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- Preaching the Living WORD through
the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 - |
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THE ETHIOPIAN EUNUCH (TRUE PROFESSION OF FAITH) (Ac 8:25-40) 4/13/14 Grace Bible Church,
Gillette, Wyoming Pastor Daryl Hilbert I. CONCLUSION TO THE SAMARIAN MINISTRY (Ac
8:25) A. [25] Peter and John continued to “testify”
(diamarturomai - strong or earnest
testimony) in Samaria that they had been with Jesus and had seen His
death and resurrection. In addition, they showed from the word of God that
Jesus of Nazareth was the prophesied Messiah. B. Salvation had indeed been opened to the
Samarians (half-breed outcasts) as stated by Jesus in Ac 1:8. The apostles
had come to Samaria to affirm and help in the work of God. In addition, their
apostolic authority was established by imparting the
Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands. When they went back to Jerusalem,
they continued this new missionary endeavor and preached the gospel
throughout the villages of the Samaritans. II. PHILIP WAS SENT TO ANOTHER LOCATION (Ac
8:26-29) A. [26] An angel of the
Lord spoke to Philip and gave him instructions to go to a new destination. This is not “the Angel of the Lord” in
the OT as the pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. Rather, it
is an angel (angelos - messenger or
ministering spirit, He 1:113-14, also angelos is
without an article) who is a messenger of God to assist in the
transition of the early church. Philip was sent southward on the road going from
Jerusalem to Gaza. B. [27] Philip willingly and immediately
complied with his instructions and met an Ethiopian man. Luke draws our
attention (“behold”) to the fact that God had brought them together by divine
appointment. 1. This Ethiopian man was a “eunuch” (eunouchos, cf. Mt 19:12, Es 2:3) which
normally referred to a man who was castrated for the
purpose of undistracted loyalty as a court official. “Ethiopia” here
refers not to modern-day Ethiopia but to ancient Nubia, the region from Aswan
in southern Egypt to Khartoum, Sudan (BKC). 2. He was a court official of high ranking (dunastās) who had authority over others. He
was under the authority of a ruling queen-mother,
which was called a “Candace” (Kandakās)
similar to a “Pharaoh.” 3. This Ethiopian official was of such high
rank that he was over all the Queen’s treasury. 4. We are told that
the intent of his heart was to come to Jerusalem to worship. Though eunuchs
were prohibited from entering the Lord’s assembly (Dt 23:1), Is 56:3-5 speaks
of the inclusion of God’s blessing to them. This eunuch was a worshipper of
God. C. [28-29] The eunuch
was returning to his country and was in his chariot. While he rode
he was reading from the Scriptures in Isaiah. Philip was
directed to join the chariot, not by an angel, but by the Spirit. III. PHILIP ENCOUNTERED THE ETHIOPIAN EUNUCH (Ac
8:30-34) A. [30] As Philip ran up to the Ethiopian, he
heard him reading the Scriptures, particularly from Isaiah. Neither the angel
nor the Holy Spirit needed to tell Philip what to do. Philip was ready preach the gospel and he had the perfect introduction, “Do you understand what you are reading?” (A play on
words in the Greek - “ginōskeis ha anaginōskeis”) B. [31] The Ethiopian’s answer is an
interesting one. It is somewhat
difficult to translate it literally but the idiom seems best translated by
the NASB as “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” Or
as the BDAG suggests, “How in the world can I?” It is doubtful that this was
a sarcastic answer, but rather an appeal for help from Philip, and perhaps
somewhat witty. For Philip was directly invited up
in the Ethiopian’s chariot. C. [32-33] The passage that the Ethiopian was
reading was Isa 53:7-8. This chapter from Isaiah (among many others), became
one of the major Christological sections used in evangelism and apologetics
in the early church’s (Mt 8:17 cf. Is 53:4;
Mk 15:28 cf. Is 53:12; Lk 22:37
cf. Is 53:12; Jn 12:38
cf. Is 53:1; Ac 8:32-33
cf. Is 53:7-8; 1Pe 2:22-24 cf. Is 53:9). D. [34] The eunuch
wanted to know to whom did the passage refer. Was it referring to Isaiah himself or
to someone else? It was very possible that the Isaiah interpretation was what
the eunuch heard at the gates of the Temple. There was little or no evidence
for a suffering Messiah in Pre-Christian Judaism. However, circulating Jewish
