Acts 8:1

Saul was consenting unto the death at that time, and there was a great persecution against the church, which was at Jerusalem. They were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men carried Stephen to his burial and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house and hauling men and women, committing them to prison. Therefore, those who were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word.

Let's pray. Father, as we look now into Your word, I ask that You would continue to work in us. Work in us in that powerful way that You do by Your Spirit, by Your power, to transform us by the renewing of our minds. Wash us by the washing of the water of the word, that we would be a people set apart unto You. Though we may face difficulty or trying times, I pray that we would shine as lights, even as we see here in the early church, as we saw with Stephen last week, and as we're going to continue to see here in Acts chapter 8. God, I pray that You would do a work in our midst that just blows our minds. For we ask it in Jesus' name. And all God's people said, Amen. You can be seated.

Several weeks ago, when we were in Acts chapter 6, you'll remember that there was a need within the body of Christ. There was a lack in the church. A group of widows within the body was not being ministered to. Peter and the other apostles gathered the body of Christ together and told the church to choose out seven men. These men had to fit specific criteria: they had to be of good report, with a good testimony, full of the Holy Spirit, and full of wisdom. They said to separate these men so that they may be appointed to this task, to this business.

The church got together and chose seven men to take care of this administrative task, dealing with the widows within the body of Christ and distributing to them as they had need. One of the men they chose was Stephen, a man full of the Holy Spirit.

And God had a plan much bigger than just administering among the widows there. We saw two weeks ago that Stephen was brought before the council, the Sanhedrin. This was the very same group that had brought Jesus before them and condemned Him to die, as recorded in the Gospel of John in chapter 19 and in the other Gospels as well.

As Stephen stood before the council, he declared the Gospel to them in a powerful way. Remember, he was a man who was full of the Spirit and full of wisdom. They could not contend with the wisdom that he had. He was able to present the Gospel of truth from the Old Testament, starting with Abraham and moving through Jacob, Joseph, and all the different patriarchs, revealing the work of God in the Old Testament.

He brought them down to Acts chapter 7, verse 54, where we read that when the Sanhedrin heard the words he spoke, they were cut to the heart and gnashed at him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. He said, "Behold, I see the heavens open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

When Jesus stood before the Sanhedrin and they asked Him if He was the Christ, the Messiah, He affirmed that He was. He then said, "And you shall see the Son of Man standing at the right hand of the glory of God." That was when they tore their clothes and condemned Him to die.

Now, here in Acts chapter 7, Stephen looks up and sees Jesus in heaven. He declares that he sees exactly what Jesus had told them they would see. When they heard this, we read in verse 57 that they cried with a loud voice, stopped their ears, ran upon him with one accord, cast him out of the city, and stoned him. The witnesses laid their clothes down at the feet of a young man named Saul.

As they stoned Stephen, he was calling upon God, saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." He kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." When he had said this, he died. We read in verse 1 of chapter 8 that Saul was consenting unto the death of Stephen.

Now, the word "consenting" here refers to Saul, who was one of the leaders within Israel and possibly even part of the Sanhedrin. He was definitely a disciple of a man named Gamaliel, and he presided over the judgment of Stephen. The word "consenting" in the original language could also be translated as being pleased with the death of Stephen. As he looked at Stephen being killed, with large stones hurled at him, Stephen looked up into heaven and said, "Lord, do not lay this sin to their charge."

With a loud voice, Paul, or Saul of Tarsus, was standing there, pleased with what he saw because he desired to destroy the work of God. It is interesting to note that Saul's teacher, Gamaliel, was the same man who, in Acts chapter 5, verse 38, told the Sanhedrin these words: "Do not lay hands upon the men, the apostles of the church; let them alone, for if this counsel or this work is of men, it will come to nothing. But if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it, lest happily you be found even to fight against God."

