Ethiopia's First Missionary

Ethiopia’s First Missionary

2013-07-28

Acts 8:26-40

This is a beautiful illustration of God’s sovereign providence as He worked out all details to save 1 individual & begin evangelization of the African continent.

·      It was a seemly unwise strategy: to pull Philip from roaring revival in Samaria to reach 1 man in desert.  Act 8:5-8, 26-29, Mt 18:12

God “led” Philip indirectly to Samaria out of necessity (fear persecution) & then extraordinarily guided Philip w an “angel of Lord” (OT) & Holy Spirit (NT). 

·      Bible does not rule out special guidance for today. Ps 19:1, Rom 2:15, 1 Cor .12:8–10

·      Scripture is all we need to be saved, grow spiritually, and determine right and wrong.

o   It is also sufficient for assessing and discerning all other kinds of revelations.

·      Pray for eyes to see, and ears to hear when Holy Spirit calls to divine appointment.  Lloyd-Jones

o   Holy Spirit has never audibly spoken to me like Phillip but I have had the Holy Spirit prompt me. 

o   It is wrong think direct supernatural guidance is more spiritual than indirect.

§  Easier to determine God’s desire with direct guidance.

o   Faith trusts God when we do not see (angel/vision), & we don't need to. 2 Cor 5:7  

The key for ordinary & extraordinary Holy Spirit guidance is being Spirit-filled like Philip.

·      He obeyed the illogical command w/o questioning God & went not knowing all that God had in mind.   Just like Abraham.

o   Follow Holy Spirit’s leading, even if it seems like demotion.

Governmental power in hands of queen Candace (this was not a personal name but a title)

o   The royal son was considered too sacred to be involved in secular affairs.

·      Extremely high-placed, trusted, well-educated, wealthy Secretary of Treasury returning 500 miles home to Ethiopia reading Isaiah. After worship God in Jer.

·      God is sovereign: Isaiah 53 (all implied in text) is the best OT picture of Jesus Christ—the suffering Servant’s coming, providing a substitutionary death, resurrection, and offer of eternal life. Act 8:30-34

Humbly expressed frustration everyone reading Bible…What means?

·      Do you understand what you read in Script or just read? Ps 119:18, 2 Tim 2:15, 1 Pet 3:15

·      Pray for understanding from Author of Bible & creator of mind…then study. 

o   Spurgeon: Butterflies flit over but bees dive into flowers & receive stomachs filled w/sweetness for their hives.

Philip knowledgeable enough in Scripture to know to begin where Ethiopian was.

·      1^st Gentile convert specifically mentioned in Acts was an African who was not won by an apostle but layman/deacon.

·      Effective gospel presentation based solidly on Scripture,  and the person and work of Jesus Christ.

o   not personal testimony, stories, tracts, etc., Rom 1:16, 10:17

See how the Gospel crossed racial differences (Greek/Ethiopian), religious differences (Jew/Gentile), and vocational differences (evangelist/government worker), socio-economic differences (poor/rich) in order to save a black Gentile eunuch.

·      His physical status is highly significant. Deut. 23:1, Isa 56:3-5

o   law prohibited eunuch from entering temple & inheriting Abrahamic promises but God pursued & saved the unclean and unworthy eunuch.

it was no coincidence that at precisely a critical time they came to water. Act 8:35-40

·      After baptism Phillip was instantly transported 20 miles away & disappeared from Acts. But 20 years later we read about him in Caesarea with 4 daughters who were all prophetesses. Act 21:8-9.

o   The eunuch was viewed as father of evangelism in Ethiopia. Ps 68:31; 87:4

God sovereignly brought each of us here today.

·      Salvation is a gift of divine mercy to the guilty/unworthy, not reward for works.

o   Isaiah: Jesus Christ makes us acceptable to God & fit to dwell with Himself in glory.

·      Christians should rejoice & be open to ordinary/extraordinary leading of HS. Spirit-filled

o   Anywhere (neighborhood, gym, club) could be your passing chariot or open door that God has prepped for gospel with results that may reach the nations or forever impact your life.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones…Here again is a most extraordinary subject, and indeed a very fascinating one, and, from many angles, a most glorious one. There is no question but that God's people can look for and expect "leadings," "guidance," "indications of what they are meant to do.  If you read the history of the saints, God's people throughout the centuries and especially the history of revivals, you will find that this is something which is perfectly clear and definite—men have been told by the Holy Spirit to do something; they knew it was the Holy Spirit speaking to them, and it transpired that it obviously was his leading. It seems clear to me that if we deny such a possibility we are again guilty of quenching the Spirit.” (The Sovereign Spirit, pp. 89–90)

Marriage as the Gospel Picture in Every Way

Marriage as the gospel picture in every way

Hosea 1:2-10

Introduction

·      You may notice I chose the NIV (1984)

o   I chose the NIV because of our audience today…

o   If you have an ESV it will not be any more “literal” in the Hebrew, but will be more graphic

o   I’ll let parents decide whether they need to explain this at a deeper level to your children

·      Once a year I want to check in with the marriages in our church

o   This is that day

·      It may seem like a strange passage, but it really reflects deeply, and richly the gospel message, and how marriage is meant to be a reflection of that message

·      We’ll look at how Hosea confirms and pre-shadows (Ephesians 5:22-23)

·      Book:

Text

·      Chapter 1

o   v:2 “When the LORD first spoke to Hosea…”

§  God calls Hosea into ministry

§  We need to establish context

§  God is against this (specific revelation to a prophet), and Scripture does not permit Christians to do “Missionary dating.” (2 Cor. 6)

o   Adulterous wife – Gomer

§  This is not an allegory

§  literal acts (with financial aspects)

§  spiritual acts

§  (James 4:4) “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

§  The point is Israel is pursuing things for pleasure instead of God

¨ Spiritually, physically and financially,

o   Then, God calls him to have children

o   ⁴ Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call him Jezreel”,

§  Jezreel is where Jehu swept into power on a tide of bloodshed

§  This was not what God meant when He allowed him the throne

§  A son who speaks judgment

o   ⁶ Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call her Lo-Ruhamah,

§  loh'roo-HAY-muh

§  no mercy

§  Progression in a relationship deteriorating

o   In the midst of this we see v:7

o   ⁷ Yet I will show love to the house of Judah; and I will save them—not by bow, sword or battle, or by horses and horsemen, but by the Lord their God.”

§  covenant keeping God

o   ⁹ Then the Lord said, “Call him Lo-Ammi,

§  loh-AM-I – “not My people”

§  A son that signals divorce

§  This is what Israel deserves

§  and…(vv:10-11)

o   ¹⁰ “Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’ ”

·      Chapter 2

o   Gomer has left Hosea and is whole-heartedly pursuing a prostitutes life

o   Hosea tells his children to plead with their mother to abandon her lifestyle

o    

·      Chapter 3

o   Stage: Gomer has descended to a place where she is now standing naked on an auction block being sold to the highest bidder

o   READ (vv:1-3)

o   Hosea buys back his wife

o   Here is the picture of Ephesians 5, Christ and His church

o   We are Gomer, AND – in a demonstration of unbelievable grace and mercy, God has bought back sinners from their slavery to sin

·      Turn to (Ephesians 5:32)

o   This is first about Jesus

o   (v:25) “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her”

o   So, how does this relate to Hosea?

o   Remember, we’re Gomer, there is nothing lovely or worthy that Christ should do what HE has done

o   That is true and real love is.

·      Real love has many facets; I couldn’t cover all of them, so…

·      I want to look at just two things about true love:

o   Selfless

§  (Philippians 2:3) “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”

§  Then Paul goes on to explain how Jesus did this

¨ It’s all about Jesus

§  (John 15:13) “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

§  It means my spouses needs come before mine

¨ God’s glory is more important than my perceived needs

¨ not in a begrudging way

¨ I don’t “have to,” I “get to.”

¨ It puts feet on the Scripture: “the two shall become on flesh…”

o   Merciful

§  I think a lot of times we reduce mercy to being nice

§  (Matthew 5:7) ‘ “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” ’

§  (1 Corinthians 13:5b) “(love) keeps no record of wrongs.”

§  This means: to keep a mental record of events for the sake of some future action

§  Love does not keep books on evil. The image is of keeping records of wrongs with a view to paying back injury

§  (Romans 4:7-8) ‘⁷ “Blessed are they whose transgression are forgiven, whose sins are covered. ⁸ Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” ’

§  We’re counting on God not to keep as record of sins: we’re  asking for mercy

·      There is no way left to ourselves we can understand what love is:

o   (Gen. 6)

o   This is where the heart goes apart from grace

o   It loves conditionally

o   I like to think I do, but I don’t really

o   In light of this we see…

·      God’s people look different

o   (Matthew 5:14-16) ‘ “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” ’

o   Marriage is meant to be that display of grace and mercy to a fallen world that validates the gospel

o   Validates it to my family and friends as well

o   (Ephesians 5:32)

Wrap up

·      Is your marriage where you want it to be?

·      Where does change start?

·      If I’m not where I want to be, where does one start?

·      Run to Jesus

o   our only hope is to run to Jesus

o   to see the cross

·      Apply the cross (in three ways)

·      First, honestly repent of who I am

o   If my goal is to blame my spouse I have become the Pharisee in the parable

o   The hardest step in the process is real repentance to your spouse, even if they have wronged you

o   That’s why Ephesians 5:22-29 are written to specific individuals

o   Don’t hear, “Husbands, make sure your wives…”

o   Or ladies, “Wives, make sure your husband loves you…”

·      Second, believe the cross is for you, and you are not condemned

o   Jesus paid for your sins and they’re forgiven

o   It’s what we do with sin (confess) that marks progress and maturity

o   You do not have to carry them, Jesus has

o   (Romans 8:1) “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

o   God’s love and acceptance for you are not based on your performance

o   Pursuing a God-honoring marriage (or relationship) is actually a way of pursuing your joy

·      Third, remember marriage is first and foremost about God

o   So His glory is the most important thing

§  It is how He pursues his joy

§  Why would it not be how we pursue ours??

o   “So, staying married, therefore, is not about mainly staying in love. It is about keeping covenant…Therefore what makes divorce…so horrific in God’s eyes is not merely that it involves covenant-breaking to the spouse, but that it involves misrepresenting Christ and His covenant forever.” – John Piper

·       I close with this quote from John Piper:

o   There is not human marriage after death. The shadow of covenant-keeping between husband and wife gives way to the reality of covenant-keeping between Christ and His glorified Church. Nothing is lost. The music of every pleasure is transposed into an infinitely higher key.”

o   Why?

o   Because finally all our affections belong to Jesus