Samaritans included in the Lord

Hi, everyone. So we're reading from Acts chapter 8 verses 1 to 25. I'll just give you a quick

Acts 8:1–25

overview of chapter 7 because it gets straight into 8. So Stephen was taken in front of the

Sanhedrin. He told them some hard truths and they didn't like it, so they stoned him and

killed him. And there was a young man named Saul. Chapter 8. And Saul approved of his execution.

And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem. And they were

all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried

Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church and entering house

after house. He dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. 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 whom I lay my hands on 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. 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.

Well, good morning, everyone.

Will you pray with me as we come to God's word? Let's pray.

Father, I pray that you'd teach

each one of us

more what it means

to rejoice

in the fact that our names are written in heaven.

And in Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Well, what makes somebody great?

Would you agree with me that in our culture, we believe someone's great mainly based on their

achievements, their results?

So if doctor,

da-da-da-da,

their qualifications,

their titles,

project,

manager,

head of

whatever,

we look at their money.

They've got more and more stuff.

Look how great they are.

We look at,

like,

I'm obviously getting old,

but I'm only mid-30s,

I think,

but the influences culture,

the fame,

the popularity,

they're great

because they're getting a following.

They're getting results.

I think we can even do it

as a parent.

Look at my children.

We look at position and power.

Aren't I great

in this position,

in this church?

I've already hinted at the fact that we

we can do it even in the church.

It's achievements.

Like,

I was thrown last week

when I had to admit publicly

that it was pretty obvious

that I forgot to print the bulletins.

Now,

you guys went home

and you couldn't care less,

I'm guessing,

but I cared

because it was just this public failure.

Who cares?

I know who cares.

Obviously,

I still care because I'm talking about it,

but

do you say,

like,

why?

do I care?

Because

that failure,

that sense of failure.

We're going to see in our passage today

that it is possible

to put on

all the church lifestyle,

put on all the church lingo,

you say all the things,

and still be thoroughly committed

to building up your own name,

your own sense of greatness.

I think we see that

in the story of Simon.

The movement of the early church,

like,

this is a matter of months

after Jesus died

and was raised.

The movement,

they had great achievements

up until this point.

The apostles were saying,

Jesus is risen,

he's ascended,

he is the king

that we've been waiting for.

In the last days,

the proof of that

is the spirit has come

on all God's people.

We've seen the success

of all the internal threats

to the church progressing

have been overcome.

The hypocritical religion

was stamped out.

The disunity in the church

was wonderfully changed,

common concern for one another

across cultural differences.

All these internal threats,

it was just success,

achievement,

and all these external threats

of the religious leaders.

The church kept growing.

More numbers.

They couldn't stop

the converts pouring in,

even among the priests.

And then we get

this huge failure,

apparent failure.

Like, is Jesus really enthroned

if Stephen is crushed by rocks?

What becomes of the spirit's

teaching and signs

through the apostles

now that they are in Jerusalem

and all the church is scattered?

What becomes of that?

All this success through apostles

and now the church is scattered.

What happens?

The joy in the church

was replaced by fear

of being put in prison

and great lamentation

for Stephen's death.

What are you doing, Lord?

Well, he told us in

chapter 1, verse 8,

you will be my witnesses

in Jerusalem

and in all Judea

and Samaria

and to the end

of the earth.

This scattering

that felt like God's curse

was his means

of blessing more people.

All his people,

we're told,

except for the apostles,

go into Judea

and Samaria.

And verse 4,

now those who were scattered

went about

preaching the word.

Instead of being filled

with fear

and just going,

I'm going to keep my head down,

I'm going to just live

a safe life,

all these believers

just spoke

about Jesus.

Instead of just the apostles

having authority

to proclaim the good news,

all who were scattered

preached.

All the believers

were gossiping the gospel.

And you can imagine

happening.

We're not told this,

but you can imagine,

why on earth

are you here in Samaria

of all places?

Why are you in Judea?

What's happened?

What a wonderful opportunity

to explain

why they've been

running for their lives.

