25th April MR talk
Notes
Transcript
Big Idea: amaze people to advance God’s Kingdom not your own
Intro: impressing people
Intro: impressing people
Anyone ever tried to get scouted, to really stand out in their sport? Not me - no chance! What about trying to stand out so you get cast as someone significant in a play or a film? Anyone? When’s the last time you wanted to impress people, to get their attention, I wonder?
I used to work for Amazon, and at one point we ran events where we’d get a whole bunch of graduate candidates together who were after jobs, put them together in teams and then have them take on tasks while we watched - to see who impressed us, who stood out. One of my personal favourites was - and I know this may sound a little strange - asking each team to get a satsuma as far above the desk as they could - using only spaghetti, selotape and paper. Several teams didn’t manage to even get it off the ground but one candidate I noticed in particular and still remember just stabbed three bundles of spaghetti into the satsuma right at the last moment to give it legs. That’s one way to get attention!
Context
Context
Today we’re going to look at the next section of the book of Acts which we’ve been working through.
Just to bring you up to speed, we’re following the story of the very first church in Jerusalem, about two thousand years ago. We’ve seen Jesus’ church explode onto the scene and grow rapidly - then have to deal with growing pains. Last week we saw the things suddenly turn against them: One of their boldest voices was killed, and with that a huge crackdown began which scattered everyone.
There’s a lot going on in today’s passage and we’ll not be able to look at all of it if you want your lunch - but one of the things in the foreground is this question of attention - so look out for attention and what it’s connected with as we read this morning.
Roz is going to read for us.
Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city. Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.” Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.” After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.
Scattered, not silenced
Scattered, not silenced
So the believers are scattered from Jerusalem by this sudden, deadly wave of persecution but rather than how you might expect them to respond - running for their lives; grieving the loss of homes, relationships, career; just keeping their heads down and trying to become invisible - instead they’re trying to get people’s attention. The first verse we read told us
Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.
and then it gives us just one example of how, although the believers had been scattered, they most definitely hadn’t been silenced. We focus in on Philip in Samaria, one of the seven we recently saw appointed to handle logistics in response to the church’s growing pains. He’s not just on logistics any more - he’s on the front line of mission, performing signs and speaking powerfully about Jesus.
We have to grasp a bit of background on the significance of this happening not just anywhere, but particularly in Samaria, to get the full picture. You might remember from the beginning of Acts Jesus set out a gameplan for the expansion of the church - Peter reminded us of it last week:
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Three steps: Jerusalem? check. Judea and Samaria? here we go. Next up, the ends of the earth. But what’s significant about Judea and Samaria? Why is it the middle step between their starting point and the very ends of the earth? Well, we have to do a bit of history.
About a thousand years before the events we’re reading about, Israel was one happy single nation made up of 12 parts, twelve tribal families. But after famous king Solomon, the happy family splits. The 10 northern tribes went one way. The tribes of Judah and Benjamin went the other. The kingdom of Israel was torn in two - often at war with each other.
300 years later, things got worse: that northern part would be decisively conquered by the Assyrian empire who set about systematically destroying it’s culture: exiling anyone who was anyone, leaving behind only the poorest and least important. Bringing in a mishmash of leaders and rulers from elsewhere around their empire to fill the empty spaces - trying to kind of erase the conquered nation so it simply couldn’t rebel. The result was a people called the Samaritans, the place where Philip has just landed. There’s a half-remembered Jewish background mixed with a range of other religions and traditions from around the Assyrian empire.
As a result, “proper” Jews looked down on them and they were often at each other’s throats. “Jews do not associate with Samaritans,” John 4:9 tells us.
The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
1,000 years of division and hostility. Some shared history and belief - that’s why Philip can speak about messiah, the chosen one, to them: because like the Jews, they are expecting a messiah - but 1,000 years separated from the Jewish people proper. That’s where Philip lands, and where Philip begins to speak.
I’m not going to go into it this morning, but that epic boundary-crossing is why I think there’s this extraordinary 2-phase initiation for these first Samaritan believers - why they believe and are baptised, yet it’s only when the apostles show up and lay on hands that they receive the Holy Spirit - normally that’s a package deal.
This reuniting of divided Israel isn’t going to be easy so it’s critical the Apostles, the key leaders in the early church, put their stamp of approval on it, show they are onboard - because there’s sure to be struggles ahead. If you want to hear more about that, I posted a short video to our Facebook page Friday which goes into more depth - do have a watch and comment there with any questions - because that’s not where I want to focus this morning.
Amazement and attention
Amazement and attention
What I want us to focus on this morning is getting people’s attention. Lots of this passage is about a guy called Simon, a magician or sorcerer. Now Simon was impressive - he could do cool magic stuff. We’re not told what, but it was clearly impressive. There’s no indication here that he was a fake, though that’s possible. Either way, he amazed people - he had them eating out of the palm of his hand.
and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.”
Simon was getting all the attention - until this Philip shows up. Then the crowd suddenly pivot to the new kid on the block. He’s doing even cooler stuff - so it seems. Exorcisms. Healings. Boom! it’s showtime. Simon is obviously impressed - so impressed that he starts stalking this new guy:
Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
What’s going on inside Simon? Well on the one hand we’re told he believed and was baptised - sounds like he’s seen what the signs point to: that they authenticate Philip’s message about Messiah, about the good news of the Kingdom of God, about Jesus. But notice also he’s trailing Philip everywhere, jaw dropped, like he’s just wanting to be amazed once more, to see another cool thing. Is he really seeing what the signs signify? Or is it more about the signs themselves for him?
Well, as the story goes on and the Apostles arrive to endorse this huge step forward in Jesus’ game-plan, this boundary-crossing move, Simon walks away from Philip just as quickly as he attached himself in the first place. Philip’s signs were cool - but these Apostles. I mean, wow! Now we don’t know what he saw or what so impressed him, but clearly what the apostles are up to is even more jaw-dropping than Philip’s exorcisms and healings. New top dog, he thinks. So we would be right to wonder about what’s really going on inside him.
People respond + are baptised
People respond + are baptised
Now alongside this Simon story, we’ve got the wider response of the Samaritans to Philip’s message.
When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said.
The signs get his message a proper hearing. They pay close attention as a result - and they don’t just listen:
But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
They hear what he has to say: that the promised one has come, that Jesus is this promised messiah, that God’s kingdom is being established, breaking into this broken world and restoring things - good news, as the healings and exorcisms so graphically picture right in front of them. They hear it - and they believe it. And then we read they were baptised which, if you’re not familiar with church words, won’t mean much to you.
Baptism just means being immersed in water. It was a ritual which was already around before Jesus showed up, but which he infused with new meaning and significance. He made it a critical part of the journey of becoming his follower by including it in the instructions he gave to his people after rising from the dead - famous instructions called the Great Commission:
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Jesus tells them -tells us- to go and make disciples - that is learners, or followers, of Jesus. And how do we do that? He gives us two accompanying actions: baptising them, and teaching them. So that’s what we do - just like it’s what Philip did. It might seem weird to have getting wet be a significant part of it but baptism has profound symbolism:
First, there’s washing in view. That’s probably the main resonance baptism carried pre-Jesus. In Christian baptism, we’re not just thinking about being physically washed clean, or ceremonially clean, but about the much bigger deal of being washed clean of all the wrong things in our life, our past, our actions - even our hearts. Later on in Acts, baptism is spoken about in exactly this way:
And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’
Second, there’s identification with Jesus in his death and resurrection in view. Going down into the grave, down into death, down under the water, and then coming back up into life, into resurrection. That’s expressing the hope that we somehow share in his death so we don’t have to die ourselves, and the hope that we will be united with him in resurrection too. The apostle Paul puts it this way in one of his letters.
Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.
It’s identifying with Jesus in his death and new life. Elsewhere he describes it as almost “wearing” Jesus:
for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
Baptism is part of the journey Jesus expects new followers to walk - here, from the looks of things, these Samaritans get there pretty quick. Perhaps baptism is the right next step for you in your journey? We love to baptise people and we can figure something out even in the midst of a pandemic. You can let us know by registering as “ready to get baptised” at hopecityedinburgh.org/events.
