Philip and Simon the Sorcerer. Acts 8:4-25

Amanda: Truth

Acts 8:4–25 ESV

9 But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. 10 They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” 11 And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

Prayer

Intro

Thank you Amanda and thank you church for joining us in worship together. As Amanda started us off this week we are going to be in Acts chapter 8.

Remember that last week we spoke about Stephen and his martyrdom for standing on the name of Jesus. The Sanhedrin told him to be quiet about Jesus and he did the opposite. They trumped up false charges on him because they couldn’t get anything to stick and she spoke truth to them. And when they threatened his life, he prayed for them.

We also got a glimpse towards the future and a young theologian and persecutor of the church named Saul. As the heat got turned up on the church that was growing in Jerusalem, and with the feeling of success the rulers felt from snuffing out Stephen, they went into full extermination mode. They were hunting down and throwing members of the way of Christ into jail and so many fled into the surrounding country and towns and provinces outside of the city proper.

And that sets up where we left off last week. The church is growing but persecuted. It has leadership but the people have all been scattered. And as such Jesus’ marching orders to the Disciples were starting to come true. They were told to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the utter most parts of the world. Jerusalem— check, Judea—happening right now, Samaria—where we are today. However, today takes a little twist. We meet Philip and a man named Simon. Simon was a confused man and a charlatan among the people who had made a name for himself. yet in the midst of this real power and authority of Philip and the God that he served, this game was in danger or being exposed.

Tension

And this gets me to thinking about the world we swim in today. There are many who build up fame, power, influence, and create a sort of standing for themselves in our world in the structures they find themselves in. Many influencers brand themselves a certain way and use that platform to sell themselves and things advertisers pay them for. Politicians stand on the issues they align themselves with (sometimes) and receive tons of money from donors to further their causes (whilst also further the ones they are paying them to care about). I heard an interview this past week of a famous pastor who justifies his purchase of 10 and $20k outfits because part of his platform is to use fashion to bring in people and share the gospel message. We are plum silly with all the ways we seek to make a name and a following for ourselves. And all the while we’ve all but put to death 1 Thessalonians 4 behind the shed.

1 Thessalonians 4:11–12 “11 and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, 12 so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.”

Being famous, being a leader, an influencer, an important person has become a drug to so many that they miss the real deal right in front of them. We will see Simon coming face to face with this reality this morning and ask ourselves the same questions.

So, we are going to pick up this morning starting in chapter 8 and verse 4.

Exposition

Philip in Samaria. 8:4-8

Acts 8:4–25 ESV

4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. 5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. 6 And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was much joy in that city.

A couple things to note here. First, we see that the people may have fled the message never stopped going out. It can often be the case when you try to fan a flame out all you do is cast the coals around to start up smaller fires elseware. Such was the case here. As the persecuted Christians fled Jerusalem, Philip when to the city of Samaria and preached there.

Now, we know from 6:5 that Philip is one of the introduced 7 deacons. In fact, after Stephen, in 6:5 Philip’s name is next. And after Stephens death we pick right up in the telling of Philip’s story as well. Philip too would have been a Grecian Jew and would have been more broad-minded in his veiw of the world, likely speaking Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek, as well as having background in all of those cultures.

He preaches but not just anywhere. Samaria. While many in our world only contextualize Samaria in the parable of the “Good Samaritan” told by Jesus, most Hebraic jews in the world only had bad things to think toward the town. That is why is is not of insignificance that Jesus called it by name in his commission in Acts 1:8 “8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.””

Jesus called out Samaria as a part of His plan, showing that while the Hebrews might hold them in disdain, God has bigger plans.

This, would again call us to question any ways in which we feel towards “other” people our lives. What kinds of people, groups of people, categories of people, do you believe are outside of the grace and scope of God’s goodness? Do they vote a certain way? Do they dress a certain way? Do they act a certain way? Is there something about them that while you might not say it out loud causes you to treat them as lesser than? Who are your Samaritans? And perhaps you might find, as the rest of the apostles would, that God is bigger than our preconceived prejudices?

But, in spite of all of this Philip starts preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit validates and collaborates with the message bringing signs and wonders to bear on the city as well. Demons were cast out of people and paraplegics were healed and walking around.

And as a result of all that was coming to pass; the spiritual awakening to Christ and his free gift of salvation, the Coming of the Holy Spirit to open ears and hearts, and minds, and the physical and spiritual healing taking place, “great joy descended on the town of Samaria. Yet in all the joy there is a backdrop that we don’t yet know.

