Biblical Spiritual Warfare – 11

Subject: The Sword of the Spirit

by Rick Welborne

Ephesians 6:10-17 (NIV)
¹⁰  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
¹¹  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
¹²  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
¹³  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
¹⁴  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
¹⁵  and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
¹⁶  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
¹⁷  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 

Gordon Maxwell: The Roman solder would spend countless hours learning his sword and how to use it. He had to be better with it than the enemy or he would be defeated, taken as a slave, or killed. He would keep his sword sharp and shined up and ready for battle. The Roman solder knew it was far easier to keep a sword ready than to try to get a rusty sword ready for battle. The sword was never an afterthought it was always ready.

--This is not a time to let your sword get dull...keep it sharp for battle. The soldier had to be intentional about keeping his sword in fighting condition. 

J. Vernon McGee Through the Bible - All the parts of the armor mentioned so far have been for defense. Have you noticed that? Everything is for the front of the individual. There is no protection for his back; nothing is provided for retreat. Believe me, a retreating Christian is certainly open season for the enemy; the enemy can get through to him.

Hebrews 4:12-13 (NLT)
¹²  For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
¹³  Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.

--Christ is the living Word of God. He used the Word of God to meet Satan in the hour of His temptation.

Luke 4:4,8,12,13 (NIV)
⁴  Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'" 

⁸  Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'" 

¹²  Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" 

¹³  When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. 

Revelation 1:16 (NKJV)
¹⁶  …out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.

Revelation 19:21 (NIV)
²¹  The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

--He gains the victory with that sword. What is it? It is the Word of God. We need that same power to do spiritual warfare. The Word of God is a powerful and will not return void.

Isaiah 55:11 (NCV)
¹¹  The same thing is true of the words I speak. They will not return to me empty. They make the things happen that I want to happen, and they succeed in doing what I send them to do. 

Barclay’s Daily Study Bible (NT) - There is the sword; and the sword is the word of God. The word of God is at once our weapon of defense against sin and our weapon of attack against the sins of the world. Cromwell's Ironsides fought with a sword in one hand and a Bible in the other. We can never win God's battles without God's book. 

Barnes Notes on the New Testament -- The sword was an essential part of the armor of an ancient soldier. His other weapons were the bow, the spear, or the battle-axe. But, without a sword, no soldier would have regarded himself as well armed. The ancient sword was short, and usually two-edged, and resembled very much a dagger.

1. The five kinds of swords used in that day.

—Rick Renner - Dressed to Kill. He mentions five different swords that the Roman soldier used.

A. The Roman soldier used a gladius sword...it was an extremely heavy, broad shouldered sword with a very long blade.

--It was the most beautiful of the swords but because of its size and weight...it was quite cumbersome and awkward to use. It was called a two handed sword.

—The gladius sword was only sharpened on one side and the other side was blunt and dull. Renner says the Romans did away with this sword after at major defeat at the hands of Carthage.

--This sword became like the Bible on the coffee table…beautiful but never used.

B. This sword was shorter and more narrow. It was about 17 inches long and about 21/2 inches in width.

—It was lighter than the larger sword and grew in popularity among the Roman soldiers because it was so much easier to carry and swing. Copied from the swords of Carthage.

C. This sword was even shorter than the 2^nd sword and it looked more like a dagger than a sword. 

--The dagger sword was carried in a small hidden scabbard beneath the soldier's outer coat and was used to inflict a mortal wound into the heart of the enemy. 

D. This sword was long and very slender...it was primarily used by the cavalry...easier to hold while riding and fighting. It was also used in a sport similar to fencing.

—No foot soldier would have ever wanted to enter into combat with this sword because it would not have been effective against the stronger more durable swords.

—Similar to the shield used for parades...this sword was mostly for show or sport. This reminds me when Bibles went slim and stylish! 

-God doesn’t mind if we have a slim Bible or even an electronic Bible as long as we are reading it and hiding 

it in our hearts. 

E. This sword (Greek word “machara”) was the one Paul and the Holy Spirit had in mind in our text.

Ephesians 6:17 (NIV)
¹⁷  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

--This sword was about 19 inches long and was a brutal weapon of war. Both sides of the blades were razor sharp making this sword much more dangerous than the others mentioned.

--Also, the tip of the sword was turned upward, causing the point of the blade to be extremely sharp and deadly.

This two edged blade inflicted a wound far worse than other swords. The damage done was unimaginable.

2. The sword of the Spirit was the Word (Rhema) of God.

Renner - Paul goes on to give us more info about this sword: He says, ...the sword of the Spirit, which is the 

Word of God. The term "word" is taken from the Greek "Rhema" which is one of the most familiar words used in the NT.

--It describes something that is clearly spoken; spoken vividly; spoken in undeniable language; or spoken in unmistakable, certain, and definite terms.

—In the NT the word Rhema carries the idea of a quickened word, such as a word of Scripture or a "word from the Lord" that the Holy Spirit supernaturally drops into the believer's mind, thus causing it to supernaturally come alive and impart special power or direction to that believer.

—The Rhema word is powerful...when the Holy Spirit gives a verse or a word to the believer...he will know that he knows that he has heard from the Lord...Jeremy ...Everything will be alright! 

—A Rhema is a specific word or message that the Holy Spirit quickens to our hearts and minds at a specific time and for a specific purpose. Caution: Not equal with the Word of God.

--Thus when Paul says...the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God...he is referring to the Holy Spirit's 

ability to make a word come vividly alive in our hearts and minds at a time of need. 

--Just as the shield rested on a clip on the right side of the belt of truth, the sword hung from a clip on the left 

side of the belt of truth. The belt of truth thus served as a support for the shield and a resting place for the 

soldier's sword. 

Renner - A genuine Rhema—a word or verse that the Holy Spirit quickens in your heart at a specific time and for a specific purpose in your life—is so strong and powerful that it is as if God has put a supernatural sword in your hand. With that sword in hand, you have a powerful weapon with which to repel Satan's attacks.

—Rhema words are both given and supernaturally empowered by the Holy Spirit to enable you to withstand the adversary's spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical attacks.

Have you ever had the Spirit place in your mouth a verse that you had hidden in your heart at just the absolute perfect time to overcome a situation or to receive direction?

—When God puts a word in your mouth (usually His Word) you know that you know that everything will be alright…Your son will be alright!

3. The sword of the Spirit is a two edged sword…a two mouthed sword.

—Remember the sword here was the “Machara” the sharp two edged sword...this sword is mentioned many times in the NT. Listen to John in Revelations again:

Revelation 1:16 (NKJV)
¹⁶  …out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. Stay with me here... a two-edged sword came out of Jesus’ mouth.

Renner - The Phrase "two edged" is taken from the Greek word distomos...one of the oldest words in the NT. Why is the phrase two edged so odd? Because it is a compound of the word ‘di’, meaning 2, and the word ‘stomos’, which is the Greek word for one’s mouth.

—Let me get to the point: Why is the Word of God repeatedly referred to as a two edged sword? Or even more correctly, why does the original Greek text actually say that the Word of God is a two mouthed sword?

—I understand the thinking of the two edges dividing good and evil in us and also in the world but I believe and Renner believes there is more!

Renner - One sharpened edge of this sword came into being when the Word of God initially proceeded out of the mouth of God. The second edge of this sword is added when the Word of God proceeds out of your mouth! This is the reason that the original text calls the Word of God a 'two mouthed sword".

What is the message for us? Take up the whole armor of God...the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith...and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.

It was sharp and powerful coming out of Jesus' mouth and as the Spirit comes on us (it is the sword of the Spirit) it will be powerful and effective coming out of our mouths.

—Too much is coming out of our mouths and most of it is anything but God's Word...negative, critical, breaking instead of building, we must stop it and speak God's Word over our church and each other! 

—Brothers and sisters take up your sword which is the Word of God and let us together put the enemy to flight! 

Biblical Spiritual Warfare - 10

Subject: The Helmet of Salvation

by Rick Welborne

Ephesians 6:10-17 (NIV)
¹⁰  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
¹¹  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
¹²  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
¹³  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
¹⁴  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
¹⁵  and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
¹⁶  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
¹⁷  Take the helmet of salvation…

--So far we have looked at the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, our feet shod with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, and the shield of faith.

--Tonight we will look at the helmet of salvation.

Gordon Maxwell - The helmet was a metal headgear that protected the head in hand-to-hand combat... the head was always a target for the enemy in a sword fight. The helmet would protect the head. While the enemy might ring your bell... the helmet would protect the head from any permanent damage.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary - The head of the soldier was among the principal parts to be defended, as on it the deadliest strokes might fall, and it is the head that commands the whole body. The head is the seat of the mind, which lays hold of the sure Gospel "hope" of eternal life. God, by this hope, "lifts up the head". 

Psalm 3:3 (NKJV)
³  But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head. 

