Ovation over Transformation

INTRO:

We are moving through Acts at a pretty good pace.

We have journeyed through the first three Section:

Section One (1:1—4:4) - From Ascension to Pentecost: The Birth of the Church.

Section Two (4:5 - 6:7) Bold Witness and Divine Judgement.

Last week we looked at that SPIRITUAL STUD: STEPHEN in Section 3

Section 3 (6:8 - 7:60) The Faith and Fate of Stephen

Today we are going to look at a passage of scripture from Section Four from the Book of Acts …..

4. Section 4 (8:1-9:43) From Persecution to Miracles: The Gospel’s Advance

Again, there is 3 Sub-Section ….

Lets do a quick look at each of these 3 sub-sections.

From Persecution to Proclamation (8:1-8:25)

Verse 1 picks right up were section 3 leaves off …. “Stephen being Martyred for the faith.”

The first sub-section tells us that Saul approved his execution.

Then a “great persecution” arose in Jerusalem which scattered the believers.

The enemy freaked out the followers, scattering them in fear, but God grabbed that fear, flipping it …. to fire up the gospel’s global spread.

One of those areas is Samaria were we read about this Guy named Simon MAGUS “the Magician (Sorcerer)” who comes to believe and is baptized.

But he gets rebuked by Peter because of his thoughts and his actions (We are going to look at this in more detail in a minute.)

This is Sub-section ONE

2. From Ethiopia to Damascus (8:26-9:31)

Philip is told by an Angel of the Lord, Acts 8:26 …. “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”

He meets an Eunuch from Ethiopia and this guy gets saved and Baptized.

I love this story because Philip is said to have, Acts 8:39–40 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, ……  (40) But Philip found himself at Azotus, ….

Then things have a dramatic change due to one event …. Saul has his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus.

He gets radically saved and lives out the song, “I once was blind but now I see.”

Then we find him joining the disciples.

They were sort of reluctant but they came around.

3. Aeneas (AH-nah-us) and Dorcas: Signs of God’s Power (9:32-43)

Aeneas is a man who has been bedridden for 8 Years.

Peter heals him and all of Lydda (2-5K) and Sharon (2K) turned to the Lord

Tabitha is a disciple of the Lord.

Scripture tells us she was full of good works and acts of Charity.

She dies …. Peter comes and resurrects her but it takes a couple of days for Peter to get there. (They are only about 12 miles away)

He raises her from the dead!

In Acts 9:40 “.… Peter …… said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up.”

Sound familiar? Jairus’s Daughter!

Mark 5:41 “Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.””

There is one more thing that is significant to remember ….only two other place recorded in scripture do we read Jesus raising someone from the dead.

Not just Jairus’s daughter but …

John 11:43 “When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.””

Luke 7:11-17 Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, (14-15)“Young man, I say to you, arise.” And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

AND this brings us to the end of Section 4.

SEGWAY:

Lets go back to Sub-Section ONE and take a look at that guy named Simon.

So, if you have your bibles I want you to turn to Acts 8:4

BODY:

Acts 8:4–25 ESV

Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. 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. 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. So there was much joy in that city. 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. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. 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. Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed. Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.” 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.

SEGWAY:

Opening Line:

If you were to be honest with yourself, “Do you desire attention from others or do you desire transformation for others?”

You might be saying, “Whats the correlation between ATTENTION and TRANSFORMATION?

Stay with me …….

There are stats out there that helps us see the issues presented in this thought/statement:

The “NY Times” did a study on social media Influencer aspirations:

Definition - A social media influencer is an individual who has built a significant following on platforms like Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, or X, and leverages their audience, credibility, and content to shape opinions, trends, or consumer behavior.

About 25% of Gen Z want to be influencers,

and 57% of college students admit social media is used mainly for self-promotion.

In ScienceDirect.com they showed a stat ….. Teen pressure:

43–54% of teens feel pressured to get likes or views;

6–7% feel a great deal of pressure.

From an article titled “Our Mental Health” Attention-seeking behavior:

60% of users post specifically for likes;

12% admit exaggerating or fabricating posts for attention.

