God’s Plan & His Purpose

So glad to have brother Justin Bushey with us today and him and Kristen are a wonderful couple we took on as a missions support and he is part of Rock of Ages Ministry.

They go into prisons and preach the gospel and he's doing that. And he's one of the most passionate guys I know who love the word of God. Every time I'm around him, his heart is just filled to talk about the truth of God's word and so make brother Justin feel welcome. He's going to come today and preach the word of God and I know you're going to be blessed by his story and what God's doing with him. Thank you brother Justin.

See my friend. We're seeing lives transformed and God continues to provide safety for us while we're there and we thank you so much for your prayers but secondly we thank you so much for your support because without your support we couldn't be doing what we're doing. Thank you Josh, a pastor I appreciate you so much. I appreciate your family. He is such a blessing such an encouragement every time. He says I encourage him but he encourages me every time I talk to him. And so it is encouragement and a blessing to be here with you today.

Want to give you just a quick update quick testimony. So we've been a little bit of everywhere and the last I guess it's been almost a year and a half since we were with you last. It was snowing and folks I ain't used to snow.

So when I come up here and it was snowing we left for a couple of days and then we went up to Canton and I said oh my goodness there had to been like six foot of snow on the ground piled up. I said this is not for me. I said I'm just an old country boy. I said I'm not used to all this but anyways since we've been with you we've been able to travel the country numerous times. We took a motorhome and went all the way across the country.

We found out that wasn't for us but we did that. We went and preached all over all over the nation. Went and tried to get in some prisons all over the nation. Currently right now I've got I think I've got seven different states I can walk right into the prison with no restrictions. I've got everything cleared and so I'm really encouraged about that. We'll be having a prison revival this week.

I want you to pray about that. Thursday, Friday and Saturday of this coming up week we'll go in there for about 12 hours a day roughly. We go in and out a little bit but we'll go in there and we'll visit with the inmates and then we'll go and preach to them. We got a camp of about 1,600 right now. We've got four different security levels.

We've got minimum, medium, maximum and closed custody. So we've got a little bit of everything in there and anyways just pray for us on that but we got to do all that traveling and our support's been getting raised and something amazing happened just recently. We got to go down to miss I'm sorry Alabama went Mississippi last year went to Alabama this year and so while we were there in the course of three days well four days technically four days we were in four prisons no I'm telling you wrong we were in six prisons we were in one jail and we got to do some homeless outreach. We had a hundred and fifteen people come to Christ. Folks that's what it's all about.

We were so encouraged by that so so excited by that. Personally I got to lead three of those to the Lord. I was sitting there in a pod and the man sitting across the table for me and I gave you just a little bit of this this morning just testimony but I was got sitting at a stainless steel table and looking across the man right in front of me and he said is it really that easy to be saved. It's that simple folks well yet we complicate it we make it you've got to be baptized you've got to know the Word of God you got to do all this. No that's fruit that's things are gonna happen later on what's got to take place you've got to believe on Jesus Christ and so needless to say we had 115 get saved and then we come back and once you lead one person to the Lord you'll get on fire I want to lead somebody else to the Lord and you know what you'll do you go out you try to lead somebody to the Lord and so we got back and I got back up to Tennessee and I've been ministering there for quite a little while and so we're going to the mountains of Tennessee and so we're ministering having a great time and they plan I'm in maximum security and I'm dealing with people most of the people I deal with on a normal basis are people who've committed murder and that's just just the cold hard facts about it and one of the guys I was dealing with had just committed a murder and I was talking to him and as I was talking to him he told me that he didn't he wasn't ready to believe on the Lord but little little little as much when God is in it I can say this that I didn't have to do a whole lot because all I do is plant seeds Paul said I planted Apollo's water earth but God brought forth God brought forth the increase and so needless to say that man after we gave him the gospel and I spent some time with him he didn't receive the Lord and don't get discouraged if they don't get saved right then you know we did went back and as I went back I found out that that man had called out on the Lord later on that day and he received Christ as the Savior you know it's nothing that I did it but it's what the Lord did and so I want to encourage you by that just continue to keep giving the gospel but also say this thank you so much for praying for us we're really excited if you can tell I'm a little bit nervous this morning I'm super duper excited though to be standing here my thing is I'm not a great talker God didn't call me to speak God called me to preach and so that's what I'm gonna get to here now and so I want to say thank you so much for your support so thank you so much for being here in church today as Pastor Josh already said Easter was last week you know what thank you for being faithful and coming back that means a whole lot you know the biggest numbers of the year Christmas and Easter but praise the Lord for you faithful ones who continue to come week in and week out because the Lord said that's what he wants he wants us to be found faithful and so needless to say I want you to flip with you me and your Bibles this morning to Acts chapter number 8 I've been praying about this as seeking the Lord what he would have me to preach on this morning like say I'm grateful to be here for reverence of the Word of God if you would stand with me as we as you find your place Acts chapter number 8 I'm not going to read the whole entire passage of Scripture I think I gave them quite a bit to put up on the screen but I'm not going to preach the whole thing or not preach I'm not going to read the whole all the scripture because for sake of time I just want to get straight into it Acts chapter number 8 verse 26 is where we're going to start at this morning we're going to look at this passage scripture just for a few minutes start in verse number 26 in the angel of the Lord speck unto Philip saying arise and going to the south towards the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza which is desert and he arose and went and behold a man of Ethiopia a eunuch of great authority under