Who is Worthy? Acts 8:26-40 After Easter, What? A Sermon Series

Who is Worthy? Acts 8:26-40 After Easter, What? A Sermon Series Rev. Michael D. Halley May 3, 2015 Suffolk Christian Church Suffolk, Virginia Fifth Sunday of Easter Holy Communion ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Acts 8:26-40 New International Version (NIV) Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, Go south to the road the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. So he started out, and 1 on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means queen of the Ethiopians ). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, Go to that chariot and stay near it. Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. Do you understand what you are reading? Philip asked. How can I, he said, unless someone explains it to me? So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading [Isaiah 53:7-8]: He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. 1

Page 2 Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth. The eunuch asked Philip, Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else? Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized? And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 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. 2 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the 3 gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea. The Word of the Lord: Thanks be to God! The resurrection of Jesus changed Jesus disciples forever. Their lives would never be the same. Empowered by the coming of the Holy Spirit at 4 Pentecost, the church was born that very day. These new Christians lost no time organizing themselves to go forth to tell this miraculous story of God s love for all people. Philip was a deacon in the early church (Acts 6:5) -- and by the way, he is not Philip, one of Jesus disciples. Deacon Philip took very seriously our Lord s mandate to go and proclaim the good news of God s love for us in Christ. So, he went to Samaria, the region just to the north of Jerusalem, and a revival broke out (Acts 8:5-13). In the midst of their great success preaching the gospel in Samaria, the

Lord spoke to him and said he needed Philip to go to that deserted area to the south of Jerusalem, to a road on the way to Gaza. It was there that he found this African man, a eunuch, the Bible tells us, and he was sitting in his vehicle by the side of the road, engrossed in reading the prophesies of Isaiah. And, Philip was to discover, this was no ordinary man, for he had been given royal authority to be in charge of the treasury of the queen of Ethiopia. Why had he been to Jerusalem? He was a long way from home. Commentator William Barclay gives us a clue: In those days {he writes] the world was full of people who were weary of the many gods and the loose morals of the nations. They came to Judaism and there found the one God and the austere moral standards which gave life meaning. If they accepted Judaism and were circumcised they were called proselytes; if they did not go that length but continued to attend the Jewish synagogues and to read the Jewish scriptures they were called God-fearers. 5 This man was a God-fearer, because Judaism did not accept those who 6 had been mutilated in the body such as this man had. In other words, he was not worthy, according to the Law, to be fully accepted. Yet he loved God enough to go that far to worship in this faith. Page 3 And now he is reading one of the sacred texts of Judaism, this passage 7 from Isaiah the prophet and he is confused. Who is this one who is led like a sheep to the slaughter, who is silent in the presence of the shearer, not even opening his mouth? Who is this one humiliated and deprived of justice? And Philip, the faithful deacon, who had been empowered by the resurrection of Jesus, and who was gifted and skilled in Bible knowledge, took him through the Scriptures to teach him about Jesus. So good so far, right? We can teach anyone the Bible, can t we? But the church of Philip s day had never received a Gentile -- a non-jew -- into the Christian faith, especially a Gentile who was also a eunuch. How will that go

Page 4 over at the next Board of Deacons meeting? he must have wondered. And then came the question: Look, here is some water; is there any 8 reason why I should not be baptised now? (Acts 8:36b, Phillips ) Suddenly Philip was in a really big dilemma, for baptism would make this Ethiopian a fullfledged member of the church! Explain that to the church members, will you! This [baptism of the Ethiopian] is sheer miracle -- a miracle full of the grace of God in the person of Philip and the waters of renewal. The impossibility of this event is made possible by the unbelievable reach of God s grace. 9 It was no accident that this man was reading from Isaiah. The Lamb of God, Jesus, who is killed is raised from the dead. We are into resurrection here! And the life offered by the Lamb is meant for all people everywhere, all children wherever they are on the earth. The fact that the first Gentile convert to Christianity is from a sexual 10 minority and a different race, ethnicity, and nationality together is a great challenge to us, for it calls us Christians to be radically inclusive and welcoming. Is that what this story means?? What do you think? If Bruce Jenner strolled in one Sunday and asked if he could stay awhile with us, how would we receive him? Would he pass the worthy test? Who is worthy to claim Christ as Saviour? Who is worthy to join the body of Christ through baptism? 11 Just the other day, reading my daily devotional guide, the closing prayer began like this: Good Shepherd, keep me alert to your unconventional friends and followers, wherever they may be found. Yes, God has unconventional friends and followers. How will we treat them?

If you came into my house, I would welcome you with open arms. You would receive my full hospitality. And then if one of my children were to walk into the room and if you showed any sort of dislike of my child or looked down upon him, I would be most hurt and displeased. Why? Because if you love me you must love my children. (I didn t say you had to like them, but you have to love them!) Oh wait. I am not talking about me personally, I am talking about our Lord Jesus. This is his house, you know, and it is he who regulates who is worthy to come in, not us. Not our House of Worship Committee, not our Board of Finance, not the ushers, not the deacons, not the church staff. It is Jesus who decides who is worthy. As we prepare to meet our Lord Jesus at the table he has so graciously 12 provided, I invite you to remain seated and sing I Will Remember Thee, no. 463. According to Thy gracious word, In meek humility, This will I do, my dying Lord: I will remember Thee. Thy body, broken for my sake, My bread from Heav n shall be; Thy testamental cup I take And thus remember Thee. When to the cross I turn mine eyes And rest on Calvary, O Lamb of God, my sacrifice, I must remember Thee; Remember Thee, and all Thy pains And all Thy love to me; Page 5

