The Lord's Mission
The Lord’s Mission
Acts 8:26-40
Mission Statements are important for the identity of an organization. They communicate the goal and the values of a company. Most companies have mission statements that are directly connected to the product they produce. For example, Costco’s mission is to continually provide our members with quality goods and services at the lowest prices possible. And yet in today’s world, corporate mission statements aim a little higher.
Tesla’s mission is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy
JetBlue: To inspire humanity – both in the air and on the ground.
Amazon: to be the Earth’s most customer-centric company, Earth’s best employer, and Earth’s safest place to work. (I love how they add the Earth’s as if they want to limit their dominance merely to our planet)
Patagonia: We’re in business to save our home planet. (Not just our planet but our home planet)
Our culture wants to be part of a greater purpose. Businesses are not satisfied with safely flying people to their destination, they want to inspire humanity - both in the air and on the ground. Did you feel inspired on your last JetBlue flight? Do you feel like you were saving the world when you purchased your last piece of extremely warm clothing from Patagonia?
As American people’s involvement in the church has declined, there has been a growth in the corporate world offering a parallel social mission from the church. It would be an interesting study to research how the mission statements of business changed from the early 1900’s to the early 2000’s. People want to feel part of something larger than themselves. They want to feel part of a movement. They want to feel like their lives (i.e. their purchases) are making an impact. I understand the impulse for businesses to add more of a social component to their mission. At the end of the day, they want people to buy their product so you must give people what they want. The world wants companies with a social conscience so add a social component to your mission statement. They want to show how they are unique and different from our companies. Buy our shoes because you are helping advance equality. Buy our coffee because you are helping third world farmers. Buy our product because we are different from other companies, we really care about society.
I am not against mission statements or vision statements but when I came to Park my first goal was not to create a mission statement to galvanize our church around. Our mission stated on our website is to fulfill the Great Commandment and Great Commission. The Great Commandment from Mark 12:28-30,
[28] And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” (ESV) [29] Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. [30] And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
And the Great Commission from Matthew 28:19-20,
[19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
We do not want to be known as a unique church, but a faithful one. Of course, we have deep biblical convictions on what is the nature of the church, but we want all churches to have the same mission. If you read most churches mission statements, they fundamentally sound the same. They may add certain words given particular convictions, but at the end of the day a church should try to love God and love the lost and love one another. We should not be as concerned with our mission statement but with the Lord's mission. We want to see the Father redeem a people for himself through the gospel of the Son by the power of Spirit. We do not want to celebrate Park Baptist Church’s mission and how we are different from other churches. We want to celebrate the Lord’s mission and how we are like true churches from the Day of Pentecost till now. We do not strive to be a unique church, but a faithful one. Faithful to Lord’s mission to save sinners and strengthen the saints for his glory.
As we continue our study in the book of Acts, we will see how the risen Lord Jesus continues to act and work for his good pleasure. Everyone wants to be part of something bigger than themselves because we were created that way. We were created for God’s glory, to be part of his kingdom and to live on purpose for him. I pray from this message we will help do what Christians have always done to fulfill the Great Commandment (to love God with all our mind, heart, soul and strength) and the Great Commission (to make disciples of all nations.)
The Lord sends His People (v. 26)
It is very clear from this passage how the Lord is on a mission to save his people. Acts 8:26, “Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ This is a desert place.” The Lord sends Philip to a particular place to meet a particular person. God used an angel of the Lord to get Philip’s attention. Angels have a prominent place through Acts as they are ministers of the Lord to advance his mission. This is the only reference to Gaza in the New Testament so it is hard to be exactly sure where it is but most scholars believe it was the last place to get water before entering the desert on the way to Egypt. Luke adds the note that it is a desert place or in some translations a ‘desolate place.’ There isn’t much there in regards to commerce or community.
And I love how Luke adds this short sentence because it shows the heart of a shepherd going after a lost sheep. Most people do not like being in desolate or obscure places. We want to be called to the center of life and commerce and not to the middle of nowhere. I think of my own journey from Washington, D.C., the nation’s capital, a city bustling with internationals, political power brokers, and high powered influences to Davis Station, SC, a town of 600 people working with 6 teenage girls and their children. There were many days I worked in obscurity, in a desolate place, wondering what the Lord was doing with my life. In time, I learned why the Lord brought me to a desolate place and how he used my time there to be a witness for his name.
There are some of you who are serving in obscurity. You may simply be laboring at home with your children dealing with the tedium and monotony of laundry, chores, and daily conversation with your kids. Others are laboring faithfully but obscuring at work wondering why the Lord called you to this place. Friends, I do not know the plan of the Lord for your life, but I know the Lord sends his people to desolate, obscure places for a purpose. He sends his people to be witnesses for his name. Your location is not as important as who you are serving at that location. You are serving the Lord. He sent you there for a purpose. Be faithful.