Candace Queen of the Ethiopians who had the charge of all her treasure and had come to Jerusalem to worship was returning and sitting in his chariot read Isaiah the prophet and when the spirit and then the spirit saith unto Philip go near and join thyself into this chariot and Philip ran thither to him and heard him read the prophet Isaiah's and said understand us what thou read us and he said how can I accept some man should guide me and he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him in the place of Scripture what you read was this he was led as a sheep to the slaughter and like a lamb dumb before the shear so opened he not his mouth in his humiliation his judgment was taken away and who shall declare that his generation for his life is taken from the earth and the eunuch answered Philip and said I pray thee of whom speaketh the Prophet this of himself or someone else that's what people are asking today folks who are they thought who are we talking about who are we talking about today and this is what people are asking this man was asking this then Philip opened his mouth and began the same scripture and preached unto him Jesus oh I love that dear friends he didn't preach in Muhammad he didn't preach him Allah he didn't preach something else he preached Jesus and as they went on their way they came into a certain water and the eunuch said see here is water what do with hindered me to be baptized and Philip said if thou believeth with I all thine heart thou mayest and he answered and said I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and he commanded the chariot to stand still and they both went down into the water both Philip and the eunuch and he baptized him father we come to you in the name of Jesus Christ Lord we thank you for the opportunity to be in church today God we thank you for the opportunity to worship God I pray today that Lord you would just open our hearts Lord that you would clear our minds clean up our hearts Lord if there's any unconfessed sin Lord will we get it right now Lord we don't want to be the one to quench the Holy Spirit of God this morning Lord we need you so much and God there's a wicked and dying world that needs you even more and so God I pray today that Lord you would work in our hearts God you would have me to say that what you would want me to say God you know what the Word of God says and Lord I want to preach thus saith the Word of God this morning so God please help us Lord we love you and we thank you in Jesus name amen and amen you may be seated if the request is wrong God says no if the timing is wrong God says slow if though if you're wrong God says grow but if the request is right the timing is right and you were right God says go the burden of my heart this morning is what about your desire what is your desire this morning I'm sitting here thinking about Pastor Josh has already made mention of these D groups that are stepping out and starting up today you know what is your desire is your desire to be in a certain one is your desire to be in a certain place what is your desire this morning and do you have a desire I believe you had a desire to come to church or you got drug in here I always say it this way you have a drug problem one way or another you either get drug to church or you're using drugs one or the other and so it's a drug problem either way but needless to say I see three things in here and I want to address these this morning I see a desire from a man not only do I see a desire but I see a rising up and then a going and so we're going to talk about just for a few minutes and preach on this man named Philip and try to address these few things give you a little bit of context of what's going on if you've got time later later on today and your devotions go back and read chapter number seven you'll find out it's persecution of a man this persecution of Phil of Stephen here so Philip was a I keep getting a mixed up Stephen was a righteous man and Stephen was a righteous man and so Stephen would be the first martyr for Christ Stephen would be stoned and you say why would they stone a righteous man why would they hurt someone well I think about second Thessalonians chapter number two verse number 11 says and for this cause God shall send them strong disillusion that they should believe a lie remember who these people were these were wheezer were righteous people as we might think back in the day these were Jewish people these were religious people how do we know that flip over to chapter number nine and you'll find out who did Paul go and seek or Saul at the time who did he go seek the approval for him from the chief high priest he was seeking the approval from his his own people from the other Pharisees and these were the ones they thought they were doing God's work by killing these men you know what that's how people look even today as they come and persecute the church as they think oh we're doing the right thing we're doing we're doing what we should be doing but Stephen started off and it's an amazing thing like I say I've not got time to go into all of it but it's an amazing thing because Stephen starts off and as he starts off he starts off with Abraham and he makes it all the way up into David and he doesn't get any further before they stone him he never even made it to Jesus can I tell you when you go and tell people the truth that a lot of times you won't even get to where you're trying to get to it's because they already know where you're going and they're trying to shut you down the devil don't want it dear friends the devil didn't want you here today he didn't want you listen or pay attention he wants you fumbling with your phone or doing something else this morning he wants you to be distracted as much as possible if you're born again in here today he wants you to be distracted you know what because he's got you right where he needs you you know what you can't go lead somebody else to Christ you can't go do the will of God if he's got you distracted but we're going to talk about this man named Philip this morning and and see a little bit about him but I see as we start this we find out that there was not only a person getting persecuted but now we see a group of people we jump into chapter number 8 and leading up to where we're going to get to this morning chapter number 8 we find out that no longer is it just a person but it's a group of people it's the church it's the body of Christ no they didn't meet in the building per se like we did they were meeting house to house it says that they're in our scripture it says in verse number three and he and entering into every house and hailing men and women and committing them to prison Saul was going in literally into your house coming pulling you out you your wife and taking you to prison well I'm grateful today that I get to go in there and I get to get out that's always a great thing for me I walk in I've got an old saying I say if you come in with me you get to come out with me but if you go in without me I can't help you out and so needless to say here here Saul is and he's grabbing these people there's so much going on here and there's so much I want to say I've got points upon points upon points here but I don't know I'm not getting to all of it but I just say this this morning as we start this chapter as we start chapter number eight we find out that there there there happens to be great persecution and Saul was consenting into his death and at the time there was great persecution against the church so we start off with great persecution then we can jump down in verse number two we see that Stephen was stoned and what were they doing there was great lamentation they were mourning over him somebody had just been killed they were taking his body they were taking it said preparing it and taking it for burial so they're mourning over him verse number three though it says as for Saul he made havoc of the church I see great havoc I see they're coming in destroying the church but can I rejoice on this and can I get a little bit excited this morning about this when Satan thinks he's winning he and even got a drop in the bucket dear friend God is on top at all times God knows what's going to happen God through the persecution God is still at work God is still growing his church I thought about Exodus chapter number one verse 12 but the more they afflicted them the more they multiplied and grew do you know the church started during the Roman Empire during the worst time when a church could ever be started during the most persecution if you knew anything about the Romans then you know they were the world's best at torture the crucifixion was the worst way to die there wasn't a worse way to die we think oh we could get shot no that's pretty quick think about think about suffering and being nailed with your hands and your feet to a cross think about the beating that they would have took I thought about this a lot here especially around Easter time you know we talked about Jesus's burial and resurrection but we forget and I think so often we forget that Jesus according to Isaiah his visage was marred such that he didn't even look like a man how did Jesus look when they got when he walked out of that tomb you know I just think you know there was more than just a prince in his hands and then his feet there was the scars on his body of what Jesus went through for us that blood that he shed for us and but it's an amazing thing because we get to verse number four and we see not only that but we see a good the great word the words being preached because it's therefore they were scattered abroad everywhere preaching the word you know what even though Satan thinks hey you know what I've scattered these people out they can do no good they can do no good they can do anything else we broke the church apart I think that's what tried to happen during COVID they tried to break the church apart but praise the Lord we're back together today you know what I think more churches have been started because of this you know what there's more places that we're going even today because of that I can say this is a missionary who started during COVID you know what we've had to raise all our support during COVID we've called churches and everything else and I think we've been in probably 650 churches in the past three years you know what we've traveled the nation I so far we've put probably 150 right at 150,000 miles on our band in two and a half years you know what we've had two children while being on the road can I tell you God's still good God's provided God's taking care of this old boy y'all wouldn't stand here no other way other than to praise God this morning but throughout all this we see one man and all this he was scattered and it says there he was scattered from Jerusalem now he is here in Samaria verse 5 then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ unto them again there was great preaching you know what praise God for the preaching of the word you know what if you go somewhere and they're not preaching the Word of God you probably shouldn't be there you know what if it's not Bible you know what you shouldn't be there you know what we ought to preach the Word of God and not be scared not have that boldness that they had in chapter number four they have that boldness to preach the Word of God I thought about this during the darkest time is when the light shines the brightest folks if you've ever been out and we're Lord willing we'll be out there before very long out in the desert and when you go out into the desert into western part of the nation you know what here on the East Coast when it goes dark it don't really go dark because there's still a little bit of light but when you get out in the middle of nowhere anybody ever been out in Utah out in Colorado out in Wyoming out somewhere in Arizona in Nevada in the middle of nowhere and when it goes dark it goes dark but you know what if you shine a light you can see you know what that's what we're saying today during the darkest time is when the light shines brightest so I want to bring you back to our context bring you back to our scripture today try to build up where Philip is Philip is doing a great work here in Samaria he's been ran out of Jerusalem here he is in Samaria but God's got a plan for this man and the title of today's message is God's plan and God's purpose you know what he's got a plan and a purpose for each and every one of you in here today if you're breathing if you've got life in you today God's got a plan for you you know what III could give you my testimony and I won't take too much time for all that but can I tell you my mom wouldn't expect them to have me my mom was 17 years old when she got pregnant with me there was and she said she's you know what she's like my got my whole life ahead of me she actually thought about aborting but praise God God had a plan God's got a purpose for my life dear friend God's got a purpose for your life in here today too so can I start off by saying look down with me at verse 26 can I say can we that we see the place of the ministry God had a purpose for Philip God had a place for him to be notice the place of his ministry and the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip saying arise and go towards the south unto the way that goeth down into Jerusalem unto Gaza which is desert here he is God says you need to get up and you need to go now Philip had a desire he wanted to preach the Word of God we know that because he was in Jerusalem doing it then he goes over to Samaria continuing to do it he wanted to tell people about Jesus I believe in all my heart if you want to tell somebody about Jesus you pray about it first thing in the morning God will send somebody your way that day I believe that with all my heart now if you're you're saying well God never sends nobody are you truly praying for somebody to send somebody your way God send somebody your way you'd be like well I'm uncomfortable I'm uncomfortable too I'm uncomfortable all the time I make people uncomfortable I'm just telling you today that's just my demeanor that's who I am that's my wife my wife just gets embarrassed she's probably embarrassed by me pointing her out right now but that's just who I am you know what I can't I can't be someone else I am who God's created me who I am and so are you but God had a command for Philip he said I