We continue our series with an adventure involving a powerful foreign official from the ends of the earth who earnestly loved God and desired to know Him, but had many barriers blocking his path to God. Fortunately, God sent a barrier bustin’ deacon named Philip to help this Ethiopian eunuch reach God.

Scripture Reference

Acts 8: 26-40

Sermon Notes

  1. He Was Separated from God by  Barriers of Ignorance
    1. The eunuch could not understand Isaiah 53 about the suffering servant. So God sent Philip to explain the gospel of Jesus Christ from that point in Old Testament Scripture.
    2. We will encounter people separated from God because they do not know how to reach Him.
    3. Like Philip, we must address them where they are. We must be sensitive to the leading of the Spirit, obedient, and flexible in presenting our message.
  2. He Was Separated from God by  Cultural and Physical Barriers
    1. It was difficult (and painful) for a foreigner to convert to Judaism. Worse, as a eunuch, Deuteronomy 23: 1 prevented him from ever approaching God.
    2. In Christ, there are no barriers! At the cross, all barriers were broken down – this is why the veil inside the temple was torn in two when Jesus died.
    3. Made perfect in Christ, the eunuch asks, “What prevents me from being baptized?” and the answer is NOTHING!
  3. Like Philip, We Must Break Down Barriers
    1. There are no permanent barriers, but that doesn’t mean people don’t build barriers for themselves or that we as a church don’t build barriers.
    2. We have a mission to make disciples of ALL nations – we need to be barrier bustin’ not barrier building. Many barriers are things we are blind to and we need to look objectively at ourselves to see what we have built.
    3. Many people have barriers that prevent them from ever entering a church. Barriers of sin, guilt, shame, or bad experiences with churches and Christians. But there are no barriers. Regardless of a person’s past, 1 Corinthians 6 says, “And such were some of you…”

We cannot permit barriers to stand, because Jesus suffered a horrible death precisely so they would be torn down forever!