Acts 8:26-40

Introduction

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This past week, we went to Marshfield Wisconsin. This small town in the center of Wisconsin has some really wonderful things like a free zoo, a nice little water park, and a Ronald McDonald house. In this small town in the middle of Wisconsin, a town of about 19,000, there is also the first Bardet-Biedl clinic in the US. The cardiologist that Moses saw this week was telling us that he is one of the four team leads for the BBS clinic. He told us that this all started by one soft spoken Dr. that was wild enough to study a disease that one of his patients had. This family kept looking for answers and their really had to advocate for their son. All of this, started by one family and one Dr not willing to give up.

Saints, this morning we are going to see a similar story. Philip, one of the seven deacons, was crazy enough to blaze a trail not yet gone. By his odediance to the Holy Spirit, God would use him as his instrument to bring the gospel to the “ends of the earth.”

Need

This morning, I want to call us to faithfulness and obedience even in the unknown.

Referent

Acts 8:26-40

Organization

Philip’s Readiness

The Eunuch’s Encounter

Sermon in a sentence:

I will be faithful in the unknown.

Context

Remember, Philip (one of the 7 deacons) just evangelized Samaria. He is the first recorded specific example of the church (in some official capacity) spreading the gospel to Samaria.

Acts 1:8 “8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.””

Philip is now tasked with giving the “good news of Jesus” to someone from Ethiopia (Greek historians of this time called this area the “ends of the earth”).

Philip’s Readiness (vs. 26-35)

Philip’s actions are not prescriptions; however, they are informative. This man was repeatedly willing to listen to the call of the Lord with immediate obedience.

v. 27 “and he rose and went”

v. 30 “So Philip ran to him”

v. 35 “Then Philip opened his mouth”

Philip was so familiar with the Scriptures that he immediately takes this text and puts it in the larger Biblical Theological framework for Scripture: Jesus Christ.

I can’t fully remember the context, but there was a video clip I saw of the Joe Rogan podcast. He said something about people’s ability to talk articulately about a topic they know well. He said that if you woke him up in the middle of the night and started asking him questions about comedy he could talk about it. He would need a second or two to orient himself, wake up, get alert, and those kinds of things. However, we could within a few minutes talk to you about the timing of jokes, the set up, punchlines, the business side of comedy, comedy clubs, etc. There is no need to go check your notes or go google basics on the topic.

Saints, are we that way with the gospel? Can we in a moments notice, explain the gospel? More specifically, can we do that with Scripture? I can’t with every text! I need to spend more time in my Bible than on Facebook!

Then, the question is not only, “Do we have the ability to do these things?” The next question is, “Are you doing these things?”

Context

This text is not primarily about baptism.

The Eunuch Encounter (vs. 35-40)

In our text, the Eunuch encounters Philip first. However, Philip is not the most important encounter for the eunuch.

The first, encounter the eunuch has in this text is the Word of God.

Second, the eunuch encounters his own ignorance. Will he respond in pride or humility?

Third, Philip. Philip is the instrumental means that God uses to reveal himself (through the person and work of Jesus Christ) to the eunuch.

After the eunuch’s encounter with God, by the means of Philip, he is going to have many more encounters.

John Piper says that missions exists because worship doesn’t somewhere. Here, (v. 39) the eunuch is returning to Candace REJOICING. He is going to have some encounters when he gets back to Ethiopia.

Saints, we need to encounter our ignorance sometimes. And when we encounter our ignorance, we need to react in humility. Wes Huff and Billy Carson

Conclusion

In Peter Jackson’s adaption of The Hobbit, Gandalf and Galadriel are talking about Gandalf’s choice of a Hobbit in such a difficult journey.

Gandalf replies, “I don’t know. Saruman believes that it is only great power that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love. Why Bilbo Baggins? I don't know.”

Saints, the apostle Paul tells us, (1 Corinthians 1:26–29) “26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”

Do not expect know everything. Do not expect to be perfectly able to answer every question. Do not think that you will be able to answer every time someone asks, “Why God?” God calls us to small steps of faithfulness to bring about great things in his kingdom.

Application

Repent and believe in the gospel.

Serve the Lord this week in one way that is unknown to you.