The Providential Guidance of the Spirit-Acts 8b

Acts, New Testament, Sermons

  1. Have you had a “God moment” of beling led by the Spirit like Philip with the Ethiopian (Ac 8:26-29)? How does God/the Spirit “speak” to you (Ac 8:26, 29; Mt 4:4; 24:35; Jn 6:63; 4:24; 2 Tim 3:16; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Cor 2:14; 6:17; Gal 5:25)? What is required to experience this (Ac 8:27, 30; Jn 14:15, 21, 23)?
  2. How comfortable are you to tell others “the good news about Jesus” (Ac 8:35; 2 Tim 2:15; 4:2; 1 Pet 3:15)?
  3. Why did Jesus have to be “led like a sheep to the slaughter” (Ac 8:32a; Isa 53:7b; 2 Cor 5:21)? What does his silence teach us (Ac 8:32b; Isa 53:7a)? Why was he humiliated and denied justice (Ac 8:33; Isa 53:8)?
  4. From this account what are all the elements of a saving faith?

The first Gentile convert, who became a missionary to the Ethiopian people, which is another step in the world wide mission of the church (Ac 1:8; Mt 28:19). Philip the evangelist encounters a powerful Ethiopian leader, who is a eunuch (8:26-40). The Ethiopian comes from the edge of the known world, of the black race, probably a Gentile and is a castrated male, which prohibits him from the assembly of the Lord (Dt 23:1). Also, as a Gentile he could only worship the Lord in the outer court of the Gentiles.

The kingdom of God advances one soul at a time. Supernatural guidance continues to light the way for the gospel to move outward (Ac 1:8). Soon after the departure of Peter and John from the Samaritan city (Ac 8:25), Philip was given another evangelistic commission. “An angel of the Lord” [later “The Spirit” (Ac 8:29, 39)] instructs him to “Go south” from Samaria (Ac 8:26a). This is definitely by divine guidance for he would have continued north from Samaria into Galilee and then Syria. But instead he bypasses Jerusalem and heads down the road south from the Holy City called the Gaza road (Ac 8:26b); it’s about 60 miles from Jerusalem to Gaza, the most southernmost city of Israel near the Mediterranean coast, and a major trade center rebuilt by the Romans on the route to Egypt. Angels often appear (in Acts 5:19; 10:3, 7, 22; 11:13; 12:7-11, 23; 27:23) and continue the work of the Spirit in guiding the action in finding the will of God. Philip is filled with the Spirit (Ac 6:3) and led by the Spirit here (Ac 8:29). So the angel and the Spirit supplement each other. [In any gospel encounter there are 3 categories of a faith that saves:

  • Preparation (8:26-29). Divine initiative of the Spirit, the willing submissiveness of the servant, the searching of the sinner, a genuine hunger for the truth and the necessity of the Scriptural word of God.
  • Presentation (8:30-35). Go to Scripture, the Savior and salvation.
  • Personal response (8:36-39).
  1. The setting: An Ethiopian official on the road (8:26-28), a wealthy eunuch returning home from worshipping in Jerusalem (Ac 8:27b). He would have been from Nubia, south of Egypt, the biblical land of Cush (Gen 2:13). Eunuchs were voluntarily castrated, usually because that would enable them to reach high office (Ac 8:27), as they were deemed less prone to pleasure and easier to trust. He was the treasurer of Ethiopia, one of the highest officials in the country. Though he could not be a full proselyte [because eunuchs couldn’t be circumcised], he was a God-fearer and fully Jewish in belief and practice (Isa 56:3-5). The journey, each way, took 5 months and was certainly a pilgrimage.
  2. Philip encounters the eunuch (8:29-31).  Due to his wealth, he is likely reading his own scroll of Isaiah (Ac 8:28)–likely the Septuagint since he would be a Greek-speaking Gentile. He likely had purchased it in Jerusalem on this trip and so is reading it for the first time. He got as far as Isaiah 53 [as the Spirit dictated] when he met Philip (Ac 8:29). The “chariot” was not a military vehicle but a fairly luxurious carriage for such a high official, capable of carrying a driver and another person. As the trip took 5 months each way and was certainly a pilgrimage, the eunuch would not have scrimped on the carriage.  From the Spirit’s 2-fold command, God wants Philip to hear what the man is reading [aloud] and then respond. Running alongside his carriage he hears what the man is reading. To immediately grasp the opportunity for witness he asks regarding Isa 53:7-8 for it applies to Jesus as the Suffering Servant of Isaiah (Ac 8:30-33). The Servant of Yahweh could be a reference to the nation or to Isaiah himself. The eunuch recognizes his need for help and invites Philip to ride with him in the carriage so they can communicate more clearly (Ac 8:31). He is open and willing for it to take as long as needed so he can learn the truth.
  3. Philip shares the good news of the gospel from Isaiah (8:32-35). The reading from the Septuagint, the Greek OT centers on the unjust suffering of the Servant of Yahwah, who is humiliated, mistreated and killed while being innocent of any wrongdoing (Ac 8;32-33; Isa 53:7-8). The imagery of the slaughtered sheep and lamb is a sacrificial death that is “deprived of justice.” Atonement is not emphasized as in Isa 53:5-6 but is still in keeping with Isaiah 53 and so implicit here. The Servant is God’s own agent who suffered an unjust death inflicted by a wicked generation. God vindicating his Servant is also missing here (Isa 53:10-12) in order to center on the guilt of this wicked generation and the fact that his is the will of God (Isa 53:10). To the eunuch’s question (Ac 8:34), which has been asked again and again down through the generations, there are 3 options with the 1st 2 being far and away the most widely held:
    1. Isaiah himself (whose message was rejected by the people),
    2. the nation (rejected by the nations around them), or
    3. the Messiah (but they had no place for a suffering messiah).
    4. Phillip certainly went on to the rest of Isaiah 53 (Ac 8:45a) and proved to the eunuch that Jesus is the Suffering Servant and that his death involvement atonement and resulted in his being vindicated by God. Then he would have shown the eunuch how all this applied to the issues of repentance, forgiveness and salvation–the gospel or “good news about Jesus” (Ac 8:35b).
  4. Philip baptizes the Ethiopian (8:36-39a). Philip must have explained how baptism is the Christian rite following conversion and sinifies being cleansed from sin, with the immersion in water signifying death to sin and burial with Christ, then coming out of the water signifying beong raised from death to life in Christ (Rom 6:1-4). He was denied Jewish circumcision as a full proselyte due to being a eunuch, but is now fully an accepted member of the body of Christ (Ac 8:36, 38; 2:38) resulting in great joy (Ac 8:39), which is always the result of the coming of salvation (Ac 5:41; 11:23; 13:48; 15:31). [Ac 8:37 contains a confession of faith by the eunuch but is almost certainly a later addition. It is missing in the oldest and best manuscripts. It was added probably because later scribes felt a coversion experience was needed in the text.] Was this immersion, pouring or sprinkling? Likely immersion was the norm but the early church felt free to pour or sprinkle depending on the water supply. What happened to the eunuch? Irenaeus and Eusebus both said that he was the 1st missionary to the Ethiopian people.
  5. Philip is parted from the Ethiopian (Ac 8:39b); he ” appeared at Azotus [OT Ashdod (Isa 20:1)] and travelled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea” (8:40).