At that time, the Sanhedrin had brought the apostles before them and told them, "We do not want you to preach in the name of Jesus any longer." The apostles responded, "Shall we obey you, or shall we obey God?" The Sanhedrin wanted to kill these men, but Gamaliel intervened, saying, "I have something to say." They put the apostles out for a moment, and he explained that if this work is of God, they would not be able to overthrow it. If they fought against it, they would be fighting against God.

One of Gamaliel's disciples, Saul of Tarsus, had a good reputation among the Jews in Jerusalem. He was passionate and zealous for the things of Judaism and for the law of Moses. We read a little about him in the book of Philippians, chapter 3. His credentials and resume are given in Philippians chapter 3, verse 5. It states that Saul of Tarsus was circumcised on the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews. As touching the law, he was a Pharisee. Concerning zeal, he persecuted the church. And touching righteousness, which is in the law, he was blameless. You see, Saul of Tarsus...

Before Acts chapter 9, which we'll get into in a couple of weeks, Saul of Tarsus was a man who was zealous for the things of Moses and for the law of Moses. He was zealous for the traditions of his fathers and was a Pharisee within Judaism, which meant he was part of the most religious sect of all of Judaism. He was a man who studied the law and sought to keep it, even from his youth. He tells us in Philippians chapter 3, verse 5, that he was circumcised on the eighth day. This means that from the very beginning, before he could even consciously keep the law, his parents were making sure that he did. This man was dedicated to the law of Moses.

Saul saw the following after Jesus of Nazareth as a complete heresy to what he believed. He viewed it as something that needed to be quelled and crushed, and he wanted to destroy this work. That is why he was pleased when he saw Stephen being put to death. After that point, we are told that he brought about a great persecution against the church. The word "persecution" refers to a direct onslaught against the church. He was seeking to destroy it, to put them to flight, and to cause them to flee and run away. He was the instigator and the leader of this persecution.

As a result of this great persecution, we are told in Acts 8:1 that the church was scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. All the church began to be scattered into Judea and Samaria. This is interesting because if you turn from Acts 8:1 to Acts 1:8, we see that this is exactly what Jesus had told His disciples He wanted them to do. In Acts 1:8, Jesus, while standing on the Mount of Olives and preparing to ascend into heaven about ten days before the Holy Spirit would be poured out upon the church, said, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

He instructed them that they would be witnesses unto Him in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. Just a few verses before that, in Acts 1:4, He said, "I want you to wait in Jerusalem until you receive power from on high," referring to the gift of the Holy Spirit and the power that would come with Him.

He says to wait in Jerusalem until then, but then you're going to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. By the time we get to Acts chapter 8, verse 1, about three to five years have gone by. There has been a significant length of time that has passed, and we read in Acts chapter 8 that they were all still in Jerusalem. The church was still abiding in Jerusalem until persecution came.

I do not believe that God was the one directly sending the persecutor, Saul of Tarsus. I also do not believe that it was God who was directly causing the persecution, but God was certainly able to use the persecution. He allowed it and used it to cause the church to go and do what He had wanted them to do in the first place: to be witnesses in Jerusalem, and after Jerusalem, to go to the surrounding area of Judea, then north into Samaria, and finally to the uttermost parts of the earth.

Oftentimes, when the church faces difficulties like persecution, it causes the church to be purified and ignites a fire within the body of Christ. In fact, if you study revivals throughout church history, you'll find that many revivals began after real low points in the church. After the church had become lax, relaxed, and lazy, persecution started to come in, and hard times faced the church. This often caused a great revival to happen.

I believe that the church had grown somewhat lax and maybe a little bit lazy there in Jerusalem. They hadn't spread out and gone into the places that the Lord had called them to go. So, the Lord allowed for this persecution to come. When the church is lazy and loses sight of the commission that God has given us, what is that commission? It is to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Jesus says to teach them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

When the church becomes lazy and loses sight of that commission, it is not actively moving forward. It is not taking ground and pursuing the work that God has called us to. If the church is not actively moving forward, what happens?

