“Baptism”
Acts 8:26-39
We are looking at prayers in the Bible and yet today we are observing a very special ordinance that is given to the New Testament Church, Baptism.
Surely there is no prayer in this study?
Oh but there are.
There are 2 times that Phillip was spoken to.
Let’s look at our text.
Acts 8:26 “And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.”
Who is this angel; whether Michael, Gabriel, or the angel of Ethiopia, or of the eunuch, or of Philip, we do not know.
I remind all my students, “When the Bible is silent; so shall we be.”
Angel - sent from God to execute his purposes to make his purposes known to men. A messenger, envoy, one who is sent
Does that end all curiosity? NO!
It was one of the ministering spirits sent forth by Christ, to serve a gracious purpose of his, and for the good of one of the heirs of salvation.
I. Divine Prayer Of Direction
And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise
Arise - at once, make haste and speed, the word denotes readiness, and mission.
Go toward the south – We know from verse 25 that he was in Samaria and that he would be to the desert place of Gaza.
Note: There are times when we are directed to go to a place that does not make sense in our own thinking.
Yet we are not called to understand, but rather to obey.
II. Divine Will Revealed
Acts 8:27-29
I love the action of Philip Vs. 27 “And he arose and went”
He did not “fast and pray”, nor did he stop and question the direction/orders that he was given.
He simply arose and went.
There are times when we may not fully understand where we are to go but we are given a direction to go.
It will not be long and God will reveal to us why we are going in that direction.
Vs. 29 “Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.”
Have you observed in our study of prayers that they seem to lack great details?
Here is my thought. The details are given to us through His Word and all we need to do is “Do what I know to do until I know what to do.”
Spirit - pneuma (pnyoo’-mah) breath of nostrils or mouth, the third person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit, coequal, coeternal with the Father and the Son.
We have no problem knowing who this messenger is.
Sweet Holy Spirit!
“Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.”- Follow it, and attend it closely; and not leave it, till an opportunity of conversing with the person in it offered.
III. Divine Appointment
Acts 8:30 “And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?”
We find Philip running up to the chariot, yet he did not demand to be heard; but rather went fishing.
He made a statement and waited for the nibble.
I believe Philip knew he was in the right place at the right time with the right person because God told him to go there.
Such is the Spirit in our lives, IF we would just listen, He will direct us to a divine appointment so that we have opportunity to speak/preach the Gospel.
IV. Divine Invitation
Acts 8:31 “And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.”
The Ethiopian invited Philip to join him.
V. Divine Bible Reading
Acts 8:32-35 “The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.”
This could not be a mere coincidence.
The Bible was opened to the place that needed to be so that Jesus could be revealed.
VI. Divine Salvation Simply Revealed
Acts 8:36-37 “And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
I was wondering; where is the prayer of salvation in this text?
There is none!
He asked, “What doth hinder me to be baptized?”
Philip said, “If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.”
Notice there was no ceremony to observe, no study to complete, and no lines to memorize before he was baptized.
It would be a matter of obedience, simply put!
“And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
I do not desire to run people through the baptismal pool in order to fulfill our desire to baptize any certain amount each year.
It was the Ethiopian who asked about baptism.
I believe we share in the shame of hurried obedience when there is no real understanding as to why a person ought to be baptized.
VII. What Baptism Is and Is Not.
Baptism is obedience to the Word of God and shows the picture of the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
It is a public testimony from one person who is unashamed to be called a child of God!
Baptism is NOT salvation!
VIII. The Joy Of Obedience
Acts 8:39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
“And he went on his way rejoicing” – To be glad, to respond with joy in ones heart that overflows though one’s life.
Conclusion:
No one needs to guess why we are hearing this message today, because we will follow this in a few minutes with a baptism; but I do have a question today as we often do…
Do you know Jesus as your Saviour or are you hoping for a good outcome based on your life?
Many people believe they will weigh the bad against the good and see where is lays before God.
Bad choice.
Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”
Jesus said to a very religious man “Nicodemus,” in John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
I repeat the same words. Ye must be born again.
It is not church membership or baptism that earns our way to heaven; it is in Jesus alone and the Ethiopian knew it, do you?
Invitation:
