The Gospel is for Everyone
Notes
Transcript
Planning
Planning
Passage
Passage
4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city. 9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” 11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. 12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. 14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.” 24 Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.” 25 After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages. 26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.” 30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. 31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.” 34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. 36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” 37 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 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. 40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
Passage structure
Passage structure
Acts 8:4-13 - Philip preaches and performs miracles in Samaria. The Samaritans and Simon the Sorcerer ‘believe’.
Acts 8:14-17 - The apostles pray for the new believers, who receive the Holy Spirit
Acts 8:18-25 - Simon is rebuked for wanting another ability
Acts 8:26-40 - The Ethiopian eunuch believes
Big stuff
Big stuff
Big idea: The gospel is for everyone
Fallen condition focus: Sometimes we think that only some people would come to faith
Good news statement: Anyone, even the unexpected, can come to faith
Big question: What would it mean if we really believed the gospel was for everyone?
Sermon structure
Sermon structure
Intro
“The gospel is for everyone” - something that lots of people know already
But what would it mean if we really believed it?
Examples of people who I don’t think will come to faith (Olivea’s dad, Bryan)
1, Who is the gospel for?
History of Israel -> Israel and Judah -> Samaria and Judea (post exile)
The Jewish relationship to Samaritans is like our relationship with Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses
Acts 1.8 - shift to Samaria
Acts 8:4-17 - Philip preaches in Samaria, with the believers confirmed by the apostles and the Holy Spirit
v. 5 - Philip preaches Christ in Samaria
v. 6 - Philip’s signs help verify his message
v. 12 - Lots of people believe and they get baptised
vv. 14-17 - Confirmation from the apostles and the Holy Spirit
Strange: Why do the apostles need to come and why do they receive the Holy Spirit after?
Context:
The Christian Jews could’ve easily thought that Jesus was only for them, given their Jewish history.
Peter and John are apostles, people sent by Jesus to do the witnessing. They are authoritative.
The pouring out of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:18 was evidence that these people belongs to God.
The gospel is for Samaritans too (and we’ll see, it’s for people outside of Judea and Samaria)
Application: The gospel is for everyone.
The gospel is for
Male and female
Children, adults, the elderly
Different races and skin tones
The gospel is for (who will change if they accept it)
Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses
Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders, and so on
People angry at God and people indifferent
Challenge not to just live out that the gospel is those who are willing to hear, but for everyone.
Q1, Who is the gospel for? The gospel is for everyone.
2, What is the gospel about?
Acts 8:12 “12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.”
Kingdom of God
Sin
Jesus - PSA
Jesus - general resurrection, consummation of the kingdom
True acceptance of this good news often comes with joy.
But we someone who doesn’t respond in joy.
Acts 8:14-25 - Simon is rebuked for wanting the ability to lay hands on people and give them the Holy Spirit
Simon the sorcerer - demonic power or fraud
Acts 8:13 “13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.”
Some belief, but the focus is on the signs, not on what the signs were pointing to.
What does Simon want most? Not about the kingdom of God. Not about Jesus as Lord.
Acts 8:18–23 “18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.””
Is Simon saved?
Maybe yes, belief in v. 13, although there is belief that isn’t saving faith.
Maybe yes, request for prayer in v. 24, although that seems to be just about escaping judgement
Probably no, misunderstood the gospel, Peter calls him wicked (v. 22), full of bitterness and captive to sin (v. 23)
But it’s not super clear
Then why this story about Simon?
Lots of lessons
But one thing is it helps us understand what the gospel’s about
It’s not about the signs. The signs are there to point people to the true gospel.
It’s not about money or special abilities.
It’s about salvation in Jesus.
Application: Be clear about what the gospel’s about.
Encouraged that lots of people are clear about it.
Evidence that our church is clear about the gospel.
Encouragement to keep the gospel clearly about salvation in Jesus.
Q2, What is the gospel about? The gospel is about salvation in Jesus.
So the gospel is for everyone.
3, How does the gospel spread?
People
Philip preaching the gospel.
Acts 8:25 “25 After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.”
In the third part of today’s passage, it’s still via people (specifically Philip).
Acts 8:26-40
Significance of the Ethiopian eunuch
Ethiopia: He’s a Gentile
Eunuch: Not allowed into the inner courts of the temple (Deuteronomy 23:1 “1 No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the Lord.”)
Retell Acts 8:28-36 without focussing on the Spirit
Philip’s there to share the gospel with him.
