LESSON 1,
INTRODUCTION:
Here's the next
Bible Story we're going to discuss. Please take the time to read
it.
"And
the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go
toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem
unto Gaza, which is desert. And he arose and went: and, behold,
a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace
queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure,
and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, was returning, and
sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. Then the Spirit
said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And
Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet
Esaias, 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 judgment 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 of 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
baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest 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 baptized him. And when they were come up
out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip,
that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way
rejoicing." Acts 8:26-39
The Books of Luke
and Acts were penned by the same man, although under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
We believe that
man's name was Luke.
He lived in a day
when "handicapped" people, more especially people who were
"deformed" in one way or another, were ridiculed!
They were
considered less than "whole people."
Misfits, rejects,
monstrosities!
History is full
of examples.
It looks to me
like the Lord leads Luke try to "expose" that false belief.
God made us all!
Including those
of us with "imperfections" of various kinds.
Which, by the
way, pretty much includes us all, to some degree.
Nobody's perfect!
But let me show
you what I mean about Luke and Acts, those two Books of the
Bible.
In Luke 13 there
is a woman. She came to Church one day. And Jesus was there! The
woman was one of those "deformed" people. She could not
straighten her body, not to stand completely upright! She was
"bent double," her body "frozen" in that position! And she had
been that way eighteen years! But Jesus saw her that day. And he
healed here, making her straight! He also called her a "Daughter
of Abraham," a term of great honor and respect! Jesus would have
nothing to do with "making fun" of a handicapped person!
In Luke 19 there
is another such case. A little "short" man is mentioned. Ancient
literature tells us much about the supposed character flaws of
the "short" people, the "little" people! Such people were
rejected from society! No questions asked! Now, enter Zacchaeus!
He was so short he could not even see Jesus the day our Lord
came to Jericho! Maybe too the crowd would not let him "in!"
They hated such "runts," as he would have been called, and a lot
worse too! But Jesus rejected their prejudices wholesale! He
took time to call Zacchaeus down from that tree, and "into"
eternal life itself! Jesus even ate supper with the man, proving
acceptance rather than scorn!
And in Acts 3
there is another such man. This one is so weak in his ankles
that he can't walk, not at all! That, the early Greeks and
Romans said, was a "sign" of weak character! A coward maybe! And
a whole pile of other negative things, too! But Peter and John,
just like their Lord had done before them, "healed" the man! And
this man, thought to be so timid and weak of heart, testified
and shouted and glorified God all over the Temple that day! Even
the large crowds did not "scare" him, not one bit! Another
"freak," as they would have so callously called him, was
"accepted" into the family of God!
See what the Holy
Spirit is doing?
What Luke is
doing?
God loves
everybody, even the deformed!
Maybe, especially
the deformed!
Then we come to
our Text for the next few days!
An Ethiopian gets
saved!
Acts 8, but not
just any Ethiopian!
A
less-than-normal one, a "surgically altered" one.
I'm taking the
definition of "eunuch" to be the literal one.
He has, excuse
the plain language, I'll not use the term very often, been
"castrated."
I say that
because we must understand that this man was every bit as
abnormal as the "bend-double" lady or the "wee little short"
Tax Collector or the "lame in his ankles" man at the Temple
gate!
And Jesus loved
them all!
He saved them
all, too!
I guess they fit
into the category of "whosoever!"
"That
through His Name whosoever believeth in him shall receive
remission of sins." Acts 10:43, preached by Peter the Jew
to Cornelius the Gentile! The "Name" here is that of Jesus!
Is there
something wrong with you?
Little or big, it
does not matter to Jesus!
He loves you.
He died for you.
He will save you!
Accept and love
you.
Treating you just
like all His other children, no matter your deformity!
Or mine!
Truth be told, we
all were low-down hell-bound sinners, weren't we?
Now that's a
handicap!
Let's rejoice in
the marvelous Grace of God today!
Grace that loves
everyone, including you and me!
Praise His dear
Name!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 2:
The
Ethiopian eunuch, an unlikely man to be saved, was one of God's
"targets" one day long ago!
But the Lord
worked in a strange way, it seems. He first introduces us to the
preacher, then the sinner!
"And
the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go
toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem
unto Gaza, which is desert. And he arose and went: and, behold,
a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace
queen of the Ethiopians ...." Acts 8:26-27
The Lord told
Philip what to do, "Arise!"
Where to go,
"Toward the south!"
Exactly, "Unto
the way that goeth down from Jerusalem to Gaza."
What to expect,
"Desert," not a resort!
All this for one
reason, a "lost" man was searching for Jesus!
The verb "behold"
means "to look, to see, to understand also!"
The noun "aner"
means "man" all right, but precisely "the male of the
species!"
God is already
overlooking this person's deformity, his handicap, his
"difference" from the rest of society!
This man,
mutilated as he may have been, every bit as much "deformed" as
the lady who was bent double eighteen years or the wee little
man up that tree or the lame man with no ankle strength, all of
whom Jesus has healed in Luke's writings, was a "candidate" for
salvation!
Praise the Lord!
Plus this, he is
an African!
In Acts 8, this
descendant of Ham is going to be saved.
In Acts 9 a
descendant of Shem is going to be saved! That's Saul of
Tarsus, of course, later Paul the Apostle!
And in Acts 10 a
man named Cornelius is saved, a Gentile, a descendant of
Japheth!
All three of
Noah's sons are represented here! The "heads" of all the
families and tribes of earth!
Wow!
"Whosoever will!"
I personally
believe Jesus died to save all mankind. "And
He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but
also for the sins of the whole world." At least
this is what John said, 1st John 2:2. He believed it!
I believe this
for several reasons. One of which is this, it is the position
that brings the most glory and honor to my Saviour, the Lord
Jesus Christ!
Plus, overall,
it's what the Bible teaches.
This man had been
to Jerusalem, to worship.
But he left not
learning all he wanted to know, Jesus was still missing in his
life!
But when you
combine a hungry sinner ... and a loving Saviour ... the result
is a miracle of epic proportions!
Salvation!
Even to a man
whom the world despised!
A misfit!
Deformed, either
by birth or by order of the King or maybe even self-inflicted.
Still, deformed!
Rejected by
society!
But accepted by
the Lord God Almighty in Heaven!
That's the kind
of Savior we serve!
How can anyone
not love Him?
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 3:
The
Text is called a "narrative."
It is telling a
story, a factual event, but written in prose.
Preacher Philip,
having been summoned of God to the desert, sees someone.
"Behold,
a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace
queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure,
and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, was returning, and
sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet." Acts
8:27-28
The proper noun
"Ethiopian" is derived from "Aithiops," meaning "black." The
verb "aitho" means "to scorch" in Greek, the noun "ops"
indicates the human "face."
A black-skinned
man, but also he is a "eunuch." Spelled "eunouchos," the term
means a "bed keeper." In Greek, "eune" means "bed." And "echo"
means "to hold on" to something, to be in charge.
"Authority" means
"power" here, "dunastes." Obviously it's from "dunamai," meaning
"to be able."
"Candace," in
Greek "kandake," is a borrowed term meaning "princess of
servants." Instead of being her proper name, archaeologists now
believe this is a "title" of a whole dynasty of Ethiopian
queens.
"Basilissa" is
"queen," from "basileuo," meaning "to reign," to sit on a
throne, to exercise kingly power.
"Had the charge"
just translates "eimi" really, He "was" into all the money, the
treasure, the royal bounty, of the queen. As an appointed
official no doubt. "Eimi" here is indicative perfect.
"All" means just
what it says, "pas," the "whole" thing. Every bit of it.
Secretary of the Treasury!
"Jerusalem" is
borrowed from Hebrew, loaned to the Greeks! "Yarah" means "to
throw, to cast, to shoot!" And "shalam" means "to be at peace!"
When blended, "teaching of peace!" Yes, "yarah" most of often
means "to teach!" To throw information into someone's mind or
heart!
But why had the
man come to the capital city of Israel?
"To worship," the
verb "proskuneo" means "to adore and love and kiss" someone very
important! It's an emotional word for sure.
But by the time
Philip has met the man, he's coming back home from "Church."
Precisely, "He was
returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet."
He was able to
"buy" a scroll while in town. That would have been an expensive
purchase, too, very expensive! Yet this man certainly could have
afforded it.
Also notice that
he was not walking! That's what the common folks would have been
doing!
"Chariot" is "harma,"
a carriage usually drawn by several horses!
And the man is
not illiterate! He can read, and is doing so as Philip
approaches. Get this, "read" is "anaginosko!" It means "to know"
something! To learn it, I guess. Reading is a great way to
expand one's knowledge.
This man is
"hungry" for things religious!
He does not know
it yet, but he is longing for Jesus!
And the Holy
Spirit, as we shall see tomorrow, has him in Isaiah 53 as Philip
arrives!
Talk about right
"timing!"
Look how God can
get His "messenger" to the right "listener," even if unusual
means are employed!
Is anyone reading
here today, hungry?
Wanting to know
more about the Lord Jesus?
If so, don't be
surprised!
The Lord just may
be on His way ... to you!
With the message!
God is far more
interested in a sinner being saved ... than we can ever
realize!
So much so that
... "God
so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
John 3:16
Amen!
Does anyone today
remember how the Lord got the message to you?
I do!
"How
beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace,
and bring glad tidings of good things!" Romans 10:15
Personally, I
have probably the ugliest feet on earth today! Including a
painful "hammer toe!"
But to a slowly
increasing number of people, though they have never actually
seen those ugly things, my feet are absolutely "beautiful!"
Because somehow
Brother Bagwell was preaching the day God saved them!
Thank God for the
message bearer who came to you! Sunday School Teacher, Bible
School worker, Mom or Dad, Pastor or Evangelist, whoever!
Oh, by the way,
the name "Philip" here, the preacher in this case, in Acts 8,
just means "lover of horses!"
Not too
spiritual, is it?
A regular man,
but a soul-winner for Jesus!
I'll guarantee
you this, the eunuch never forgot him.
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 4:
I would like us
today to study a "three-way conversation."
Here's what I
mean.
"Then
the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this
chariot. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him
read the prophet Esaias, 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." Acts 8:29-31
The "Spirit"
speaks first, to the preacher named Philip. Without doubt this
is the Holy Spirit of God, too! Lesson: the mature Christian
must be on "speaking terms" with the third Person of the
Trinity! Paul would have called this "communion" with the Holy
Spirit, 2nd Corinthians 13:14.
What did the
Spirit say?
"Go near, and join
thyself to this chariot."
Then watch what
Philip did.
"And Philip ran
thither to him."
Now that's instant obedience,
another trait of the growing Christian!
But then,
surprise, the eunuch is reading a scroll, apparently out loud!
Here's the question, though. Is he reading it in Hebrew? Or in
Greek? Or in some dialect of the Ethiopians?
We don't know
that, not exactly. But we do know this, whatever language it
was, Philip understood!
This might be a
simple example of the prophet's ears working properly! Or it
might be another miracle! Neither would surprise me, not in the
Book of Acts! And God will stop at nothing now, this man is
going to be saved! If the chariot rider was reading in some
foreign tongue, Philip would not have naturally comprehended the
words he heard!
Truth be told,
every salvation event is a miracle, in one way or another.
Next Philip asked
a question.
"Understandest thou
what thou readest?"
Jesus loved to ask such questions! They often create interest!
As a testimony to
the eunuch's intelligence, he responded wisely.
"How
can I, except some man should guide me?"
He needs an
interpreter, a preacher, a soul winner! Someone to explain the
truth of God's Word! Yes, an expositor!
"Guide" is "hodegeo,"
a blend of "hodos," meaning a "road or way," and "hegeomai,"
meaning "to lead." In Greek "ago" alone means "to go ahead" or
"to go before."
Then what?
"And
the Ethiopian desired Philip that he would come up and sit with
him." Here's further
evidence of spiritual hunger.
The verb "desire"
is "parakaleo," an act of "calling someone to sit beside" you!
There is an even stronger "calling" happening here, too! God the
Holy Spirit is "calling" this man to salvation, to Jesus as
Saviour!
Now we have the
right combination!
The Holy Spirit
is on the scene! He may have been the first One there!
The sinner is
there, too. The eunuch with his craving for spiritual knowledge,
a need for Jesus in his heart!
And now the
preacher has arrived, the soul winner.
Something's about
to happen!
And the Word of
God rests in the eunuch's lap!
These are the
ingredients needed for a lost man or woman to be saved!
And, know what?
That's exactly
what's going to occur!
Read Paul's words
here for a theological explanation of today's Acts 8 situation.
"How
then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and
how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and
how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they
preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are
the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad
tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel.
For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then
faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
Romans 10:14-17
Those same
ingredients, to some degree, were present when God saved you,
too!
The Holy Spirit!
And you, having
realized you were a sinner headed for Hell!
Plus a soul
winner of some kind. Or at least the memory of what one said to
you, maybe even years ago!
And the Word of
God! It might even have been a Verse implanted in your head in
Sunday School or Vacation Bible School or a Revival Meeting in
time past! The Word of God is indestructible!
Thank God for
salvation!
Yours!
Mine!
Anyone's!
It's the gift of
God!
For, after all,
like Jonah said: "Salvation is of the
Lord!"
Amen!
Let's be grateful
today!
Thankful that God
"saved" us!
Bless His Holy
Name!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 5:
The
man Luke calls a "eunuch" was reading Scripture!
Right from a
scroll!
As he rode in a
chariot, back home from Jerusalem!
Just as the
preacher arrived, Philip by name, the following verses were
under consideration. Let's get them word for word from the Book
of Acts.
"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 shall declare
his generation? for his life is taken from the earth."
Acts 8:32-33
This Paragraph
keeps speaking of "He, His, He, His, His," and then another
"His!"
To Whom do these
pronouns point?
Jesus!
Philip soon says
so!
And "He," our
dear Lord, is compared to a "sheep," a little "Lamb!"
While this noun,
"probaton," literally means anything that can "go forward" on
its feet, any animal at all, every time it is used in the King
James New Testament, 41 times, it is associated with "sheep!"
And do remember
this. Jesus is God's Lamb! Especially so in the writings of
John, but Luke says so as well!
"Slaughter"
translates "sphage," a "butchering!" A "killing!" It's a brutal
word, bloody and violent!
The "Text" is
Isaiah 53, the "lamb," in Greek "amnos" this time, is God's
little "Lamb!"
Again I say,
"This is Jesus!"
Listen to John
the Baptist one day as Christ appeared down by the Jordan River.
"The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith,
Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."
John 1:29
The noun
"shearer" is taken from "keiro," meaning "to cut off the hair,"
harvesting the wool here. Isaiah is using a metaphor, a word
picture for Jesus. "And like a lamb dumb
before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth."
Our Lord was
relatively quiet during His arrest, interrogation, beating,
sentencing and crucifixion! This reticence helps make the few
words He did speak all the more significant!
He did not
protest His death, brutal as it was!
He did not cry
out in torment or pain, either. Though undoubtedly He suffered
untold agony.
Jesus on the
Cross was also "humble." Isaiah again: "In
his humiliation his judgment was taken away."
The noun is "tapeinosis,"
His "low estate," His being totally "abased." His accepting a
horrible Death as from His Father's Hands! As a Sacrifice for
the sins of the world! He died willingly!
With one word, He
could have been rescued from Calvary! "Thinkest
thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently
give me more than twelve legions of angels?" Matthew
26:53
But He remained
on the Cross!
Humbly so!
"Judgment" is "krisis,"
literally in English, "crisis!"
It was a
Crisis, all right!
Jesus was not
treated fairly in the Cross!
From mankind's
point of view, His trial was illegal, His Crucifixion merely a
"lynching," and His death an outright "murder!" All His
detractors, Romans and Jews alike, violated law after law to
kill this Righteous man!
Yes Isaiah,
"In his humiliation his judgment was taken
away."
"Taken away,"
spelled "airo," means "lifted up!" All of a sudden, it was
"gone!" Legality gone wild! Propriety denying itself!
In other words,
Jesus died! "His Life is taken from the
earth." So says the eunuch's scroll! So said Isaiah! So
say the Gospel writers as well. So says the Holy Spirit in my
heart!
"Is taken"
translates "airo" again, that quickly! Jesus, "dead," at least
for three days, and no more!
How many of you
reading here today believe this?
I do!
Jesus prophesied
as dying on the Cross, a brutal death, foretold seven hundred
years before it occurred! Foretold in detail!
One last
question. From Isaiah, from the scroll:
"Who shall declare his generation?"
Who will tell His
Story?
"Declare" means
"to relate in full!" It's "diegeomai," to "lead out" the meaning
of a text, telling it all the way "through!" Omitting nothing!
Our verb is related to the noun "exegesis!"
"Generation" is "genea,"
His "age, time, life, birth and death." These events Jesus
brought to earth, especially His Death, Burial, and literal
bodily Resurrection, constitute the Gospel, according to
the Apostle Paul!
This Story we
must declare!
We must preach
it!
Everywhere we go!
And that's
exactly what Philip is about to do!
First thing
tomorrow morning!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 6:
The
apex of Luke 8 occurs in today's verses, the highest point of
the whole story!
"And
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." Acts 8:34-35
After a careful
reading of Isaiah 53, the Ethiopian asked the foregoing
question. "Of Whom is Isaiah speaking?"
Remember that
Philip had already asked the man a question,
"Understandest thou what thou readest?"
Acts 8:30
Two questions!
Both centering on
Jesus!
These questions
remind me of an inquiry our Lord made one day.
"When Jesus came into the coasts of
Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men
say that I the Son of man am?" Matthew 16:13
And the eunuch's
"guess?"
Is Isaiah the
prophet speaking "of himself, or some other man?"
So wondered folks
about Jesus! The Disciples attested to Jesus:
"Some say that thou art John the
Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the
prophets." Matthew 16:14
But more
importantly, "Jesus saith unto them, But
whom say ye that I am?" Matthew 16:15
You know, that
remains the critical question in Scripture!
Who is it's main
Character?
I say, Jesus!
From Genesis to
Revelation!
Quickly, back to
today's Text, although we have not veered very far.
"And
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." Acts 8:34-35
That first guess,
that Isaiah was talking about himself, is still what unsaved
Judaism supposes! They advocate that Isaiah 53 is merely a
prophecy concerning Israel herself, and her people.
They believe that
the only "servant" in view in Isaiah's best known chapter is a
nation, they themselves!
But they are
wrong.
At least if we
accept the New Testament interpretation of that Old Testament
classic, Jesus is the Subject!
Philip thought so
too!
Without further
comment the preacher cut loose!
"Then Philip opened
his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto
him Jesus." Acts 8:35
This bible sermon
is expository in nature!
Philip's Text was
Scripture, pure Scripture!
Not philosophy!
Not psychology!
Not history!
Not personal
opinion!
But the Word of
God!
Sounds like
verse-by-verse, too!
The verb "began"
is "archomai," from a root word meaning "to lead, to be chief,
to rule," spelled "archo."
Philip let the
Bible lead his thought patterns!
Scripture was the
criteria, the canon!
He no doubt,
after expositing Isaiah 53, then told about Jesus the recently
slain, buried and resurrected Saviour!
Isaiah's prophecy
has been fulfilled, in a Person!
Not in a nation!
"Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture,
and preached unto him Jesus."
Acts 8:35
The verb
"preached" is a blessing. "Euaggelizo" means "to proclaim good
news!" News fit for an "angel" to tell!
And even "angel"
is probably taken from "ago," that is "to lead."
Even Gospel
preaching can be "exegetical," then!
Philip preached
"Jesus!"
Not merely
about Jesus!
This sermon came
alive!
Jesus was, dare I
say it, present!
In His Holy
Spirit!
It is still quite
heartwarming when Preachers to this day "preach Jesus!"
A deformed, hated
by the world, old eunuch, really a "nobody" in society, the sole
congregant, the single auditor of one of the greatest sermons in
the Book of Acts!
Sounds like God
is not too "taken" by the rules of physiognomy that were so
prevalent in first century Greek Roman culture!
This poor
"pervert" was important enough for God to send a preacher, a
great one too, right to his chariot side!
The man is just
about ready to be saved!
God just about
"has" him!
For tomorrow's
verse, just to mention it, has the eunuch saying:
"I
believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
Wow!
That does it!
Dear reader here
today, have you been saved?
If not, carefully
consider Who Jesus is. Listen to the sweet voice of the Holy
Spirit of God.
If so, if you
have been saved, praise the Lord all day long!
I hope to do so
too.
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 7:
The
conversation we have been studying is loaded with questions.
They do not end
today!
Between a
preacher named Philip and a man from Ethiopia, the treasurer of
the Queen there. He is also identified in this Text as a eunuch.
"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 baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest
with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I
believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." Acts
8:36-37
The eunuch's
desires are right, but his timing is a little "off." He sees
water and wants to be baptized, obviously immersion is here
indicated. If "sprinkling" were the goal, a cup of water would
have sufficed!
But one should
not be baptized until he or she has first been saved. Otherwise
he is not Biblically baptized. One's baptism cannot possibly
have the correct meaning if it's not done in the proper time
sequence. That means "after salvation." One lexicon says the
verb "baptizo" means "to dip." To put someone all the way under
the water, completely!
Philip gently
corrects the eager eunuch's priorities.
"If thou believest
with all thine heart ...."
That's the prerequisite for baptism! Believe in Jesus first! The
Saviour!
"Believest,"
spelled "pisteuo," means "to have faith in" Someone, "to trust"
that Person! The indicative present qualities of the verb here
require us to read it as "believe right now and keep on
believing the rest of your life." I am not implying human effort
here, just the fact that the verb insinuates that kind of trust,
very dynamic faith!
"With all thine
heart" negates any possibility of apathy, too. No lukewarm
belief allowed!
"If thou believest with all thine heart,
thou mayest." Here "thou mayest" translates the verb "exesti,"
meaning that something is "proper, lawful or permitted."
If you have been
saved, God approves of your subsequent baptism!
Now watch what
the eunuch says!
"And he answered and
said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
Acts 8:37
Wow!
There are few
declarations of faith in all the Bible any clearer than this
one! Any more distinct!
But this time the
verb "pisteuo" is in the first person! No one
else can believe for you!
Jesus "is" the
Son of God, that clause utilizes the present infinitive form of
"eimi," meaning "to live, to be, to exist, to happen," all in an
ongoing durative sense!
Jesus is forever
the Son of God!
Always has been!
Always will be!
God the Son, very
God of very God, deity personified!
Jesus!
There's no doubt
about it!
The man was
saved!
By the Grace of
God!
Believing on
Jesus!
Jesus, as
preached by Isaiah chapter fifty-three!
Is this same
Jesus your Saviour?
Are you trusting
Him?
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 8:
The
story has just about ended, Luke's goal nearly accomplished.
"And
the eunuch commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went
down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he
baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the
Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him
no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found
at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities,
till he came to Caesarea." Acts 8:38-40
The Ethiopian man
just got saved! The Lord changed his life forever! Let's go back
one verse where the eunuch just said, "I
believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
Philip obviously
thought the man had "believed with all his heart," again a
reference to Acts 8:37.
