Acts 8:9-24 “Counterfeit Christianity”
It
is a phrase that we heard a lot in School -
From our Parents – Coaches – Drivers Ed instructors – Military - The Phrase “Pay attention”
A)Pay attention Class / Son
/ Are you paying attention Soldier?
B)Pay attention – that is a
loaded phrase!
Why Pay?
C)Pay implies a price. Pay
implies cost. Pay implies giving away something of Value.
1)There
are Certain things we don’t pay attention to because we know there is a cost.
D)Cost
you time – Cost you money – cost you comfort
Example
The
reason why some of us do not pay attention to our health is because doing so
will cost us something.
A)Time in the Gym/ Eat
better / cut down on the ice cream/ notice didn’t
say – CUT OUT!
B)Some of us end up saying –
no thanks or I will deal with that later!
2
Peter 1:10
Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and
election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;
Pay
attention to your spiritual condition
A)When
we pay attention to our Spiritual life – what we are saying is this – to walk
with Jesus might cost me something.
B)It means investing some time in my relationship with Jesus Christ.
!
C)It means that there might
be something I have to give up in following Jesus
D)Make sure, Pay attention
that your calling and election is sure!
1)Because
One of the most fearful realities in all of Scripture is that some who think
they are saved will be eternally lost.
E)Thinking
they are on the narrow way of saving truth that leads to heaven, they are in
reality on the broad way of religion that leads to destruction (cf. Matt.
7:13–14
In
our text today we are going to meet a man who appeared to have a conversion.
A)Even Made some steps that
seemed like they were in the right direction.
B)But time would reveal that
his conversion was really counterfeit.
1)Title of message
Counterfeit Christianity
C)As
we look at this man we are going to
gain some insights into the difference between a true and false conversion
D)Sad to think that some people hear these
words from Jesus. Depart from me I never knew You!
1)They
think they are saved – really not! –
E)Plan of attack this morning!
1)
Read the entire story to see the context and then go back and break it down.
Quick
review – Persecution breaks out in Ch.8
A)The Church is dispersed –
Scattered – God’s way of getting the gospel out
B)Church taking the gospel
like a farmer – spreading it around
C)Phillip goes to Samaria!
1)Great
tension among the Jews and the Samaritans
D)Half
breeds who intermarried with the Assyrians when they were taken into
captivity.
1)Not
accepted by the Jerusalem crowd
E)Phillip gains favor- Preaches Christ – His message is received and
Revival Breaks out
Read V. 5-24
So
Phillip goes there and preaches the gospel and revival breaks out – pp were
coming to Christ right and left
A)Whenever the gospel is
preached, it will inevitably produce both genuine saving faith and false faith.
B)The seed of the Word will
fall on good soil and bad soil.
1) Jesus said it would be
that way: Parable of the Sower -
Road/ Stones/ Thorns / good
C)Harvest Crusade – we see
1000’s come forward but in reality less than half walk with the Lord
1)Doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t
be doing them
D)How
many here saved at a Crusade?
E)Rejoice in that!
1)Not everyone who goes
forward and prays is really truly giving their life to Jesus.
We
see an example of that in Samaria in this man named Simon. Who was this Simon? V.9-11
V.9 But there
was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city
and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great,
10 to whom they
all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is the
great power of God." 11 And they heeded him because he had astonished them
with his sorceries for a long time.
So
right away this is what we learn about Simon – he was an enchanter – practiced
sorcery.
A)Astonished the people with
his tricks
B)Also a Charismatic guy – From the least to the greatest
they were mesmerized by him.
1)He claimed to be someone
great – most pp can’t pull that one off!
D)In my mind I picture{ a
cross between David Copperfield – Chris Angel –
Tony Robbins
E)This guy was so engaging –
that they viewed him as a Deity – they viewed him as God.
1)Language in V.10 is
interesting "This man is the great power of
God."
Notice
they weren’t saying – this man moves with the Power of God – or even has God’s
power!
A)Luke wants us to be clear
that the language here is much stronger
B)This man IS the great power of God
C)That title shows that
Simon Claimed Diety.
D)Some theologians speculate
– Simon Magnus was the founder of the Gnostic Heresy.
1)He and his successor –
Menander – claimed Diety
Now
the passage reveals for us 4 problems with perspective that Simon had that
hindered him from really being saved.
A)#1 He had a wrong view of
Himself
B)He is a man filled with
Pride!
1)Pride
is a universal and deadly sin.
C)It
is the most characteristic and controlling sin in all human fallenness.
1)
Pride is an easy sin to indulge in, since it does not entail the loss of public
reputation, prestige, health, or wealth associated with other socially
unacceptable sins.
D)The Bible has much to say
about the evil of pride.
Proverbs 6:16–19 describes
seven things the Lord hates. Heading the list is “Proud look.”
A)Proverbs
8:13 reads, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
pride and arrogance and the evil way,”
Proverbs
16:18 warns that “pride goes before destruction, and
a haughty spirit before a fall,”
No
one can be saved while clinging to their pride, because “God is opposed to the proud, but gives
grace to the humble” (James 4:6).
Simon
had a wrong view of Himself – which led to his 2nd problem – A wrong
view of Salvation.
A)The language in the text
is very interesting-
B)Luke is talking about this guy Simon describing who He is
what he is about and
how everyone in
Samaria was enamored with him and then he says in
V.12
But when they believed Philip as he preached the things
concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women
were baptized.
C)The But signals a Change
in the peoples relationship with Simon – They were now following someone else.
1)They embraced Phillips
preaching about Jesus
D)Note V.13 Then Simon himself
also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was
amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.
E)When did Simon believe?–
when everyone else did
1)Can’t beat them join them!
I think the
last line of V.13 is Key That last line is key – he was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.