People speaking about Jesus are necessary.
Challenge for people to share the gospel.
Not just about being a nice person (which is very important), but about speaking about Jesus
Not just about hanging out with people we’re comfortable with, but crossing cultures
People come to saving faith typically through someone speaking about Jesus with them.
How can you share the gospel with someone? Examples
But this can feel burdensome… and we’re weak...
God
Spirit’s involvement
Spirit coming on the Samaritans as evidence of that the Samaritans are saved as well
v. 29 - Spirit speaking to Philip
v. 36 - Water on a desert road
Application: Speak boldly because God is with you.
Feeling weak
Unstoppable mission
God is with you by his Holy Spirit
2 Timothy 1:7 “7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”
Power, love, and self-discipline needed to speak Jesus with people
Okay not to know everything
Examples of the Spirit placing you somewhere to share the gospel
Examples of the Spirit empowering you to share the gospel
Encouragement to go to the Reach Out planning meeting - maybe the Spirit has gifted you with ideas, creativity, strategic thinking
The gospel is for everyone.
Conclusion
Feedback with Tim
Feedback with Tim
19/9/2025
Good
Points
Application throughout
Improve
Shorten intro or point 1 by removing the stuff on the ‘how’
Put more of the resurrection and the risen Lord Jesus in the explanation of the gospel
Sermon
Sermon
Intro
Intro
When I prepare my sermons, usually I come up with a big idea.
The big idea of today’s sermon is: The Gospel is for everyone.
The gospel is for everyone.
This is something many people know already.
If I were to ask the kids at New Life Kids who the gospel is for, they’d say, “Everyone!”
If I were to ask the high schoolers at youth group whether the gospel is for their family, their friends, and everyone they’d meet, they’d say, “Yes!”.
But what would it mean if we really believed it?
What would it mean if that knowledge wasn’t just in our heads but was lived out with our actions and words?
I asked Olivea recently who in her circle she thought was most unlikely to come to faith.
The most unlikely person to trust in Jesus.
The person she thought of was the same person I thought of as well.
That person is a man who thinks Christianity opposes his country.
A man who finds it hard to listen to people, let alone talk about religion.
A man who’s already committed to his own religion.
I know the gospel is for everyone.
But part of me wonders whether this good news about Jesus is really for him.
I struggle to picture this person coming to faith and trusting in Jesus.
And so I confess, I haven’t really tried to share the gospel with him.
My actions indicate that maybe I’m not convinced that the gospel is for him.
The big idea of today’s sermon is that the gospel is for everyone.
It’s a familiar concept.
But it’s something I need to be reminded about.
Something we all need to be reminded about.
And if we truly believed it, it would change our lives.
And it would change the lives of those around us.
For the better.
Today’s passage is Acts 8:4-40.
And I’ve structured the sermon around three questions.
Q1, Who is the gospel for?
Q2, What is the gospel about?
Q3, How does the gospel spread?
Who is the gospel for?
What is the gospel about?
How does the gospel spread?
Let’s get into the first question.
Q1, Who is the gospel for?
Q1, Who is the gospel for?
Who is the gospel for?
Well as we come to our passage, a bit of history will help us.
The history of Samaria and Judea.
In the Old Testament, God set apart one nation to be his nation.
That’s the nation of Israel.
The nation of Israel were God’s people.
Israel then split into two kingdoms.
The northern kingdom and the southern kingdom.
They were called Israel and Judah.
It’s a bit confusing because sometimes the word Israel refers to the whole nation.
Sometimes it refers just to the northern kingdom.
So first there’s Israel as a whole nation.
Then a split, with Israel in the north and Judah in the south.
In Israel, there was a city called Samaria.
And later on, the name Samaria isn’t just for the city.
Samaria applied to the northern region.
And Judea is the name of the southern region.
We’ve got Samaritans in Samaria, the northern region.
And we’ve got Jews in Judea, in the southern region.
Now what did the Jews think about the Samaritans?
Well the Jews and the Samaritans both worshipped God.
But the Samaritans had influences from other religions as well.
It’s what’s called syncreticism.
The merging of multiple religions.
How the Jews viewed the Samaritans is like how we Christians view Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses.
We worship God.
They worship God.
But they’ve got a lot of weird influences as well.
So we wouldn’t call them Christians.
We don’t think they’re true followers of Christ.
And we don’t want to be associated with them.
That’s how the Jews felt about the Samaritans.
