From Jerusalem to Samaria

Introduction

Background:

The church has continued to grow exponentially. So much that the Apostles selected 7 men to serve as Deacons. The man Stephen was witnessing and he was working, and then he was martyred for his faith. This man was martyred by Saul the Pharisee. Because of this persecution, the Christians were scattered into Samaria.

Context:

Now the church is on the move, and Acts chapter 8 centers around four different men.

I. Saul the Persecutor

v. 1 in Acts 8 is monumental to spreading of the Gospel.

Acts 8:1 NKJV

Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Even What the Enemy Means for Evil, God turns it for Good

Now, there are three points of emphasis I want you to see here.

Saul consented to death - why is this significant?

God, by His sovereign hand, is condemning this man named Saul. Of all the Pharisees that could have consented to this death, there was Saul.

Peter was a foul mouth fisherman, Matthew was a contemptible tax collector, this man named Saul, when Jesus calls him in chapter nine, will be rescued out of murder.

Here is how Paul described himself in this moment we read about in acts 8:1 :

1 Corinthians 15:9 NKJV

For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

Acts 22:4 NKJV

I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women

He says plainly, “I was a murderer, and the blood of the church is on my hands.

What God is doing, is He is going to establish Saul as guilty, and when God brings His charge against Him, Saul, who will become Paul, will serve God will all humility and with the same intensity that he had to persecute the church.

A great persecution arose.

This is the worldwide persecution of our brothers and sisters in its infancy. This event set off a chain reaction that is still plaguing people all over the world. People who come to faith in Jesus must understand that when Jesus is preached, persecution will arise.

They were all scattered to Judea and Samaria

Now you listen…what did Jesus say in Acts 1:8?

Acts 1:8 (NKJV) But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

When God calls us to something, we have an idea in our mind of how it should go. When you read what Jesus says in Acts 1:8, our minds go so far away from this new reality that the church is facing.

When God calls you to something, when you think God wants you to do something…the first thing that comes to your mind is some sort of miracle, or its some sort of easy process where God is just going to make everything from that point easy and tolerable.

But that is so far from the truth, and if you believe that, then when the sun comes up, when the heat is on, it’s going to destroy your faith.

It is true, the gospel will be carried to Judea and Samaria just like Jesus said it would, but it’s being spread because of a great persecution being carried out by a man who’s name is Saul.

Let this principle of following Jesus get etched into your heart

James 1:2–4 NKJV

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Church, there is no such thing as a quick fix in God’s Kingdom. If God is going to do a miraculous work in your life, if He is going to bring you to a place where you are spiritually mature, if He is going to establish you in leadership, it’s almost always going to come through the deep dark pains of life.

Tough Saying of Jesus

Here are two of the toughest teaching that Jesus gives on the matter of following Him.

#1

Luke 14:28–33 NKJV

For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

So many people use this passage to justify being a stickler in a business meeting…the point of this passage is that if you ask Jesus to do something in your life, you better be ready to forsake everything you have.

your money, your possessions, your pride, your comfort, your sense of self all has to be sacrificed to be a true follow of Jesus Christ. If you get saved, and you go and tell the world that you are a Christian, but you haven’t counted the costs, you will be mocked.

You will be like a man who has left his own nation to immigrate another. When you get to that nation what you will find is that you aren’t accepted in that new nation because you are a foreigner. But when you want to return back to where you came from you’ll find that you’ve been rejected because you have been deemed a traitor and a backslider.

If you are a person who is following Christ today and you feel out of place, it’s because you are trying to marry the world and marry the church, and you can’t do both. For, no one can serve two masters.

#2

Matthew 8:18–22 NKJV

And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

That is, when you follow Jesus Christ, you won’t find safety or satisfaction in this world anymore. As you grow closer to God and look more and more to His glory and His kingdom, even the sweetest parts of this life are going to become bitter, because suddenly you realize that there is no where for you to rest down here. There is no where for you to find shelter.

