One of the things that is so important for being the man of the house is be prepared for anything. I mean as a husband and a father I am called to protect my family no matter what the situation and to be ready to spring into action no matter what comes up. Friday night I had a great opportunity for this.
I was asleep, it was midnight, I was in a deep sleep and I woke up and flying right into my faith were these teeth. It was a wild animal. It was a scary situation but I was prepared to react with a sound that Holly says sounded like this.
She used to watch this video of Shane and Shane and one of them, they are two contemporary singers, and one of them was making fun of the other because their singing voice sounded so similar to a goat screaming. And after this happened I knew something came out of my mouth and I was just laying there going I hope that was quiet enough no one heard it but everybody heard it. But it was, I mean look at that face, I mean does that scare you? Okay you can’t see her teeth in this picture.
But as I lay there I was thinking of excuses on why that could happen and reasons that would happen and Christopher said he kept laughing because he pictured me opening my eyes and the dog leaping for my face with those teeth out. Colin slept through all this, at least one of them did. Holly took Mabel out to go to the bathroom and came back in and she was very sympathetic to me by laughing uncontrollably and I heard her mutter these words, in all these years I’ve never heard that come out of your mouth.
And she proceeded to tell me how it was like a goat scream. I don’t know. And so in that instance I was caught off guard, I wasn’t ready and I was trying to think of in my mind excuses for how I was still manly even though my family was laughing hysterically and if you don’t, if you see right now she can’t stop laughing again.
I like to be entertainment too as well as protection, entertainment. Now believe it or not all throughout the Bible people came up with reasons that they weren’t ready or they basically they were saying I’m not prepared for this when God would call them to do something. I’m going to name the excuse and their reason for not being ready for God’s call and I’m gonna see if you can name who that character is.
No I’m not a good speaker. Good that’s the easiest one. This one you have to think just a couple weeks back and you should be able to get this.
No nothing good comes from Nazareth. Nathaniel. No I’m too young.
Jeremiah. No I will not, I refuse to speak. People don’t like the message you gave me.
Jeremiah. Jonah just ran. Oh okay on that note.
No the people are evil and you are too gracious. Jonah. Okay here’s one.
Ha ha I’m too old for that. Sarah. These are my interpretations of what they said.
She did laugh at God. Okay and here’s one. Get away from me.
I am an unclean sinner. Peter. Yes Simon Peter when he was called by Jesus.
You see in the Bible they had reasons to say I’m not ready for this or I’m not willing to do this and as a disciple as we wrap up the disciple series this time we discover that we are called to be ready and we are called to be willing to serve at a moment’s notice. John Wesley said a Methodist should be ready to preach, pray, or die at a moment’s notice. Are you ready for any of those? You know in a sense we all have to be ready so we don’t fear death.
We don’t fear the anticipation of standing up before others or the need in a certain situation where nothing else is good but to pray in that situation. Philip the Evangelist gave us a great example of how a disciple is ready and willing at a moment’s notice. Acts 8 26 through 40 is our text for today.
Will you stand as you are able. Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a desert place and he rose and went and there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians who was in charge of all her treasure.
He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning seated in the chariot and he was reading the prophet Isaiah and the Spirit said to Philip go over and join this chariot. So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asking do you understand what you are reading and he said how can I unless someone guides me and he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this.
Like a sheep he was led to slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him who can describe his generation for his life is taken away from the earth. And the eunuch said to Philip about whom I ask you does the prophet say this about himself or about someone else.
Then Philip opened his mouth and beginning with the scriptures he told him the good beginning with this scripture he told him the good news about Jesus and as they were going along the road and came to some water the eunuch said see here is the water what prevents me from being baptized and he commanded the chariot to stop and they both went down into the water Philip and the eunuch and he baptized him and when they came up out of the water the spirit of the Lord carried Philip away and the eunuch saw him no more and went on his way rejoicing but Philip found himself in Azotus and he passed and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Sestera. The word of God inspired by God for the people of God. Thanks be to God.
Amen. You may be seated. In this text remember last week Philip was who did Philip come across what was the character Simon the the sorcerer the magician and Simon preached the good news miracles happened and even Simon was baptized and he followed Philip around and then Philip went on his way.