Page 6 Yea, while a breath, a pulse remains, Will I remember Thee. And when these failing lips grow dumb And mind and mem ry flee, When Thou shalt in Thy kingdom come, Jesus, remember me. The answer to the question posed in this sermon, Who is worthy?, can only be answered Nobody is worthy. Not one of us is worthy to even approach this table except through the merit of Christ Jesus our Saviour. Let us confess our sins. 13 Heavenly Father, You have loved us with an everlasting love, but we have gone our own way and broken your laws. We are sorry for our sins and turn away from them. For the sake of your Son who died for us forgive us, cleanse us, and change us into the person You want us to be. By your Holy Spirit enable us to live for you and to please you more and more, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ promises to pardon and forgive all who truly repent and sincerely believe the gospel. Through the Holy Spirit may God grant us true repentance, so that we may be forgiven and cleansed, living lives that are holy in his sight. On the night he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, This is my body given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way he took the cup, saying, This cup is the new covenant sealed by my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. These are the gifts of God for the people of God, and in our church we practice the gracious custom of open communion, welcoming all to come and partake with us.

Page 7 Almighty God, we thank you for this bread, and for all you provide to sustain us. Above all, merciful Father, we thank you for Christ your Son, given for the life of the world. Amen. The body of Christ, given for you. Almighty God, we thank you for this fruit of the vine, and for every good gift that gives us joy. We thank you above all for Christ our Lord, by whose blood you have bought us and bound us to be your people in an everlasting covenant. Amen. The blood of Christ, shed for you. Let us pray: Remember, our Father, your church which has been bought by the blood of your Son, and gather it in holiness into the kingdom you have prepared for it. Direct us by your Spirit in all our ways. Stir us to live lives to your glory. Make us faithful witnesses to Jesus and his resurrection, eager for the joy of his coming, and made worthy to worship you with all your saints forever. Amen. +==+==+==+==+==+==+ All Scripture references are from New International Version, NIV, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc., unless otherwise indicated. +==+==+==+==+==+==+ Sunday Sermons from Suffolk Christian Church are intended for the private devotional use of members and friends of the church. Please do not print or publish. Thank you. Suggestions for sermon topics are always welcome!

Page 8 1. A male deprived of the testes or external genitals. Such were excluded from serving as priests (Leviticus 21:20) and from membership in the congregation of Israel (Deuteronomy 23:1). Eunuchs were regarded as especially trustworthy in the Ancient Near East nd thus were frequently employed in royal service. From Eunuch, Holman Bible Dictionary, edited by Trent C. Butler, www.studylight.org/dictionaries/hbd/view.cgi?n=1955, 1991. This man is the second Ethopian eunuch to appear in the Bible. The first was in Jeremiah 38:7. 2. Azotus was the New Testament name for the Old Testament town Ashdod. It was about 34 miles from Gaza, where most Bible scholars believe Philip met the eunuch. 3. Caesarea was a port city on the Mediterranean Sea, about 58 miles north of Azotus/Ashdod. 4. Pentecost was one of the major religious festivals of the Jewish faith. Also called Feast of Weeks, it occurred fifty days after the Feast of the Passover. It was on the day of Pentecost that God gave the Holy Spirit to the church (Acts 2). See Festivals, by Larry Walker, in Holman Bible Dictionary, cited above. 5. Dr. William Barclay, Daily Study Bible, commenting on this passage from Acts. Dr. Barclay s classic work (as well as 92 others!) is available online at www.studylight.org/commentaries/dsb/. 6. Dr. Craig Keener writes: Jewish law excluded eunuchs from Israel (Deut. 23:1, No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the Lord.); the rules were undoubtedly instituted to prevent Israel from neutering boys (Deut. 23:1). But eunuchs could certainly be accepted by God (Isa. 56:3-5, even foreign eunuchs; Wisd. 3:14, On that day, even the man who has been castrated will be rewarded with happiness, if he has kept the Law and has not stored up resentment against the Lord. Because he has been faithful, he will receive a special reward more precious than having children: a place in the Lord's heavenly Temple.). This is taken from his article, Philip preaches to the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:26-27", on his website, Bible Background, www.craigkeener.com/tag/ethiopian-eunuch/ Dr. Keener is Professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky. He formerly taught at Palmer Theological Seminary in Philadelphia (15 years) and at Hood Theological Seminary in Salisbury, NC. 7. The name Isaiah means Yahweh Saves. He was a prophet in the southern kingdom Judah from 740 BC to 701 BC. ( Yahweh is the Hebrew name of God, also known as I Am, Jehovah, Lord, and YHWH.) 8. J. B. Phillips, The New Testament in Modern English, 1962 edition by HarperCollins 9. A quote from Richard Jensen, in Commentary on Acts 8:26-40", at www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=307. Dr. Jensen is the Carlson Professor Emeritus of Homiletics at Lutheran School of Theology, Chicago, Ill. 10. Jack Rogers, Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality, Westminster John Knox Press, 2009, p. 135.

Page 9 11. Seeking God s Face: Praying with the Bible through the Year, written and compiled by Philip F. Reinders, copublished by Faith Alive Christian Resources and Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, p. 377. 12. Words written by James Montgomery, first published in Christian Psalmist, 1825. This hymn is in the public domain. For a sampling of various hymn tunes to which it may be sung, see http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/a/c/accordtt.htm. 13. The communion liturgy which follows has been adapted from A Service for Today s Church, published by the Anglican Church in Australia. This material is copyright 2001 by The Archbishop of Sydney s Liturgical Panel and is used by Permission. It may be found at www.sundayservices.anglican.asn.au/todayschurch.html.