Introduction
At the beginning of the book of Acts, Luke recorded how the Lord Jesus said to the apostles that they will be his witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and in Samaria and to the ends of the earth.
And when we studied that verse several months ago now, I explained that those words of the Lord Jesus are a preview for us of what the book of Acts is about, because when the Spirit came on the believers on the Day of Pentecost, the apostles began to bear witness to the Lord Jesus in Jerusalem. And from chapter 2 to chapter 7 Luke tells us how the church in Jerusalem grew and was established, with many people coming to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.
And then after the stoning of Stephen in chapter 7, a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem and the believers were driven from Jerusalem and they took the message to Judea.
And then Philip the Evangelist went to Samaria, where he preached the good news of the Lord Jesus to Samaritans, who were people who were originally Jews, but who intermarried with Gentiles so that they were now kind of half-Jews and half-Gentiles. And a number of them believed the good news. That’s what we were studying the last time we were in the book of Acts.
And soon we’ll read about Paul’s conversion to faith in Christ. And once Paul was converted, the Lord enabled him to proclaim the gospel throughout the Roman Empire and in Rome itself, which in those days represented the ends of the earth.
From his throne in heaven, the Risen and Exalted Lord Jesus Christ sent his preachers out from Jerusalem to do what he said they would do and to make known the good news of salvation to all the nations. In the past, salvation for the Jews only. But now that Christ has died and has been raised, salvation is for Jews and Gentiles: it’s for everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only Saviour of the world. And no matter what you have done wrong, no matter what kind of a mess you have made of your life, if you’re trusting in Christ the Saviour, then you have peace with God and the hope of everlasting life in his presence in the new and better world to come. Though you may have done everything wrong, God is willing to treat you as if you’re done everything right because of Christ the Saviour, who covers his people with his own perfect righteousness.
Today we come to this short story of how a man from Ethiopia was converted to faith in Christ. It’s not clear whether this man was a Jew or Gentile. It’s possible he was one of the Diaspora Jews. The Diaspora Jews were descended from the Jews who were exiled to Babylon in the days of King Nebuchadnezzar and who did not return to the Promised Land afterwards. And so, it’s possible he was a Jew from Ethiopia. Or perhaps he’s what was known as a God-fearer. In other words, he was a Gentile who worshipped the God of Israel. At the time of the Exodus, for instance, when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, many non-Israelites went with them. And then there was Rahab, that woman who lived in Jericho in the days of Joshua. And she too joined the people of Israel to worship the Lord. And so, it’s possible that this Ethiopian was one of these God-fearing Gentiles, because when we meet him in Acts 8 he’s on his way home from Jerusalem, where he had gone to worship the Lord.
And there’s one important detail about this man, which Luke is careful to highlight for us. And he highlights it for us by mentioning it several times and it’s the fact that this man was a eunuch. We don’t know if he was born like this or whether he had been castrated. But the fact that he was a eunuch was significant, because according to Deuteronomy 23:1 no-one who has been emasculated or castrated may enter the assembly of the Lord. That is to say, they were not allowed to join the other Jewish men when they assembled together at the temple to worship the Lord. This man may have been allowed to enter one of the outer courts of the temple, but he couldn’t enter the inner court, where the men gathered to worship the Lord and to offer sacrifices to God for their forgiveness. Whether he was a Jew or a Gentile, this man was excluded from the temple. He was regarded by the people as an outsider. He was regarded as being unfit for the presence of God.
And so, what a wonderful day it was when he met Philip the Evangelist, because on that day he discovered that the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross in order to bring us to God. Through faith in Christ we are pardoned and accepted and can come before God to worship him with confidence and joy. This was good news for this Ethiopian eunuch and it’s good news for us, because while we deserve to be shut out of the presence of God for a life-time of disobedience, we can look forward to eternal life in the presence of God through faith in Christ who died to bring us to God.
The passage
Let’s look at the passage, which begins with Luke telling us that an angel of the Lord told Philip to go to the road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza. The fact that an angel spoke to him is a reminder to us that these were very special days. Lots of extra-ordinary things were happening in the early years of the church, which do not normally happen in our day. And so, here’s something extra-ordinary: an angel spoke to Philip. And in verse 29 something else extra-ordinary happened: the Holy Spirit spoke directly to Philip. Nowadays the Holy Spirit speaks to us through the reading and preaching of the Scriptures. But in those extra-ordinary days, the Holy Spirit sometimes spoke directly to one of his servants. And afterwards something even more extra-ordinary happened, because in verse 39 we read that the Spirit took Philip away and he appeared somewhere else. The Spirit transported him to another place. While some things in the book of Acts remain the same — such as the preaching of the gospel — other things happened in those special days which do not happen today.
So, this angel spoke to Philip and he went down to the road and he met the Ethiopian. And Luke tells us that the Ethiopian was an important official in charge of his queen’s treasury and he had gone to Jerusalem to worship the Lord, but was now on his way home. And on his way home, he was reading from the book of Isaiah. In those days, they didn’t have books, but scrolls. And one scroll contained, not the whole Bible, but part of the Bible. And this man’s scroll contained the book of Isaiah. And no doubt he was reading aloud, which is what they did in those days.
