Be the Voice

Are we wanting the will of God? SURRENDER

Are we waiting for Word of God? TRUTH

Are we working for the heart of God? LOVE

The Word

Acts 8:26–40 ESV

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.

A Little about Philip

He was NOT one of the original disciples

Phillip was a layperson probably converted at Pentecost

We know that Philip was trusted (Acts 6:3)

Acts 6:3 ESV

3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.

Picked to help resolve a conflict

Hellenist vs. Hebrew (Greek vs. Israelites)

Though his job was to run the local food bank, his mission was to share the Gospel

After his co-worker was stoned…the arose a great persecution on the church (Acts 8:1)

Acts 8:1 ESV

1 And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Philip ended up in Samaria....but continued to share the Gospel

He stayed there…wanting, waiting, working…until he heard The Voice

The Preperation

vs. 26 - Go toward the south, told by an angel (Philip obeys)

Let’s look…back through Jerusalem…back through the danger…into the persecution…BUT he went

And who or what does Philip intersect?

We see a beautiful dance between the natural and supernatural

There is an Ethiopian, of great importance traveling by chariot

This Ethiopian had been worshiping in Jerusalem

He was reading from Scripture…Isaiah to be exact

The Ethiopian sensed that something was incomplete, but was completely primed for what God desired to do (He was wanting…waiting… working until he heard)

vs. 29 - Go join, told by the Holy Spirit (Philip obeys)

Philip needed the prompting...

Every time Philip hears, he obeys…even with very little detail

I believe that Philip knows when he hears the voice of God because he is wanting…waiting…working

The Witness

vs. 30 - Philip goes and hears the Ethiopian reading the passage and asks if the Ethiopian needs help

Those that are followers of Christ, should be looking for opportunities to help people understand the Gospel

The Ethiopian invites Philip to come with him

The presence of Christ in the lives of believers draws others in…those that don’t know Christ want more and want to go deeper

Remember…Philip was full of the Spirit (Acts 6:3) (Gal 5:22-23)

Galatians 5:22–23 ESV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

The passage that the Ethiopian was reading would have been a difficult one to interpret

Of all the different scriptures he may have had access to…He is reading one that speaks of the suffering of Christ. vs. 32-33

The Ethiopian is:

vs. 34 - Wanting to know more....Waiting to hear the truth… Working to understand and hear both in his encounter with the Word and with Philip

And what does Philip do?

Philip opens his mouth...He points him towards Christ! vs. 35

He doesn’t: try to change him…tell him where he wrong…tell him he needs to be in some group...

He uses the Scripture

The Commitment

vs 36 - the Ethiopian responds

sees some water and asks, “What would prevent?”

Not a physical barrier or question, but a spiritual one

vs. 38 - Philip responds…and baptizes the Ethiopian

vs. 37 - Weird thing…some translations omit vs. 37…WHY?

(Acts 8:37) reads:

37 Then 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.”

NKJV

This profession of faith is not in most of the earlier manuscripts of the book of Acts

It is believed that a scribe might have added to help make the story of this commitment to Christ read a little better

Though the statement is biblically correct, not necessary for to add

vs 35 shows us that Philip already shared the “good news” of Jesus Christ, which would included Jesus being God’s Son, his baptism, his life, his death, his resurrection

We know the Ethiopian (vs 36) believes and accepts these truths, because the he realizes the barriers between him and God have been removed through the acts of Christ. He want’s to show his new belief and commitment through being baptized

vs 39 - Philip disappears, but the Ethiopian rejoices...

That’s how we know his life has been changed and transformed

That’s how we know both of them heard from God…only God could design, prepare, and equip for such an encounter

Takeaways

I believe at the core of every human, there is a desire to hear from our Creator

To help tune ourselves in we have to be wanting (God and God alone)…waiting (not stop listening until we have heard)…working (towards the mission He has place us) until His voice speaks

Sometimes there are Philip’s

Full of the Spirit, wanting, waiting, working

Hearing the voice in very supernatural ways

Listening to the Voice of God and obeying even it makes things more difficult

Sometimes there are theEthiopian’s

Wanting, waiting, working....but still filling incomplete

wanting more, waiting to hear, working to find

and then God sends a messenger…a Philip…to be the Voice

If you you don’t know Christ or have been wanting and waiting to hear from God, who you feel is very distant…don’t stop wanting…don’t stop waiting…don’t stop working towards it

If you are a believer…know this…you may be the Voice that someone has been waiting to hear

BUT, you don’t do it alone, in our wanting, waiting, and working…we are guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit

The GIFT that Christ promised us after he ascended that would empower us to do greater things then HE. (John 14:12)

John 14:12 ESV

12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

It’s a beautiful dance!

Offering - Thanks....where it goes

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