Life Changing Obedience

Good morning Myrtle Springs Baptist Church, it is an honor to stand before you this morning. Bro. Kyle sends his love, as his family is on vacation and away this week.

How many of you have ever felt that little prompting to go talk to someone before?

Most of you know that exact feeling. You are maybe sitting in the break room and you look over and there’s Johnny sitting alone and you hear. Go sit with him and talk to him.

Maybe it is while you are in the grocery store and you hear the voice say, encourage that mom because she is working hard with those three kids.

Other times, it is share Jesus with that person.

I could go one with these types of promptings. However, in many cases, these promptings are often ignored and cast aside. In other cases, we simply are too busy or engrossed in the things in our own lives to pay any attention to the things around us.

Maybe

One of the biggest culprits to this issue has been cell phone usage. In fact, a recent study by IDC showed that “79% of the population between 18 and 44 have the phones on them all the time with only 2 hours spent away from it.” It actually has resulted in what they call text neck. Upper back and neck pain.

https://www.spine-health.com/blog/modern-spine-ailment-text-neck

One could easily argue that text neck is showing the societal epidemic of not paying attention to their surroundings. We are engrossed in social media, web browsing, gaming, and texting.

While it sounds ridiculous and even somewhat hilarious that there is such a thing as text neck, it is a real condition according to many experts. The real unfortunate reality is that this condition demonstrates a more significant spiritual issue. We as Christ followers are failing to live out our lives in a Christ honoring way because we are engrossed in our cell phones and ignoring the God appointments in our lives.

If you are taking notes this morning, the title of today’s sermon is Life Changing Obedience. We will be in beginning with verse 26. Before we get there we need to understand some of what is going on in the lives of the early Christian’s.

Christ has ascended back to heaven. Pentecost has come and the church is growing. Difficulty and mistreatment arose in the church and seven men where selected to oversee the wellbeing of the widows. These seven men are Stephen, who is described as a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, can I just say what a statement about this man, and the others are Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas. It is not long after that Stephen is brought before the Sanhedrin. After preaching and rebuking these men, Stephen is stoned to death. Upon his death great persecution breaks out in Jerusalem and there is a great dispersion that takes place.

The book of Acts follows Philip to Samaria where he goes and preaches Christ to them. In fact, this is one of the lay people of the early church. Remember he has just recently been selected as one of the seven. But through Philip, God begins to do great wonders through and the people of Samaria respond to the call. Such a movement of God took place that Peter and John were sent to Samaria. Where they testified and spoke the word of the Lord and began to go back which leads us to our passage this morning.

Those that are able please stand in the honor of reading God’s Word.

Acts 8:26–40 NASB95

26 But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, “Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.) 27 So he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.” 30 Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: “He was led as a sheep to slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He does not open His mouth. 33 “In humiliation His judgment was taken away; Who will relate His generation? For His life is removed from the earth.” 34 The eunuch answered Philip and said, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him. 36 As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 37 And 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.” 38 And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he kept preaching the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea.

Matthew 5:12–15 NASB95

12 “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

Pray: Lord, please give me the words to speak, give us ears to hear, and the boldness to live out the words from your Word. Father, we desire to see you in our lives better today than yesterday. We desire to hear your guiding voice in our lives and that we would be sensitive to the prompting of your Spirit. Father, we need you in our lives and we desire true life change this morning. In your name we pray, Amen.

The first thing I would like for us to not this morning is that,

1. Faithful obedience leads to God appointed meetings.

(vs 26-29)

Acts 8:26–29 NASB95

(vs 26-27)

Philip is serving the Lord faithfully ministry to a people and the Lord begins to speak. Philip heres the word of the Lord tell him to get up and go.

Both of these verbs are commands from the Lord. It is not like the Lord came to him and said, Philip if it is easy or convenient to you will you go to the south to the middle of nowhere?

No! It was a command to Philip. Which he responded with immediate obedience. There was absolutely no sense hesitancy in Philips response. It says he got up and went.

I can imagine a conversation like this if it was many in the church today.

“Lord, I know you want me to go. I also know that you are supreme and king. But I really don’t think you want me doing that. Have you heard me speak? Sounds familiar right? Moses said it this way,

Acts 8:26–29 NASB95

Exodus 4:10 NASB95

10 Then Moses said to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”

Exodus 4:6 NASB95

6 The Lord furthermore said to him, “Now put your hand into your bosom.” So he put his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow.

Or, instead of making an excuse of physical ability it is mentally related. Something like, “Lord, I would share but I don’t know how or what to say.”

But tells us

Luke 12:11–12 NASB95

11 “When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

While you might not be facing rulers, the Lord will aide you in your witnessing and it is the Holy Spirit who will move in those situations. If you know enough to be saved, then you know enough to share the gospel with someone.

