The Spreading of the Gospel Seed — Message 2 — Simon the Sorcerer — The Problem of the Heart is the Heart of the Problem

Introduction

Good morning Church! Today we are going to be picking up right where we left off last week in Acts Chapter 8.

Last week, if you will remember, we looked at how Saul began to persecute the Church in Jerusalem and because of that, Jesus prophecy in Acts 1:8 began to come to fruition with Christians scattering about to the regions of Judea and Samaria.

In the first 8 verses of Acts 8 that we looked at last week, we seen Philip, one of the seven deacons chosen in Acts 6, go to the city of Samaria and the Bible tells us that he began to preach Christ to these folks and they, in one accord, heeded those things preached by Philip and we finished it out by seeing that there was great joy in that city!

Now, last week was sort of a synopsis if you will of what all happened but today we’re going to dive a little deeper into how it all came about when Philip went preaching the gospel of Christ in Samaria.

And what we are going to see this morning is a man who went along with the crowd. He confessed to believing, he got baptized, he even follows Philip around watching and learning of him like a true disciple should but there was something wrong.

The reality that we are going to see here today is that this man, even though he went through the steps, was still lost and undone in his sin.

Now, let me make something very abundantly clear before we get into this message…he wasn’t lost because God wouldn’t save him, he was lost because his heart wasn’t right with God from the beginning.

The Bible says in...

Jeremiah 17:9–10 KJV 1900

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 10 I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

As we are going to see here in the scripture this morning, this fellow looked the part, played the part, and no one, even Philip, was any the wiser.

But…as we have seen God do already earlier in Acts with Ananias and Sapphira, He reveals something to Peter that no one else could see and Peter brings this man’s lost state to light.

The title of today’s message…Simon the Sorcerer — The Problem of the Heart is the Heart of the Problem.

And my prayer this morning is that if you are sitting here, and maybe you’re like Simon…you’re just playing the part and you’ve got everyone here fooled and you’ve got me fooled, and you’re just going through the motions but your heart isn’t right with God, I pray the Holy Spirit of God will convict you of your lost state and you will understand that you can’t fool God and I pray that today will be the day that you will repent and get your heart right with God.

With no further ado, if you have your Bible’s opened to Acts 8 Verse 9 would you say, Amen.

Simon’s Magic — (Vs. 9-11)

Notice how this section opens up… “But”.

We ended last week with... “there was great joy in that city” and we open this week with… “but”… “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.”

Now, this man…Simon the Samaritan or as many others refer to him…Simon Magus or Simon the Magician, was an expert if you will in the art of witchcraft and black magic.

And the Bible tells us here that he had “bewitched” the people of Samaria.

That word “bewitched” in this instance is best translated “astonished”.

Basically, through his magic and practice of the dark arts, he had captivated the attention of the people!

So much so, that the Bible even says that he claimed he was someone great and the people, from the least to the greatest believed him!

Acts 8:10 NLT

10 Everyone, from the least to the greatest, often spoke of him as “the Great One—the Power of God.”

Chuck Swindoll — Like technology today, “the practice of magic was omnipresent in classical antiquity.” And like our near addiction to the convenience of smartphones and tablets, Wi-Fi devices and laptops, dependence on magicians and their magical props in the first century was epidemic. From superstitious curses to supernatural cures, people from every social class were exposed to the magic arts.

One historian summarizes what most pagans believed about these practitioners: “Magicians had a direct link to the divine world, and magic was seen as a gift from the gods.”

These peddlers of falsehood commonly gained fear, respect, admiration, and money through their sleight of hand and deceptive illusions.

And I really like what John Phillips has to say about it. He said...

John Phillips — Whenever God is at work in revival, watch out for Simon Magus. Satan will always have one of his agents ready.

Satan had tried money as a means of stopping the church in the case of Ananias and Sapphira, and he had tried murder as a means in the case of Stephen. Now he was to try mimicry. He had a man ready, a willing agent. He would have this man go through a form of conversion and insinuate him into the church so that he would have one of his men in a position to do mischief.

A considerable literature eventually grew up around Simon Magus. He was credited with being the founder of Gnosticism, one of the most persistent and pernicious heresies with which the church has ever had to cope.