Simon the Sorcerer. 8:9-11

Acts 8:4–25 ESV

9 But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. 10 They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” 11 And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic.

Simon had already been running the streets of Samaria painting himself as a very important and powerful person. As verse 9 puts it “somebody great”. But notice also, that they attributed the “magic” of Simon as a power he recieved from God. After all, they thought, how could He do such things without God’s intervention.

And, to be fair, I want to ask the same thing. When it comes to magic in the Bible how do we explain it? What was going on and how were things done.

As best as I can figure, there are really just a couple options for power/miracles/magic/or the like in the world:

Divinity

This the the primary reason we see Jesus able to accomplish what he did. Between the will of God causing supernatural things to happen within creation, Jesus proving that same authority dwells in him by calling dead men to live, walking on the waves our outright quieting them entirely, or healings, Jesus was clear that His power comes from doing His father’s will. In that same vein, we see the apostles carrying on in those signs and wonders, not in their own names or by their own authority but by Jesus name and in His authority, empowered and directed by the Holy Spirit. All of these stand as a testament to the Divinity of Christ and the power He maintains over creation.

Darkness:

As Jesus’ power was given through divine authority, magic through darkness seems to be defined as much the reverse. The Baptist Minister and Scholar Thomas Witton Davies explains “Sometimes this is generally referred to as “black magic” or means of invoking evil upon one’s enemies, with the aid of evil spirits, curses and spells: it presupposes malevolent powers who are willing to be manipulated.”

(T. W. Davies, Magic, Divination and Demonology Among the Hebrews and Their Neighbors (1898);)

The issue becomes clearly outlined in...

Deuteronomy 18:10–14 “10 There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer 11 or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, 12 for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you. 13 You shall be blameless before the Lord your God, 14 for these nations, which you are about to dispossess, listen to fortune-tellers and to diviners. But as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do this.”

You’d be hard pressed to come up with any sort of positive ideal from this verse; where God was sort of for magic as a practice among his people. So why the prohibition for the people of God? I think a couple things.

1. There is only one true God and God’s people going after false gods for false promises of false power undermines His own power and authority.

This was also super prevalent among all the neighbors of historical Israel. Magi were in Assryia, Babylon, Egypt, and Canaan. In the NT times there were oracles and prophets and witches and sages all over the places that leaders would consult the will of the gods and goddesses for. These practices go against commandment number 1. God wants a real relationship with His people, not to have them going after false temptations that provide nothing.

2. God wants his people to trust him for victory, not try and get it for themselves. Vengeance is His. Authority is His. He can and will pour out punishment, judgement, or misfortune on whoever He determines. Yet, trying to cast spells or incantations to curse a person or people is taking authority on yourself you aren’t worthy of. He doesn’t want them to pursue these things at all. If His people are willing to go outside of His will to try and manifest their will that is the very definition of sin.

3. Satan and demons are real and they don’t share power. they come to steal, kill, and destroy. They are aligned against God, His will, and His people.

Deception

I have a confession. I love magicians. I love cool acts and all the crazy things that happen to pull off a great trick. Mostly all of the talk that happens afterwards about how you try to figure it out. I remember when I was a kid we watched David Copperfield disappear a jet on TV one night and I kid you not I had never seen anything so cool in my life. I thought for sure this guy could do anything.

I wanted to try and figure this out myself so I figured I’d show yall just how awesome I am too.

Disappearing scarf trick.

However, as I got older I found out that all of the magic I’d seen were all very functional tricks or illusions. they were designed to fool me. In fact, once you understood how the illusion was pulled off, it lost something. You felt duped or fooled. I mean you could still see it for the act it was but now something was missing. You were apart of the inside joke but it would never be the same. This is simply organized deception.

A note on modern day interpretations:

Harry Potter, Star Wars, Tolkien, Super Heroes, Mary Poppins and entertainment.

I can remember in 8th grade churches in my home town having book burnings and the impression it made on me as a kid towards the church and my English teacher who prided herself on getting young kids reading. Entertainment has almost always added elements of magic to story telling whether by spells, mediclorian bacteria, wizardry whether in fantasy worlds or English boarding schools, and even the odd nanny who can make a room clean itself. Now, can people take this too far? You bet your uncle they can. Yet, I would put upon this the following litmus test. As long as make-believe can firmly stay in the realm of false and entertaining for you, I can’t see the harm in a guy who gets the power to say “shazzam” and now he can fly. However, I will admit that this is one area where you get to set the standard for your home. If you feel the harm is outweighing to any good that could come then set that rule for yourself and your home. If you want to teach your kids categories of fantasy and make believe and fun stories and help set limits until they are old enough to understand the difference, go get em. All the while teach them of the truth of good and evil and the God who loves them.

