The Holy Spirit's Guidance To Go
Introduction
There are some interesting principles we can glean from his passage as it pertains to God the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus said about the Holy Spirit, “He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13)
Again, Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit’s ministry in John 14:16-17
John 14:16-17: “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever — the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”
Now that the church has been born on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit has descended and abides within His people. With this being true, the Old Testament truth of Prov. 3:5-6 really comes alive.
Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
God will use everything available to convince us of a direction: His indwelling Spirit, Scripture, consecrated thinking, our emotions when they are put at His disposal, the insights of people, and signs in the world around us.
When we are willing, He will help us to want what He wants for us. “Lord, help me to be willing to be made willing.”
The Lord really desires to give us spiritual guidance in our life and service.
FOUR THINGS:
1. Habitual Prayer
2. Bible Study
3. Surrender to be used
4. Openness
ILLUSTRATE: 1986 in Wilmington, N.C.
1 Samuel 21:2: “So David said to Ahimelech the priest, ‘The king has ordered me on some business, and said to me, 'Do not let anyone know anything about the business on which I send you, or what I have commanded you.' And I have directed my young men to such and such a place.”
“young men” – young servants (34 and 33 years of age)
I. DIRECTION OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD. 26
God is at work and we must join Him in the work. This text leads us to believe that the Spirit of God is maneuvering His servants into strategic positions in order to join Him in His preparatory work.
This is why He has placed you where you are, in order to find out what He is up to, and joining Him.
“Now an angel of the Lord” – a super-natural messenger who manifested the Divine Presence to men. In v.26, “an angel of the Lord” is directing; in v.39, “the Spirit of the Lord” is directing.
One thing is for sure, we can clearly see the Spirit’s Orchestration
A. THE SPIRIT’S CALL. 26a
“spoke to Philip”
- Through a hymn – “Wherever He Leads I’ll Go”
- Through a song - Brad Cox – “Daystar” Lead me Lord, I will follow, anywhere you open up the door”
- Through my devotion/prayer
- Through a sermon
- Through a Bible study lesson
- Through His Spirit to my heart
(sometimes a whisper, other times a mega phone)
Even though God uses a variety of means, all the initiative lies ultimately with God.
B. THE SPIRIT’S COMMISSION. 26b
“‘Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ This is desert.”
1. IT MAY BE TO AN UNLIKELY PLACE.
Word used for “south” means “at noon” or “at high noon” It can also mean middle-day. The instructions to go on the sun-baked Gaza road in the desert must have seemed strange.
2. IT MAY BE TO AN UNKNOWN PLACE.
The text gives no indication that Philip knew why or who the Lord was sending him to RATIONALIZATION KICKS IN:
Acts 8:4-8: “Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. And there was great joy in that city.”
“Lord, I have crossed the boundary line already. I have gone to people of distance and people that are different. Why would you call me to the desert?”
To leave the thriving work in Samaria for a desert road might seem absurd to many.
BOTTOM LINE: This is an invitation to join Him in His work
3. IT MAY BE TO AN UNTIMELY PLACE.
Into the desert in the hottest part of the day. Leads me to ask, “Why right now?” Road was not heavily traveled. God is about to use Philip because he is willing to travel the road not heavily traveled: “A Second-Miler” When God speaks, we need to obey for it may be God is about to intersect our lives with someone else.
ILL. Cas McCasland, Upward Basketball: FBC Spartanburg, S.C. 363,000 students in 2005
In Acts 8, eternal life of a crucial person in the worldwide expansion of the movement was at stake
The Great Commission was becoming a reality. Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the ends of the earth
Matthew 28:19-20: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
“Go” – present tense verb; as you are going
Mark 16:15: “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.’”
GREAT TRUTH: “I am with you always”
C. THE SERVANT’S COMPLIANCE. 27a
“So he arose and went” – obeyed; displayed obedience
O - pportunity to join Him
B - est (His)
E - nergy provided
Y - ielding of self
This is a great story about the Right Place at the Right Time
Philip, the servant, was simply the Spirit’s instrument for His sovereign service
II. THE CONDITION OF THE SINNER BEFORE GOD. 27b
A. HIS POSITION.
Secretary of Treasury for his country; Minister of Finance. In his country, its kings were believed to be incarnations of the sun god, and the everyday affairs of government were held to be beneath them. Real power lay with the queen mother, known by the hereditary title Candace. (Not proper name but title, like Pharaoh or Caesar)
Despite his power and prestige, he had a vast emptiness in his heart/soul. His hands were full, his heart was empty.
Ethiopia, in that day, was a kingdom that to the Greeks and Romans represented the outer limits of the known world or the end of the earth.
v.27 “had come to Jerusalem to worship” – he had traveled over 200 miles searching for the true God
“Eunuch” – this would cause him to be denied access to the temple (Deut 23) and, therefore, unable to participate fully in the Jewish worship service. He would not have been allowed to become a full proselyte to Judaism. He would have been limited to the status of a “God-fearer” – one who attended the synagogue and read the scriptures but stopped short of becoming a full proselyte.
B. HIS PREPARATION.
He had been to church, had been reading the Scriptures. He was a genuine SEEKER.
John 5:39: “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal
life; and these are they which testify of Me.”
He had a scroll of Isaiah
Isaiah 55:6-7:
“Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the LORD,
And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.”
Isaiah 56:3-5, “Do not let the son of the foreigner
Who has joined himself to the LORD
Speak, saying,
‘The LORD has utterly separated me from His people’;
Nor let the eunuch say,
‘Here I am, a dry tree.’
For thus says the LORD:
‘To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths,
And choose what pleases Me,
And hold fast My covenant,
Even to them I will give in My house
And within My walls a place and a name
Better than that of sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
That shall not be cut off.’”
John 7:17: “If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.”
C. HIS PROBLEM.
Acts 8:34
“So the eunuch answered Philip and said, ‘I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?’”
This is a good man that needed grace
A seeker whose religion had not satisfied him. Here is a seeking sinner reading the Scriptures all about the Savior.
III. THE PROVISION OF THE SAVIOR.
Isaiah 53:5-6
“But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
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.”
Acts 8:36: “Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, ‘See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?’"
LOADED QUESTION: It indicates that barriers have been removed, hindrances to the spread of the gospel to all people. A eunuch, a Gentile, a black, was baptized and received into full membership in the people of Jesus Christ.
This was a foretaste of the completion of Christ’s Commission
CONCLUSION
God can do amazing things through an available servant.
Every believer should be ready to share the gospel.
Therefore, be ready to go any place for God at any time.
Be ready to “catch your chariot” whenever and wherever it comes along.