It is imperative that Christians learn how to hear God’s voice for themselves. Every believer must learn to recognize God’s voice and understand what he is saying. Christians who impact their world understand that their first calling is not to be successful in the business world, or the sports world, or the medical or legal professions, but to be a success in the kingdom of God. Identifying and following God’s agenda is our purpose in life.
An Angel spoke to Philip
Angel literally means “Messenger”
God has other messengers as well, such as Pastors
Why would God send an evangelist to a deserted dirt road?
Discover Where God is Working 27-28
God moved Philip to where God was working
Philip was looking and listening to see where God was working
One of the very first Gentiles to believe was an African man
God’s Holy Spirit Speaks to Us 29
We must discern between the Spirit of Truth and spirit of error
"Do not hastily ascribe dreams, voices, impressions, to God." John Wesley
There is a battle going on for our minds
The spirit of error
There is no discernable spiritual benefit
Error is speculative, confusing, or guilt inducing
Spirit of Truth
God’s Word brings guidance, clarity and peace
He invites us to work where he is already working
Philip waited for an indication God was working
When God is working we don’t have to barge our way in
God’s Word Speaks to Us 32-35
The Natural man does not understand the Scriptures
The Word is the third and most important way God leads us
It is natural for the believer to want to follow the Lord in baptism
The Eunuch went rejoicing, bringing the Gospel to Nubia Our responsibility is to identify where God is working and work there. Hear God’s voice and Follow God’s leading. As a pastor, I don’t want to sell you my agenda. I want to help you to Identify God’s agenda so that you can join him in the work. I want to bring each of you into such an intimate relationship with Christ that Jesus can lead the church and that you will follow.
---------
How do you know if or when God is speaking to you?
Have you ever heard a still small voice, an internal nudge, a quiet prompting or a leading to act or speak, but at the end of the day, you wondered if that voice really came from God? If you’ve ever had that experience, this message is for you.
Learning to discern when God is leadingis truly an important key for the Christian life. God still speaks to those who know how to discern his voice. But here’s the question: Is every voice or leading from God? What differentiates the voice of the Holy Spirit from the devil or the human mind? How do you know when God is leading you or not?
In the book “Spiritual Leadership,” Richard Blackaby writes, “Several years ago I was leading a series of meetings in a church in one of the Midwest states. I challenged the people to watch throughout the next day to see what God was doing in their workplaces. A businessman in attendance took the challenge to heart. The next morning he prayed that God would reveal to him where He was at work in the company. By noon the man had not observed anything unusual. But as he sat in the lunchroom eating his lunch, he noticed, over in a corner, a man sitting alone eating his meal. The Holy Spirit prompted the Christian to join his associate and to ask him how he was doing. He soon discovered that his fellow employee was in crisis. His marriage had been under great strain and that morning he and his wife had undergone a bitter argument. As the man drove to work, he decided that when he returned home that evening he would pack his bags and leave. As this hurting man shared his plans, the Christian knew God was at work and that this was God’s invitation for him to become involved. The Christian was not sure how to help him, but he felt the man would surely abandon his family if he were to go straight home after work. He invited his colleague out for dinner that evening and asked if he would join him for the special meetings being held at his church. To his relief, the man agreed. That evening, as the Christian sat beside his troubled coworker at church, he prayed that God would work powerfully in his life and heal his broken relationship. After the service, the Christian drove his friend back to the company parking lot to pick up his car. As the two men sat in the car, he asked his friend to share his thoughts about the worship service. As the man responded, he confessed that he knew leaving his wife and children was wrong, but he did not know what else to do. The Christian shared that Christ was the answer to his situation. He urged his friend to let Christ bring forgiveness and healing and to help him be the godly husband and father his family needed him to be. There in the darkened company parking lot, the businessman led his associate to the Lord. In tears, the new convert pledged to go home and ask his wife to forgive him. What happened? A Christian businessman asked God to reveal His agenda. On that particular day, God’s agenda included saving a man and his family from brokenness. This man’s pastor was not present in his workplace to help discern God’s activity for him. It had been imperative that the Christian learn how to hear God’s voice for himself.
Every believer must learn to recognize God’s voice and understand what he is saying. Christians who impact their world understand that their first calling is not to be successful in the business world, or the sports world, or the medical or legal professions, but to be a success in the kingdom of God. Identifying and following Jesus is our purpose in life.
Today we are going to learn how to hear God’s voice and how to follow God’s leading. God left us a pattern in Philip the Evangelist.
In our last message we found Phillip in Samaria successfully preaching the Gospel. There was a great turning of the Samaritans to Jesus! The Apostles came and confirmed that, yes, other people besides Jews can indeed become followers of Christ! Phillip was a pioneer in reaching the Gentile world for Christ! He was one of the first.
But a strange thing happened to Phillip. As Philip was in the middle of an incredibly successful Samaritan ministry, God called Philip away and led him into the desert! The what? The desert! How did Philip know this was truly God’s leading? Let’s find out.
God led Philip in several ways, and each time he heard God’s voice he responded by following God’s leading. The first way God speaks to you is through his messengers.
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. Now I think I know what you are saying… “If only an Angel would speak to me, I would know exactly what to do, and I’d do it.” But few of us have been touched by an angel lately. But in Philip’s case, an angel most certainly did speak to him. Angels figure very prominently in the founding of the church, as they did in the establishing of the nation of Israel.
Let’s talk about angels for a minute. There are multitudes and multitudes of angels. In our times, it is unusual to speak to an angel face to face. As far as I know, not many of us have done so.
But did you know that an angel’s purpose in life is to be God’s messenger. That is why God created them – to do his bidding and to carry his most important announcements to the world. Hebrews 1:14 the angels are ministering spirits in the service of God, commissioned to serve the saved. Hebrews 13:2Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.
And did you also know that the word “angel” literally means “messenger, envoy (ambassador) one who brings tidings” ἄγγελος aggelos
Sometimes God uses Angels to pass on his Messages. He did it Mary and Joseph at Jesus birth. He did it to Philip and Peter in the book of Acts, and He’s even got a future Angel in the book of Revelation who is going to preach the Everlasting Gospel.
But there’s a warning I should give you. Don’t believe ever angel you meet! Don’t believe everyone who claims to be an angel. Remember that the devil disguises himself as and angel (2 Corinthians 11:14) and Paul warned that even if an Angel comes preaching any other message than the Gospel, we are not to believe that Angel. Galatians 1:8.
Any time, any message, is given to us, even if it is from an angel, we are to compare it to the Word of God. The Word of God is our final authority.
And angels are not the only messengers. Did you know that God has other messengers as well? I’m no angel, but one of my great purposes as a pastor is to be a messenger from God. In fact God has many message bearers. It’s imperative that we learn to hear God’s messages from God’s messengers, as long as they come from God’s Word. Today God is going to deliver a personal message to you. Are you listening? God is speaking.
Philip had every reason to doubt this message. He was in the middle of a great Samaritan Revival. Multitudes were giving their lives to Christ! Why would God send a successful evangelist to a deserted dirt road in the middle of nowhere? We will never understand where God is leading unless we look to see where he is working.
Discover Where God is Working
Following God’s leading - look to see where God is working 27-28
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. God moved Philip to where he was working. Philip took a long, long hike from Samaria toward the coast. Perhaps the road intercepted the Gaza trade road at some point. And there he was, headed toward Gaza, down a dirt road, with nothing but a dusty path ahead and behind him. Did he hear God wrong? Did God make an error? How long would he have to wait before God did something?
But Philip was looking to see where God was working! He looked and he listened for signs that God was on the move. And soon enough he heard and he saw the target.
An Ethiopian, an African, a black man, a son of Ham was leisurely making his way home from Jerusalem where he had been to worship. This man was a seeker. He was seeking God. As a sidelight, let us underscore that one of the very first Gentiles to become a part of the church was a black man. Christianity is not a white man’s religion. It is every man’s need. Red and Yellow, Black and White, every man needs Jesus Christ.