The Lord stirs His People
The Lord is always working to redeem a people for himself who are zealous for good works (Titus 2:14). He stirs the hearts of his people to go and to respond to the gospel. The Lord said to Philip rise and go, and in, Acts 8:27–30, we see he, verse 27,
[27] And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship [28] and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. [29] And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” [30] So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
The Lord is stirring two different people in this text. He is stirring up Philip to obey and to be a witness for his name and he is stirring up the Ethiopian eunuch. Philip is being faithful in his evangelism because he knows that God delights to save sinners.
Philip was converted to Christ. He was set apart to serve the church by ministering to widows and then preached all throughout Samaria. Wherever you see Philip, you see him obeying and sharing Christ. He is tremendously faithful to the Lord but he seems to be a minor figure in the Scriptures. He is not one of the most well-known leaders in the Bible and yet he was faithful to God and fruitful in his mission. Be faithful where you are.
Philip is saved, but the Ethiopian is being saved. God has already been working on this man’s heart. A key text in evangelism is 2 Corinthians 2:14-17,
But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.
The Lord has already been working on this man’s heart. He is an Ethiopian living far from Jerusalem and yet he has become a God-fearer as he traveled to Jerusalem to worship. He was a man of integrity as he was put in charge of the queen’s treasure. And he was a eunuch. In many royal courts, men were castrated and employed to protect the living area of the royal woman. We do not know much of this man’s past. We don’t know if he was born a eunuch or became one by choice of force. We do not know what his religion was as a child. We do not know when he was first introduced to Yahweh. We don’t know his age or his family history. We don’t even know his name. And yet we know God has been working in his life and stirring him up to believe.
Beloved, we should always trust that God has gone before us in our evangelism. In most cases we will not be the first to share the gospel with someone. God may give us that privilege but still even in the West many have heard of Christ before and have had some interaction with Christians. We may simply be called to water the seed giving them a positive impression of Christian. And there are times, when God uses our words as the final words to help transition from from death to life, from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of the beloved Son. Whatever part we play, God gets glory. God is the one who is working and acting according to his good pleasure. He loves this Ethiopian far more than we could possibly imagine so he sent Philip to him. God has sent you to your jobs, your families, your neighborhoods to witness to the truth of the gospel. He is moving in people’s lives all around you. Do not fear; God is moving.
Philip had no idea what the Ethiopian was reading. He had no idea if he was in the mood for a conversation, but the Spirit said go, so went. And he didn’t just go, he ran to the chariot. He assessed the situation and quickly realized the man was reading from Isaiah the prophet and seeing an opportunity, he asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
The Lord instructs His People
The Lord works through his people to instruct his people. Acts 8:30–35,
[30] So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” [31] And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. [32] Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:
“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter
and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he opens not his mouth.
[33] In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth.”
[34] And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” [35] Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.
First, I love the humility of the Ethiopian. It is hard to admit you do not understand something. But as he was studying he needed help and he asked for it. Friends, never be afraid to ask questions if you don’t understand something. It is usually the case that several others have the same question but are afraid to ask. Second, God instructs people through word. Philip is not working to give his ideas and opinions but he is merely working to explain the text. We believe this should be the main diet of every church. Churches should preach expository sermons where the main idea of the sermon is the main idea of the text. There are two offices in the church: elders and deacons. Elders or Pastors are given to the church to build them up for the work of the ministry. Pastors do more than teaching, but they cannot do less. One of the qualifications is that they are apt to teach (1 Tim 3:2). Pastors are charged to teach sound doctrine and refute who contradict it (Titus 1:9), to preach the Word (2 Tim 4:2), to labor in preaching and teaching (1 Tim 5:17) and rightly divide the word of God (2 Tim 2). God has given us his word and he gives the church pastors/elders to teach and explain what the Word means so as to equip the saints to be complete and ready for every good work.
Instruction should never stop from the public teaching. You are being equipped to know and understand the word so you will be able to instruct others. Every week when you come to a gathering you are learning more of God’s Word so you may know more of God so you can be used to help others know and love God. Some weeks we are reminded of things we already know, this is a grace to you for we are apt to forget. We want to instruct others like Philip and we want to be humble to receive instruction like the Ethiopian.
Third, the main content of the instruction was the person and work of Jesus Christ. The Ethiopian was reading a portion of Isaiah 53. These words may be very familiar with us but they may have been the first time he has ever read them. Isaiah 53:4–12,
[4] Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
[5] But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
[6] All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
[7] He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
[8] By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
[9] And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
[10] Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
[11] Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
[12] Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.
After reading, he asked the right question, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” The passage speaks of substitutionary atonement. Someone dying in the place of another. Someone innocent dying for someone guilty.