It's falling back. It's losing ground. Every single one of you understands this on an individual and personal level. If on January 1st you decide, "I'm going to work out and get strong this year," you go down to the fitness place and get yourself a membership. Let's say you work out for a full 30 days and start to build up those muscles, but then you get tired and stop. What happens to those muscles very quickly? We all know about that atrophy, don't we?

The same is true within the body of Christ. If the body of Christ is not exercising itself towards the work that God has called us to, if we're not actively pressing on and moving forward, then we're falling back and losing ground. When we begin to lose ground to the enemy, the result will always be increased difficulty and ultimately persecution. The enemy is actively seeking to destroy the work of God. If our adversary, the devil, the one who rules this world, is seeking to destroy the work of God and we're growing lazy and tired, not pressing on, we will be overtaken. Then persecution and difficulty will come.

However, as we see in the book of Acts, particularly in Acts chapter 8, persecution is often something God can use for good. Like a fire, persecution purifies dead growth and produces new growth. Living here in Southern California, we understand this very well. Every year, from about August to the end of October, we are in the midst of fire season. Humidity drops, winds increase, and fires start, sweeping through our county. These fires destroy all the dead underbrush that has accumulated over the years, which is only good for one thing: to be burned up.

Not only does the fire purge that dead undergrowth, but it also leaves behind rich nutrients in the soil for new growth. I believe that the Lord allows persecution in His church to do the very same thing. Persecution purifies and produces new growth. If you look at our nation, especially over the last 60 years or so, you will see that the church, in many ways, has not been actively fulfilling the mission and calling that the Lord has sent us forth to do.

I'm not specifically speaking about Calvary Chapel of Escondido; I'm talking about the church at large here in the United States. If we're not actively pushing forward, then we're losing ground to the enemy. As we lose ground, we see that there's more difficulty.

If you look at the last 60 years, you'll notice a significant amount of legislation in the public arena and an increasing outcry from the public to keep religion confined to the pews, to keep it in the building, in the church. I believe this is a direct result of the church not actively moving forward to take ground.

I had an opportunity on Thursday to be involved in a web conference here in San Diego. A speaker shared some interesting statistics that I found rather enlightening. He mentioned that, according to their research, only about 15% of the people living in San Diego County attend a Christian church regularly. I expected that number to be a bit higher, considering we live in a fairly conservative area in California. Yet, only about 15% of the population regularly attends church.

He also noted that when adjusted for population growth—since we live in a place that is experiencing significant population increases—the church in San Diego County is shrinking by 2.5% every single year. While this may seem like a small amount, it reflects a steady downward trend in church attendance.

In America as a whole, church attendance in 1990 was about 51 million people attending weekly. That seems like a lot. By the year 2000, that number had increased to 51.7 million. At first glance, this appears positive, as it represents an increase of 700,000 people. The evangelical movement seemed to be thriving, with more people being evangelized and coming in.

However, he pointed out that between 1990 and 2000, the population in the United States grew by 51.8 million. This means that the church is not growing nearly as fast as the population is growing, both in the church and in the nation. In fact, church attendance in America is decreasing.

There have been many secular reports. Even over the last two years, you've probably seen them in the newspaper from different research organizations and entities. They say that Christianity in America is in decline. Now, there's been a big increase in population, but only about a 2% increase in church attendance in our nation. I would say that this is a direct correlation to the fact that the church is not doing what it was commissioned to do. We were told to go and make disciples. If church attendance is not increasing, then that means we are not actively doing what God has called us to do.

Actually, every single year in America, for the last several years, 3,700 churches close their doors. Now, every year, there are about 4,000 churches planted, which seems like a pretty good thing. However, when you consider the 3,700 churches that close their doors, you see that there are really only about 300 new churches each year. In a nation as big as ours, we need to plant more churches. We need to be actively moving forward and accomplishing the work that we are called to do by God. If we are not, then we will be losing ground to the enemy. When we lose ground to the enemy, we will see an increase in secularization in our nation. Do we see that? Yes, we do.

