WEBVTT 00:00:02.289 --> 00:00:05.730 We'll open our Bibles to the ninth chapter of 00:00:05.730 --> 00:00:09.910 the book of Acts, to the passage recounting the 00:00:09.910 --> 00:00:12.269 conversion of Saul, which we have had suggested 00:00:12.269 --> 00:00:15.869 to us this morning already in the dramatic reading. 00:00:17.410 --> 00:00:34.310 Acts 9. went to the high priest and asked for 00:00:34.310 --> 00:00:37.469 letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, 00:00:37.909 --> 00:00:41.009 so that if he found any belonging to the way, 00:00:41.590 --> 00:00:44.149 both men and women, he might bring them bound 00:00:44.149 --> 00:00:48.289 to Jerusalem. And it came about that as he journeyed, 00:00:48.390 --> 00:00:51.390 he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light 00:00:51.390 --> 00:00:55.289 from heaven flashed around him. And he fell to 00:00:55.289 --> 00:00:59.210 the ground and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, 00:00:59.450 --> 00:01:03.759 Saul! Why are you persecuting me?' And he said, 00:01:03.759 --> 00:01:07.519 Who art thou, Lord?' And he said, I am Jesus, 00:01:07.659 --> 00:01:10.739 whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter 00:01:10.739 --> 00:01:13.040 the city, and it shall be told you what you must 00:01:13.040 --> 00:01:16.799 do.' The men who traveled with him stood speechless, 00:01:16.879 --> 00:01:20.599 hearing the voice, but seeing no one. And Saul 00:01:20.599 --> 00:01:23.439 got up from the ground, and though his eyes were 00:01:23.439 --> 00:01:26.219 open, he could see nothing. And leading him by 00:01:26.219 --> 00:01:28.780 the hand, they brought him into Damascus, and 00:01:28.780 --> 00:01:33.579 he was there. Three days without sight, and neither 00:01:33.579 --> 00:01:38.299 ate nor drank. Now there was a certain disciple 00:01:38.299 --> 00:01:42.400 of Damascus named Ananias. And the Lord said 00:01:42.400 --> 00:01:45.519 to him in a vision, Ananias, and he said, Behold, 00:01:45.599 --> 00:01:49.599 here am I, Lord. And the Lord said to him, Arise, 00:01:49.640 --> 00:01:53.200 and go to the street called Strait, and inquire 00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:57.000 at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named 00:01:57.000 --> 00:02:01.260 Saul. For behold, he is praying. And he has seen 00:02:01.260 --> 00:02:04.400 in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay 00:02:04.400 --> 00:02:06.400 his hands on him, so that he might regain his 00:02:06.400 --> 00:02:10.180 sight. But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard 00:02:10.180 --> 00:02:13.439 from many about this man, how much harm he did 00:02:13.439 --> 00:02:17.620 to thy saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority 00:02:17.620 --> 00:02:20.159 from the chief priest to bind all who call upon 00:02:20.159 --> 00:02:24.479 thy name. But the Lord said to him, Go, for he 00:02:24.479 --> 00:02:28.120 is a chosen instrument of mine. to bear my name 00:02:28.120 --> 00:02:31.180 before the Gentiles, and kings, and the sons 00:02:31.180 --> 00:02:34.680 of Israel. For I will show him how much he must 00:02:34.680 --> 00:02:38.539 suffer for my name's sake." And Ananias departed 00:02:38.539 --> 00:02:40.919 and entered the house, and after laying his hands 00:02:40.919 --> 00:02:44.740 on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who 00:02:44.740 --> 00:02:46.979 appeared to you on the road by which you were 00:02:46.979 --> 00:02:50.460 coming, has sent me so that you may regain your 00:02:50.460 --> 00:02:54.099 sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Immediately, 00:02:54.240 --> 00:02:56.840 there fell from his eyes something like scales. 00:02:57.520 --> 00:03:00.439 He regained his sight, and he arose and was baptized. 00:03:00.560 --> 00:03:03.719 He took food and was strengthened. For several 00:03:03.719 --> 00:03:06.319 days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus. 00:03:06.699 --> 00:03:09.539 Immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the 00:03:09.539 --> 00:03:14.000 synagogues, saying, He is the Son of God. All 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:16.539 those hearing him continued to be amazed and 00:03:16.539 --> 00:03:19.520 were saying, Is this not he who in Jerusalem 00:03:19.520 --> 00:03:22.960 destroyed those who called on this name? And 00:03:22.960 --> 00:03:27.099 we would come here to the direct intervention 00:03:27.099 --> 00:03:31.819 of God in the lives of two persons. Our text 00:03:31.819 --> 00:03:37.900 begins in verse 26 of Acts chapter 8. But an 00:03:37.900 --> 00:03:41.759 angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, Arise 00:03:41.759 --> 00:03:45.199 and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem 00:03:45.199 --> 00:03:50.039 to Gaza. This is a desert road. And he arose 00:03:50.039 --> 00:03:52.900 and went, and behold, there was an Ethiopian 00:03:52.900 --> 00:03:58.039 eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of 00:03:58.039 --> 00:04:01.319 the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her 00:04:01.319 --> 00:04:05.099 treasure. And he had come to Jerusalem to worship. 00:04:06.599 --> 00:04:10.099 There were actually two gazes at that point in 00:04:10.099 --> 00:04:13.539 time. One of them had been destroyed about 125 00:04:13.539 --> 00:04:17.899 years before this and was in ruins in the desert. 