Wesley’s Commentary - And take for a helmet the hope of salvation. The head is that part which is most carefully to be defended. One stroke here may prove fatal. The armor for this is the hope of salvation. The lowest degree of this hope is a confidence that God will work the whole work of faith in us; the highest is a full assurance of future glory, added to the experimental knowledge of pardoning love. Armed with this helmet, the hope of the joy set before him, Christ "endured the cross, and despised the shame," Heb.12:2

—Christ is the salvation of the sinner. He is the One to receive the glory in it all. That plume on the top of the helmet represents Christ. He has been made unto us salvation. Even before His birth in Bethlehem He was marked out as the Savior.

Matthew 1:21 (NKJV)
²¹  And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."

1. The beauty of our salvation.

--Paul mentions this helmet in connection with salvation again in another epistle.

1 Thessalonians 5:8 (NKJV)
⁸  But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.

Rick Renner - Dressed to Kill says "The Roman soldiers helmet was a fascinating and beautiful part of His armor. It was a flamboyant piece of weaponry, very ornate and intricate.

—He said that the Roman soldier's helmet was highly decorated with all kinds of etchings and engravings. There would even be helmets to look like the head of animals.

—The helmet was made of bronze and equipped with pieces of armor that were specifically designed to protect the cheeks and jaws. It was extremely heavy; therefore, the interior was lined with a spongy material in order to soften its weight on the soldier's head. 

--This piece of armor was so strong, so massive, and so heavy that nothing could pierce it—not even a hammer or a battle axe.

—It would be very hard to walk past one of these soldiers without noticing him. You would definitely notice a man with a piece of sculpture on his head and a brightly colored plume waving in the air!

Renner - Why would the Holy Spirit compare a piece of weaponry like this to salvation. Because your salvation is the most gorgeous, most intricate, most elaborate, and most ornate gift God ever gave you!

--What Paul was trying to convey to us was that when a person is confident in their salvation and he is walking in the powerful truth of the gospel…that person is noticeable! He has influence for Christ!

2. Don’t lose your head!

—Not only was the helmet beautiful but it was designed to save a man's head.—It is imperative that we put on the helmet of salvation so we will not lose our head. Not allow the enemy to attack our minds.

—If you have ever been addicted to something...you can relate to the hammer going off in your head trying to get you to take off your helmet and to become vulnerable. Crack Cocaine. The Northeast epidemic. 

--If you will be useful to the Kingdom of God and be noticeable to the world...you must wear your helmet of salvation every day!

Ephesians 6:11 (NKJV)
¹¹  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

 --As God sends us into the battle it is so important that we have on our helmet of salvation so that we can stand against the wiles of the devil!

—The word "wiles" is taken from the word "methodos"...meta which means with and odos where we get our word for odometer...ln other words Satan wiles are His attempt to get us on the wrong road...going the wrong direction...the wrong path.

—Our helmet of salvation is to protect us from the wiles, the devices, the schemes of the devil...notice how Paul relates forgiveness to not being outwitted by the devil!

2 Corinthians 2:10-11 (NLT)
¹⁰  When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit,
¹¹  so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.

--Un-forgiveness is simply Satan out smarting us! Don't let him do that...forgive! The essence we get from the Greek about this verse is this: We are not ignorant of the mind games that the devil tries to pull on us.

—God help the church to stop being deceived by Satan and led down the wrong road by these attacks of the enemy on our minds! The wrong road...then the wrong thoughts!

Without the helmet to protect our minds...we go down the wrong road with these wiles of the devil, then we have the wrong thoughts, and the final blow is deception.

—In the Greek deception "dolios" means to deceive with a purpose. Division!

Renner - ln the most literal sense, the word dolios means to bait someone, as in setting a bait in front of a fish.

—When we begin to put all of this together we see how our enemy tries to destroy us...He gets us going on the wrong road, we begin to have the wrong thoughts...He keeps baiting us along until we find ourselves walking in deception not even knowing it!

Renner - Once the mind games are in full motion, Satan then baits the believer with lying accusations and slanderous allegations. If the believer perceives these lies to be true and bites the bait, the process of "deception" is then fully implemented in his or her life.

—Can you see how important it is to put on the helmet of salvation every day? Without our helmet we get caught up by only hearing one side of a matter:

Proverbs 18:13 (NLT)
¹³  Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish. 

Matthew Henry Unabridged - It is folly for a man to go about to speak to a thing which he does not understand, or to pass sentence upon a matter which he is not truly and fully informed of, and has not patience to make a strict enquiry into; and, if it be folly, it is and will be shame.

