Sermon Tone Analysis

Text

Main Idea

The advance of the gospel will always face fierce satanic opposition, but advance it will.

14-17 divine authentication

18-24 - wicked opposition

Miraculous Transformation

Gospel Authentication

Satanic Opposition

Introduction

This week we are officially beginning a new phase in the story of Acts

We have already seen the transforming power of the gospel in Jerusalem:

At Pentecost - the Holy Spirit coming upon the 120, evidenced by signs and wonders

The transforming effect on their lives - had all things in common, sold everything

The transforming effect on their courage - Peter, who denied Christ 3 times, preaches and stands against the same Sanhedrin he once feared

The transforming effect on the whole city - thousands in Jerusalem have joined the church

In chapter 8 we see the next chapter in the story: the spread of the gospel and its transforming power in the surrounding regions of Samaria and Judea

One of the key features of Acts is that nothing that happens, happens by chance.

Rather, we see that the Lord Jesus is sovereignly at work in the world to bring about his sovereign will.

That is why this series is called “The Continuing Acts of Jesus” - Jesus has risen and he is ascended to heaven, but He is still very much at work in the world - even today...

…working all things according to his purposes.

He chose the 12th apostle -

says “they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen”

He heals the lame beggar -

Peter invokes the authority of Jesus name and tells the lame man to get up and walk

The Sanhedrin ask by what power the man was healed, and Peter says in that “by (Jesus) this man is standing before you well”

He is building the church -

Acts 3:47 “...the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

Acts 3

Now we arrive in , and immediately we are reminded again of Jesus continuing work in the world...

…because in we see His instruction to the apostles to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria...

and in we see that Jesus takes the attempts of the enemy to stop the spread of their witness, and uses it to spread the gospel out of Jerusalem and into the surrounding regions of Judea and Samaria.

And this is a great comfort to the church, because there is plenty to feel negative about in the world today.

BUT, we know that the Lord is at work in the world, and that ultimately, His purposes will prevail - even in the midst of fierce opposition.

That is what today’s sermon is about -

The main thing I want you to leave with today is this:

The advance of the gospel will always face fierce satanic opposition, but advance it will.

1. Gospel Transformation

As we turn to our text, the first thing we see is the transforming power of the gospel.

Acts

Verse 4 says that “those who were scattered went about preaching the word”

Now 8:1 says that the church was scattered throughout the regions of Judea - except the apostles.

So the ones preaching the word as they went about were not the apostles, but ordinary Christians.

We need to be reminded that the call to be Jesus witnesses in the world and to proclaim the gospel wherever we go was not only for the apostles, or even for church leaders, deacons, elders, pastors and preachers… but to every Christian.

Philip

In verse 5, Luke focuses in on one particular Christian and his preaching in Samaria - a man named Philip.

This is the same Philip who was one of the men chosen to serve the widows in the church in chapter 6.

Here we see him taking on the role of evangelist - in fact, in he is referred to as Philip the evangelist - the only person in scripture to be given that title.

Clearly, although Philip was called to a specific role of serving in the church, he didn’t use that as an excuse to avoid proclaiming the gospel or witnessing about Jesus.

Samaria

Now let’s turn our attention to the area in which Philip was preaching: he was preaching in the city of Samaria.

Now if you’ve read through the gospels, you know that there was always hostility between the Jews and the Samaritans.

The Jews regarded the Samaritans as unclean half-breeds.

Hundreds of years before this, pagan Assyrians relocated to and settled in the northern regions of Israel.

The Samaritans were the descendants of intermarriages between the Assyrians and the Jews of Northern Israel.

In racial terms then, the Jews regarded the Samaritans as unclean half breeds.

But they also had significant religious and theological differences.

The Samaritans retained some aspects of the Jewish faith, and they had some formal service to the God of Israel in their own temples.

But… they only accepted the 5 books of Moses and rejected the rest of the OT Scriptures, and they combined service to the Lord with devotion to pagan idols.

So their was a significant racial and religious divide between the Jews and the Samaritans.

Crossing the divide

Jesus was the first to cross this divide and reach out to the Samaritans to offer them salvation in His name.

He shocked the disciples by not only going into Samaria in , but actually holding a conversation with a Samarian woman at a well.

Now Philip is following in the footsteps of Jesus and standing in the city of Samaria and proclaiming Christ to them.

He is following in the footsteps of Jesus, who was the first to reach out to the people of Samaria.

Transformation

Now Philip is proclaiming this same Jesus to the city of Samaria,

And the transformation that the preaching of the gospel brought to this city was incredible.

Consider the state of the city:

They are enveloped in false religion and idolatry

Most likely as a result of that, many are demon possessed

They were captivated by the dark magic of a man named Simon - a magician who had made a name for himself in that city

The people of Samaria were deceived by him and his magic, and believed his own claims of being somebody great.

Luke says in verse 10 that they ALL paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying “This man is the power of God that is called Great”

Many are paralyzed and lame.

Now Philip comes into that dark environment and starts preaching the gospel

And with the preaching of the gospel:

demons are screaming and coming out of the people they were possessing and torturing

The paralyzed and lame are being healed

And all kinds of signs and miracles are being done

Signs so powerful that they far overshadow Simon’s magic...

And all this is causing the crowds to pay attention to Philip’s preaching about Jesus...

… and the crowds start to pay attention to Philip’s preaching about Jesus and the kingdom of God, and verse 12 says they believed and were baptized

Even Simon himself was amazed by the great miracles that are being performed - so much so that Luke says even he believed, and was baptized, and began following Philip

Simon and the people who were once thought him to be great,

Luke says in verse 12 that t

Verse 8 says that there was much joy in that city

That is what the preaching of the gospel does.

It brings light to the darkness and hope to the hopeless.

And now - again, with no big revival tents or big bands, just the clear preaching of the gospel - a city is being transformed.

TheGospel is Authenticated

Where the gospel is preached, people, communities and cities are transformed...

…because the gospel is the power of God unto salvation - to the Jew and to the Gentile.

At this point Luke introduces a character by the name of Simon

The Good News is not to be withheld from anybody - we are called to take it to everyone - even those we might hold serious prejudices against.

The Jews had a serious problem with evangelising the Gentiles - we see a classic example of that in Jonah...

...who got angry with God because He wanted him to go and bear witness about Him to the people of Ninevah.

Jewish Christians had reservations about witnessing to Samaritans - maybe that’s why Jesus caused persecution to arise against the Church to scatter them (maybe they wouldn’t have gone on their own?)

Even today, there are Christian scholars arguing about whether or not we should have interfaith dialogues with Muslims

Is there anybody who you are not witnessing to because of a prejudice that you are holding in your heart towards that person’s ethnicity, religious background or any other differences?

Are you harbouring doubt in your heart that the gospel really is the power of God for salvation, and can cross all divides to bring about transformation?