need you to get up that's where it starts friends is we've got to get up so often we're not getting nothing done because we're not getting up we've got to get up and then we got to start to move we got to put some action behind that we've got to go and so that's what God commands of Philip here we see he says he says arise and go now listen where he tells him to go he said go with he said go the way down he said go towards the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza he said which is desert he said what I want you to do is get up from where you're at you're doing a great work here in Samaria people are getting saved life's are being transformed how do we know that you can go back through and read it and I didn't give everything but there was a great work going on in verse 6 there was a great transformation in verse 7 these people are being healed in verse number 8 though even though they went through great person view persecution in verse 1 by verse number 8 there's great joy you can have joy through the persecution dear friends you know what you say oh I don't know how a person can have that I don't know how you can get excited about that once you get hooked on Jesus right no other way once you get filled up with the Holy Spirit yeah it's going to show it's going to be all over of you but we see this place of ministry I thought about Philip as he was going God didn't tell him exactly where to go he said I want you to go that direction any of you ever been there I'm reading right now and I'm mostly my Bible studies in Genesis right now Genesis chapter 12 we read of Abram God says what I want you to do is I want you to get up I want you to leave the familiar I want you to leave your father I want you to leave your family and I want you to leave the farm and I want you to go where I tell you to go Abram didn't fight him he picked up and he left you know what Philip didn't fight him he picked up and he left when God tells you to do something you need to just pay attention and you need to be obedient and listen and just do what he says to do here so we see the place of the ministry the place of the ministry for him was to go out into the desert he was to literally go if you were to look at a map he was to go to the southwest this this scripture is what God's actually used in my heart and I've not got time to go into all of it but God's used this in my heart about reaching those people out in the southwestern part of our country and expanding our ministry but we see I've read this and I love this Matthew Henry said it this way sometimes God opens a door of opportunity to his ministers in the very of unlikely places you know what God you may say God how why would you use me there why would I go there when Mark chapter 6 verse 15 says and it's 16 verse number 15 says and he saith unto them go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature you know it doesn't matter where they're at go to them wherever they're at so here he is he goes to the desert he goes to a desolate place when I think of the desert I think of a wasteland I think of a tumbleweed and I don't mean wasteland in a bad way but there's nothing out there if any of y'all have ever been to our desert here or a desert anywhere in the world you know what there's nothing that usually grows out there you might get a cactus you might get some tumbleweed but normally you don't see very much out in the desert you know what I'm and it doesn't say Philip didn't say hey I wonder what's going on out there I wonder if there if I can do any good out there Philip just got up and you win because verse number 27 says and he arose and went you know what it's time that we as the body of Christ arise and go we can't just sit back and wait for the world to come to us we've got to go to them you go into the streets you go into the highways you go into the hedges you go to the places where others aren't willing to go where was Jesus where did Jesus spend most of his time friends he spent most of his time going to them he didn't wait for them to come to him he was going to them he was constantly a man on a mission constantly going can I tell you this this morning can I can I reiterate this it doesn't always make sense where God wants us to go and we're trying to make this in logic and I thought about Abraham again when Abraham was trying to put this together he went and laid with Hagar because he was like I've got to make seed I've got to have seed so I can continue on the promise of God but God already had a plan Isaac was going to come along just Abraham got ahead of God you know what it's it's it's dangerous when we can get ahead of God but can I remind you this Romans 8 and 28 says and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God and who are called according to his purpose you know what this is this is an act of faith we've got to take steps in faith as Christians as born-again believers because it's faith that sets us apart Hebrews chapter number 11 verse 1 now faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen this is who we are this is what we're supposed to be doing we're supposed to be taking steps in faith you say but brother Justin I did Philip know there was a eunuch out there he didn't he went because God told him to go I didn't know who's gonna be here today but I went because God told me to come I'm going into a prison this week because God's told me to go I don't know who I'm gonna minister to I don't know who will be on the other side but I'm praying already that God would soften hearts that those men that we go and try to reach those officers folks I just don't go in there for the inmate I'm reaching officer I go sit in a warden's office at least once a week and go talk to the warden you know what I'd want to spend time with each and everyone why because each and everyone has a soul everyone needs to hear the gospel the reason they don't hear the gospel anymore is because we don't give it it's not because it doesn't work it's not because there's not power in it it's not because Jesus died he's still in a grave no Jesus is very much alive today it's because we don't give it so we see the place of the ministry not only the place of the ministry but we see the purpose of God no notice with me in verse number 28 and 29 he was returning and sitting in his chariot read Isaiah's the Prophet then the Spirit said unto him sent unto Philip go near and join thyself into this chariot what was the purpose for Philip to be out there to join himself to this man's chariot because this eunuch right here this eunuch had just came back from diverse worship verse 27 it says and had come to Jerusalem for to worship now here he is he's not only come back from a worship service he's not only come back from a church service he's reading the Word of God and we'll get to it in a minute but he didn't understand what he was reading you know it's so it's so often we'll get in here and say why I'm not gonna read Bible because I don't understand it pray the Holy Spirit would open your heart pray the Holy Spirit would give you enlightenment would give you understanding you have not because you ask not you know what pray that he would give you wisdom that you could