Sermon Tone Analysis

A SAVING FAITH    ACTS 8:26-40

 

 

            If you will take your Bibles and turn again to the eighth chapter of Acts as we continue in the ministry of Philip.

Philip, as been noted, was one of the seven men selected to wait on tables in the growing church.

He was second of the least of these men behind Stephen who we talked about last week.

This morning we saw Philip preaching the Kingdom of God and Jesus Christ.

And many in Samaria responded in faith.

In fact, a revival broke out in their midst.

So Peter and John were sent to verify the working of God in this place.

But all who responded in faith were real.

For example, Simon the magician was only interested in salvation for the miracles that he saw performed by Philip and Peter and John.

He was exposed for his false faith.

In fact, there are many in the church who are not real Christians, but are difficult for us to tell because they have all the externals that would verify them as real.

But God knows those who truly belong to him and in the end separate the chaff from the wheat.

Yet, I want you to notice the obedience of Philip in preaching the good news.

He was a man full of the Spirit and of wisdom.

In other words, he yielded himself completely to the Spirit of God as we will see in this passage this evening.

Tonight, we are going to examine a faith that is real.

In fact, in the next three chapters God is going to show his heart for the people of the world.

Warren Wiersbe said in his commentary, “As you trace the expansion of the Gospel during this transition period (Acts 2–10), you see how the Holy Spirit reaches out to the whole world.

In Acts 8, the Ethiopian who was converted was a descendant of Ham (Gen.

10:6, where “Cush” refers to Ethiopia).

In Acts 9, Saul of Tarsus will be saved, a Jew and therefore a descendant of Shem (Gen.

10:21ff).

In Acts 10, the Gentiles find Christ, and they are the descendants of Japheth (Gen.

10:2–5).

The whole world was peopled by Shem, Ham, and Japheth (Gen.

10:1); and God wants the whole world—all of their descendants—to hear the message of the Gospel (Matt.

28:18–20; Mark 16:15).”

Folks, what that says to me is that we are to be a fountain from which the gospel is to flow rather than a reservoir keeping all the blessings for ourselves.

This was the tragedy of the nation of Israel.

Instead of being a channel in which the blessings of  God can flow to others, they became a silo storing these blessings only for themselves.

We are to be fishers of men rather than keepers of the aquarium.

So in this passage, we see God’s sovereignty at work in bringing a soul into the Kingdom of God.

Unlike Simon of Samaria whose belief was false, this Ethiopian eunuch belief was real.

I see three factors leading to this man’s salvation.

They are a preparation of the Spirit, exposition of the Scriptures, and the reception of the sinner.

PREPARATION OF THE SPIRIT – 26-28

            In this passage, I see the hand of God all over this conversion.

In fact, I would go so far as to say that God’s hand is over all genuine conversions.

As I look back on my decision to follow Christ, I thought it was all of me making the choice to follow Christ.

But after salvation, I see the hand of God in my conversion in my upbringing, my Sunday school teachers, and a pastured who preached the Word of God unashamedly.

God put all those things together to bring me to salvation.

Well, God is doing the same thing here in the conversion of this Ethiopian eunuch.

In verse 26, Philip gets a message from an angel to go south to a desert place on the way to Gaza.

Remember that Philip is in the middle of a revival in Samaria when God ask him to leave this post and go to a different post.

It would be hard for many to leave a place where God was blessing with many salvations to a place where God was going to give an audience to one.

But I remind you that God is not impressed with crowds.

He is just as likely to work in a nation as he is in an individual.

So Philip is told to go south.

This word “south” can also be translated midday (noon).

Maybe Philip was to catch up with this man at a certain time of day.

Either way God was working in this event.

So God was orchestrating these events for Philip to be at the right place at the right time to have his divine appointment.

As one commentator said this command given to Philip was unusual because no one would have been traveling in the heat of the day.

In the next verse, Philip obeys.

He was a man completed surrendered to the Spirit of God.

His call was like that of Abraham who was called in a pagan land under the influence of a pagan culture, yet he obeyed God and left everything behind to follow God into an unknown place.

Folks, it is not strange for God to make strange requests as is seen in the Bible.

For example, Noah to build an ark when it never rained, the children of Israel to place blood on the lentils and doorposts of their house so the death angel would Passover them, Naaman to dip seven times in the Jordan River to cure his leprosy.

So Philip obeys this request.

Folks, we need to learn to be willing to obey because we never know whether or not God will use us to bring others into the Kingdom.

Maybe you’re struggling about this mission trip to Guatemala or helping someone else to go.

Be obedient if the Spirit of God is leading you to be a part of help support this mission effort.

Through the obedience of Philip he meets his divine appointment set up by God.

It was an Ethiopian eunuch, who had been to Jerusalem to worship.

So how did he come to know about Judaism?

Well, we are not certain but however he heard he came to become a God-fearer.

Also, he was a high ranking official to the queen of Ethiopia.

Luke said he was in charge of all her treasure.

In today’s language, he would have been the Minister of Finance or the Secretary of the Treasury.

In Ethiopia, the king was thought to be the child of the sun and therefore too sacred to exercise the actual functions of governing.

So the queen mother exercised rule, who was called Candace.

Candace was more of title like Caesar.

So here is a God-fearer, who came to worship in Jerusalem to find something for his empty soul.

He makes this long hard journey from his homeland to search for the one true God.

But the state of Judaism at the time would have left him empty as a well.

Why? Well we are not certain that he was an eunuch physically but based on the text he might have very well been.

In fact, in Judaism eunuchs were denied accessed to the temple and therefore unable to participate in the full worship of God.

Also, they were not allowed to even be a full proselyte.

So would think that a man who traveled so far and feared God that he would have found him in Jerusalem among the people who claim to belong to God.

Yet, God had different plans for this man’s salvation.

The eunuch returns home, but somehow gains access to a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.

And there he is sitting in his chariot reading the Scriptures when Philip arrives on the seen to give him good news.

Have you ever had one of those divine appointments where God put you at the right place at the right time to minister or share the gospel with someone?

I know that there have been times when I have visited in a home or hospital and the person I have gone to see was hoping God would send someone to minister to them.

So the first factor in genuine salvation is the preparation of the Holy Spirit.

Next,

 

EXPOSITION OF THE SCRIPTURES – 29-35

            So Philip led by the Spirit was instructed to catch up to the chariot in front of him.

So Philip obeys and hears the man reading from the prophet Isaiah.

In ancient times, most people that could read, read aloud.

So he is overheard by Stephen reading the Scriptures.

This was a great book for the eunuch to be reading from because they are given future promises from God and an “everlasting name which will not be cut off” (Is.

56:3-8).

So the eunuch had been reading when Philip heard him from Is. 53:7-8.

So he asked him if he understood what he was reading.

The man said how could I unless someone guides me.

So Philip starts with where the man is to preach Christ to him.

Folks, the Bible says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

Philip tells the eunuch that this passage was about Jesus, unlike Jews who were confused about this passage thinking it was the prophet or the nation of Israel.

An effective presentation of the gospel is based on the Word of God.

It is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes.