You Can't Buy God
Notes
Transcript
Are you truly a Christian?
Are you truly a Christian?
That is a serious question in need of some serious reflection. Jesus said that there are some who would cry “Lord, Lord!” But Jesus will still say to them, “Depart from me, I never knew you.” Think about your daily life. What do you find important? What do you do for others, or for God in which you look for no reward for yourself? Why did you say that Jesus is your Savior? So that He could save you from Hell, and that is all?
Pray and Read Acts 8:9-24
9 Now a certain man named Simon had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he was someone great. 10 All of them, from the least to the greatest, listened to him eagerly, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” 11 And they listened eagerly to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. 12 But when they believed Philip, who was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Even Simon himself believed. After being baptized, he stayed constantly with Philip and was amazed when he saw the signs and great miracles that took place. 14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit 16 (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). 17 Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me also this power so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God’s gift with money! 21 You have no part or share in this, for your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and the chains of wickedness.” 24 Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may happen to me.”
Simon was a dealer of miracles and blessings. However, these were not the kind of real miracles and blessings that only come from God. No, these were magic tricks and empty promises. Like a fortune teller, palm reader, or tarot card reader. Maybe their little items can give us some generalized truths, but nothing really substantial. Some people like to talk to psychics to get a glimpse into their future. If you are good at reading peoples body language and can make some educated guesses on what they are implying between the words they speak, you too could probably tell someone they want to hear that will give them some hope and promise. Some will talk with Mediums to satisfy their grief when the promise of eternity is not good enough. These were the type of people that Simon would have as clients. Let’s be honest, he probably did not mean to mislead anyone, he found something he was good at doing and used the gift of psychology and physics to make a living.
However, Phillip, from the new class of leaders, came to Samaria. Samaria had once before heard about Jesus. Actually, a lot of people from Samaria were healed by Jesus. After the Resurrection, Simon took over the title of healer. Yet, Phillip could really heal people and cast out demons in the name of Jesus Christ the Messiah. Many in Samaria dedicated themselves to Christ and were baptized. Yet, their faith was young, they still had a lot to learn. God doesn’t just give you a quick fix so that you can forget about Him later. God gave you life, and your life is what He wants.
Simon was like the others and loved the miracles that the believers like Phillip could “perform” for lack of better words. He asked for the ability, but not so much the requirement to obtain the power. Peter rebuked him, trying to teach him better. Peter basically told him that he could not buy the Holy Spirit. He still had a lot to learn before he could ever truly be gifted with the Holy Spirit.
So what is the lesson here for us today? Well we obviously shouldn’t try to be like some televangelist and slap people with our suit jackets until they flop on the floor and foam at the mouth. We most definitely should not think like some who call themselves, “Christian Witches” and demand that God work through our stones and candles to give us what we want. We should not try to “manifest” anything on our own. But there is more that I think we need to learn from Simon.
It is so easy to look at the life or story of someone else and say, “Well that was wrong. At least I am not like that.” However, I have seen that in some ways we are like Simon. Simply in the manner of wanting the gift or the blessing without having the compassion, pain, or even time it takes to be what God has created you to be. We all want life to be simple and steady. We want the income if the work is easy. We want to bless others when we decide they are worthy. We want to control our destiny. If we want to be in control then where does that leave God at work in our life? When we make decisions on what we are willing to do for God, or for others, we take the true gift away from God to give.
Church, we have to be careful. Yes, we must have faith in Christ to be saved. However, faith without works is dead. Read James 2:14-17.
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17 So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
Works in this context is not our own wants and wills. True faith is giving without receiving. True faith is doing God’s will, helping others, and showing love when you expect to get nothing in return. Simon wanted the power and recognition. Sometimes, I see people even a part of this church who wants to be in control, who wants to lead, yet complain about any good deed being done by someone else. We are not an inclusive church where we get our way and keep our blessings to ourselves. No true Christian can keep the grace and love of God to themselves. Nor can we use God’s grace and love solely for our own benefit or decide for ourselves when we want to use these gifts. Ministry is the lifestyle actions of mercy, grace, and love. We are all called into ministry, in other words, it is God’s call on our lives. It is not our calling. True faith is proven when we act like Christ commands. I will end with these words from Jesus: Matthew 25:31-46
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
In the Name of God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Amen