In the sermon titled 'A Divine Appointment,' Trent Moody explores the account of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch from Acts 8:26-40. Philip, guided by an angel, encounters the Ethiopian eunuch who is reading from the book of Isaiah. Despite the unusual and seemingly counterintuitive direction to leave a thriving ministry in Samaria, Philip obeys the divine instruction and meets the eunuch on a deserted road. The Ethiopian, a man of status and authority, demonstrates humility and eagerness to learn, asking Philip to explain the scripture he is reading. Philip seizes this divine appointment, preaches Jesus Christ to him, and upon the eunuch's confession of faith, baptizes him. The narrative emphasizes the importance of being ready to share the gospel, recognizing opportunities as divine appointments, and the role of the Holy Spirit in guiding such encounters. Moody highlights the need for humility in seeking understanding and the necessity of human agency in spreading the gospel, as ordained by God, rather than relying on miraculous signs alone. He encourages believers to be proactive and discerning in their evangelistic efforts, trusting that God's plans often transcend human understanding.

Acts chapter 8, we will begin with verse 26, a very familiar passage to all of those who have read through the book of Acts. Acts 8 and verse 26 we will read down through the end of the chapter. Thus says the word of the Lord, now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying arise and go towards the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is desert. So he arose and went and behold a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury and had come to Jerusalem to worship was returning and sitting in his chariot he was reading Isaiah the prophet.

Then the Spirit said to Philip, go near and overtake this chariot. So Philip ran to him and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah and said, do you understand what you're reading? And he said, how can I unless someone guides me? And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. And the place in the scripture which he read was this, he was led as a sheep to the slaughter and as a lamb before it shears is silent so he opened not his mouth.

In his humiliation his justice was taken away and who will declare his generation for his life is taken from the earth?" So the eunuch answered Philip and said, I ask you of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of some other man? And then Philip opened his mouth and beginning at this scripture preached Jesus to him. Now as they went down the road they came to some water and the eunuch said, See here is water, what hinders me from being baptized? And then Philip said, If you believe with all your heart you may.

And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." So he commanded the chariot to stand still and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and he baptized him. Now when they came up out of the water the Spirit of the Lord called Philip away so that the eunuch saw him no more and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotes and passing through he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea. Let us pray. Our Heavenly Father, we are so thankful that you have brought us before this passage this morning.

We thank you dear God that you have not left us in our own thinking and in our own designs, but Lord You have sent us teachers as well and the great teacher, the Holy Spirit, is teaching us even today as this word is being read. And I pray, O God, that your word would go forth in this place and that it would penetrate every hardened heart, that it would penetrate to the very depths of their soul Lord to the dividing of soul and spirit Lord that your word would penetrate and that they too would profess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God Lord would you do this great work it is it is impossible for for men's words to convert souls but Lord if the Spirit of the Lord takes the Word of God and penetrates the heart and gives life, Lord, souls will be saved today. And I pray, O God, that you would grant this request and glorify the name of your son Jesus Christ. Lord we pray for help today give us wisdom into your word and give us light we pray in Jesus name. Amen.

You may be seated. You know there are many times in my Christian life when I have had the opportunity to share the gospel with someone. Sometimes it's an interesting circumstance, sometimes it's a broken down vehicle, sometimes it's someone on the side of the road, sometimes it's just sitting next to someone as you're waiting in line or waiting at a doctor's office, but I have never had the experience of an angel of the Lord saying go down there And I don't think that you probably have either, but I don't want to negate the fact that both of those are divine appointments. When God gives us an opportunity to share the gospel with someone, that is a divine appointment. Now in our passage today, it is obviously one that stands out.

It shows something that is unusual, it's something that does not happen in our day. We don't see the angel speaking to us in such a way telling us where to go boy that would be helpful but you know we were just in our catechism it struck me there the second catechism and I won't get it exactly right but basically what are we required to do and we are to obey all the revealed will of God that's what it's in. And so this morning as we come to this passage of Scripture even though our desire and maybe our hearts desire would be that God would make it so clear that he would send an angel and say go there and preach the gospel. He has given us the revealed will of God in the Word of God And so therefore we do not need an angel to tell us to go and preach the gospel. Because the commandment of God is, go ye therefore into all the world, making disciples.

That is our command. And so we do not need an angel to tell us this but this morning what we're going to see is an angel God using an angel to instruct Philip in such a way to take him to a very specific place at a specific time for a specific purpose And God is more than able to put you where you need to be as well. So do not, don't worry about those things. God will make his way plain. You know, I find it interesting that Philip is one of these men who was not an idle man.

Every time we see him, he is actively engaged in the gospel. He's looking for someone to preach to. He's looking for someone who has professed Christ so that he can baptize them. This was an active man. He is a deacon of the first order.

He is going after it. The last time we saw Philip was in verse 13 with Simon the sorcerer. Simon was going with Philip and this is the testimony of what happened in verse 13. He says, then Simon himself also believed and when he was baptized he continued with Philip and was amazed seeing the miracles and signs which were done. God was doing a miraculous thing in the life of this obedient servant of the Lord, this man, Philip.