He was supposed to have performed miracles in Samaria and later in Rome, where he went in the reign of Claudius. It is said that in Rome he subverted the church by false teaching and that he incited the authorities against the Christians.

He was accompanied in his travels by a slave woman named Helen, whom he had purchased at Tyre and whom he declared to be an incarnation of “the Divine mind.”

He is said to have had a magical confrontation with Peter during which he practiced levitation and flew up into the air, only to be brought crashing to the ground by Peter’s superior spiritual power.

In the end he is supposed to have tried to emulate the resurrection of Christ by having himself buried alive in Rome, promising to rise on the third day. That seems to have been the end of him.

Much of the Simon Magus myth can be discounted. Just the same, he did have psychic power, and he used his satanic gifts to dazzle and mesmerize the people of Samaria.

Now, I just want to stop for a second and say this…as out there as this may sound to some of us, the reality is, there are false teachers all over the world still peddling this same sort of sorcery today.

These folks who get on TV and claim that they have the power to heal and if you will donate to their ministry you too can get a blessing!

Listen, they are no different than Simon Magus.

And let me show you a little test you can use to determine whether someone is legitimate or not.

Look back at the end of Verse 9 there at what the Bible says...

King James Version Chapter 8

giving out that himself was some great one

Do you see that?

Listen, when someone begins to make their ministry about themselves instead of about God, you can know right away that it’s a false doctrine they’re spreading!

If you want a blessing, donate to such and such ministry! If you want to be healed, just send your “generous” donation to such and such ministry!

When it stops being about God and becomes about a man, you can know right away it’s a false teacher, Amen!

And especially when someone begins to think they are some kind of god or demi god and people begin to refer to them as such and they don’t deny it.

Simon Magus had the people fooled into thinking he was some sort of Messiah with all his tricks and gimmicks but he was about to find out real quick that the real power of God lies not in what man can do but what God can do!

Look with me if you will down in Verse 12 as Simon meets his match!

Simon’s Match — (Vs. 12-13)

I’m glad we have another “but” here aren’t you?

The last “but” took us in the wrong direction but this one is going to steer us back right!

When the Bible says there in Verse 10 that they “gave heed” to Simon’s shenanigans it means they considered carefully, implying agreement.

They went along with it because they didn’t know any better but let me show you something here.

Look what they Bible says happened when they heard Philip’s preaching about Christ!

Verse 12 says they “believed” Philip’s preaching!

That word believe is the Greek word (pisteuō) and it means to trust or entrust. It describes the act of believing or trusting something on the basis of its truthfulness and reliability.

For so long they had been blinded by Simon’s sorceries but now the cloak had been removed from their eyes and they could see the truth and this truth also had a name and His name was Jesus!

And praise God they trusted in Jesus, Amen!

Let me ask you something this morning…have you trusted in Jesus?

If not, what is holding you back?

What’s keeping you from entrusting your life to the Lord Jesus Christ?

If you have never done so, trust upon Him today and be thou saved!

The Samaritans heard and they believed and then they even followed through with believer’s baptism, amen!

They didn’t just go part of the way, they were all in when it come to trusting in the Lord Jesus!

God was doing another mighty work here in Samaria and the Holy Spirit was moving in a mighty way!

Then, the most unexpected of things took place!

Look at Verse 13.

The Bibles says ole Simon Magus himself believed!

Not only does it say he believed but he even got baptized as well and the Bible even goes as far as to say, “he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done!”

By all estimations it would seem as though Simon Magus had made a change for the Lord wouldn’t it?

I mean, he’s turned over a new leaf!

He’s doing all the right things!

He’s believed, he’s been baptized, he’s got his name now on the role at the Jerusalem Church as a member, and he’s even taking discipleship classes!

I mean this one time sorcerer is now a full time follower of Christ....or so it would seem!

Have any of you ever heard the old saying, “if you can’t beat them join them”?

Well, as we’re about to see, Simon hadn’t made quite the change everyone thought he’d made!

Let me cue you in on a little phrase here in Verse 13.

Notice what it says there towards the end… “He wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done?”

That word “wondered” means Simon was astonished, he was amazed at the miracles and the signs that were being done through Philip!

In Simon’s mind, he was taken aback by the power through which Philip was able to do the things that he was doing.

In his mind, Philip new some tricks that he didn’t know and he wanted to learn so that he himself could regain his little position of authority and accolades!

“If only I can learn how this man is doing these things I’ll be able to regain my followers and my income!”

No doubt as the people began to turn from Simon’s wicked ways to the one true God, this had an impact on Simon’s pocketbook.

So, in order to regain his source of income, he needed to figure out how this was being done!

What he didn’t understand was that it wasn’t Philip who was doing anything but the Holy Spirit that was doing it through him, Amen!

If you will remember, Jesus dealt with this same sort of scenario during His own ministry.

He had fed the 5,000 with 5 loaves of bread and two fishes and if you will remember, after they had eaten and taken up I think it was 12 baskets of fragments left over, Jesus had crossed to the other side in the middle of the night and the next morning they went looking for Him and couldn’t find Him.

After a while they find out He’s crossed over to Capernaum and so they take off to find Him but when they do, Jesus tells them something they didn’t want to hear.

He said in...

John 6:26–29 KJV 1900

26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. 27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. 28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

They didn’t believe because of the miracle but because they eat of the loaves and was filled!

They were more worried about the earthly than the heavenly!

Look what Jesus said there...

John 6:27 KJV 1900

27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

Get your eyes on the right prize people!

And that was the same problem with Simon Magus!

He had his eyes on the wrong prize!

He wasn’t worried about the heavenly, all he cared about was the earthly!

He cared not for the true miracles that were being done, he cared only to find out how to perform the miracles so he could presume making money!

That was Simon’s mistake!

And sadly so many people make the same mistake today!

They are so earthly minded that they are no heavenly good!

They are so focused on the things of this world and climbing the social ladder and the career ladder and being at the top of the monetary ladder that they miss what God is doing altogether!

Their hearts aren’t right with God!

And that was also Simon’s fatal mistake.

Which is the last thing I want us to look at this morning. Look on down in Verses 14-25 with me at Simon’s Major Mistake!

Simon’s Major Mistake — (Vs. 14-25)

As we look at this final section here there’s five things I want you to see and I promise we’re going to get through them quickly.

First is the...

The Receiving of the Holy Ghost — (Vs. 14-17)

Now, I would be remiss this morning if I didn’t tell you that upon first glance at this scripture this week I struggled a little bit.

If you don’t understand the context here, it’s very easy to begin questioning what we believe that upon one trusting in Christ as their Lord they immediately receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

When I first read this passage this week I really struggled with my own belief and kept asking why…why had they not received the Holy Ghost if they had believed?

And it wasn’t until I studied quite a few different commentaries that I finally got it.

Let me set the scene for you here really quick by reading you something that William Barclay wrote.

William Barclay — The quarrel between the Jews and the Samaritans was centuries old. Back in the eighth century BC, the Assyrians conquered the Northern Kingdom, whose capital was Samaria. As conquerors did in those days, they transported the greater part of the population and settled strangers in the land. In the sixth century, the Babylonians conquered the Southern Kingdom with its capital at Jerusalem, and its inhabitants were carried away to Babylon; but they completely refused to lose their Jewish identity.

In the fifth century BC, they were allowed to return and to rebuild their shattered city under Ezra and Nehemiah. In the meantime, those of the Northern Kingdom who had been left in Palestine had intermarried with the other races who had been brought in.

When the people of the Southern Kingdom returned and started to rebuild their city, these people round Samaria offered their help. It was contemptuously refused because they were no longer pure Jews. From that day onwards, there was an unhealed rift and a bitter hatred between Jews and Samaritans.

The fact that Philip preached there and that the message of Jesus was given to these people shows the Church unconsciously taking one of the most important steps in history and discovering that Christ is for all the world!

Now that we see what caused the rift between the two, I want you to hear what Rod Mattoon says about it because it really brings the entire situation into focus.

Rod Mattoon — This chapter might appear to be confusing to some folks at first, until you understand the background of what took place here. Chapters 1–10 of the book of Acts was a period of transition in the history of the church. It was period when the Gospel went from the Jews, to the Samaritans, and then to the Gentiles.

What took place with the Samaritans was very special in history because the Gospel of Jesus Christ was taken to bitter enemies and rivals of the Jewish people. The Lord did something in this particular situation of the transition period that He does NOT do today. That is true of several things in the early church. In this situation, the Lord delayed the Holy Spirit’s indwelling the moment they were saved.