It would be a bit scandalous for the Samaritans to be saved as well.
Well last week, we were reminded about how the gospel spreads.
We saw from Acts 1:8 that the gospel is to go out to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.
So far in our Acts series, the gospel has gone out to Jerusalem and Judea.
And now, in Acts 8, it’s going out to Samaria.
To the group of people that the Jews had great disdain for.
But in Acts 8, we don’t see that disdain.
Instead, we see Philip, preaching the gospel to the Samaritans.
Philip also performs signs and miracles.
These signs aren’t supposed to bring attention to Philip himself or to the signs themselves.
They help verify Philip’s message.
It’s about the gospel.
This is in verses 5 and 6.
Acts 8:5-6.
5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said.
What happens when Philip preaches the gospel?
Well the Samaritans believe!
They get baptised.
That baptism was a sign that the Samaritans too were included as the people of God.
That’s not that surprising to us as Christians.
But if you lived two thousand years ago and you said that to a Jew, they’d be like, “Really?”
It’s like saying today that Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses were part of the people of God.
Well the apostles in Jerusalem hear about the Samaritans accepting the word of God.
Maybe they were shocked or surprised.
The passage doesn’t say.
But the passage does say the apostles sent Peter and John to Samaria.
Peter and John are apostles themselves.
They arrive in Samaria and see that the Samaritans have genuinely believed in Jesus!
They are God’s people!
So Peter and John pray for the Samaritans.
And the Samaritans receive the Holy Spirit in a clear, visible way.
We know they receive the Spirit in a visible way because someone called Simon sees it.
We’ll get to him soon.
Well in my home group, we were wondering why Peter and John had to come in the first place.
Wasn’t it fine for Philip to preach the gospel and the Samaritans to believe?
Why do we also need Peter and John to come?
Why do we need a visible receiving of the Spirit?
Well it’s helpful to remember the historical context.
The Christian Jews could’ve easily thought that Jesus was only for them, given their Jewish history.
They didn’t like the Samaritans.
It’s helpful to remember who Peter and John are.
They’re apostles.
They’re people sent by Jesus to speak about him.
They have authority given to them by Jesus.
And that means Peter and John’s involvement with the Samaritans is confirmation that they have truly accepted the gospel.
That they are genuine members of the people of God.
If Peter and John are involved, then they and the rest of the Christian Jews know that the Samaritans are genuine believers too.
And what about the visible outpouring of the Holy Spirit?
We wonder that because when someone becomes a Christian, our sense of vision doesn’t usually pick up the Spirit.
Well we might remember that the Spirit was poured out visibly in Acts 2 as well.
And in Acts 2, we learnt that people who received the Spirit belonged to God.
We saw that in Acts 2:18.
I’ll put that up on the screen.
Acts 2:18.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
So again, in Acts 8, the visible outpouring of the Spirit is confirmation that these Samaritans belong to God now.
The gospel isn’t just for the Jews.
It’s for the Samaritans too.
And that’s consistent with what we’ll hear in a couple of weeks as well.
In Acts 10, when the Gentiles believe.
Conversion, both in Acts and in our own experience, usually isn’t accompanied by a miraculous demonstration of the Spirit.
But there are key moments when there is a visible outpouring of the Spirit.
Moments that show that this is really God’s doing.
Acts 2 - when the Jews believe, showing that the gospel is for the Jews
Acts 8 - when the Samaritans believe, showing that the gospel is for the Samaritans
Acts 10 - when the Gentiles believe, showing that the gospel is for the Gentiles
Because the gospel is for everyone.
The gospel is for everyone.
That’s something we too need to be reminded about.
The gospel is for everyone.
It’s for male and female.
It’s for children, for adults, for the elderly.
It’s for people of different races and colours.
Because anyone who trusts in Jesus is saved.
The gospel is for Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses as well.
Of course, if they hear the gospel and believe it, they’ll change their thinking.
But they too need to hear the gospel.
The gospel is for the LGBTQI+.
The gospel is for the people who are angry at God.
And for the people who are indifferent towards God.
The gospel isn’t just for those who come to us to ask about Jesus.
It’s for everyone.
And that’s a challenge for us as we consider who to share the gospel with.
I shared at the start about a man who thinks Christianity is against his country.
But if I’m convinced that the gospel is for them as well, and if I want them to be saved, then I’m spurred on to share the gospel with them.
I hope you can see what this means for the people in your life too.
