Three Men In A Crowded Chariot

     For today's bible study we will look at three men in a crowded chariot. Today we will learn that some man Philip told a man the ethiopian eunuch about some other man the Lord Jesus Christ. Take time to read the story of Philip preaching Jesus to the ethiopian eunuch at Acts 8:26-40 and pay close attention to the words some man (the preacher soul winner Philip), a man (the sinner eunuch), and some other man (the Lord Jesus Christ) who were three men riding in a crowded chariot. 

     Acts 8:26 says And 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 (a sinner) of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship was returning, and sitting in his chariot, read Esaias the prophet.

     Acts 8:29 goes on to say Then the spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except SOME MAN (the preacher Philip) should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. While the eunuch was reading Isaiah 53, he asked Philip at Acts 8:34 I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of SOME OTHER MAN (the Lord Jesus). In other words, the eunuch said Philip is Isaiah 53 talking about the prophet Isaiah or some other man. Philip the preacher (some man) told the sinner eunuch (a man) about the Lord Jesus (some other man), and the  sinner eunuch got saved. So some man told a man about some other man.

     Notice that the ethiopian eunuch was a man of great authority over a lot money as a treasurer for queen Candace. He was a wealthy businessman with great responsiblity who was trusted to keep records of the money in the treasury of queen Candace. This eunuch wasn't a man of low degree who had no education just bumming around; He was a man who had money, authority, and power, who was a ruler that could get things done, but he did not understand God's Word. Even though he was wealthy, religious, and sought God by going to Jerusalem, the eunuch did not know God. He'd been to Jerusalem to worship and was on his way back to Ethiopia Africa in a chariot riding through the Gaza desert reading Isaiah 53.

     This ethiopian eunuch was like Nicodemus pictured above who was a rich ruler among the Jews who needed to learn about the Lord Jesus. They were both religious but did not know God. The great authority and wealth of the ethiopian eunuch and Nicodemus could not save them. Jesus explained to Nicodemus that you have to be born again to see the kingdom of God. Jesus told Nicodemus; You are a ruler among the Jews and don't you understand these things. Jesus told Nicodemus at John 3:12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 

     Jesus explained to Nicodemus that to go to heaven one must be born again. John 1:12 tells us how to be born again and states that But as many as received Him (Jesus), to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name; Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (born of God or born again). Therefore to be born again and go to heaven one must trust Jesus, repent, confess that Jesus is God, and believe the gospel that Jesus died for them on the cross, was buried, and rose again.

     Note that eventually the ethiopian eunuch got saved by saying at Acts 8:37 I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Friends everywhere look up at the picture above and Brother Bob asks you is Acts 8:37 in your bible. If not, get rid of that bible and get a 1611 King James Version bible that includes Acts 8:37. Many translated bibles have removed Acts 8:37 and have denied that Jesus is the Son of God claiming that Jesus only came from earthly parents. Brother Bob proclaims to all the earth that Acts 8:37 belongs in the bible and that Jesus is the Son of God. Believe this right now today and get saved and warn people to not read translated bibles that deny the diety and virgin birth of our Lord Jesus. Jesus is God and Jesus is the Son of God.

     Friends, we all need to realize that no matter how rich we are or how poor we are; how smart we are or how ignorent we are, we all need to repent, confess that Jesus is God, and believe the gospel in our hearts that Jesus died for us on the cross, was buried, and rose again to get saved. Power, intelligence, good works, and riches don't get a person to heaven. Only trusting Jesus can get a person to heaven. We need to preach Jesus Christ crucified and not prosperity messages and be wise and win souls to the Lord Jesus. May we all become God's servants telling sinners about a Savior named Jesus. Lord Jesus, let not the blood of men be on our hands while we witness Jesus to every nation on the earth.

     Notice the above picture of ethiopian brothers and sisters happy to receive bibles to learn about the Lord Jesus. Someone in Jerusalem cared enough about the ethiopian eunuch to give him a copy of Isaiah 53 from the bible. I pray in Jesus name everyone reading this can care enough to preach the Word of God about our Lord Jesus to the multitudes all over this earth. The ethiopian eunuch was religious and traveled to Jerusalem to worship and find God. He drove a long way in a chariot through the desert from Ethiopia to Jerusalem seeking God, but didn't find God. While he was in Jerusalem though, some faithful saint gave him a tract or a copy of Isaiah 53 from the bible that he was reading when he returned home to Ethiopia.

     Somebody cared enough about the eunuch to give him a copy of Isaiah 53. Some soul winner interested in leading people to the Lord Jesus cared enough about the ethiopian eunuch and made it possible for him to get a copy of the Word of God. Because this unknown soul winner gave the Word of God to the eunuch at Jerusalem, the eunuch got saved when he heard Philip explain Isaiah 53 to him. Lord Jesus, let all my friends that read this everywhere make a decision today to send your blessed Word everywhere on this internet to the uttermost parts of this earth to save multitudes of sinners. We all need to get the Word of God into the hands of sinners all over this world so everyone has the hope of salvation and eternal life with the Lord Jesus.