That constitutes
salvation!
According to
Paul, anyway! "That 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." Romans 10:9-10
After this, after
being born again, "baptism" is not only acceptable, but
expected.
The act of being
immersed in water does not save anyone!
Nor does it help
save!
Neither does not
being baptized prohibit one from going to Heaven!
But it is proper,
in order, according to Jesus!
Jesus, Who
commanded His followers to: "Go ye
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto
the end of the world. Amen." Matthew 28:19-20
That first verb,
the imperative "teach," translates "matheteuo," meaning "to make
disciples!"
One gets saved!
One should then
be baptized!
Then he or she is
asked to consistently live for Jesus!
Amen!
That's why the
eunuch "commanded the chariot to stand
still!" They had driven quite near "certain water."
Enough for them "to go down into" it! Philip is about to
"immerse" the new Believer, plunging him beneath the water, then
immediately bringing him right back out!
A symbolic
picture of what just happened to the man!
Just like he is
soon to be "buried" in baptism, covered with water, completely,
so has he just "died and been buried!" Died to what he used to
be! Died to the old life! Died to those now former sins!
Then, immediately
when saved, simultaneously with that "death," the new believer
is "resurrected!" Raised with Jesus Christ, as it were! Raised
to walk, Paul says, in newness of life!
Born again, in
other words!
"Regenerated,"
come back to life, by a miracle of Almighty God!
Baptism simply
reflects what's happened in the new convert's life!
Death,
entering the water "grave!"
Burial,
being put all the way under the water, like a dead man is put
all the way under the ground.
Resurrection,
out of the grave, up form the water, which speaks for itself!
Paul again in
Romans 6:4-5. "Therefore
we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as
Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father,
even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have
been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be
also in the likeness of his resurrection."
Yes!
This eunuch,
almost everybody believes, was truly saved!
Certainly!
Then, after this
divinely recorded baptism, God works a miracle!
"And when they were
come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away
Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way
rejoicing." Acts 8:39
"Caught away" is
"harpazo," meaning "snatched, carried off, seized!" It's the
"rapture" verb of the New Testament!
Earlier God
quickly put Philip in place, obviously to witness to the
traveling eunuch! The God even more quickly took Philip away!
The soul winner
came!
The soul winner
went!
Both trips under
the direction of the Lord!
This symbolically
gets "man" out of the picture.
Even the
"preacher" man!
Now it is just
the new believer, the eunuch, and the Lord Jesus Who saved him!
And the two
humans never meet again!
"The eunuch saw him
no more." Acts 8:38
Wow!
But Someone does
stay with this new Christian, the Holy Spirit!
How do we know?
Because of His, the Spirit's, "fruit!
"And the Ethiopian went on his way rejoicing."
Still Acts 8:39.
Happy in Jesus!
Oh, the joy of
being saved!
Oh, the joy of
just recently being saved!
And oh, the joy
of obeying your newly accepted Lord and Saviour!
Philip goes right
on preaching, next found at "Azotus," another name for the
Philistine city of "Ashdod." It means a "stronghold!"
Philip, still
fighting the devil!
Still attacking
the forces of darkness!
Still winning
souls!
Still preaching,
everywhere!
"But
Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in
all the cities, till he came to Caesarea." Acts 8:40
Something makes
me want to say of them both, Philip and the eunuch, and I think
it's true, "And they both lived happily ever after!"
Because of Jesus!
The story ends
here!
Next verse, Acts
9:1, begins the account of another man getting saved! It's told
three times by Luke alone! In Acts 9, again in Acts 22 and still
again in Acts 26! It's the account of Paul being saved!
Watch!
In Acts 8, with
the eunuch, a man gets saved while going home,
traveling back to Ethiopia from Jerusalem.
In Acts 9, with
Saul, a man gets saved while leaving home,
traveling to Damascus!
Plus, in Acts 10,
with Cornelius, a man gets saved while at home,
not traveling at all!
Point being?
God can save a
man or woman anywhere!
