Let's turn to Acts Chapter 8. We are going to be looking at the
account of the Ethiopian eunuch, Philip. No doubt many of us are
familiar with the account. The Lord has his people scattered
across this world. They are separated geographically
obviously from one another, but there are no obstacles that keep
God from His people, particularly the saving of His
people. What a lovely example this passage is. of how God pursues
His people wherever they may be. There are no hindrances at
all from God pursuing His people and doing them good. The love
of Christ is upon them at all times. This is exactly what we
read at the end of Romans 8, who shall separate us from the
love of God? who shall separate us from the
love of Christ, rather shall tribulation, or distress, or
persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword. For I am
persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height,
nor depth, nor any creature shall be able to separate us from the
love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Nothing can be
contrived that can frustrate God in His purposes of doing
good to His people and He cannot be frustrated in His purpose
to seek out His people wherever they may be. And as we look at
this account together I'd like us to think tonight of the words
the Lord Jesus spoke. You might remember when He visited
Zacchaeus. He was one that went looking
for His people. and those words that he spoke
at the house of Zacchaeus, that person that was despised as a
republican. And he said, for the Son of Man
has come to seek and save that which was lost. He is the one
seeking. Of course for him to seek them
out, that doesn't mean he doesn't know where they are. God knows
every single thing about where they are, who they are. He knows
every single thing about them. And even when the Lord Jesus
was seemingly passing by and they cry out to Him, He is passing
that place at that very hour and that very time and that very
hour because the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which
was lost. God will make sure that His Gospel
comes to them wherever they are. And we have this same principle
in this passage in Acts Chapter 8 with Philip and Eunuch. Let's read from 26 down to 39. And the angel of the Lord spoke
unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south, unto the
way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is a desert.
And he arose and went, and behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of
great authority, under Candace, Queen of the Ethiopians, who
had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for
worship, was returning and sitting in his chariot, reading Isaiah
the prophet. Then the Spirit said unto him,
Philip, go near and join thyself to his chariot. Philip ran to
him and heard him read the Prophet Moses and said, Understandest
thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I except
some man should guide me? And he desired, Philip, that
he would come up and sit with him. The place of the scripture
which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter,
and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his
mouth. In his humiliation his judgement
was taken away, and who shall declare his generation? For his
life is taken from the earth.' And the eunuch answered Philip
and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? Of
himself or some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth
and began at the same scripture and preached unto him Jesus.
And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water.
And the eunuch said, See, here is water. What doth hinder me
to be baptised? And Philip said, If thou believeth
with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the
chariot to stand still. And they went down both into
the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptised him.
And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the
Lord caught away Philip, but the eunuch saw him no more, and
he went on his way rejoicing." Philip is given a word from the
mouth of an angel which obviously was sent of the Lord and as all
of God's messengers are, they are sent. Very little detail
is given of his journey accept the direction to go from Jerusalem
into Gaza or Samaria, which was desert country. This area is
in our news quite a bit at the moment. Why does the Lord send
him to a desert? On such an errand surely the
Lord would be better to send His messengers into populated
places where souls might be found, more souls. And indeed God does
that obviously as well. In Acts Chapter 2 on that day
of Pentecost in Jerusalem the crowds were gathered and when
Peter had preached the Gospel to those present about 3,000
souls were added to their number. Surely God would continue such
a profitable pattern. Surely God would send his Gospel
messengers into populated places. Why send his messenger into a
desolate region? The Gospel of grace must go to
God's people wherever they may be. To God a sparse desert is
no obstacle at all. He has his messengers and if
that is where his people are, even just one, that is where
his saving Gospel must go. Out of the entire world, you
might remember, just Noah was saved. God sought Noah out of
those millions. He spared him from the millions
that perished in that great flood and from those cities of Sodom
and Gomorrah destined to be destroyed by God. You might remember Abraham's
nephew Lot and his family. They only were sought out and
they were saved. The people of God are precious
in His sight. Every solitary soul in the family
of God must come under the Gospel influence. There is no factor
that will obstruct God and His purpose, save His people. This
eunuch is a fascinating character. He might seem like an unusual
soul. A man of Ethiopia the text says and a eunuch. The term eunuch
according to the commentators could simply refer to a court
official Most often, however, eunuchs were emasculated males,
castrated for the purpose of being made suitable for a particular
office. And for reasons of trust, eunuchs
were often placed in charge as superintendents over harems.