If the Lord did not do this, He would have two different churches because of the centuries of strife and division between the Samaritans and the Jewish people. God gave the Holy Spirit in a different manner to benefit those folks who were Samaritans and also the apostles.

The Samaritans benefitted because they needed to learn to submit themselves to the authority of the apostles. The prayers of the apostles and the “laying on” of hands demonstrated their power with God and the sanction of their ministry.

Remember, the Samaritans rejected Jerusalem and the Jewish temple as the place of worship. By accepting the authority of the apostles from Jerusalem, the rivalry would be dissolved among these Christians. They would be as one.

The apostles also benefitted by the change. The Holy Spirit delayed His indwelling in the Samaritan believers because these men of God needed to see what the Lord had done. If the Holy Spirit could work in the lives of the Samaritans who were bitter enemies of the Jews, then the Spirit of God could work in and through all believers, whether they were Jews or Gentiles.

It was vital and crucial for John and Peter to greet and welcome the Samaritan Christians publicly and officially into the church. This would be a demonstration of unity. The apostles’ blessing was needed.

They laid their hands upon the Samaritans which was a symbol of identification. When both John and Peter identified themselves with the Samaritan Christians, and when these believers identified themselves with the apostles and the church in Jerusalem, the Lord got the unity He wanted and the Holy Spirit indwelt them like all other believers. They received the Holy Spirit.

John Phillips — In the Bible, the laying on of hands is always a symbol of identification. In the Old Testament the sinner identified himself with his offering by laying his hands upon it. Then, when it was slain, it was as though he had been slain. By laying their hands on the Samaritans, Peter and John formally identified themselves, the rest of the apostles, and all the Jewish church with the new believers. Henceforth they would be one church. There would be one Lord, one faith, one baptism. What a happy ending to centuries of strife and ill will!

Rod Mattoon — The salvation of these Samaritans was the reason why they were indwelt by the Spirit of God. In this particular case, their willingness to unite with the Jewish Christians was the time clock for their indwelling by the Spirit of God.

There is no need for delays today because the Jews, Gentiles, and the Samaritans are united into the body of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit indwells immediately any person who puts his or her faith in Jesus for salvation. You do not get gradual amounts of the Holy Spirit. You get all of Him and He comes to stay. There are no revolving doors with Him.

1 Corinthians 12:13—For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

Romans 8:9—But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

1 Corinthians 3:16—Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

So, the Apostles come and they lay their hands on the believers in Samaria and they receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and guess who was there to witness it all?

Ole Simon!

When the believers received the gift of the Holy Ghost we don’t exactly know what happened but whatever it was it made an impact on Simon for we see next the request of Simon.

Look at Verses 18-19.

The Request of Simon Magus — (Vs. 18-19)

Now, one writer stated that in those days, magicians sold their tricks to one another and so when Simon seen that through the laying on of hands the Holy Spirit was given, he thought it was simply some sort of trick he could buy off of the Apostles! — Rod Mattoon

This goes to prove that Simon had missed the big picture!

All the way around Simon was never in it for God but for himself!

He was in it for the money!

When he seen the gift that was received by the laying on of hands, he seen $ signs!

What he didn’t expect was what happens next!

Look with me at the rebuking of Simon by Peter.

The Rebuking of Simon Magus by Simon Peter — (Vs. 20-23)

Acts 8:20–23 NLT

20 But Peter replied, “May your money be destroyed with you for thinking God’s gift can be bought! 21 You can have no part in this, for your heart is not right with God. 22 Repent of your wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive your evil thoughts, 23 for I can see that you are full of bitter jealousy and are held captive by sin.”

Simon, the heart of your problem is the problem with your heart!

You will never be able to take part in something like this because your heart isn’t right with God!!!

Chuck Swindoll — Peter’s response to Simon appears much harsher in the original Greek. The word for “perish” (8:20) refers to the total destruction of something, its utter ruin. He said, in effect, “May your money follow you into hell, because that’s where you’re headed!”

Now, Peter didn’t condemn Simon to hell here but rather he was warning him that if something didn’t change that’s where he was headed!

Now, some of you may think this reply by Peter sounds harsh but did Peter say anything that wasn’t true?