In fact, the ancient Hebrews, like all people groups, likely had a range of skin tones, with the average Judean of the time likely having honey/olive-brown skin. It isn’t the color of one’s skin that matters, it is the content of the heartthat makes all the difference.
This important man probably had an entire staff of guards and attendants. He was sitting in his chariot, or his carriage reading out loud. Culturally, it was the custom of the times to read out loud even if you were alone. The Eunuch would have swung his head, and perhaps even his entire upper body from one side to the other as he read line after line, uttering the words in a tone which is nearer to a singsong chant, than to our style of reading.
Now since Phillip was following God’s leading, he would have both seen the Eunuch and heard him reading the Scriptures. He was listening and looking to see where God was at work. And then something crucial happened. He heard God’s Holy Spirit Prompting.
God’s Holy Spirit Speaks to Us
Hearing God’s voice – From the Spirit 29
29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go near and overtake this chariot." The first way to hear God’s voice is by listening to his messengers. The second way is to stay tuned to the Holy Spirit’s leading. Every Christian must learn to hear the Holy Spirit speaking! Did you know there is one word in particular that the Holy Spirit always whispers to those who love Him? Guaranteed: Gal 4:6 the Holy Spirit in our heart cries out “Abba, Father!” and Romans 8:15-16 in this way “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” The Holy Spirit always draws us to God the Father in an earnest desire to know Him! The Holy Spirit also convicts our heart of sin (John 16:8). And just like angels, the Holy Spirit will always lead us into all truth (John 16:13) And John 15:25 says that the Holy Spirit always testifies of Jesus. Now I must warn you that we must discern between the Spirit of Truth and spirit of error. 1Jo 4:1 we are to test the spirits to see whether they are of God. Not every impulse, or every leading, or every prompting is from God. For example…
A seminary student said he was having difficulty getting to school on time. What should have been a five-minute drive lengthened to 45 minutes because a voice in his mind kept telling him to turn at intersections. Not wanting to disobey what he perceived to be the "still, small voice of God," he was treated to a tour of the city almost every morning.
A pastor's wife, desperately needing the comfort of the Holy Spirit and desiring His leading, had come to believe that whatever entered her mind was from God. She soon found herself bound by fear and plagued by condemning thoughts, because she did not test the spirits.
These examples underscore the wisdom of John Wesley's words: "Do not hastily ascribe things to God. Do not easily suppose dreams, voices, impressions, visions or revelations to be from God. They may be from Him. They may be from nature. They may be from the devil. Therefore, do not believe every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they be from God" [i]
In a survey of 1700 professing Christian teenagers, 70 percent admitted to hearing voices, like there was a subconscious self talking to them. There is a battle going on for their minds. Dr Neil Anderson says, “I have shared with many tormented people that they aren't going crazy but are under spiritual attack. They usually respond, "Praise the Lord, someone finally understands." It's freeing to know this truth, because if there is a battle going on for our minds, we can win that war.
Let me explain the difference between God’s leading and the little voices in your head that the enemy plants there. There are many tests, but let me give you one of them that applies to our message today… When the enemy plants the spirit of error in our minds, in the end, there is no discernable benefit in his words. Instead these thoughts are speculative, confusing, or guilt inducing. However when the Spirit of Truth impresses us to act, his promptings most often invite us to work where he is already visibly working. His Word brings needed guidance, clarity and ultimately peace to our troubled heart.
How did Philip know that the message he was getting was from the Spirit? Because he knew God, and he knew God’s Word, and he was able to discern between guidance and speculation. This led him to go where God working.
30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip began working where God led him. He didn’t bully his way in, he waited for an invitation. When we are moving on God’s agenda, we won’t have to force our way into people’s lives, they will invite us. Listen for the invitation. When God is working He provides divine appointments. And he asked Philip to sit with him. Scripture declares that “the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord” Ps. 37:23. God orders, arranges, and establishes the details of His children’s lives, including some unexpected divine appointments. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 4:2, “be prepared to Preach the word; in season and out of season” If we all start looking for those “divine appointments,” we will find them. By making ourselves available to God, we will see things happen that we would have never expected. That leads us to the third way to hear God’s voice, by listening to God’s word.
