Acts 8:26-40 "Trusting God's GPS"

You ever ignore your GPS? Sometimes it tells me to turn, and I think, "No, I know a better way. You can’t tell me what to do!“ So, I ignore the directions, end up lost, frustrated, and stuck in traffic. It happens to me all the time. I think I know better than the system that’s been designed to lead me the right way and literally has a satellite view of the entire world.

One time the kids and I were doing the Disney thing and we wanted to get from the Magic Kingdom to Hollywood Studios before it closed for the night. We didn’t have a lot of time so we got in our car, punched in the GPS for the quickest route, and—I don’t know what I did wrong but we ended up at some loading dock in an industrial park. I mean, that was twelve years ago, I’ve gotten a lot better at following the GPS since then. GPS has gotten a lot better, too.

But everytime I go to Austin, I still end up making some stupid U-turn on 35. I’m always like, “Not this time, I’m going to be super careful.” Then Kim’s like, “You just missed your turn.” “Again.”

We’ve all done it, right? We ignore the GPS because we don’t want to follow directions. We think we know better. Maybe we’re in too much of a hurry to bother with a suggested detour. We just don’t really believe that GPS knows things we don’t—like upcoming traffic or construction that’s going to plant us in a sea of brake lights and road rage.

God gives us direction, too. Kind of like a spiritual GPS. And we tend to trust Him even less than Google Maps. He gives us directions, but we think we know better. We think we have a shortcut or a better idea—we do what we want. And just like when we ignore those navigation prompts, we end up in the wrong place, confused, and frustrated, wondering why we didn’t just follow the directions in the first place.

Today, we’re going to look at the story of a guy who was given some pretty strange directions by God’s GPS. He was in the middle of something great, but God told him to take what seemed like a detour. Spoiler: it wasn’t a detour. It was exactly where he needed to be.

We’re going through the Book of Acts line by line. We pick up in the adventures of the disciple named Philip—the same guy who went to the town in Samaria and preached the Gospel, healed a bunch of people, baptized a bunch of people, including Simon the Sorcerer. You’d think with all the success he had planting a big church there, he would have been given the directions to stick around and help pastor it. But that was not what God wanted him to do. Chapter 8… 

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. And he rose and went. Acts 8:26-27

This is “an” angel of the LORD, not “the” angel of the LORD. All through the Old Testament, “the” angel of the LORD is a divine messenger who is also called God—so, we understand Him to be a pre-incarnate manifestation of the LORD Jesus. He’s never called The Angel of the LORD in the New Testament. So, Philip is visited by an angel, not Jesus Himself.

The angel tells Philip to leave his very successful ministry in Samaria and head out on a desert road with no specific destination—just start walking down the road that goes from Jerusalem through the desert toward Gaza. Very strange marching orders but Philip got up and went.

It was not a busy road. We don’t know how long he walked but he eventually ran across a fellow traveler.

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 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. Acts 8:27-28

He comes across a chariot entourage heading away from Jerusalem. The Ethiopian would not have been alone—he probably had five or ten people: drivers, guards, servants—especially since we’re told this man was in charge of the queen’s treasure. 

He was a high ranking court official from Ethiopia, from Africa, so he was a black man. He was also a eunuch—someone who was castrated so they could work closely with the queen and pose no danger of fathering a child that would threaten the royal heirs, or creating political weirdness through sexual relations. Very extreme measures to insure safety but it was a common practice.

This guy was also quite interested in the Hebrew God. He traveled all the way to Jerusalem to worship—even though as a Gentile, he wouldn’t have been allowed beyond the outer gate. And as a eunuch, he was forbidden from participation in temple worship. Deuteronomy 23:1 says,

“No one whose male organ is cut off shall enter the assembly of the LORD.” 

So, he had traveled all the way to Jerusalem, wouldn’t have been able to really join in the worship service, and bought a copy of the scroll of Isaiah. There’s a good reason why Isaiah would be the favorite book of a foreigner and a Eunuch.

Isaiah 56:3-5 says,

"Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say,
‘The LORD will surely separate me from his people’;
and let not the eunuch say,
‘Behold, I am a dry tree.’

For thus says the LORD:
‘To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose the things that please me
and hold fast my covenant,
I will give in my house and within my walls
a monument and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that shall (um) not be cut off.’"

Nice pun Isaiah. Good one.

So, this guy had probably spent an actual fortune to buy a Greek copy of the scroll of Isaiah. Then he picked a quiet, deserted road so he could read it on the way back home. He obviously has a deep spiritual hunger and thirst for God—he’s about to have his prayers answered.

Meanwhile, Philip’s GPS seemed to be off track—got him out in the middle of nowhere. Probably felt a little vulnerable traveling alone, especially passing an armed African royal entourage. He’s probably keeping a safe distance and trying not to make eye contact. The Spirit had to nudge him to get a little closer.. 

And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 
Acts 8:29-31

He ran over to the chariot and heard the man reading out loud from Isaiah. For most of mankind’s history that’s how people read. It’s actually a fairly modern concept to read silently in our minds. Greek scrolls were handwritten with no spaces between the words and no punctuation—it was almost impossible to read without saying it out loud. It’s like that game Babble On. Lost Sand Jealous. Lost Sand Jealous. What’s the clue again? A City? Lost Sand… Los Angeles! 

Philip asks him if he understands what he’s reading.

I love the honesty of the guy’s answer, “No. Not really. I could use a little help.” So he invites him to hop up in the chariot and read it with him.

We’re not supposed to read the Bible in isolation. All through Scripture God says, “Hear the word of the LORD—listen.” It’s meant to be done in community. Someone reads, others listen, there’s discussion. When people read the Bible by themselves without the benefit of other believers, that’s how heresies are created. What we do here, and in small groups, is very important—we all need others to help us grow in our understanding and faith.

Notice how his evangelism technique isn’t to just blast the guy with a truth bomb. Even though God sent him straight to this man, he’s respectful. He starts with a question. He’s relational. He doesn’t just start preaching. He doesn’t assume anything. No one is interested in the answer to a question they haven’t asked. Also, notice how Philip is being sensitive to the Holy Spirit through the whole story—what road to be on, who to approach on the road, what to say.

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. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Acts 8:32-34

Philip, like his buddy Stephen, was one of the Greek Christians who probably went to the synagogue of the Freedmen before he started following Jesus. Like Stephen, he seemed to be a pretty rockin’ Bible scholar. But he didn’t really need a super deep theological education to understand this particular chunk of Scripture. It’s one of the clearest Old Testament prophecies of the suffering Messiah, Jesus. Especially since he knew all about the trial, crucifixion, and resurrection that had just recently happened.

The eunuch is confused though. Is Isaiah talking about himself or someone else? Isaiah was killed for his faith by king Manassah—his life was taken away from the earth. But Isaiah 53 also talks about whoever this is as someone who bore our grief, carried our sorrows, was stricken, smitten and afflicted by God, that he was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities—that he died for our sins. That his punishment brought us peace and healed us with his wounds. And the real kicker happens in verse 10, where he’s a sacrifice for the guilt of the people, but also will see his offspring and prolong his days. How can he die and also live? How can he die without children but see his offspring prosper?

It’s pretty easy for us to see this has to be talking about Jesus—it was to Philip, too—so he waited for the Ethiopian to ask, and then he walked him through how the Old Testament, including Isaiah, points to Jesus. 

Modern Jewish leaders do their best to avoid this passage because it so obviously describes Jesus as the Christians understand Him—that He’s the Messiah.

Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.  Acts 8:35

They have a nice long chat about Jesus. First, he walks through Isaiah 53, then he tells him everything else he needs to know about the Gospel and how to be saved.

What do you think that included? If someone asks you how they can be saved, what do you tell them? It’s an important question. 

If NewChurch is going to accomplish the mission God has called us to do here, we have to know how to answer this question. What is the good news about Jesus? When He sends people here, He expects us to point them to Jesus. Not just ooh and awe over the giant screen and pretty lights. Not just talk about how much we love the music or the preaching or how our friends are here. Those are all great things but they’re not Jesus. And they’re not the point of why we do all this.

What is the good news about Jesus? What would you say?

Your answer should sound something like this…

We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. It’s a gift from God. Grace. We receive the gift, open the gift, through faith. 

But also…

We can’t save ourselves. Salvation has to come from outside us. It has to be God, the Creator and giver of life, who saves us.

Which is why…

God the Father sent His Son, Jesus, to live the perfect life we couldn’t live, to die on the cross in our place, and to rise from the dead, defeating sin, death, and the devil. Jesus’ death paid for all our sins, and His resurrection gives us the promise of eternal life. 

The good news about Jesus is…

We receive this salvation as a gift through faith, not by anything we do, but by trusting in His work for us. Through baptism, the Holy Spirit brings us into God’s family, the church, forgives our sins, and gives us the promise of life forever with Him.

This is what we’ve been called out of the world to believe, this is what we’ve been commanded to share with people who don’t know. But gently. Not like a laser guided truth missile. We have to tell them with patience and kindness.

This is the Gospel—the good news that through Jesus, we are reconciled to God and given new life. Did you notice it included baptism? Would you have included baptism? Whatever Philip said, that was the part the eunuch heard.

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?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. Acts 8:36-38

This is how we know there was an entourage—he commanded the chariot to stop, and voice activated chariots hadn’t been invented yet.-

You have to love his enthusiasm. He’s so ready to jump into faith and salvation, everything Philip was talking about, “Look over there! Water! Is there anything stopping you from baptizing me right here, right now?”

It’s a loaded question. He really wants to know if there’s any reason he can’t be baptized. As a eunuch, he certainly couldn’t be circumcised into the Jewish faith. He wasn’t even allowed to participate in worship. As a Gentile—I mean, this is new territory. Can Gentiles join the Christian church? He’s going to be the first. Can an African eunuch be baptized?

Philip is as cool as they come. He doesn’t hesitate. He has no doubt. The Gospel is for everyone. All people. All races. All nations. No matter who you are, no matter what you’ve done, no matter how you’re broken or damaged.

He had baptized a demon worshiping sorcerer named Simon—magic was forbidden, punishable by death. Simon believed and was baptized. He saw no problem with baptizing his new friend, either.

Some people try to argue for full immersion from this text because it says they went down into the water. That just means they both got in the water—puddle, stream, river, or whatever it was. I mean, they’re in the desert, it’s probably a miracle that there’s water at all. The mode of baptism (immersion, sprinkle, pour-over) isn’t important—as long as there’s water and the word of God promising salvation, it’s a baptism. I’ll bet he remembered to do it in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit this time.

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. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea. Acts 8:39-40

Fly, Philip, fly. How cool is that? They step out of the water and God doesn’t even make Philip walk all the way back—special Holy Spirit Uber transport to his next assignment. The eunuch just stands there, water still dripping off him, watching Philip being carried away—and he’s thrilled. Rejoicing. Gets back in his chariot and joyfully takes the Gospel back to his queen and his country. He’s a changed man. Transformed. We don’t hear any more about him in the Biblical text but church history says he was not only the first African Christian but began a movement that eventually became the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Look what a little faithfulness and obedience can do. From the outside, it would have seemed crazy to leave a thriving ministry in Samaria to go walk on a deserted highway just to have a Bible study with one guy. It’s all the little things that change the world.

It says Philip was Spirited away to Azotus, which was about 20 miles away—it was a very diverse ancient city that had its roots in the Philistines. I imagine it to be like the Cantina in Star Wars—a hive of scum and villainy. A pretty great place for a go getter like Philip to continue his ministry. We’ll meet up with him again in Acts 21 when Paul and Luke stay with him and his family on their third missionary journey. It’s probably 20 years after he baptized the eunuch. Maybe this is when he tells Luke the story about the chariot and being carried away by the Spirit. He seems to have settled down in Caesarea, by this time, now he’s called Philip the Evangelist, he’s married and has four daughters—all four of them are prophetesses. Nice job, Philip!

God made sure the Ethiopian was on that particular road that day. He also sent Philip to cross paths with him in a most amazing and beautiful way. 

The Spirit is always leading and guiding you, too. Whether you’re a spiritually hungry seeker or being sent like Philip to have a conversation with someone and answer their questions about who Jesus is. Not every conversation is going to lead to conversion and baptism, but if you’re a follower of Jesus, some of them should. God is going to send you to the people He thinks you are perfectly suited to share your faith with. Are you listening? Paying attention to where He’s leading you?

How’s your spiritual GPS working? How good are you at following the directions God gives you—or are you all about taking your own shortcuts and ignoring the detours the Holy Spirit wants you to take? Or maybe right now, you feel like you’re on a road that doesn’t make any sense—like Philip out there in the desert. But here’s the thing: God sees what you can’t. He’s leading you, even if the road seems like a meaningless detour. Just like Philip discovered, when you follow God’s direction, you’ll end up exactly where you’re supposed to be.

It’s not always easy to trust His leading and follow the Spirit, but when you do, you’ll find yourself right in the middle of God’s plan—unexpected adventures in sharing the good news, changing lives, and finding a little joy along the way.

We’re all travelers—hungry for meaning, purpose, for God. But we get lost so easily on our own. This is the story of all of us until Jesus steps in and finds us.

The beauty of this story isn’t just that Philip followed God’s leading. It’s that God led him right to someone who needed the Gospel—that He led the Ethiopian to a place where Philip could find him. Just like He led you here today, to hear the same good news.

God the Father sent His Son, Jesus, to find you where you are. In all your confusion. In your wandering. Jesus walked the road for you, a road you couldn’t have walked. He took all your wrong turns on Himself, on the cross. He died your death and gave you His life. He rose again and finds you wherever you are so He can lead you to everything you’ve been searching for—He brings you to His Father—Our Father. 

Follow the Spirit’s lead—don’t ignore His direction.

Do you need to be baptized? We can find some water. 

Do you need to take the next U-turn? Then repent and get back on track.
Is there a conversation the Spirit is leading you to have with someone? Have it.

Everyone is on a one way road—either to life or to death. The message of the Gospel, the good news, is that Jesus found you, He’s calling you, and is leading you and keeping you going in the right direction if you trust Him and follow Him. Even when it doesn’t make sense. Even if it seems intimidating. If you're following Jesus then you’ll never be lost again because He is the way, the truth, and the life. AMEN