But I believe it's a significant thing that the Holy Spirit records
this title for us in the text. Five times in fact in the text
this man is called the eunuch. He could have been described
just as a royal official or the Queen's treasurer. We have him
described time and time again as the eunuch. There are some
beautiful parallels for us to consider in Deuteronomy 23, eunuchs
in particular. was specifically forbidden entry
into the congregation of the Lord or into the temple. It just
seems to me that God in His choice for this eunuch to both hear
the Gospel and to be baptised into the congregation may well
be yet another example that the Gentiles also were included in
the promises of God. Gentiles of course were people
at one time alienated and separated from the promises of God. God
searched this gentile eunuch man out in the desert. A testimony
from God that something greater has superseded those laws of
Moses. No longer did Deuteronomy 23
or any other law prevent this gentile man from receiving grace
and mercy from God. I believe this eunuch serves
well as a picture of us all in our flesh. We are in effect impotent
in our flesh. Again consider Abraham, being
about 100 years old, was considered as good as dead according to
the flesh. Yet by faith he was alive. Abraham
knew himself weak in his flesh. God had made him a promise to
be the father of many nations and Abraham being persuaded that
what God had promised he was able to perform. Brethren, we
have a God who makes things possible and he makes the impossible things
possible. We should not be amazed that
he is able to do that which is impossible or improbable even.
That is our Gospel message, is it not? That we are not able
in and of ourselves to do that which is required. He quickens
the dead and we ourselves are dead in trespasses and sins. We require another to do that
which we cannot do for ourselves. To know your own inability is
to know a great truth about yourself. It is good if he has given you
this conviction of heart. Those who consider themselves
able, even in a small part, have not yet known the truth of themselves.
And so Philip arose and went to this death way and behold
this eunuch man, one of great authority in verse 27, given
charge of all the treasure of the Queen. He had come to Jerusalem
for worship and was returning but his understanding was yet
to be opened and in the prevenient grace of God he was sitting in
his chariot reading the scriptures. What do I mean by prevenient
grace? What does that term mean? Prevenient
grace simply means grace that goes before. Prevenient grace
is that grace which proceeds and prepares the way for God's
saving grace. The word prevenient means proceeding
or coming before. And of course the everlasting
covenant of grace is a prime example of how the grace of God
is a prevenient grace. It has gone before us, it has
gone before all believers, Irresistibly and powerfully God in His grace
chose the people for Himself before the world began and it
is an irresistible grace. Whenever God bestows His grace,
salvation is the result. Grace is not an offer of salvation
or an opportunity to be saved. Grace is the accomplishment of
salvation. that there are no buts in grace,
as Simon talked to us recently. It is always yes and Amen in
our God. And what did this eunuch man
happen to be reading? He was reading none other than
Isaiah 53. Doesn't it strike you as remarkable
that he should be reading at that very moment as Philip approached
the chariot perhaps the best text that Philip could have selected.
A portion of scripture that Philip would expound to be the very
heart of the Gospel of Substitution, the Gospel of God's Grace, the
Gospel of the Lamb of God slain, the willing sacrifice of guilty
men, Christ crucified. What a beautiful example of the
prevenient grace of God in the lives of his people. He works
all things according to His good pleasure. There is no difficulty
at all for the Lord to bring about the circumstances and the
times and people and place them together with precision at the
appointed times all for the purpose that the Gospel of Grace might
fall on the ears and hearts of His elect ones. No doubt the
Gospel often falls on unbelieving ears just like those seeds that
get cast about and land in places that are unprepared. Yet the
Lord's providence towards His people is such that He goes before
them in preparation. He cultivates that soil in readiness
for that seed and the heart of this Ethiopian man was prepared
and cultivated for that Gospel seed. I wonder if some of you
can recount with me those early days of our Gospel understanding.
How often did we experience this prevenient grace going before
us? Times when the Scriptures were
unclear in many places and then just at the right time it seemed
we'd hear a message either from this pulpit or maybe perhaps
a recorded message from our brethren overseas. and it's brought comfort
and peace and understanding to us. All those things are not
a coincidence. There are no coincidences in
the schemes of God. God has his servants everywhere
and his secret directions are given out so that all these servants,
his Gospel preachers, though they are little aware of it,
are all led to work together for the same predestined end,
that salvation might come to his people by the faithful preaching
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We ought to be confident that
our God will feed us. He will not let us go hungry.
He knows the Gospel is bread to us. And so this Ethiopian
eunuch had before him in his hands the very word of God from
the prophet Osiris, which is Osiris. Yet by himself, without
knowledge, without one to God, without interpretation, it was
a mystery to him. It's a sobering thought, isn't
it, that there are men who can hold this book in their hands
and read the very words of God. Yet unless the Spirit illuminates
them, by the faith of preaching in the Gospel. There is no knowledge
and there is no life. But if God in His grace has given
you true knowledge, true knowledge of God, knowledge of His prescribed
way of salvation, knowledge and faith in the person of His Son,
then you have reason to rejoice. Such knowledge is given to but
a few. There are few that find that
gate and few that enter that narrow gate. In verse 29 the
Spirit said unto Philip, Go near and join thyself to his chariot. And Philip ran to him. He went
to this man with the urgency and the seriousness that a message
from God determines. Yet Philip is nobody in particular
to this important eunuch man. This eunuch is a queen's servant,
a royal attendant. He has wealth at his disposal
and he has authority. Philip is but a poor preacher
of the word yet undeterred as he reaches him in his chariot.
He immediately asks the eunuch a very direct question. It seems there were no introductions
and no frivolous conversation. He just simply asks him, Understandest
thou what thou readest? Do you understand the words before
you? Do you understand their meaning?
Do you know of whom they speak? What a bold inquiry that is.
It could appear an insult to suggest that this man of authority
is ignorant in what he reads. But what a good and proper question
it is to ask any soul compelled to open this book and to look
into its contents. Perhaps in our thinking we might
be led to think that men of high position are more likely to be
prideful. Perhaps this eunuch might scold
him for his impertinence But isn't it just like God to use
the foolish things of this world to achieve His mighty purposes.
The prevenient grace of God has gone before him and rather than
be offended he says to Philip, how can I accept some man should
guide me? When we read this book I trust
that we labour above all things to understand it. This is a book
written to be understood. It would be a mockery of God
to suggest that He has given us a revelation that we cannot
understand. Yet we know that men do indeed
read this book without understanding. Even scholars of the scriptures
can and do read it and are still without understanding. Pharisees
are just such an example. They paraded around with the
Scriptures fastened to their foreheads. Often they'd strap
those little Scriptures in a little box and strap them to their arm
and they could recite it all from memory. Yet the Lord described
them in this way, as blind fools and blind gods. We have a large
book before us. It is in its entirety the Word
of God. The Gospel of Christ and Him
crucified is its subject throughout. Yet even small portions just
like this bring life and immortality to light. I wonder whether it's
a bit like a honey eater bird. I saw one out the window the
other day hovering around one of the trees. and it had all
these flowers but it landed on just one. He just landed on this one flower,
delving deep into each flower and that honey bird would spend
its time just drinking in that sweet nectar. This portion of
scripture in Isaiah 53 is just one flower in the scriptures.
It is full of beautiful nectar and what a lovely place to spend
some time. Just a short text that this man
was reading, less than two verses it was, from Isaiah 53 in our
modern Bibles. In verse 32, the place of the
scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the
slaughter, and as a lamb done before his shearer, so opened
he not his mouth, In his humiliation his judgement was taken away,
and who shall declare his generation? For his life is taken from the
earth." The eunuch answered Philip and said, I pray thee, of whom
speaketh the prophet this? Of himself or of some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth
and began at the same scripture and preached unto him Jesus. He was led as a sheep to the
slaughter. In John 1.29 it was John the
Baptist who declared that Christ is the Lamb of God who taketh
away the sins of the world. He was indeed like a sheep to
the slaughter. And the Lord Jesus held his priest,
didn't he, before that council of priests and false accusers,
like a lamb dumbed She records that he answered Pilate, not
a word, so much that Pilate marvelled greatly. And indeed his life
was indeed taken from the earth, dishonoured, spat upon, beaten
with many blows and nailed to a tree as one who was cursed. His humiliation was complete. Brethren there is only one man
who ever lived and died in such exact circumstances. prophecies,
and there are hundreds of them, are only fulfilled in one man,
Jesus Christ of Nazareth, declared to be the Messiah by God Almighty
according to the Scriptures and attested to by the Apostles,
the One who would come to save His people from their sins. This
is the One Philip would declare to this Ethiopian man. He preached
unto him Jesus, the true Jesus, Friends, there are so many Jesuses
in this world. His name is spoken in houses
of religion all over this country all the time. Do not assume that
because there are so many claiming His name that they are talking
about the same Jesus of the Scriptures. Numerically there may be many
people seemingly going to these churches. Hillsong just recently
had a conference so large they had to hold it in a stadium and
they reported about 30,000 people attending. Numerically over the
centuries the saved of God are indeed a great multitude, but
comparatively few are chosen. We should not forget that salvation
is but for a remnant. And he began at the same scripture
as the eunuch was reading. The Lord had turned this eunuch's
heart to this very portion, to this very occasion, to this very
hour. How proper it was for Philip,
who knew the grace of God, to begin with him where the Lord
began him in his inquiry. and how proper it is for us,
you know the grace of God, to begin with people where the Lord
has begun them in their inquiry, to meet with them at their place
of understanding and not running ahead. What a remarkable thing
it is to read prophetic writings, all of which have been supernaturally
fulfilled. We should never cease to marvel
that we have been given such evident testimony. For Philip
and the eunuch the actual events of the Lord had only taken place
perhaps one to two years before their meeting. There were many
alive still from Jerusalem and surrounding areas that had been
eyewitnesses to these events. The city of Jerusalem would have
been abuzz still even after such a while. Yet incredibly the text
this eunuch was reading was written almost 700 years beforehand,
perfectly fulfilled to the letter, every jot and tittle. And we
are not sure how long the conversation was, perhaps it was some hours,
but in that time Philip preached under him Jesus and under that
faithful word His understanding was enlarged, his mind was opened
and he found himself believing the message. His heart was a
believing heart because God made it like that. God had prepared
it and having understood and believed the Gospel he desired
that he be baptised. The Lord in his great wisdom
gives us this beautiful ordinance, doesn't he? This ordinance is
one of three ordinances which the Lord's people enjoy together.
The gathering together of God's people is one ordinance. The
communion we share together each week is another. And here we
have believers' baptism and how perfectly does baptism depict
the believers' vital union with Christ. Such a proper representation
of our union. It is in itself worthy of a message. but suffice here to say that
it was the earnest desire of this saintly man to be baptised. The act of baptism declares that
which the scriptures declare. Not only are we joined to Christ
by God in His life but also we died with Him in His death, we
were crucified with Christ buried with Him in baptism, raised up
from the dead as He Himself was raised. And even more than this,
having been raised, He is seated at the right hand of God as we
too are there also seated in Him. Baptism is a lovely picture
of what it is for the believer to enjoy union with Christ in
all His finished works of redemption. And we see in verse 37 that this
eunuch man makes a great declaration. He says, I believe that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God. We need to understand something
important here. We need to understand that this
statement is a statement for believers only. Only for believers. Only believers can say these
words with right conviction. None but a believer can say these
words in truth. None but the elect of God can
say these words with honesty. I believe that Jesus Christ is
the Son of God. Yet they are just words, aren't
they? Words that anyone can say. And so someone might ask, surely
anyone at all can just say those words. Surely anybody can physically
open their mouth and repeat exactly what this eunuch man says. Surely
any unbelieving fool can say these words in an effort to be
saved with the result that God might honour him for his confession.
