).

Philip introduces him to the Person of Christ Jesus (Acts 8:34-35).

Now the Ethiopian is joyful because he understood who Isaiah was talking about.

However, the Scriptures remained difficult to understand: styles, symbolism, authors, themes.

Why is the eunuch joyful if the Scriptures still challenge him?

Because now in him there is the Holy Spirit, He who enlightens our minds. When minds are enlightened, then hearts are joyful.

Enlightened minds. The Holy Spirit gives us grace to understand not only the complicated pages of Scripture, but also the complicated pages of life.

This is why we can be joyful in the midst of trials, because the Holy Spirit will enlighten, instruct, and guide us, just as Jesus promised:“When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” (Luke 12:11-12 - NIV).

Same Condition

Loneliness. Philip disappeared and the Ethiopian no longer saw his mentor, that precious brother and traveling companion.

Luke tells us that the two traveled for a while together (Acts 8:31).

Before Philip approached his chariot, the eunuch was alone.

After baptism that condition of loneliness returns. Even though he is alone, there is joy on that wagon.

In reality that eunuch was not alone because the presence of Jesus was with him.

Even if we are alone, Jesus is with us. In the course of the Christian life we will lose many to whom we are attached. 

Death can take away those we love, sin can take away friends or people to whom we are attached, God himself can take away a "Philip" from us, but nothing can take away the joy of the presence of Jesus on the chariot of our life.

Conclusion

Let's fight for joy. Don't allow the pain, discouragement and disappointments of this life to steal the joy of the Lord from you.

That eunuch had many good reasons to be sad, yet he continued on his journey joyfully.

Fight for joy, do not lose it, and like Nehemiah, he shouts, “the joy of the Lord is my strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).