Even you!
Even now!
Even right where
you are this second!
My favorite
salvation verse is in order here. Jesus said it.
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath
everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is
passed from death unto life." John 5:24
Oh, that word
"rejoicing" as in "the eunuch went on his
way rejoicing," means "being glad!"
It's, of course,
a present participle!
The rejoicing
continued without interruption!
Truth be told,
it's still going on, now, in Heaven!
And that's my
desire for each of you today, our friends.
Be happy in
Jesus!
Rejoice in the
Lord!
After all, He is
the One Who saved your lost soul!
Hallelujah!
I can promise you
that word will be said in Heaven millions of times over and over
again!
Hallelujah!
"And
after these things I heard a great voice of much people in
heaven, saying, Alleluia;
Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our
God." It's John this time, from Revelation 19:1.
Hallelujah!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 9,
CONCLUSION:
We began this
series of Bible Study Lessons with a discussion of an ancient
form of science known as "Physiognomy."
Basically it
taught that much could be told about a man's or woman's
character by their very physical appearance!
Later such
nonsense was expanded to include a person's place of
origin, his hometown or her country!
And at times
physical attributes were compared to some well known animal,
a method of evaluation that transferred zoological traits to a
human being!
Luke 8 dispels
all three notions!
First of all, a
eunuch was considered to be a mutilated man. "The most
despised" on earth, one scientist proclaimed! Another said of
eunuchs, "the wickedest trade on earth!" To even "see" such a
man in one's day, to lay one's eyes on such a low-life person,
was an "ill omen!"
He is "neither a
man nor a woman," quipped another educated ancient! A "hybrid
and monstrous!" Another wrote, "They are alien to human nature!"
Yet again, "Men who belie their sex."
Such people could
not worship in ancient temples! Nor even come near them! They
very physical deficiencies forbidding them, disqualifying them!
Furthermore, people were assured, "Eunuchs were greedy and lewd
and perfectly evil!"
Luke takes all
that "garbage" and throws it away!
In God's eyes,
physical deformities do not hinder a man or woman
from being saved!
Many ancients
said the same things and worse about people with weak backs,
short heights, lame ankles, to name a few.
So, in Luke's
writings Jesus heals a person from each of the foregoing
categories!
A woman who had
been paralyzed, bent double, for eighteen years! And Jesus, in
Luke 13, specially honors her by calling her a "Daughter of
Abraham!"
Then in Luke
chapter 19 Jesus saves and later eats in the home of a despised
little "runt" named Zacchaeus! Short of height! Jesus honored
that man, instead of despising him! Shortness, to the
physiognomist, was particularly offensive!
Needless to say,
in Acts chapters three and four another such healing occurs! A
lame man, no strength in his feet and ankles and legs! But Peter
and John accept him and love him and "give" to him, generously!
Despite the prevailing worldly standards!
Yes!
Jesus loves us
and invites us to him ... just as we are!
He is not
prejudiced!
"Whosoever will,"
praise the Lord!
This eunuch also
would have been belittled because of his country of origin. The
Ethiopians were hated for that reason alone! The "least"
of all mankind, one expert wrote! But all that did not bother
the Holy Spirit! He led Philip to the lost man, the Ethiopian,
and welcomed that repenting sinner into God's family, with open
arms!
And even that
Acts 8 illustration about a "lamb," really talking about Jesus
Who is God's Lamb, defies the logic of Physiognomy! To these
folks "lambs" and "sheep" were filthy and useless! Lacking
strength and resolve!
But
nonetheless God's Son is still a Lamb!
The slain Lamb!
Our Hero!
Our Saviour!
Our Lord!
Not a despised
zoological specimen at all!
What the world
overlooks, worse yet, hates and mocks and slurs, Jesus loves and
accepts and redeems!
If such people,
ourselves included, will only come to Him, come to Jesus!
Jesus, Who loves!
And saves!
And accepts!
And heals!
And preserves!
Eternally!
Wow!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
The Grace Of God, Awesome!