Modern Day magic, witchcraft, and Charlie Daniels down in Georgia.

Wiccans as they are called today, or modern day witches are a cult that claims to use good or white magic and dark magic to manipulate the power within all of us. they claim ot follow “The One” or “the All” who is a goddess that is impersonal, without gender and above all emotions. Put simply, this is the kind of thing that God opposes and doesn’t want his people to dabble in. It is at its core a Neo-Paganism, trying to bring back into popularity pre-Christian religious rites and functions. It is a form of darkness and blindness that has put many in chains that Christ seeks to free them from. If you meet a Wiccan, get to know them, be kind, and prayerfully look for opportunities to share hope and truth found in the gospel. I for one feel more pity than fear. You can pray to the stars, sun, moon, and sky and cast spells at me for good or evil but my God is the one who made all those things and the only power they have is that His finger prints are all over them.

Can you sell your soul to Satan to get power. Put simply, its not found in scripture ever. What is found is deception, lies, twisting the truth, and offers of power that Satan can’t give. Satan has no real power to offer and stands as one with a half-life of sorts. His days are numbered, his failure is assured, and when Christ comes back His kingdom and his darkness are over.

All of this said, We are not sure what category Simon would fall in, but based on the coming context, I feel it would be likely that he saw the impact of Jesus on the Samaritans when he came to the woman at the well. He liked the fame and the power it brought and decided to do something similar. Yet, as we will find out, he had a problem.

The Work of God among Samaria. 8:12-17

Acts 8:4–25 ESV

12 But when they believed Philip as he preached 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, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed. 14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

The work of God became so prevalent through the preaching of the Word and the work of the spirit that everyone was repenting and being baptized and the greatest surprise of all was that Simon the sorcerer did too! You have to admit this would have sent headlines through the gossip grapevine into all of Samaria. He was popular, powerful, and prevalent among all the people. So for him to repent of his sin and be baptized would be a huge deal.

So big was this news and the work of the gospel that new traveled back to Jerusalem and John and Peter come down to see what is happening and how they can help. Now, this is a difficulty we have to see here and deal with. Why did the Holy Spirit not fall on the people here after they accepted the gospel?

Dr. Stanley Toussaint explains that there are 3 reasons why God ordained this.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 8:14–17

(1) Peter and John’s prayer (for bestowing of the Holy Spirit) and their laying on of hands (resulting in the coming of the Spirit) confirmed Philip’s ministry among the Samaritans. This authenticated this new work to the Jerusalem apostles. (2) Also this confirmed Philip’s ministry to the Samaritans. This message Philip had preached was validated by the coming of the Spirit, a mark of the coming kingdom (cf. v. 12;

So, God uses this instance to bring together what used to be enemies; the Jews and the Samaritans, by the work of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. But despite this great miracle and generational feuds being swallowed up in grace. There were still holdouts.

Simon’s struggle. 8:18-25

Acts 8:4–25 ESV

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 this power also, 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 the gift of God with money! 21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, 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 in the bond of iniquity.” 24 And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.” 25 Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.

Simony is the buying or selling of things considered religious or sacred such as an ecclesiastical office. And it is thus named because of this episode with this man Simon. Simon, ever the charlatan, was now looking down the barrel of real power and all he could concern himself with was how he could use it to gain more, fame, more money, and more importance. He wanted power, not salvation.

Peter, for his part, scolds Simon with outrage for his evil endevor.

“May your money perish with you.”

He was outraged by the gall of this man. His failure to understand the free gift of God’s salvation.

Peter’s word’s here “you have no part or share with this ministry”. He uses “logos” here, meaning “word or matter”. Meaning Simon wanted the power but wanted nothing to do with the Logos, the Word, Christ.

Now, we have no idea where Simon landed and the Scriptures don’t tell us further. His ask in verse 24 seems to convey more of an attitude of not desiring consequences than genuine repentance but we don’t know. What we do know, however, is that God used this event to change the hearts and minds of the apostles which would be carried back home with them to Jerusalem.

Landing.