The Global Gospel - Pastor Tom Loghry
In Acts 8:26-40, Philip is led by the spirit to meet with a eunuch seeking God. Through their interaction, Philip shares the gospel and adds another person that previously would have been excluded from God’s people.
Transcript:
Today's scripture reading is from Acts eight, verses 26 to 28. Now, an angel of the Lord said to Philip, go south to the road, the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. 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 and was on his way, was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet.
I want you to imagine. Imagine you are a member of the early church. You as well as all the other believers know what Jesus told his disciples. The gospel needs to be shared in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. There are literally no other Christians in the world except in your little corner.
There are no cars or planes. No Google Translate. You don't even have the New Testament. How are you going to bring the gospel to the ends of the earth? Really, how are you going to do it?
Stepping back into our own shoes, we just struggle with how we're going to share the gospel with our neighbors, nevermind across the world. How in the world is it going to happen? As we'll see in today's passage, the Spirit makes a way. We look first at verses 26 through 28, and Luke tells us that an angel of the Lord came to Philip, and once again, this Philip that is being referred to here is the deacon Philip, rather than one of the apostles. An angel of the Lord goes to Philip and gives him instruction, says, go south to the road, the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. Now, something that's just kind of interesting, I think about this instruction, this command that was given to Philip is how it's kind of reminiscent to the open-endedness that of, of the command that was given to Abram when he was called to go to the promised land. When God told Abram, go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. He doesn't tell Philip exactly what, where he's going, what he's going to be doing.
He just says, walk south, get walking, and, and Philip obeys. Which I think is again a, a great example of faith, even if it's coming by a word of an angel, just to simply, okay, I don't know where I'm going, but I'm going because this is where the Lord has told me to go. And as it happens, as he is going south on the desert road, he does come across someone along the way.
He meets in Ethiopian eunuch. Now, you might be wondering, okay, who is this fellow? Where is he coming from? Well, he comes from the area of Ethiopia. Now the text is translated as Ethiopia, but we shouldn't identify the boundaries as strictly as the modern day country of Ethiopia. An alternative name for the Ethiopian nation at this time would've been Cush, and we can see kind of the heartland of it being right here. It's kind of right along the the Nile. They're very much neighbors for the nation of Egypt. This fellow was an important official who is in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake, which it says means Queen of the Ethiopians. If you've ever met anyone with the name, Candace, it's drawn from this word, Kandake. And something just to kind of understand about the Ethiopian society is that this queen would've been a very important person because the kings were determined matrilineally, that is through the mother's family.
And so she was, it seems probably the queen mother of whoever was king, and this man was in charge of her treasury, no doubt, a very important position. And because of the high position in which he served, he was someone that was made a eunuch, which if you don't understand, it means he was, he was castrated. He was not, he, his abilities to procreate were removed from him because it was a security concern. They didn't want any false heirs to the throne being introduced into the, the royalty. And so if you're gonna serve in that position, it came at quite a great cost and that was a cost that he bore. So you have this official who's traveling on the road and he's going back home.
He's been to Jerusalem to worship, so apparently he's not a Jew, but he is a man who's been interested in learning more about the God of Israel. And so he is a God seeker, and as Philip comes upon him riding in his chariot, which would've been kind of the limo of their day. Again, indicating his importance.
No one would wanna have to walk all the way back to Ethiopia. As Philip comes along, this man is reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. Now, continuing on in verse 29, we see the next set of instructions that Philip receives, this time says, not from an angel, but from the spirit. It says 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're 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. So again, Philip receives another instruction, another step. Not completely disclosed how this is gonna go down, he's been told, go south, go to this road. He's come along this chariot. Now the spirit tells him, go up alongside this chariot. Now again, this isn't an easy thing. This, the chariot is not standing still. It says Philip had to run up. He's like, Hey, how you doing? And he overhears, then when he is running alongside the chariot, he hears this man reading aloud from the prophet Isaiah. Now, at this point, Philip doesn't need any more instructions as to what he needs to do next. He sees his opportunity, he sees how God has aligned everything, and so he simply asks, do you understand what you are reading? And I think in doing this, Philip is kind of setting for us kind of a, a great example of what it looks like to step into the opportunities that God gives us. When we are following the guidance of the Holy Spirit, God will open up opportunities and we can do something as simple as just offering help to someone if someone seems to be seeking and trying to search and understanding the truth about God.