As we observe this, persecution begins to arise. It starts at the verbal level, as we've seen in the Book of Acts, where people begin to talk down to the church and to Christians. They start to speak against Christians and the church. There will come a point, and I believe we are moving in this direction in our nation, where people will begin to see the church as an obstacle to progress. When they perceive the church as an obstacle, we will start to see a shift from verbal persecution to physical persecution, as we see in the Book of Acts.

This may cause some of you to feel a bit fearful. However, as we see here, persecution causes purification and produces new work and new growth. If you look at the churches throughout history that have gone through difficulties, trials, and persecution, you will see that they emerged stronger for it. In fact, for the last several years, we have had the great opportunity to be involved with some of the work that God is doing in China. As you look at the church in China, which is persecuted, you see that God is doing an amazing work. So, I do not pray that God would bring persecution to us.

I do pray that God would do a work of purifying and that He would produce new growth. This may involve us going through difficult times. However, we should take great strength in the fact that Romans tells us we are more than conquerors in Christ. Amen? Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world. The gates of hell are not going to stand against the church, but we need to be actively fulfilling the ministry that God has given us to go into all the world and make disciples.

When Saul of Tarsus came into the church trying to destroy it, the very thing he was seeking to do was completely blown up. I think the guy was probably completely frustrated. In verse 3, it says, "As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, hauling away men and women and committing them to prison." He had no regard for men over women. He didn't care if you were a female or not; he would take you out and throw you in jail because you were a follower of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Now, of course, we're not seeing that in our nation as of yet, but there may come a day when that becomes the case. He went into every home and made havoc. The word "havoc" here means that he was violent, unyielding, and tearing apart the church. He was seeking to destroy it. However, the result was, in verse 4, "Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word." Saul's mission to destroy the church clearly had the inverse effect. He had to be frustrated; he wanted to completely consume it and tear it apart. Yet, every single time he tried to tear it apart, it just increased.

It was almost like trying to put out a fire of oil with water. You're spraying it down, and it just causes the fire to spread even more. This was probably driving him crazy. Saul was making havoc of the church, and ultimately, just as his teacher Gamaliel had said, he would find himself fighting against God, as we will see when we get into Acts chapter 9 in a couple of weeks.

We read that the church was scattered abroad, and they went everywhere preaching the word, just as God had told them to do. In verse 5, it says, "Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and he preached Christ unto them." Philip went down to the city of Samaria, as we read in Acts chapter 6.

The church took aside seven men of good report, full of the Holy Spirit and full of wisdom, and they ordained them to the administrative task of taking care of the widows within the body of Christ. One of those men was Stephen, whom we see in Acts chapter 7, but another was Philip. The interesting thing is that Philip was prayed for by the apostles. They laid hands on him, prayed for him, and sent him out into the work to do this administrative task of distributing goods to the widows within the body of Christ.

It may have seemed like an everyday sort of task that anyone could do—giving goods to those who were poor within the body of Christ. Yet, the Lord took Philip and said, "I want you to do this, but it's just the first step." Many of you have probably experienced this as well. Perhaps from this pulpit, you've heard one of the other pastors or myself say, "We need some help with children's ministry." You might have thought, "Well, I guess I could help and be a helper in children's ministry."

Or we might say, "We need some help with the cleaning crew." You could respond, "Yeah, I know how to use a vacuum. I could probably do the cleaning crew." We've also said, "We need some construction guys to come and help us down in Tecate." You might think, "Yeah, I think I could probably use a hammer. I'll go help out with just this everyday sort of average job that anyone could do."

