THE SEARCH OF A BRILLIANT MAN

TEXT: ACTS 8:28-31

English Standard Version Chapter 8

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. 29And 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

INTRODUCTION

When a person meets Jesus the landscape of his life is forever altered. OH MY BROTHERS and sisters meeting Jesus will bring joy to your heart, peace to your mind, change to your life and salvation to your soul.

In this series we are examining the salvation experience of an African nobleman. We learned last time that this man was an honest and sincere man. Yet we remind you that it is possible to be honest and honestly mistaken. It is possible to be sincere and sincerely misled.

It is critically important to make our calling and election sure. In order to be sure of your salvation you have to ensure that what you believe and where you belong can be found in the bible the word of God. Do not trust your feelings trust only the facts that are found in the word.

In the text before us we discover this man from Ethiopia who has made a demanding trip from Ethiopia to Jerusalem to worship. He makes this demanding trip in spite of the fact that as a Gentile and as a Eunuch he would not be allowed into the court of the Jews. This man was serious he came because he just wanted to be close to the Lord.

I wonder if I am talking to someone who tuned in today because you just wanted to be close to the Lord. Some folks come to worship for other reasons. They come to see and to be seen. I came to be close to the Lord:

· The Rose of Sharon that never fades

· The Bright and Morning Star that never dims

· The Sure Foundation that never shakes

I came to be close to the Lord.

Well, when we encounter this man, we are meeting a man on a search. I declare this African was on the most important search of all. He was engaged in a search for God. He was attempting to discover the word and will of God for his life. He was searching but he was not quite understanding. In a word, even though he was brilliant he was still bewildered. There are people who because they know something act like they know everything. Not this man, he openly and honestly admitted that he needed help to discover what the scriptures teach.

As we unpack the passage to uncover the principles there are two truths threaded into the tapestry of the text. They form the substance of the sermon and offers the homiletical hinges on which this message swings. Notice THE COMPULSION OF AN APPARENT DISSATISFACTION, and THE CONCLUSION OF AN APPROPRIATE DETERMINATION.

I. THE COMPULSION OF AN APPARENT DISSATISFACTION

I submit to you that in this man we meet someone who was dissatisfied with the religion of his past. He was compelled to keep on searching.

A. HIS LONGING- We can sense his dissatisfaction with his native religion because of the fact he has made such a demanding trip from Ethiopia to Jerusalem to worship. He came to Jerusalem because there was something about the God of the bible that set Him apart from all of the false gods which would have been available and perhaps more easily assessable to him.

I think I ought to tell you there is no God like our God. I think I ought to tell you we have an Awesome God. I said He is an awesome God. God is so bad that He was somewhere even before there was anywhere to be. God is so bad He just spoke a word and:

· Chaos became cosmos

· Nothing became something

· The bare nakedness of darkness was clothed with a garment of light

· Worlds leaped into existence

Oh my brothers and sisters we have an awesome God. He is awesome, He:

· Painted the glory of the sunrise and the grandeur of the sunset

· Strung the stars together like a beautiful diamond necklace and hung them around the neck of the night

· Caused the mountains to stand at attention as if to salute the One who made them

· Gave dust the dignity of manhood

· Gave the birds their first song and still retains the copy write

It is a terrible and tragic mistake if you try to minimize God. There are dangerous and deadly consequences when you try to marginalize God. The old folks were right when they declared about God; “He is too high and you can’t get over Him, too low….”.

This man’s visit to Jerusalem took place at a most opportune time. The city was stilling reeling with a strange and thrilling word about a crucified carpenter and an empty tomb. Never has a thirsting soul been so close to finding the satisfaction his heart has been longing for.

The thing is that there is a good chance he spent all his time in Jerusalem without ever hearing about the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. How could that be?

When he arrives in Jerusalem he comes to the temple. Who does he run in to at the temple? He encounters the Pharisees and the scribes, and the chief Priest. They were the very ones who were inspired of hell to kill the best the world has ever seen. They were desperate to keep word about the risen Redeemer from going too public. Acts 4:17-18

But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name. So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. NKJV

When the Eunuch came to the temple he came in contact with some of the most:

· Crooked

· Corrupt

· Callous

· Hateful

· Hypocritical

People you can meet. What is worse is the fact that they thought they were doing God a favor. They thought they were the spiritual leaders of the people. Jesus had called them the blind leading the blind.