understand the Word of God and he will my dear friends but I believe without shadow of felt that God wanted Philip there for this eunuch for this time to read that he may receive the glory from this there this is one man who had come to worship now if you do a little bit and I'm a geography guy I don't I probably don't speak real well I definitely don't write well well real well and I I just don't have any of that but I love to see places I love geography I love to look at maps and things of that nature and I thought this was very interesting if you were to go from Jerusalem to Ethiopia now this is what that eunuch had traveled it'd be about five hours and two minutes in an airplane right now fine commercial that's pretty good little trip is it not any y'all ever flown across the country it's about a six hour trip so you can imagine going across the US but I got to reading this if you were to drive that same journey it's about 2480 miles it would take you roughly 85 hours in a car a cart of today now he was in a chariot think how many months it took him to get there he went all the way to go worship and come back no different but he had a desire to go he had a desire to go worship he had a desire to read the Word of God but good thing there was a man that had a desire to share the Word of God so we see the purpose of God in all of this the purpose was for that for Philip to be there at that time can I take out and just take one second here and just stop and just say what coming to a worship service today will not save you getting baptized will not save you today dear friends knowing the Word of God from front cover to back cover will not save you but having a personal relationship with a with a God in heaven with the Lord Jesus Christ and believing on him that's what will save you today so we see that he had a desire I thought about this and this is that probably a poor example and this is probably going to throw me under the bus pretty big but I don't mind it because it's me I can do that but anyways we went on a trip two years ago we flew from Charlotte North Carolina we flew over Denver we went out there and done to about two weeks of going out to different churches presenting the ministry we were on full-time deputation at the time and so we got back and we flew we got back into Denver we flew back we got into Charlotte it was late we were the last flight in and so we got back back then I think we only had four kids and so we you think oh that ain't too bad we've got six now and so flying's fun we take up multiple aisles but anyways we got back in and I told my wife it was late we it was Thanksgiving Day of all days and so we'd flown all day we set in the airport flights were the cheapest flights were the quickest on Thanksgiving Day anyways we flew back in we got back home or we got back to the airport and as we got back to the airport I told my wife I said we got the bags and I set all my wife and kids at the curb anybody ever did that for a throw there at the curb and so I got him there at the curb I said I'm gonna get on the bus I said I'll go get the car and I'll be back I said it shouldn't take me more than about 25 30 minutes you know depending on where we're at so I got it I got in the car or I got in the bus I started fellowshipping with the folks on there had a good time I'd actually been in one of the churches where they'd come back from and so we had a good time anyways I knew I was in lot two that I had down and so he said where you getting off at I said I'm getting off at XY I said I'm that's where I'm at that's why I parked I got off stepped off the bus and before the bus took off I said this ain't right I got back on the bus I saw my X Z's where I'm at so I got off at X Z I said no I think I'm at XX and so needless to say we went around and round and for the next 30 minutes I just rode around with bus driver and he's like do you know where you're at and I said no I don't have a clue we had church on that bus that day brother he was a born-again Christian we started talking about Jesus I was excited didn't really want to get off the bus because I couldn't find my car and so anyways I stayed I stayed on the bus and finally he said he said he said sir he said he said I've got to go put the bus up he said it's late it's almost 1 o'clock in the morning now he's like he's like I've got to go put the bus up I was like okay he said you see that truck over there I said yes sir he said it's got that green light on acid yes sir he said if you can't find your car he said go talk to him he said he'll help you that's what his job is to do help you find then you've all ever been in the airports are huge the parking lots are huge down at Charlotte Douglas I mean these things I don't know maybe four or five thousand cars a parking lot and so I'm trying to find my car and I can't find it but I didn't know what lot I was in I didn't know where I had so needless to say it starts downpouring I'm walking around with a book bag out here and I don't know what else to do and so you know I'm a man I'll find my car one way or another I'm finding my car I'm not asking nobody for help you know I'm prideful now so I'm walking around well after about 15 minutes and my wife texts and where yet I said uh I gotta go gas this man where my cars at and so needless to say as soon as I got in the truck with the man I said hey I'm looking for a car he said happy and I'll help you find it as soon as I got in the Holy Spirit said give him a gospel track I said no I said I'm gonna go find my car can I tell you don't tell God no God will make your life miserable to you do what he wants you to do for the next 30 45 minutes we rode around looking for my car finally I said God I said I'm giving in I got out a gospel track out of my pocket and I literally handed him that gospel track told him what it was about no sooner I hand it guess what happened my car was sitting right beside us we stopped truck and there's my car all I'm telling you today dear friends is that God has a plan and a purpose for your life and he had a purpose for this for Philip Philip needed to be there because this man needed to be saved the only way he was gonna be saved is someone had to go and give him the gospel someone had to tell him so not only do we see the place of ministry not only do we see the the purpose of God but we see the problem of the man look down with me at verse 30 and Philip ran hither to to him and heard him read the prophet Isaiah and said understand us what thou readest he asked him a question when I go up to a cell door when I go up to a house door and that's how I do I do my door-to-door soul winning is normally cell to cell so I walk up to a door I knock on that door or I'll say hey sir can I talk to you for a minute or hey I've got something for you and I go up to that glass if they're in solitary or if they're walking around I'll go talk to them that way but I go up to him and I start talking to him but I always ask him a question I say hey are you born again oh absolutely a lot of times in the south what happens is everyone's saved you come knock on a door with me one day and you'll find out North Carolina there's not one lost person South Carolina Georgia Florida and there's not one lost person why is that it's because everyone believes they're saved because you know what hey you know what I said a prayer one time but do you do you know the Lord is your Savior and so what I ask and this is what I ask when I ask somebody are you saved then they say yes I said how do you know how do you know you're saved what sets you apart from someone else well I got baptized that's usually what I hear I hear works so I take them over to Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8 9 because I want them to understand that it's not by works that we're saved your friends it's by the grace of God by having faith and believing on the Lord it's not because of something I did it's because of what he already done on the cross of Calvary and so we see the problem of the man here look with me again in verse 31 and he said how can I accept some man should guide me he wanted to know how can I I don't understand what I'm reading Romans 10 verses 14 says how then shall they call upon him and who they have not believed or how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard or how shall they hear without a preacher he needed a preacher that day you know what sometimes we just need some good old-fashioned preaching we just need something just to go in there and do what nothing else can do it's by the foolishness of preaching that they're saved today it's what we believe in today dear friends the problem of the man we see it here man is still has a the same problem he's had since Adam he still has today man as a sinner and it's still the solution is still the exact same we need a Savior you know what without a Savior we're just old wretched sinners and in a hopeless circle going nowhere and eventually going to hell Romans chapter 3 verse number 23 says for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God all every last one of us all it's inclusive isn't it it's every single one of us but I love this you say but your brother Justin you just don't understand preacher you know what I've got a good heart I'm glad you would say that because Jeremiah talks about the heart Jeremiah chapter number 17 verse number 9 says the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it if you're trusting in your heart I've heard I've heard the the politicians I've heard the actors I've heard the sports people say just trust in your heart just trust in your heart your heart to leave you astray every single time folks I'm trusting on the Word of God today I'm trusting in Jesus I'm not trusting them what my own abilities I'm not trusting what I can do Philip didn't go out there saying hey I'm a big guy I can handle this you don't see anywhere in Scripture where Philip said I've got the power I can do this you see Philip being obedient unto the Word of God you see Philip just being obedient and doing what he's supposed to be doing remember none of us are good in here today Romans 3 and 10 for as it is written there is none righteous no not one not a single one of us is good in here today you say but I've done good things I've always thought about it if we can lay out a balance beam and we could put all our good on one side and our good bad on the other side even if somehow it equaled out it still wouldn't get us into heaven but most likely we've got more bad than we do good I'm just saying today you know what it says that we're unrighteous you know what we've got to have a Savior so there was a plan there was a plan for Philip to be here at this time to reach this man I just tell you a little bit about this man this Ethiopian it says that he had charge of all the treasure this man had some importance within the kingdom he was important with Candace the Queen not only that but he was important in the kingdom do you know who's got your money right now you know who Uncle Sam is we just had tax day last week we all know who's Uncle Sam is we know who's taking our money when you go to the store and you have to pay out those taxes and you wonder hey my roads ain't no better you know what this ain't going we've just got tolls around the house right now and I mean I ain't real excited about that by no means and I'm sitting there wondering where's all the money going where's all this going today you know it but we know who holds the money and we would that I believe without a shadow of a doubt that the people would have known this man so not only do we see the place of ministry the purpose of God the problem of man but we see the preacher of the gospel jump down with me and hey of course he's open the Bible he are he's open the Word of God he's reading the prophet Isaiah verse 35 says then Philip opened his mouth and began at the same scripture and preached unto him Jesus he didn't try to go anywhere else he didn't try to start and start on something else he preached what was already there friends we have 66 books where we can preach on Jesus we don't have to find something new we don't have to sit there and say well I'm gonna get another book I've got to have some other book to go along with this this is all we need this is what God's given us yet we're looking for something else let's not look for something else it's right there Jesus is in every scripture he's in every verse he's in every page of your Bible today John 1 1 says in the beginning was the word and the word was with God in the Word was God we have Jesus today we have the Word of God today so we see the preacher of the gospel though verse 35 he began to expound upon the Word of God he sit there and he started right there where he was and he said this is what you're debating this is what you're going through he said let me explain this to you and he began to tell him who Jesus was yeah remember he originally went for worship I see not only the desire of Philip and all of this the Phillips desire to lead somebody Phillips desire to preach the gospel but I see the man had a desire he had a desire to worship he had desired to read the Word of God he had a desire to understand the Word of God here in a minute we find a he has a desire to be baptized all those desires are great but they can't build upon anything without salvation salvation is the foundation where we have to start at you got baptized you read the Bible you said a prayer you did this you did that that's fine and dandy but that's not it we got to build upon the foundation of Jesus Christ that salvation has to take place think about the woman at the well in John chapter number four she said hey she got real religious you go back through and read the story Jesus comes out and confronts her over her sin and what will people do oh I go to church I tithe just go ahead and start telling somebody about their sin and so Jesus pointed out her sin once he pointed our sin she goes oh I go and worship Jesus said that's great he said but you must worship me in spirit and in truth he said you're going and you're making an act but you're not really worshipping me some of you will come into church week after week and never really worship the Lord the best and I mean this and I don't I don't mean this in a derogatory way but some of the best worship services I've ever been in have been in prisons