If you believe that the gospel is for your colleague sitting at the desk beside you,
For your grumpy uncle,
For your friend who just wants to enjoy life,
I hope that you too want them to know the gospel and be saved.
So let’s come to our initial question...
Q1, Who is the gospel for? The gospel is for everyone.
Q1, Who is the gospel for? The gospel is for everyone.
Question 1 is this.
Who is the gospel for?
It’s for everyone.
Do we truly believe it?
If so, let’s live it out.
That means sharing the gospel with people.
Now to be able to do that, we need to know what the gospel is.
So the second big question we’re asking of today’s passage is this:
Q2, What is the gospel about?
Q2, What is the gospel about?
What is the gospel about?
Well let’s read verse 12 and we’ll see what Philip thinks is the gospel.
Acts 8:12.
12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
The gospel is about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ.
Firstly, it’s about the kingdom of God.
The kingdom of God refers to God’s loving rule over his people.
Where God is king and his people are willingly submitting to him and experiencing the benefits of his kingship.
If you’re familiar with the Bible’s theology, you’ll know that our sin has excluded us from the kingdom of God.
Every single immoral action is rejection of God as king.
It’s putting ourselves or something else as king.
Sin has excluded us from the kingdom of God.
So that’s where Jesus comes in.
He’s the second part of Philip’s gospel.
Jesus takes on our sin at the cross.
Jesus gives us a way back into the kingdom of God.
Trusting in Jesus, who died for our sins, leads us back into God’s kingdom.
Jesus didn’t stay dead.
God raised him from the dead.
And now, Jesus is the risen Lord.
One day he will return to usher in the new creation.
The kingdom of God will be consummated.
God’s people will be with him in glory forever, in the new creation.
This is good news!
The word ‘gospel’ literally means ‘good news’.
People who truly accept this good news often rejoice.
And they live different lives because they’re now living for God and not themselves.
But in our passage, we meet someone who doesn’t have joy in the gospel.
He does have some sort of belief.
But there’s little evidence of change in his life.
It’s Simon the sorcerer.
Simon the sorcerer has been practising some sort of magic in the city.
And when he sees Philip’s miracles and hears Philip’s message, he has some sort of belief as well.
But let’s focus on what that belief leads him to.
Is it joy in the gospel?
Is it a transformed life?
Let’s read Acts 8 verse 13.
Verse 13.
13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
Simon has some sort of belief.
But he’s focused on the signs.
Not on the gospel that the signs were supposed to point him to.
In fact, when he sees Peter and John working with the power of the Holy Spirit, he wants this power for himself.
That’s in verses 18 to 23.
Let’s read verses 18 to 23.
18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”
That’s a harsh rebuke of Simon.
And it might make us wonder whether Simon is genuine saved.
Is he a truly believer?
It’s not super clear.
Maybe he is.
After all, in verse 13, it says he believed.
Although perhaps he just has some sort of belief but not true, saving faith.
Maybe he’s a true believer because he asks for prayer.
Although that request seems to be just about escaping judgement, not about repentance.
I personally think Simon’s not a true believer.
He’s misunderstood the gospel.
And I think Peter speaks to Simon like he’s not a Christian.
Simon’s full of bitterness and captive to sin.
But again, it’s not super clear.
In my home group, I asked people what they thought.
And we had five people saying he’s a true believer and four people saying he’s not.
And we discussed it a bit, one person changed his mind and then we were at four versus five.
It was a great discussion at home group.
As an aside, Tim and I encourage every adult to be part of a home group.
Hopefully you can see why they’re so valuable.
They go deep into God’s word in community.
It’s never to late to join one.
If you want to do that, you can chat to me or Tim.
But let’s come back to Simon the sorcerer.
It’s not super clear whether he’s a genuine Christian.
And that’s okay.
God doesn’t give us all the answers to every question we have.
He gives us what we need to know.
So why do we have this story about Simon?
Well it does teach us a lot of lessons.
Perhaps it helps us understand that there are different kinds of belief.
Perhaps it reminds us that people will hear the gospel but not really understand it.
One thing it definitely helps us understand is what the gospel is about.
See, the gospel is not about the signs.
The signs are there to direct people to the true gospel.
The gospel is not about money.
It’s not about having special abilities.
The gospel is about salvation in Jesus.
Only through Jesus can we be part of the kingdom of God.
So how does that impact us?
Well it means we must be clear about the content of the gospel.
Understand and express what the gospel is really about.
I won’t spend too long on this, because actually, lots of people at our church are clear about it.
I hear the gospel taught clearly here at church, in our kids ministry, and at youth group.
I see people express joy and thanksgiving for their salvation in Jesus.
So let’s keep the gospel centred on Jesus and the salvation that he brings.
To summarise our second big question:
Q2, What is the gospel about? The gospel is about salvation in Jesus.
Q2, What is the gospel about? The gospel is about salvation in Jesus.
What is the gospel about?
The gospel is about salvation in Jesus.
So if we know that the gospel is for everyone,
If we know that this gospel is about salvation in Jesus,
Then, how does the gospel spread?
That’s the third big question we’re asking of today’s passage.
Q3, How does the gospel spread?
Q3, How does the gospel spread?
How does the gospel spread?
The simple and straightforward answer is this: through people preaching the gospel.
We saw that in Philip preaching the gospel to the Samaritans.
After Peter and John pray for these Samaritans, on their way back to Jerusalem they preach the gospel to other Samaritans.
That’s in verse 25.
And in the third part of today’s passage, it’s still spread through someone preaching the gospel.
The third part of today’s passage is about Philip sharing Jesus with an Ethiopian eunuch.
The eunuch is an interesting person.
Firstly, he’s from Ethiopia.
For the geographically challenged like myself, that’s a country in Africa.
Being from Ethiopia, the man is a Gentile.
A Gentile is someone who’s not from the nation of Israel.
He’s a Gentile.
But he’s not a Gentile in the fullest sense of the word.
And we’ll hear about the gospel going out to the Gentiles in two weeks in Acts 10.
The man is a Gentile according to his heritage and ethnicity.
But the passage says he has gone to Jerusalem to worship.
So he’s closer to a Jew according to his religion.
He’s also a eunuch and the chief treasurer.
Being a eunuch is important in this chapter of the gospel going out.
Because a eunuch wasn’t allowed into the inner courts of the temple.
That’s from Deuteronomy 23:1 for those wondering.
So the eunuch would’ve gone to the temple to worship but not been allowed into the inner courts.
He wasn’t fully included.
But as we’ll soon see, he too can be fully included with the people of God.
The Ethiopian eunuch’s on his way home and he’s reading the book of Isaiah.
Philip hears the Ethiopian eunuch reading Isaiah and asks if he understands it.
Nope, he doesn’t really understand.
(Fair enough; Isaiah’s pretty tricky!)
So he invites Philip into the chariot.
And Philip uses the Isaiah passage to explain Jesus to the eunuch.
It’s one of the best passages in the Old Testament to help people understand Jesus.
It’s from Isaiah 53:7-8.
I’ll put it up on the screen but I won’t read it out.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished.
It’s a passage that describes Jesus on his way to die on the cross.
You may have also seen at the end of that passage the purpose of Jesus’ crucifixion.
Jesus was punished, not for his own sin, but for the trangressions of others.
And that’s clearer two verses later.
In verse 10 of Isaiah 53.
10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
Why did Jesus die?
Because his death was an offering for sin.
Jesus died to take on the punishment for our sin so that we wouldn’t have to experience it ourselves.
So that we could be saved.
And verse 10 also describes what happens after Jesus’ death.
He doesn’t stay dead.
“he will see his offspring”.
That’s referring to Jesus being raised to life again.
It’s the perfect passage for Philip to explain the gospel to the eunuch.
And we see yet again that the gospel spreads when people speak about Jesus to others.
The gospel spreads when people speak about Jesus to others.
In a sense, that’s obvious.
But sometimes, we get distracted or our thinking gets distorted.
See, sometimes people think it’s just about being a nice person.
Yes, that’s very important.
Our lives should reflect God’s goodness.
But Philip, Peter, and John weren’t just nice people.
They spoke about Jesus.
That’s how the gospel spreads.
And it’s not just about hanging out with people we’re comfortable with.
I’m a father to a toddler, an Asian, and a gamer when I have spare time.
I find it easier to spend time with young parents, or Asians, or gamers.
Instead, I have to hang out with Tim.
(Actually, one of the great things about working alongside Tim is that we are different.
Diversity in skills and preferences along with unity in the faith is very good for our church.)
But let’s come back to the spread of the gospel.
There are people who are different to us.
People we might not be that comfortable with.
The gospel transcends these differences.
Philip spoke to a people group that his own people used to despise.
