WATER IN THE DESERT
Acts 8.26-40
S: Evangelism
C: Willingness to speak
Th: A People with Purpose
Pr: GOOD NEWS MUST BE SPOKEN.
?: How? How do we accomplish this?
KW: Tasks
TS: Let’s study how Philip leads a spiritually thirsty man to life-giving water.
Type: Inductive
I. Obeying
II. Approaching
III. Speaking
IV. Completing
PA: How is the change to be observed?
• We are to go where we are ordered to go.
• We are to connect with people.
• We are to tell about Jesus, because GOOD NEWS MUST BE SPOKEN.
• We must finish what we are called to accomplish.
Version: ESV
RMBC 07 May 06 AM
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Evangelism: How Not to Evangelize
A Christian man owned a barber shop. One night, at a church service, the barber felt greatly burdened to do more with his testimony for Christ. The next evening, the barber began attending an "evangelism class" at his church. He attended faithfully every night for two weeks. He rehearsed all the material, took extensive notes, and memorized the assigned Bible verses. At the end of the two weeks he received a plaque acknowledging his completion of the course.
The next morning, in the barber shop, he hung the plaque and bowed his head. "Dear Lord," he prayed, "help me to witness to the first man to come through that door this morning." At that moment in walked the biggest, meanest, foulest man the barber had ever seen. It seems this man had recently lost a bet with some "biker" buddies and now he had to get his head shaved. Needless to say, the barber did not feel very comfortable quoting the "Roman Road" to a man with a tattoo on his neck.
The rest of the day did not go any better for the barber. At 5:00 p.m., the barber was sobbing with shame. He had not witnessed to a single person. He bowed his head again. This time he prayed, "Lord, if you will allow one more opportunity, I promise I will do my part." At that, the door opened and in walked a pleasant looking gentleman. The man smiled at the barber, apologized for coming in so late and took a seat in the chair.
As the barber draped the man in his protective sheet, he began to try to remember what he was supposed to say. He began to get very confused. As the barber put shaving cream on the man’s face, he tried to remember the answers he had learned to the possible objections. As the barber began to prepare his razor, he realized that he simply could not remember a thing he had learned. This made the barber very nervous and soon sweat began to break out on his forehead.
Finally, in desperation, he shook the razor at the man and screamed, "ARE YOU PREPARED TO DIE??!!!"
1. How do you do when it comes to sharing the good news about Jesus?
There are some of us that sharing the good news about Jesus is very natural.
It comes easy for us.
But for others, like this barber, we find it very difficult.
We get tongue-tied and nervous.
We even worry that we might say the wrong thing.
Yet, like this barber, we know we should say something.
We know that God has changed us, and because of that, we know He can help others as well.
We want to be a witness to this difference Jesus has caused in us.
This year, we have been working through the book of Acts.
And…
2. In our study of Acts, we have observed how God has orchestrated the church to move out of Jerusalem.
Persecution of the believers in Jerusalem, and more specifically, the martyrdom of Stephen, has caused them to scatter out into the countryside and cities of Palestine.
Now all of Judea, Samaria, and Galilee are hearing the good news about what Jesus has done as the Messiah.
They are hearing about His deliberate sacrificial death, that He went to the cross on purpose in order to demonstrate His love and to save humanity from their sin.
They are hearing about His utter defeat of death by doing the impossible – raising from the dead.
They are hearing about how Jesus fulfilled His promise to send the Holy Spirit and the new life He now brings.
This message was spreading like wildfire.
One of those who took advantage of the new opportunities was Philip.
For…
3. God effectively used Philip to open salvation to the Samaritans.
When we last studied in the book of Acts, we saw that the Samaritans, who were considered by the Jews to be impure in race and faith, were readily accepting the truth about Jesus.
Those that were considered outside the faith when it came to Judaism, were finding a home among the Christians.
Even for these Jewish believers, this was an eye-opener, for when the reports started coming in, Peter and John were sent to investigate.
And they concurred.
True faith had come to the Samaritans.
But the Lord is not stopping in Samaria.
4. God keeps expanding the inclusionary nature of the gospel.
Philip is going to be introduced to an Ethiopian, most likely a black African.
This event shows that this Christian faith was more than just a Jewish concern.
It was showing that this Christian faith was more than just a concern for those living in the land of Israel.
Jesus was for all the nations.
This faith was for anyone who would dare to be humbled by the cross, confess their sin, and follow Jesus.
This faith was for anyone who would dare to believe.
So…
5. In our study today, we will see how Philip leads a spiritually thirsty man to life-giving water.
OUR STUDY:
First, we see it happens because Philip is…
I. OBEYING
…the task God gives him.
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.
Philip has been having great success in Samaria.
And when one is having success, I think it is pretty natural to try to stay with that success.