He was no slouch, if you would. He was a man who was going after it. The Lord had opened this great opportunity for the gospel in the land of Samaria, and Philip was making full use of this opportunity. The door was flung wide open and Philip was walking through that open door to preach the gospel and going everywhere that he would preaching the gospel. He took full advantage of this opportunity and the Spirit of God was working through him miracles and signs for the saving of souls.

We can only imagine now that Philip was looking for new opportunities there in the land of Samaria. This land in which God had opened wide the door and even flung the windows open. People were coming to the Lord, the Word of God was being spread abroad, and in this land of Samaria I am sure that he believed there was more gospel ministry to work at. For it would seem that a great awakening was now in full bloom. God was doing this great work among the Samaritans, something that the Jews could not even imagine.

But what we find is actually very unusual. What we find in fact we would never have imagined unless it was told us. We find Philip in verse 26 receiving heavenly direction to leave a place of great opportunity to leave a place that was was in the in the midst of a great awakening among the Samaritans and we see the angel of an angel of the Lord telling him to go to a deserted place. Counterintuitive, wouldn't you say? Right in the midst of all of these people coming to the Lord, The fields are white for harvest, it's ready for the preaching of the gospel and the receiving of the gospel.

And there is no way in Philip of his natural abilities would say, you know what, I think I'm going to go down out to the middle of nowhere and wait on the side of the road. I'm sure someone will come along. But you know in the sovereign hand of God and in God's divine appointment specifically in this case, God gave Philip some heavenly direction. He wanted to instruct him in what he should do and this is what we read. Now, an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, arise and go towards the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.

This is desert or this is a deserted place. No one's there. Now Philip received this angelic command. What is the command? Well it's very specific, a rise and go.

And go down south in between Jerusalem and Gaza. It's no wonder that the Lord had to send an angel to instruct Philip to do this. It was something that was not natural in our thinking. It was not a great evangelistic plan. It was not something that a mission board would get together and say, hey let's find the most deserted place and let's go and wait.

He would have never come up with this idea, especially in the middle of a great revival. But God was saying to Philip, you must needs go down to Gaza. On this deserted place and there God had something for him to do. You know one thing I have learned in my life especially as a Christian and understanding about sharing the gospel with people and the opportunities is so often that I am not ready for the opportunity like something will happen that kind of pushes me into an opportunity before I'm even ready for it. I've learned that God's ways are not our ways.

I learned actually that a lot of times the things that I find to be a distraction or something that's hindering me and in this plan that I have or maybe this job that I have or maybe this trip that I'm taking that God actually can break into my plans and mess them up because he has a divine appointment. I remember years ago when one of my children, I will not name who, was very little, and they got very sick as we were traveling. And if you're a parent, you can appreciate the experience of a young child being very sick as you're traveling. And so we went into this gas station and because we had to take the car seat out because the car seat was was really messy, I'll put it that way. And as I go in I asked this this lady who's working in this gas station, do you have a utility sink or something where I can go and clean this car seat up because we still have, I think it was another three hours to drive.

And this person led us back into this room and begin to take the whole thing apart undoing all the straps and all of the buckles and everything and it dawned on me at that time that I had a ready ear and I had the opportunity by God's grace to share even briefly in the midst of this disappointing circumstance to share the glorious gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. We don't always know the ways in which God is going to work in our life. You don't always know when God is going to give you a divine appointment, but I want you through this message today to be looking for those opportunities. I want you to be aware that God is always working. He has always got a plan, and his plans, again, are rarely in accordance with our plans.

Our plans need to be messed up. We plan according to our own designs, but the Lord, we have to understand, the Lord was preparing a man to receive the gospel that was traveling down a deserted road in the middle of nowhere. And God sent Philip to preach the gospel to him. And I find this just so just like God. His ways are not our ways.

God works in mysterious ways. So don't think that only in a crowded city is there a place to preach the gospel. But actually, God's elect are sometimes traveling down deserted roads all by themselves somewhat. They may be out in the middle of nowhere and God meets them there. It's so interesting to me that the Lord has not commissioned angels though to preach the gospel.

It seems like it would have been much more efficient and much easier for just the angel to go and speak to the Ethiopian unit. But you know something in God's economy, God has ordained that men preach the gospel, lest men too often think that it is only through some miraculous sign or miraculous thing that the gospel can come. God has chosen to put this glorious treasure in earthen vessels so that we would be partakers of sharing the glorious gospel. We of all understand the glorious grace of God in saving our souls. And remember what Peter told us when we were going through the book of Peter, that this glorious salvation is something that the angels desire to look into.

And yet we are partakers of. And so do not think, boy somebody else can do it or there's a more efficient way. It's not about efficiency. It's about God's way of doing things. It's about God's sovereignty.