Sometimes, although it belongs at the start of our journey, we can kind of miss the window and just cruise on past it. But if you’ve never been baptised, and you would call yourself a follower of Jesus, that’s not right. You should do it. Because Jesus says so. Why not make today the day you step forward - time and go get wet? Just let us know you’re ready.
..
So on the one hand you’ve got these Samaritans, 1000-year enemies of the Jews, responding to Philip’s message and being baptised. On the other hand, you’ve got Simon. Simon gets baptised right here too - but it doesn’t seem to do him any good. See, Simon has a problem.
Simon has a problem
Simon has a problem
The Samaritans are accepting the word of God - that’s how this passage describes it. They’re accepting the message about messiah Jesus, the king. God’s Kingdom is advancing - fast, so it seems. But for Simon, that’s a problem: his Kingdom is lost. Simon loved to amaze people, loved the attention it got him. Loved the followers it earned him.
Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery.
but that’s all gone - ...and he wants it back. You can see that during the showdown he has with the apostles, wanting to add one more amazing trick to his repertoire. Peter diagnoses what’s going on inside of him.:
For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”
Bitterness, as it’s translated here, is literally bitter gall or bitter poison, and that’s an idiom, an expression, which means to be particularly envious of someone. Simon’s jealous of the apostles’ power - jealous of the attention Philip’s signs are winning. It seems like he’s not really on the team after all, only hanging around so close to see if he can pick up some new tricks to get himself back into the limelight.
He loved being called the great power of God, loved to boast he was someone great. He wants to spend his time telling people that he’s someone great - not that Jesus is someone great. So he has to get off the bus. Here’s how Peter puts it:
You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God.
Simon’s heart was not right, or straight, before God. His motives, his goal, was not what it should be.
What’s this got to do with us?
What’s this got to do with us?
Let’s face it, we often want to impress people and get their attention. Maybe it’s at church that you want to impress others with how spiritual you are or how important you are. Maybe I want to impress people with how well we’re doing or how innovative we are. Maybe it’s at work where you have to impress people, to show everyone how indispensable you are. Maybe it’s people we admire that we’re just desperate to win approval from - maybe it’s just our friends we want to impress. You might be pretty lousy at actually impressing other people - I certainly am - but still we want to, right?!
But before we jump to any conclusions, I want you to see here that Philip + Apostles didn’t hold back from doing amazing things. They weren’t afraid of the limelight, of getting attention. It’s not that you should never stand out or stand up or do amazing work or be extraordinary. That’s not Simon’s problem here. In fact, if anything, Christians should be standing out. Here’s Jesus on that topic:
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
We are to let our light shine before others - we should be impressing people, causing people to be amazed, or at least bemused, making them wonder about what’s behind it all. We should be rich in good deeds - and known for it. That’s a bit of a strange idea, right? Almost showing it off - at least letting it be seen. But that is what Jesus says.
The issue, the key question is what we do with it: why do we draw attention? why do we long to amaze people and stand out?
Simon was in it for himself - he loved being someone great; he loved being followed. Really, he was in it for his own kingdom - that’s what he was after: power. There’s plenty of people who share his story, share his motive. The new kid on the block, Philip, loved making Jesus great. He was in it for Jesus' kingdom.
So when you feel that urge for attention, when you want to stand out, ask the question why. what are you in it for? Amaze people! Stand out! Don’t go hide your awesomeness and pretend you’ve got nothing, done nothing. But point to Jesus as you do it. Build his kingdom, not your own.
Just a few seconds to reflect and then I’ll pray:
Where do you want attention?
Why do you want attention?
Whose kingdom are you building?
...prayer...
God knows our hearts, even as we struggle to see them ourselves - he knows whether they are straight or not. So let’s declare the truth together in our closing song that we need Him because even as we worry about where our hearts really are, our closing song will remind us “where sin runs deep, his grace is more”.