Philip And The Ethiopian

Verse 31:

“How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?”

So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

Now notice how Philip responds:

• He doesn’t give him a list of does and don’ts,

• He does not dump a load of religious theology on him.

• Verse 35:

• Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture & told him the good news about Jesus.

Ill:

• Two drunks who were sitting against a wall slowly getting drunk;

• Sadly one of the drunks died and his friend had not realised this.

• When it was time to move on;

• He picked up the dead man, and tried to make him stand and sit upright.

• Finding his effort without avail, he was saying to himself,

• "He needs something inside him."

Notice:

• Philip did not try to prop this Ethiopian eunuch up with religious scaffolding,

• He did not try to prop him up with theological posts.

• The man was spiritually dead (dead in his trespasses and sins),

• So Philip gave him LIFE! He gave him Jesus the life giver.

• “I am the way, the truth and the life”

• Way: know God, Truth: about God, Life: of god!

The Conclusion

(1). The convert was baptised (vs 36-39a):

“As they travelled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?”

Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” The official answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God”.

And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.”

The message of the New Testament is ‘Believe and be baptised’.

• Jesus instituted it in the great commission.

• The apostles and first Christians practiced it e.g. another example.

Listen:

• Now you can become a Christian and not be baptised;

• Because becoming a Christian is inward, it is a commitment you make with the Lord.

• But the fact that you have become a Christian means you will want to please Jesus;

• This book makes it very clear that we do that by being baptised!

• Becoming a Christian is personal (between you and God),

• But it is never private (we witness publicly through baptism that we follow the Lord).

Remember that this important official would have been part of a caravan train:

• As an official he would have had his slaves and attendants and bodyguards with him,

• You always travelled in large numbers, in convey for protection.

• So his request for baptism,

• Was a very public demonstration of his new found faith.

Notice:

• When the eunuch mentions baptism,

• Philip wisely puts first things first:

• "If you believe in your heart you may".

• First there is a private acceptance of the message.

• Second there is baptism,

• An outward demonstration of an inward faith.

Challenge this afternoon is this one: