September, 1934
326
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
1. Notice that God often provides op portunities in strange ways and places. Philip was taken away from a successful evangelistic meeting and sent out into the desert where his path might cross that of a soul whom God had chosen unto eternal life (v. 26). 2. The soul-winner should always be sensitivi to the voice of God, no matter how it comes. When the angel brought God’s command, Philip “arose and went” (v. 27). Actually the messenger was an angel, not the angel o f the Lord. There is no definite article in the Greek. “The an gel of the Lord,” so prominent in the Old Testament, never appears as such in the New, for He is now incarnate in Christ. 3. Philip did not hesitate to speak to a great man. And the eunuch was a great man, comparable to the Secretary of the Treasury o f our own country. Sometimes I think that great men are to be pitied be cause Christian workers are often too much awed by their presence to deal with them frankly as to the matter of their relation to God. 4. Philip began with something in which the eunuch was already interested (v. 30). He found him reading the fifty-third chap ter o f Isaiah. How easy soul-winning would be if we could find all our prospects reading such a passage of the Bible! W e are more likely today to find them read ing a newspaper. But no matter. If we are wise, we can begin with the news of the day. 5. No matter where we begin, we must somehow get to Christ. Philip did not stop until he was preaching Jesus. Until we get to Him, we can help nobody. All else is merely preliminary (v. 35). 6. In verse 39, we have a type of the end o f a life o f soul-winning. Philip was “ caught away.” It is the same Greek word used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. Golden Text Illustration That prince o f preachers, the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon, found on the table o f a Scottish wayside inn a worm-eaten Bible. Holding it up to the light, he noticed only one hole through which the light shone. One worm, it seems, had begun at Genesis and eaten through to Revelation, and Spur geon prayed, “ Lord, make me a bookworm like that.” Such a bookworm never turns into an earthworm. It will have wings by and by.,Are you one of God’s bookworms ? —A. C. D ix o n . Learning from God’s Book A cts 8 :26-39 Memory Verse; “ Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psa. 119:11). Approach: When Jesus left this world, His commandments to His followers were written down in God’s Book, the holy Bi ble. If we wish to help others to know
to read; and he was a humble man, or he would not have invited the stranger, Philip, to instruct him. Dissatisfied with his own religion, the eunuch had heard that the true God might be found in Jerusalem, and he had gone thither to worship. But he was still ignorant o f the truth. He needed a man o f God, with the W ord of God, who could, by the Spirit of God, explain to him the truth o f the words he read. While Philip passed on his way, the Spirit o f God said to him : “Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.” The direc tions were very simple and easily under stood. Many chariots doubtless were pass ing on that road, but this chariot was the one for Philip (v. 29). In that particular chariot was a disappointed, discouraged, and dissatisfied man. He was disappointed because he had not found in Jerusalem that which he sought. He was discouraged be cause he could not understand what he read. And he was dissatisfied because he found nothing which would bring quiet ness to his conscience or rest to his heart. It was for the sake o f this man that Philip had come from Samaria. There is no need that the Spirit shall speak in the same man ner to us today, for we have the Word o f God—a complete revelation—and through the pages of that Word which He Himself has written, the Spirit of God will guide every willing and obedient soul. Philip immediately obeyed the directions and ran to the chariot. He heard the great man reading aloud, perhaps the better to catch the meaning, and asked: “ Under- standest thou what thou readest?” II. T h e E xplan ation B y P h ilip (31-3S). In answer to Philip’s question, the eu nuch said, “How can I, except some man should guide me?” Here was the opportu nity for Philip. When asked to join the traveler in his chariot, Philip found the eunuch reading the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah, a chapter which describes the suf ferings o f Christ for the sins o f the world. In the selection o f the passage, there was evidence o f the leading of the Spirit, al though the eunuch was unaware o f such leading. The eunuch could not understand o f whom the prophet was writing, and he expressed his ignorance to the evangelist. At once Philip revealed