Oh, you seem curious about that. Have you ever thought about this or that? Could I help you? Oh, you're interested in the Bible. Would you wanna study, you know, the gospel with me? Or you know, would you like some prayer? Philip is put in the position where God has called him to be, and he simply steps in obedience, understanding exactly what he's supposed to do, just simply based on the command that God has given all of his disciples that they should spread the gospel.
Now the man very quickly welcomes his help. He, Philip had asked him, do you even understand what you're reading? And he says, how can I, unless someone explains it to me. It's interesting because his reply is very reminiscent to Paul's observation in his letter to the Romans in Romans 10: 14 explaining why it is necessary for us to go forward with the gospel.
He says, he says in Romans 10: 14, how then can they call on the one they have not believed in, and how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard, and how can they hear without someone preaching to them? Yes, it is important for us to be present, to be living lives that are Christian lives.
But we have to go a step beyond just merely being beside the chariot and being present and showing forth the virtues of Christ in our lives. We have to be ready to explain the hope that is within us. And so that's exactly what Philip is doing here. He's offering that explanation that is necessary in order for this man to be able to put his faith in Jesus Christ. And so he is invited up into the chariot, which I'm sure he's very relieved by. Imagine having to explain this while you're running, okay, so you see, Isaiah is meaning this. So much easier to explain once you're sitting in the chariot. Now as it turns out, the eunuch is reading one of the most profound Messianic prophecies from the book of Isaiah.
Continuing on in verse 32, it says, 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.
The eunuch asked Philip, tell me please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else? Then Philip began with that very passage of scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. And once again, just appreciate God's providence, God's guiding hand, in bringing all this together. He just told Philip, Head down the road, and as it happens, he meets this man on the road who's reading the book of Isaiah, and he happens to be at one of the most profound parts of the book of Isaiah pointing to Jesus Christ. People read this prophecy from Isaiah and think, oh, this must have been from the New Testament, but it's not. It's from hundreds of years before Jesus ever lived. He's reading from Isaiah 53 verses seven through eight, where it says he was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. Now as the Ethiopian eunuch is reading the text, he's wondering, is Isaiah talking about himself or is he talking about someone else?
And here, Philip steps up to to say, he's talking about someone else. He's talking about Jesus, and we see how this prophecy matches completely with what we find in Jesus because of how he went to the cross, no one took his life away from him. He did not fight back. When they came to arrest him, he willingly went to the cross in order that we would be saved so that he might be the sacrificial lamb to cover our sins and make things right between us and God, this is the good news that Philip explains to the eunuch. It's good news, not just for the Jews, but for the world. And this is why it's especially good news for the eunuch. You can find this all across the prophets, but if you just go to the chapter earlier, and you can imagine maybe the eunuch had been reading this.
In Isaiah 52 verses 13 through 15 says, see, my servant will act wisely; he'll be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Again, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Just as there were many who were appalled at him, his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being, and his form marred beyond human likeness.
So he will sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand. In Isaiah 2 it talks about how many peoples will come to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. It says very much the same thing in Micah four and in Isaiah 11.
It says, in, in that day, the root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will rally to him and his resting place will be glorious.
You see something that we take for granted now was something being freshly revealed at this time, which is that the God of Israel is the God of all the nations and he is a God who has come to save and redeem all people who return to him in Jesus Christ. And isn't it profound that we see exactly what the prophet prophesied occurring today?
Christianity is not just a Jewish thing. Christianity is not just a European thing. Christianity is a global thing, and we're seeing it abound more and more, especially in the places where it has not been before. In Africa, in Asia, all of the world is called to receive the good news as presented in Jesus Christ, the forgiveness of sins and the promised restoration of our persons and the resurrection of the body. Jesus came to make things right between us and God because we had rejected God. We said we wanted to be our own gods, and in so doing, we made ourselves his enemies. And every act of disobedience that we commit is just another indication of that separation between us and him.