That certainly would have been the temptation here, but Philip’s response teaches us an important lesson, which is…
When He gives specific direction, conversation is not what is on God’s mind.
Many of us would have argued with the Lord about His next step for us.
Lord, look, revival has broken out
…the Spirit is moving
…people are rejoicing
…I having the time of my life.
As far as we know, Philip did not say those things.
And he also did not say, “Well, Lord, I have to pray about this to see if this really is Your will.”
You see, one does not schedule the will of God, and when God says, “Go,” we are to go.
This is what Philip does.
He is to go on the road to Gaza.
This is a desert road.
Between Jerusalem and Gaza, there is nothing but hot, barren land, which was not traveled during the heat of the day.
But because the Lord said to get on this road, Philip does it.
Philip is not the only one on this road on this particular day.
There is another.
The Secretary of the Treasury of Ethiopia is on his way home with a great entourage from his visit to Jerusalem.
He was a respected man.
He was a court official of the queen.
So, he wielded great influence and power.
This was man of wealth, status and prestige.
He also was a religious man.
He believed in God as the true God and made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, covering 1200 miles, up the Nile, along the desert sands of Sinai, and finally into the hill country of Judea.
And though he was greatly intrigued by the God of the Jews, what he found in Jerusalem was an incomplete religion.
Now he is returning to home, still trying to make sense of faith, because he has come up empty.
So here is the great train of people, an Ethiopian official and his accompanying staff on this long lonely road to Gaza and Egypt, and Philip…
II. APPROACHING
…them.
And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 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.
Philip teaches us another important lesson about touching people with the message of Jesus.
It is this:
We are not going to know what the needs are unless we ask questions.
Philip makes the most of this opportunity.
Here is this impressive entourage, and he knows that there is someone here that needs to hear the good news about Jesus.
So, he runs.
There is no walking here.
He runs after them, in this desert heat.
Enthusiastically, he goes after them.
And when he catches up, he finds this Ethiopian official reading, of all things, Scripture.
He was lost, not understanding what he was reading.
He was looking for meaning, and humbly sought help.
And Philip stops walking, because he is invited to share his understanding of Isaiah the prophet.
All because he approached him and asked…
ILL Evangelism: Being Sent
As D.L. Moody walked down a Chicago street one day, he saw a man leaning against a lamppost. The evangelist gently put his hand on the man’s shoulder and asked him if he was a Christian.
The fellow raised his fists and angrily exclaimed, "Mind your own business!"
"I’m sorry if I’ve offended you," said Moody, "but to be very frank, that IS my business!"
Moody rightly observed that the care of souls is the business of the believer.
Philip shares this belief, and so we find him…
III. SPEAKING
…about the truth found in Isaiah.
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.
We actually know by the wording that is used here, that Ethiopian official is using the Greek version of the Hebrew Scriptures called the Septuagint.
And where was he reading?
Isaiah 53, one of the clearest texts in the Hebrew Scripture about Jesus.
You see, it’s not about us.
It’s not about you.
It’s not about me.
It’s about Jesus.
This was a puzzling Scripture for the Jews.
They had dreamed of their Messiah coming in triumph, power, and glory.
They did not think this text spoke of the Messiah.
Yet, Jesus did.
He applied it to Himself.
When Jesus came, He made it clear that, as He put it, the Son of Man came to serve (Mark 10.45).
So Philip explained the truth about Jesus.
He talked about how Jesus went through undeserved suffering.
He talked about the ugliest unjust death.
He spoke of the forgiveness of sin that was now available.
He spoke of the right relationship we can now have with God.
All because of Jesus.
So as Philip explained the story of Jesus, we find that he had informed this official of how one responds to the truth.
You see, Philip is…
IV. COMPLETING
…the task that is before him.
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. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
The new believers were adamant about how one comes to follow Jesus.
There is a confession of belief.
There is a repentance of behavior.
And there is an act of proclamation.
For…
Faith requires an outward sign of its reality.
Baptism is the first step of obedience for a new believer, and already, the Ethiopian official understood this.
He wanted to make this public statement, and even in the desert, this would have been very public.
In front of this huge entourage that has accompanied him to Jerusalem, he now declares that he is a follower of Jesus.
He is willing to live for Jesus.
So, Philip and this official enter into the water of this oasis, to proclaim the washing away of sin and an identification of the death and resurrection of Jesus.
And as they come out of the water, with the job complete, Philip is snatched away.
He disappears.
But does the Ethiopian panic?
No way.
He demonstrates the mark of a true believer – joy!
APPLICATION:
What do we learn from today’s text?
Well, it reaffirms that we truly are a people of purpose.
We have a mission to fulfill.
And it is a mission about Jesus.
So, how do we accomplish this mission?
