He's preaching in Danville this
morning. Acts 8, once again, the Ethiopian eunuch has heard Philip
preach the gospel, and he asks this question, what doth hinder me? Give me a reason as to why I
should not be baptized. And I love Philip's reply. He says, if thou believest with all thine heart thou mayest. I've entitled this message, Believing
With All Your Heart. What does that mean? Believing with all your heart. Does it mean you believe with
more than your head, you believe with your heart as well? Does it mean You believe with utter sincerity
in your faith. You're not half hearted. You're
not three quarters hearted. You're not 99% hearted. You're
whole hearted. 100% in. Does it mean that you believe
in such a way that there's no doubt whatsoever? All doubts
and fears have been cast aside. and you believe with all your
heart. What does it mean to believe
with all your heart? It's my prayer that we'll all
understand the answer to that question by the end of this message.
And pray even now that the Lord will give you hearing ears. In verse 5 of Acts chapter 8, Then Philip went down to the
city of Samaria and preached Christ unto them." How special is that? And the people with one accord
gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing
the miracles which he did. What came first? Hearing. and
seeing the miracles, which he did for unclean spirits, crying
with loud voice came out of many that were possessed with him
and many taken with palsies. And then there were lame were
healed verse eight. And there was great joy in that
city. Don't you love to think of this atmosphere, how exciting
that must have been. And I pray that we have the same
atmosphere here this morning. Great joy in that city. The Lord had done a mighty work
of grace in that place. Verse 26 of chapter 8, and the
angel of the Lord, now he's the one who preached Christ unto
them and because of his preaching or through his preaching, there
was great joy in that city. many people brought to the saving
knowledge of Christ. And the angel of the Lord spake
unto Philip saying, Arise and go toward the south and to the
way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. He leaves this exciting place
where the Lord was moving and he goes down to a desert. Why? One of God's elect was down there. And God is going to cross his
path with the gospel. Wouldn't it be glorious if God
crossed our paths with his gospel this morning? I pray that that
is what takes place. Verse 27, and he arose and went
and behold, a man of Ethiopia and eunuch of great authority
under Candacy, queen of the Ethiopians who had the charge of all her
treasure had come to Jerusalem to worship. Now, the first thing
that I would notice about this man is he was a eunuch. You know what that means? He couldn't produce life. That is my state and your state
by nature. We cannot produce life. Would that be you? He was a black man from Ethiopia. That's where the
queen of Sheba was from in Solomon's day. And he was a powerful, influential
and wealthy man. Sometimes God saves individuals
like this. Not often, but sometime. Scripture
says not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not
many noble or call, but it didn't say not any, not many. This was a man that God saved
and he crossed his path with the gospel. Now this man had
a measure of light and he took a long trip from Ethiopia in
Africa to Jerusalem to worship. He knew for some reason that
the religion, his religion that he was brought up with was no
good. Insufficient. inadequate. He knew there was something wrong.
He'd read the scriptures. Maybe the scriptures got into
Ethiopia through the Queen of Sheba. Remember when she came
to hear the wisdom of Solomon and she came all the way from
Ethiopia? Well, this man did too. And maybe the truth of the
scriptures were still found there. He read the scriptures, thought,
I don't know God. but I know God is in Jerusalem.
I read this. I read of his presence in Jerusalem
and his worship in Jerusalem. What light he had, he acted on. He came to Jerusalem for to worship. That's what he wanted to do.
I know my religion's no good. I know it's not real. I know
that the truth somehow that I don't know is in Jerusalem where God
is worshiped I want to go and worship the living God. And now he's returning from Jerusalem. I dare say as empty as he was
when he arrived there. Returning, frustrated. He came to worship God and he
knew in his heart he had not worshiped God. He knows that
he doesn't even know who God is. You know a good place is when
I know God is and I know I don't know him. That's really a good
place. I know God is and I know I don't
know him. That's where this Ethiopian eunuch
was. I know God is, and I know that
I do not know him. And he's returning back to Ethiopia. This journey would take weeks. It was many miles. And he was
returning, but he was doing something that I hope all of us will do. He was reading the Bible. Oh, would to God that he would
put in our hearts the same desire as this Ethiopian to read the
Bible and to know the one who wrote the Bible and to know the
message of the Bible. He was reading the Bible. Folks
read your Bibles. You know how to read? What a
blessing. Read the word of God. Somebody says, I don't understand
it. Read it anyway. Ask God to reveal himself to
you through his word. This man was reading the Bible. Verse 28, he was returning from
Jerusalem and sitting in his chariot, reading Isaiah the prophet. And that's one of the reasons
we know this man was a wealthy man. He had a Bible. He had a scroll. You had to be
very wealthy to be able to obtain something like that. They were
very rare to be able to do that. And I don't know whether he brought
it with him or whether somehow he purchased it in Jerusalem
and was reading it when he went home, but he was reading out
of Isaiah the prophet. Verse 29. Then the Spirit, God the Holy
Spirit, the third person of the blessed Trinity said unto Philip,
go near and join thyself to this chariot. Now, Philip no doubt
had been wondering what I'm doing out here in the desert. And this
man appears. He finds out why God sent him
there. Verse 30, and Philip ran thither
to him. and heard him read the prophet
Isaiah. I guess the man was reading out
loud. And he asked this question, do you understand what you were
reading? Good question, isn't it? Matter
of fact, there couldn't be a more poignant question. I know you're
reading. I know you have a regard for
the Holy Scriptures. You wouldn't be reading them
if you didn't. But do you understand what you are reading? His answer, verse 31. How can I? Except some man should guide
me. And he desired Philip that he
would come up and sit with him. I think this is so powerful. Most people would say, well,
here's what it means to me. Here's my truth. Here's what
I think. Nothing like this from this man.
He understood enough about himself to know that he could not figure
it out. He could not understand. He said,
how can I except some man should guide me and bring me the truth? How can I except some man should
guide me? And he demonstrates such humility. He desired Philip. that he would come up and sit with him in his chariot.
Now we find out where he was reading verse 32. 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 judgment was taken away and
who should 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 of some other man
now he was reading Isaiah chapter 53. And I don't think I would
get any argument from anyone by saying there's not a more
important chapter in all the word of God than Isaiah chapter
53. As a matter of fact, let's read
that together. Hold your finger there and let's read Isaiah 53. The prophet begins with a question,
who hath believed our report? Has anyone? Well, he answers his question
with the next question, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? You know who has believed the
report? The ones the Lord reveals the report to. The only way you
and I will believe is if God the Holy Spirit himself reveals
the report, the gospel, the gospel message. to you. Oh pray that you might be one
of those people that He reveals His report to you. Verse two, He, the Lord Jesus
Christ, shall grow up before Him, His Father, God the Father,
as a tender plant and as a root out of dry ground He hath no
form nor comeliness. And when we shall see him, there
is no beauty that we should desire him. This is talking about the
Lord as a man. No one would be impressed. As
a matter of fact, he's despised and rejected of men, a man of
sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we, it is aware our faces
from him. was despised and we esteemed
him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten
of God and afflicted, but he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities, chastisement of our peace was
upon him and with his stripes we are healed all we like sheep
have gone astray we've turned everyone to his own way and the
lord has laid upon him the iniquity of us all he was oppressed he
was afflicted yet he opened not his mouth He is brought as a
lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before her shears is
dumb, so openeth not his mouth. So he openeth not his mouth.
He was taken from prison and from judgment. And who should
declare his generation for he was cut off out of the land of
the living. For the transgression of my people
was he stricken. And he made his grave with the
wicked and with the rich in his death because he'd done no violence,
neither was any deceit in his mouth. yet it pleased the Lord
to bruise him. He hath put him to grief, when
thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. He shall see his seed,
he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall
prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of
his soul and shall be satisfied by his knowledge, shall my righteous
servant justify many For he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore,
will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide
the spoiled with the strong, because he hath poured out his
soul unto death. And he was numbered with the
transgressors, and he bare the sin of many and made intercession
for the transgressors." Now, what was quoted in that passage
we just read was verses seven and eight. Once again, we could
spend the rest of our lives looking at Isaiah 53, but all he talked
about was verses seven and eight. He was oppressed and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth. He's brought as a lamb to the
slaughter and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so openeth
not his mouth. He was taken from prison and
from judgment. Who should declare his generation? For he was cut
off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people
was he stricken." Now, who's he talking about? himself or
some other man. Verse 35, then Philip opened his mouth
and began at the same scripture and preached unto him, Jesus. Now, I don't suppose there's
a better definition of preaching right here. Where did he begin? With the scriptures. He opened
his mouth and at that same scripture preached unto him Jesus. Would to God that would take
place right now. He was led as a sheep to the
slaughter. I can hear Philip telling the
eunuch how Christ is the Lamb of God. This is some other man. This is the Lord Jesus Christ. He may have gone to the story
of Cain and Abel. Abel brought a sacrifice that
pictured the coming Lamb of God. And God had respect to Abel and
his offering and to Cain, he had no respect. I can see the
things he could say about that. He might've talked about Genesis
22 when the lamb of God was the substitute lamb that pictured
the lamb of God took the place of Isaac. And I can maybe hear
him quoting the scripture where Isaac said, as they walked up
The mountain, here's the wood, here's the fire. Where's the
lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, my son, God
will provide himself a lamb. Now you listen to this. There's
nothing you can provide. Quit thinking about it. God is
the one that does the providing. Don't think about what you need
to bring. Don't think about what you need to experience. Don't
think about what you need to do. God is the one who provides. And understand this, God provides
for himself. For him to do something for me,
he's first got to do something for himself. He's got to make
a way for him to be just and yet justify somebody that's unjust
like me. He had to do something for himself.
