"Christ's Mission to the Nations" - Dr. Gary Cass

CHRIST’S MISSION TO THE NATIONS
Infusion Church   3-20-22
Acts 8:28-40

One greater than Joshua, even Jesus Christ, has come to establish God’s greater kingdom what will cover and fill the whole earth.

Purpose of this sermon…

You and I are called to be on this great mission of God and today we will see how God works directly by supernatural, unseen means and through people like you!

1. RECEIVING YOUR ORDERS

Vs.26: Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place.

We desperately need divine intervention and unseen celestial beings play an essential part in our battle for the cosmos.

There is angelic activity at strategic points in the life of our Lord and it continues in the life of the church.

This angelic assignment given Phillip to go down to Gaza underscores the significance of what we are about to consider.

Angles don’t show up all the time, but when they do, you better pay attention.

This story reminds us of the great extent which God goes to reach His own with the Gospel. Philip traveled over 100 miles for God to save one. How much more will God go to save us. God loves the individual.

God doesn’t call His church to do for Him what He did not do first for us!

In your endeavor to be on mission for Christ you might be asked to take very bold steps of faith and go places that may be puzzling.

Vss.27-28: And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.”

This Ethiopian eunuch had traveled 1500 miles for just one worship service and worship the Lord.

As a eunuch, he was forbidden from joining the assembly of Israel. (Dt 23:1)

Isaiah 56:3 Let no foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, "The LORD will utterly exclude me from His people." And let the eunuch not say, "I am but a dry tree."

There is no longer Jew or Gentile. The eunuch can now be spiritually in union with Christ.

The Eunuch already recognized and accepted the authority of the scripture.

John 10:35: The scriptures cannot be broken.

Louis Gaussen: When we hear the Son of God quote the Scriptures, everything is said… we need no further testimony… the Savior of the world has settled the question for us at once.

It will be God’s word that judges us. We don’t judge God’s word.

2. MASTERING CHRIST’S MESSAGE

Vs 30; So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

Vs 31: And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be satisfied by Christ alone.

Vs 32: Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. 33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” 34 And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.

When God is drawing someone to Himself, we need not be concern what we are going to say.

Luke 22:37: For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment.” (Isa 53:12)

Jesus taught the disciples and the disciples taught the church.

“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth.” This is speaking of Jesus.

Jesus was like a helpless sheep and did not defend Himself as he was put on trial and falsely accused and wrongly convicted.

“In his humiliation justice was denied him.”

Even though Jesus had done nothing wrong, EVER, our Christ was humiliated, whipped and beaten, and a crown of thorns was placed upon His innocent head.

“Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.”

From His throne Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to apply His saving work all His people transforming them into his spiritual family. This is the Gospel: Christ’s death, resurrection and seated at the right hand of the Father.

3. GOD’S MISSION INCLUSIVITY

Vss.36-38; And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.

The very 1^st convert of Christ’s church is a black man. The nation with the greatest number of Christians now is China.

All ethnicities will be reached and populate Heavenly Jerusalem.

Titus 1:15: To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.

Our God-given DNA determines our gender and our respective male-ness and female-ness, both which reflects God’s glorious image.

Sinful men are given over to a depraved mind. So much foolishness today.

1 Timothy 6:3-5   3 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound(1 )words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness,  4 he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.

Yes, indeed, Christ is radically welcoming!

All sinners come to the Father in the same way and by the same means: Repent and believe on Christ.

CONCLUSION: YOUR JOYFUL MISSION

Vss. 39-40: And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

Same kind of supernatural episode is recorded in Luke 24.

The ongoing supernatural ministry of Jesus through Philip is on full display.

Irenaeus (180 AD), "This man was also sent into the regions of Ethiopia, to preach what he had himself believed, that there was one God preached by the prophets, but that the Son of this (God) had already made (His) appearance in human flesh, and had been led as a sheep to the slaughter; and all the other statements which the prophets made regarding Him." 

As we pursue disciple making … 

1. 1. Expect God to do supernatural things to help you reach the lost.
   2. Be as quick to obey the Lord’s direction as Philip.
   3. Keep your discipleship activity centered on God’s Word.
   4. Pray for “persons of peace.” 

Note: Additional notations in green by this listener.