So many Christians are miserable because they are still hunting for joy through having experiences and seeking worldly fulfillment. But to have joy because of those things fails to remember this principle, that in this world you will have trouble.

It also fails to remember that when God calls you to something, it’s going to come at a great cost to you where He wants you to abandon the things of this world. These things that God has called you to come from things like a “great persecution that arose and scattered the church so that His word would be spread to the nations.”

There is no such thing as a prosperity gospel. And though many of you reject prosperity gospels on its face, you haven’t rejected it in your heart. You want your life to be easier because of Christ, you want the peace that surpasses all understanding, but you don’t want the pain and the persecution that moves you to obtaining those things.

So church, today, just as in that day, embrace the hard times of life knowing that it is producing godliness in you.

Now that I have nailed down the intensity of the Christian life, I can share this common saying with you and you can get the right idea…here’s the truth that I want you to get from v. 1

Even what the enemy uses to do you harm in your life, you can trust that God is going to use if for good. Amen? Just like He did here in v. 1, He will do it in your life.

Saul’s Relentlessness; Sins relentlessness

Acts 8:3 NKJV

As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.

The enemy of the church, who is in this narrative the man named Saul, who is in your life the forces of Hell that want to destroy your family, who is in your life sin and your own flesh and your own desires, want to keep you imprisoned, and want to keep you discouraged.

Hebrews 12:1 NKJV

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Imagine if the church would have just given into this persecution and stopped operating because they were bound in chains.

The issue here is more than just physical location, there is something happening inside of every believer in this verse that transcends their geography. Right then, in that moment, all the church was asking the question, “Will I continue, or will I renounce what Jesus has called me to do?”

In your life, you might not be in physical prison, but there are things going on inside of you that feel like prison.

You might be imprisoned by fear, by sexual immorality, by financial debt, by martial challenge, by family turmoil, by emotional baggage that you haven’t dealt with, and it is crippling you.

Up to this point, you haven’t had the courage to address the weight of sin in your life, whether that sin was your fault or another’s, and it is weighing you down and you can’t run the race of Christianity.

You are just like this early church, thinking, “Will I continue, or will I renounce what Jesus has called me to do?”

So what is there to do?

I want you to be introduced to the next man in Acts 8, Phillip the preacher.

II. Philip the Preacher

Acts 8:4–8 NKJV

Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. And there was great joy in that city.

What Should Hard Times Produce

v. 4 says that because of this persecution, the people of God were scattered.

To the worldly man, to the flesh, in your mind, when you become scattered, when life circumstances move you into a direction that you didn’t want to go, all hope is lost. Your plans are shattered, and you get to a place where you are just spinning your tires, never making any progress.

To the man filled with Godly wisdom, filled with the Holy Spirit, when you become scattered, when life circumstances move you into a direction that you didn’t want to go, it produces a growth that cannot be explained apart from God.

That word “scattered” used in v. 4 literally means to “scatter seed”.

Anytime you scatter seed there is opportunity for new growth.

Not God’s doing, but man’s

Very quickly, I want to say that God did not cause this persecution, He does not cause sin for His will to be accomplished, it’s just that God accomplishes His will despite sin and despite circumstances. Because the persecution didn’t stop when they left Jerusalem, Acts 26:11 tells us that Saul sought the church even in strange and foreign cities.

The enemy tried to scatter and discourage the church, God used even what the enemy did to produce life.

God did not force the Jews to kill Jesus, but He used the unjust murder of His beloved Son for victory and did not allow it to defeat Him.

Application: In your life, when life doesn’t go the way you expected it to, when you are scattered because of the situation you find yourself in, it’s not that God caused it, but it’s that God is going to use it.

Because of man’s attempt to harm the church, they were scattered / because of God’s goodness and sovereign hand, He produced growth.

In your life, hard times ought to produce spiritual growth in you and in those around you.

How Can It Produce Growth Around You?

Look at the meat of the message there in v. 5-8

Philip preached Christ to them

The multitudes heeded with one accord the things spoken by Philip

and there was great joy in that city.

