Turning Point: Journey to the Desert
Turning Point • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 18 viewsGod will often call us to uncomfortable situations to spread the Good News
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
As we have been talking about in the last few weeks as individuals, as a church, and through out the world we find ourselves at a turning point. Things are changing. The question is how will we respond? Will we shrink back and focus on the past and the present or look forward to the future that God has called us to?
Today we find ourselves in the book of Acts chapter 8.
To give you a little bit of background into what’s happening in this story:
The Church was on the move!
Jesus has already ascended the Holy Spirit has been sent, the church is growing and then. The church finds themselves in a tough place. One of their leaders Steven, who was a deacon of the church. A servant of Christ was martyred by Jewish leaders. A man named Saul, begins to persecute the church and the church then scatters through out Judea and Samaria. Then we see this individual Phillip, preach the gospel in Samaria, and we a man names Simon who is a sorcerer or magician come to believe. And thats where we find our selves this after noon in Acts Chapter 8:26-39. On Phillips second evangelistic assignment.
Scripture
Scripture
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. 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 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 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.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth.”
And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. 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?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 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.
Prayer
Prayer
The Place
The Place
The place where we find ourselves at in this story is important. The place that you find yourself in in you life is important.
You see what the angel of the Lord tells Philip, to go out into the desert.
Philip is lead by the Holy Spirit. Called out of to a desolate place.
He has been in Samaria (a city) - and was a part of an area-wide evangelistic effort. God was moving in the area. I’m sure there was some confusion there. God why would you take me from this city, where things are going great. Were we are thriving. Down past Jerusalem 50 miles towards, Gaza, where there is seemingly nothing and no one.
How often do we find ourselves on lonely un-expected places?
In places where we question God, and his plan.
In places that seem to serve to purpose, desolate and lonely places.
Illustrations: Being alone while camping.
Do we listen to the spirit?
Are we sensitive to what God is doing? Or so we have on ear plugs just trucking along, maybe complaining, hearts closed to what God is wanting to do?
We need to listen?
Again, The place is important: often the place we find ourselves in doesn’t seem to make sense. But we should trust God that he is doing something.
The Person
The Person
Now when God sends out Philip, Philip listens. He goes and he finds someone. There is a person there. The scripture doesn’t describe if there were other people with the eunuch. Just that God has send Philip to this specific person in this specific place.
So who was this person?
He was from Ethiopia nut not modern ethiopia as we know it: his home was in ancient Nubia, located south of Egypt.
Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 437). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
He was a eunuch: a man castrated for the purpose of serving the King and Queens court.
We see that he was specifically tasked with being in charge of the Ethiopian queens treasury or money.
So he had an important Job, he was an influential figure.
He was jewish, more than likely a proselyt jew, someone who had converted to Judism. We see that he has been in Jerusalem worshiping and was now on his way home.
While he participated in some form of Jewish worship. He would not have been able to participate in the fullness of Jewish tradition according to Old Testament Law.
A castrated male and one made a eunuch shall not enter the assembly of the Lord.
Now there was scripture in Isaiah that would have brought some hope to those who were eunuchs but it is not known if the people of that time would have taken the words of the prophet seriously.
Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,
“The Lord will surely separate me from his people”;
and let not the eunuch say,
“Behold, I am a dry tree.”
For thus says the Lord:
“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose the things that please me
and hold fast my covenant,
I will give in my house and within my walls
a monument and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that shall not be cut off.
Either way the reality is that we would more than likely had a stigma around him as a converted Jew. He wouldn't have been the obvious choice by most people to receive the message of Christ.
But there he was…reading the scripture.
He was reading a passage that confused him. It was a scripture from Isaiah 53 telling about the suffering servant Jesus. How wonderful is that!
He was confused but why? He was asking what was this passage al about.
Now God has ordained the place, he has put together the people. Now what was the plan?
The Plan
The Plan
God used Philip to minister to this eunuch. God put him there at the right place with the right people at the right time to accomplish his purpose and to carry out his plan.
Philip was part of God’s larger plan, he was lead by the Holy Spirit, but he also was an individual who prepared for whatever God called him to do.
1 Timothy 4:7-10
English Standard Version Chapter 4
good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 9 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. 10 For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
He trained himself, so that when the moment arose he was ready. Some of us want to me used by the Lord but we have been lazy about our training. We want to go to battle but we can barely wield the sword. We was well versed in even the Old Testament, he knew it pointed to Jesus.
So then Philip begins to answered question the others could not:
Why couldn't the Jews in Jerusalem expound on Isaiah 53. He was around priests rabbis and Jewish people from Judea, the Jews only believed those prophecies to be messianic that speak of the conquest of the Messiah and of making the Jews the nation of the world.
And he shows the eunuch that the passage points to Jesus.
What a great illustration of how all scripture is God breathed and will point people to Jesus.
It's an example of the good that can come when a man reads God's word. Even a curious person seeking truth. When the man who is wanting to learn about the word of God is truly wanting God will send an interpreter.
Holman New Testament Commentary: Acts E. Contact with the Target (vv. 30–35)
Can we conceive of a modern parallel to this incident? Picture yourself waiting in the departure lounge of an airport. A stranger sitting next to you has an open Bible on his lap. He may not be reading aloud, but his finger moves along the lines as he ponders the words. You glance over and discover he’s in John 3 rapidly approaching verse 16. God prompts you to speak, and you say something like, “How unusual to find someone reading a Bible in an airport; isn’t that third chapter wonderful?” The stranger turns to you and replies, “It is interesting; but I’m stumped on this sixteenth verse. What exactly does it mean to believe in Jesus and have eternal life?” Could you handle that situation without a seminary degree? Any serious Christian would offer a prayer of thanks and plunge in with a simple explanation of the gospel.
Now on the other end:
The eunuch was ready will and had a teachable spirit! He was ready to hear the word of God explained to him.
And when it was explained he believed and he was saved. The bible tells us that he was so excited that he wanted to get baptized right then and there. So Philip baptizes him and then is taken away by the holy spirit.
What an incredible story of how God works out his plan through us when we listen to his calling.
Church tradition and history tells us that the eunuch went back to ethiopia and spread the word of God to the area. Because he was a man of influence people listened and many people in the area came to know the Lord because of it.
Again, see what God can do when we listen to him. The type of impact that can come when we embrace going out into the deserts of life.
Conclusion
Conclusion
When we are obedient God works.
But we need to put in the ground work we need to lay the foundation.
Now is not the time to shrink back but to move forward.
Illustration: 1946 Bulliteen. We’ve been here before, God will move us forward.
Just like we see in Haggia and Zecheria, there is blessings around the corner but it’s going to take some work.
We need to me sensitive and receptive to what the holy spirit is wanting to do in our lives.
Application: A new normal could be a new task, lifestyle, or place God has called us to. As followers of Jesus, we should prepare for that and then obey.