     Realize that even though the ethiopian eunuch got a membership card like the one above from the Jerusalem worship center and shook a pastor's hand in Jerusalem like the man above, this did not get him saved. The ethiopian eunuch was religious, but he was lost. Today just because a person joins a church doesn't mean they're saved and born again. Just because a person walks down an aisle, shakes a six foot spiritual icicle's hand, answers some questions, does some good works, gets dunked in the pool, and blends in with the crowd, it won't save him. To get saved repent, decide to stop sinning, confess that Jesus is God, and believe the gospel that Jesus died for you on the cross, was buried, and rose again.

     There are multitudes of people today that are religious but lost. Billy Graham said his ministry was not so much bringing lost people to Jesus, but bringing lost church members to Jesus. Just because someone signs their name on the dotted line of a church membership card checking baptism, membership, and salvation does not save them. Three checks and your name on a church membership card will never get you to heaven; getting baptized won't get you to heaven; going to church every Sunday and shaking the preachers hand and crying on his shoulder will never get you to heaven. You have to be born again and saved trusting Jesus' finished work at the cross of Calvary and not your good works to get you to heaven. Trust Jesus and go to heaven; Trust anything else and go to hell.

     If anyone seeks to be saved and learn about Jesus, God will send a preacher or soul winner to them to help them find Jesus, if they are sincere and truly want to be saved. Deuteronomy 4:29 says But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find Him, if thou seek Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. God knew that the ethiopian eunuch was sincere and seeking God with all his heart, and He sent his servant Philip down beside the road to pick him up, to bear him up, and to teach him what thus saith the scripture. 

     What we should notice about Philip is that he was faithful in preaching the good news of Jesus. When the ethiopian eunuch asked Philip to explain Isaiah 53, Acts 8:35 says Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. A man on his way to hell met a man on his way to heaven and the man on his way to heaven told him how to get to heaven.  This caused the ethiopian eunuch to get saved and say I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 

     Like Philip, we should all preach about Jesus to a lost and dying world. Too many people have withdrawn their witness for Jesus inside the four walls of a church building and failed to send the gospel message about Jesus to the uttermost parts of the earth. People need to hear about Jesus all over this world and not just in a church building to avoid being lost forever in the darkness of hell. We've got to get the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to the lost and the dying of this world. Some man has got to go tell a man about some other man named Jesus who will save his soul. The gospel is not a secret to be hoarded but a story to be heralded. Jesus said at Mark 16:15 Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

     After the ethiopian eunuch got saved, Philip and the ethiopian eunuch went down to the water straightway and Philip baptized the eunuch and when they came up, Philip (some man) was caught away by the Spirit and went to Azotus to preach a great revival, the eunuch (a man) went home to Ethiopia rejoicing, and the Lord Jesus (some other man) went with both of them.

     OK. let's see what we've learned from this bible study. Some man told a man lost without God how to find some other man who was Jesus. Therefore, to experience salvation there needs to be three men present like the ones in the crowded chariot of Acts 8 that are a sinner, a preacher, and the Lord Jesus. The only thing that got kicked out of the chariot was sin. 

     Notice that in order to get sinners saved, one must put Jesus and soul winning in our chariots. In order to do this we all need to stay clean and clear of sin. The good news is that with Jesus daily we will be cleansed from all sin. Daily look to Jesus crucified by faith with your hearts and the blood of Jesus will cleanse you from all sin. 

     Do not entertain the thought of foolishness for the very thought of foolishness is sin. Proverbs 24:9 says The thought of foolishness is sin, and the scorner is an abomination to men. If you get a bad thought just look with your heart to Jesus on the cross and I guarantee that any bad thought will immediately disappear. Try it once; Just close your eyes and see with your heart Jesus on the cross and it will be impossible for you to have any bad thoughts. The blood of Jesus (the same yesterday, today, and forever according to Hebrews 13:8) will remove the bad thoughts.

     Also look to Jesus on the cross while sleeping to have no nightmares. The bad thought or nightmare will disappear when you look with your heart by faith to Jesus crucified. Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Jesus Christ crucified and any bad thoughts will immediately go away. 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

     It has been a blessing to write this bible study that I pray in Jesus name blesses my many friends everywhere with peace, strength, and joy. Feel free to email Brother Bob anytime at rz9tlm@gmail.com or write to Brother Bob Malkin, 2233 Pinetree Lane, Apt. N., Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068. (614) 604-7133. Till we all meet again soon to lift up our Lord Jesus, everyone have a blessed day in Jesus name.