"When a Man is Wise"

Scripture Reference: Acts 8: 26-39
Philip and the Ethiopian

26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza."
27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian[a]eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship,
28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet.
29 The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."
30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.
31"How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture:
"He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before the shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
33In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth."[b]

34The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?"
35Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
36As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?"[c]
38And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.
39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.

When a man is wise he recognizes his need for truth. (We know the Ethiopian recognized this need because of his interest in God's house and God's Word.) Spencer Cone, a great preacher of days gone by, says when he recognized his need for the truth he began a diligent study of God's Word. He says, "I commenced reading the scripture with deep interest to find out how a sinner could be saved; and in two months, read the Psalms and different portions of the Old Testament and New Testament, I think more than 20 times through."

He recognizes his need for truth about God. Nichodemus recognized this need when he came to Jesus by night in John 3. He recognizes his need for truth about himself. He recognizes his need for truth about God's will for his life. Dr. Westmoreland says, 'Only when we are in the perfect will of God will we be perfectly happy.'

When a man is wise he graciously receives the Truth. He graciously receives guidance. The eunich could have rebelled when this stranger tried to join him. Instead he had an intensely curious attitude; not a "convince me" attitude. The eunich asked at least three questions: 1) How can I understand? 2)Of who speaketh the prophet? and, 3) What hinders me from being baptized? He is willing to believe. The eunich, in fact, said "I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God."

When a man is wise he rejoices after having received the Truth. He rejoices in his experience. The eunich was elated over his experience. Spencer H. Cone, a prominent Baptist preacher of the early 1800's, one of the founders of the American Bible Union,and Chaplain to Congress in 1815 says of a dark time in his life when he passed through agony of soul on account of his sins;
'One evening after the family had all retired, I went up into a vacant garret and walked backwards and forwards in great agony of mind. I kneeled down, the instance of Hezekiah occurred to me, like him I turned my face to the wall and cried for mercy. An answer seemed to be vouchsafed in an impression that just as many years as I had passed in rebellion against God, so many years I must now endure, before deliverance could be granted. I clasped my hands and cried out, "Yes, dear Lord, a thousand years of such anguish as I now feel, if I may only be saved at last." . . . I felt that as a sinner I was condemned and justly exposed to immediate and everlasting destruction. I saw distinctly that in Christ alone I must be saved, if saved at all; and the view I had at that moment of Christ's method of saving sinners, I do still most heartily entertain after thirty years' experience of his love. When I finally found Jesus I was able to rest and sleep soundly for the first time in months." That was a sign of rejoicing in his heart.

The eunich, as well, went on his way rejoicing! You too have the choice of accepting the Truth of God and thereby rejoicing in it and resting because of it. 'Only when we are in the perfect will of God for our lives will we be perfectly happy.'

THE HEAVENLY TREASURE

Where was it found? 

On a solitary way through the desert.

The chest that contained it. 

The scripture with dark sayings and seals.

The key which opened it. 

 The preaching of Philip.

The jewel which sparkled to him. 

 Christ who died for our sins and rose for our justification.

The seal of possession. 

Granted to him by baptism.
The joy which it occasioned. That of forgiveness and salvation.