Can You Hear Me Now? Series

Can You hear me now?

Divine Destinatinons

Two men and a chariot.

Acts 8:26-40

Do You Hear God’s Voice?

Acts 8:26-29

Do you Understand God’s Voice?

Acts 8:30-35

Are you Obeying God’s Voice?

Acts 8:36-40

Slide 1

Have you ever seen those cell phone commercials where the guy is walking all over town saying Can you here me now? Good. I had that cell phone company a few years ago and the reception at my house was so bad that when I called the company to complain, he couldn’t here me and I was walking all over my lower level trying to get by a window and asking Can you hear me now? But he couldn’t hear me. I had to call back on a land line.

There are times that I think God feels the same way. He speaks to us but we don’t hear him.

Numbers 14:11

11 The LORD said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them?

He is speaking but are we listening?

We are going to be continuing in Acts, though at the last minute, because of some things God was speaking to me,

I decided to skip to Acts 8:26-40 (p. 777)

Slide 2

We will return to Acts 5 next week.

Here we are going to read about

2 men whom God speaks to and

ask some questions about our own lives

as we seek to follow what God wants for us.

Let’s begin

Acts 8:26-29

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." 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."

(from New International Version)

Philip is a man we first meet in Acts 6.

He is one of the seven, one of the first deacons.

He was a man full of the Spirit and wisdom.

When the persecution of the church began, Philip went down to Samaria

Acts 8:4-8

4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.

It was when he was in Samaria that Philip heard God speak to him.

As we go through this passage today, I want to ask some questions of you. The first is

Do you Hear God’s Voice?

Slide 3

Philip heard God speak to him through an angel and the Spirit.

Acts 8:26

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." (from New International Version)

Acts 8:29

29 The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."

(from New International Version)

He recognized it as a message from the Lord, both through the angel and the Spirit.

God has spoken in many ways in the past.

The author of Hebrews tells us in

Hebrews 1:1-2

1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. (from New International Version)

We see throughout Scripture that God has spoken in many ways.

He has spoken through

A donkey to Balaam

The prophets to Israel

Angels to select individuals

His Spirit

A still small voice or gentle whisper to Elijah (1 Kings 19:12)

He speaks through His word

He speaks through His people.

The point is that God uses many means to get our attention.

Do you hear Him?

There are going to be points where God is speaking clearly. I have had those unmistakable moments in my life where God’s speaking was so clear to me, even if what He wanted me to do was not easy.

Illustration - Karrie

On Friday, I got a call from my sister-in-law.

Her mother had had a stroke and was in the hospital.

Karrie lives in AZ. She is married to Laura’s brother.