It's about God's plan. It's about God's wisdom. And it's about God's people. God wants to use you to share the gospel with the world. And that world may be in your house, that world may be your neighbor, it may be across the street, it may be down a dark road where no one is except one that God has ordained to save.

We just don't know. We're not always given all of the answers. It's interesting again that that men are those that God has chosen to deliver this glorious gospel. One commentator said, for this calls the Lord sent rather Philip than an angel to the eunuch. For to what end serves this circuit that God calls Philip by the voice of an angel and sendeth not the angel himself save only because he would accustom us to hear men?" I want to stop there just for a moment.

I want you to be accustomed to hearing the preaching of the gospel by men. Don't expect some some shining light, some voice from heaven. God has ordained that men preach the gospel and we should be putting our places in those places, putting ourselves in those places to hear the preaching of the gospel. He says this is assuredly no small commendation of external preaching that the voice of God soundeth in the mouth of men to our salvation when angels hold their peace." God has allowed men to understand something of the gospel. God has also ordained that it is through the foolishness of preaching that he would save some.

He has ordained that it's not through the wisdom of words, it's not through the shining glory of an angel, but it's actually through the preaching of the Word of God by a fallible man to show you the strength of the gospel that it saves to the othermost. Don't be scared, no matter how weak you are, to take the mighty power of the Word of God and to declare it to the world. You need not fear. You have the power of God in your hand. Take the Word of God to the world so that they too would believe even as this Ethiopian eunuch believed and he declared, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

Take the word to the world. Therefore, the angel gives Philip these most interesting instructions, as I said. He just tells them to go. You know this is not the first time that an angel gave instructions for one of the disciples of the Lord Jesus to preach or to go somewhere. In chapter 5 verse 19 and 20 we read regarding this angel, but at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out and said go stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.

Hebrews 1 14 tells us something very instructive about angels and that is this, are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation? God has his angels at work. They are working even now. They are working and ministering. And they are ministering in such a way according to God's design for those who will inherit salvation.

They are actively engaged in circumstances that we do not always see, in fact rarely see, so that the Word of God would go forth through the preachers of God to save many. But let us consider again one more time the command. Arise, he says, go towards the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is desert. Now in my mind I'm sitting here thinking if this was me I would be thinking who's there.

But there are many Lord right here. There's a great crowd of people who need to hear the gospel right where I am. What good could I possibly do in a place like that? But Philip says none of those things. There's no back talk, there's no arguing, there's no questions, there's no complaining, just faithful obedience.

In his actions he said, yes Lord, to the command of God through the angel. Yes. You know in my experience most of the time the Lord does not give you all the information that you want, but simply the information that you need. The Lord sent the angel to tell him to go and that is all that Philip needed to know. In fact, I find in my life that rarely does the Lord show me all of his plan in going and rarely will you see the sprouting of the sowing of the seed.

Occasionally by God's grace you may see life spring forth. You may even see it bud forth to produce fruit but not always. That's not your business. Your business is to be like Philip and go. I love what he says.

Look at it. Now an angel the Lord spoke to Philip saying arise and go to the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is desert. Verse 27, so he arose and went. I guarantee you I would have something to say about that.

But Lord, it's just so interesting to me his eagerness and readiness to obey God and to go where he sends him, to do what he bids him, to preach the gospel, whether it be in Samaria or whether it be in the middle of nowhere. That's not my business. My business is to obey the Lord in what he tells me to do. Whether it be to crowds or whether it be to one. Go and preach the gospel in all of the opportunities that God has given you.

Another commentator said, Philip is first commanded by the angel to go towards the south. The angel tells him not to what end is he to go and thus God oftentimes deals with us in the same manner to prove our obedience. He shows what he will have him do. He commandeth him to do this or that, but he keepeth the success hidden within himself. Therefore let us be content with the commandment of God alone.

Although the reason of that which he enjoineth or the fruit of obedience appears not by and by, for although this be not plainly expressed, yet all the commandments of God contain a hidden promise that so often as we obey him, all that work which we take into hand must needs fall out well. When you obey God, that is the important point. When you're following the commandments of God, know it will turn out well according to the will of God. Not always according to your own eyesight and according to your own plans and designs but according to God's will. But here we find Philip in the middle of nowhere and Philip finds a gospel opportunity.

Philip soon finds that his obedience was not a fruitless obedience, but it was one in which he soon finds the object of God's desire. He's sending him to a place in the middle of nowhere, there on that deserted road is the object of God's grace. And he finds it in a man, an Ethiopian man, an Ethiopian eunuch man, an Ethiopian eunuch man of great authority, an Ethiopian eunuch man of great authority who was under Candice the Queen. You never know who you might meet in the middle of nowhere. Are you ready?

Are you ready? Are you looking for gospel opportunities no matter where you are? But here it is this man out in the middle of nowhere and Philip finds him, this man of great authority. We're not told but I see it seems to reason to me to assume that this man was not traveling alone but had some entourage with him, had bodyguards with him, had those who were driving the chariot, had those who were with the chariot, maybe had camels and others that were carrying provisions for his long trip all the way down to Ethiopia. I do not think it reasonable to think this man was alone.