00:04:18.189 --> 00:04:21.149 Not too far from there, however, was a new city 00:04:21.149 --> 00:04:24.709 of Gaza. Because of the comment regarding the 00:04:24.709 --> 00:04:27.949 desert road, it is thought that it's probably 00:04:27.949 --> 00:04:31.649 the older Gaza that is in mind when he receives 00:04:31.649 --> 00:04:34.269 the instruction from the angel. For there were 00:04:34.269 --> 00:04:36.610 two roads that went down that direction from 00:04:36.610 --> 00:04:40.310 Jerusalem. It is clear that Philip knew exactly 00:04:40.310 --> 00:04:45.970 where the angel meant. As he got there, he saw 00:04:45.970 --> 00:04:51.009 this man who was a very high official of the 00:04:51.009 --> 00:04:54.569 Ethiopian government. Candace is not the name 00:04:54.569 --> 00:04:56.870 of the particular queen, but was the name of 00:04:56.870 --> 00:05:00.189 the dynasty at that time, or of the office. It 00:05:00.189 --> 00:05:02.029 may have been the title of the office, something 00:05:02.029 --> 00:05:07.670 like Pharaoh in Egypt. He had come to Jerusalem 00:05:07.670 --> 00:05:09.730 to worship, indicating that he may have been 00:05:09.730 --> 00:05:13.350 a proselyte or a God -fearer. There was technically 00:05:13.350 --> 00:05:17.209 a difference. Both were Gentiles. who were moved 00:05:17.209 --> 00:05:21.110 toward Judaism. A proselyte, however, fully accepted 00:05:21.110 --> 00:05:24.910 the teachings of Judaism and, as an outward manifestation 00:05:24.910 --> 00:05:28.649 of that, allowed himself to be immersed or baptized 00:05:28.649 --> 00:05:34.670 into Judaism and to be circumcised. One who was 00:05:34.670 --> 00:05:37.949 a God -fearer, however, did neither of those 00:05:37.949 --> 00:05:40.750 and yet followed after the traditions of the 00:05:40.750 --> 00:05:44.089 Jews. It is most likely that he was, in fact, 00:05:44.509 --> 00:05:48.829 a proselyte to Judaism. It says he was returning 00:05:48.829 --> 00:05:51.430 and sitting in his chariot and was reading the 00:05:51.430 --> 00:05:55.449 prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, 00:05:55.670 --> 00:05:59.129 Go up and join this chariot. And when Philip 00:05:59.129 --> 00:06:01.889 had run up, he heard him reading Isaiah the prophet 00:06:01.889 --> 00:06:05.149 and said, Do you understand what you are reading? 00:06:05.810 --> 00:06:09.009 And he said, Well, how could I unless someone 00:06:09.009 --> 00:06:12.670 guides me? And he invited Philip to come up and 00:06:12.670 --> 00:06:16.879 sit with him. Now the passage of scripture, which 00:06:16.879 --> 00:06:20.360 he was reading, was this, He was led as a sheep 00:06:20.360 --> 00:06:23.779 to slaughter, and as a lamb before his shear 00:06:23.779 --> 00:06:27.480 is silent, so he does not open his mouth. In 00:06:27.480 --> 00:06:31.600 humiliation his judgment was taken away. Who 00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:34.939 shall relate his generation? For his life is 00:06:34.939 --> 00:06:38.939 removed from the earth. And the eunuch answered 00:06:38.939 --> 00:06:41.980 Philip and said, Please tell me, of whom does 00:06:41.980 --> 00:06:45.459 the prophet say this? of himself or of someone 00:06:45.459 --> 00:06:48.800 else. And Philip opened his mouth, and beginning 00:06:48.800 --> 00:06:52.379 from this scripture, he preached Jesus to him. 00:06:53.160 --> 00:06:55.199 And as they went along the road, they came to 00:06:55.199 --> 00:06:58.779 some water. And the eunuch said, Look, water, 00:06:59.379 --> 00:07:02.920 what prevents me from being baptized? And Philip 00:07:02.920 --> 00:07:05.459 said, If you believe with all your heart, you 00:07:05.459 --> 00:07:08.860 may. And he answered and said, I believe that 00:07:08.860 --> 00:07:12.500 Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he ordered 00:07:12.500 --> 00:07:15.279 the chariot to stop, and they both went down 00:07:15.279 --> 00:07:17.379 into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, 00:07:17.740 --> 00:07:21.339 and he baptized him. And when they came up out 00:07:21.339 --> 00:07:23.600 of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched 00:07:23.600 --> 00:07:26.819 Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, 00:07:26.939 --> 00:07:30.480 but went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found 00:07:30.480 --> 00:07:34.579 himself at Azotus, and as he passed through, 00:07:34.740 --> 00:07:37.220 he kept preaching the gospel to all the cities 00:07:37.220 --> 00:07:42.240 until he came to Caesarea. Our text actually 00:07:42.240 --> 00:07:47.360 records the interaction of three persons, not 00:07:47.360 --> 00:07:52.540 just two. The three persons are the Holy Spirit, 00:07:54.360 --> 00:07:59.959 the eunuch, and Philip. Let's talk about each 00:07:59.959 --> 00:08:02.579 of these persons this morning, and as we study 00:08:02.579 --> 00:08:04.939 them, I think we'll uncover some important lessons 00:08:04.939 --> 00:08:07.759 for us to learn, some of which we need to put 00:08:07.759 --> 00:08:11.339 into practice in our lives. Let's talk first 00:08:11.339 --> 00:08:16.319 about the Holy Spirit, the first person in our 00:08:16.319 --> 00:08:20.079 text. We learn from the text that the Holy Spirit 00:08:20.079 --> 00:08:24.680 works for the glory of God. Now, before we look 00:08:24.680 --> 00:08:27.300 into our text in detail, I'd like for us to turn 00:08:27.300 --> 00:08:29.519 back to the Gospel of John, to the sixteenth 00:08:29.519 --> 00:08:32.419 chapter, so that I can make three introductory 00:08:32.419 --> 00:08:38.960 statements regarding the Holy Spirit. I'd like 00:08:38.960 --> 00:09:08.539 to read eight verses beginning in verse 7. concerning 00:09:08.539 --> 00:09:12.100 sin because they do not believe in me, and concerning 00:09:12.100 --> 00:09:14.919 righteousness because I go to the Father and 00:09:14.919 --> 00:09:18.059 you no longer behold me, and concerning judgment 00:09:18.059 --> 00:09:21.039 because the ruler of this world has been judged. 00:09:22.240 --> 00:09:24.759 I have many more things to say to you, but you 00:09:24.759 --> 00:09:28.559 cannot bear them now. But when he, the Spirit 00:09:28.559 --> 00:09:33.500 of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth, 00:09:33.820 --> 00:09:36.710 for he will not speak on his own initiative But 00:09:36.710 --> 00:09:39.929 whatever he hears, he will speak, and he will 00:09:39.929 --> 00:09:44.470 disclose to you what is to come. He shall glorify 00:09:44.470 --> 00:09:49.230 me, for he shall take of mine, and shall disclose 00:09:49.230 --> 00:09:53.110 it to you." There are three important statements 00:09:53.110 --> 00:09:56.149 I want to make concerning the Holy Spirit as 00:09:56.149 --> 00:10:00.809 we look in a few moments in Acts chapter 8. The 00:10:00.809 --> 00:10:06.179 first is that the Holy Spirit is a person. The 00:10:06.179 --> 00:10:12.440 Holy Spirit is not an influence or a thing. He 00:10:12.440 --> 00:10:15.919 is not referred to as it in the New Testament, 00:10:15.980 --> 00:10:18.120 although that would be proper according to the 00:10:18.120 --> 00:10:21.779 Greek word for spirit, for that word is neuter. 00:10:21.919 --> 00:10:24.960 That is, it has no gender connected with it. 00:10:25.620 --> 00:10:28.159 However, when the Holy Spirit is spoken about 00:10:28.159 --> 00:10:31.860 in terms of a personal pronoun, It is always 00:10:31.860 --> 00:10:34.700 a masculine pronoun that is used. You say, what 00:10:34.700 --> 00:10:38.299 does that mean? It means that although the word 00:10:38.299 --> 00:10:43.759 spirit is neuter, the Holy Spirit is a person, 00:10:45.419 --> 00:10:51.000 not an it. He is not an influence in the world. 00:10:52.360 --> 00:10:56.879 He is not a thing that exists apart from God. 00:10:57.740 --> 00:11:01.500 But he is a person of the Godhead. We often say 00:11:01.500 --> 00:11:04.519 the third person of the Godhead in the order 00:11:04.519 --> 00:11:08.039 as we usually speak of them, the Father, the 00:11:08.039 --> 00:11:12.259 Son, and the Holy Spirit. Statement number two, 00:11:12.799 --> 00:11:17.320 the Holy Spirit was sent into the world in a 00:11:17.320 --> 00:11:23.080 special, particular sense in this age. He has 00:11:23.080 --> 00:11:26.870 always been here. But there is a special sense 00:11:26.870 --> 00:11:30.990 in which he was sent into the world after the 00:11:30.990 --> 00:11:35.269 ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. He came into 00:11:35.269 --> 00:11:37.509 the world on the day of Pentecost as we have 00:11:37.509 --> 00:11:41.029 studied earlier in the book of Acts. He came 00:11:41.029 --> 00:11:45.330 to act as the periclete, the helper or comforter 00:11:45.330 --> 00:11:50.669 for the people of God. And he came to act as 00:11:50.669 --> 00:11:56.179 the convictor of the world. And then the third 00:11:56.179 --> 00:11:59.519 statement regarding the Holy Spirit. His aim 00:11:59.519 --> 00:12:05.279 is to glorify Jesus Christ. Jesus said, He will 00:12:05.279 --> 00:12:08.559 glorify me. He will take of mine and show it 00:12:08.559 --> 00:12:13.440 to you. The Holy Spirit's purpose is not to manifest 00:12:13.440 --> 00:12:17.460 Himself to glorify Himself, but to manifest His 00:12:17.460 --> 00:12:20.840 power in the world to glorify the Lord Jesus 00:12:20.840 --> 00:12:24.639 Christ. Of course, the Book of Acts records the 00:12:24.639 --> 00:12:27.580 fulfillment of Jesus' words, his promise that 00:12:27.580 --> 00:12:30.740 the Holy Spirit would come. Thus, the Acts of 00:12:30.740 --> 00:12:32.919 the Apostles, as we normally call this book, 00:12:32.919 --> 00:12:35.500 might properly be called the Acts of the Holy 00:12:35.500 --> 00:12:40.600 Spirit. Now in Acts 8, we see the work of the 00:12:40.600 --> 00:12:46.779 Holy Spirit evidenced. Please observe, first 00:12:46.779 --> 00:12:50.000 of all, that he is faithful in the purpose of 00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:53.529 his work. I have already suggested to you some 00:12:53.529 --> 00:12:57.070 of the reasons why he came into the world. I 00:12:57.070 --> 00:12:58.929 would point out to you that in the text that 00:12:58.929 --> 00:13:01.529 we have read we see the Spirit of God, first 00:13:01.529 --> 00:13:05.409 of all, showing the things of Christ to this 00:13:05.409 --> 00:13:10.350 Ethiopian eunuch. That was why he came. He is 00:13:10.350 --> 00:13:16.409 fulfilling the purpose of his work in showing 00:13:16.409 --> 00:13:20.669 the things of Christ to this man. Then Jesus 00:13:20.669 --> 00:13:23.570 said, He will guide you who are my disciples. 00:13:24.809 --> 00:13:26.950 And again we see that in Philip's case where 00:13:26.950 --> 00:13:29.590 the Spirit of God guides Philip down to that 00:13:29.590 --> 00:13:32.889 particular spot so he is in the right place at 00:13:32.889 --> 00:13:37.889 the right time to meet the eunuch. And then we 00:13:37.889 --> 00:13:40.350 see him in a third work bringing conviction to 00:13:40.350 --> 00:13:45.169 the heart of this sinner, the Ethiopian eunuch, 00:13:45.710 --> 00:13:50.049 so that he would seek something more. And so 00:13:50.049 --> 00:13:52.669 we see the work of the Holy Spirit evidenced 00:13:52.669 --> 00:13:56.309 in our text. We see that he is faithful in the 00:13:56.309 --> 00:13:58.629 purpose for which he was sent into the world. 00:13:59.049 --> 00:14:02.789 He is here showing the things of Christ, guiding 00:14:02.789 --> 00:14:09.429 his servant, and convicting the sinner. Secondly, 00:14:09.570 --> 00:14:12.350 we see that he is sovereign in the design of 00:14:12.350 --> 00:14:17.110 his work. Have you ever asked yourself why this 00:14:17.110 --> 00:14:22.080 man? He was not alone, undoubtedly, on that road, 00:14:22.899 --> 00:14:25.360 for a man of such high stature in the government 00:14:25.360 --> 00:14:28.139 would be accompanied by a retinue of soldiers 00:14:28.139 --> 00:14:32.120 and perhaps even other officials. Why this man? 00:14:34.580 --> 00:14:38.159 The only answer to that is that it is according 00:14:38.159 --> 00:14:41.059 to the elective purposes of God that this man 00:14:41.059 --> 00:14:51.629 should be reached. where we see the Apostle Paul 00:14:51.629 --> 00:14:56.669 give a doctrinal explanation of what is illustrated 00:14:56.669 --> 00:15:01.909 in the book of Acts. In 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 00:15:01.909 --> 00:15:19.399 13, the Apostle Paul writes these words, Notice 00:15:19.399 --> 00:15:23.799 what he says, because God has chosen you from 00:15:23.799 --> 00:15:29.379 the beginning for salvation. And so we bump into 00:15:29.379 --> 00:15:31.679 once again that doctrine that we've talked about 00:15:31.679 --> 00:15:36.960 before, the elective purposes of God. It is God's 00:15:36.960 --> 00:15:41.559 choice of those who are to be saved. Now we know 00:15:41.559 --> 00:15:44.000 that there is another part to this whole truth 00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:48.009 of salvation, and that is man's response. man's 00:15:48.009 --> 00:15:52.009 responsibility to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:15:52.570 --> 00:15:56.309 But here the apostle is emphasizing the one, 00:15:56.669 --> 00:15:59.950 talking about God having chosen them from the 00:15:59.950 --> 00:16:04.169 beginning for salvation. But notice how God would 00:16:04.169 --> 00:16:11.269 fulfill that choice. He says it is through sanctification 00:16:11.269 --> 00:16:18.210 by the Spirit and faith in the truth. How is 00:16:18.210 --> 00:16:22.149 it that God is going to accomplish, bring that 00:16:22.149 --> 00:16:25.549 one that he has chosen from the beginning to 00:16:25.549 --> 00:16:30.350 the point of salvation? Two aspects to that. 00:16:31.149 --> 00:16:33.950 It is through the sanctification of the Holy 00:16:33.950 --> 00:16:37.950 Spirit, that is through the setting apart ministry 00:16:37.950 --> 00:16:43.590 of the Holy Spirit, accompanied by faith in the 00:16:43.590 --> 00:16:46.580 truth. on the part of the individual. So once 00:16:46.580 --> 00:16:49.940 again we come back to that balance of the individual's 00:16:49.940 --> 00:16:54.659 responsibility to believe. What we observe in 00:16:54.659 --> 00:16:57.299 Acts chapter 8 is a beautiful illustration of 00:16:57.299 --> 00:17:03.419 this truth. Why this man? I ask. It is because 00:17:03.419 --> 00:17:06.099 from the beginning God had chosen this man to 00:17:06.099 --> 00:17:10.099 salvation. And now we see the Holy Spirit doing 00:17:10.099 --> 00:17:14.099 his part. And in the text later we'll see the 00:17:14.099 --> 00:17:17.259 individual doing his part so that the man is 00:17:17.259 --> 00:17:23.259 saved. All of us need to realize this. If the 00:17:23.259 --> 00:17:27.019 Holy Spirit did not initiate the work of salvation 00:17:27.019 --> 00:17:31.880 in our lives, none of us would be saved. For 00:17:31.880 --> 00:17:35.519 none of us would respond to the truth of God, 00:17:35.720 --> 00:17:38.259 except the Holy Spirit would awaken our heart 00:17:38.259 --> 00:17:43.259 to its authenticity. and veracity. The sinner 00:17:43.259 --> 00:17:47.960 is dead in trespasses and sins, which means that 00:17:47.960 --> 00:17:51.480 he is unresponsive and, indeed, incapable of 00:17:51.480 --> 00:17:55.359 response because of sin until the Holy Spirit 00:17:55.359 --> 00:17:59.380 initiates a work in his life. So what we see 00:17:59.380 --> 00:18:03.359 in Acts chapter 8 is that the Holy Spirit is 00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:08.759 sovereign in the design of his work. Jesus said, 00:18:08.779 --> 00:18:14.240 the wind blows where it wills. So is the Spirit. 00:18:16.920 --> 00:18:20.579 We see a third truth about the work of the Holy 00:18:20.579 --> 00:18:23.500 Spirit, and that is that He uses means to accomplish 00:18:23.500 --> 00:18:29.500 His work. In other words, God has chosen to utilize 00:18:29.500 --> 00:18:35.160 certain earthly instruments in accomplishing 00:18:35.160 --> 00:18:40.440 His heavenly work. Those instruments are the 00:18:40.440 --> 00:18:47.259 Scripture and His servants. You will notice that 00:18:47.259 --> 00:18:52.640 this eunuch was reading the Word of God. That 00:18:52.640 --> 00:18:57.380 Word of God is found in Isaiah chapter 53. The 00:18:57.380 --> 00:19:01.500 Holy Spirit was using the truth of Isaiah 53 00:19:01.500 --> 00:19:09.220 to woo that man's heart to reality. to salvation, 00:19:09.920 --> 00:19:15.319 to Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit uses the Word 00:19:15.319 --> 00:19:19.220 of God as an instrument to bring people to Jesus 00:19:19.220 --> 00:19:25.240 Christ. Hebrews 4 .12 says that the Word of God 00:19:25.240 --> 00:19:29.380 is sharper than any two -edged sword. Ephesians 00:19:29.380 --> 00:19:32.319 6 tells us that the Word of God is the sword 00:19:32.319 --> 00:19:35.579 of the Spirit. That is, it is the instrument 00:19:35.579 --> 00:19:39.420 which the Holy Spirit uses to prod and to prick 00:19:39.420 --> 00:19:45.299 the human heart, to bring it to faith. But the 00:19:45.299 --> 00:19:48.599 Holy Spirit also chooses to use human beings, 00:19:49.839 --> 00:19:55.279 His servants. Yes, He could speak so that we 00:19:55.279 --> 00:19:58.940 could hear Him without any human being involved, 00:19:59.160 --> 00:20:02.519 but that is not what He has chosen to do. Yes, 00:20:02.539 --> 00:20:06.440 He could also use angels. Indeed, we see an angel 00:20:06.440 --> 00:20:08.779 speaking to Philip to bring a message from God 00:20:08.779 --> 00:20:12.359 in our text. But in delivering the gospel to 00:20:12.359 --> 00:20:16.039 people who need to hear it, the Lord has chosen 00:20:16.039 --> 00:20:20.279 to use human beings, people like you and me. 00:20:20.559 --> 00:20:25.019 God's method is people. Men are always looking 00:20:25.019 --> 00:20:28.099 for better methods, but God is looking for willing 00:20:28.099 --> 00:20:34.599 men. That's the point. Dwight L. Moody was sitting 00:20:34.599 --> 00:20:37.980 in a service one time and heard a man say, the 00:20:37.980 --> 00:20:42.799 world has yet to see what God can do in and with 00:20:42.799 --> 00:20:46.779 and through a man who is fully yielded to him. 00:20:49.279 --> 00:20:53.000 That statement stuck in the heart of Moody. When 00:20:53.000 --> 00:20:57.619 he left the meeting, he said to a friend of his, 00:20:58.119 --> 00:21:03.200 by the grace of God, I will be that man. And 00:21:03.200 --> 00:21:06.400 still today, over a hundred years later, the 00:21:06.400 --> 00:21:10.920 world is feeling the impact of one willing person 00:21:10.920 --> 00:21:16.920 who said, Lord, I'll be your servant. The Holy 00:21:16.920 --> 00:21:20.039 Spirit chooses to use means to accomplish His 00:21:20.039 --> 00:21:23.640 work. The Word of God and people like you and 00:21:23.640 --> 00:21:27.319 me, indeed that's why we're in the world. And 00:21:27.319 --> 00:21:30.779 that's why God has placed you where He has, in 00:21:30.779 --> 00:21:34.859 that neighborhood. in that office, on that campus, 00:21:36.440 --> 00:21:39.079 so that He can use you there as an instrument 00:21:39.079 --> 00:21:42.000 to impact the lives of others. What a marvelous 00:21:42.000 --> 00:21:44.460 thing that is that God would use us that way. 00:21:45.319 --> 00:21:48.799 Tony was sharing with me before the service that 00:21:48.799 --> 00:21:53.599 he was raised in a church of another denomination 00:21:53.599 --> 00:21:57.660 with a lot of ritual and sacraments involved, 00:21:57.819 --> 00:22:01.160 traditions, but that he dropped out as he grew 00:22:01.160 --> 00:22:05.119 up. After he and Sue were married and their children 00:22:05.119 --> 00:22:08.319 came along, there was created in their life a 00:22:08.319 --> 00:22:11.920 concern about their kids and what they were going 00:22:11.920 --> 00:22:16.900 to pass on to their children. God used that to 00:22:16.900 --> 00:22:20.960 begin to awaken their hearts, and then he brought 00:22:20.960 --> 00:22:24.119 into Tony's life a co -worker who was a Christian. 00:22:25.839 --> 00:22:29.839 The life of the man impressed him. But even more 00:22:29.839 --> 00:22:32.119 than that, the man began to introduce him to 00:22:32.119 --> 00:22:35.720 the scriptures and got him involved in studying 00:22:35.720 --> 00:22:39.539 the Bible for himself. And so it was through 00:22:39.539 --> 00:22:43.680 that servant and the scriptures that Tony Campagna 00:22:43.680 --> 00:22:47.339 came to faith in Jesus Christ. And that can be 00:22:47.339 --> 00:22:50.619 repeated hundreds of times over in our congregation 00:22:50.619 --> 00:22:54.079 this morning. Now we see a fourth thing about 00:22:54.079 --> 00:22:56.380 the Holy Spirit's work, and that is he is diverse 00:22:56.380 --> 00:23:00.720 in the manner of his work. On the one hand, he 00:23:00.720 --> 00:23:03.460 used an angel to give Philip direction. On the 00:23:03.460 --> 00:23:08.299 other, he spoke directly to Philip. In the one 00:23:08.299 --> 00:23:13.799 case, he had Philip walk all the way from Samaria 00:23:13.799 --> 00:23:18.619 down to this desert place near Gaza. That was 00:23:18.619 --> 00:23:23.500 a long way, perhaps as much as 60 to 70 miles. 00:23:23.920 --> 00:23:28.750 He walked. And when he got there, He began to 00:23:28.750 --> 00:23:34.670 jog and to run along the chariot. Then when it 00:23:34.670 --> 00:23:38.289 was time to leave, the Lord just took him supernaturally 00:23:38.289 --> 00:23:41.609 and moved him to another location. You say, what 00:23:41.609 --> 00:23:44.529 are you trying to point out? It's this, that 00:23:44.529 --> 00:23:46.789 the Holy Spirit is diverse in the manner of His 00:23:46.789 --> 00:23:51.769 work. He does not have one pattern for all people 00:23:51.769 --> 00:23:57.000 at all times. You may be amazed at how the Holy 00:23:57.000 --> 00:24:00.220 Spirit works in another person's life. Praise 00:24:00.220 --> 00:24:05.339 God for that. But don't seek that exact experience 00:24:05.339 --> 00:24:08.960 for yourself. For the Spirit of God may desire 00:24:08.960 --> 00:24:12.279 to do it differently in your life. For you see, 00:24:12.299 --> 00:24:16.019 He is creative. He is infinitely various in His 00:24:16.019 --> 00:24:18.940 manner of working. And yet I would emphasize 00:24:18.940 --> 00:24:21.640 always He works in consistency with the Holy 00:24:21.640 --> 00:24:25.819 Scriptures. But in the way that he accomplishes 00:24:25.819 --> 00:24:31.680 his work, he is creative and diverse. And so 00:24:31.680 --> 00:24:34.779 we have a study regarding the Spirit of God. 00:24:35.680 --> 00:24:38.599 He is here to work in the world and to glorify 00:24:38.599 --> 00:24:42.599 the Lord. Now let's look at the servant. Let's 00:24:42.599 --> 00:24:45.740 look at Philip. And notice about him that he 00:24:45.740 --> 00:24:50.339 serves in God's will. By definition, a servant 00:24:50.339 --> 00:24:52.940 is one with no rights of his own to consider. 00:24:53.900 --> 00:24:56.440 but who is only concerned with the affairs of 00:24:56.440 --> 00:24:59.480 his master. That's difficult for us to identify 00:24:59.480 --> 00:25:03.099 with that fully because even employees today 00:25:03.099 --> 00:25:06.539 have certain rights of their own. That was not 00:25:06.539 --> 00:25:09.799 the case with a servant in New Testament times. 00:25:10.539 --> 00:25:13.400 He had no rights. There was no union for slaves. 00:25:15.460 --> 00:25:19.740 He had no will of his own. His master said, do 00:25:19.740 --> 00:25:24.119 this, and that's what he did. That was his only 00:25:24.119 --> 00:25:27.160 concern. And that is the place in which Philip 00:25:27.160 --> 00:25:31.299 is serving the Lord as a servant. He is a servant 00:25:31.299 --> 00:25:33.599 who is also spirit -filled according to chapter 00:25:33.599 --> 00:25:37.440 6 verse 5. For along with Stephen he was a man 00:25:37.440 --> 00:25:42.299 full of the Holy Spirit. A spirit -filled servant 00:25:42.299 --> 00:25:47.759 of the Lord is known by his actions. I want you 00:25:47.759 --> 00:25:50.509 to notice three actions on the part of Philip 00:25:50.509 --> 00:25:52.690 that evidence the fact that he was Spirit -filled. 