God’s Word Speaks to Us
Hearing God’s voice – From the Word 32-35
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 issilent, 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. This influential man had become a “God fearer” or “a Jewish proselyte of the gate.” He was concerned enough about his spiritual life to travel over two hundred miles to Jerusalem to worship God, but his heart was still not satisfied. He openly admitted he didn’t understand the Word.
Notice that The Natural man does not understand the Scriptures. for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually. 1 Corinthians 2:14 The Eunuch said, “I don’t understand.” In order to lead the unsaved from the Word, we must explain it to them. And notice, a common denominator, When God leads – He always leads to himself. Philip preached Jesus. When you follow God’s leading, you will reap the results. I have got to tell you this was an amazing divine appointment. The man was reading one of the most powerful Old Testament passages from Isaiah 53 that prophetically explains, about 1000 before Christ was born, the sacrificial death of the dear lamb of God! It also predicts Jesus resurrection! When God guides, the doors are wide open. Philip had the perfect introduction to the Gospel! Was it a coincidence that the Ethiopian was reading from this passage, or could it be that God never makes mistakes! We please notice that the most important way that God leads us is through His Word! And Philip began with the ABC’s to this man and pointed him clearly to the WORD for his guidance. How does God’s Word guide us? It shows us the way of salvation; it is the instruction manual for life; It, above all gives us guidance for making right decisions; It reveals God’s will; God’s Word gives comfort and hope; It is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. It is living and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart! (Heb 4:12) Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword, and the Christian's charter. Psalm 19 tells us His Word is perfect, 100% sure, always right pure, true and righteous altogether. It is better than Gold, sweeter than honey, and is unerring in its guidance! Just remember this: The Word is the most important way God leads us! Messengers like angels or men can be mistaken and deceptive, God’s Word is always correct. We can misinterpret the promptings and leadingsthat we think are from the Holy Spirit, but the Word of God is always there to lead us back to the right way when we stray. And when we rightly apply the Word of God, and we open our mouth and preach Jesus, God blesses abundantly!
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.
Look what happened when Philip followed God’s guidance? One Ethiopian on a dusty desert road trusted Christ. But he went back to his country and began to spread the Word, and the church was born in Ethiopia! Ethiopian Christianity is one of the Christian Faith’s Oldest Branches. Historically, Ethiopia is the second country to have officially proclaimed Christianity as its state religion, having done so in A.D. 333. The region remained predominantly Christian since that time despite the growing influence of Islam. Even today, about half of all modern Ethiopians claim to be Christian.[ii]
The very first convert was the eunuch. Once he understood the Gospel he wanted to be baptized. Philip didn’t have to convince the Eunuch to be baptized. It is natural for the believer to want to follow the Lord in baptism. Baptism is the outward expression of faith. If we believe we will want to be baptized. When you believe, your faith is sealed on the inside for eternity, when you are baptized; your faith is sealed on the outside for the people of this world. Following the reception of the Word, the Eunuch responded in joy. He went on his way rejoicing, bringing the Gospel to Nubia. Let me say in summary, that I don’t want to sell you my agenda. I want to help you to Identify God’s agenda so that you can join him in the work. I want to bring each of you into such an intimate relationship with Christ that Jesus can lead and that you will follow. It is not an issue of selling you a vision. It is a matter of helping each of you to learn how to recognize God’s voice and follow it. As you recognize the opportunities that have the mark of God’s presence upon them you will begin to respond in faith. When you can hear God’s voice and follow God’s leading, then the effectiveness of the church will be multiplied like the early church in the book of Acts.
[i] (Martin Wells Knapp, Impressions, Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1984, p. 32).
[ii] https://research.lifeway.com/2019/12/16/unearthed-ancient-church-confirms-christianitys-rapid-spread-to-africa/#:~:text=Historically%2C%20Ethiopia%20is%20the%20second,as%20he%20returned%20to%20Africa.