Acts - 21

Acts - 21

Acts 8:4-13

Introduction

Whatever you focus on, you will see. There is an old story about a man who lived next door to a teenage boy. The man’s shovel mysteriously went missing, and he just knew the teenager had stolen it. So he set up cameras and started watching him out the window. Every move the kid made reinforced the man’s theory. The teenager just looked guilty. He looked like a criminal. Every move this kid made looked suspicious. Until…the man found his shovel back behind his own shed, where he had left it the last time he had used it. After that, the kid no longer looked guilty. Whatever you focus on you will see.

if you focus on a personality quirk in your spouse, all you are going to do is be frustrated all the time because that’s all you’ll see. If you focus on the failures of a coworker, you will never fully appreciate them again because all you see is how they let you down that one time. If you focus on everything your child does that disappoints you, you will end up exasperating them with your impossible standards.

Whatever you focus on, you will see. Whatever you give your attention to will ultimately define your life. That is a truth put on full display in Acts 8. Let me set up the context. In Acts 6, seven men are chosen to address the logistical issues of food distribution to widows in the church. Stephen, the first man listed, expands his ministry to include preaching the gospel. God empowered him to perform miracles to validate the truth of his message. But Stephen is arrested and interrogated for his preaching about Jesus. At the end of Acts 7, Saul oversees the execution of Stephen and then initiates an overwhelming show of force in persecuting all the Christians in Jerusalem.

The Christians are scattered out of Jerusalem, out of their homes, away from their families, for the sake of the gospel. Now, in Acts 8, the storyline is going to focus in on Philip, one of the other men who had been chosen in Acts 6. God does the same thing with him that He did with Stephen. Philip’s ministry expands beyond organizational leadership into gospel preaching. In fact, Philip is the only man in the entire NT that is titled as an ‘evangelist’ (Acts 21:8). Let’s see how his ministry begins.

Acts 8:4-13 - 4 Therefore, those who had been scattered went about, proclaiming the good news of the word.

5 Now Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began preaching Christ to them.

6 And the crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was being said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was doing.

7 For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice; and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed.

8 So there was great joy in that city.

9 Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astounding the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great;

10 and they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, “This man is what is called the Great Power of God.”

11 And they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astounded them with his magic arts.

12 But when they believed Philip proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, both men and women.

13 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 astounded.

Before He ascended into Heaven, the Lord Jesus had told His disciples in Acts 1:8 that they would be His witnesses, testifying about Him in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Up to this point the Church had been operating solely in Jerusalem. And that had worked out well. The Church is strong and unified. But when this persecution breaks out, the Lord uses it to accomplish His mission. The Christians see this is an opportunity, not as opposition. God has opened a door and they are going to walk through it.

Notice v. 4 - Therefore, those who had been scattered went about, proclaiming the good news of the word. These are not the leaders. They aren’t the professional pastors and evangelists. They aren’t the apostles. These are the normal, everyday Christians that comprise the Church. They are faithful to the Lord’s call to share the gospel with those they encounter. They have been ‘scattered.’ There are two Greek words that can be translated as scattered. The first one is used to refer to things like scattering ashes…it is scattered and then is gone never to return. The other one is a farming term, like scattering seed. It gets scattered out, only to be planted and flourish. That is the word used here. That is what these Christians do. God has sent them out and they will plant themselves along the way and their faith will flourish.

TS - Now as Philip will head to Samaria, and Acts will focus on him for a little bit, let’s watch how God works through His faithful people to save people from their sins.

CONDITION (V. 5-8)

V. 5 - Now Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began preaching Christ to them.

This is a loaded phrase that speaks to a lot of the historical background going on here. The city of Samaria is the capital city of the region of Samaria. Israel in the first century was divided into three regions, Judea in the south, Galilee in the north, with Samaria in between. Jews and Samaritans had a less than ideal relationship. In fact, good Jews would go around Samaria if they had to travel from Judea to Galilee just so they didn’t taint themselves in such a dirty place. Why the animosity?

In the 8th century BC, the Assyrian Empire attacked and defeated the northern Kingdom of Israel. Of the citizens who survived, most were transplanted back to Nineveh, the capital city of the Assyrians. Then the region was repopulated by Assyrians. Over time, the Israelites who remained in the region intermarried with the new Assyrian transplants, and adopted their false pagan gods, a direct violation of God’s law. Their offspring are the Samaritans. But when the southern kingdom of Judah was attacked and defeated by the Babylonians in the 6th century BC, those survivors who had been transported into Babylon refused to give up their Jewish way of life and were loyal to God’s law.