00:25:53.450 --> 00:25:57.130 In the first place, he hears the voice of the 00:25:57.130 --> 00:26:01.069 Lord. In verse 26, through an angel of the Lord 00:26:01.069 --> 00:26:04.490 sent to him, and then in verse 29, the Spirit 00:26:04.490 --> 00:26:08.109 of God speaking directly to Philip. The point 00:26:08.109 --> 00:26:12.750 is that he literally heard the voice of the Lord. 00:26:13.950 --> 00:26:16.509 Not today. That is not the customary way that 00:26:16.509 --> 00:26:21.720 God speaks to us. Indeed, the way that God speaks 00:26:21.720 --> 00:26:25.740 to us is through His Word and through that quiet, 00:26:25.960 --> 00:26:29.960 still voice in the inner man, that compulsion 00:26:29.960 --> 00:26:34.559 within that we recognize to be the voice of God. 00:26:35.460 --> 00:26:39.460 And again, that inner voice is always consistent 00:26:39.460 --> 00:26:49.049 with the written revelation of God's Word. hears 00:26:49.049 --> 00:26:53.230 the voice of the Lord. Now to hear, one must 00:26:53.230 --> 00:26:59.109 listen. And to listen, one must be an active 00:26:59.109 --> 00:27:02.890 listener. Are you an active listener? Are you 00:27:02.890 --> 00:27:05.849 a good listener to the voice of God through His 00:27:05.849 --> 00:27:09.289 Word in your life? Do you listen daily to the 00:27:09.289 --> 00:27:16.380 Spirit's voice? I notice secondly that Because 00:27:16.380 --> 00:27:18.920 he is a Spirit -filled servant of the Lord, Philip 00:27:18.920 --> 00:27:24.319 obeys the commands of the Lord. Verses 26 and 00:27:24.319 --> 00:27:29.140 27, it says, he arose and went as the Lord commanded 00:27:29.140 --> 00:27:34.599 him to do. Verses 29 and 30, it says, go up and 00:27:34.599 --> 00:27:38.839 join this chariot. Philip ran up to the chariot 00:27:38.839 --> 00:27:43.069 and joined himself to it. A spirit -filled servant 00:27:43.069 --> 00:27:48.349 of the Lord obeys the commands of the Lord. Obedience 00:27:48.349 --> 00:27:53.190 to be obedience must be characterized as immediate 00:27:53.190 --> 00:28:00.069 response and total response. Obedience that is 00:28:00.069 --> 00:28:04.349 delayed or which is only partial is not real 00:28:04.349 --> 00:28:09.849 obedience, is it? Obedience is immediately doing 00:28:09.849 --> 00:28:14.640 all that has been commanded. I think sometimes 00:28:14.640 --> 00:28:19.599 we get that confused. And we say to the Lord, 00:28:20.079 --> 00:28:23.619 just a minute. Now, of course, your children 00:28:23.619 --> 00:28:28.319 never say that to you, do they? Let me finish 00:28:28.319 --> 00:28:32.940 this. That response is not obedience. That's 00:28:32.940 --> 00:28:38.150 delay. or when the job is only half done. That's 00:28:38.150 --> 00:28:39.890 not obedience. Take the garbage out of them, 00:28:39.890 --> 00:28:42.910 put it in the garbage can. So you walk into the 00:28:42.910 --> 00:28:45.410 garage and trip over the bag of garbage that 00:28:45.410 --> 00:28:48.450 was left right at the door. That's not obedience. 00:28:48.609 --> 00:28:52.170 It wasn't in the garbage can. Obedience to be 00:28:52.170 --> 00:28:59.170 obedience must be immediate and total. Dear people, 00:28:59.210 --> 00:29:04.700 we need to learn that. We too easily excuse ourselves 00:29:04.700 --> 00:29:08.819 from the Lord until a later time. Or we say to 00:29:08.819 --> 00:29:12.680 Him, I have done this much, isn't that sufficient? 00:29:14.000 --> 00:29:17.420 And the answer is no, not if God has said to 00:29:17.420 --> 00:29:23.200 do this much. He obeyed the commands of the Lord. 00:29:24.759 --> 00:29:26.920 Thirdly, I see that He speaks the word of the 00:29:26.920 --> 00:29:31.180 Lord. Jesus Christ is the key to understanding 00:29:31.180 --> 00:29:35.970 Scripture. This man did not know of Jesus Christ. 00:29:37.349 --> 00:29:41.170 He asked Philip, please tell me, who's the prophet 00:29:41.170 --> 00:29:47.789 talking about? Himself or someone else? And Philip 00:29:47.789 --> 00:29:50.210 opened his mouth, and beginning from this scripture, 00:29:50.990 --> 00:29:55.430 he preached Jesus to him. This spirit filled 00:29:55.430 --> 00:29:58.230 servant of the Lord spoke the word of the Lord 00:29:58.230 --> 00:30:01.619 to this man. He opened his understanding to see 00:30:01.619 --> 00:30:05.019 that the Word of God points to Jesus Christ. 00:30:05.559 --> 00:30:08.759 Everything either leads to Him or flows from 00:30:08.759 --> 00:30:15.420 Him. He had no personal agendas. He was not interested 00:30:15.420 --> 00:30:18.440 in sharing his opinions. He avoided sidetracks 00:30:18.440 --> 00:30:21.839 and detours. He got right to the point, and the 00:30:21.839 --> 00:30:25.559 point was the Word of the Lord. The authority 00:30:25.559 --> 00:30:28.000 that he had came from the one whom he served, 00:30:28.160 --> 00:30:34.059 Jesus Christ. So he opened his mouth, and beginning 00:30:34.059 --> 00:30:38.579 from the scripture of Isaiah 53, he preached 00:30:38.579 --> 00:30:43.000 Jesus to that man. It doesn't say that was the 00:30:43.000 --> 00:30:46.099 only text used, but I think all of us realize 00:30:46.099 --> 00:30:48.220 that there is no passage in the Old Testament 00:30:48.220 --> 00:30:51.279 that more clearly speaks of Jesus than Isaiah 00:30:51.279 --> 00:30:57.190 53. Until the time of Jesus, even the Jewish 00:30:57.190 --> 00:31:01.430 people recognized that Isaiah 53 spoke of the 00:31:01.430 --> 00:31:06.109 Messiah. But of course, it is such a clear depiction 00:31:06.109 --> 00:31:09.309 of his sufferings as the servant of the Lord 00:31:09.309 --> 00:31:12.529 that since his time in the last 2 ,000 years, 00:31:12.690 --> 00:31:15.930 that passage has been reinterpreted by them, 00:31:16.230 --> 00:31:19.089 usually to refer to the Jewish nation itself 00:31:19.089 --> 00:31:22.450 as suffering. And of course, it has suffered 00:31:22.450 --> 00:31:26.170 tremendously. But we know clearly that the New 00:31:26.170 --> 00:31:30.609 Testament indicates Isaiah 53 to be an explicit 00:31:30.609 --> 00:31:35.210 portrayal of the sufferings of Jesus Christ for 00:31:35.210 --> 00:31:40.650 our sins. And it was that truth that Philip communicated 00:31:40.650 --> 00:31:47.329 to that Ethiopian proselyte, the servant. He 00:31:47.329 --> 00:31:51.250 serves according to the will of God. Let me ask 00:31:51.250 --> 00:31:57.970 a question. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would 00:31:57.970 --> 00:32:09.569 you rate your servant work? Not really where 00:32:09.569 --> 00:32:11.829 you would like to be. All of us would like to 00:32:11.829 --> 00:32:20.630 be a 10. But really, where are you? Are you listening 00:32:20.630 --> 00:32:24.420 to his voice? Indeed, can you hear it, or is 00:32:24.420 --> 00:32:27.920 it drowned out by the din of the noise in your 00:32:27.920 --> 00:32:34.180 life? Are you obeying everything you know to 00:32:34.180 --> 00:32:38.960 do? Are you conscious of any area of disobedience 00:32:38.960 --> 00:32:44.359 in your life that has not been dealt with? Are 00:32:44.359 --> 00:32:48.599 you speaking the Lord's Word, or do you frankly 00:32:48.599 --> 00:32:52.430 have your own concerns? your own agenda to care 00:32:52.430 --> 00:32:59.390 for. Are you sidetracked? Are you on a detour, 00:32:59.849 --> 00:33:04.130 on a secondary issue, and forgetting the Word 00:33:04.130 --> 00:33:08.329 of the Lord? There are so many good things that 00:33:08.329 --> 00:33:10.769 we can get involved in that we have to constantly 00:33:10.769 --> 00:33:13.210 examine ourselves to be sure that we're doing 00:33:13.210 --> 00:33:19.309 the most important thing. That's serving God's 00:33:19.309 --> 00:33:23.509 will. Finally, I'd like for us to look at the 00:33:23.509 --> 00:33:26.890 seeker, this Ethiopian eunuch. Notice that he 00:33:26.890 --> 00:33:29.970 searches for God's truth. Not all seekers, not 00:33:29.970 --> 00:33:33.970 all are seekers in the world. Indeed, I think 00:33:33.970 --> 00:33:37.410 we would have to say that only a few actually 00:33:37.410 --> 00:33:41.349 are seekers, only those who are prompted by the 00:33:41.349 --> 00:33:45.349 Holy Spirit to be seekers. God says that there 00:33:45.349 --> 00:33:50.920 is none who naturally seeks after him. Romans 00:33:50.920 --> 00:33:59.619 3, 10, and 11. None, N -O -N -E. But this seeker 00:33:59.619 --> 00:34:06.240 was wooed by the Holy Spirit to the truth. This 00:34:06.240 --> 00:34:08.800 official from Ethiopia was obviously a seeker, 00:34:08.840 --> 00:34:10.820 and there are five facts I want you to notice 00:34:10.820 --> 00:34:12.619 about him very quickly. First of all, he had 00:34:12.619 --> 00:34:18.219 a background that was advantageous. Tony said 00:34:18.219 --> 00:34:20.420 this morning his testimony was not raised in 00:34:20.420 --> 00:34:22.440 a Christian home, although it was a good home. 00:34:23.440 --> 00:34:26.119 Those raised in a Christian home have an advantage. 00:34:27.519 --> 00:34:30.320 We see a man here who had the advantage of knowing 00:34:30.320 --> 00:34:34.480 the Old Testament scriptures. He was a man who 00:34:34.480 --> 00:34:39.860 was acquainted with Judaism, its rituals, its 00:34:39.860 --> 00:34:42.280 sacrifice. But notice that that religion did 00:34:42.280 --> 00:34:47.170 not satisfy him. Religion itself never satisfies. 00:34:48.630 --> 00:34:52.170 Only reality in Jesus Christ satisfies the heart. 00:34:53.269 --> 00:34:55.670 And yet he had the advantage of that background, 00:34:57.010 --> 00:34:59.369 that religious acquaintance with the Old Testament, 00:34:59.670 --> 00:35:03.869 and God used that. I would have you notice secondly 00:35:03.869 --> 00:35:06.949 that he had a heart that was searching. He was 00:35:06.949 --> 00:35:09.650 looking for something more. In verse 31 he said, 00:35:09.710 --> 00:35:12.309 how can I understand this unless someone guides 00:35:12.309 --> 00:35:15.920 me? He was seeking to understand it. He wanted 00:35:15.920 --> 00:35:19.239 a guide. Of course, the Holy Spirit knew that, 00:35:19.280 --> 00:35:22.780 and that's why Philip was there. Third, he had 00:35:22.780 --> 00:35:30.900 a mind that was open. I would have to say that 00:35:30.900 --> 00:35:35.380 not everyone who searches has an open mind. Not 00:35:35.380 --> 00:35:38.179 all searching hearts are complemented that way. 00:35:38.199 --> 00:35:41.289 Some are closed, actually, to the truth. though 00:35:41.289 --> 00:35:46.190 they are searching for something. 2 Corinthians 00:35:46.190 --> 00:35:49.690 4 tells us that if our gospel is veiled, it is 00:35:49.690 --> 00:35:54.949 veiled to those who are perishing, in whom the 00:35:54.949 --> 00:35:59.710 God of this world, Satan, has blinded the minds 00:35:59.710 --> 00:36:05.230 of the unbelieving. There are those today who 00:36:05.230 --> 00:36:07.570 are searching whose hearts are not yet open to 00:36:07.570 --> 00:36:09.510 the truth, but that was not the case with this 00:36:09.510 --> 00:36:14.829 man. Fourth, he had a faith that was eager. There 00:36:14.829 --> 00:36:20.829 was nothing that was hesitant about this man. 00:36:21.469 --> 00:36:26.349 He was eagerly willing to believe on the Lord 00:36:26.349 --> 00:36:30.050 Jesus Christ. That is indicated by his desire 00:36:30.050 --> 00:36:33.789 for baptism. They saw water and he said, hey, 00:36:33.949 --> 00:36:37.619 what prevents me from being baptized? Notice 00:36:37.619 --> 00:36:39.739 that Philip's response was, if you believe with 