Psalter 324 is taken from Psalm 119. And when we read these words, I cleave unto thy truth, O Lord, from shame deliver me. In glad obedience I will live through strength bestowed by thee. Boys and girls, these are the words of our Lord Jesus. Everything about his life and his service that we are told is an example of glad obedience that I will live through strength bestowed upon thee, by thee rather. His strength came from the Spirit, and his strength came from that Spirit given him by the Father without measure. And he always, even when it meant his very death, prayed, thy will be done. and joyfully, or shall I say for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross and despised the shame as we read in the book of Hebrews. Our Lord Jesus is that great example of obedience by faith in his word, the word of his father. But we find a lesser but beautiful example of that same type of obedience by the power of the Spirit for those who are called by the Lord in a man known as Philip, the man known as Philip. We read about him in Acts chapter eight. We saw him preaching. We saw him administering baptism. We saw him, we could say, exercising not only the office of deacon, but evangelist as well. We'll see both these offices at work in the life of this man. And as we hope to consider him, we'll see that he is a man, firstly, that is called by God to serve. Secondly, that he is a man of faith, faith powerfully worked by the Spirit. And thirdly, that he is a man that is greatly used by God according to the callings he has been given. Congregation may be so for every single one of us, that the Lord would call us from death to life by that power of the Spirit through the preaching of the gospel. but also that we would not only, as it were, find salvation, but as the old Salvation Army song put it, that we would be saved to serve and that we would look for the gifts the Lord has given us and how we might be able to serve Him. This is not only true of every child of God, for we've all been given gifts to serve, but for those of us who are office bearers, my brother elders, my brother pastor, Pastor Lipsy down in Conway, and the deacons, this is especially instructive for us. And for the young men among us, for the young men among us who would, by the grace of God, serve in church office, our Lord Jesus, and Philip is an example for you too, for the Lord may indeed call you to these things as well. Well, Philip the deacon and evangelist, a man called. And this is a man who was called to two different offices, two different special ways of serving. We see the first as a deacon in Acts chapter six. He's called to serve as a deacon in Acts chapter six. In the first six verses of this chapter, we find the institution of the office of deacon, and you can find in the pastoral epistles further description of the type of characteristics these men had to have to be appointed for this special work. But in Acts chapter 6, and in those days when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. The church was caring for the people of the church and they were distributing food. Otherwise they would starve because these people didn't have other family and there was no social social net, so to speak, that the governance provided, they would simply fall through the cracks. But we, as the lovers of the Lord Jesus, love other lovers of the Lord Jesus. Indeed, a true mark of faith is that you love the brethren. We care for each other. And this business was of great importance. We see in verse two, then the 12, called the multitude of the disciples unto them and said, it is not reason that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. They needed to give priority to the work the apostles were given to do, to preach the word of God and minister the sacraments. And they needed to delegate this as the Lord led them, these practical matters of the church to care for the practical needs of the people. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word. The New Testament further, not only through the book of Acts, but in the pastoral epistles, makes clear this dynamic continued, not by apostles and deacons, for the apostles were called directly by the Lord Jesus Christ, but through elders and deacons. And we have that even till this day. Even blessedly in our church plant down in Conway, we have men serving as elders and deacons. But notice how the text continues, and it goes through and highlights who these men were, the election process. Clearly, this was a very blessed thing. He is a man called to serve in the churches as a deacon. And later on in the pastoral epistles, it says, those who do the work of the deacon purchase to themselves great liberty and freedom in Christ Jesus. But Philip is not only called to be a deacon, and that is evident, not only by the actions we see in the book of Acts, but he is known, in Acts chapter 21, verse eight, in Acts chapter 21, verse eight, as Philip the Evangelist. Acts 21 verse eight. And the next day, when they were of Paul's company, departed and came unto Caesarea, and we entered into the house of Philip the Evangelist. which was one of the seven. Notice how those two offices are put right next to each other. Evangelist and one of the seven original deacons, and abode with him. Now some people think, well, that just means he was an evangelist. That just means he just talked about Jesus. Philip didn't just talk about Jesus. Philip went and he preached as led by the Spirit, and was blessed by the Spirit in that preaching in a remarkable way. Philip administered the sacrament of baptism, something that was only done and confirmed in the New Testament by those who are called upon and ordained to do so, a further indication that he holds a special office. And further, there were not many evangelists recorded in the New Testament, perhaps men like Stephen. But nonetheless, there's something different about the office of evangelist from the office of deacon and from the office of elder and even from the office of apostle, as we'll see a bit further, because Philip was not permitted to lay hands and have the Holy Spirit be given. That was to be reserved to the apostles and none else, which is confirmed through the book of Acts. No, we find here a special man with a dual calling, to deacon and evangelist. We see some of this work of the evangelist that he did in Acts chapter 8, verses 5 through 7. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits crying with loud voice came out of many, but were possessed with them, and many taken with palsies, and they were lame and were healed. He preached the word and had signs accompanying like the apostles for the further spread of the gospel to the places where it had not yet gone. As the entire book of Acts spirals up from Jerusalem, Samaria to the ends of the earth. We read in Acts chapter eight, how he is going to Samaria. Though he does many things like the apostles, we'll see further as I mentioned previously, some things are different, particularly the Holy Spirit. and the laying of hands and the receiving of the spirit. But these truths about being called, called to salvation, called to office, more broadly saying, called to use your gifts, is something fitting every one of us, for those of you who are office bearers. brothers, elders, deacons, take hold of this for your comfort, for your encouragement. You have been called by God. You did not do this yourself. The Lord, as it were, got you into this. And in the midst of that situation and setting and whatever trials or struggles you have in office, plead that back to God and say, Lord, I didn't get myself into this. Thou did get me into this. That's an amazing and blessed thing. To know that in the work you are doing, though it be too great for you, and even the Apostle Paul, if ever there was, humanly speaking, a great man, said, who is sufficient for these things? To know that there is always Christ who is more than sufficient, and the Spirit of Christ to empower you and strengthen you for that office, whether it be as an elder, as a deacon. The same thing was true for the evangelists. The same thing is true indeed as we see for the prophets, priests, and kings in the Old Testament. The Lord himself is there. But maybe you don't have a special office. Maybe you're, as some people like to put it, just a guy who sits in the pew, just a lady who sits in the pew, just a person of simple faith. You have been called from death to life and you have amazing opportunities to serve the Lord Jesus and his people. You have opportunities to say a word in season. You have opportunities to use your many, many, many different gifts others don't have to help others. I was talking to one other man who serves in the ministry yesterday. Brother, I don't often get to see, but always enjoy his company. And we were talking about different experiences that can be humbling. and we happened upon the same brother who was gifted for practical things, and how we're always humbled how we can't change doorknobs or fix our chimneys as perhaps we could or in the time we could. What I found working on my chimney, it took me an hour, he did in 10 minutes. But that was a tremendous ministry to me. That helped me a lot. When I have leaks in my roof, when I have troubles in my house, to call a brother, who simply has those gifts and in a matter of half an hour can do what is taking me half the day? That's an amazing thing. How many people don't have all kinds of different gifts others don't have and they can assist one another in? Let alone callings of being a father. being a mother, being a faithful child, being a grandfather, being a grandmother, all different types of callings. Maybe not offices in the church, but part of God's work in your life and opportunities he's given you. He is a man called. And like everyone who is called, they are a person of faith. For people who are called are people who by the grace of God have already been called from death to life and believe in the Lord. We see this very clearly in Acts chapter eight, verses one through five, that Philip is a man of faith. Notice what it says. Saul was consenting unto his death And at that time, there was a great persecution against the church, which was at Jerusalem. And they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial and made great lamentation over him. And as for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house and hailing men and women committed them to prison. Therefore, they were scattered abroad and went everywhere preaching the word. There's been an execution, public execution of a man preaching, called to do that work. And there's persecution as a man is going from house to house looking for Christians to lock them up and perhaps kill them to the point where these believers are scattered abroad. And the word they use for preaching, the word there is they are talking it. They do not hold a particular office. There's another word for the official proclamation of the gospel by His ordained servants in the original. But they are simply speaking of Him whom they love. But in the midst of a situation where we would have a tendency to turn away. These are the type of times when people disown their faith and deny the Lord. What does Philip do? He went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ unto them. He kept preaching. He declared publicly who Jesus is and what he had done. He was faithful. And the people with one accord gave heed unto these things which Philip spake. hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits crying with a loud voice came out of many, and they were possessed with them, and many taken with palsies, and they were lame and were healed, and there was a great joy in the city. He was faithful, despite what persecution may come. And maybe you remember what it was that was said of the seven, which is how he was characterized. In Acts chapter 21, in addition to being an evangelist, he was one of the seven. What is it that characterized those seven men that were the first deacons? Look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. He was a man truly worked in by the power of God and trusted in his God. That is crystal clear. It's evident in his service. But further, we may say it's evident in his humility. It's evident in his humility. It not only takes an act of faith and a work of faith in the heart to go and preach amidst persecution and to do it to God's glory, but it takes humility. He's not holding on to his own life, is he? What is he willing to do? He is willing to give himself in service, just as Stephen was. He was willing to give up his very life. And as some commentators have pointed out, Philip here gives us a further illustration of Philippians chapter two, about the mind and the way of thinking we are to have in Christ Jesus. In Philippians chapter two, as the Apostle Paul calls us to the example of the Lord Jesus Christ, it's a further illustration of how, if we follow Philip, we follow Christ. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Now the Lord Jesus Christ, as we saw from that version of Psalm 119 we sang, is greater than Philip indeed, but here Philip follows his savior and is willing to put his life on the line. I ask you simply, are you? Are you? Not put your life on the line for other values you may hold or other principles you may have or other styles of life you choose, but will you put your life on the line for Christ? Is that the most important thing? It's one thing to be able to die for your convictions, but would you die for your savior? And would you be willing to, as the scriptures say, spend and be spent in his service rather than yours? Will your life humbly be about him rather than about you? Just as preeminently, our Lord Jesus' life was about his father and not himself. He is a man of faith. It's evident in how he carries out the work of his office. It's evident, we could say, secondly, in his humility, but it's also evident in his obedience. It's evident in his obedience. Verses 26 and 27. 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. And he arose and went, and behold, a man of Ethiopia, and eunuch of great authority, Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship. He obeyed. He obeyed again, what may have seemed to be a rather strange and dangerous command. The angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, arise, get up and go toward the south unto the way down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is the desert. Go out into the desert. And there's this Ethiopian there. Join yourself to his chariot and start speaking to him. Just walk up to the government official and start talking to him. Let's say we put this in a particular example these days. It's not a perfect parallel, but maybe it will help. The Lord tells you, you need to go and talk to a government official who will be in a limousine on such and such a street at such and such a time. Go and knock on the window of his limousine and talk to him about me. I don't believe the Lord gives supernatural commands that same way he gives them to Philip today, but that's the kind of thing you're talking about. What about bodyguards? What about officials? Aren't church and state supposed to be separate? All kinds of things can come to your mind. But what does Philip do? He simply goes and he obeys. Boys and girls, brothers and sisters in the Lord, faith obeys. Faith obeys. Faith obeys Christ. And that is why wives obey their husbands. That is why children obey their parents. Because in so doing, they are obeying Christ. And that has to be the entire dynamic. Even when we obey the civil magistrate, we do it because we are obeying Christ. When members of the church submit to the authority of the elders, they do it because they are obeying Christ. It's amazing how everything is always structured in, around, and through Christ in the word of God. If you are a person of faith, live your life of faith faithfully, embracing your callings in obedience and humility. And as we do that, we will be used as he was used, because he certainly was used. He was used, we could say, as a deacon in distribution. That's what he was called to first. In Acts 6, one and two, there was a practical problem in the administering of needs to the Grecians and the Hebrews. No doubt there was tensions between those believers from a Jewish background and those believers from a Gentile background. Their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. Thus, these men were called to deal with that situation, not only in just distributing bread, but in helping the people understand their unity in Christ and how to get along together despite their differences. But not only in distribution, in the work of the evangelist, which is primarily in preaching, but also in miracle working, as we read, then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ unto them. Acts chapter eight, verse five. And then Philip opened his mouth and began at the same scripture and preached unto them Jesus in Acts eight, verse 35. But he not only was faithful in his preaching and the miracles that accompanied stamping the authenticity of the word of God, he was a man who listened. He was a man who listened. He was a man who listened to the people. and a man who listened to the Spirit. 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 in the desert. He listened to the Spirit, and he obeyed without question. And he listened to people, as the Lord commanded him to. But a little bit first about listening. There's this mistaken notion about what it means to listen today. When you listen to people, you hear what they are saying. You seek not only to sympathize with them, but empathize with them. That's what listening is. You try to understand them. This is a mistake about listening today that sets those things aside. We find it everywhere. We find it in our own sinful hearts. We certainly find it in our own sinful culture. I'm afraid all too often we find it when we relate to each other today, and that is listening means doing what I want. If you listen to me, you do what I want. If you listen to me, you do what I tell you. If you listen to me, you give me what I want. If you listen to me, you agree with me. If you listen to me, you are encouraging me in what I am doing. There are times you listen to people. But you admonish them. You correct them. You help them. You don't just make them feel appreciated or do what they want or talk down to them. It's one of the saddest things I've heard in the work of office bearing where supposedly listening to people means telling them what they want to hear so you can manipulate them to your point of view. In some churches, that counts for ministerial and eldership training, rather than listen to Solomon, we listen to Dale Carnegie. when it means to listen as you understand the person, where they're coming from, why they're coming from the way they are, and you try and communicate to them you understand. And then you do what we must always do, open the word of God together. And you can be wise, you can be winsome, you can be thoughtful, you can be persuasive, but it has to be about the word of God. can't be about manipulating people or just giving people what they want. That would be wrong and selfish. Boys and girls, would you like it if people treated you that way? If people just told you what you wanted to hear to make you feel good? I hope not. I hope not. But Philip, as this man greatly used of the Lord, a man of faith, was also a man who knew what he was called to do and not called to do. He listened to people and he listened to the Spirit. And that's why we find so strikingly in Acts chapter eight, something Philip doesn't do. Something that clearly sets apart the evangelists from the apostles. Now he's been preaching, that's what the apostles did. He's been working miracles, that's what the apostles did. But what happens? We read in verse 14 of Acts chapter eight, now when the apostles, which were at Jerusalem, heard that Samaria had received the word of God, and keep in mind, that's an amazingly striking thing. Boys and girls, do you remember we talked about the Lord Jesus talking to the woman at the well? He was talking to a woman and she's a Samaritan. And she was really surprised because the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans. And she asked the theological questions regarding worship. Do you worship in Jerusalem at the temple or do you worship here at the mount? And Jesus is dealing with her sin, dealing with her understanding, tells her that the Lord, the Father, looks for those who worship in spirit and in truth and recognize Him, that salvation is of the Jews, that He would be the one to bring the deliverance. And she says, oh, you're talking about the Messiah. He's gonna come and tell us everything. And Jesus says, this is all in John chapter four, I am He. the word was spreading to the Samaritans. The gospel wasn't just for the Jews, it was for the Samaritans, the half-breeds, and to the Gentiles, and the book of Acts very clearly, very purposefully, talks about the movement of that spirit, paralleling the end of the book of Luke, and how the gospel spreads to the ends of the earth, and the spirit is given to God's people. Not just the Jews that are God's people, not just the Samaritans that are God's people, but the Gentiles that are God's people. And what does Philip do, or shall we say, not do? When the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John. Why? Why? What can Peter and John do? But Philip can't do. John's called, Peter's called, Philip's called, they're men of faith, they're men of good use. Why do they have to come? Philip's doing a good job on his own. Because Philip is an evangelist and a deacon, but he's not an apostle. And they were come down, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Ghost. for yet he was fallen upon none of them, only they that were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Ghost. The same pattern happens throughout the book of Acts, not with individuals, but with people groups. Just like he did in Acts chapter two, so here in Acts chapter eight, just like with the Jews, and so now with the Samaritans and then to the Gentiles, each one being an amazing breaking away of bias confusion as the significance of who Jesus is and what he's done for sinners of all different backgrounds, races, and languages, and bringing salvation, as he says in John 3.16, to this world. But that's something Philip couldn't do. He could preach. He could work the miracles. He could baptize. but he couldn't bring the Holy Spirit in that marvelous, epical way. That's something the apostles could do, the ones who were called by Christ to do. Again, notice Philip. A man called, a man of faith, and a man of youth and simple obedience, but also a man who knows his place. That's important for all of us to know our place. It might seem odd, but there's a tendency in the hearts of all of us to transgress beyond the bounds of what we're responsible for, to start telling other people what to do, to overstretch our authority, and as some would say, deny other people their rights, even their rights in the kingdom of God. And that's why it's important we all Follow Philip as he follows the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us all be men and women and boys and girls that seek to honor the Lord in our confession, in our actions, that we be men and women of callings, even the calling of eternal life, that we be men and women and boys and girls of faith, that we be men and women and boys and girls who as they obey in faith will be of great use for his kingdom. For our brothers and sisters in Conway, that's what we've seen, haven't we, even in a small way? For those of us who have been in different ways, shape, or form here with Harrison from the beginning, that is what we have seen, haven't we? Isn't that what we've been seen and even blessed with this morning? Praise be to our Lord, who is still calling. Amen, let us pray. Our Lord and our God, our great Heavenly Father, We thank thee for the work of thy word among us, and we beseech thee, Lord, to continue to work, and work mightily. Remember Pastor Lipsy as he hopes to be instilled. Remember the elders and the deacons in Conway and here in Harrison. And Lord, as the spirit works through the word, let us give thee praise and honor thee. Heavenly Father, we ask all this in Jesus' name.