Before he could do something for me or you, he had to do something
for himself. And listen to this, God himself
is the lamb that God provides. He started telling this Ethiopian
eunuch about the lamb of God. And when it says he is led as
a lamb to the slaughter as a sheep before shears is done. Who led
him? God the Father led him to the slaughter. He is the one
who did this. It pleased the Lord to bruise
him. Him being delivered by the determinant counsel and foreknowledge
of God. You have taken him with wicked
hands of crucified and slain. He led the lamb. You see, the
lamb is the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. This
is God's purpose. He led this lamb to the slaughter.
Why didn't the lamb open his mouth? Why did he remain silent? He points out that he remained
silent. Why did he remain silent? He stood guilty before God. and had no way to
defend himself. You see, as the lamb, he took
the sins of his people, and they became his sins, and he stood
guilty before the law of God. Now we know that what thing soever
the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law, that every
mouth may be stopped. His mouth was stopped because
he stood guilty before God. That is why God punished him. He didn't punish him because
he was not guilty. He punished him because he was
guilty, although he never sinned in himself. My sin became his
sin. He became guilty of that sin. He was punished for that sin. 33, in his humiliation, he humbled
himself and became obedient to death, even the death of the
cross. That's what that's talking about.
In his humiliation, his judgment was taken away, although he never
sinned. Oh, his judgments taken away
because it became guilty in his humiliation. And who should declare
his generation? For his life is taken from the
earth." Now listen to this real carefully. You know what me and you are
guilty of? Murdering the Son of God. That's what God's got against
me and you. The death of His Son. You say, how can you say
that? I wasn't even born when that happened. Yeah, but you
would have done it because you were in Adam. And if the Lord
left me and you to ourselves, we would have been right there
screaming, crucify him. Not we were among those people
who didn't esteem him. No doubt. He preached the gospel
of baptism to him because he said, what does hinder me from
being baptized? Now, what do you mean by the gospel baptism
baptism? Let us know the only hope of
a sinner. Baptism represents union with
Jesus Christ. That's what it's about. It's
not just a religious ceremony where you go underwater and come
up. It doesn't convey life, but it teaches us how a sinner is
saved. When Jesus Christ lived, I lived. When he obeyed the law,
I obeyed the law. When you go under the water,
that's death. When Jesus Christ died, I died with him. My sin was punished. When you're
raised back up out of the water, when Jesus Christ was raised
from the dead, I was raised from the dead. That's all my salvation,
union with the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the gospel. And this fella sees this pool
of water and says, see, here's water. Now give me a reason as
to why I shouldn't be baptized. I wanna know, there may be something
that I don't know about. There's plenty of things about
me that I do know about that maybe I shouldn't do it. Tell
me what hinders me from being baptized. Philip's reply, if you believe, Notice what he doesn't say. He
doesn't say, well, do you have sufficient evidence? Have you
got your life straightened out? Have you given up this sin and
started doing this good work? He says, if you believe with
all your heart, you may. Now, what does that mean? Does it mean you believe with
your heart, not just your head? Does it mean you believe sincerely? There's no insincerity in your
faith. You believe with all your heart. Does it mean you believe
in such a way that there is no doubts even while you're believing?
Is that what that means? Let me give you three answers
to those three scenarios. Number one, what you believe
in your head is what you believe in your heart. And what you believe
in your heart is what you believe in your head. The Bible does
not recognize this thing of, well, I'm afraid I just believe
in my head, not my heart. That's not in the Bible. That's
not in the Bible. I understand where men come up
with that because you feel dead, you believe, but you feel dead,
you think, I just believe in my head, not my heart. Well, I understand
that feeling, but that's not in the scripture. And as far
as being sincere, Have you ever thought, is my sincerity enough?
Of course it's not. I don't want to measure myself
with my sincerity. I've never been as sincere as
I ought to be, and you haven't been either. I'm really sincere,
not as much as you should be. And as far as having no doubts
while you're believing, wait a minute, wait a minute, didn't
the man with the Gadarene Demonic say, I believe? Help thou mine
unbelief. Has there ever been a time when
you had no need to say that? I believe help thou mine unbelief. What does it mean to believe
with all the heart? Well, turn with me to Romans
chapter 10. We're going to get back to Acts in a moment, but this
is a very important passage of scripture. Romans chapter 10. Verse one, brethren, my heart's
desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be
saved. They're not saved and I want
them to be saved. That's my heart's desire. Four,
verse two, I bear them record that they have a zeal of God.
They're very religious and the God of the Bible even. not according
to knowledge for they being ignorant of God's righteousness, ignorant
of his righteous character and going about to establish their
own righteousness, thinking God will have to save me because
I've done this. They've not submitted themselves unto the righteousness
of God for Christ. is the end of the law for righteousness
to everyone that believeth. Four, remember he said you believe
with all your heart, you may. Four, Moses describeth the righteousness,
which is the law, that the man which doeth those things shall
live by them. You know what that means? The
righteousness in the law says you will keep all the commandments
all the time, nonstop. That's your life. That's the
only righteousness that the law recognizes. Perfect obedience. Commit one sin, you've broken
every law. That's what the word of God says.
But verse six, the righteousness, which is a faith speaketh on
this wise. Say not in thine heart. There we have that word heart.
Say not in thine heart, who shall ascend into heaven? That is to
bring Christ down from above. Don't say in your heart, what
can I do to get Christ to come down here and do something for
me? Don't say it. Get rid of that
thinking. Don't say, what can I do to get
him to do something for me? Verse seven, or who shall descend
into the deep? That is, bring up Christ again
from the dead. Don't say, what can I do to make
his death effectual to me? What can I do to make what he
did work for me? Get I do out of it. Get it out. Verse eight, but what saith it?
The word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart. That is the word of faith which
we preach. Now what is this talking about
when it says the word's already in my heart? It's so close, it's
already in my heart. Is that the same heart that when
God saw it, he saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth
and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was
only evil continually? Is there faith in that heart?
Or the heart of which Jeremiah said, the heart is deceitful
above all things, desperately, and that word desperately means
incurably, incurably wicked. Who can know it? Is faith going
to come out of that heart? No, this is the new heart that
he gives. This is the pure heart. This
is the clean heart. This is the honest and good heart
that he gives in the new birth. You know, I remember one time
my sister told me she went to some kind of revival and It was
when she was at Asbury, it's my sister Cindy, and she said,
the preacher said, give Jesus your heart. And her reply was,
what would he want with it? I don't get that. Well, this,
this was talking about the new heart. My son, give me the heart. Out of it are the issues of life. The new heart, the believing
heart, the heart of Flesh as opposed to the heart of stone,
this new heart. Lord, give me this heart. Give
me this new heart. Give me this believing heart.
David said, create in me a clean heart. Oh God, I can't come up
with the goods. Create it in me. Now in that
heart, you know what comes out of that heart? Faith. Faith. Look what he says. But
what sayeth the word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in
thy heart? That is the word of faith, which
we preach, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth, the Lord
Jesus." Jesus is Lord. You know what that means? He's the creator. That means
everything in providence, everything that's happening in time, he's
in control of and the first cause behind. And that means salvation. Your salvation is up to him.
He's the Lord. It's not up to you. It's up to him. Do you understand
that? It's up to Him. That's when you
cry for mercy, when you see it's all up to Him. Now, if thou shalt
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine
heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be
saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness,
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Now with
the heart, this heart is not talking about this organ that
pumps blood, it's the new man, the heart that he gives. Now
the heart is made of the understanding, the affections and the will.