Because

the Messiah has come.

They're all just

gossiping the gospel.

The word preached here,

don't imagine

what I'm doing now.

That's not the word

in the Greek.

It's a different word.

It's just,

they're just telling,

they're telling the good news.

It's the word we get

evangelised from.

So,

we see that it's not

just the clergy,

it's not just the apostles

declaring this good news anymore.

It was Stephen

and now Philip

and it's all God's people

who are declaring

this good news,

who have the authority

to speak this good news.

So,

can I just

encourage at this point,

invite people to church

to hear teaching.

Go for it,

do it.

But,

trust

that God has you

in the relationships,

in the situations

he wants you.

You are best placed,

not me,

you are best placed

to share

why you've got peace

and joy

and hope in Jesus.

I think we've got to trust

that you've got the authority

of God to speak.

Louisa's probably going to kill me

after church,

but

I love

the example,

I've been humbled

by Louisa's example

this week.

Even

sick in hospital

and she,

I'll just be

feeling rotten

in hospital,

but she was

seeing these ladies

she got to meet

and wanting to minister

to them.

I love that.

Even

in

hardship,

looking out

for how to share

the peace

and hope

that you've got.

When the Christian

missionaries

were kicked out

of China

in the middle

of the 20th century,

it just seemed

like the biggest

devastation

to China.

All the missionaries

were pushed out,

severe persecution,

but

it wasn't

lost.

The missionaries

went to surrounding

regions

and the believers

fledgling church

there,

they flourished.

They've gone

from strength

to strength.

This Jesus

is unstoppable.

He can

even use

failures,

defeats,

loss

to spread

his life-giving

word.

And so

Luke's focus

here

is on the

word of the

Lord keeps

going.

And we're

focusing on

Philip.

He's later

called an

evangelist.

We saw him

as a deacon,

he's later

an evangelist.

And his

message can be

summed up in

one word,

verse 5.

The

Christ.

That's his

message.

His signs

remind us

of Jesus.

Spiritual

oppression,

overcoming

Satan,

unclean

spirits are

driven out.

And physical

oppression,

paralyzed,

the lame

are healed.

It just

reminds us of

Jesus again,

doesn't it?

We saw Jesus

in the person

of Stephen

and now we're

seeing him

in Philip.

Jesus is the

hero of this

story,

working through

Philip.

In Jerusalem,

there's moral

outrage,

but in this

city,

there's joy.

Even in

dark days,

Jesus is

unstoppable.

His word is

continuing to

spread through

all the earth.

He's gathering

in his lost

sheep.

All Jesus

began to do,

he's continuing

to do.

Now this

spread of the

gospel was

even more

amazing when

we remember

who the

Samaritans

are.

Now Luke

says in

verse 5,

Philip went

down to the

city of

Samaria.

Now Luke,

he's known

for his very

precise historical

accuracy.

He's known for

it.

So much

of,

anyway,

I won't

go into

that now,

but there

wasn't a

place called

Samaria.

It was called

Sebaste.

I'm not sure how

to pronounce that

in his day.

So he seems to

want us to

remember their

historical,

who they were

historically.

It's a little

indicator.

Now you've

probably heard,

if you've

heard a bunch

of sermons

before,

you've heard

the hatred

between Jewish

and Samaritans.

So I just

want to go

back into

why they

hated each other.

Jews would

go all the

way around

Samaria,

walking around,

just to avoid

going into

unclean

territory.

Think of the

parable of the

Good Samaritan,

which is so

famous.

Why does that

parable work?

Because true

love crosses

even the barrier

between Jews

and Samaritans.

Whoever you

dislike,

this is a

true love

in Jesus

crosses those

barriers.

We learn

of their

origins back

in 1 Kings

12.

David's son

Solomon,

in the later

part of his

reign,

he starts

taxing the

northern tribes

heavily.

And then

Solomon's

son,

Rehoboam,

instead of

correcting the

injustice,

he doubles

down and

he tries to

use fear

to keep

them submissive.

But it

doesn't work.