Ultimately, the question is will you be faithfully obedient?

How we admire the obedience a dog shows to its master! Archibald Rutledge wrote that one day he met a man whose dog had just been killed in a forest fire. Heartbroken, the man explained to Rutledge how it happened. Because he worked out-of-doors, he often took his dog with him. That morning, he left the animal in a clearing and gave him a command to stay and watch his lunch bucket while he went into the forest. His faithful friend understood, for that’s exactly what he did. Then a fire started in the woods, and soon the blaze spread to the spot where the dog had been left. But he didn’t move. He stayed right where he was, in perfect obedience to his master’s word.

With tearful eyes, the dog’s owner said, “I always had to be careful what I told him to do, because I knew he would do it.”

Not only does this passage show us that if we are faithful to obey the Lord we have God appointed meetings, But we also see that

2. God appointed meetings produce evangelistic opportunities.

Fill in text

Look with me at ,

Acts 8:30–35 NASB95

30 Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: “He was led as a sheep to slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He does not open His mouth. 33 “In humiliation His judgment was taken away; Who will relate His generation? For His life is removed from the earth.” 34 The eunuch answered Philip and said, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.

The Lord has brought Philip to the middle of nowhere. He can look around and it is pretty much desert place except for this chariot and caravan of people. The Lord tells him to go talk to these people. It would be pretty obvious that this is not a jewish person. After all, this man does not have olive skin but ebony. He is traveling from Jerusalem and it is clear he is an influential man.

I can see Philip seeing it almost dazed thinking “WOW! Look at that, a person associated with royalty!” Then the Lord says “go and join them.” Again without hesitance Philip goes up and hears the Words being read aloud. At this point, many of us would go, should I say something, or should I just mind my own business. But not Philip he boldly asks do you understand what you are reading?

Let’s be real for just a moment. If a person is not aware of Jesus or heard of Jesus, then this passage is absolutely impossible to understand. Jesus is the perfect Lamb sacrifice and willingly without a fight gave up his life through humiliation and death so that we might have salvation, if we will simply admit that we are sinners believe Jesus is the Son of God and confess him as Lord.

Philip saw the reason for his calling to be on this desert road at this specific time. So, he preached the good news of Jesus to this eunuch.

A man by the name of Roger Simms was Hitchhicking

A man by the name of Roger Simms was hitchhiking his way home but would never forget the date; May 7. His heavy suitcase made Roger tired. He was anxious to take off his army uniform once and for all. Flashing the hitchhiking sigh to the oncoming car, he lost hope when he saw it was a black, sleek, new Cadillac. To his surprise the car stopped. The passenger door opened. He ran toward the car, tossed his suitcase in the back, and thanked the handsome, well-dressed man as he slid into the front seat. "Going home for keeps?" "Sure am," Roger responded. "Well, you're in luck if you're going to Chicago." "Not quite that far. Do you live in Chicago?" "I have a business there. My name is Hanover."

After talking about many things, Roger, a Christian, felt a compulsion to witness to this fiftyish, apparently successful businessman about Christ. But he kept putting it off, till he realized he was just thirty minutes from his home. It was now or never. So, Roger cleared his throat, "Mr. Hanover, I would like to talk to you about something very important." He then proceeded to explain the way of salvation, ultimately asking Mr. Hanover if he would like to receive Christ as his Savior. To Roger's astonishment the Cadillac pulled over to the side of the road. Roger thought he was going to be ejected from the car. But the businessman bowed his head and received Christ, then thanked Roger. "This is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me."

Five years went by, Roger married, had a two-year-old boy, and a business of his own. Packing his suitcase for a business trip to Chicago, he found the small, white business card Hanover had given him five years before. In Chicago he looked up Hanover Enterprises. A receptionist told him it was impossible to see Mr. Hanover, but he could see Mrs. Hanover.

A little confused as to what was going on, he was ushered into a lovely office and found himself facing a keen-eyed woman in her fifties. She extended her hand. "You knew my husband?" Roger told how her husband had given him a ride when hitchhiking home after the war. "Can you tell me when that was?" "It was May 7, five years ago, the day I was discharged from the army." "Anything special about that day?"

Roger hesitated. Should he mention giving his witness? Since he had come so far, he might as well take the plunge. "Mrs. Hanover, I explained the gospel. He pulled over to the side of the road and wept against the steering wheel. He gave his life to Christ that day."

Explosive sobs shook her body. Getting a grip on herself, she sobbed, "I had prayed for my husband's salvation for years. I believed God would save him."

"And," said Roger, "Where is your husband, Mrs. Hanover?"