his own under standing of the Word of God by using the same scripture from which to preach Jesus to the eunuch. It was Jesus in His death on the cross o f whom the eunuch needed to know. Philip is an excellent example for all who would be used by the Lord in point ing others to a saving knowledge o f the Lord Jesus Christ. Philip did not exhort the eunuch to do anything—not to pray more, or to engage in any religious rites and ceremonies. But with simplicity and clear ness—and we cannot doubt that it was with tenderness al§o—he “preached unto him Jesus.” Philip would explain that the prophet was writing o f One other than him- ' self; he would tell the eunuch who that other Man was, even the Lord Jesus Christ; and he would show that the suf ferings described were the sufferings of the Saviour on behalf of sinners. The eunuch would learn that Jesus had died on Calvary’s cross for the sins of the whole world, had risen from the dead the third day, was then alive and seated in glory, and that in Him was eternal life for ali who .would accept it as the free gift of God. What was thus spoken would awaken a conviction of sin in the heart of the eunuch —a deeper realization o f need than he had ever before experienced. And along with the conviction would come the knowledge that Jesus Christ was the Saviour he need ed. The eunuch accepted the sacrifice of
BLACKBOARD LESSON T he CHRisTiffNlr ¿ tewel c a j ' e
Christ for him, and he received the Lord Jesus as the risen Saviour. Thus simply but definitely he was saved there and then. As he listened to Philip speaking in the power o f the Holy Spirit, the eunuch came to understand that what he needed more than anything he had or could obtain by any effort o f his own was this Saviour of men. Through Philip’s explanation, he would understand that the work o f re demption had been fully accomplished, and that there remained nothing for him to do ~but to accept on his own behalf that which was so freely provided in Christ. He came to such an understanding because he was listening to a Christian who was acquainted with his Bible. Although Philip had only the Old Testament, he knew its teachings well. In it, he had the prophetic descrip tion o f that which he knew had already taken place, that is, the sufferings of Christ on behalf of sinners. He knew not only the fact that Christ had suffered, but he knew also the meaning o f the fact—that Christ had suffered for sin. It is one thing to know the facts o f the Bible, and it is an other thing to know the meaning o f those facts. The Christian uses his Bible to gather the information which it contains, and as he waits before God, the Holy Spirit gives him the interpretation o f the words. This method is true Bible study. III. T h e B aptism by P h ilip (36-39). Baptism has nothing whatever to do with the obtainment of salvation. Salvation de pends entirely upon simple faith in Jesus Christ. It appears that Philip had said nothing to the eunuch concerning baptism. But evidently the eunuch thought o f it as being a means of open confession of what had already taken place within him, and he asked if he might not be baptized. The reply of Philip should be given careful at tention: “ If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.” Hence* the baptism was not given in order that the eunuch might be saved, but because he was already saved. What the eunuch believed was that “Jesus Christ is the Son of God” ; that is, he believed in the deity and the saviour- hood o f Jesus Christ, and following this confession, Philip baptized him in water. As soon as this action was accomplished, Philip’s work with the eunuch was done, and the Spirit caught him away. The eunuch was now in the control of the Spirit o f God, and therefore went on his way re joicing. The eunuch would now be taught of the Holy Spirit as he read the Word, and being so taught, he would grow in grace and in the knowledge of his Saviour and Lord. The Lord Jesus Christ ordained that sinners must hear the gospel through the lips o f saved sinners. Points and Problems The title given to the lesson this week is “The Christian and His Bible,” but the more prominent theme o f the selected pas sage seems to be the work o f soul-winning. There are many valuable lessons here for the soul-winner.
about God and the Lord Jesus, we must know what is said about them in God’s Book. Lesson Story : Our story today tells us about one o f Jesus’ disciples who had hidden God’s Word in his heart. Then when the time came for him to help
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some one find and love Jesus and take Jesus to be his Saviour, this disciple, whose name was Philip, was able to help him. It came about this way. A man from Ethiopia, a eunuch belonging in the court
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