It would have been clear that this man that Philip was now seeing on the road was an important man. He's riding in a chariot, no doubt has others with him, and we are told, thankfully by Luke, that this man was a man of great occupation and great authority. He had great responsibility. He was over the treasury of a queen. Now we see why God was sending Philip down this road.

We're given some also additional interesting information. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship and was returning. Now the first thing that I thought of when I read that was, well why didn't he send Philip to Jerusalem? And then I remembered, oh yeah, they left Jerusalem because of the great persecution. But isn't it interesting that he went to Jerusalem and left and it was in his leaving of the place of worship that he learned who the true God was.

It was on a road in the middle of nowhere with the Word of God and a man of God. This place of worship as we know from Jesus' time had become a den of thieves. And Jesus had run the people out of there and he said, do you not know that my house should be called a house of prayer for all nations? And truly this Ethiopian man had come to worship God from another nation but yet the Jews had made it a den of thieves. But he had gone to Jerusalem to worship.

This presents us actually with some additional questions, at least it does for me, that are not fully answered. But we're given what we need to know and not all that we maybe want to know. My first question is this, why was this Ethiopian traveling to Jerusalem to worship? Was he a proselyte? A Jewish proselyte, they were known, they weren't unheard of, but there were those of other nations who had determined to become a Jewish proselyte and they would come and worship.

But I say probably not if he was an actual eunuch he was most certainly not a proselyte of the Jewish religion to that extent although The term eunuch can also refer to a person who is just occupied in the in the work of a government He's a man of status. He's a man that is of high position and great authority. So again these are just things that my mind was thinking of as I'm reading this passage and so I'm not giving you the definite answer of why he was going to worship but we know that that God had drawn his heart to some extent to be there. Was he a result of the testimony passed down from the Queen of Sheba in 1 Kings chapter 10? And throughout the centuries and the years was it passed down what she had seen there in Solomon's temple?

I don't know. The answer is we really don't know for certain but what we do know is that this man was concerned with his soul. He was a man who desired to know God and to worship God and yet he was actually ignorant of God. But in his ignorance and in his even though he was he was ignorant of the true God and Jesus Christ his son I just want to say God will not leave in ignorance those who are diligently seeking him. I do not believe that there is anyone who has ever diligently sought the Lord with a pure heart and God said no you're not the elect Because it's only those who are the elect that God draws to himself.

No man comes to the Father unless the Father draws him. And Truly God was drawing this man. He had him traveling up to the very place where he should have heard about the true and living God But he does not hear about the true and living God but he's traveling up and yet he leaves from this place of worship and he leaves with the Word of God in his hands. He was a man who desired to know God. The book of Hebrews, the writer writes this in chapter 11 verse 6, but without faith it is impossible to please him for he who comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.

But what hope was there for a eunuch? They were to be kept out of the temple of God. They were not permitted to enter. They were only allowed in the court of the Gentiles. But I want you to know our God has good promises for those who are the outcast.

Can I just say that again? Maybe you're here and you feel like an outcast. You just don't realize all that I've done. You don't know my past. You don't know what I've done.

But I want you to know that God knows what you've done and God has grace for the outcast. Listen to what, Even in the book of Isaiah chapter 56, just a few chapters later from where he was reading in his chariot, this is what Isaiah says. Thus says the Lord, keep justice and do righteousness for my salvation is about to come and my righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man who does this and the son of man who lays hold on it who keeps from defiling the Sabbath and keeps his hand from doing any evil. Do not let the son of a foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord speak saying the Lord has utterly separated me from his people.

In other words he says don't say that and then he goes on nor let the eunuch say here I am a dry tree For thus says the Lord to the eunuch who keeps my Sabbath and chooses what pleases me and holds fast my covenant even to them I will give in my house and within my walls a place and a name better than that of sons and daughters. I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. Also the sons of a foreigner who join themselves to the Lord to serve him and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants. Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath and holds fast my covenant, even them I will bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar, for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations the Lord God who gathers the outcast of Israel says yet I will gather to him others besides those who are gathered to him In the Old Testament the Jewish prophet Isaiah was telling of this very eunuch who would one day have a name given to him that was an eternal name.

He would have a place in the very house of God because of the grace of God that he showed to all nations through Jesus Christ. It's just amazing to see all that Isaiah had foretold. Do you see that our God has made the crooked paths straight? He has made a way for the foreigner to be a son. He has made a way for the foreigner to be a son.

He has made a way for the eunuch to be a son and to have a name that his his branch is not dry but he's actually one of the people of God and has a place in the house of God. What was this man doing while he was traveling down this road? He was making good use of his time let's say. He was traveling down the road, this deserted road, He was sitting in his chariot and he was reading Isaiah the prophet. He was reading the word of God.