Yes there were miracles, yes there were healings, yes there were exorcisms, but the joy came from the forgiveness of sin.

Seek Cleansing from Sin

More than miracles, more than changed circumstances, more than prosperity, in the pain and the scattered life that we live, we need to seek cleansing from sin, and we need to preach cleansing from sin.

God does so much more than relieve you of burdens in life, He relieves you of the burden of sin.

Look here, Saul didn’t stop chasing them when they left Jerusalem. Their problems followed. The problems kept on coming, but their sins were forgiven, and thats something the Bible says will never depart from you.

If you keep looking for relief and prosperity, you’re never going to find it because as soon as you do, life is back after you.

but, if you look for cleansing from sin, if you look for a deep and real relationship and reliance on God, suddenly the problems that keep chasing you might affect your circumstances, it might affect your comfort, and it might affect your prosperity, but it won’t affect your joy.

King David’s Sin and Plea

when King David committed his great sins of adultery and murder, he cries out to God in Psalm 51 and says to God, “purge me, and wash me”, then he says, “restore to me the joy of Your salvation and uphold my by Your generous Spirit”

He didn’t decry his new circumstance, he didn’t bemoan his lowered status, he didn’t make excuses for his life and say, “God I just had a lapse of judgement”. He cried out to God and said, “God, I will never have joy until I am cleansed from my sin.”

Here is the truth I want you to get from the life of Philip the preacher:

Unless we are first cleansed from our sin we cannot properly see the circumstances of our life. We won’t be able to know if we caused the circumstance because of our flesh, and we won’t be able to know what to do when we experience the circumstances that we didn’t cause. We are blinded by sin, and to see God’s will clearly, we have to be cleansed from our sins.

What happens when you seek the power from God and not the cleansing from sin? Let’s meet Simon the Pretender

III. Simon the Pretender

Acts 8:9–13 NKJV

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, to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the great power of God.” And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time. But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.

v. 9-10 describe this Simon as a man who had power and prestige that was astonishing. To every day people he was impressive.

I would liken him to a local celebrity. Good job, fine house, lots of money, all the people were impressed by him. His life seemed fantastic by the worlds standards.

the people even went so far to say that God has blessed him and he has power from God.

There really isn’t more a more ironic situation that when you’re driving down the road, and you’re passed by a $100,000 sports car with a license plate that says blessed and a window sticker that says humble.

People equate prosperity with blessings and power that comes from God, it never fails.

v. 11 describes him as someone that people want to be.

but look now in v. 12-13

This is describing the nature of men who pretend.

In rolls Stephen, and all of Simon’s clout is disappearing and he wants in on the bandwagon, so he tells everyone that he believes.

What was it that gave Simon clout? It was his sorcery.

When Philip came and began performing miracles all of a sudden Simon didn’t look so good.

The Difference Between Your efforts and God’s

This is the difference between your efforts and God’s efforts.

If there ever is a false teacher, someone who comes to town and doesn’t teach and preach the Bible, all it’s going to take is a real man of God to come and preach and teach the Word of God. All of a sudden that pretender won’t look so good.

When we produce something, and when we live our life by our own efforts and initiatives, it will look pretty good, until we are cleansed from our sin and begin to see the real power of God, then our efforts won’t look so good.

Now the Apostle’s have gotten wind that people are being baptized, so Peter and John go to investigate, to lay hands on these people, and to make sure that they were recipients of the Holy Spirit, not just imitators

Acts 8:18–19 NKJV

And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

Simon was just in it for what he could get out of it. His clout was gone, and he wanted more, and he was willing to pay.

The Nature of False Religion

This attitude, these two verses, reveal the motivation of false religion.

Simon said he believed, but he believed in the miracles and the power, not in the person of Jesus. He believed in the influence and the blessings and not in the Holy Spirit. He believed in the peace and the prosperity but not in devotion to Jesus Christ.

All over the world, and in this room, there are those of you who believe in all these things but not in the person of Jesus.

You want to be filled with peace and prosperity but you don’t want to be cleansed from sin.