References:

  1. Wright, N.T. Acts for Everyone, Part 1. Chapters 1-12. 2008.
  2. Witherington III, Ben. The Acts of the Apostles. A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. 1998. Portents and Persecutions (5:17-42).
  3. Stott, John. The Message of Acts. 1990. Through the Bible through the year, Daily reflections from Genesis to Revelation. 2006.
  4. Peterson, David G. The Acts of the Apostles. The Pillar NT commentary. 2009. Conflict with the Authorities Again (5:17-42).
  5. Osborne, Grant. Acts. Verse by Verse. 2019.
  6. Marshall, I. Howard. Acts. Tyndale NT commentaries (TNTC). 1980.
  7. Barclay, William. The Acts of the Apostles. The Daily Study Bible Series. 1976.
  8. Fernando, Ajith. The Message of Jesus in Action. 2010.

ChatGPT asked to write a sermon on Acts 8 on Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch:

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we gather to reflect on the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, as told in the book of Acts chapter 8. This passage of scripture is a powerful reminder of the transformative power of the gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The story begins with Philip, one of the seven deacons chosen by the apostles to serve the widows in the early church. As he is going about his ministry, an angel of the Lord tells him to go south to a desert road. There, he meets an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Queen Candace, who is reading from the prophet Isaiah.

The eunuch is a man who has been cast out of Jewish society because of his physical condition. He is a man who has been deemed unclean and unworthy of salvation. But Philip sees something different. He sees a man who is seeking the truth and is open to the message of the gospel.

And so, Philip begins to speak to the eunuch about Jesus, starting with the scripture that the eunuch is reading. He explains to him how Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecies in Isaiah and how he is the Messiah, the Son of God. The eunuch is amazed and asks to be baptized.

And this is where the story takes an incredible turn. As they approach a body of water, the Spirit of the Lord descends upon them and Philip is whisked away, leaving the eunuch alone. But the eunuch is not alone, for he has received the gift of faith and has been transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This story is a powerful reminder of the universality of the gospel. The Ethiopian eunuch is a foreigner, a Gentile, and yet he is welcomed into the community of believers through faith in Jesus Christ. It is also a reminder of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is not our own efforts or works that save us, but the work of the Holy Spirit, who brings us to faith and transforms us into the image of Christ.

So, my brothers and sisters, let us take this story to heart. Let us remember that the gospel is for all people, regardless of their background or circumstances. And let us also remember that it is not by our own power or might, but by the Spirit of the Lord, that we are saved. Amen.

6:1-9:31. The Church begins to Expand.

  • 6:1-7. The Seven Servants. Seven are Appointed. Seven are Chosen and Commissioned. Problems of Family Living.
  • 6:8-8:3. The Trial, Testimony and Termination of Stephen.
  • The controversy over Stephen (6:8-15).
  • Stephen’s speech in court (7:1-53).
  • Stephen’s death (7:54-8:1a).
  • The sequel to Stephen’s death (8:1b-3). Ac 8:2; 1 Thess 4:13.
  • 8:4-40. Samaria and the Ethiopian Eunuch.
  • 8:4-25. The gospel spreads to Samaria. Philip ministers in Samaria.
  • Evangelistic ministry among the Samaritans (8:4-11).
  • The conversion of many Samaritans (8:12-13).
  • Peter and John sent to Samaria (8:14-24).
  • Receiving the Holy Spirit (8:14-17).
  • The confrontation of Simon (8:18-24).
  • Summary: ministry in Samaria (8:25).
  • 8:26-40. Philip encounters an Ethiopian Eunuch.
  • The setting: an official on the road (8:26-28).
  • Encounter with Philip (8:29-31).
  • The gospel from Isaiah 53 (8:32-35).
  • The baptism of the eunuch (8:36-38).
  • The continued travels of the two (8:39-40).
  • 9:1-31. Saul as the Salient [main, principal, major, chief, important] Jewish Convert. Augustine said, “We owe the conversion of Paul to the prayer of Stephen.”
  • 9:1-19a. The Assaulting of Paul.
  • 9:19b-31. Saul’s Early Efforts.
  • 9:32-11:18. The Petrine Passages.
  • 11:19-15:35. The Antioch Chronicles.
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