We live in a culture addicted to attention—measured in likes, views, and followers—yet this craving often leads to insecurity, comparison, and emptiness.

Unlike attention-seeking, helping others produce lasting transformation—brings joy, health, and freedom both to the giver and the receiver.

What we are going to look at today is Ovation over Transformation.

This is the title of this message today: Ovation over Transformation

As I said before ….. “We live in a world obsessed with attention.”

That was Simon in Acts 8.

He craved the spotlight, doing whatever it took to amaze people.

But then comes Philip—not chasing clicks, not chasing crowds, but carrying Christ.

And instead of fleeting attention, he brought lasting transformation.

“Simon sought Ovation (praise/flattery), but Philip was bringing transformation.”

Let me, quickly, show you what I mean …..

Simon’s Magic (Acts 8:9-11)

Simon was practicing sorcery/magic arts.

His power came from Human manipulation or Demonic influence, not from God.

The text says he —“amazed the people of Samaria” the focus was on “astonishment and spectacle,” not transformation or truth.

People said, “This man is the power of God that is called Great”(v.10), showing that the magic led to misplaced worship of Simon himself, not God.

Philip’s Ministry (Acts 8:7)

Philip’s power came from the Holy Spirit.

Instead of entertainment or self-exaltation, his ministry brought deliverance and healing: “For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.” (7)

The result was freedom, restoration, and joy (Acts 8:8 says, ).“There was great joy in that city”

The miracles confirmed the truth of the gospel message, pointing people to Jesus, not the messenger.

  Key Differences

Simon’s Magic Philip’s Miracles

Based on sorcery/occult Based on the power of the Holy Spirit

Drew attention to Simon Directed glory to Christ

Produced amazement Produced deliverance and joy

Bound people in deception Set people free from bondage

Temporary illusions True transformation

You know what the difference between Simon and Philip is?

The difference is source, purpose, and effect.

Simon’s magic was counterfeit power meant to exalt himself, while

Philip’s ministry was the authentic power of God bringing healing, freedom, and faith in Christ.

CONCLUSION:

The world is still full of Simons—chasing fame, power, and attention that never satisfy.

But God is still calling us to be Philips—men and women who point to Jesus, not ourselves.

Church let me tell you, Social media trends will fade, applause will die down, and power will slip away.

But the transformation Christ brings lasts forever.

Simon reminds us that it’s possible to look spiritual on the outside while remaining unchanged on the inside.

He sought power, but not purity; gifts, but not God.

Philip reminds us that when the gospel is preached in the Spirit’s power, lives are transformed, joy fills the city, and Jesus gets the glory.

The question for us today is simple: Will we live like Simon, chasing attention, or like Philip, pointing people to transformation in Christ?

Altar call:

What has concerned me the most about this sermon is this …..

Simon, saw the power of God (healings, demons casted out, the lame walk)

He believed in Christ (profession of Faith)

He was baptized (outward expression of an inward change)

And yet ….. he thought he could purchase the Holy Spirit!

“He witnessed transformation, but he still craved ovation.”

He was unwilling to give it all to God.

I wonder if this might be some of us today?

We have seen the power of God (Healing, deliverance, Miracles)

We would even say we have turned to Christ in faith ….

We might have even taken that step of Baptism …..

But ……. we unwilling to give all of ourself to God!

There is more to the story of Simon the Sorcerer …..

Justin Martyr, a 2nd-century Christian apologist and Samaritan by birth

He wrote extensively about Simon Magus (Simon the Magician) portraying Simon as a significant heretic - His teachings, later scholars associated with Gnosticism.

He was so unwilling to surrender to Christ he move in the opposite direction of Christianity.

Church, Simon was looking for attention and applause. He wasn’t willing to give that up.

I think a lot of us today can relate to this when it comes to Jesus.

We are thankful for what he did on the cross … (Salvation)

But we are unwilling to surrender what we believe the world has to offer.

Have you been torn between the world and Christ?

Longing to be saved but unwilling to be set apart?

Applause over transformation?

Lets take it to Jesus!