What Does Expect?

Secular -

A man says, “God, I want to follow Your plan. Just tell me what it is.”

God replies, “First, I want you to stop procrastinating.”

The man says, “Oh, I can totally start that… tomorrow.”

A man was going through a rough time, so he decided to have a heart-to-heart with God.

Man: “God, I’m doing my best down here, but could You just give me a sign? What do You really expect from me?”

God: “All right, I’ll make it clear. Start by loving others as yourself.”

Man: “Okay, love others—got it! …But, uh, You know some people are really hard to love, right?”

God: “Yes, I’m well aware. That’s part of the lesson.”

Man: “Right, right… okay, I’ll work on it. Anything else?”

God: “Be patient, and let go of anger.”

Man: (pausing) “Uh-huh, patience. Got it. Can You help me with that part? Like… right now?”

God: “See, you’re learning already!”

Man: “Wait, but if You expect all this from me, can You at least give me some peace?”

God: “Peace comes when you trust Me and stop worrying.”

Man: “Got it… but how am I supposed to stop worrying when things are so uncertain?”

God: “Remember, I have a plan for you.”

Man: “Right! Your plan. So… would You mind sharing the plan with me in a bit more detail?”

God: “Nice try. Just take the next step.”

The man sighed and looked up with a smile. He finally got it: sometimes what God expects is a little trust and a lot of letting go.

Historical/Cultural Context -

Luke was a physician and a travel companion of the apostle Paul. He wrote the book of Acts. The earliest possible date of Acts is immediately after the events that Luke recorded in, which would have been c. A.D. 62. Acts is addressed to “Theophilus,” about whom nothing more is known. Luke’s broader audience consisted primarily of Gentile Christians like Theophilus who had already “been taught” about Jesus.

Biblical Text -

Acts 8:26–40 NKJV

Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.” So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. The place in the Scripture which he read was this: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.” So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea.

-[Prayer]-

Life Principle - Be Obedient To God, Willing To Be Used By Him, & Share The Gospel.

Life Point- Obedience Over All Else

Exegetical -

Acts 8:26–29 BSB

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go south to the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official in charge of the entire treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his return was sitting in his chariot reading Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to that chariot and stay by it.”

Homiletical -

I always find it interesting when the Bible talks about an angel of the Lord. It is just so matter of fact most of the time. There is rarely any fanfare, just a matter of fact.

This angel tells him to get up and go down to a desert road that goes to Gaza.

On his way he meets someone, the Ethiopian Eunuch. who had travelled a long way to worship at Jerusalem. By that statement we can assume a couple of things:

1) The eunuch was a convert to Judaism or

2) He was highly interested in Judaism as he traveled a long way.

The eunuch was traveling back home by this time and the Holy Spirit says to Phillip “Go over to that chariot and stay by it”

Why would Phillip do this? Because God commanded him to do so, that’s why.

When God says to do a thing, you may not know why he said to do it, but you do it. You never know what is going to happen

Well pastor I sense God telling me to give some money to someone but I know they are just going to blow it on something.

If you’re sure that is the nudging or calling of God then you better do it anyway. Better to be obedient than not.

But what if I just give it to the church instead. While that would be sacrificial, it wouldn’t be obedient.

In the book of 1 Samuel the king is told to destroy utterly an enemy of Israel. He choses not to do that but keeps the best of the animals for sacrifice to the Lord and Samuel replies to him in

1 Samuel 15:22 BSB

But Samuel declared: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to His voice? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams.

Now also remember that obedience to God is not always through a personal Word. His main way to speak to us is through the Bible. What it says trumps anything you might think the Holy Spirit is leading you to.

For example: I know of a minister in California who told everyone at his church that the Lord told Him to divorce his wife and marry his mistress. Folks, that is not the voice of God. How do I know this? Because the Bible is against this. God didn’t tell him to do that, his own flesh told him to do that. Remarkably, the church just accepted it and went on. They didn’t remove him, didn’t chastise him or anything else. As far as I know, he is still there.

That is a church that is truly Ichabod, which means the Glory of God has departed. There needs to be repentance from everyone involved including the parishioners.

Illustration -

Imagine a father who gives his son an expensive gift for his birthday. Instead of expressing gratitude, the son ignores his father and invites his friends over to enjoy the gift without him. Though the gift itself is valuable, the father's heart is broken because his son chose to disregard their relationship. In the same way, God desires our obedience and relationship with Him over mere acts of sacrifice. It’s not about the gift we bring but the heart with which we offer ourselves to Him.