Yet, when you stepped out into that, you found that the Lord opened up all kinds of new opportunities and new doors. The next thing you know, you're doing something you never thought you could and never really intended to do. But God had a much bigger plan than you did. I know that was the case for me. When I was in high school, I had a knack for computers and knew how to use them pretty well. Pastor Richard asked me if I would help put the website together for the church. I figured, "Yeah, I could do that. I have a gift in that area. I can figure out how to make it work."

The next thing I knew, God had something else planned. As I've mentioned before, God's plans for you are much bigger than the plans you have for yourself. He is often doing something we don't fully realize. Sometimes, He opens the door into ministry with just a very practical need. "I need you to help with the cleaning crew." "I need you to help with the rummage sale." Whatever it may be, the next thing you know, the Lord has you on the mission field somewhere, just as He did with Philip.

There was a very practical need and a practical opportunity to serve those within the body of Christ, and then Philip found himself on the mission field. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.

Isn't it awesome how the Lord is able to use just average Joes, like you and me, to accomplish His work? I'm a nobody, and Peter was a nobody. John was a nobody as well. Peter, James, and John were just a bunch of fishermen, and really not very good fishermen at that. Yet, God said, "No, I'm going to take you and use you to be a fisher of men." God poured His Spirit upon them, and they spent three years with Jesus. The next thing you know, God is using them to turn the world upside down for the gospel.

He is able to take unlearned and untrained individuals. He spends time with them, pours His Spirit into them, and equips them by the study of His Word. Before long, God is using them in powerful ways. You remember the testimony of the Sanhedrin when they looked at Peter, James, and John. They said, "These are unlearned and untrained men. How possibly can they be teaching and preaching these things?" Yet, those men had been with Jesus. They were full of the Holy Spirit, and God was able to bring about great works.

The Apostle Paul said that God has chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. He has chosen those things that are weak, those things that are base, and those things that are nothing. He has chosen you and me, who are absolutely nothing, to do something great in His kingdom. I believe one of the biggest reasons He has chosen the weak, the foolish, the base, and the nothings of this world to accomplish His work is because that’s how He gets the most glory.

You see, if He chose a bunch of people who were somethings, if all of us were somethings, if we had all kinds of intelligence and great abilities, we might have an opportunity to say, "Look what I did. Look how great this is. I did this." Yet, when He takes the foolish things of the world, like me, and uses me to do His work, it blows my mind. It certainly blows other people's minds, too. You're probably blown away as well. It brings Him glory. God is most glorified when we are emptied of ourselves and filled with Him.

Here we see God using just an average Joe, Philip, and sending him down to preach the gospel. As he preached, the people with one accord gave heed to those things which Philip spoke, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits...

Crying with a loud voice came out of many who were possessed. Many who were taken with palsies and who were lame were healed. There was great joy in the city.

We read that Philip went and preached the gospel, and as he preached, the people listened. They gave heed to what he said because they saw and heard. They heard the words that he spoke and saw the works that he did. Philip performed miracles in their midst, and it wasn't Philip in his own strength; it was God working in and through Philip, just as Jesus had promised in the Gospel of Mark. In Mark chapter 16, the very last chapter of the Gospel of Mark, just before Jesus ascended into heaven, He said to His disciples in verse 15, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel unto every creature. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believes not shall be damned."

Notice verse 17: "These signs shall follow them that believe. In My name, you shall cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and the sick shall recover." Jesus said that where the gospel goes forth and when those carry the gospel out, good works and good signs will follow them. Demons will be cast out, and the sick will be healed.

Now, in fulfillment of that prophecy, we see Philip go out into Samaria. As he preaches the gospel in obedience to the call of God, God, through him by God's Spirit, performs these miraculous signs. I guarantee you that as you, by faith and in obedience, step out to do the work that the Lord has called you to and equipped you for, you also will see God move in miraculous ways. God still performs miracles like we see in the New Testament.

