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Hasn't the service been wonderful? We've heard from Sara, Hamed, Afar, Salam, and Amir — five people who have told us about their journey to Jesus. They've told us how they came to Jesus, and then they showed their faith publicly by being baptized. What they were saying is: I belong to Jesus. I believe in Jesus. I believe that he is the Saviour.
We're going to think about our Bible passage — Acts 8:26-40 — for a few minutes. In this passage there's someone called Philip. Philip is a Christian, a believer in Jesus. He believes Jesus died on the cross for our sins, that Jesus rose from the dead, and that he himself is forgiven because Jesus died for him. Philip wants to tell other people about Jesus.
So God arranges for Philip to meet an Ethiopian man on a journey home from Jerusalem to Ethiopia. But the Ethiopian is also on another journey — a journey to Jesus. That's what we're going to look at.
At the beginning of the story, the Ethiopian doesn't know Jesus. Look at the end of verse 27:
"This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship."
He's come all the way from Ethiopia to Jerusalem to worship. He believes in God, but he doesn't know Jesus.
Why is it important to know Jesus? Because of what Jesus himself said:
"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
There are many people in Britain, and maybe in the country where you were born, who believe in God but don't know Jesus. It really is important that we know Jesus, because only through Jesus have we found the way to God.
The second stage of the Ethiopian's journey is that he learns about Jesus — and he learns in two ways.
First, he reads the Bible. I love this — he's on his way back to Ethiopia and he's reading the Bible. Look at verses 32-33:
"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. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth."
He's reading the Bible, but he's not understanding it all. Still, he's reading it — and that's one way he learns about Jesus.
Second, someone explains the good news to him. Look at verse 35:
"Philip began with that very passage of scripture and told the Ethiopian the good news about Jesus."
Philip says to him, "This passage you're reading and don't yet understand — it's about Jesus." Then he tells him the good news.
I imagine Philip told the Ethiopian who Jesus is — the eternal Son of God who came into our world. Then Philip would have told him why Jesus died: so that we could be forgiven. That's what Isaiah 53 is about. When Jesus died on the cross, he took all our sin onto himself. He took the punishment we deserve so we could be forgiven.
Is that good news? It is. That's the good news Philip explained to the Ethiopian, and it's the same good news our five friends tonight believe. As one of them said, "In my old religion, it was all about judgment and condemnation." But the good news of Jesus is good news because Jesus has taken the judgment. Jesus has taken the condemnation. Jesus died so that we could be forgiven.
Philip would also have explained that you need to accept what Jesus has done on the cross — to say, "Yes, I believe that Jesus died on the cross for me so I could be forgiven." You accept that, you say thank you, and you show that thankfulness by being baptized. Baptism doesn't save you — only Jesus saves you when you trust in him — but afterwards you're baptized to declare publicly: I belong to Jesus. I believe in Jesus. I trust in Jesus.
The third stage: the Ethiopian says yes to Jesus, and he says yes in two ways.
The most important way isn't even written explicitly in this passage, but it's clear from what follows — he says yes to Jesus in his heart. In his heart he says, "Yes, I believe you died for my sins. I believe you went to the cross for me so I could be forgiven. I am saying yes to you."
We know this because of verse 36:
"As they traveled along the road, they came to some water. And the Ethiopian said, 'Look, here is water. Who can stand in the way of my being baptized?' And he gave orders to stop the chariot."
He's asking about baptism because he has already said yes to Jesus in his heart. That's so important I'll say it again: he's asking about baptism because he has already said yes to Jesus in his heart.
Then, verse 38: Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. So the Ethiopian says yes in two ways — in his heart, and then in the water. But being baptized didn't save him. What saved him is that he said yes to Jesus in his heart. Then, because he's saved, because he's forgiven, because he knows he's God's friend, he decides, I want to be baptized. I want to publicly show that I belong to Jesus.
This is the same journey our five friends here have made tonight. Probably at the beginning they didn't know Jesus. Then they learned about Jesus through the Bible and through someone explaining it. Then they said yes to Jesus in their heart, and they were saved. And now, this evening, they've also said yes to Jesus in the water.
So I want to ask all of us a question: where are you on the journey to Jesus?
Probably no one here is right at the start, not knowing anything about Jesus at all — we know a bit about him. But maybe you don't yet know him personally. Or maybe you're at the second stage — learning about Jesus. Maybe you've been reading the Bible, or hearing a friend explain it. That's what we're doing this evening as we hear our friends' stories, read the Bible, and hear the good news explained.
But let me ask: have you said yes to Jesus? That's the really important thing. After we've learned that he's the Son of God, that he died for our sins, that he rose again, and that we can be forgiven by trusting in him — if we believe all that, we need to say yes to Jesus in our heart. We need to say, "Thank you that you died for me on the cross. Thank you that I can be forgiven by putting my trust in you."
Have you said yes to Jesus? Maybe tonight is the night you say yes for the first time. Or maybe you've already said yes in your heart, but have you ever said yes to Jesus in the water — publicly declaring, "I belong to Jesus. I trust in Jesus. I love Jesus"? This would be a good evening to make that decision.
I'm going to lead us in a short prayer that will help us say yes to Jesus. Our five friends have already prayed a prayer like this, and many of us have too — but maybe you haven't. If you think, I believe this is true, that Jesus is the Son of God and died on the cross for my sins, then I want you to say yes to Jesus. Please pray it in your heart, whether for the first time or the hundredth time.
But if you're still at the learning stage and you're not sure it's true yet — that's fine. Keep learning. Keep reading the Bible and keep asking your questions. Don't pray this prayer yet, but keep seeking.
There are three parts to this prayer: sorry, thank you, and please.
Father, thank you so much for our five friends who have told us their story this evening, and that they've been baptized to show publicly that they believe in Jesus and trust in Jesus. We thank you.
We're sorry for our sins. We're sorry that we often live as if you were not there. We're sorry that we often just think of ourselves and don't think of you.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming into the world. You are the eternal Son of God. Thank you that you died on the cross for our sins. Thank you that you took my sin onto your shoulders and took my punishment so that I could be forgiven. Thank you for your wonderful love.
And now, please, Lord Jesus, come into my heart. I want to trust you. I believe that you did all this for me when you died on the cross. Please come into my heart as my Saviour and forgive me. Please come into my heart as my Lord and help me follow you. Please come into my heart as my friend. I pray that I may experience you in my life every day as I trust and follow you.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, that if we say yes to you, we are forgiven and we are God's friends now and forever. We thank you, Father, for your great love to us in Jesus. Amen.