They rebel.

The northern

tribes rebel

and they

break off.

And even

though God

had promised

that a son

of David

would be the

forever king

and bring

blessing,

the northern

tribes reject

David's line.

they set up

their own

king,

Jeroboam.

And instead

of going

back to

the temple

where God

had said,

meet me

here,

they set

up two

golden

calves

while claiming

to keep

worshipping

Yahweh.

And then

they create

their false

temple on

Mount

Gerizim.

And so

the Lord

judges them

through the

Assyrian

empire.

taking some

into exile.

And the

Assyrians

also brought

people from

other nations

to come

live in

Samaria so

that they

would learn

their customs.

They're

mixed up in

the religion

of the

world.

So they

reject David's

king.

They build

false temple

with false

worship and

they're

intermingling

worship of

Yahweh with

just the

customs of

the world.

Really they're

worshipping

what the

world does.

they reject

God's

prophets.

They only

believe the

first five

books of

the Old

Testament that

Moses wrote

and they

reject the

rest.

Samaria was

the capital

city of

these northern

tribes.

How impossible

would it have

been for a

Samaritan to

walk into

Judea, into

Jerusalem, to

the temple and

believe that God

accepts them after

all they've

done?

Rejected his

king, rejected

his word,

worshipping false

gods.

How could they

possibly worship

God shoulder to

shoulder with

Jews after all

they've done?

That's why it's so

amazing that

Philip, a Jew,

would come into

this place, this

unclean territory

and likely he

was touched, we're

not told this but

probably he was

touching those he

was healing.

How unlikely that

they would listen to

his message.

He's saying the

Christ.

Christ.

They had rejected

David's line.

How unlikely they

would believe his

message.

The son of David

has come.

But many believe.

Many are

baptised, bowing

the knee to

King Jesus.

That's what Jesus

does.

Humanly

impossible divides

he reconciles.

He reconciles the

northern tribes and

the southern.

I think that's

probably the likely

reason why the

Holy Spirit didn't

come on them right

away.

Luke, throughout

Acts, repentance,

faith and receiving

the Spirit go

together.

This is unusual.

And so Luke's saying

it's unusual.

It's not something we

should create a

church practice on

of needing a second

baptism or something

like that.

This is unusual.

And so I think the

most likely explanation

is God withheld his

Holy Spirit until the

apostles from the

south come and lay

their hands,

authorised, saying

there is true belief

here.

It's that picture of

reconciliation.

God himself testifying

by giving his Holy

Spirit.

This is what Ezekiel,

the prophet, said would

happen in the last

days.

Ezekiel 37, 21-27.

One king shall be king

over them all.

And they shall no

longer be two nations

and no longer divided

into two kingdoms.

They shall not defile

themselves anymore with

their idols and their

detestable things or with

any of their transgressions,

but I will save them from

all the backslidings in

which they have sinned and

will cleanse them.

And they shall be my

people and I will be their

God.

My servant David shall be

king over them and they

shall all have one

shepherd.

They had no way back to

the temple in Jerusalem

so the temple came to

them.

Jesus is the true

temple.

He washes them clean.

He's reuniting his

people.

One kingdom, one

sanctuary of the Spirit.

We're in the last days.

That's the effect Jesus

has.

That's the fruit of faith

in Jesus.

It's reconciliation.

How much our world needs

it.

And then we come to this

man, Simon.

Who is this Simon

character?

Why does Luke spend so

long on him?

He spends, we get to

know him well.

Why does Luke want us to

know Simon?

Well, we're told in

verses 9 to 13 he

practiced magic.

Now, hopefully it's

pretty obvious.

We shouldn't picture what

we think is magic of

illusions that we know

are illusions and magic

tricks.

This researcher, David

Horne, has researched

magic in Greco-Roman

society.

He says magic was about

managing supernatural

powers in such a way

that results are

virtually guaranteed.

So it's saying the

right things.

It's doing the right

processes.

It's paying the right

sum.

It was getting

guaranteed results.

David Horne also says

that people didn't use

magic all the time.