You walk like a Christian and talk like a Christian, but you don’t know Jesus Christ

You’ve seen what God has done and believe that He’s there, but there hasn’t been a change of heart.

The Bible says that even the demons believe and tremble…the difference is that the true believer has been cleansed from their sin. They have seen God’s word and they have trusted in Jesus for what He did on the cross and by defeating the grave.

You can’t figure it out, you can’t buy it, and I can’t give it to you, it’s all about faith in Jesus, real unwavering faith in Jesus, trusting Him and devoting to Him.

Watch how Peter responds to this false religon

Acts 8:20–23 NKJV

But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”

You see that? “poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity”. This is a man who hasn’t been cleansed from sin. He hasn’t been freed from his own desire.

This man named Simon was some sort of egomaniac trying to get power that comes from God, never really caring about the person of Jesus or the filling of the Holy Spirit.

This man Simon is in total contrast to who we will see next, who is a eunuch seeking the true living God.

IV. A Eunuch the Seeker

Acts 8:26 NKJV

Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert.

Acts 8:28–31 NKJV

was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.” So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.

Acts 8:35–37 NKJV

Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

Acts 8:39 NKJV

Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.

This Eunuch was a man that wanted to know God badly enough that he would travel over 200 miles to worship God in Jerusalem.

While he was there, he obtains a scroll with the words of the Prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah 53:7–8 NKJV

He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.

He is on his chariot reading that, and Philip, guided by an angel of God and the Spirit of God goes and talks to this man, asking him, “Do you know what you’re reading.”

The man said, “I’m not sure, I need a teacher.”

A Seeker and a Witness

There are two ingredients to a successful conversion.

A heart that’s ready to receive the truth.

This man’s heart has been primed by God’s Word.

The Bible says, “faith comes by hearing, hearing by the Word of God.”

A faithful witness to expound the truth.

Philip was that faithful witness,

obedient to God’s command to take the gospel to all nations and tribes

sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s guidance

The Bible says that faith comes by hearing God’s word.

It also says this, Romans 10:14

Romans 10:14 NKJV

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?

How can someone know Christ unless you share it? Unless you yourself are sensitive to the Spirit’s leading?

The Holy Spirit was working in the heart of this Eunuch in cooperation with the word of God and a faithful witness so that this man might be saved.

And look, when Philip got there, what did he preach?

Acts 8:35 NKJV

Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.

A True Believer

This eunuch is the complete opposite of that faker Simon. Simon saw the miracles and wanted the power.

This eunuch heard testimony of Jesus Christ and wanted to follow Him.

Acts 8:36 NKJV

Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”

Acts 8:38–39 NKJV

So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.

This eunuch asked for baptism not so that he would be saved, but so that he could identify with Jesus.

This man was a treasurer for the queen. There in his caravan were his servants and likely some others that served the queen. He didn’t jump in on the fanfare like Simon….

This eunuch, who was an influential and important man, humbled himself to be accepted by God, declaring that he believed Jesus was the Son of God.

Conclusion

We’ve seen Saul the persecutor…

we’ve read about Philip the preacher…

We’ve seen a pretender and a real seeker of truth…

What I want to say to you today is this…

Persecution and hard times will come against the Christian and the church, but even when evil seems to be winning, we can know that God is moving His plan forward regardless of the circumstances we face. That God is powerful, He uses even the trials of life to advance His Kingdom

That we need to be faithful witnesses of Jesus wherever we go and whatever circumstances that we face. It’s true that God is accomplishing His will here on Earth, but He is accomplishing His will through His people.

v. 40 says that Philip preached on a circuit until he found his way home. Be like Philip, preach Jesus.

There are pretenders in every church, and they want the power of religion and relationships. You may look good on the outside, but reality says you are a man or woman destined for Hell. It’s time to repent and accept Jesus as your Lord.

If you are in this room today and you are truly seeking God’s truth, come down to this altar or find me or one of these deacons after the service and we will show you how to accept Him today.