The value of a soul

Sermon notes from Sunday 22 September 2019 am

Acts 8 verse 26 – 40

There are many lessons from this portion of scripture but one valuable one is the value of one soul.  Jesus made it clear “what shall it profit a man.”  If you were to climb that ladder of society reach the very top inherit every rich you could gain the whole world, if you lost your soul in the doing of it what a tragedy that would be.  Consider in the winning of this soul the human touch.  What do you see in this portion of scripture – love for this soul sitting in this chariot.  God is ready to extend mercy to this man.  Responsibility of that human touch.  Philip had the responsibility of taking the word of God to this soul – a man who was lost and lonely, one of a trail of people.  This man was lonely, without Christ.  He needed to be saved.  This was the task of Philip.  If you haven’t Christ you are lonely today.  God wants to use us.  Are we ready to be used by God today?  Paul writing to the Corinthians “to the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” (2 Corinthians 9 verse 22)  God is still looking for men and women who will do something.

Philip is central to God’s awakening.  Philip is busy in the work of God.  We first come across this young man as a deacon in the early church.  Acts 6 the early church was beginning to grow.  There were those who were getting saved, then came the devil.  The devil will always oppose you, come against you, attack you in every way possible.  We first come across Philip when there was trouble and strife in the early church.  The devil moved in.  There were one or 2 discontented murmurings, not happy with the way things are being done.  The apostles asked for the church to choose out 7 young men to sort out the situation and they would give themselves to the preaching of the word of God.  One of the men chosen by the church to help sort out this problem was Philip.  Ezekiel 22 verse 30 “I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it but I found no one.”  In Acts 6 we read that Stephen was a man full of faith and full of the Holy Ghost.  Philip is spoken of next and he must have been filled with the same faith.  In Acts 21 Philip is described as “an evangelist”.  In Acts 8 we see him coming to Samaria with passion for souls.  He had to flee Jerusalem.  God is directing him into Samaria.  There he begins to preach.  There is great joy in the city, a city given over to the occult.  This is the man God used to speak to the Ethiopian eunuch.

Philip is conscious to God’s appeal.  Some people were being saved, others were healed, others were delivered from demon spirits.  He is the central figure.  Here Peter and John leave Jerusalem and go down to Samaria, they lay hands on people and people are being filled with the Holy Spirit.  What a tremendous time, he is seeing lives transformed, homes changed.  Ministry with James and John.  His feet are firmly on the ground.  He is open to the Lord, here listening for the Lord.  Paul in Acts 6 pauses to hear from God.  He tried to push into Asia but couldn’t.  The door was closed.  One night he saw the vision “come over into Macedonia and help.”  Paul was waiting on God.  Are we really waiting on God today, setting aside time to be alone with God, ask him to be used in the mission?  Samuel in the Old Testament as a boy God was interested in him, called him.  “and the angel spoke unto Philip and said arise.”  God is now speaking to him and saying “I have a job for you.”  No doubt God was also speaking to the Ethiopian eunuch.  He didn’t need a doctor but a Saviour.  There are people in our families who need a Saviour today.  We need to be conscious of God’s calling, prepared to listen to the Lord.  Is there a way the Lord is leading you to some precious soul today?  God wants you to go to them.  The eunuch was sitting waiting for someone to fully explain the gospel.  There is nothing of greater importance than the winning of souls.

Philip is cautious about his approach.  The Lord speaks to him and he goes straightaway.  He is prepared to go because the Lord has said so.  Philip was listening for the Lord’s message.  Maybe God is saying to you “this is the friend I want you to go to.”  Philip is listening to this man.  He must have been reading aloud.  Philip waited some time.  We jump in.  We need to be conscious in our approach.  Philip was assessing where this man was.

Philip was clear in his address.  He was invited into the chariot.  He was reading a portion of scripture but he couldn’t understand what he is reading.  “Philip opened his mouth and began at the same scripture and preached unto him Jesus.”  He needed to hear this message about Jesus.  This man needed to hear that this was about Jesus.  Paul “preached unto him Jesus”.  He told him about Jesus, his birth, his life and his death, his empty tomb and now seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven and will come back again.  This man was clear in sharing this message.  He was also certain in his message.  God is looking for the human touch in the salvation of souls.  The man of God is certain in his answer.  Will you lift your voice to God in heaven and say “Lord here I am, use me, fill me with thy spirit.”  Will you pray that and be determined to give the Lord all?