And the Holy Spirit told Philip to go to the chariot and stay near it. And when Philip heard the man reading aloud, he asked him whether he understood it. And the man replied, ‘How can I, unless someone explains it to me?’ And that opened the way for Philip, because the man invited Philip into his chariot and we’re told that, beginning with the passage the man was reading, Philip told him the good news about Jesus.
And presumably Philip’s explanation of the good news about Jesus included some reference to baptism, because whenever they came to some water, the man asked Philip if he could be baptised. They stopped the chariot and both men went down into the water. Presumably it was a river on the side of the road. And Philip baptised the man. And when they came out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord took Philip away and the man went on his way rejoicing. And that’s the story.
Application 1
And one of the first lessons we can learn from this story is the way God works in someone’s heart to prepare them to receive the good news.
I’ve explained before from Romans 1 and Acts 14 that God is always revealing himself to everyone in the world. He is continually revealing himself to us personally through the things he has made and through the things he has done. By means of what he has made and by what he has done, he is continually saying to us that he is real and he’s great and he’s good. The sun in the sky tells us that he’s great, because he made it. Fields full of crops tels us that he’s good because he makes the crops grow. He is continually revealing himself to each person personally so that everyone knows there’s a God who is great and good.
However, because we’re sinners we’re sinfully inclined to suppress or to repress the truth about God and instead of trusting him, we trust in something else. That’s the way we all are by nature. And Paul writes about this in Romans 1.
But then God works in the hearts of some people to prepare them to receive the good news of the gospel. He begins to awaken us and to convict us. And that’s what was happening here, because before anyone told this Ethiopian eunuch about the Lord Jesus, God was at work in his life. We know that because didn’t he go to Jerusalem to worship God? And didn’t he purchase for himself a copy of the book of Isaiah? And wasn’t he reading Isaiah? And wasn’t he thinking about it and trying to make sense of it? These are signs that God was already at work in this man’s life even before Philip spoke to him about the Saviour.
And it’s interesting that there have been reports recently that young people are turning up at churches throughout the United Kingdom. Ministers are reporting that young people are turning up out of the blue and they want to know what Christianity is about. Their parents may be atheists, but these young people are not so sure about atheism and whether it makes sense of the world. And apparently the number of Bibles being purchased has increased recently. And I remember hearing a year or two ago that the same thing was happening in Finland and in other countries throughout Europe.
And that’s what we need to be praying for, because when we approach someone with the gospel, often they’re not interested. And we need to pray for God the Holy Spirit to work in the lives of men and women and boys and girls to awaken them to these things and to produce in their hearts an interest and curiosity about the things of God so that they’ll come to us with their questions.
Recently there was a presbytery joint service and the speaker was Uel Marrs from PCI’s Council for Overseas Mission. I wasn’t there, but I was told that one of the points he made was, of course, that we need to pray. But he said that when we pray we’re not to think we’re praying for the work, because prayer is the work. Prayer is the work and in prayer we’re calling on God not only to send out preachers into all the world to proclaim the good news, but we’re calling on God to prepare the hearts of men and women and children to receive the good news. We’re calling on God to enable people everywhere to acknowledge what they already know deep down inside: that there’s a God in heaven above who is great and good and who deserves their worship. That’s what we do at the midweek. It’s hard work and it’s not easy, but you can join us in this work as we call on God to prepare the hearts of people to receive the good news of Jesus Christ.
Application 2
A second lesson we can learn from this passage is that the Bible is all about the Lord Jesus.
The Bible is all about the Lord Jesus, which means that, when you’re reading the Bible, you must always consider how the passage you’re reading relates to him. That’s obviously the case with the New Testament, which is about the Saviour who has come and it’s about what we should believe and what we should do in light of that. But it’s also the case with the Old Testament, because in the Old Testament God announced again and again and again that he was going to send the Saviour into the world. And so, from his promise to satan in Genesis 3 that a descendant of Eve will crush satan’s head to his promise in Malachi about the coming of the Lord, God announced the coming of the Saviour–King.
And so, the Ethiopian eunuch was reading from the Old Testament book of Isaiah. And he was reading from chapter 53 which is a passage I read at our joint Good Friday service, because the whole of the chapter clearly foretells the suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ, who was led like a sheep to be slaughtered and who was pierced for our transgressions and who was bruised for our iniquities. It clearly foretells the suffering of our Saviour, who was coming into the world.
And Luke tells us in verse 35 that Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told the Ethiopian eunuch the good news about Jesus. So, he presumably explained that Isaiah 53 is all about the Lord Jesus. And since it says that he began with that passage, then presumably he turned to other passages in the Old Testament and used them to tell the man about the Lord Jesus.
And that’s exactly what the Lord Jesus did with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus following his resurrection. Luke tells us in Luke 24 that beginning with the books of Moses and all the Prophets, the Lord explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. All the Scriptures are about him.
And so, when you’re reading your Bible, ask yourself how it relates to the Lord Jesus and to what he has done to reconcile sinners like us to God.