The answer is no!

“Listen Simon, if you don’t change your wicked ways and get your mind off of money, off of the earthly and get it on God, get it focused on the heavenly realm, you’re going to die lost in your sins and you’re going to bust hell wide open!”

Listen this morning friend, I’m going to stand here and tell you the exact same thing!

If you don’t get your heart right with God this morning, if you don’t get your mind focused on the heavenly and off the earthly, you too will bust hell wide open!

You need to do exactly what Peter told Simon he needed to do here…you need to repent, Amen!

Turn from your sinful ways and turn to God today!

Ask God to forgive you and to save you and if you do that with a broken and contrite heart, He’ll do the saving part, Amen!

Peter says there in...

Acts 8:23 KJV 1900

23 For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.

Chuck Swindoll said — Peter’s warning holds out the possibility that Simon’s desire for God might have been smothered by his own envy and pride. The “gall of bitterness” (8:23) is a vivid metaphor for someone who is “deeply envious or resentful of someone.” Being in the “bondage of iniquity” could be paraphrased “handcuffed to wrongdoing,” implying that Simon’s capacity for free choice had been so compromised by his dependence upon evil that he could not escape without help. In other words, if one seeks repentance, God will certainly grant it; the question is whether Simon actually wanted to repent.

What Chuck said here reminded me of what Paul wrote to young Timothy in...

2 Timothy 2:24–26 KJV 1900

24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Simon had been taken captive by Satan and his snare of money but Peter says to Simon here… “there’s still hope Simon but it depends on you!

Are you willing to give up your desire for money?

Are you willing to give up your desire for the things of this world?

Are you willing to submit wholly and completely to real power of God?

If so, there’s still hope for you Simon! But if not, death and destruction will be your fate!”

John Phillips said — The gift of the Holy Spirit is the greatest gift God can give to man, for the Holy Spirit is a member of the triune Godhead. He brings with Him into human life all that is purely spiritual.

When Adam sinned, the spirit part of man was extinguished. The human spirit had been indwelt by the Holy Spirit. But when Adam sinned the Holy Spirit departed, and the lamp went out. At the time of our conversion the Holy Spirit comes back to indwell the human spirit, and He relights the lamp. He Himself is the holy, fragrant oil that makes possible spiritual life for man.

Money is exactly the opposite. Money represents human labor, effort, wealth, position, power. “The love of money is the root of all evil” says the apostle (1. Tim. 6:10). Money is the medium of exchange by which we convert our talents, time, and effort into material possessions, position, and power on earth.

Simon Magus betrayed his utter spiritual ignorance by thinking that man’s money could buy God’s gift.

“You and your money can go to destruction,” Peter said. The spirit of discernment in Peter enabled him to recognize the man for a fraud. His profession of faith was utterly worthless, his baptism meaningless. He was as lost as he had ever been.

At this moment when Peter rebukes Simon Magus you can see in the next Verse that he knows his heart isn’t right with God.

Look at the reply of Simon to Peter in Verse 24.

The Reply of Simon to Peter — (Vs. 24)

When a man’s heart is right with God, he has no problem taking his own requests to God, Amen.

But Simon here says to Peter, “Pray for me Peter!”

Listen this morning friend…only your prayer for forgiveness can obtain salvation.

Your mom and dad, your Pastor, your friends, no one can pray for your salvation but you.

Now, they can pray that God would move in your heart and that you would be saved but their prayer can’t save you.

It has to be your prayer!

Philippians 2:12 KJV 1900

12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Work out your “own” salvation. I can’t work it out for you no more than Peter could work it out for Simon Magus.

That’s a step that only you can take.

And maybe you’re sitting here this morning and God is dealing with your heart, deep down inside you feel something moving, stirring inside of you and you feel something tugging on those heart strings of yours and this little voice inside is telling you that you need to be saved!

If that describes what you’re feeling right now friend that’s the Holy Spirit of God stirring in you and telling you that your heart isn’t right and that you need to be saved!

The only thing left for you to do this morning friend is to answer that call. Come and put your trust in Jesus Christ this morning and I promise you it will be the best decision you’ll ever make!

The last Verse, Verse 25 tells us...

The Return to Jerusalem — (Vs. 25)