I understand that the only righteousness I have is Jesus Christ. Do you
understand that? Do you understand that? I know you don't understand
anything completely, nor do I, but I understand that the only
righteousness I have is the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Now, not only
do I understand that, I love it being that way. There's my
affections. I love it being that way. I don't want it to be any,
here's my will. I don't want it to be any other way. With
the heart. Man believeth, the whole man,
the understanding, the affections, the will. I understand that the
righteousness of Jesus Christ is the only righteousness I have.
And it comes out in my preaching right now. I'm saying it, aren't
I? With the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. Now let's
go back to Acts chapter eight about believing with all your
heart. Acts chapter eight, verse 36, what does hinder me
to be baptized? And 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. Now, he did not say, I believe
I'm saved. He did not say, I believe I'm
one of the elect. He did not say, I believe Jesus
Christ died for me. He did not say, I believe I've
been born again. He did not say, I see sufficient
evidence in my life that proves to me, God's done something for
me. He said, I believe that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God. Now, when he said, I believe
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, He is saying that Jesus
Christ is God the Son, that he's the second person of the Trinity.
Not only is he fully man, the man Christ Jesus, he is fully
God, the God man, God manifest in the flesh. Let me show you
what all this means. Turn for a second to Hebrews
chapter one. The content of faith is believing
who he is. It's not about what you believe
about yourself. It's believing who he is. That is the content
of faith. And really what we believe is
completely dependent upon who we believe. It's all predicated
on who he is. He's God. He's the creator. Look in Hebrews one. God, who at sundry times in diverse
manners, spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets,
hath in these last days spoken to us by his Son, whom he hath
appointed heir of all things." That means everything belongs
to him. "...by whom also he made the worlds." He's the creator.
"...who, being the brightness of his glory, and the express
image of his person," All you're ever going to see of God is Jesus
Christ. and upholding all things by the
word of his power. He's controlling everything.
When he had by himself, no help from near you, no contributions
you make. When he had by himself purged
our sins, he sat down. Isn't that powerful? You know
why I sat down? Because the work was finished. Nothing for me
or you to do. He did it all. Now what does
this man say? I believe that Jesus Christ is
the son of God, the God man, the eternal uncreated creator
equal with God because he is God. The only way you can be
equal with God is for you to be God. I love that Revelation
chapter five where no man was found worthy to take the book
and he came up to the father, the one sitting on the throne
and the scripture says he took the book. He didn't ask for it. He took it as equal with his
father. I believe that Jesus Christ is
the son of God. With my understanding, I believe
that. I really believe he is. And he's, if he's not, he can't
save me. He's got to be God or I won't
be saved. I understand. He's the son of
God. I love him being the son of God.
This is what I want for him to be God, the son. Now that's what
it is to believe with all your heart. I believe. with all my heart that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God. And I'm gonna read you in closing
from 1 John 5, verse one, whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ
is birthed of God. Verse four. For whatsoever is
born of God overcometh the world, and this is the victory that
overcometh the world. Even our faith, who is he that
overcometh the world? But he that believeth that Jesus
is the Son of God." Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God? That's called saving faith. Let's
pray. Lord, how we thank you for who you are. God, the father,
God, the son, God, the Holy Spirit. And Lord, I ask in Christ's name. That you would give. Us the grace
to believe with all of our heart. That Jesus Christ is the son
of God. and look to him only as all of
our salvation. In Christ's name we pray, amen. Let's close with hymn number
58. We're gonna sing it to the tune of Come Holy Spirit, Heavenly
Dove. But we'll sing hymn number 58. Jesus, the very thought of
thee. Jesus, the very thought of thee. ? With sweetness fills my breast
? But sweeter far thy face to see ? And in thy presence rest
? Nor voice can sing, nor heart can frame ? Nor can the memory
find A sweeter sound than thy blessed
name, O Savior of mankind. O hope of every contrite heart,
O joy of all the meek, To those who fall, how kind thou
art, how good to those who see. But what to those who find of
His, nor tongue nor pen can show, the love of Jesus what it is. None but His loved ones know. Jesus, our only joy, be Thou,
as Thou our prize wilt be. Jesus, be Thou our glory now
and through eternity. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. Okay. All right.