Proverbs 18:13 (TLB)
¹³  What a shame—yes, how stupid!—to decide before knowing the facts! 

—How many people have been judged, convicted, and sentenced before both sides were heard or revealed. Without our helmet we easily take up others offenses:

Luke 17:1-3 (NKJV)
¹  Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! 

²  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
³  Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 

3. We must put on our helmet of salvation every day!

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 (NKJV)
³  For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.
⁴  For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
⁵  casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
⁶  and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

—What is a stronghold?

—Greek - ochuroma - oldest word in the NT...fortress...later came to mean a prison. —Accurate rendering : Our weapons...our armor is mighty in God to pulling down prisons.

Renner-  The word stronghold was later translated as the word prison. What do prisons do? It serves the opposite purpose of a fortress. Whereas a fortress keeps outsiders from getting in, a prison keeps insiders from getting out.

—What are we trying to say: when a person has a stronghold like a fortress around him... The walls are so thick that no one can break thru the barrier to help him. These invisible walls keep outsiders from getting in.

—These are walls that are built over a period of time...the Holy Spirit attempts to help us not go down those roads...but un-forgiveness and bitterness continues to build the walls.

—Unrealistic fears are developed that bring damage to your family, friends, and church. If this fortress is not dealt with by the mighty power of God...the fortress becomes a prison.

--This spirit of self-preservation becomes a spirit of self-isolation and destruction. You are trapped in your prison and you cannot get out.

2 Corinthians 10:3-4 (NKJV)
³  For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.
⁴  For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,

Isaiah 45:1-3 (NKJV)
¹  "Thus says the LORD to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held-- To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut:
²  'I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron.
³  I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the LORD, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel. 

Passionate Evangelism - 2

Subject: Philip

by Rick Welborne

Acts 8:26-40 (NKJV)
²⁶  Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is desert.
²⁷  So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship,
²⁸  was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet.
²⁹  Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go near and overtake this chariot."
³⁰  So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
³¹  And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.
³²  The place in the Scripture which he read was this: "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
³³  In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth."
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?"
³⁵  Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.
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?"
³⁷  Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
³⁸  So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.
³⁹  Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.
⁴⁰  But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea. 

1. To be a passionate witness for Christ you must be faithful.

--Philip (not the Apostle) is first introduced to us in Acts 6. He has qualifications that would give us the indication he was definitely a faithful man to church and was willing to serve.

--I personally believe people like this make the best witnesses because how can you invite people to something you are not faithful to attend and to a place where you do not serve…it helps if you are here serving.

--A concern had arisen in the early church that the widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. The disciples told the people to choose men who were willing to wait tables.

Acts 6:3-7 (NIV)
³  Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them
⁴  and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."
⁵  This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.
⁶  They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
⁷  So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. 

--Philip was saved, he was filled with Holy Spirit and wisdom, and he was willing to serve the church so the preachers could study and pray more…what a beautiful concept. He was chosen by his brothers and sisters.

--The result of this was that the Word of God spread and people were being saved…faithfulness to God’s house and faithfulness to serve communicates dedication and love which I believe attracts the lost.

--Evidently Philip so loved the church and was so filled with the Spirit that he could not help sharing Christ outside the church…Pastor Rick, he must have been an apostle to do what he was doing.

Acts 8:4-8 (NIV)
⁴  Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.
⁵  Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there.
⁶  When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said.
⁷  With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed.
⁸  So there was great joy in that city. 

--Wait a minute…Philip is just a layman in the church, serving tables for widows, and he is going to the streets of Samaria (most dangerous place for a Jew to go) to share Christ with the lost.

--Mark 16 tells us that signs and wonders follow and they did…miracles and healing took place, evil spirits came out, and people were listening…joy came to the city…Samaria. Philip was a passionate witness!

--Not only were the people saved, he also used his swimming pool and baptized them (kidding about the pool). So many were being saved by this layman that the district heard about it and sent apostles…people were filled with Spirit.

2. To be a passionate witness for Christ you must be Spirit filled and Spirit led.

--I am convinced that Philip was in the initial group of the people who were saved and baptized in the Holy Spirit because it was fresh enough no one could talk him out of the experience.

--Now days, it appears, that it does not matter what the Word says, if it makes someone uncomfortable we just can’t do it in church…you know we have to be seeker sensitive.

--Just a thought from someone who loves you…which is better or worse depending on your perspective… people uncomfortable about the Word of God or people uncomfortable for eternity in Hell?