why is that because they all wear the same outfit none of them are trying to outdo the other one none of them are trying to out be the other one they're gonna be in with the same people maybe for life I talked to a man the other day he's got a hundred and forty two years I just talked to one of our I found out that one of our chaplain clerks he's got three life sentences you know what these guys ain't going nowhere but you know what they ain't put on a show neither the real when I come up to the door guys I own ladies I don't put on a front I walk up straight to that door and I just tell them who I am they said I said you be honest with me I'm gonna be honest with you I said I've got nothing to hide and they're like well I've got nothing to hide because there's nothing worth hiding dear friends but we see that he went in there to preach the gospel he goes there and he preaches the gospel to him whether like I say whether it's by someone that set free or someone behind bars you know what we've participated in some hollow worship in our days we've came in and our heart wasn't in it we weren't thinking about the service we weren't thinking about worshiping God we weren't thinking about glorifying God we just showed up because it was just an act it's because hey we were supposed to be there I remember when I got saved I was going because my girlfriend at a time said hey we need to go to church that's all reason I went but I'm thankful in March of 2008 I sat down in a little country church in Harmony North Carolina and the Holy Spirit of God walked by that walk down that aisle that Sunday morning and came and had a seat were there with me you know what I realized I was a sinner I was on my way to hell and I didn't know if I'd have another opportunity to get right folks I can't tell you how many times I've drive drunk and then end up at the house not know how I got there I can't tell you how many drugs that I've done how much money I've wasted and God saw fit to give me another day he's been merciful to me he's been merciful to you today and we see the preacher of the gospel here you know what he was doing he was preaching the gospel because God is faithful so he was being faithful 1st Thessalonians 5 and 24 faithful is he that call with you who also do it as a preacher and I can attest to this I don't care if I get to preach to one person or 1 million people it don't make a difference to me I had discipleship last week we had 49 people sign up guess what happened three people showed up I said guys where's everybody else at they said oh they opened the yard they went out to play basketball I was like oh my goodness I said well you three you're in here we're gonna take time have discipleship today it was worth my time because we got we got in some good some heavy questioning they asked questions you know what we went through the Bible and we helped those men out you know what I read in the Bible where it says the angels rejoice in heaven over one sinner that repenteth you know what we don't have to go and reach them all at one time let's reach one at a time let's just go and do what God's called us to do so we see the place of ministry the purpose of God the purpose the plan of the problem of man the preacher of the gospel but lastly and I'm done this morning we see the profession of a soul look down here with me at verses 37 38 oil will go back up to verse 36 and as they went on their way they came into a certain water and the eunuch said see here is water what do with him or me to be baptized now here they are riding along in the chariot and pastor I don't know if you've ever thought about this I was thinking about this the other day he wasn't by himself that eunuch because of his authority he had other people with him there was no doubt they always went in a big entourages I wonder who else heard the gospel that day I wonder who else possibly got saved that day it doesn't say but who else heard who else was impacted because he went and witnessed the one man how many other people were affected by that I've just thought about that and I don't know but I do know this you can look back in history now it's not in our Bibles but it's in history it's been said that this Ethiopian went back and took the gospel back to Ethiopia all because Philip was willing to arise and go he had a desire to serve he had a desire to go so Philip left the ball if we could say in the court of the Ethiopian notice here and Philip said if thou believe us with all thine heart thou mayest he said if you want to be baptized that's great but you've got to believe in your heart first notice what he said he said and he answered and said I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God he had already expounded the scripture into him he gave him scripture he told him what it said and he responded so often we're trying to do all the work of the Holy Ghost when I first got saved didn't nobody tell me and shame on me for this and I'm just like Sam just transparent but what I did when I first got saved I thought I could leave I thought I could save somebody I mean I did and not not that I had some kind of power but I knew they were dying and going to hell and they needed Christ and what I was gonna do is I come up to guys I worked the instruction then I go to work and I walked up to him and I said hey I said you know what you're a sinner you're dying and going to hell and you need Jesus now that's not the best tactic to do that I'm just saying that's not the best tactic but it was truth I've just had to learn and God's helped me with that on how to try to win somebody how to friend somebody how to spend some time with them invest into their life that I can get to the point where we talk more than about sports more than about weather now I'm gonna talk to you about those things to start the conversation but now we're gonna get into the Word of God you need to realize hey this is it this could be it are you guaranteed to walk out that door today dear friend god forbid it were to happen somebody could die of a heart attack right now have you ever put urgency to that today and really thought hey is this going to be my last day what kind of impact am I gonna have what kind of influence am I gonna have on my family are they gonna see somebody that was born again living for the Lord are they gonna see somebody that was hanging out at the beer joint and they come in on Sunday and say everything was alright but living a whole different lifestyle the other six days of the week people are watching even when you think they're not people are watching you and so we see the profession of a soul though because he said I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and he commanded the chariot to stand still and they went down both of them into the water and Philip in the Ethiopian and the eunuch and he baptized him he got baptized after he got saved by the way he had to get saved first to realize hey you know what I'm just gonna get wet any other way and so we see throughout this scripture we see that Philip had a desire the Ethiopian had a desire and God put their desires together and he was able to lead this man to the Lord he took him out into the desert read