We can become so used to seeing stones all around us that we lose perspective that these, too, are part of God’s creation. God made them, God loves them, and God uses them for God’s purposes in the world. Come, let us worship God!
Scriptures: Isaiah 52:13-53:12 and Acts 8:26-40
Message; “God’s plan for witnessing.”
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
The Suffering and Glory of the Servant
(13) See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
(14) Just as there were many who were appalled at him – his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness-
(15) so will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.
(1) Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
(2) He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
(3) He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
(4) Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.
(5) But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
(6) We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
(7) He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
(8) By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.
(9) He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
(10) Yet it was the Lord ‘s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
(11) After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
(12) Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Acts 8:26-40
Philip and the Ethiopian
(26) Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road–the desert road–that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (27) So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, (28) and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. (29) The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
(30) Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
(31) “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
(32) The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
(33) In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.”
(34) The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” (35) Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
(36) As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?” (37) Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” The eunuch answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” (38) And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. (39) When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. (40) Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
This is the word of God, for the people of God. Thanks be to God.
In our first reading in Isaiah 53:1, Isaiah poses this question.
“Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” It’s a great question for us to ask on this fifth Sunday of Easter. Are you witnessing to others about what we celebrated at Easter?
Not so long ago in Sunday School we had quite a lively discussion on how each of us hear God, the risks in trusting Him and how we respond to His guidance. I remember asking them if they were armed and ready to act on His promptings?
As all too often happens, one person attending, a firearm enthusiast, stated that they were always at the ready, and their spouse confirmed it by stating they wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the shower wearing his sidearm. Which quickly gave another person the opportunity to say; “All I want to know is, how to you keep your powder dry? We all laughed. So then, in an attempt to bring them back to our study, I rephrased my question by asking; “What’s God’s plan for witnessing?
Some took the opportunity to share in how God has led them to witness to others. While others told of opportunities missed to witness, for one reason or another.
Most often many of us miss and opportunity to witness for God because we are unsure of our own ability to share the gospel. We question ourselves thinking; “How well do I hear God’s voice?” “Am I armed and ready to act on His promptings?” “What’s God’s plan for witnessing? We forget God’s promise in Isaiah 52:15 :”so will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.” Because he knows that: “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”(Isaiah 53:6)
We’re often like the woman who went to see a divorce lawyer. Frantically she told him, “I must have a divorce from my husband immediately!” The lawyer asked, “Do you have any grounds?” “Yes, about five acres.” “I mean, do you have a grudge?” the lawyer questioned. “No, just a carport.”
Then the lawyer asked, “Does he beat you up?” “No,” the woman replied, “I get up before he does.” Exasperated, the attorney demanded, “Madam, why do you want a divorce from your husband?”
“Because it is impossible to communicate with that man!”
There are many in our world today, like that woman, who find it impossible to communicate with God. And it’s our job as Christians to witness to them.
In my preparation for this week’s message, God led me to the story of Philip and the Ethiopian in Acts 8, because the Ethiopian was trying to understand the same passage we read from Isaiah. These two passages of scripture may lead us to ask ourselves the question of, how well do we understand God’s word, or how well to we hear God’s voice? Are we armed and ready to act on His promptings? Or, as Isaiah put it; “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
These two scriptures are a call to get the earwax out of our ears, perhaps to get a hearing aid, which Bonne has been after me to do for years, or maybe simply to cup our hand over our ears at least, and listen intently to what God is saying, and how we should respond! Or maybe the question we should be asking is, “What’s God’s plan for witnessing?”
The account of Philip and the Ethiopian is a spectacular story with miracles galore. It’s a story of how God was acting behind the scenes to make sure what he wanted done got done. Let’s take a look.
First, God spoke to Philip and told him where to go. Next there was a pool of water on a dry, desert road right when they needed it. Third, Philip didn’t get to rejoice with the new Christian because he was, for the lack of another word, “beamed” to another town immediately after the baptism. But most impressive there was another miracle: how Philip made a spiritual difference in a lonely man who was traveling on the road from Jerusalem to Egypt.
So, who is this Ethiopian eunuch? He was probably an interesting fellow who may have been a new convert who had been circumcised because he was tired of the loose morals and the many gods of the Gentiles and had found out that Judaism gave life meaning. Or maybe this unnamed man was not a new convert, but attended Jewish synagogues and read Jewish Scripture because he was looking for purpose in his life. We’re not told.
We do know that the eunuch was an important and influential person who was a representative of the queen from the present country of Sudan. We know that he had a hungry heart. He was hungry to learn about God, and he had questions. We also know that when God unites a listening ear (Philip) and a hungry heart (the eunuch), God does even more miracles!
I see God’s voice at least three times in this text. In verse 26, the angel tells Philip generally where to go. In verse 29, the Spirit says more specifically to Philip, who must have had his hearing aid turned on, what person to speak to. And in verses 32 and 35, the Holy Spirit was coaxing the eunuch to faith in the Messiah.
