Christianity vs. Magic
Notes
Transcript
Good afternoon everyone, welcome to our Timothy Youth service.
I wanted to do something a little more fun today with all of us, so I’d like to share a short message with the title “Christianity vs. Magic.”
I’ve been reflecting on this passage for some time, where it talks about a man in the Bible called Simon. And this Simon could actually do magic.
9 Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astonishing 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 astonished them with his magic arts.
So this Simon was like Harry Potter. People crowded around him and called him “great”.
How many of us wish we can do magic? How many of us wish we could be like Simon?
But what really is magic? I thought really long and hard about this. If we really try to summarize what magic is, here’s what I think.
“Magic is doing the right things to achieve the results you want.”
True? Even in Harry Potter, you have to say the correct words in the correct way, and your magic wand also has to move in the correct way.
So what are the key principles of magic?
Magic:
Depends on your performance.
Purpose: My own purpose.
Result: Fame, power, money, comfort…
Let’s pause here. Because although magic doesn’t really show up anymore in our modern world, the principles of magic are all around us.
In order to succeed in school, you have to say the right words and do the right actions. Your exams all have an answer sheet, and your answer has to match the answer sheet.
In order to be popular among your schoolmates, you have to fit in and also stand out at the right balance. You can’t stand out too much, or people will hate you. You can’t fit in too much, or people won’t notice you.
Everything depends on your performance. When I was in sec 3, I had a group of friends who I thought I was close with. But I did something stupid on FaceBook, and all of a sudden, everyone turned against me.
If your performance is good, people will like you. Good things will come to you. But if your performance is bad, no one will stick with you. And you won’t find success.
And Simon the Magician is an example of someone who became rich, powerful and famous because he lived according to these principles. And for what? What was Simon’s purpose in doing all this?
9 Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astonishing 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.”
It says in Acts 8:9 that he was claiming to be someone great. And many people gave their attention to him, and they said many good things about him. He was like a celebrity, the center of attention.
Isn’t this something that all of us want? I think if any of us could have a magic wand and start doing magic, we would also try to show off to all our friends.
But in today’s terms, the magic wand is replaced by the magic wallet. How do some of the richest celebrities live? They only seek for their own greatness.
But then the Apostle Philip comes along and preaches what the Bible calls the good news about the kingdom of God.
Why is it good news? Because the principles of magic make it impossible to have love.
For Simon the magician, people only liked him because of what he could do. If he stopped being able to do magic one day, nobody would care about him.
And do you think Simon loved the people? He only cared about himself. He wanted himself to be great, not anyone else.
How many of you still want to be like Simon?
And yet this is how the world lives and operates.
Would you feel loved if people only like you because you’re rich or smart? When you’re older and looking for someone to marry, would you marry someone who only likes you because you’re rich or handsome or pretty?
Would you marry someone who only wants to benefit themself? I wouldn’t. And thankfully, I didn’t.
So why is the kingdom of God good news? It is good news because it’s a kingdom of love, and it’s King is a God of love. All of us have not lived in the way we should. All of us have made mistakes and done wrong things.
But God looks beyond our actions. He sees the deepest parts of our hearts, the parts that we hope nobody will ever see. And He loves us.
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
So even though the world operates by the principles of magic, the heart operates by the principles of the kingdom of God.
That’s what sets Christianity apart from all other religions. In order to be Christian, you need to humble yourself. Why? Because God has a better purpose for you and for me. His purpose is to bring us to heaven for eternity. Not even Simon’s magic could make that happen.
So then, how can we go to heaven? Heaven isn’t something you buy. It isn’t something you earn. It’s not about saying the right words or doing the right things.
Heaven is something you receive by trusting in the good news of the kingdom of God. And how can we trust it? By humbling ourselves.
So as Christians, we no longer live for our own purposes, our own greatness, or our own goals. Why? Because we trust that God loves us and wants the best for us. We know this because out of love, God sent Jesus to die for us.
Christianity isn’t about what you do. It’s not about doing the right things, saying the right words. It’s about receiving the love that God has for you and me.
On the cross, Jesus died the death of a sinner, and gave us His position as a son of God. Isn’t that good news? We can become sons and daughters of God almighty. All we need to do is step out in faith and be baptized.
That will set us right before God. And if we are right before God, then God will make us great.
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time
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