I have seen God perform such healings and miraculous things myself. I have heard testimonies from friends of mine and people, especially on the mission field, who have seen God move in miraculous ways. A couple of months ago, I had an opportunity to sit down with a gentleman who has been a part of our church here on and off for a while. Many years ago, he was very involved with Calvary Chapel, and a number of years ago, he and some friends went to Asia to preach the gospel.

While they were there, he was sharing with me testimonies of how they saw people healed—sicknesses and diseases healed right there on the spot as they prayed for them and preached the gospel. God still moves in miraculous ways. He still moves in mighty and powerful ways and desires to do so in and through you and in and through me. However, He also desires that we would go and, by faith and in obedience, do the work that He has called us to do.

What was the promise He gave there in Mark 16? Well, these signs shall follow those that believe. They shall follow those that go out and preach the good news, taking the gospel into the uttermost parts of the earth. Philip now sees this, and the Samaritans are the recipients of God's miraculous work as he goes down into this area of Samaria. Unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of those who were demon-possessed. The lame were healed, and what was the result in the city? In verse 8, we read that there was great joy. The gospel brings great joy.

You've probably experienced that today as you have received the good news of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection on your behalf. As you've received that good news, you have found joy in Him. God desires that our joy would be full. We see that in 1 and 2 John as well—the fullness of joy found in the gospel message. Psalm 16:11 says, "In His presence is fullness of joy." This city here in Samaria experienced the fullness of joy as the gospel was taken to them.

However, as is always the case, as we've already seen while going through the book of Acts so far, there's always opposition. There are always little problems that come up. As Philip was teaching and preaching in Samaria and people were coming to the Lord and being baptized, we read in verse 9 that there was a certain man called Simon, who, before this time, in the same city, used sorcery and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that he himself was some great one. That's an interesting thing. Have you ever bumped into somebody who told you right off the bat that they were something great? Really? It might be a little fearful if I encounter someone like that.

Simon, often referred to as the magician, was encountered by Philip in Samaria. We are told that he was a sorcerer who bewitched the people, seducing them with his tricks. They were truly taken with him, and he made himself out to be something significant.

Paul warns us in Galatians chapter 6 about those who think themselves to be something when they are nothing; they deceive themselves. In Galatians 6:7, it states, "Be not deceived. God is not mocked; whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap." In verse 3, it adds, "If a man thinks himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself." Simon thought himself to be something when he was nothing, and he was in a state of self-deception.

Paul also cautioned the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 10:12, "Take heed when you think you stand, lest you fall." Simon was positioned for a great fall. He presented himself as someone important, and all gave heed to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is the great power of God." They listened to Simon the magician and regarded him as the great power of God, not merely as someone who possessed the great power of God. If Simon was not self-deceived, I do not know who is.

They held him in high regard because he had bewitched or seduced them with his sorceries for a long time. However, when they believed Philip, who preached the things concerning the kingdom of God in the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. For many years, Simon had seduced this group of people, leading them to believe he was something great. They regarded him as the very power of God. Yet, in all the years he practiced his magic and sorcery, he had never cast out any demons or healed the sick.

He had never taken away diseases, and he had never brought them to liberty in Christ. Yes, he did miraculous things in front of them. Sure, he performed sorcery-type acts and magic, but he never helped them.

Now, the gospel of God came. The Spirit of God came, which 2 Corinthians chapter 3 tells us: where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. These people were given freedom in Christ. They had seen the magic of Simon the magician, but it had never helped them. However, now the word of God came; it set them free. People were healed of their sicknesses, demons were cast out of people, and so they believed and were baptized, both men and women.

We are told in verse 13 that Simon himself believed also. When he was baptized, he continued with Philip and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. It would appear on the outside that Simon also became a convert. He began to follow along with Philip's ministry. He believed, was baptized, and was watching these miraculous signs, no doubt wondering how this man performed such acts.

In verse 14, we read that when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John. When they came down, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for He had not yet fallen upon any of them; 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.