He shared the message of Jesus with a man from a different country, with a different skin colour, from a different socio-economic background...
The passage isn’t saying that everyone here has to do that.
But if we want people to be saved, if we want others to be with us in the new creation forever,
It will spur us on to share the gospel with others.
Do you want other people to be saved?
If so, what will you do about it?
When I talk to Christians about evangelism, many of them say they want people to be saved.
But they don’t feel like they’re very good at it.
People sometimes say they feel burdened by something that’s important but they’re not great at it.
Now, if the spread of the gospel was purely by people sharing the gospel, this would be a huge burden.
But today’s passage shows us that we’re not alone in this.
God himself is with us.
The gospel spreads through people sharing the gospel, but it’s all under God’s sovereign rule.
See, God was involved in the pouring out of the Spirit on the Samaritans.
God tells Philip to go to the desert road to Gaza.
God even prompts Philip by the Holy Spirit to go to the chariot that the Ethiopian eunuch is in.
That’s in verse 29.
Acts 8:29.
29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
There are other details that show us God’s involvement as well.
How is it that a desert road has a body of water that the eunuch gets baptised in?
That’s a clue that it’s all according to God’s plan.
And at this time, the gospel is still going out to Judea and Samaria.
I think that explains why God takes Philip away from the road to Ethiopia and gets him back on track to preach the gospel in Judea and Samaria.
The spread of the gospel isn’t just up to us.
It’s all according to God’s sovereign plan.
He will do what’s needed to help us to share his message of salvation.
Someone might ask,
“But Martin, I can’t do miracles like Philip can. The Spirit doesn’t speak to me like he spoke to Philip. Is God really helping me share the gospel?”
It’s a fair question.
There is something unique going on in Acts.
Acts is unique because it’s the formation of the early church.
It’s the first time that the Jews, the Samaritans, and then the Gentiles are included as God’s people without requiring people to go back to the Law of Moses.
But that doesn’t mean that God has abandoned us.
God is still with us.
If you’re a Christian, you still have God’s Holy Spirit dwelling in you.
Helping you.
Look at what Paul says for all Christians in 2 Timothy.
Up on the screen.
2 Timothy 1:7.
7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
See, God’s Spirit helps us share Jesus with others.
How?
With power: When we share the gospel, we’re not just saying our human words but we’re sharing God’s message.
With love: Our love for others means we want them to be saved and compels us to share the gospel.
With self-discipline: Amidst all the different priorities in life, self-discipline helps us to focus on what’s most important, the gospel.
We don’t preach the gospel by ourselves.
We do so still with the help of the Holy Spirit.
That means that...
Perhaps the Spirit has situated you in a workplace where you’re surrounded by unbelievers because he wants you to share the good news with them.
Perhaps the Spirit has given you friends who don’t know Jesus because you are the messenger who will speak the gospel.
Maybe the Spirit is growing your love for others so that you care about the awkward student in your class and you want them to have eternal life.
Maybe the Spirit is prompting you to invite to church the person who lives next door.
Because our church works hard to make sure we’re preaching the gospel.
Our church is also at a stage where we are thinking about what else we can be doing to reach out to others with the gospel.
Later in this service, Dave will share about an open meeting to consider how we can reach out to others with the gospel.
And if the Spirit has given you creativity and ideas and strategic thinking, that might be one way you help our church reach out to people with the gospel.
God is with us by his Holy Spirit.
And that means that we don’t have to do everything by our own strength and intelligence.
It’s okay not to know exactly what to say.
It’s okay not to know the answers to every question.
Because God is with us.
And he will accomplish whatever he plans to do.
Question 3 is this.
Q3, How does the gospel spread? Through people sharing the gospel, in God’s sovereign plan.
Q3, How does the gospel spread? Through people sharing the gospel, in God’s sovereign plan.
How does the gospel spread?
Through people sharing the gospel, in God’s sovereign plan.
That shows us that the gospel is for everyone.
So let’s be encouraged and spurred on to share that gospel.
Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your gospel. Thank you for that the gospel shows us that Jesus is the way to be part of your kingdom. He is the risen Lord and we rejoice in following him.
We thank you that this gospel is for everyone. So please help us to share it with others. Strengthen us by your Spirit to speak your message to those around us. And we pray that many more will be saved.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
One of the ways we rejoice in the gospel is that we sing it!
That’s what we’re going to do now.
Let’s stand and sing, In Christ Alone.
