Acts 8:26 “And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. 27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, 28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. 29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. 30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. 32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. 34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. 36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. 39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.”
Come sit with me in my chariot. What a powerful passage. It’s important to know this is relevant right now. It’s as if it was written fresh this morning and delivered to our newspaper box. What happened in the desert between these two men is what happens today. Come sit with me in my chariot was an invitation that produced an invitation. This is the way salvation works. It’s a picture of the key factor and the first step in a person being saved. The inviting of the gospel into the heart and life—into the chariot—is how it begins. In this case, the invitation of one who knew Jesus was the disciple Philip. It resulted in a personal realization for the eunuch of his need for salvation. Through Philip, Jesus presented an invitation.
The desert of Gaza is a big expanse between Israel and Africa. When we were there, we saw only an oasis or two on our way to Egypt. All we could see was sand. I marveled that there was an oasis. It was no bigger than this auditorium. God still provides even in the desert.
The eunuch worked for the Queen of Ethiopia. He had a good job, but he was missing satisfaction in his life. He was hollowed out. Religion didn’t get it. Rituals didn’t get it. He had been to the temple in Jerusalem and left the same way he came—empty. He was trying to understand it with his mind. That’s the big mistake. He let God around him, but he didn’t take God into him. We have to take it seriously and personally. It’s not enough to go to church. There is no hoping you’re saved enough to go to heaven. Being saved depends on the proximity of Jesus to the soul. Jesus didn’t come to save our life or our body; he came to save our soul from sin. That’s what it takes. Being clean on the outside amounts to nothing; the inside is what matters. Only when Jesus is accepted into the soul—the chariot of a person—is he saved. No one else can pray someone else saved. The only way it can happen is if we invite Jesus to come into our own life.
Traveling back home the eunuch stopped his chariot and began to read the Old Testament scriptures. We can carry a Bible around with us all the time, even sleep with it, but until it’s taken into the heart it has not had an effect on us. The man was reading in Isaiah 53. God had directed him there, but he couldn’t understand it. Little did he know that God was sending someone to his chariot. The Holy Spirit directed Philip to leave a revival in which many were being saved and go to the desert for one man. He went without question. Whatever the Master tells us to do, we should do it.
Even the most experienced can get lost in the desert. Never think you’re so far away that the Lord can’t find you in your corner of the desert. He’s the God of the steams, mountains and valleys, but he’s also God of the deserts. He took care of Hagar and Abraham and Sara; he will take care of you. What you need to do is join yourself to the Lord. The Lord was determined to get to this eunuch. No matter where our chariot is Jesus binds himself to us. Before he ascended to heaven he told the disciples “lo I am with you always even to the end of the world.” The kicker is we have to let him in our chariot.
The eunuch was reading out loud, and Philip heard him. He asked him if he understood. Do you understand what you read? Have you let him in? The eunuch didn’t say he’d figure it out for himself. Only those guided by the Lord can understand. He simply asked how he could without someone to help him. He invited Philip into his chariot to explain it. Philip recognized the scripture. The Old Testament is full of the gospel but nowhere is it as full as in Isaiah 53. Philip started telling the man about Jesus right from that scripture.
After the eunuch heard, he got his chariot moving again. Philip was riding with him. This is what we must do—let Jesus ride with us all the way. Philip must have told him about bearing witness of salvation by being baptized. All of a sudden, right there in the desert was water. The man wanted to know what prevented him from being baptized. Philip’s answer was simple. “If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.” We can be saved when we believe. He stopped the chariot and was baptized. Philip was taken away. The eunuch went on his way rejoicing. He came out of religion into salvation. Jesus came into the chariot of his soul.
Have you invited Jesus to come sit with you in your chariot? If not, open the gate and let him come in. If you’re lost, it’s time to do it. If you’ve closed off your chariot and it’s not as open as it used to be, it’s time to open the door a little wider. Jesus wants to sit with you in your chariot.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 