A)Now at this point in the
story we would think that it was normal and appropriate to be amazed by the
miracles
B)But as the story plays on
we see that this was the main attraction for Simon
C)It
wasn’t so much that he wanted the Salvation that Christ was offering as he
wanted the power that came with it.
D)He was looking to advance
his repertoire
E)He was thinking about
personal advancement and nothing more.
Simon
was the kind of guy to think – I am a great catch for God
A)This
is the problem with the type of theology which is so prevanlent today that
largely advocates that Christianity is
about making a better you.
B)Wrong View –Being a
Christian is not about making a better me –
1)it
is not about finding the missing
element – that is going to make my life complete.
C)It is really about
realizing that without a relationship with Jesus I am lost – on my way to hell
– hopeless
1)There
is nothing about me in and of myself that is of any redeeming value.
D)John the Baptist said it
well – we need to decrease that Christ can increase
Some
people have the idea that Jesus is the missing link to their almost perfect
life.
A)Not being honest ! In
reality I need to get out of the way because – my biggest problem is me
B)Listen apart from Jesus
Christ
Rob
is selfish
Rob
is critical
Rob
is full of Pride
Rob
wants to be first
C)Why Paul said whatever
things I was in the flesh in my self before Christ I count as rubbish
God’s
goal in my life and yours is not
a remodel!
A)It is a complete rebuild –
complete transformation
NEW CREATION – OLD PASSED
AWAY
TRANSFORM INTO THE IMAGE OF
JESUS!
B)More
I grow in Christ the less I am going to look like me and the more hopefully I
am going to look like Jesus
C)Simon epitomizes that what
is in it for me mentality that just permeates the Church today.
D)But at first glance – his
conversion seemed real
1)He believed – professed
Christ in Baptism –
He continued with Philip –
going to Church
But
his later conduct shows, he wanted to figure out how to acquire that power for
himself.
A)Magicians often sold each
other their tricks and incantations.
B)Note V.12 Phillip preached the Kingdom!
C)Jesus message about the
Kingdom was simple
1)Not of this world –
Eternal -
D)Kingdom of God was among
them – because it’s king was among them
E)Entering that Kingdom was
about – yielding ones life to it’s king
F)Simon was still intent on
being the King of His own life.
Faith that does not
transform the life is not saving faith!
A)Yes Gradual – at times -
but transformation is real
B)Dad drinker - Anger – NO
WAY
A
WRONG VIEW OF THE SPIRIT!
14 Now when the
apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God,
they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for
them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For as yet He had fallen upon
none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17
Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Confusing Born again indwelt
right – yes
Talking baptism of HS
Key
Phrase V.16 For He had not yet fallen upon none of them.
A)Disciples indwelt ? John
20 – Baptized Acts 2
B)HS shall come upon –
C)Samaritans believed – were
indwelt – but needed to be empowered.
Why
did they need for the apostles to come lay hands on them. Why not Philip?
A)Newness of the move of the
Spirit – pattern had been the apostles
B)More important reason was
connection – connect this new work in Samaria with the believers in Jerusalem
Philip was linking the Samaritan
Christians to the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem.
A)He was not starting a separate movement in Samaria nor a distinct
denomination of believers.
B)They were all one body.
Sending for Peter and John verified the linkage and support between the
believers in Jerusalem and those in Samaria.
C)So Peter and John traveled to Samaria laid hands on them and prayed for the believers
1)The Holy Spirit fell on
them.
D)Simon sees this – his true colors really come out
Acts 8:18-19
18 And when
Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was
given, he offered them money, 19 saying, "Give me this power also, that
anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit."
The
First thing I want you to now is that Something visible happened!
A)But the Holy Spirit
inspiring Lukes writing doesn’t tell us what it was.
B)We read of the HS falling
upon 5 times in the book of Acts – 4 of the 5 times
tongues is the evidence
1)This is the one exception
C)NO FORMULAS
The
Purpose of the Baptism of the HS was power to be a witness!
A)Continually being filled !
Daily
B)Simon – was not interested
in the Person of Jesus he only wanted the Power
C)Not to be a witness – but
rather to control people.
"Give me
this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy
Spirit."
D)Simon wants to buy that
trick – Power over people.
False
teacher always wants power over pp
Peter’s
reaction:
20 But Peter said to him, "Your money perish with you,
because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! 21 You
have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in
the sight of God. 22 Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if
perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you
are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity."
Peter was irate, as his inflammatory prose
indicates. The literal meaning of the Greek text has been softened by most
translations. J. B. Phillips’s rendering, “To hell with you and your money!” conveys the actual sense of
Peter’s words.
Simon’s
view of the Spirit as a commodity to be bought and added to his repertoire was
utterly and blasphemously wrong, and betrayed his lost condition.
Wrong view of Sin!
22 Repent
therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your
heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and
bound by iniquity."
Peter
calls Simon to repent – Turn from his sin and turn to God
A)Main Problem – Simon
thought that he could have his sin and Jesus too.
B)Jesus came to cleanse us
from sin – also set up free from it’s power
C)Simon’s Problem – poisoned
by bitterness
1)Bitter at Philip for
taking his following
Simon’s response
24 Then Simon
answered and said,"Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which
you have spoken may come upon me."
Focused on the temporal –
not the eternal
Hebrews 2:1 “Let us pay more careful attention therefore, to what we
have heard lest we drift away.”
True
conversion
Right view of self – apart from Jesus I am
lost! I am a mess!
Right view of Salvation: Joining His Kingdom –
Jesus becomes King and not me!
Right view of the Spirit – Holy Spirit indwells me
upon conversion and desires to empower me to live the Christian life.
Right view of Sin! – Sin is not to be tolerated
in my life, but turned away from as I further yield myself to God.
See
this next week as we look at Conversion of Saul
Becomes
Paul the apostle