I think I ought to tell you that just because a person stands with a bible in his hand does not mean he is speaking the truth. This African nobleman had no doubt been misled by blind men who have given him bad information. There are people even today in denominations because they have been given bad information.

When this steward of the queen came to the temple he found:

· Form but no function

· Style but no substance

· Religion but no reality

· Claims but no commitment

· Declarations but no demonstrations

· Law but no love

My beloved North G. family we must be careful about how we conduct ourselves because there are people longing to get to Jesus and we don’t want to be in their way. They are longing to get to Jesus so that He can be:

· The answer to their agonies

· The balm for their bruises

· The solution for their struggles

· The grace for their guilt

We don’t want to make the mistake of having people miss seeing Jesus all because they see how raggedy we live.

This sincere seeker leaves Jerusalem but his heart is still dissatisfied. He did not find in the religion of the Jews that which his heart was longing for. I declare the longing of your soul will never be genuinely satisfied by the doctrines and commandments of men.

· Denominationalism won’t do it

· Sectarianism won’t do it

· Humanism won’t do it

· Liberalism won’t do it

· Traditionalism won’t do

· No other “ism” that ought to become “wasims” can do it

If you want to find satisfaction for the longing of your soul, you must find it in obeying the truth found in the word of God. The greatest need of your soul is to have a personal, vibrant, and active relationship with God.

You need education so go to school, get good grades, get as many advanced degrees as you can. I think I ought to tell you that even though education is important it is not enough. It is important to get some knowledge in your head. It is much more important to get Jesus in your heart.

You need economic empowerment. While money isn’t everything it sure is something. It is important so work hard, make as much money as you can. Remember to be a good steward of the money God blesses you with. Saving money is important but saving your soul is much more important.

B. HIS LOOKING- This man had sought truth and now he is returning home and he has the word still open before him. No light has opened in his heart but at least he is still looking. So many people make the mistake of giving up too soon. Whatever you do, don’t give up before the truth is found. The Old saints may have strained their theology but their sentiment was right when they declared; “I cried and I cried, I cried all night long, my soul just couldn’t be contented until I found the Lord. “

To all of our wonderful guest and friends it is crucial for you to demonstrate the same kind of thirst for truth shown by the Eunuch. He kept on looking, he kept on searching. Even those of us who have been around awhile ought to have this spirit. We never arrive at the point that we know all that can be known. We must keep on searching for truth. John 5:39

You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. NKJV

Acts 17:11These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. NKJV

The Greek word translated “received” is dechomai, and means “to welcome.” The word translated “searched” is anakrino, and means “to make a careful examination.” The Bereans welcomed the word only after they made a careful examination of the truthfulness of what was being taught.

That is what we all need to do. If what I am teaching you this morning is the truth, and it is, after examining the truthfulness of it you ought to welcome the word into your heart. Visiting friends, you ought to examine what you are being taught where you belong and when you determine that it is inconsistent with what is taught in the bible that is something you can’t welcome. You need to reject it and come on and obey the simple gospel of Jesus Christ and become a member of the Church of Christ for which Christ died.

II. THE CONCLUSION OF AN APPROPRIATE DETERMINATION

In spite, of the apparent dissatisfaction this man found in Jerusalem he was determined to find the will of God. He demonstrated a willingness to follow the light of God’s word wherever it led him. I declare his determination paid off.

Some people are not determined enough to follow the bible wherever it leads. They just want to believe what they have always believed and don’t want to be confused with the facts. Please don’t do that. Your soul is too precious for you not to be determined to learn, know and obey the truth for yourself.

A. HE LOOKED IN THE RIGHT PLACE- Acts 8:28

was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. NKJV

Even though this man was confused about God’s word and will at least he was smart enough to look for the answers in the right place. Some people make the mistake of looking for answers in all of the wrong places.