I find it again interesting. This passage is full of interesting things. We read over this so often because we are all sitting here with God's Word in our hand. Did you take that for granted this morning? Here's an Ethiopian eunuch and he's got Isaiah the prophet in his hands.

The words of the book of Isaiah. Now I don't know did he have it already because he was a man of authority and of means? Did he did he purchase a copy while he was at Jerusalem to worship, I don't know, but I do know this, he valued the Word of God to the extent that even in his leisure travel time, his mind and heart and soul were occupied with the things of God. He was reading the Word of God. We take for granted so often the opportunities and privileges we have.

You know if we forget our Bible at church when we get home there's actually a good half dozen to a dozen more Bibles sitting on the shelf that we can draw from and Yet, I don't know that we that we actively pursue the understanding of God's Word even as this man did as he's traveling down the road and as he's making his way back. But his mind was was working on the things maybe that he had seen and heard and participated in at Jerusalem and now on the way back as he's reading the words of Isaiah his his mind is fully engaged and he's reading God's Word and God is working in his heart. This is a man that is being moved by the Spirit of God and he took full advantage of it. He was more enthralled with the Word of God than he was even by his travels. His attention was focused on that wisdom from above.

Not only was he reading it but he was, get this, he was reading it out loud. Perhaps he was reading it for his attendance so that they could also be hearing the book of Isaiah. Or I know sometimes I myself, all by myself have read the Word of God out loud. It seems to have an effect not only when I see it with my eyes, but when I'm also hearing it with my ears. But he was reading it out loud.

And we begin this passage with an angel speaking to Philip and now the Spirit of God speaks to Philip. Philip has no doubt what he is supposed to be doing. Go down there to a deserted place and now the Spirit does not need the angels' assistance anymore, not that he did anyway, but it's just interesting. It begins with an angel and now the Spirit of the living God speaks to Philip and he tells him what to do. Go near and overtake this chariot.

Here we see the work of the Spirit of God in salvation. We see the Spirit of God actively engaged in all of this and we must never overlook or underestimate the work of the Spirit of God and the work of the gospel. We're told the Spirit tells Philip what to do, go near and overtake this chariot. Here we have the Spirit whispering in the ear of Philip, but it's not only the work of the Spirit to whisper in the ear, but he's engaging the heart of the Ethiopian as he's reading the Word of God. From this man's desire to travel to Jerusalem, we know that God was working in the heart of this man to bring him to the understanding of the truth and because he's reading here in Isaiah 53 regarding the suffering servant and the spirit was working both in the heart of the eunuch and in the ear of Philip to bring about his sovereign purpose to bring him to the point that he would believe and say I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

But Philip was bold in the spirit. You know, you can imagine Philip, he's walking down the road and he just deserted place and he sees this most likely an entourage of this government official, this man in a chariot, and he's reading the word of God out loud. There's bound to be a little intimidation factor that he notices there. Can you imagine even today if you saw some famous figure and you just decide to go run up to him? Whoa, you don't come close.

This is the treasure of Candice the Queen of Ethiopia. I don't know if everybody's mind works this way but mine does. I'm just seeing the picture of it and I'm seeing the boldness of Philip to overcome obstacles to bring the gospel. You know, I believe that Philip understood that if God was for him, who could be against him? I also want to declare that the gospel is worth the danger involved in it it takes to to bring the gospel to the lost.

There's going to be danger in bringing the gospel. There's going to be possible shame and mockery and there may be death. There may be jail time and it's worth. I'm not saying be full-hearted. I'm not saying tempting the Lord but I'm saying there are times in which it will be dangerous to preach the gospel.

We see this working of the Spirit of God. He approaches and what do we find as he approaches? He does not find resistance. He actually finds an eager witness and a humble speaker. Philip being that eager witness and he finds here a humble man ready to receive the teaching of the Word of God.

Verse 30, so Philip ran to him and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah and said, listen what a great question. Philip says do you understand what you're reading? Can you get the picture with me again? Here we have a man in a chariot, no doubt dressed nicely. He has means.

And we have Philip, most likely dirty because he's been out preaching all day. He was in Samaria and God tells him to go down to this deserted place, this hot, deserted desert, and Philip says to this man, do you understand what you're reading? Now I want to back up just for a moment. Verse 30 says this, So Philip ran to him and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. Maybe it's just me but I'm so thankful that the Holy Spirit included this little phrase in the narrative, and Philip ran to him.

I believe that this shows us something of the character of Philip and something of the zeal of Philip and something of the desired obedience of Philip and something of Philip's love to the lost in this Ethiopian man. He was an eager evangelist. He was not a man easily deterred. Of course in order to catch up with the chariot he had to run. But how often at the first inconvenience do I slack away and make excuses as to why I cannot share the gospel right now.

But Lord, he's in a chariot. He's traveling too fast. Lord, it's too cold. Lord, it's too hot. Lord, it's too far.

