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Book: Acts
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Acts 8:35 Preaching Jesus
I. The call of Philip.
A. Philip was one of the men chosen to wait on the tables in the
church in Jerusalem. When the church was scattered because of
the persecution, Philip went to Samaria and preached Christ
unto them.
1. There was a great move of God and many were converted
and baptized.
2. Upon hearing the news of so many new believers in
Samaria, church in Jerusalem sent Peter and John that
they might lay hands on the new believers that they
might receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
B. In the midst of this great move of God Philip was called of God
to go down to the road that led from Jerusalem to Gaza which
was desert.
1. There would be great natural cause to wonder if this
really was the call of God.
a. Why would God call you to leave the midst of a
glorious revival in which you were a key figure
to go to a desert area.
b. It would be easy to challenge the wisdom of
such a move.
2. Nevertheless Philip obeyed.
C. We then learn why the call of God on the heart of Philip. There
was a man of great authority from Ethiopia who had come to
Jerusalem to worship God and was returning.
1. I believe that he was returning as empty as he came.
2. The temple worship was so corrupted by this time that
it would be hard to find God with their religion so
commercialized.
3. God saw his thirsty soul, he had traveled all the way
from Ethiopia to find God and was returning empty, and
God wanted to reveal His truth to this searching heart
so God sent Philip. to share the truth of Jesus with
him.
4. I believe that God will reveal Himself to every
searching heart.
II. The question of Philip, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
A. The man confessed his difficulty. "How can I without someone
guiding me?"
1. The Bible tells us that the natural man does not
understand the things of the Spirit, neither can he
know them for they are spiritually discerned.
2. The Bible speaks of Lydia whose heart the Lord had
opened that she attended the things that were spoken by
Paul.
3. Many people are in the same condition as this man. They
are curious and hungry to know God.
a. Many have searched through the religions and
are still empty.
b. Many have gone to the liberal, formal
ritualistic churches and have concluded that
Christianity doesn't have the answers they are]
seeking.
c. They have come searching for God and return
empty but still searching.
d. Some have even tried reading the Bible but find
that they do not understand it.
e. Jesus is the key to the understanding of the
Bible.
B. The man was reading from the prophecies of Isaiah. "He was led
as a sheep to the slaughter: and as a lamb is dumb before his
shearers, He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation, His
judgment was taken away, and who shall declare His generation?
For His life was taken from the earth."
1. The Ethiopian asked Philip, "Who was the prophet
speaking
about, himself or someone else?"
2. And Philip began at the same scripture and preached
unto him Jesus.
a. Philip gave to him the key to the understanding
of all scripture.
b. The Bible says that the spirit of prophecy is
the testimony of Jesus.
C. It really did not matter where the man may have been reading
the scriptures, you can begin at any part and preach Jesus.
1. Jesus said to the Pharisee's and Scribes, "You do
search the scriptures for in them you think that you
have life, but they are they that testify of Me, and
you will not come to Me that you might have life."
a. Jesus acknowledged that they read the
scriptures.
b. But they did not have the key, they would not
come to Him, thus they did not have the life
that the scriptures are intended to give.
2. We read that Jesus with the two disciples on the road
to Emmaus, began at Moses and went through all the
prophets the things that the scriptures had said about
Him.
3. He said to His disciples " These [are] the words which
I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all
things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law
of Moses, and [in] the prophets, and [in] the psalms,
concerning me.
4. Philip said to Nathanael," We have found him, of whom
Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of
Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
5. Of Jesus it was written, "I have come. The volume of
the book it is written of Me."
III. The explanation by Philip. He preached Jesus.
A. He was led as a sheep to the slaughter.
1. Even as a lamb was used by the people as a sin
offering, so Jesus, as the lamb of God, was offered for
our sins.
2. Peter would later write, "For we are redeemed not with
corruptible things such as silver or gold from our vain
manner of living, but with the precious blood of Jesus
Christ who was slain as a lamb, without spot or
blemish."
3. "As a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth
not His mouth."
MAT 27:12 And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he
answered nothing.
MAT 27:13 Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things
they witness against thee?
MAT 27:14 And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the
governor marveled greatly.
B. "In His humiliation His judgment was taken away."
1. Jesus was the only begotten Son of God. He was very
God, yet He humbled Himself and came to this earth as a
man, even as a servant to do the will of His Father.
2. Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the
cross, despising the shame.
3. In His death, there was no justice. His judgment was
taken away.
a. Judas brought the money back to the priests
that he was given to him for betraying Jesus
with the words, "I have betrayed innocent
blood."
b. Pilate said, "I have examined Him, and I find
no fault in Him."
c. Pilate's wife sent him a message saying, "Have
thou nothing to do with that just man."
d. Even the dying thief on the cross next to Him
declared "This man has done nothing amiss."
C. "His life was taken from the earth."
1. The wages of sin is death.
2. Jesus did no sin, yet He died.
3. He died not for His own sin, but for the sins of the
world.
4. Paul wrote the Galatians, "Christ died for our sins."
5. Jesus said that He had come to give His life as a
ransom for many.
IV. The glorious results of preaching Jesus.
A. When they came to a body of water the Ethiopian said to Philip,
"Here is some water, what hinders me from being baptized?"
1. Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you
may."
2. He responded, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son
of God."
3. It is interesting to me that Philip did not say, "Well
it is necessary that you attend the instructional
classes before I can baptize you." The only requirement
was believing with all his heart.
4. Paul told the Roman's that faith came by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God.
5. If the word of God is rightly preached, it will bring
men into a saving faith in Jesus Christ.
B. Paul said to the Corinthians, "We preach not our selves, but
Jesus Christ the Lord, and ourselves your servants for His
sake."
C. Many people use the Bible to preach many things, but the main
topic of the Bible is Jesus. We do well to follow the example
of Philip and any time we open the scripture, begin at that
verse and preach Jesus.
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