God's Desire For All To Be Saved
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Good morning Church!
Today, we are continuing through the book of Acts. We have made it to Acts 8:26-40
26 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert.
27 So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship,
28 was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet.
29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”
30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.
32 The place in the Scripture which he read was this: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
33 In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.”
34 So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?”
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.
36 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”
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.”
38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.
39 Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.
40 But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea.
Context
Context
For the last couple of weeks, we have tracking Philip and his walk with the Lord. We have seen how that he was one of those who scattered from Jerusalem as the persecution got heavy, but we have also seen how that it wasn’t simply out of fear but part of the will of God.
We have seen Philip in action at Samaria and how that many came to salvation through his obedience and preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Last week, we got to see Peter and John come down to Samaria and how they signified those relationships by laying hands on them and imparting the Holy Spirit unto them.
Today, we get to see another episode of Philip’s life and how God has decided to use him once again!
Content
Content
God’s Instructions
God’s Instructions
Did not give all of the details. (v. 26)
“Rise and Go” (v. 26)
This is a desert place. (v. 26)
Get In the Chariot. (v. 29)
God’s Intention
God’s Intention
All of this for one man - “He needed help” (v. 31)
The Ethiopian is hundreds of miles away from home, a eunuch, and a prominent individual. (v. 27)
The Ethiopian needed guidance. (v. 27)
The Ethiopian was excited and rejoiced. (v. 39)
God’s Involvement
God’s Involvement
God sends an angel to Philip. (v. 26)
God speaks to Philip through His Spirit. (v. 29)
Isaiah 53 - The prophecy of Jesus Christ. (v. 33-33)
God snatches Philip away. (v. 39)
Commitment
Commitment
Maybe like the Ethiopian eunuch, you are traveling through life and don’t understand it all. maybe you are confused about where you are, what your purpose is, what you were created for, and so many other questions. Maybe, you are even trying to seek God all on your own, but simply don’t know what you are doing or if its even working.
I want you to know that it was no accident that you found your way to this church today, or decided to listen online. God sent me, like he did Philip, to help you understand where you are and what God desires for your life. God desires for all men to be saved and led of His Spirit. As Philip explained Jesus from the scriptures, let me explain the Gospel from the scriptures.
God loves you and wants you to be forgiven and live forever in peace with Him. Will you accept God’s grace today? Are you willing to devote yourself to Him and follow His guidance in your life?