But Jesus came as the man that we were all supposed to be, the son of God, God himself came in the flesh in order to make amends for the wrong that we had done. So that by uniting ourselves to him in faith, by trusting in him, we might become new men and women in him. We might become the children of God in him, covered by his righteousness and receiving in him the promise that we will become a new creation.
A work that begins today by the Holy Spirit and which will be brought to completion in the day of Christ's return when we'll be raised from the dead, our bodies will be restored and we'll be perfected. Sin will no longer have any place in this world. So this is the gospel message that Philip shares with the eunuch, and we can think as we look to the prophets just all the more how profound it is that Philip has this opportunity to be sharing the gospel with him because this man's own nation is included among the prophecies given of how the world would turn to the God of Israel. In Psalm 68: 31, it says, envoys will come from Egypt. Cush will submit herself to God, and Psalm 87: 4 says, I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me.
Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Kush, and will say this one was born in Zion. See by saying this one was born in Zion, what God is saying is that all people, irrespective of their ethnic background, can become the children of God, and this becomes possible in Jesus Christ. He tears down all the walls of division that have previously stood between us.
Now we can imagine that the message here in Isaiah 53 resonates all the more with him because it says, who can speak of his descendants, talking about Jesus. Jesus didn't have any natural born children and this is the case for the eunuch. He, he doesn't enjoy that blessing himself, but of course, Jesus has more children than anyone else has ever had because these are children by faith, those who have been made his brothers and sisters, as Paul says in Romans 8: 29, for those God foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the first born among many brothers and sisters. And so the eunuch is being promised here in Jesus a better inheritance than anything that this world could be offered. And again, if he, maybe as he's going down the road, he reads further in the book of Isaiah, he would find this, it says in Isaiah 56, verse three through five, let no foreigner who is bound to the Lord, say The Lord will surely exclude me from his people, and let no eunuch complain, I'm only a dry tree that is not having fruit, not having kids, not having a legacy. For this is what the Lord says to the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant to them. I'll give within my temple and its walls, a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters.
I will give them an everlasting name that will endure forever. This is a promise that is offered to the eunuch, a promise that can be given because of Jesus Christ. It's a promise that belongs to all of us so that we have a hope beyond our worth, our our worldly possessions and our worldly standing. See, it's not unusual for people to fall into despair as their life goes on, as they get older.
You know, people talk about a midlife crisis. Start reckoning, you know, what's my life been really about? And all this, and we begin this comparison game of, well, what I have done and what I have, and what legacy will be left behind compared to others.
The measure of what really counts is not determined by the world. The measure of what really counts is determined by Jesus Christ and whether we are united with him.
That is a legacy that lasts for eternity. So hearing this good news explained to him, the eunuch responds just as every person should says in verse 36. As they travelled along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, look, here's water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized? And he gave orders to stop the chariot.
Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
So if you're traveling on a desert road, you know there's not water all over the place, but as it happens, just as God providentially provided, after Philip has had an ample opportunity to explain the gospel to him, to the eunuch, he sees this pool of water and says, let me be baptized. Let me be baptized.
Baptism is the outward demonstration of our faith in Jesus Christ. It's the follow through on our faith. It's that sacrament in which our union with Christ is revealed as we enter into the waters, it is revealed that we are united in his death. And as we are raised from the waters, it is revealed that we are united to his resurrection life.
And as we come out of the waters, we enter into the new life and leave our old lives behind us. This is what the eunuch wants for himself. It seems like he asked rhetorically because he understands this now, but he asked is, is there anything else? What can, what can stand in the way of my being baptized?
Is there anything else that would obstruct me? We can imagine that at this point when he was leaving Jerusalem, maybe he felt a little discouraged 'cause he's like, well, I'm not a Jew and I couldn't enter into the inner courts of the temple because I was a eunuch. And that's forbidden according to the Old Testament law.
But now the message that Philip has given to him is that you're welcome all the way in, you're welcome all the way in because of Jesus Christ. And so now he understands there's nothing standing in the way between him and God because of what Jesus Christ has done. He's baptized. Now, we might imagine that this, this fellow probably has some more things to learn about the faith.