"He's dead," she wept, struggling with words. "He was in a car crash after he let you out of the car. He never got home. You see I thought God had not kept His promise." Sobbing uncontrollably, she added, "I stopped living for God five years ago because I thought He had not kept His word!"

https://www.sermonsearch.com/sermon-illustrations/4807/divine-appointment/

Roger had no idea of the significance of the gospel message he shared that evening with Mr. Hanover. He was literally the last person to talk to that man. God had prompted and kept prompting Roger to speak and because of his obedience that man, whom his wife prayed for the salvation of, recieved salvation. If we are a people who continue to ignore God appointments, how many Mr. Hanover’s will instead of hear the good news they need will instead die and go to hell?

We must commit to share Jesus with everyone we come in contact with.

We have seen how faithful obedience leads to God appointed meetings and how those meetings lead to evangelist opportunities now we will see how,

3. Evangelistic opportunities births faithful disciples.

Look at verses 36-39,

Fill text in

Acts 8:36–38 NASB95

Acts 8:36–39 NASB95

36 As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 37 And 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.” 38 And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing.

Acts 8:36–40 NASB95

Acts 8:36-40

At the hearing of the Gospel, this eunuch rejoiced and was saved. We know this man had made a great journey to Jerusalem to worship. But he could not go inside because of who he was. He could not be a full-fledge worshiper because of being a eunuch. As a result, I am sure this eunuch upon hearing Christ died for all, including him, rejoiced and received it without hesitance. Throughout this whole process God’s sovereign hand has been at work. Philip hears the message of God to go to a place few traveled and he answered, Philip heard God speak go up to the chariot and he did so, the eunuch is reading a messianic text dealing with Christ longing to know who it is the writer speaks of, Philip sharing the truth, and now a place of water on a road with little, the eunuch asks what stops him from being baptized to declare his new life in Christ. Every aspect of these events are perfectly alined.

To claim that they are just coincidence is to deny the deity of God. We all have divine appointments in our lives. The only question is will we we be faithful to obey the prompting of the spirit.

One faithful man is Mr. Kimball,

Mr. Kimball, a Sunday school teacher, in 1858 led a Boston shoe clerk to give his life to Christ. The clerk, Dwight L. Moody, became an evangelist and in England in 1879 awakened evangelistic zeal in the heart of Frederick B. Meyer, pastor of a small church. F.B. Meyer preaching on an American college campus, brought to Christ a student named J. Wilbur Chapman. Chapman, engaged in YMCA work, employed a former baseball player Billy Sunday, to do evangelistic work. And the list goes on.

Conclusion

The events of Philips ministry did not end there, Philip was transported by God to Azotus. Just for the record, for any star trek fans, yes Philip experienced a beam me up scotty type of event, where he was one place one second and another the very next moment. But look at what verse 40 says,

Acts 8:40 NASB95

40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he kept preaching the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea.

Acts 8:40 NASB95

40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he kept preaching the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea.

Philip kept on preaching the gospel to all he could. His life change experience was dynamic that he could not help but keep sharing the truth with all he met.

One day a young woman was walking home from work when she saw a sight a little girl standing on the street corner, begging. The little girl’s clothes were paper thin and dirty, her hair matted and unclean, and her cheeks red from the cold.

The young woman dropped a few coins in the begging bowl, gave the girl a smile and walked on. As she walked, she started to feel guilty. How could she go home to her warm house with its full pantry and well supplied wardrobe while this little girl shivered on the street.

The young woman also began to feel angry, angry with God. She let her feeling be known in a prayer of protest. “God, how can you let these sort of things happen? Why don’t you do something to help this girl?”

And then, to her surprise God answered. He said, “I did do something. I created you.”

Will we accept our call to change our world through our obedience or will we continue down this road with our heads in our phones. Our eyes diverted from the things in this world, or our complaints without actions. We as followers of Christ must find ourselves in a place of total surrender. Will you commit this morning to having ears to hear the Lord?

Others might find themselves in the shoes of the Ethiopian who needs Jesus to be Lord of their life. Like Philip said to the Ethiopian man if you will believe that Jesus is the son of God and confess him as Lord, you will be saved. Will you surrender to him?

Maybe, you are a child of God and you have surrendered you life to the Lord but have not followed with baptism. The Ethiopian said what keeps me from being baptised? The good news is if you are a child of God and believe Jesus is Lord and Savior nothing keeps you from being baptized. If you need to be baptized come as

Maybe others, just need to poor out their hearts to the Lord at the alter for a lost family member, a family situation, job, the alter is open to you as well.

If you feel the Lord’s prompting come as we have a time of invitation.

Pray:

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