They used it when the

normal religious rituals

couldn't deal with a

person's situation.

If you need protection,

you need healing, you

need success for something

you want to do, you want

harm for your opponents,

if the normal institution

couldn't help, people

turn to magic for

results.

Now, I can't resonate

very well with that

worldview.

I don't think in our

materialistic, what you

see is what is.

We can't resonate

easily.

But isn't the desire for

guaranteed results easy to

resonate with?

Like, don't worry about how

you get the results.

The means doesn't matter.

Like, do a deal with the

devil if you need to.

The means doesn't matter.

Results are all that

matter.

That feels very relevant

today in our culture.

And I'm just, doesn't it

trouble you that the power

Simon thinks he's got with

money is so related to this

idea of magic?

I think we've got more in

common with Simon than we

might first think.

Simon was the go-to guy.

Verse 10, they all paid

attention to him from the

least to the greatest.

He's the go-to guy.

Verse 11, it's emphasized

again, they all paid attention

to him because for a long time

he had amazed them with his

magic.

Who we give our attention to is a

moral choice.

Because who we choose to give our

attention to shows what we really

value in life.

I think we're told about Simon

because Simon, he represents what the

Samaritans value.

They praise him.

He is at the top of their society.

They call him great.

Power of God.

So I think Simon represents their

worldview.

Power, control of a supernatural

world to give guaranteed results.

So I can see at least three main reasons

Luke wants us to get to know Simon.

The first, a bit of a secondary reason

is I think to distinguish that the

miracles Philip was doing were very

different from magic.

Very different.

The early church and Jesus himself was

accused of that.

So I think partly it's to just distinguish

what was going on through the apostles

from what Simon was doing.

Two other reasons I think.

The second is Simon is a backdrop, he's a

foil to see the genuine conversion of so

many in Samaria.

They once paid attention to Simon but we're

now told with one accord they pay attention

to Philip.

There's been a change.

Verse 11 to verse 12 makes that clearer.

They paid attention to Simon, verse 12, but

when they believed Philip as he preached good

news about the kingdom of God in the name of

Jesus Christ, they were baptised.

So when Peter and John came down and prayed for the

converts to give them the Holy Spirit but the

apostles reject Simon, we can be confident that the

apostles really saw genuine faith.

They turned from what they once lived for and really did

turn and pay attention to Jesus.

So Simon being the focal point of their old life, he's a

backdrop to true conversion.

This is a genuine movement of God going on, turning away from

idols to the living God.

I think the third reason we're told about Simon and the one I want

to focus on is that Simon was a massive threat to this newly

formed church.

Verse 13, he believed.

Now, what we make of that, he must have accepted at some

intellectual level the claims of the gospel.

He believed.

He was baptised.

He's in.

He's in this movement.

And he followed Philip around.

But his actions later exposed that his heart had not changed.

He seems to have tried to add Jesus onto his unchanged Samaritan

worldview.

And he had a very big position in society.

He's probably like the famous Christians we talk about going,

isn't it great that so-and-so is a believer?

He had huge influence.

He's inside the church apparently.

Secondly, he could have led others to a superficial faith.

I think it's a threat to this new movement.

So remember their worldview.

Power, control over supernatural world to give guaranteed results

to be someone great.

We see this in his offer to give money to the apostles.

Verse 18 and 19, he wants the power.

Give me this power.

To control the Holy Spirit.

To control God.

To give guaranteed results that when I lay hands,

they get guaranteed results.

They get the spirit.

And we can presume, based off what we're told about him earlier,

he wants to be great.

He wants to be seen as great again.

The greats we saw in Jerusalem, in the council,

they rejected Jesus to keep their power.

Now Simon in Samaria, he accepts Jesus to keep his power.

But Jesus thwarts this threat to superficial religion.

Peter responds basically to hell with you and your money.

It's strong language here.

Your heart is not right with God.

His baptism did him no good.

Peter was calling him to repent.

See how enslaved you still are.

Ask for forgiveness.