The Ethiopian at this point is a seeker. He may be like some of you. He is not actively following Jesus but he is curious. He wants to follow God as we see him returning from worshiping in Jerusalem and reading God’s Word. He wants to know more. Maybe that is like you this morning, you are not actively following Jesus but you are curious and want to learn more. Well what Philip did, is what I hope to do. The Bible says, “Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.” Jesus is the one whom the passage is referring to. He committed no sin nor was any deceit found in his mouth. He was innocent and he was punished for the guilty. We all have gone astray. We all have turned to our own way. We have lived for ourselves and not for God. The Bible calls that sin. And sin has consequences. The wages of sin is death. But the good news of Jesus is that he came like a lamb silently going to the cross to pay for the sins of everyone who would trust in him. His innocent life was substituted for the guilty. He takes our guilt and gives us his perfection. And we know that God now makes this transfer of guilt acceptable because Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. Jesus died and was buried and God gloriously raised him from the grave to defeat death and offer eternal life.
This would have been absolutely shocking to the Ethiopian. It was probably why he asked whom the prophet was referring to, because it would have been almost impossible to imagine that someone who was innocent would give their life for the guilty. And it would have been shocking to the Ethiopian, who although he was one who went to Jerusalem to worship, was not allowed into the temple to worship. He was deemed unclean because he was a eunuch and they were not allowed into the temple which was where the presence of God dwelled. Imagine sitting in that chariot and him hearing those words from Philip. You can be made clean. You can be made whole. Jesus Christ came to die for you. He was raised from the dead for you. If you repent of your sins and believe in Him, you will be saved for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” “Even me? But I am unclean. How could this be?” “Because God loves sinners. He did not come to call the healthy but the sick, not the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
Friend, you may be just like the Ethiopian. You may view yourself unclean, unfit for the kingdom of God. You may say, ‘Even me. After all I have done? How could God forgive me for my sin?’ Because in his love, he sent his son to pay for it on your behalf. Friend, there is a reason we call the gospel good news. It is indeed good news that Jesus came to die for sinners. The question is not, “Is salvation offered to you?” but “Will you accept it?” Will you confess your sin and turn to Christ?”
The Lord saves His People
The Ethiopian heard the gospel and believed. It was the best news he could have ever heard. He wanted to make a public statement of his faith, Acts 8:36–40,
[36] And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” [38] And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. [39] And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. [40] But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
Eunuch sees the water and says, “What prevents me from being baptized?” The answer is nothing. A man who always thought he was unclean and unfit to worship God says, “What prevents me from being baptized?” Nothing. The only thing that prevents salvation is that we think we don't need it. The Lord will accept anyone who comes to him in faith. Anyone. If you notice in your Bible there is a jump from verse 36 to verse 38. Verse 37 does not appear in the earlier manuscripts but was probably added to clarify the eunuch’s decisions. Verse 37 reads, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” We know from the rest of the New Testament salvation depends on one’s confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Although verse 37 contains true doctrine, it isn’t in the Bible therefore should not be included as sacred Scripture.
Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and the eunuch publicly identified with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He went down as if in a watery grave saying his past life is dead and he rose out of that water a new man with the joy of the Holy Spirit determined to live for the Lord.
The Lord saved the unclean Eunuch and in so doing gave a foreshadowing of the Gospel mission to the Gentiles. Some would say the Eunuch was the first Gentile convert, but Luke doesn’t make that clear. We will see the full inclusion of the Gentiles in Chapter 10 but the story of Eunuch reveals the heart of God. Our God delights to save sinners. He placed his affection on the Ethiopian eunuch and saved him. He stirred in his heart to seek God, to humble himself and to call out to God for salvation. He sent his servant to a desolate place to get him the gospel. And the Ethiopian left and returned to his home country a changed man with the good news of Jesus Christ. And after Philip’s work was done, the Spirit of Lord carried him away. We don’t know the exact details of his exit but we know it was fast and we know what Philip did when he left. He went through all the towns on his way to Caesarea preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.
All of Acts 8 teach us a very valuable lesson. God’s people are sent on a mission to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to all people. When we preach the gospel, some respond like Simon the Magician who only wants the gospel for power and wealth. People who are filled with pride and self-righteousness who do not understand their sin and their need for God. I pray that is not you. Others will respond like the Ethiopian eunuch who understands their uncleanness and unfitness for God’s kingdom and humbly call out to God for salvation. Two responses to the same gospel.
Beloved, the mission of God doesn't change. We are called to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and to make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all the words of the Lord Jesus who is with us always even to the end of the age. Let us follow the Lord in fulfilling the Great Commandment and the Great Commision as Park Baptist Church and let us labor to help other churches do the same. The Lord has a purpose for every church in every place. Let us play our part. Let the Lord fulfill his mission in us and let him fulfill his mission through us. Let us hold these two statements of the Lord Jesus Christ together, ‘For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’ and the ‘Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” So let us give our lives to serve, seek and save the lost with the good news of Jesus Christ. This is our mission today, tomorrow, and until the Lord calls us home. So beloved, let's stay on mission to love God, love the lost, and love one another.