mySundaySermons

10-May-09 *Acts 8:26-40 Psalm 22:25-31 I John 4:7-21 John 15:1-8
Mother’s Day Sermon Title: Wilderness Road Be prepared to share your witness

26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road–the desert road–that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.” 30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. 31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.” 34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. 36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?” 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

Mom’s have answers for every question:
Where is my homework? Where did you last have it?
Have you seen my shoes? Where did you take them off
How late can I stay up? How early do you need to get up?
Should I wear this shirt or that? Do you have clean underwear?
What to be when I grow up? Wash the dishes while you think..
Where do flowers come from? Your father, if he knows what good.

What if your not settled with those answers…
And that is the subject of Philip and the Ethiopian servant to the Queen.
What is the experience of Philip and worship? Trust’s Spirit to Lead
What is the experience of the Queen’s servant? Seeking to Follow

What is the experience of the those who have gone to church,
but leave with questions? worship leader’s fault -didn’t feel the spirit?
They didn’t sing, they didn’t give, they didn’t ask, they…
We are responsible for one another… not just about ME.

Philip is for us the disciple: Listening to the Spirit, Reading to Love
He was prepared to go on a barren stretch of road…
safety flares, spare tire, extra water, oil, anti-freeze, first aid kit,
Be he was also prepared to do something wild, like follow the Spirit.
Drive down this road and pull up to that next car.

What are people asking God today? What is your answer….
What does Jesus care about my work, home, bills, health, future?

We are called to be ready to answer the spirit’s call to go, ask, listen, share
WHAT DO WE SHARE? WHO DO WE SHARE WITH?

No matter how different, No matter how ignorant, No matter how proud
If there are those who do not BELIEVE in heart.. there is news to tell.

1Jn4:7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 13 We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17 In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.