News got back to Jerusalem that God was doing a work in Samaria through Philip and that the Samaritans had received the word of God and were turning to Christ. Consequently, Peter and John were dispatched to pray for them so that they would receive the Holy Spirit. Just as the Jewish church had received the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, now Peter and John went to the Samaritans to pray for them to receive the Spirit.

The Spirit had not come upon them yet at this point. Notice in verse 16 that it says, "For He had not yet fallen upon any of them." He, the Holy Spirit, is not just an impersonal power; He, the Holy Spirit, is God. The Holy Spirit had not come upon them because they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Of Jesus, just like in John's baptism, they were baptized with water. But Peter and John came, and as they laid hands on the people and prayed for them, they received the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw that through the laying on of the hands of the apostles the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, "Give me also this power, that on whomever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit."

Now the true heart of this false convert is revealed. Why was he hanging around with Philip? Why was he baptized? I believe he just wanted to figure out how this guy did this stuff. He couldn't heal people or cast demons out of people. He had all these magic tricks, but he needed that power because he was losing his privileged position in the city and wanted to have it back. When he saw that Peter and John prayed for people and they received the Holy Spirit, there was obviously some sort of visible sign associated with that. Otherwise, Simon would not have wanted that gift.

He came to Peter and John and said, "I'll give you money for that. You give me that gift, and I'll give you money." I have no doubt that many of his magic tricks and sorceries he probably purchased, and now he sees one he doesn't have and says, "I want that." He wanted the gift of God; he wanted the work of God so that he could profit from it, whether financially or in power and prestige among the community. He wanted the work and the power of God so that he could profit from it.

Notice what Peter said to him in verse 20: "Your money perish with you." I like the way the Phillips translation puts it because I think it's literally the right way. Peter basically says to Simon, "To hell with you and your money." Those are heavy, powerful words. "Your money perish with you." You see, this man had a wicked heart, as Peter says, because he thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money.

"You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God." This man was a false convert, and as Peter exercised the discernment of the Holy Spirit, he looked at this man who was offering him money for the gift.

Of God, He says, "Your heart's not right; your heart is not right." Notice He tells him that he thought the gift of God may be purchased with money. Even 2,000 years later, there are still people who think that they can purchase the gift of God—God's salvation—by their good works, by their finances, or by their money. Whatever it may be, they think that they can purchase the gift of God.

But you and I are not redeemed with corruptible things like silver and gold. We are redeemed with the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and it is a gift that cannot be purchased. It is only something that can be received by faith. This man did not receive it in the right way; he thought that maybe he could purchase the gift of God with this money. Peter says, "No, your money perish with you."

If today you are one of those people who thinks, "Well, I'm going to get to heaven one day; I'm going to receive salvation one day because I've done this and I've given that," your good works and your money will perish with you on the day of Christ Jesus. There is no other way unto salvation but through Jesus Christ and the work that He did. Amen. He is the only way.

I know that there are people in this world today who say, "Well, that's awfully narrow." Yes, it is, but I didn't make it up; God did. Some people say, "Well, that's awfully exclusive." You're right; it is. There is only one name under heaven given among men whereby men must be saved, and that is Jesus Christ.

I know people will say, "Well, that's not politically correct, and it's not all-inclusive, and it's not very nice." But it's God's way, and it reveals His love in such a powerful way. He who knew no sin became sin for us. God demonstrates His love for you and me in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. If we say, "No, I'm going to come in another way; I don't need the work that Jesus did," then we are spitting upon the work that God's Son did on our behalf. He is the only way to salvation.

So Peter looks at this man who tried to buy the gift of God with money and says, "You have no part or lot in this matter because your heart is not right." Therefore, what ought he to do? Verse 22: What's the first word? What does it say? Say it loud: "Repent." The person whose heart is not right before God needs to repent, therefore, of this thy wickedness and pray to God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be...