--If Holy Spirit was poured out and given to empower us to be passionate witnesses…why would we be comfortable ignoring Him…it may be why our churches struggle so much.

Acts 1:8 (NIV)
⁸  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." 

--In our text today it says an angel of the Lord told Philip… go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza."  You need to pay attention…God was up to something.

--This might surprise some of you, but God new an Ethiopian Eunuch was going to be there and that he was ready to hear the gospel of Jesus. Pastor, you are not saying God can speak today and tell us where to go?

--He may tell some of you where to go if you don’t straighten up! I am emphatically telling you that Holy Spirit can speak to us and lead us to witness for Him and to share His message. Example of my sister Barbara – Jesse.

--I was similar to Philip…recently saved and baptized in Holy Spirit…I was serving in the church any way I could…helping the pastor and leading the evangelism ministry…I was praying in my bedroom.

--Holy Spirit said…Drive to Ruston (40 miles away) now and tell your sister that even though she has had two miscarriages that she is pregnant now and she will carry the baby and it will be a boy…pretty specific.

--I get in my Plymouth Satellite Sebring Plus and take off…I pray in the Spirit there because I am nervous about what God has spoken…I pull in the driveway, walk up to the door, and a note on the door…Gone fishing!

--I said…Ok, Lord, I missed what you were saying. He said…No you didn’t…get in your car and go find them. In that area you could drive any direction and hit a lake and each lake had several ways of getting there.

--I will lead you…Drive…I am a new believer and I think I might be losing my mind but I drive…turn here, turn there, go done this dirt road (my car), go to the right at this fork…I arrive at a fish camp. Never been there!

--Well at least there is a soda machine here, I will get a drink and I hear someone yelling my name…Ricky! I look at in a boat and there is my sister and her husband…they are freaked out and me too. I deliver the message.

--What are you saying…I am saying that when it comes to delivering God’s Word or His message, that Holy Spirit can direct us where He wants us to go…that’s what He did for Philip. Run down that chariot.

--Philip hears the eunuch reading from Isaiah and he asks him a very logical question…Do you understand what you are reading…How can I unless someone shares with me…A divine set up by God.

--Can this layman…this Spirit filled servant explain the Scriptures to this man that are directly pointing to Jesus as the Messiah. Philip begins to preach Jesus to him. (By the way, my sister had her son).

3. To be a passionate witness for Christ you must be able to share the Word of God.

--This eunuch is hungry to know God but he does not know the way…he is reading Old Testament prophecies but he does not know who it is talking about.

--Let me again point out some facts about Philip just in case you missed it…He is a recent convert to Christianity, he has recently been baptized in Holy Spirit power…Spirit guides us into all truth.

--He is a servant and he is waiting tables at the church to make sure the widows are taken good care of…pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is to care for widows and orphans…unspotted by the world.

--In his spare time he is doing street ministry and signs and wonders are following him everywhere he goes…so powerful was his ministry that Simon the sorcerer is saved and wants what he and the disciples have.

--He is leading many to Christ everywhere he goes, and now, led by Holy Spirit he is sitting in a chariot with an Ethiopian eunuch who is trying to find his way to God…he is looking for Jesus but doesn’t know it yet.

--He is a layman not an apostle and he is asked to explain OT prophecies about Jesus…so what does Philip do?

Acts 8:34-35 (NIV)
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.

--When we are saved and filled with Holy Spirit we have a hunger to know the Word of God…the reason we read and study is so we can point people to Jesus. Listen to what Jesus said to the Pharisees:

John 5:39-40 (NIV)
³⁹  You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me,
⁴⁰  yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

--The Word of God will lead us to the Son of God and we will be able to lead the lost to Jesus…the One and only Son of God…isn’t that the goal. What would have happened if Philip had not known the scriptures.

--Sometimes I believe we too easily give each other a by when it comes to knowing the Word…well it’s ok if you don’t know where certain verses are…Philip did not have the Roman’s Road to Salvation!

--Thank God for JBQ for the kids to learn the Word but what about us…do we study intently so we can answer those who ask us about our faith and hope.

James 1:25 (NCV)
²⁵  But the truly happy people are those who carefully study God’s perfect law that makes people free, and they continue to study it. They do not forget what they heard, but they obey what God’s teaching says. Those who do this will be made happy.

2 Timothy 2:15 (NRSV)
¹⁵  Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)
¹⁵  Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Acts 6:3 & 5-6 (NIV)
³  Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. 

⁵  This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, 

⁶  They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. 

--Pastors and elders of heart come forward…Lay hands on you and send you out!