beliefs regarding the Suffering Servant were Isaiah, Israel, or the Gentiles
nations. The eunuch may have also heard polemic arguments from the Jewish
community that Isaiah was not referring to Jesus of Nazareth. Whatever the
case, the eunuch had questions and he was willing to listen to Philip’s
explanation. IV. THE ETHIOPIAN EUNUCH RECEIVED SALVATION AND
BAPTISM (Ac 8:35-40) A. [35] Philip began from this Isaiah passage
and continued with, no doubt, numerous other OT passages. Perhaps Philip
referred to other passages in Isaiah referring to the “Servant of the Lord”
(Is 42:1–44:5; 49:1–13; 50:4–11) and/or Psalms regarding Christ’s
suffering (Ps 22, 34, 69, 118). Regardless, Philip preached the good news,
namely Jesus. B. From these Scriptures, Philip gave the
eunuch the “good news” that Christ had made atonement for man’s sins on the
cross and rose again to show that His work was accepted by God. Even a eunuch
could have forgiveness and a personal relationship with God if he put his
trust in Jesus as the Son of God and Savior. Or
simply, he preached "Jesus." C. [36] Even though the road they were
traveling on was in a desert area, there were streambeds leading to the
Mediterranean Sea during the wetter months. This was the case because when
the eunuch himself spotted water, he inquired about his own baptism. The
eunuch knew about baptism from Gentiles desiring to become Proselytes. He may
also have heard about Christian baptism while in Jerusalem or may have been instructed of it by Philip. D. [37] This verse is not found in the oldest
and most reliable manuscripts and most likely was not included in the
original text. Nevertheless, it does answer the eunuch’s question. If a
person believes in his heart that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God (Mt
16:15-16; Jn 20:31), then he has met the scriptural prerequisite for baptism.
Faith alone in Christ alone is the only necessary condition for salvation.
Baptism is the outward Christian symbol of that prior profession of faith.
Baptism is a divinely commanded outward symbol, an
identification with Christ as Savior and Lord, and an identification
with Christ’s body the church. E. [38] Obviously the eunuch met the biblical
criterion because the chariot was stopped and the eunuch was baptized by
Philip. Note that Ac 8:38 describes them going “down” into the water and then
“up out of the water.” It is one of several passages that suggests
baptism by immersion. F. [39] After Philip baptized the eunuch,
Luke wrote that, “the Spirit of the
Lord snatched Philip away” (“snatched away” - harpazō - 1Th 4:17; Jude 1:23). It might be
possible that the Spirit supernaturally transported Philip to his next
location (cf. Elijah - 1Ki 18:12; 2Ki 2:16; Ezekiel - Eze 3:12, 14; 8:3).
Some good commentators suggest that this can be understood
that the Spirit divinely directed Philip to evangelize another location. When
Philip quickly left, the eunuch “saw him no longer.” In either case, Philip is observed as a willing and obedient servant to the
Spirit’s divine directive. G. As for the eunuch, he went on his way
rejoicing that he no longer was excluded from the
presence of the Lord. He had a new song in heart and a new song to sing as he
brought the gospel to his native country. H. [40] Philip went to Azotus
(Philistine city of Ashdod) and then made his way to Caesarea, preaching the
good news to all the cities. V. OBSERVATIONS AND APPLICATIONS A. Earmarks of a True Professions 1. The Spirit’s preparation and work in the
heart (Ac 8:29; 39) 2. A willingness to seek God (He 11:6) 3. A willingness to genuinely trust Christ
as Savior and Lord (Ro 10:9-10) 4. A willingness to conform to God’s Word
(1Jn 2:5, 14) 5. A willingness to be identified with
Christ (2Ti 1:12) 6. A willingness to be identified with God’s
people (Ac 2:42; He 10:24-25) 7. A willingness to share Christ with
boldness (Ac 4:31; Ro 1:16) B. Missions 1. Missions is an integral part of the
church (Ac 2:38; 8:12; 36) 2. Missions is eventually turned over to
local believers (Ac 8:39; 16:5) C. Baptism 1. It was directed by Christ (Mt 28:19) 2. It is the Church’s outward symbol 3. It is an identification with Christ and
His body (Mt 3:15; Ro 6:3) D. The Gospel 1. It must be based on the Word of God and
centered on Christ 2. Evangelism is not so much what to do, as
it is where to do it? And wherever you are! |
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