Lord, they live too near. We have all kinds of excuses not to share the gospel, but Philip was a man willing to break a sweat for the gospel. Too often we're not willing to even lose a little sleep for the gospel, not willing to get up early to read God's word and to read the gospel or to go tell someone about the gospel. But Philip was literally a go-getter. He was a man who was willing to chase down a chariot to see what this man was reading.

So that he could share the gospel with him so that he could see a man turn from darkness to light and he had the confidence that God said go. That would be nice wouldn't it to have the confidence of knowing that God said, Go! Go ye therefore into all the world and make disciples. We know that we have that command of God. It is the revealed will of God that we share the gospel.

That we go, that we take the word of God to these people so that they would be the people of God. But Philip, considering this great gospel opportunity, he asked a great gospel question, do you understand the reading or what you're reading? A thoughtful evangelist will be thoughtful in his approach. Now I want to be careful here because I think sometimes our methodology can mess up even the message. But our methodology, I think there's benefit to being a thoughtful, spiritually discerned evangelist.

He's listening, he's hearing what's being said by this man as he's in the chariot, and then he asks this simple question that pierces right down into the conversation and to the heart of this Ethiopian. Do you understand what you're reading? Think about this, he's reading Isaiah the prophet and Philip knows and the Ethiopian knows that this was a prophet. Oftentimes prophecies were challenging to understand. Sometimes it was kind of like it was in the shadows.

Think about it, all of the Jewish religious leaders did not understand this very prophecy of Isaiah because then they crucified the Lord of glory. What a great question. Do you understand what you're reading? He used his spiritual discernment in his approach to the gospel. This time Philip used a question.

He knew the passage of scripture that this passage of scripture spoke of Jesus Christ and it was Christ veiled in the Old Testament. It was not clear that it was Christ, that this was Jesus, that he came to fulfill what Isaiah was prophesying about, but Philip knew that if this man had never heard of Jesus that he would not understand what he was reading. Do you understand what you are reading? What wisdom was given to Philip from heaven to ask such a question. He discerned what was happening and he jumped into the reading.

But you know what I think the Ethiopian's response is what shocks me the most. He says, how can I unless someone guides me? What amazingly humble response. He acknowledges this man of status, this man of wealth, this man of authority, this man in front of all of his servants. He acknowledges his ignorance of the his ignorance of the Scriptures.

His need of a teacher and his willingness to learn. How often those of high standing in the world and high social status find it difficult to admit that they need someone to teach them. To admit that they need help. This man had a humble heart. Can I just say that the attitude of a person who is about to gain wisdom will always be an attitude of humility?

This was a man who was demonstrating the characteristics of the beatitudes of Matthew chapter 5. He was poor in spirit, he was meek, he was hungering and thirsting, and he was about to be filled. Isaiah 66 1 & 2 says, Thus says the Lord heaven is my throne and earth is my footstool. Where is the house that you will build for me and where is the place of my rest? For all those things my hand is made and all those things exist says the Lord.

Listen to what he says, but on this one I will look on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit and who trembles at my word. Calvin says this is the true reverence of the scriptures. When as we acknowledge that there is that wisdom laid up there which surpasses all our senses and yet notwithstanding we do not loathe it but read it diligently. We depend upon the revelation of the Spirit and the desire to have an interpreter given to us. This man was hungry.

This man was thirsty. This man was meek. This man was poor in spirit. And again it's worth noting that those who are only confident in their own counsel and their own interpretation are those who will remain in darkness. Remember Jesus told that to the Pharisees, yes you say you see and therefore you're blind.

They did not need the counsel of Jesus and therefore they remained blind and in their sin. Are you the type of person who is above being taught? You know, one of the dangers of young people, and I'll speak regarding my own nature as a man, being a young man, the tendency is to think that we do not need counsel. We don't need instruction because we know so much. May God help us.

May God help us to be a humble learner, a willing student, one who is ready to hear and ready to understand, to say will you help me understand. We must all be willing to be told. This is the great stumbling block of the worldly wise. They cannot bring themselves to learn of God. But yet here we have this man, this great man Who's willing to hear, how can I?

How can I? How can I? Unless someone guides me. Oh, Philip heard that. And what happens next?

What does he do? He asks Philip to join him up in the chariot, and this again, what a sign of humility that he was allowing Philip just to jump up in the chariot with him. And he says, and he asks Philip to come up in verse 31 and sit with him. And the Place in the scripture which he read was this, he was led as a sheep to the slaughter and as a lamb before it sheers as silent. So he opened not his mouth.

In his humiliation, his justice was taken away. And who will declare his generation for his life is taken from the earth. So the eunuch answered Philip and said, I ask you of whom does the prophet say this of himself or of some other man? I think Philip was a tremendously discerning questioner. He asked this great question, do you understand what you're reading?

But I find that the eunuch also had some really great questions of a true humble heart ready to learn. And he asked them this question, who is the prophet speaking about? Is he talking about himself or is there some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth and began at this scripture and preached Jesus to him. He preached Jesus to him.