So in the 5th century BC when the Jews were allowed to return to their homeland to rebuild the city of Jerusalem and the Temple, they brought back a thriving Jewish culture. They were met in Israel by the Samaritans who offered to help them rebuild the city and the temple. The Jews unpolitely and contemptuously refused their help because, to them, the Samaritans were racial and religious sellouts who had compromised their faith. So in the 4th century BC the Samaritans responded by building their own temple on Mt. Gerazim with their own ways of worship and their own version of the Old Testament. From that point on, their relationship with the Jews was forever strained. If you remember the conversation Jesus has with a Samaritan woman at the well in John 4, this is what they talk about.

Just as Jesus had gone straight into Samaria and offered the gospel to them, so Philip goes there too. And just as they had responded well to Jesus, they respond well to Philip as he preaches ‘Christ’ to them. This is significant. The Samaritans were waiting for a Messiah-type person. In fact in John 4 as Jesus and the Samaritan woman were talking about worship, she says in John 4:25-26 - The woman said to him, “I know Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when He comes, He will declare all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

Because the Samaritans had their own version of the OT (we will talk about that in a minute), they had focused their hope on Deuteronomy 18 that promised another prophet like Moses who would come to teach them. They had a word for their Messiah-type person that meant ‘restorer.’ It wasn’t completely accurate like the Messiah who would come to rule, but the restorer who would restore them to their rightful place in the world. Philip gives them a great gift. I know the One you are searching for. I know the One in whom you have placed your hope. His name is Jesus. And the crowds listen.

V. 6 - And the crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was being said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was doing. Remember, God empowered the apostles and those on whom the apostles laid their hands, to perform miracles that served to validate the truth of the gospel message. It showed heaven’s endorsement on their preaching. That is why the miracles are called ‘signs,’ they point to the fact that what they are saying is true. So the crowds in Samaria see these signs and are intently listening to the message. Good thing they were doing that…they needed it!

V. 7-8 - For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice; and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city. This was a bad condition to be in. Many have physical issues that Philip heals. Jesus did the same thing. We’ve already seen the apostles doing this very thing in Jerusalem. But Philip is also casting out demons. Many of the Samaritans were possessed. It ended well here with salvation, but they had gotten themselves into a bad condition. These Samaritans were at one time faithful followers of God during an OT era. They had anchored their lives in God’s law. They worshiped God faithfully. And now they are lost and possessed by demons. How does that happen? I’m glad you asked.

CAUSE (V. 9-11)

V. 9-11 - 9 Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astounding the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great;

10 and they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, “This man is what is called the Great Power of God.”

11 And they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astounded them with his magic arts.

This Simon character is fascinating. He is a magician. It is the Persian word mageuo that has relation to the word Magi (the ‘wise men’ who came to visit Jesus as a young child) and comes into English as ‘magic.’ The verb itself means to utter incantations to control the gods. So there is a very obvious pagan, Satanic, concept going on here. This is why God explicitly had forbidden all practices of sorcery and divination in the OT. There is real power associated with this stuff, but it is evil power. You want to know how these Samaritans become possessed by demons? This is how. They are fooling around with Satanic nonsense and dabbling in pagan sorcery.

Simon is the leader of it all. He has tapped into Satanic power and is ‘astounding’ the people of Samaria. And he claimed to be someone great. And they believed him. After all, he was doing magic tricks. There was real stuff happening at this man’s hands. And notice what the text says twice about the crowds…they are ‘giving attention’ to him. What you focus on you will see. What you give your attention to will ultimately define your life. This word translated here as ‘give attention’ is used by Jesus to say “Beware! Look out! Pay attention!” That’s what the Samaritans are doing…they are closely watching Simon. They are giving devotion to him by their attention to him.

Again I ask, how does this happen? They were once faithful to the Lord and followed His law. And now they are following this charlatan because he can perform some parlor tricks? You’ve got to be kidding me. How could they be deceived so easily? I’ll tell you how. It’s not even hard. They uprooted themselves from Scripture. I mentioned earlier that the Samaritans had their own version of the OT. That’s the problem here. In response to their tension-filled relationship with the Jews, they rejected everything. Including the Jewish scriptures. The Samaritans rejected all the OT except the Pentateuch (first 5 books of law), and even had rewritten much of the law. They had rejected God’s Word. They had no foundation of truth to stand on. And what happens when you don’t stand on the foundation of truth? You fall for nonsense like this.

