The Ethiopian Eunuch
A Sermon on Acts 8:26-31
Originally preached Jan. 14, 1968
Scripture
26And 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. 27And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen …
Sermon Description
What is so significant about the baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:26–31? This is an interesting story of how God, in His providence, arranges for Philip to meet this man and share the message of Jesus with him. It also shows that even the religious must repent and believe in the gospel as the only means of salvation. This Ethiopian man went to the temple in Jerusalem to worship, yet he had not received the Holy Spirit. He knew of the sacrifices in the temple, but not of the sacrifice of Christ. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says that only a religion that is based on and focused on Christ can have any saving power. Only true religion gives any satisfaction in this life. Many people fill their lives with worldly wisdom and vain religion, but the gospel tells that all is for nothing if one does not have Christ. This sermon asks one the question: “what religion do I have? Am I following a dead religion that has no power to save and transform me?” All must turn to Christ Jesus as the only true center of true religion and worship.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon is based on Acts 8:26-31 which describes Philip's encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch.
- The eunuch was a man of great authority who was in charge of the treasury of the Ethiopian queen. He was a learned and moral man.
- Although the eunuch held a position of power and privilege, he was dissatisfied and searching for meaning. He had become a Jewish proselyte, rejecting his pagan upbringing.
- The eunuch's dissatisfaction was intellectual, moral and religious. He sought truth, guidance for living, and a God worthy of worship.
- The eunuch traveled to Jerusalem to worship and study scripture, showing his deep religious devotion and desire to learn.
- On his journey home, the eunuch was reading Isaiah, still searching for answers. His question to Philip, "How can I understand unless someone guides me?" shows his longing and despair.
- Although the eunuch had found more truth in Judaism than in paganism, he still did not have peace. His works-based righteousness and zeal without knowledge could not satisfy God or himself.
- The tragedy was that the eunuch had been in Jerusalem but missed the gospel, the only thing that could meet his needs. His position mirrored that of religious Jews who rejected Christ.
- God's righteousness comes through faith in Christ alone, not through man's efforts. The eunuch needed to believe in Jesus to be saved and find the answers he sought.
- We must examine ourselves to see if we share the eunuch's dissatisfaction and longing for truth. Have we realized our need for God's righteousness and accepted the gospel? Or are we relying on our own righteousness through religious zeal without knowledge?
Sermon Q&A
Understanding the Ethiopian Eunuch's Journey from Religion to Christianity: Insights from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
What is the main difference between being religious and being Christian according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the main difference is that religion involves human efforts to establish one's own righteousness through rituals, ceremonies, and moral living, while being a Christian means accepting God's righteousness as a free gift through faith in Jesus Christ. He states: "In many ways, the greatest enemy of Christianity is religion." The Ethiopian eunuch demonstrated this difference, as he was highly religious and zealous but still lacked peace and satisfaction until he encountered the message of Jesus Christ. Religion is about what humans do to reach God, while Christianity is about what God has done for humans through Christ.
How did the Ethiopian eunuch demonstrate his intellectual and spiritual searching?
The Ethiopian eunuch demonstrated his intellectual and spiritual searching in several ways:
- He had abandoned paganism to become a Jewish proselyte
- He made a long, hazardous journey to Jerusalem to worship
- He purchased a copy of the book of Isaiah to study personally
- He chose the desert route home for solitude and reflection
- He was reading Scripture even while traveling in his chariot
- When asked if he understood what he was reading, he expressed his need for guidance, saying "How can I, except some man should guide me?"
Dr. Lloyd-Jones notes: "This man's whole life was involved. This was the biggest thing in his whole existence. He was a highly religious man."
What were the sources of dissatisfaction that drove the Ethiopian eunuch's spiritual journey?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the Ethiopian eunuch experienced three types of dissatisfaction:
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Intellectual dissatisfaction: He couldn't find satisfactory answers about the meaning of life, death, and existence in paganism.
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Moral dissatisfaction: He saw the hypocrisy, superficiality, and immorality in the court life and wanted a better moral standard and power to live righteously.
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Religious dissatisfaction: He recognized the emptiness of pagan worship and idol worship and sought for the true God worthy of worship.
As Lloyd-Jones explains: "All he had didn't satisfy him either intellectually, morally or religiously. And so he had done something about it... he had become a Jew."
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as "the tragedy of the religious man"?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies the tragedy of the religious man as being zealous for God but without proper knowledge, going about trying to establish one's own righteousness while remaining ignorant of God's righteousness. Quoting Paul in Romans 10, he explains: "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they, being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God."
The Ethiopian eunuch exemplified this tragedy - despite his religious devotion, Scripture study, and moral living, he remained troubled and unsatisfied because he was trying to earn salvation through his own efforts rather than receiving God's righteousness through faith in Christ.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe the solution to man's spiritual problem?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones describes the solution to man's spiritual problem as justification by faith in Jesus Christ. He states: "Every man will perish apart from him. He is the only way of salvation. Man's righteousness is never enough. We need a righteousness from God. And God has provided it in his own son. And he offers it us as a free gift."
The solution is not found in religious practices, moral living, or intellectual understanding alone but in the free gift of salvation through Christ. Lloyd-Jones summarizes it with the familiar words: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." This message is what Philip was about to explain to the Ethiopian - that what all his "effort and striving and journey had not discovered," God would provide through "his servant with a simple, glorious message."
The Book of Acts
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.