So today, what question should we first ask ourselves? How well do we listen to God? Do we hear his voice speaking to us through the Bible? Can we hear his nudges when we pray? Are we in tune with his Spirit enough to know when he is impressing something upon us. To stop, to go, to turn, to speak up? Do we hear God’s voice in the godly advice from fellow Christians? Are we obedient to these directions from God? Why don’t we hear as well as we should? Is it sin in our lives that dull our hearing ? Or is it a combination of many things? Is the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart as you hear or read these words. Asking you to evaluate what is causing your hearing problems:
? Is it because you’re too busy and don’t take time to listen to him?
? Is it because you are afraid you won’t hear him right?
? Is it because you don’t really know God, so how can you know his voice?
? Is it rebellion? You hear him, but you don’t want to follow through?
? Are all the other voices in the world drowning out the voice of the One who loves you most?
On this fifth Sunday of Easter God is speaking to each of us about listening to him and letting him match us up with hungry, God-starved hearts. When we listen to his gentle urgings, we will find that there are many eunuchs in the world who know about Jesus, but don’t know him personally. How can they unless someone explains to them? God will use you right where you are and help tell the world about Jesus.
I believe Philip and the eunuch give us God’s plan in witnessing. Let’s take a closer look.
First and foremost. Listen to what God says and act on it: When God nudges you to speak to someone or go somewhere, just do it! It’s a process of learning to listen to the Spirit through the Word and allowing your life to be controlled by Him. Listen and act even if it seems unlikely. The angel led Philip away from a city in Samaria, full of witness opportunities to a seemingly inappropriate place to witness, a deserted road. Because God cares for everyone, no matter how hard or opposed to God he or she might be. When God says, “Go,” go!
Second. Ask thought-provoking questions: If you don’t know what else to say, ask a meaningful, spiritual question or play off something they just said to ask a question related to it. All Philip asked was what God gave him, (8:30)”Do you understand what you are reading?” I can guarantee that people are more ready to talk about spiritual things than we are ready to initiate it. So never presume a negative response” in speaking to people about Jesus!
Third. Listen to them and then answer them with Jesus: You don’t have to have all the answers. Just listen and then tell them about what the Bible says about Jesus. (8:35) “Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.” Philip hadn’t had years of training or school; Christianity had just begun. But he knew and had experienced Jesus. So he listened and then testified. The eunuch knew about God, but now he knew Jesus!
Fourth. Don’t make it harder than it is: Obviously Philip told him more specifics than we have recorded because the hungry eunuch knew enough to ask to be baptized. But he had faith and he wanted to fulfill God’s wishes for him, so he asked to be baptized. (8:36)”Why shouldn’t I be baptized?” Yes, why not? God had done his job in giving faith. Don’t add any more than Scripture does to give people assurance of faith!
And finally. Keep at it: Philip had the privilege of baptizing a new Christian, but he didn’t get to see the eunuch grow up spiritually. That’s okay, Philip just kept on doing what God was calling him to do:(8:40) “preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.” Don’t give up. Every day ask God to help you find a eunuch. Someone to witness to.
Each morning as you put in your spiritual hearing aids, be sure you turn them loud enough to hear God say to you what he said to Isaiah. “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” Let those words spur you on to carry on with, “God’s plan for witnessing”.
In His Service,
Pastor Joe
Listen to Audio: Sermon 20230507
Listen to Audio: Service 05072023
Call to Worship:
L: Come, people of God! Take refuge in the Lord, who listens when we cry out,
P: who rescues us when we call, and who leads and guides us according to his unfailing love.
L: You are our God; our lives are in your hands.
P: Let’s worship God together! Amen.
Prayer of Confession: We confess that we have not loved you as you command us to love. We have not relied on you as our refuge, choosing instead to seek comfort in busyness and distractions. We have not trusted that only when we put ourselves in your hands can we find peace, the peace we crave. We confess that we have not loved our neighbors as you command us to love. Let your face shine upon us, your servants; save us in your steadfast love. In the name of Chris, we pray. Amen.
ANOUNCEMENTS
Pastor Joe will be available at the church on Thursday morning from 11 to 1. If you need to speak to him, contact Pastor Joe at 570-267-4570 (cell) or Email: joe.s.travis@gmail.com
Social Hour after Sunday Services today. Greeting cards for signature are in the Community Building.
Loose change goes to Local Missions.
Sunday School starts at 8:30 A. M.
Choir practice will be on Thursday at 1:00 P.M.
Franklin Hill Cemetery Association annual meeting May 9th at 6:00 P.M. in the Community Building.
PW will meet on May 11th at 10:30 A.M.
Mother’s Day May 14th.
Care Net will end on Mother’s Day, May 14th. Please mark your envelope or use one of the special envelopes marked for Care Net.
Men’s Breakfast 8:00 on May 17th.
Ascension of the Lord, May 18th.
Session Meeting on Saturday May 20th at 9:00.
Pentecost Sunday, May 28th.
Memorial Day, May 29th.
Newsletter Deadline – Tuesday, May 30th, 2023.