And that also means that when someone asks you about what you believe, or when someone asks you about the Bible, you should tell them about the Lord Jesus. That’s what Philip did. The man asked him about Isaiah 53 and Philip led him from that passage to the Lord Jesus Christ who gave up his life on the cross so that all who believe in him may have forgiveness and eternal life. And whereas Christian are sometimes known for being judgmental and critical and for being against this and against that, we should strive very hard to be known as people who love the Lord Jesus and who love to talk about him. And so, whenever we have the opportunity — whenever someone asks you what you believe — tell them about the Saviour. And if they ask you about the Bible, tell them it’s all about him.
Application 3
Another lesson we can learn from this passage is how the Lord has so created us that we need to rely on one another. We need to rely on one another.
Here’s this man and he’s reading from the book of Isaiah. He has the word of God in his hands. And he’s reading a passage which clearly foretells the suffering of the Lord Jesus. And yet he doesn’t understand it. And when Philip asked him whether he understood it, he replied: ‘How can I? How can I, unless someone explains it to me?’
He needed someone to explain the Scriptures to him. And we’re all like that. And that’s why the Lord has given the church preachers and teachers who have been gifted by God to explain the Scriptures to God’s people. And so, God has called me to explain the Scriptures to you. And, with the help of the Lord, I try to do that. And I’m only able to teach the Scriptures to you, because other people have taught them and explained them to me. And in the church, and in society generally, God has equipped all of us with certain gifts and talents and abilities so that we all rely on one another. We all need one another, because no-one possesses every gift and no-one is able to do everything themselves. We’re only able to meet together like this because God enabled people to design this building and to build it and to make the furnishings. And he enabled someone else to put in the heat and light. And he’s given us a Congregational Committee to maintain the building. And there are people who open the church and welcome people and oversees the sound desk and who play the piano and who serve refreshments and do all the other things that need to be done for every service. So, we rely on lots of different people in order to meet here every Sunday. And every day we rely on all kinds of people for all kinds of things.
And in this way, God has bound us together in love and gratitude, because when we realise how we rely on other people, then we’ll love them and appreciate them and give thanks to God for them. The ungrateful person is the proud person who thinks he doesn’t need any help. But the humble person knows he needs help from others. And the humble person is therefore the most grateful and thankful of people. And all of us should give thanks to our Heavenly Father for all the people he surrounds us with who help us every day.
Application 4
Let me also say something briefly about baptism. I’ve said before that in Bible times, people who were converted to faith in Christ were baptised immediately. And so, the fact that this man was baptised tells us that he must have believed the good news about the Lord Jesus.
Many Christians think of baptism as a public expression of their repentance and faith. So, they’re publicly declaring that they have left behind their old life without Christ and they’re beginning a new life with Christ. And as evidence of their faith in Christ, and as the first step in their life of obedience to Christ, they’re obeying his command to be baptised.
That’s what many Christians believe about baptism. And while there may be some truth to that, it’s important to say that in the Presbyterian Church and in other reformed churches we say that baptism is first and foremost a sign, not of something we have done, but a sign of what God has done for us or of what he promises to do for our children. In other words, baptism is not a sign of my faith and obedience, but it’s a sign of the gospel. It’s a sign of God’s promise to wash away our sins because of Christ who gave up his life on the cross to pay for them. Just as water washes away dirt from our bodies, so God promises to wash away our sins for ever because of Christ. And so, baptism is first and foremost about God and what he does for us in Christ; and it’s not so much about us and what we have done.
And so, here’s this man who has heard the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ and how God is willing to wash away his guilt and to cleanse him from all that is not right, because of Christ who was pierced for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. And the man wants to be baptised, because baptism is a sign and seal of the good news he has heard. And if, in the future, that man’s conscience bothers him, or if the devil accuses him, he can remind himself of his baptism, when God publicly declared to him that he washes our sins away for ever and he will remember them no more.
And so, baptism is not about us and what we have done. It’s about God and what he does for us or what he promises to do for our children in Christ.
Application 5
And the final thing to say today is to repeat what I said at the beginning. This man, being a eunuch, was prevented from entering the temple. He was regarded as an outsider. He was regarded as being unfit for the presence of God. But through faith in Christ, all who are unfit for the presence of God are brought near to God. We are reconciled to God through faith in Christ the Saviour who gave up his life on the cross to pay for our sins and shortcomings and to bring us to God.
What do the Scriptures say? All have sinned. That is, all have disobeyed God. And all have fallen short of the glory of being like God. But we’re justified freely by his grace. In other words, we are pardoned by God and we are accepted by God. We are pardoned and accepted for free because of Christ who paid for our sins with his life. Though you may have done everything wrong and deserve to be sent out of the presence of God for a lifetime of sin and disobedience, God is willing to accept you because of Christ; and he promises you eternal life in his presence where you will be perfectly happy and holy for ever. That’s the good news of the gospel and it’s wonderful. And all who believe it can go on our way rejoicing, just as the Ethiopian went on his way rejoicing. We can rejoice, because of the greatness of God’s love for us in Christ our Saviour.
Sermons and Stuff 