Sermon Tone Analysis
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*Theme: We are to be prepared to be witnesses.*
A man was assigned a middle seat on an airplane.
Tired and wanting to sleep, he was irritated when the young girl next to him with Down syndrome asked, “Mister, do you brush your teeth?”
“Yes,” he replied.
“That’s good.
People who don’t, lose their teeth.”
A little later she asked, “Mister, do you smoke?”
“No,” he answered.
“That’s good.
People who do, die.”
After a long silence, she turned to him again, “Mister, do you love Jesus?”
“Yes, I do,” he responded.
“That’s good,” she added.
“People who do, go to heaven.”
Though deeply touched, he settled back, hoping there would be no more questions.
Just then the girl said, “Mister, ask the man next to you if he brushes his teeth.”
Well, you can guess what followed.
When she came to the question about Jesus, the second man became thoughtful.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” he said.
For the next hour the two men talked about eternal issues.
God has a habit of providing unusual ways for us to share who he is with others.
That was certainly the case in Acts 8 when Philip pointed a total stranger to Christ.
*I.
**The Prepared Messenger (26)*
· /Now an angel// of the Lord said to Philip,// “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” /
· The biggest qualification for someone to be an influence for Christ is a willingness to step out even when they don’t understand.
· More than anything he was prepared in attitude
o Angel—“go”
o Philip did not say, “Why” or “Who?”
All he knew was “Go”
· Philip had to leave wherever he was probably before the eunuch ever left Jerusalem.
· Not positive where he was: Samaritan village?
Jerusalem?
Caesarea?
o When he got there, the angel told him more
A young man had just left his Wednesday evening Bible study.
Sitting in his car he prayed, "Lord, we studied tonight about your speaking to Samuel.
Do you still speak to people today?
If you'll speak to me, I'll try to obey."
On the way home, he passed a corner grocery store when he heard a loud voice in his head saying, "Buy a gallon of milk!"
He slammed on his brakes, pulled over, and asked, "Is that you, Lord?" "Buy a gallon of milk," the voice in his head repeated.
"This is crazy," he thought.
"But, if it's the Lord, I told him I would obey.
Besides, I can always use the milk."
He bought the milk and started home when he heard the voice again: "Turn down this street and stop."
He did so reluctantly, all the while asking himself, "Am I going crazy?" Again, the voice prompted him, "Take the milk to that house."
The small row house was dark; it was late and the occupants appeared to be asleep.
Sheepishly, the young man knocked on the door.
Then, he saw a door opening from a lighted room down the hall.
A man opened the front door and starred at him.
Trembling, the young man said, "I don't know why, but I felt like I should bring you some milk."
The man grabbed the milk and ran back down the hall shouting in Spanish.
A young woman carrying a baby came to the door with tears streaming down her face.
She explained in broken English, "We had no money to buy milk for our baby, so I prayed and asked God to send an angel with some milk.
Are you an angel?"
The young man explained his strange urge to bring milk to their house.
Then, before he left, he gave them all the money in his wallet.
He left praising God and thanking him that God does still speak today if we will only listen for his voice!
* *
*II.
**The Primed Prospect (27)*
· /So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian// eunuch,// an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”).
This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship,/
· Candace (kanʹduh-see) –a title rather than a woman’s name
· Eunuch-Possibly emasculated, but not necessarily so.
This descriptions is also used for high government officials who were not castrated.
(Deut 23:1-castrated males were excluded from worshipping at the temple).
· Eunuchs began as guards of females of kings court, but often reached high position (because they had proven their trustworthiness?)
-he was treasurer of the land.
· In the Greco-Roman world, rhe term “Ethiopian was often applied to black people wherever they came from.
He was from a far off, exotic land & an object of wonder & admiration among Jews & Romans.
· He was a powerful man who had much power & authority as the queens minister…except the power to understand he Word of God.
· He was probably a proselyte but could have been a Jew.
There was a group of Jews living in Ethiopia.
Common for Jews in other lands to reach high positions.
· Situation similar to OUR witnessing: God provides the prospect--but he leaves the witnessing to us.
· Sometimes we are uncomfortable witnessing with people of great means or high station.
It is as if the message doesn’t apply to them or they will not listen to us if we share the gospel.
· He might have been thought of as an unlikely candidate for conversion.
· Eunuch
o He had the prophetic writings
o He recognized his own ignorance
· Philip
o Knew the historic fulfillment of the writing
o Was indwelt buy the Spirit of knowledge
As one commentary points out, “Jesus sees every man, no matter where he is: in the dark places of his sin and shame, in his home and work and play, in his seeking to know the truth.
Jesus sees everything about a man, but there is one person in particular whom he sees.
He sees the man who is seeking Him.”
* *
*III.
**The Prophetic Writings (28-34)*
· /and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet.
//The Spirit told// Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
//Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet.
“Do you understand what you are reading?”
Philip asked.
//“How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?”
So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
//This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
//In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”
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