Life Point - Share The Gospel

Exegetical -

Acts 8:30–36 BSB

So Philip ran up and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. “How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so He did not open His mouth. In His humiliation He was deprived of justice. Who can recount His descendants? For His life was removed from the earth.” “Tell me,” said the eunuch, “who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Then Philip began with this very Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they traveled along the road and came to some water, the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is there to prevent me from being baptized?”

Homiletical -

So Phillip runs up and finds him reading from a passage that speaks about the Messiah. He then proceeds to tell him about Jesus. He not only speaks to him about Jesus but the eunuch ends up giving his life to Christ.

As they are traveling together the come along some water and the eunuch is eager to be baptised.

Notice some amazing things that have happened here.

Phillip listened to the angel and the Holy Spirit and ended up winning a convert to Christ.

The eunuch was so excited by his conversion that he wanted to be baptized immediately. So it happened.

What is not written here is that when Christianity finally officially made it to Africa, what they found was churches had been already established. Possibly from this encounter here.

I cannot express how important it is we listen to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit in order to win others to Christ. We don’t know the impact we can have on the future by winning one person to Christ.

But Pastor I don’t know how to share the Gospel. It’s real simple. You don’t even have to use a lot of scripture. How were you before you met Christ, what happened at the moment of conversion, and how are you different. Maybe thrown in John 3:16.

John 3:16 BSB

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Illustration -

Picture a young man at a coffee shop, quietly observing his surroundings. He notices a group of friends laughing and sharing life together, and he longs for that connection. As he sips his coffee, a stranger at the next table strikes up a conversation about faith. This unexpected moment turns into an opportunity to share the gospel. Who knows, this act of sharing could change his life, just as it might for someone sitting alone and seeking something deeper.

Now consider a retired man sitting on a park bench, watching families stroll by. His life has been filled with successes, yet he feels an emptiness that accolades cannot fill. One day, a young woman sits beside him and strikes up a conversation about the purpose of life and joy in Christ. Her enthusiasm and joy are contagious, igniting curiosity in his heart. Never underestimate how sharing your faith can lead someone like him to find their missing piece.

Life Point - Be Willing To Be Used By God In Any Way Possible

Exegetical -

Acts 8:37–40 BSB

And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing. But Philip appeared at Azotus and traveled through that region, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

Homiletical -

You never know what miracles can happen when you serve Jesus. Philip and this eunuch go into the water, he baptizes him and when they come up out of the water God literally supernaturally moves Philip from one spot on the map to another spot.

A lot of people ask me, “Why did God do this?” The simple answer is, we don’t know. But the most likely answer is that God had something for him to do that needed to be done right away. No where else in the new testament scripture do we find this kind of miracle taking place. Oh we find John and his vision which is the book of Revelation and Paul being taken to heaven where things are revealed, but nowhere do we find another person being moved from one place on a map to another that is far away from where they were.

So what can we learn here?

Philip was willing to used by Christ in any way possible and went about preaching the Gospel wherever he found himself.

The deacon became an evangelist. We should all be evangelists sharing the Gospel wherever we find ourselves.

We need to be willing to go and do what God opens the doors for us to do.

A lot of people aren’t willing because they are afraid God will call them to Africa or something. Nine times out of ten He won’t, He might but the odds are that He won’t. Now if you go telling God that you won’t go to Africa guess where He is going to call you?

Just be willing to go and do whatever He has for you. That is the take away here. If you’re honest with yourself and you find you are not willing then start to pray that God will get you willing and don’t be surprised if one task doesn’t turn into another and another and another. That willingness to serve God wherever He has you is what He wants out of you.

Illustration -

Here is a hypothetical situation for you: a soldier enlisting for service is filled with uncertainty yet leaps at the chance to fight for a cause greater than himself. In the same way, our willingness to serve God might not come without fear or doubts, but it is our courage to take that first step that leads to impactful change in our lives and others'.

This happened to the Prophet Isaiah. Imagine being like Isaiah, who stood before God and exclaimed, 'Here I am, send me!' (Isaiah 6:8). This willingness to serve while having uncertainty and the awe of God’s presence shows the beauty of selflessness before God. Can we, like Isaiah, respond with that same eagerness? When we feel His call, are we ready to step forward?

Life Principle– Be Obedient To God, Willing To Be Used By Him, & Share The Gospel.

Call to Action – altar call….