You know I want you to understand this passage that he was reading of in Isaiah. Josh read the whole chapter there in Isaiah 53 and right before that we're reading about how he was this suffering servant. He was the one who came, he was the one that bore the sins of many. And I'm going to read it again here for the Lord's Supper in just a few moments. But it was this miraculous, wonderful passage of scripture where Philip on this deserted road in the middle of nowhere finds a rich man who's reading Isaiah regarding Jesus Christ as a suffering servant and this man who has a great desire to know.

There have been times when I've shared the gospel where it seems like the Lord has so primed the pump of the gospel of in that man's heart that he is so eager and so ready to receive all that I have to say to him. It's easy there's other times when it seems like it's a brick wall. Boy this was not that time. God had done a work in this man's heart. His heart was ready.

The soil was tilled. It was the good ground and the seed was beginning to scatter upon that good soil. And it's going to bear fruit. It's going to spring up. It's just so amazing.

What a great question from a learner. And this was a, this eunuch here, he wanted to know who this man was. Was it the prophet or some other man? Who was this man? Who was led as a sheep to the slaughter?

Who was this man? Who was this man who was humiliated unjustly? Who was this man whose life was taken away? Who was this man he had to know? Who was this man?

Was it the prophet or was it some other man? And then in verse 35, Philip opens his mouth. This does not just mean he started talking. It means that he had direction. It means that he was getting ready to go on a long discourse of the gospel.

He was getting ready to put on his teacher's robe. He was about to teach and the learner was about to learn. It was not a conversation, it was a proclamation of the Lord Jesus Christ. He began in this passage and told him and preached Jesus to this man. Philip was going to declare to the eunuch the man of Isaiah's prophecy, Jesus Christ.

Luke says in beginning at this scripture, he preached Jesus to him. Brothers and sisters, this is what we must be about, preaching and proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. Philip preached Jesus to him. He began with Isaiah but did not stop with Isaiah. He preached the name of Jesus.

He preached the man of God and the Son of God. He preached the suffering servant and the sovereign savior. He preached the man of sorrows and the king of kings. He preached Jesus to him. And this is what every sinner needs.

They need Jesus preached to them. In Acts 412, it says, "'Nor is there salvation in any other, "'for there is no other name under heaven "'given among men by which we must be saved. Therefore since all people need to be saved then all people need Jesus preached to them. He preached Jesus and Him crucified. If there is no other name that will do them any eternal good then it must be by this name alone that we preach to them the most eternal good.

Jesus Christ go and give them the name of Jesus. He is their only hope. There's no other name that will give them hope. There is no other name that will save them. Philip found that the seed fell upon good ground.

And my last point in verses 36 through 40, we find a ready and willing convert. The eunuch's desire, notice this, was to be baptized. This is amazing. Now as they went down the road they came to some water and the eunuch said, see here's water. What hinders me from being baptized?

Where did this come from? We read nothing of baptism in this narrative. Was it because of the Judaism's proselyte baptism? I don't think so. But rather, baptism was a part of the message that Philip preached to him.

It says that he began at this passage of scripture. He didn't end there. He preached Jesus to them. I believe that he preached Jesus to them right up into the Great Commission when he said, Go and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all things.

I don't think this was a five minute conversation. I think he got up in the chariot and he spent some time with this man that they were going down the road and he was teaching him all about Jesus Christ and the gospel of Jesus Christ and he found a ready and willing heart, ready to receive the word of God, and the eunuch was applying the scripture to himself. Wait a minute, if I'm now, I want to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. If I'm a disciple of Jesus Christ, it says to be baptized. As we're riding down the road, there's water.

It's a dry and deserted place. Maybe he was thinking, this may be my only opportunity. There's water. This was an unusual sight in this area. There's water.

What does hinder me from being baptized? There's so much to learn from this passage. I could go on and on. I won't, I promise. But he's ready to obey what he had been taught.

Again, it just shows he was such a ready listener. He was a man who was ready to obey the word of God. He was a man ready to receive the word of God. He was a humble and contrite man. He was ready to be instructed in the things of God.

And I find it helpful for our own instruction that the eunuch does not demand baptism but submits himself to the authority of Philip as the one administering the ordinance of baptism. He has a desire but he asked Philip what hinders me. Philip is there anything that you see that would hinder me? Am I not thinking rightly about anything? Am I not trusting?

Do I not have all the information? What hinders me? You've told me about Jesus Christ, you've preached him to me, I know the man now. What hinders me?" And he submitted himself into Philip. He has a desire and Philip is ready.

This man is immediately ready to be baptized in obedience to the Lord. And you know what in verse 37 he gives a credible profession of faith. Then Philip said if you believe with all your heart you may and he answered and said I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. The eunuch professed his faith not only in the man Jesus but also confessed that this Jesus is the Christ the Son of God. This includes all the glorious doctrine that accompanies this truth as well.

He trusted in Christ as the Son of God and the Savior of the world. We're not given everything that they said. Obviously we have a very short passage of Philip opening his mouth. This was this key word if you would that this clue that Philip was getting ready to just explode on him all of this wonderful glorious doctrine of Christ and he did so but listen to what Psalm says Psalm 68 31 says envoys will come out of Egypt Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God. And the Ethiopian eunuch is the first of that.