Forgiven. You need to repent. It was the message that John the Baptist gave in Matthew chapter 3, the message that Jesus gave in Matthew chapter 4, and the message that Peter gave on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2. Now, it's Peter here in Acts chapter 8. He says to Simon the magician, "You need to repent. Your heart is not right before God. You need to repent, and you need to pray and ask for God's forgiveness."

Peter perceives, in verse 23, that Simon is in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity. He says, "You are in bondage because of your sin." Man is in bondage because of his sin in that he has departed from the clear counsel and teaching of God's Word. Man is dead in trespasses and sins, and unless he repents, he will one day die physically and stand before God for judgment. God will judge.

God is a loving God; He is a merciful God. He is a gracious and awesome God, but He will also by no means clear the guilty. The soul that sins shall die—not just a physical death, but the Bible reveals a spiritual death, the second death. In Revelation, at the end of the Bible, we read that death and hell will be cast into the lake that burns with fire, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, a place of outer darkness and torment for eternity. It doesn't sound like a nice place.

The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance. So, He says through Peter to this man, "You need to repent because you are in bondage because of sin."

Notice how Simon responded in verse 24: "Then answered Simon and said, 'Pray you to the Lord for me that none of these things which you have spoken come upon me.'" He did not want to experience judgment, but instead of doing what Peter told him to do—repenting and praying to God for forgiveness—he says to Peter, "You pray that I wouldn't receive any of this judgment. Please pray for me."

But the fact is, I cannot pray for you. Your brother can't pray for you. Your sister, your father, your mother, your friend—nobody can pray for you on your behalf before God. You need to go to Jesus Christ and ask for forgiveness yourself. Even Peter cannot do that for you.

You’ve got to come to Him and confess your sin to Him. We have an advocate with the Father, as we are told in 1 John chapter 1. If we sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness. But we’ve got to come to Him.

Simon the magician did not go directly to Jesus. Instead, he said to Peter, "Well, you pray for me. Pray that I wouldn’t receive this judgment." There is a tradition in the church that holds that Simon the magician did not repent. Instead, he went on to continue teaching false heresy. It would appear that he did not do what the Lord, through Peter, told him to do.

Yet we read in verse 25 that when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans. They continued to go on their way, preaching the gospel, while Simon went his way as Peter continued on his.

In this passage, we see an individual who had an appearance of godliness. He followed after Philip, was baptized, and seemed to be a part of the church. Yet, from everything we can tell here, he still remained with a wicked heart and would not repent. The fact is, there are many within the church throughout the world and throughout the history of the church who have an appearance of godliness but have never repented.

Jesus tells us the sad fact in Matthew chapter 7 that many on the day of Christ Jesus will say, "Lord, we prophesied in Your name, we cast out demons in Your name, we did wonderful works in Your name." And He will say, "Depart from Me, I never knew you, who practice lawlessness." You see, even Judas cast demons out of people; even Judas performed mighty works in Matthew chapter 10. Yet he was the son of perdition. The enemy, our adversary the devil, had entered into his heart. I believe that Judas died in his sin, and yet he was able to do good works.

There are people who do good works. I pray that nobody in this room would be among that group, and I don't believe that any of you would, because you would probably get up and leave by now. However,

If the Holy Spirit of God is speaking to you today, don't leave this place without doing what Simon could not do: repent and ask the Lord for forgiveness. Amen.

Let's stand and pray together. Father, I thank You that You are not willing that any should perish. You do not delight in the death of the wicked; You desire that all men would come to repentance. Lord, I thank You that You have saved us. Thank You, Lord, for saving our souls. We praise You today, Lord, for giving us the inheritance that is only received by turning to You in faith.

Lord, I pray for my brothers and sisters here as we step out of this place today. God, give us the strength by Your Spirit, the power to walk in faith and obedience. Help us to be bright, shining lights in a dark world. I pray that You would raise up from this church and the other churches in our nation those who would press out into the work.

Lord, that we would see the body of Christ equipped, strengthened, and built up in these last days that we're living in. For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.