Without a firm foundation of truth, without giving your attention to God’s Word, you will be wowed by parlor tricks. You will open yourself up to be an easy victim of deception. Why? Because without the Bible you have no way of discerning what is true and what is false. So you’ll end up giving your devotion to whatever can capture your attention. Up to and including even someone who would title himself, “the Great Power of God.” To give yourself this title certainly requires an oversized ego. The word for ‘great’ is mega, and ‘power’ is dunamis where we get our word dynamite. Simon is titled “the Mega Dynamite of God.” He can do some parlor tricks with Satan’s power, yet he claims to be the physical, bodily manifestation of God’s power in the world.

Really, Simon has presented himself as their Messiah, their promised one who will come with power to restore them. He has the power. Look what he can do! And then…Philip shows up. And he shows up representing real power.

CONVERSION (V. 12-13)

V. 12 - But when they believed Philip proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, both men and women.

Philip comes into town and God shows the Samaritans what real power looks like. He heals their sick. He casts out demons. Apparently Simon can’t do that. But God can. God’s power is the greater power. It’s not even a competition. And how did the crowd react to Philip? Back to v. 6 - And the crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was being said by Philip. They took their attention off Simon and his false power/false teaching and instead gave their attention to Philip who preached the truth. And Philip is not interested in their attention. He simply preaches about Jesus and puts their attention onto Him. And that is how someone is converted.

where their attention was once on being successful, making money, and living the American dream, their attention is now on Jesus, the One who meets their needs with abundance. Where their attention was once on sexual fulfillment, their attention is now on Jesus, the only One who can satisfy the longings of the soul. Where their attention was once on power, and exciting experiences, their attention is now on the truth of who Jesus is and what He has done.

What you focus on you will see. What you give your attention to will ultimately define your life. God’s power is so profound that these people aren’t interested in Simon anymore. He’s a nobody by comparison to Jesus. He is weak by comparison to God’s power to save. He is lame by comparison to God’s power to heal. His ability to astound the crowds is shallow by comparison to the real power of the Gospel. Even Simon believes that.

V. 13 - 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 astounded. You know the Gospel is powerful when those who are peddling lesser powers surrender to the greater power.

If you are a follower of Jesus today, what are you giving your attention to? Have you firmly anchored yourself in the unshakeable truth of God’s Word? Do you show your devotion to God by your attention to His Word? As the Samaritans teach us, there are disastrous consequences if you uproot and drift away from Scripture.

If you aren’t a follower of Jesus today, I don’t know what power you are giving your attention to, but know that it is a lesser power.

Some focus on the power of their money to meet their needs and give them comfort Some focus on the power of their looks to get them all the advantages they need Some focus on the power of their job to give them confidence and make them feel better about themselves Some focus on the power of an empty form of spirituality that makes them think they have some sort of connection to a god who is out there somewhere

None of those powers can save. Only the Gospel, the power of Gods to salvation (Romans 1:16) can do that. Let go of those lesser powers and give your attention to the true power of God.

Conclusion

What is most fascinating about Simon is not necessarily what the Bible says about him, but what the early church fathers say about him. Apparently things don’t end well for Simon. We will see more about that next week. Irenaeus wrote in 2nd century that Simon was the source of a devastating heresy called Gnosticism that had infected the Church worldwide. The mess he was doing in Samaria had spread and done incredible damage. Justin Martyr, himself a Samaritan, wrote that Simon was known to be so powerful that Rome had erected a statue of him and that he was worshiped as a god.

Legend has it, according to these early Christian writers, that Simon’s death was quite fantastical. Apparently he did believe his own press clippings that he was indeed the Great Power of God. He was indeed the Messiah the Samaritans were waiting for. So much so that he told his disciples that he had the power over death. He instructed them to bury him alive and that on the third day he would rise from the dead.

Well…that didn’t work out so well for Simon. He never rose and is still in his grave. Because these lesser powers we give our attention to really are ‘less.’ Only Jesus, the One who, according to 1 Corinthians 15, died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, and was raised from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures…only Jesus is the One with the power over sin and death. Only Jesus has the power to save.