00:36:39.739 --> 00:36:43.679 all your heart, you may. He answered, I believe 00:36:43.679 --> 00:36:48.079 that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Have you 00:36:48.079 --> 00:36:50.900 noticed here the place the baptism place does 00:36:50.900 --> 00:36:56.219 not bring salvation? The important thing is the 00:36:56.219 --> 00:37:00.559 faith. That is what saves the soul. But don't 00:37:00.559 --> 00:37:03.199 undervalue the importance of baptism either, 00:37:03.639 --> 00:37:07.900 because it is the commanded profession. of our 00:37:07.900 --> 00:37:12.800 faith. We are commanded by Jesus Christ to follow 00:37:12.800 --> 00:37:15.719 him in the waters of baptism once we have believed, 00:37:16.139 --> 00:37:19.599 and in that way to evidence that we have died 00:37:19.599 --> 00:37:23.420 with him, that we are raised with him as new 00:37:23.420 --> 00:37:32.719 creatures, that we are one now with him. I would 00:37:32.719 --> 00:37:35.559 rather think that this man evidences a humility 00:37:35.559 --> 00:37:40.090 here, don't you? As I said before, he surely 00:37:40.090 --> 00:37:44.309 must have had those who were with him. He was 00:37:44.309 --> 00:37:47.090 willing to get out of his chariot, which was 00:37:47.090 --> 00:37:51.409 at least a two -seater, it would seem, and probably 00:37:51.409 --> 00:37:53.550 a rather fancy chariot. I don't know if it was 00:37:53.550 --> 00:37:57.889 a corvette or not, but it was a nice one. He 00:37:57.889 --> 00:38:00.250 got out of it, went down into the water, he and 00:38:00.250 --> 00:38:03.989 Philip, and was baptized. It reminds me somewhat 00:38:03.989 --> 00:38:07.719 of Naaman. that Syrian official in the Old Testament 00:38:07.719 --> 00:38:11.559 in the time of Elisha, who was willing to humble 00:38:11.559 --> 00:38:15.800 himself finally to go into the muddy waters of 00:38:15.800 --> 00:38:19.099 the Jordan River in view of all of his troops. 00:38:21.300 --> 00:38:25.840 And he came out a whole man, no longer diseased 00:38:25.840 --> 00:38:29.800 with leprosy because of his faith. He said, well, 00:38:29.860 --> 00:38:32.239 did the water save him from his leprosy? No, 00:38:32.239 --> 00:38:35.780 it was his faith. is humbling himself before 00:38:35.780 --> 00:38:41.559 God. Does water and baptism save? No, it does 00:38:41.559 --> 00:38:45.980 not save, but it evidences humility of heart 00:38:45.980 --> 00:38:49.179 and willingness to obey Jesus Christ. He had 00:38:49.179 --> 00:38:51.440 a faith that was eager and finally had a joy 00:38:51.440 --> 00:38:55.119 that was genuine. Verse 39, it says that he went 00:38:55.119 --> 00:38:59.380 on his way rejoicing. Tradition says that this 00:38:59.380 --> 00:39:03.500 man became an evangelist. in the area of Africa 00:39:03.500 --> 00:39:07.840 where he was from. Indeed, there are some Christian 00:39:07.840 --> 00:39:11.579 groups, at least one that I know of, that claims 00:39:11.579 --> 00:39:16.059 to originate from the ministry of this Ethiopian 00:39:16.059 --> 00:39:19.500 eunuch. He went on his way rejoicing, and you'll 00:39:19.500 --> 00:39:21.920 find that that is a theme, a sub -theme, I should 00:39:21.920 --> 00:39:25.260 say, in the book of Acts. The rejoicing of heart 00:39:25.260 --> 00:39:29.519 that comes to one who has been truly saved. And 00:39:29.519 --> 00:39:33.699 so we have the seeker. Conclusion this morning, 00:39:33.739 --> 00:39:37.159 I'd like to speak first to the servant of God 00:39:37.159 --> 00:39:42.219 here. Just to recap, are you serving in God's 00:39:42.219 --> 00:39:49.119 will? Are you being used by the Lord? Is your 00:39:49.119 --> 00:39:53.219 life impacting the lives of others because you 00:39:53.219 --> 00:39:56.519 are filled with the Holy Spirit and you are obeying 00:39:56.519 --> 00:40:00.039 the Lord as fully as you know how at this point 00:40:00.039 --> 00:40:04.099 in your life? Thank God He does not demand perfection 00:40:04.099 --> 00:40:09.280 of us before He uses us. Thank God He does not 00:40:09.280 --> 00:40:13.059 demand that we have a theological degree before 00:40:13.059 --> 00:40:16.360 we can be used by Him. But He's looking for the 00:40:16.360 --> 00:40:22.420 willing, obedient heart. And then there may be 00:40:22.420 --> 00:40:26.300 a seeker here this morning, one who is searching 00:40:26.300 --> 00:40:29.460 after the truth. I would say to you in closing, 00:40:29.719 --> 00:40:33.300 will you act upon the truth that you found? It 00:40:33.300 --> 00:40:36.019 is wonderful to be a seeker, but it is not enough. 00:40:36.980 --> 00:40:41.920 You must also be a finder. The Lord says, Seek, 00:40:42.000 --> 00:40:46.219 and ye shall find. Seek the Lord while he may 00:40:46.219 --> 00:40:52.519 be found. Call upon him while he is near. How 00:40:52.519 --> 00:40:55.780 shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? 00:40:56.300 --> 00:41:00.500 as the writer of Hebrews. And finally, you will 00:41:00.500 --> 00:41:03.960 find Him if you search for Him with all your 00:41:03.960 --> 00:41:09.199 heart and all your soul. I'm reminded of a dear 00:41:09.199 --> 00:41:13.699 lady that one of our EE teams visited some time 00:41:13.699 --> 00:41:19.420 ago. In her seventh decade of life, she had been 00:41:19.420 --> 00:41:26.110 in church for most of those 70 plus years. And 00:41:26.110 --> 00:41:30.730 when she heard the gospel from this EE team, 00:41:32.010 --> 00:41:36.309 in its simplicity, in such a manner as she understood 00:41:36.309 --> 00:41:39.630 that Christ had died for her sins, she opened 00:41:39.630 --> 00:41:42.570 her heart and trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:41:43.510 --> 00:41:47.110 She said, after all of these years, I've never 00:41:47.110 --> 00:41:52.949 heard it before. Maybe you're like that lady. 00:41:53.929 --> 00:41:57.789 Would you trust the Savior today? Let's pray.