SERIES: #16 Acts of the Apostles - Witnesses to Judea & Samaria
TOPIC: Authenticity; Greed, Providence, Regeneration, Salvation, Simony
TITLE: A MAGIC ACT - There's nothing magical about this treasure!
TEXT: Acts 8:9-24
Irony #2 – In John 13:6 Peter was told he had no part of Jesus if he refused to surrender to God's will.
A tale of two Simons … Simon Peter and Simon Magnus, the later is much like not a few contemporary charlatans.
This passage gives us several pictures to think on …
Unlike Gunther, they’ll run to every port but the right one to find their ship … all the while God is blowing the horn on the Royal Yacht.
Motivational speakers will encourage you to use positive thinking to motivate your self-actualization; this places us on the horizontal … our reward is in heaven, not on this earth; this denies the role of God in the destiny of man.
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What do we know about Simon?
Simon …
J. B. Philips says Peter’s remarks ARE tantamount to “To h__ with you and your money!”
In my opinion - Simon’s response to Peter is more of a threat than an entreaty. He had lost his following; tradition holds that he saw Philip and the others as a way to recover lost revenue. He was evidently a wealthy magician.
When the time came for Simon to bear evidence of his regeneration he showed instead that he did not have a relationship with Jesus.
Principle – if something is wrong with the heart upon believing, that something can keep one out of heaven.
TOPIC: Authenticity; Greed, Providence, Regeneration, Salvation, Simony
TITLE: A MAGIC ACT - There's nothing magical about this treasure!
TEXT: Acts 8:9-24
… when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of … hands, he offered … money, saying, "Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." But Peter said, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God’s gift with money! You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. So repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity."Irony #1 – John and his brother once wanted fire from heaven to rain on these same Samaritans.
Irony #2 – In John 13:6 Peter was told he had no part of Jesus if he refused to surrender to God's will.
A tale of two Simons … Simon Peter and Simon Magnus, the later is much like not a few contemporary charlatans.
This passage gives us several pictures to think on …
The heart …The “Second Blessing” …
- Ground of salvation
- Measure of man’s treasure
The nature of salvation … a gift …
- The nature of God … a giver
- False conversions
[MENACE] In the movie version of Dennis the Menace, there’s a scene where Mr. Wilson (Walter Matthau) wants to stop Dennis’ cheating in a game of hide-n-seek.Everyone has expectations; some false expectations, they’re never satisfied … “someday my ship will come in.”
Dennis had recruited his cross-eyed buddy, Gunther, to watch where people hide and then tell him after the count; Wilson calls out to Gunther, “Gunther, your daddy just called and wants to take you to the ice cream store. You better run home.”
Now Gunther won’t run to the Mitchell home nor to a neighbor’s home nor to Wilson back yard. Why not? Because his father holds the key to what he wants … he’d run home as fast as he could to get that ice cream.
Unlike Gunther, they’ll run to every port but the right one to find their ship … all the while God is blowing the horn on the Royal Yacht.
Motivational speakers will encourage you to use positive thinking to motivate your self-actualization; this places us on the horizontal … our reward is in heaven, not on this earth; this denies the role of God in the destiny of man.
“Man's steps are ordained by the LORD, How then can man understand his way?”Proverbs 20:24
“The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.”This is a story about a man (and others) who did not grasp these truths; oh, he said he did but the text and history tells a different story.Proverbs 16:9“The naive believes everything, But the prudent man considers his steps.”Proverbs 14:15
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What do we know about Simon?
I. HIS PAST LIFE!APPLICATION: Something went wrong here …II. HIS PRESENT LIFE!"Now there was a certain man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city, and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great."We know it was a searching life – but he didn’t know for what!Acts 8:9
We know it was a gifted life – but he didn’t know for what!
We know it was a successful life – but he didn’t know the source of success!III. HIS PROMISED LIFE!“Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed.”We know God sent him Philip – but he didn’t hear him!Acts 8:13
We know God sent him The Word – but he didn’t understand Him!
We know God sent him the Holy Spirit – but he didn’t receive Him![DEAD OR ALIVE] A friend’s husband snored, till he had a heart attack; to help him sleep a doctor prescribed a muscle relaxant; his snoring stopped.I’ve seen so many people walk the aisle, pray the prayer, get baptized, then claim the name of Jesus who must be poked to see if they have the new life.
Prior to this, his snoring let her know he was at least alive; now she has to poke him to know.
Christianity is used by some as a religious muscle relaxant … manifesting no Spirit-filled, animated, Pentecostal life.
God doesn’t relax our muscles to make us stop sinning, He makes “a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”“Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money,”We know he was promised a eternal life – but he wanted a temporal life!Acts 8:18
We know he was promised an exciting life – but he wanted a lucrative life!
We know he was promised to be a power-filled life – but he wanted an admired life!
We know he was a rich life – but he wanted his inheritance in this life!
Simon …
Believed …"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name."John 1:12For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED."Romans 10:11
But did not receive …Peter’s remarks – “gall of bitterness” and “bond of iniquity” are Old Testament phrases used in cases involving “serious offenses.”However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.Romans 8:9
J. B. Philips says Peter’s remarks ARE tantamount to “To h__ with you and your money!”
In my opinion - Simon’s response to Peter is more of a threat than an entreaty. He had lost his following; tradition holds that he saw Philip and the others as a way to recover lost revenue. He was evidently a wealthy magician.
When the time came for Simon to bear evidence of his regeneration he showed instead that he did not have a relationship with Jesus.
Principle – if something is wrong with the heart upon believing, that something can keep one out of heaven.
Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.John 2:23-25
He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, "Lord, do You wash my feet?" Jesus answered and said to him, "What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter." Peter said to Him, "Never shall You wash my feet!" Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me." Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head." Jesus said to him, "He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you." For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, "Not all of you are clean."John 13:6-11
CHALLENGE:Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus *said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed."John 20:28-29
"You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.‘”Matthew 7:16-23
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