And when you ask, don't think you're doing magic,

saying the right words.

If possible, you be forgiven.

Be brought to your knees, Simon.

Realising God has to come and save you.

So Jesus, through his apostles, stops this internal threat.

By unmasking this.

Treating Jesus as useful.

It's insincere.

Insincere belief.

So what would Luke, what does Luke want us to learn from Simon?

What are we meant to be learning from this?

I doubt, I doubt any of us are guilty of the exact sin he tried to do.

I've never tried to offer money.

I've never tried to offer money to have the ability to give the spirit.

So I don't think it's the particulars we should be focusing on.

But we do share this in common with Simon.

The gospel of the free gift of God must first destroy our attempts to be great by what we can offer.

Despite all the public appearances of being in the church, Simon's commitment to self, his commitment to power, to control, to be someone great, had to be destroyed.

Salvation is a gift of God.

Believing it's a gift must be devastating news before it's wonderful.

It had to devastate those back in Jerusalem, like the Pharisees in the parable, who prayed, I thank you that I'm not like other people that I give and I do and I pray and I try, etc., etc.

I'm someone great.

It's got to destroy that.

The free gift of God destroys that.

It's also got to destroy the culture in Samaria.

It's got to devastate the boasting.

I can control what I can achieve.

I am someone great.

That's what the free gift of God in the message of Jesus does.

It destroys all cultures, not just one or two cultures.

It's got to first devastate before its wonderful news.

A farmer in Connecticut in the US where I was born, Nathan Cole lived a long time before me, but lived in the Great Awakening in the 18th century.

He was listening to the powerful preacher George Whitefield.

Here's his response after hearing the gospel from George Whitefield.

My hearing him preach gave me a heart wound.

By God's blessing, my old foundation was broken up.

And I saw that my righteousness could not save me.

It's what the free gift of God has to do to each one of us.

It's got to break up that foundation.

You can't add Jesus onto your life.

He must destroy your foundation.

Only then can you receive God's embrace of you.

It's a totally free gift.

And brothers and sisters, don't we have more of that foundation to be broken up?

And the freeness of this gift, I think it also gives us insight into how Jesus reconciles people.

Because both the Jewish and the Samaritan idea of greatness, by what you can offer God, is demolished.

The very thing that gives you that sense of superiority is just bulldozed.

Jesus had to give his life to save Philip.

From his sense of moral achievement.

And he had to give his life to save the people in Samaria.

Who trusted in control, power.

We all share the same gift.

Not one of us, not one culture, has offered anything to earn it.

Finally, I think the freeness of this gift shows how great our God is.

David Bott isn't great.

Simon's name isn't great.

People who have rejected his king.

And rejected his word.

And preferred the control and the praise of people trying to prove to be someone great.

That God would provide a way back.

That he would give his son.

He would give his Holy Spirit.

That he would give life forever in his kingdom.

That he would give his people to send into our lives to tell us this wonderful news.

It's just gift.

All is a gift.

His name alone is great.

And when we believe that, the more we believe that, that's when peace and joy enters our heart.

When Jesus Christ's name is great.

That's when peace and joy will enter this church more and more.

It's not our name.

It's Jesus' name that is great.

And don't we want that peace and joy in our city?

And the promise is that peace and joy will be in all the world.

Fully and forever one day.

We're going to be singing.

With one accord.

And it won't be my name.

It won't be your name.

It won't be our name.

Grace and joy.

It'll be his name alone we're singing.

Will you pray with me?

Father, thank you for the times that you

frustrate our plans to be seen as someone

wonderful, someone great

because of whatever we're trusting in.

Thank you for the way you frustrate that

so that we can

come to you

and receive the peace and joy

that is found

in just celebrating

your free gift

of knowing you

of being part of your people

of the promise

of eternal life.

Lord, I pray that you'd break up

our foundations

that we're still clinging to

more and more

help us trust you

when you do break that up.

And I pray that you would lead us

to rejoice more

in the name of Jesus

and that because of him

our names are written in heaven.

In his name I pray.

Amen.