Now the disciples had heard that in Jerusalem had heard that Samaria had received the gospel so they sent Philip and they sent Peter and John and Peter and John went there and they found out that they had not received the Holy Spirit and they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit and then there was some mischief mischievousness with Simon again and Peter but I remember when I would read that I would think why did Philip skip that part it’s so important so many times people may receive the gospel but they don’t grow in their faith they don’t have the spiritual growth that is needed and they don’t receive the spirit deeper and deeper into their hearts and I think did Philip miss that but if Philip is the evangelist it might not have been his job and there are certain things that we need to trust the Holy Spirit for the Holy Spirit stirred up the disciples and someone else came and laid hands on them Philip knew to trust in God sometimes God says go here and we often say I’m not done here or is that just me and we linger and God says go they need you here you need to hear you need this you need to go to this other place you need to reach people and we wait and we linger and we come up with reasons church people are often willing but not ready I want to do this but then when the situation comes up they sound like a goat screaming or ready but not willing as in they spend a lot of time getting ready and think that readiness is the action they’re called to so they’re not listening when that happens my wife Holly says I have two faults one is that I don’t listen very well and the second I I don’t remember what that one was the other day when she was going out of town she gave me a list of honeydews and said go to the store lay down the mulch wash and wax the car get the kids at school prepare some dinner and finish the rest of the dishes and I just heard go lay down and get some rest okay that didn’t really happen to us but sometimes we have selective listening and especially with God we may have that selective listening and it has something to do with our willingness to serve and our lack of readiness that we may really have even as disciples of Jesus Christ but you see Philip was ready was both willing to serve and ready to share the gospel his discipleship changed the Ethiopians life forever see the oath Ethiopian had God stirring in his heart and then God stirred Philip to go meet him I mean he could have said when he said go here Philip said oh yeah what am I supposed to do he didn’t get that information right away God said just go here this is where you need to be and as he was there it’s like a it’s like either a dream scenario or a scenario that makes you a little nervous where the Ethiopian is reading out the gospel of Isaiah and God says go to him and any and Philip goes right to the chariot and and he says do you understand what you’re reading and the Ethiopian said how can I unless someone explains it to me why don’t you come up in my chariot and explain it now that’s either got to be like the softball of the century for telling someone about Jesus or it’s going to make you really nervous if you’re not ready to share the gospel at a moment’s notice if you’re not willing to serve and Philip went up there and he heard those very verses in Isaiah does everybody recognize those verses it’s talking about Jesus and about what happens to Jesus on the cross so when you when he’s reading those it’s a direct connection now sometimes the connection isn’t so direct and you might not be able to share and have someone be baptized immediately on the same journey but sometimes we just have to be ready for whatever God calls us Kathy free told the story in the Washington Post she said there’s a saying in the black community that’s endured for decades and featured on several rap songs if you stay ready you don’t have to get ready think about that for a second if you stay ready you don’t have to get ready one Monday afternoon 16 year-old Anthony Alexander jr. had just finished playing a game of basketball at a local park he was resting on the park bench and he remained ready but not just for another game of basketball there was a moment then when a young girl came up crying to him and telling Anthony that her friend was drowning in the water several of his her friends had fallen through the ice in a nearby pond Anthony immediately sprang into action after quickly dialing 9-1-1 he looked around for anything that could help these children in the spread distress and he found a broken branch Anthony said the first kid a boy grabbed the stick and I pulled him out but I couldn’t reach the other two leaving nothing to chance he walked out onto the ice and got in and he said it was freezing but it wasn’t too bad because I wasn’t in the water that long I didn’t really have time to think about it by the time the first responders arrived Anthony have stayed two of the three children and was closing in on the third he was later lauded as being a hero by sergeant Patrick Kilroy of the Collingdale Police Department who arrived shortly thereafter Kilroy said if he hadn’t called 9-1-1 and hadn’t taken action they might have been different and tragic outcome he’s one quick-thinking kid he was ready and one thing that wasn’t in that story that I read that he said was someone observed the kids were flailing in a frigid pond screaming that they would die and he said not going to happen today as he reached out the branch to save them Anthony was willing he was ready I mean he could have said I’m not an expert I don’t know what to do wait till the pros get here but he jumped into action Philip jumped into action he went to the spot where God told him to go not even knowing what he was going to do talk to someone who had worshipped who had wanted to know about God and was able to share the gospel with him and then as soon as he baptized him God called him to move on and preach the gospel and and go other places and see that disciples ready themselves with spiritual disciplines Bible study gathering with others worship communion prayer devotions we have our hope builders group where we walk in Christ with one another in love these small groups where we have another a chance to speak the gospel into each other’s lives and build one another up but those ready us that’s not saying that’s the end goal that’s not saying that we are great Christians because we study the Bible or because we meet together or because we pray those things prepare us help us to be ready for when the time comes where God is nudging us and guiding us to do something that disciples need to do and then we’re open to hearing God’s voice we’re willing to serve when we are called it’s not just selective listening saying well God might have said this but I know he couldn’t have been talking to me I’m too young I’m too old I’m not a good speaker I don’t like the response people are gonna give me God didn’t take those excuses and say you know you’re right I’ll get someone else God’s speaking to you right now disciple God is asking us to be more like Philip to be attentive to that still small voice what is God nudging you to do how is God nudging you to take the readiness you have to take the love and the grace to take the biblical knowledge you have to take the peace that God gives us and share it with someone else.