He doesn't understand everything, but he understands enough to put his faith in Jesus Christ. And that is the case with anyone that is baptized. Baptism is the beginning. It signals the beginning. It's the, it's the outward demonstration of our faith it's not the end of our journey.
And so the eunuch is baptized and he goes on rejoicing to sow the gospel in Africa. And there's a long history in Africa of Christianity, far long before we had Western missionaries go over there. And then it says that spirit, that the spirit took Philip away. It's interesting. We, we would love to know what that, that looked like as you just, like, was it, did the eunuch leave and then he disappeared or, you know, it kind of seems like maybe that was the case because it says the eunuch did not see him again, so that must have been an incredible thing to witness.
It says that he appeared at Azotus, which is different name for Ashdod, and traveled about preaching the gospel in all the towns until he re reached Caesarea. Now, Ashdod had kind of a bad reputation in the Old Testament, and Caesarea was a Gentile town. So again, this the kind of, the whole theme of this chapter is God is going to these places that were previously on the outside looking in because all are being invited to be reconciled to him in Jesus Christ.
So once again, we see here in the gospel, in Acts eight, that the gospel is for all people. The gospel is not just for the Jews, it's for the Samaritans. It's for the Ethiopians, it is for the eunuchs. It is for all people who believe in Jesus Christ, and we see here also that God is prepared to make a way for us to reach these people with the gospel.
We do not depend upon human strength. We do not wait upon human wisdom. We rely upon the provision and guidance of God made available to us by the Holy Spirit. When we look at Philip, we can say, yes, some spectacular things happened. An angel met him. He got transported across the countryside after baptizing the eunuch, but certain aspects of his mission are familiar.
He was simply told to go south along the road. Sometimes God's direction to us is simple and open-ended. He doesn't disclose everything to us at once. We want to know everything at once. I struggle with that. We want to know everything at once, but God, God doesn't disclose everything to us at once. He calls us to simply walk the path that he has set before us.
And when opportunities emerge to share the gospel, we shouldn't be surprised if the spirit prompts us to simply come up alongside someone. You might be like, I don't know what God's gonna do with this here, but I, I feel like maybe I need to be in this place. I need to talk to this person.
He's simply calling you to be present, ready, and waiting. And when opportunities emerge, we shouldn't be afraid to step up to the plate. Philip simply asked, do you understand what you're reading? In other words, he simply offered help. Opportunities will appear for you to help others understand the truth.
You'll have opportunities to pray for others when you see needs arise. All God asks is for you to offer yourselves to others. Now, of course they might decline. They might say, no, I'm, I'm alright. But if God is at work and wants to use you, then and there, he will open up the conversation just as he did with the eunuch.
The Spirit will help us know what to say. And he'll use everything that you've learned so far in your faith journey to speak to that person. God will use us in this way if we trust in him and if we obey him just as Philip did, and by walking in this way, we will share in the same great honor and privilege of advancing the gospel so that men, women, and children may have the opportunity to hear, believe, and be saved. Let us pray.
Dear Father, we thank you for your worldwide love Father.
Father, we thank you. That it is your desire not to just redeem the Jewish people, but that it was your desire to redeem the world through your son Jesus Christ, so that anyone who would turn to him in faith would be saved. Father, in so far as we have believed, put our trust in Christ. We thank you that we have the salvation, that we are no longer on the outside, but we are counted among your children. Father fill us with a passion to share this good news, this invitation with others. Father, help us to trust in your provision. To not worry and be anxious about what we might do or how we would go about this, but that we would trust that you're gonna provide every step of the way, and that we don't need to see all the steps, but that we simply need to walk by faith.
Help us to walk in the way that Philip walked. Father, we pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Hey there, Pastor Tom here. I hope you enjoyed this sermon I offered to Rockland Community Church. Rockland Community Church is located at 212 Rockland Road in North Scituate, Rhode Island, just around the bend from the Scituate Public High School. We invite you to join us in person or virtually this Sunday as we continue our series The Spirit and the Church. It's our joy to welcome you into our community.
Intro/Outro Song
Title: River Meditation
Artist: Jason Shaw
Source:http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jason_Shaw/Audionautix_Acoustic/RIVER_MEDITATION___________2-58
License:(CC BY 3.0 US)