the rest of the scripture and I stopped earlier but I'll read the rest of it it says at verse 39 and then 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 away rejoicing then eunuch was excited he was saved born again he's done been baptized he's excited he's leaving and that's what he was going for the whole time he just didn't know how to get to that point but if you'll notice in this that God took Philip up and he took him somewhere else he had one purpose for him to be there for that one man say well that didn't make much sense for him to go out there for one man but he done exactly what God wanted him to do you know what you may be in an area for a little while you may be in this season for a little while but you've got to do what God wants you to do because God's got a plan and he has a purpose for your life in here today and so I don't know where you're standing at I don't know where you're at with the Lord today but can I say this that God's placed a ministry for you to be part of there's some D groups going on here in just a little bit get involved find out how you can grow pastors already said that it you know what he'd love some men to learn how to do that can I say this can I can I can I reiterate what you already said there folks discipleship is a thing of the past most churches don't have a discipleship we go in and people get saved and praise the Lord for it I believe they'll be in heaven they come up to an altar they give their life to Christ praise the Lord for that but they don't grow in Christ because no one's doing discipleship anymore my heart my burdens been for those inmates that I want to lead them to the Lord and then I want to disciple them because guess what some of them are never leaving there you know what some of them are gonna go reach the guy who's been in there for 30 40 50 years that I can't reach because his heart so hard but he can go up to him and he can say hey I know where you're at I'm here with you you know what but you disciple him that he can lead another one to the Lord you know what you disciple her so she can lead another one to the Lord but we all have a place of ministry you know what the problem of man is still the same still sin but God has a purpose for each and every one of us today what is that purpose how is God going to use you today as we close in prayer that this morning I just I want to ask you this question maybe the Lord has been dealing with your heart maybe the Lord's got something on your heart you've got a desire it's burning within you and you just don't know what to do can I say get plugged in somewhere start off that way I know when I went into when the church before I was called to preach before I was really I just said pastor and this is what I did now our church was much smaller than yours but I said pastor I said what where can you use me at he said Justin we need somebody on the buses guess what I did I got on the buses he said Justin we could use somebody else in the choir so me and my wife got involved in the choir we were on the buses he said I need a Sunday school teacher so we're teaching Sunday school you know we just got active and then one day the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart said I want you on the mission field I said God I said I'm not worthy they said but I want you on the mission where is it God wants you today as we close in prayer father we thank you so much for the opportunity to be here this morning and God I just pray Lord maybe your brother got a burning desire and some folks heart this morning and with every head bowed and every eye closed I just want to ask a quick question this morning is it you in here today do you have a burning desire in your heart would you lift up your hands I've got a desire in my heart today to serve the Lord you know what I see those hands praise the Lord yes praise the Lord for those hands lifted up you know what you said I've got a desire I want to serve the Lord today well you know what why don't you put some faith behind that put some action that find your way down to an old-fashioned altar maybe make the deceit where you're at today your altar and say Lord you know my desire you know I want to serve you God would you show me that place of ministry God would you do something in my heart that I could go and I can reach another one father I know you've got a purpose for my life I wouldn't be here any other way don't sit still friend if God's dealing with your heart make a move you know what only you can enter the Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit's trying to work in your life trying to work in your heart you lifted those hands and you said yes I want to maybe you're in here today and you say brother Justin I don't really understand what all you're talking about today a lot of this is not making a lot of sense I just I've heard about it but I really don't understand it can I say this this morning to you friend if you don't know Jesus as your Savior this would be the greatest day to make him your Savior you know what would you just sit where you're at and you just say hey you know what I know that I'm a sinner I know that my my righteousness is filthy rags I know there's nothing good in me you know what I understand that I always tell folks it's a B and C number one we have to admit that we're sinner we have to realize that we're sinners in here I read the verse for you this morning Romans 3 and 23 for all have sinned to come short of the glory of God not a one of us is righteous but did you know that Jesus Christ went to the cross of Calvary paid the penalty of sin for you because that penalty had he not paid it is an everlasting in hell Romans 6 and 23 says for the wages of sin is death that's a place called hell dear friends and had Jesus not paid for that penalty you'd go to a place called hell but it says in the end of that verse it says but but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord Romans 5 and 8 for God committed his love towards us and while that we were yet sinners Christ died for us he died that we wouldn't have to die that's where that B comes in the believing we must believe Romans 10 chapter verse number 9 says if thou confess with thy mouth and believe in thy heart that God has raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved would you believe that this morning would you admit that you're a sinner and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ because that see this morning is this calling upon the name of the Lord Romans 10 and 13 for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved maybe there's one in here today that needs to do that you need to go down the ABCs and realize hey I haven't done that I've not called out on Jesus to forgive me maybe that's you make your way up to an old-fashioned altar I'm sure there'll be someone up here to meet you to take the Bible and be able to show you how you can be truly born again father we thank you for this morning as pastor makes his way up God to close out the service how he sees fit Lord I just thank you Lord if you've got a plan and you've got a purpose for our lives and God I pray that Jesus will receive the honor and glory from this in Jesus name