Philip and the Ethiopian Man: A Children's Sermon

Today I would like to tell you a story from the New Testament Book of Acts. It is a story about a man named Philip and a man from Ethiopia.

Acts 8:26-40

Acts 8:26–40 (NLT)

26 As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.”

27 So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the Kandake, the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship,

28 and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah.

29 The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.”

30 Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

31 The man replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.

32 The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this:

“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter. And as a lamb is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.

33 He was humiliated and received no justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.”

34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?”

35 So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus.

36 As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?”

37 And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart you may.” And he replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

38 He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing.

40 Meanwhile, Philip found himself farther north at the town of Azotus. He preached the Good News there and in every town along the way until he came to Caesarea.

The Ethiopian man had been to Jerusalem to learn about God and worship Him.

God knew the man’s heart and that the man desired to know God, so God sent a man named Philip to tell the Ethiopian man about Jesus.

God had also directed the man to the passage he was reading, so that Philip could easily tell the man about Jesus.

God has also worked in your life to get you here in VBS this week. He has given you teachers to tell you about the Lord. You have learned about a lot of biblical truths. All of these truths (creation, the flood, the confusion at Babel, etc.) point us to the most important truth of all. That truth is the Good News of Jesus:

1. Just like the people in the Bible stories made bad choices, you and I also make bad choices. These choices break God’s laws (the 10 commandments). This is called sin. The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23,

Romans 3:23 (NLT)

23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

2. Because of our sin, we are separated from God. (Romans 6:23)

Romans 6:23 (NLT)

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

3. God loved us and Jesus died to pay for our sins. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT)

21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

4. We, like the Ethiopian man, must make a personal choice to ask for God’s forgiveness and believe in Jesus to have eternal life. (Mark 1:15)

Mark 1:15 (NLT)

15 “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”

Invitation to accept Christ.