1. We are to go where we are ordered to go.
I believe that God is very active in our lives, consistently giving us direction and opportunities to share the good news about Jesus.
We do not need to look hard and far.
No, we just need to be listening to the direction the Holy Spirit gives us and seize the opportunities that are given to us.
We seize those occasions by talking to people.
2. We are to connect with people.
This is what Philip did.
He went to the Ethiopian and asked if he could help.
It was that simple.
He went and made a connection, and what he discovered, as so many of us will, God had prepared the way.
ILL New Orleans and the United Nations
You see…
3. We are to tell about Jesus, because GOOD NEWS MUST BE SPOKEN.
ILL Evangelism: Harper and the Titanic
In 1912, 39 year old, Rev. John Harper a Scottish preacher was making a transatlantic trip to preach at the Moody Church in Chicago. As fate would have it the vessel he chose was the Titanic.
We all know the story about the disaster but do you know the story of John Harper? Harper like many others ended up in the water, and as people desperately tried to survive in the chilled waters, Harper swam to them.
The minister asked people in the water if they knew Jesus. Eventually, Harper approached a passenger clinging to a jagged piece of wood and he pleaded for the man to trust Christ. The minister was completely exhausted at this point. As he succumbed to the conditions and went under the water to his death, Harper said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved."
A few years later at a meeting of survivors of the Titanic, the final man who encountered John Harper told the group that he had been saved twice that night. First, he had accepted Christ as his personal Savior because of Harper’s efforts. And, of course, he had been rescued from the deep Atlantic seas. He said “Alone in the night with two miles of water under me I believed, I am John Harpers’ last convert.”
John Harper’s goal, his focus was not on himself. Even in his dying moments, all he thought about was the people around him and their spiritual condition.
When we do not tell others about Jesus, it is like holding back water in the desert.
Without Jesus, our lives are like a desert, desperate for satisfaction and meaning.
But this is what Jesus gives.
He gives to us the purpose we desire.
He puts meaning into existence.
And we find, He gives us a community of acceptance, encouragement and support.
As believers in Jesus,
4. We must finish what we are called to accomplish.
For Philip, his role was to lead the Ethiopian to baptism, the public demonstration of faith.
For us, it may be observed in a variety of tasks, but in principle, it is always the encouragement and the moving of people further along in their understanding and following of Jesus.
COMMUNION:
John 4:7-14
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" 8(His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."
11 "Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"
13 Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
NIV
Rev 7:11-17
11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:
"Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!"
13 Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes — who are they, and where did they come from?"
14 I answered, "Sir, you know."
And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore,
"they are before the throne of God
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.
16 Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat upon them,
nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd;
he will lead them to springs of living water.
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
NIV
We are a people that share this in common today.
We have recognized our thirst and found it quenched in Jesus.
So we come to this table, formerly thirsty people, but now satisfied in the love of Jesus.
I thirsted in the barren land of sin and shame,
And nothing satisfying there I found;
But to the blessed cross of Christ one day I came,
When springs of living water did abound.
Drinking at the springs of living water,
Happy now am I,
My soul they satisfy;
Drinking at the springs of living water,
O wonderful and bountiful supply.
Those of us that know Jesus are invited to share in the elements of the table.
You do not have to be a member of this church to partake, but we do ask that you have a relationship with Jesus.
If you do not know Jesus, that is, you have not received Him as your Savior and Lord, you do not trust Him with your life, that is, you have not been changed by the message, just let the elements pass by.
Please wait until the time comes when you do have that personal relationship with the Lord Jesus.
We practice “communion” because we are to remember the death of the Lord Jesus.
We take the bread to remind us that it was by the body of our Savior that our salvation came.
He died in our place.
He became our substitute.
Being led in prayer by ____, let us take a moment and thank Him for being our sacrifice.
(Prayer)
The apostle Paul writes, "The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."
Let’s partake together.
We take the cup to remind us that it was by the blood of our Savior that our salvation came.
He died for our sins.
He became our sacrifice.
It is here we rejoice in the forgiveness we have received.
____ will now come and lead us in prayer.
Again, the apostle Paul writes, "In the same way, after supper he took the cup saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."
Let’s partake together.
1 Cor 15:57-58
57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to the good news and message of Jesus, to the only wise God, be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ. Amen.
RESOURCES:
SermonCentral:
Aly, David Connected with God
Hoke, J. David Seizing the Opportunity
Hughes, Jeff Philip and the Ethiopian
Stedman, Ray C. The Divine Wind
Books:
Bruce, F. F. Commentary on the Book of the Acts The New International Commentary on the New Testament, ed. F. F. Bruce. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1975.
MacArthur, John, Jr. Acts 1-12 The MacArthur New Testament Commentary. Chicago: Moody Press, 1994.
Stott, John R. W. The Spirit, the Church, and the World. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990.