Information is only as good as its source. I declare you have to be careful where you get your information regarding salvation and the will of God. Everyone who claims to be speaking for God is not.

The place to find the answers to salvation’s question is the bible the word of God. Some folks look for answers to salvation questions in:

· The Quran, but that’s not the right place

· The Watchtower but that’s not the right place

· The Catholic catechisms but that’s not the right place

· The doctrines and commandments of men but that’s not the right place

If you want to find answers regarding the question of salvation you have to go to the bible the word of God. The Bible contains

· The mind of God.

· The state of man.

· The way of salvation.

· The doom of sinners.

· The happiness of believers.

· Light to direct you.

· Food to support you.

· Comfort to cheer you.

It is

· The travelers map.

· The pilgrim’s start

· The pilot's compass.

· The soldier’s sword.

· The Christian’s charter.

· A mine of wealth.

· A paradise of glory.

· A river of pleasure.

· Its doctrines are holy.

· Its precepts are binding.

· Its histories are true.

· Its decisions are immutable.

· Christ is its grand subject.

· Our good its design.

· The glory of God its end.

· Read it to be wise.

· Believe it to be safe.

· Practice it to be holy.

If you want to be saved it will take the word of God. 1 Peter 1:22-25

Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, 23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, 24 because

"All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.

The grass withers, And its flower falls away, 25 But the word of the Lord endures forever." Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. NKJV

I think I ought to tell you that God’s will is revealed in God’s word. The world may ignore it, but it cannot escape it. The sinner may reject it, but he cannot hid from it. The ungodly may despise it, but he cannot destroy it. The skeptics may question it, but they cannot over rule it. This old world may take the Bible and cut it up,

· burn it up,

· shred it,

· blotch it,

· bury it,

· criticize it,

· condemn it,

· mock it,

· discredit,

· but nobody can destroy it, stop it, hinder it, change it, restrict it, or eliminate it.

Psalms 119:89 says “Forever, O Lord, they word is settled in heaven.

B. HE LISTENED WITH THE RIGHT PERSPECTIVE- This Ethiopian didn’t just want to hear the word, he wanted to head the word. He was open and he was obedient to the word of God. Some people will hear but they won’t head, they will listen but they won’t live. Not this man, he wanted to be saved. James 1:22-25

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. NKJV

If you want to be saved you must have the right perspective. If you really want to know how to be saved God will reveal His will to you. Once that word is revealed you have to obey it. There are so many who want heaven without hearing and heeding the word.

· They want peace without price

· . They want blessing without behaving.

· They want salvation without sacrifice.

· They want rewards without righteousness.

· They want unity without humility.

· They want praise without precept.

· They want singing without soul saving.

· They want Christ without the Church.

· They want deliverance without dedication.

· They want edification without endurance.

· They want favor without faithfulness.

· They want glory without godliness.

· They want joy without judgment.

· They want knowledge without study.

· They want to overcome without obedience.

The only proper perspective to hearing the truth of God’s word is obedience. You have an appointment with a miracle. God has set this time for you to experience a complete makeover, A massive turnaround, A total reconstruction.

You may not be able to help where you have been, but you can do something about where you are going. God has something better for you than anything you've known to this point.

· That is the cause of our greatest hope.

· That is the substance of our strongest faith.

· That is the essence of our endless love.

· That is the meaning of our fullest joy.

· That is the strength of our eternal salvation.

If you want to be saved, if you have been on a search to discover the will of God for your life, you have come to the right place. Now just respond to the truth you have heard this morning with the right perspective. Obey the truth.

Conclusion

If you want to be saved you will have to LOOK TO THE BOOK:

· If you will ever be born again

· If you will ever have your sins removed

· If you will ever discover God’s purpose for your life

· if you will ever find direction through the wilderness of sin

· if you will ever find the light to dispel the deepening darkness all around us

· if you will ever find an anchor to hold you sure and steady out on life’s stormy seas

· IF YOUR PAST IS TO BE RECTIFIED

· IF YOUR PRESENT IS TO BE JUSTIFIED

· IF YOUR FUTURE IS TO BE GLORIFIED