We just turn quickly to 1 Corinthians 12. This chapter of course speaks
in particular about the gifts of the Spirit. Verse 3 Therefore I give you to understand
that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus a curse,
and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the
Holy Ghost." A true confession. The believer must be one who
is indwelt by the Spirit. No man speaking by the Spirit
of God calleth Jesus a curse. Indeed our Lord did become a
curse for us, didn't he? That is the description of him
who hangs upon a tree. Cursed is he who hangs upon a
tree. For although he hanged there,
the believer will not and cannot suggest him to have failed in
any sense or consider his work in vain. Our Lord Jesus became
a curse for us, a perfect substitute, one without sin. He Himself is
that spotless Lamb of God. His Father is well pleased with
all that He has accomplished and so too are all those who
believe. And truly Jesus is Lord, Lord
of all things, both seen and unseen, Lord of glory. His titles are glorious because
His person is glorious. The hearts of believers grieve
when they hear this glorious person diminished, when the work
of the bridegroom is diminished. And so believers such as this
eunuch declare with gladness and true conviction that Jesus
is Lord. Words can be feigned. Words can
be falsely professed. False teachers of religion can
and often do say the same words as this unit. Indeed words can be said by anybody
with the ability to speak. Still the Lord discerns the professions
of men. In Matthew 15 the Lord Jesus
spoke about the Pharisees in this regard. In verse 8 he says,
this people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth
me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. But in
vain they do worship me, teaching the doctrines, the commandments
of men." Perhaps you might notice the thing lacking. The thing
lacking is that heart that is far from me, the Lord says. And
that is why in verse 37 Philip calls this eunuch man to consider
his heart for baptism. A false declaration saves no
one. The heart is the spirit of a man, the spirit of God in
the heart of a man. That is the necessary thing.
The Holy Spirit of God brings life and light to men. He works
in the heart, revealing Christ. ever working to glorify Christ
in the hearts of believers. It is a revealing of Christ in
the heart, Christ in you, the hope of glory. So when we preach,
our preaching is to the heart. Gospel preachers are not interested
in winning intellectual arguments. They are preachers, not apologists. The heart is the focus. Those
that use techniques to declare men saved by saying praise or
by the repetition of words set themselves against God's ways.
We are just fooling ourselves if we think we can fool God with
words. God looks on the heart. The heart
is God's true measure of a man. For out of the abundance of the
heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure
of the heart bringeth forth good things and an evil man out of
the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. God will not be
mocked. He knows the goats among the
sheep and He knows the tares amongst the wheat. There are
some beautiful verses concerning the heart in Psalm 51. Behold, Thou desirest truth in
the inward parts, and in the hidden part Thou shalt make me
to know wisdom, creating me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right
spirit within me. The sacrifices of God are a broken
spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise. The Lord must create that clean
heart and renew a right spirit. So in closing just let me take
you back to that which we considered at the beginning. This beautiful
account is recorded for our edification and for our comfort. An example
to us of a very great truth. How the Lord God pursues His
people wherever they may be. Brethren, we are bought at a
great price. Payment has been made in full.
The very blood of God has been shed for the purchase of His
Church. The salvation of His people is His satisfaction. The salvation of His people brings
Him glory. He will not be denied His people
wherever they may be." In Romans 8, again Brian persuaded, that
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor
powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor
depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us
from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. There is nothing
that can separate us from our mighty God. Let me just pray.