He's ready, he's willing, he wants to be baptized and so he commanded the chariot to stand still. Apparently Philip had no reason, he could come up with nothing. And so the Ethiopian commanded that the chariot stand still and both Philip and the unit went down into the water and he baptized him. And now when they came up out of the water, Matthew Henry says, in the solemn dedicating of the devotion of ourselves to God, it is good to make haste and not delay. For the present time is the best time.

Today is the day of salvation. Today. Psalm 119.60 says, I made haste, I did not delay to keep your commandments. Those things that are clear and ready and right before you, why delay? What are you waiting on?

A voice from heaven? You just had it. God is commanding all men everywhere to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, those who have received the things signified by baptism should not put off the receiving of the sign of baptism and be baptized. And then these last couple verses here just wow it's just one of those things that the book of Acts is so notorious for.

It's just Look at that. What happens now when they came up out of the water the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away so that the eunuch saw him no more? Philip, where did he go? We know, But the Ethiopian eunuch sure didn't know. He didn't know what happened to him.

You know the Spirit of God moves in the hearts of men and the Spirit moves in men wherever he desires. In the Gospel of John Jesus says this wonderful thing about salvation and how the Spirit works and it kind of relates to what happened here. In John 3, 8 says that the wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it but cannot tell where it comes from or where it goes. So is everyone who was born of the Spirit and here the Spirit does this in the life of Philip in a physical tangible way that the Ethiopian eunuch man he's just gone it's just like the wind poof he called oh he was called away so that the eunuch saw him no more but you know what that did not dampen the joy of the eunuch. His faith was not tied up and bound to a single man other than Jesus Christ.

You know in our day and age we see many preachers fall, we see many evangelists fall, we see all kinds of people who will disappoint you. Don't be the type of person whose faith is destroyed when you see a man sin Because there is a man, the man of Isaiah, that your fate should be in. And he never sins. He never falls. He never falters.

He's always there. He is the rock of God. And your faith and hope can always rest fully upon him. But the fruit of this spirit was at work in the life of and in the heart of this eunuch and he went on his way rejoicing. It's noteworthy that the eunuch went on his way.

Again he wasn't stumbled up because Philip disappeared. He was a man under authority. He was a man with a job to perform and to fulfill and God rarely moves a man away from his vocation once he is saved. He just makes him better at it. The eunuch went on his way rejoicing.

Not only does he make you better at it, he makes you happy in it. How often does the Bible teach us that the joy of the Lord is our strength and how God when God comes into the heart of a person joy is the fruit of that. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy. Joy it is rejoicing in the Lord. This is a fruit of the Spirit.

The burdens of his soul had been relieved. His soul was now rejoicing in his savior. And he continued rejoicing on the way. And then lastly, we see Philip was found at Azotes. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea.

This Philip, man I'm telling you what, this is a man who was given to the work of the Lord. This was an evangelist. This was a man who was ready to preach the gospel. He didn't need somebody to say, hey maybe you should go preach the gospel. He was preaching the gospel everywhere he went.

Even the Spirit called him up. Boom! I don't know. Here's my mind again. Philip finds himself in a Zotis and he's like, okay, here I am in the Zotis.

I'm preaching the gospel in the Zotis. I'm not going to stop preaching the gospel. This was some 20 to 30 miles away. And here he is ready to proclaim the word of God to everyone who would hear. What are our takeaways?

We're finally at the takeaways. And your paper was printed sideways you have all this room to write takeaways I don't know if you saw that or not. I'm not gonna lie to you and say I did that on purpose. Four things number one every gospel opportunity is a divine appointment. God's working.

I want you to see it as such. Number two, don't wait for an audible voice from God before you share the gospel. You have the Spirit of God, the Word of God, and the command of God, now go and share the gospel. Number three, be a thoughtful evangelist. Our job is not to be the most rude and just mean evangelist in the world.

You can smile and share the gospel. Discern your opportunities and use wisdom. Number four, stay focused. It's so easy to get so preoccupied with the busyness of this life that we miss gospel opportunities. This does not mean that we neglect our responsibilities, but it does mean that we look for opportunities everywhere we go to preach the gospel.

For the gospel remember it is by no other name it is only through the name of Jesus Christ and if listen if that's the only name then that's the name we should be proclaiming continually. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven we rejoice in you. We rejoice in Jesus Christ the man of God, the man that Isaiah was speaking of, the man that the Ethiopian eunuch wondered about, the name which was given, which is above every name, the name at which every knee shall bow and every tongue confess. I pray oh Lord for your people this morning and for those who are not yet your people.

For us who are your people, oh Lord Give us a burning zeal to proclaim the gospel to every creature. And for those who are not your people, Lord, would you give them a desire in their heart to know this man, this God man, Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God. And I ask it in Jesus name. Amen.