Be a Truth Dispenser! - Learning from Philip with the Ethiopian
Learning From Biblical Figures • Sermon • Submitted
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· 13 viewsPhilip shows the characteristics of a Truth Dispenser
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26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. 27 And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. 33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” 34 And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. 36 And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
Introduction
Introduction
Introduction
Introduction
PEZ Dispensers have been around for more than 60 years.
Everyone can identify a pez dispenser by a few characteristics.
They are plastic
They usually have some sort of cartoon character on top.
They dispense rectangular candies.
Things can be identified by their characteristics including people
Today we will examine the characteristics that made the apostle Philip what I’m going to call “a truth dispenser”.
Turn with me to Acts chapter 8.
Willing and eager to Rise and go
Willing and eager to Rise and go
26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. 27 And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. 27 And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
Often times the hardest steps are the first. Especially when:
Often times the hardest steps are the first. Especially when:
Your current work is by all accounts successful and joyful!
4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. 5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. 6 And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was much joy in that city.
You’ve converted a famous sorcerer to Christ!
But Philip doesn’t complain, the Bible tells us that he “rose and went.”
Where are you in life?
Would you be willing to leave it at a moments notice to dispense truth?
Truth dispensers are willing and eager to go wherever they are needed and are courageous enough to open their mouths.
Boldness to Ask
Patience to listen
Courage to Open His Mouth
Courage to Open His Mouth
Acts 8:30-
30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. 33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” 34 And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.
Courage comes from having the Wisdom to know where to start
Courage to Open His Mouth
Courage to Open His Mouth
The patience to listen.
Not listening to reply, but to really stop and LISTEN.
Boldness to Ask questions.
Asking someone if they understand something is a great way to gauge what they know.
Teaching someone anything requires a working knowledge of where they are at in their understanding.
Newborns require milk, they will choke and die if you feed them a steak!
We set ourselves up for failure and discouragement when we do not understand how to gently unravel what could be years of indoctrination in false doctrines.
Courage comes from being Knowledgeable enough to preach Jesus
Being a student of the Bible is essential to being a dependable truth dispenser!
Knowing why you believe what you believe
Confidence in knowing that the gospel is Good News!
When we truly understand and believe that the gospel message is the best news for mankind, we don’t let fear, anxiety, laziness, or passiveness prevent us from courageously opening our mouths and dispensing truth to all who need it.
Heart of a servant
Heart of a servant
36 And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
Acts 8:36-
Truth dispensers Assist others in understanding and obeying the gospel
Notice that Philip did NOT SAY
Wouldn’t you like to wait until you get home to be baptized in front of your friends and neighbors?
You know that water looks muddy and dirty, why don’t we just sprinkle you with some of the drinking water you brought along instead?
Better yet we don’t need any water! Let’s just say a prayer!
No, Philip wouldn’t say those things because truth dispensers hold fast to the truth of God’s word.
Instead he granted his request by baptizing him for the forgiveness of his sins.
Continued Working
Continued Working
Once again we see Philip being taken away from his successful work, and continuing to preach the gospel, being a truth dispenser wherever he went.
Conclusion
Conclusion
In this day and time we need to be truth dispensers.
The bible tells us that faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of God.
And in v. 14. “How will they believe without someone preaching?”
Philip shows us that a few of the characteristics of a truth dispenser are:
The willingness to rise and Go
Having courage and confidence to open your mouth when you get there
And wherever you find yourself, having a heart of a servant.
If we want to
Invitation