The Magic Man

Okay, let's pray, Dear Father, were so grateful for Jesus.

We're grateful. We can get into our bibles. We can

focus on the word of God and know you as

Savior today in His name Amen. The Bible records an

Acts eight that devout men buried Stephen, and the young

man named Saul, who had consented to his death, entered

one house after another, arresting Christians, men and women and

throwing them into prison. Now we have one word for that.

We call it persecution. When the four hundred and ninety

year time prophecy of Daniel nine had come to its end,

it was the last year demonic powers moved on religious

people to persecute God's people so the Gospel would not

go to the world. And that is exactly what will

happen in the Mark of the Beast issue. At the

time of the end. Religious people will interact with the

civil authorities, according the book Revelation, to persecute those who

proclaim the First, the Second, and most importantly the third

Angel's message in that critical hour of crises at the

time of the End. And so it shouldn't come as

a surprise that Stephen died the very year the seventy

week prophecy of day On nine came to an end.

Some people say, Pastor Mike, what's that. That is the

time prophecy that Sir Isaac Newton called the cornerstone of

the Christian religion. It is the empirical evidence that Jesus

Christ is the savior of the world. Four hundred and

ninety years in advance from the going forth of the

decree to restore Bill Jerusalem prophesied in day On nine

twenty five, seventy weeks of years in day On nine

twenty four would occur until Messiah Prince and he maps

it out in detail. Seven weeks from the autumn of

four to fifty seven BC to four eight BC is

forty nine years four hundred and thirty four years sixty

two weeks until Messiah, and it brings us right smack

to the fifteenth year of Tiberia. Caes are recorded in

Luke three to one. So we have the New Testament

confirming that Christ showed up on time eighty twenty seven

prophetic time based on Daniel's time prophecy. Of course, that

time prophecy predicted that for the last seven years, unlike

modern dispensationless theology, which teaches they cut that seven years

off and throw it into the future. They call the

Messiah prince there the anti Christ. It's crazy stuff unknown

in Christian theology until the last couple hundred years. But

the reformers, the early Christians, they got this time prophecy

right in the midst of that last seven weeks, that

last seven years, the Messiah would be cut off and

have nothing, and that was the death of Jesus Christ.

They would destroy the city and the sanctuary. And Jesus

refers to this verse when he says, you destroy this temple,

and in three days I'll raise it up. He's talking

about himself. The true sanctuary that came to tabernacle with

us was Jesus Christ. So all that's going on, I

look at Acts eighty three, but it says, 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.

Now that's not a bad thing for us to do.

We should go about preaching the word. All this was

predicted in the four hundred and ninety years seventy week

time prophecy of Daniel nine. Look at verse twenty six

with me. Let's just read it. After the sixty two

weeks an anointed one, literally in the Hebrew misshiach Messiah

shall be cut off. So Christ dies after eighty twenty

seven the last at the beginning, in the middle of

the last week, we learned later on, and it shall

have nothing. When Jesus died on the cross of Calvary,

you know what the Bible says, he had nothing. He

was rendered to a god forsaken moment. My God, my God,

why have you forsaken me? Fulfilling this verse? And shall

have nothing, And the people of the prince who is

to come shall destroy the city and the sainctuary. And

scholars have debated about that back and forth. Some have said, well,

the prince is the Messiah here. Others have said, well,

it's Titus, the Roman legion commander. The word nigied means

a military commander and principle, it's used for the Messiah

and Daniel eleven twenty two when the mess michiakhnagied would

be cut off and have nothing. We broken by the

prince of the king of the North. But Jesus actually

quotes this verse. He says, the prince of this world

is coming, and he has no power over me. Christ

applied this to the devil. When we allow Satan to

come into our midst and we surrender ourselves to Satanic

control in our lives, the whole thing falls apart. So

we cannot be in the business of allowing demonic forces

to control our attitudes. He goes on to say it's

in and in the Hebrew it can be translated. His

end shall come with a flood, and that matches Day

eleven twenty two, when the Messiah is swept away the

Prince of the covenant like a flood. His end shall

come with a flood, and to the end there will

be war, desolations are decreed. So based on that, now

look at verse twenty seven. He shall make a strong

covenant with many, and literally for one week and the

mindsets for half of the week, but literally in the Hebrew,

in the midst of the week, he should cause sacrifice

and offering to cease. Christ had a three and a

half year ministry. In the middle of that last seven years,

the veil of the temple was rent from top to bottom,

type met any type, and no longer can a lamb

be a lamb. It no longer points forward to something,

because the lamb of God had appeared the sacrifice of

the Red Half. For it appear the sacrifice for all

sacrifice had coalesced at the Cross of Calvary in the

midst of the week, and the sacrificial system came to

an end predicted by the prophet Daniel. And then it

says this, upon the wing of abominations shall come one

who makes desolate, even until the decreed end is poured

out on the desolate r the abomination of desolation spoken

of and down on the prophet Matthew twenty four, verse fifteen,

that Christ said would be operative at the time of

the end. In verse fourteen, the gospel goes until the end.

It comes after the death of Christ. It's not Antiacus

Epiphanes four in the pre Christian era. It appears after

Christ's death on the cross, and it would be the

major challenge to the Gospel at the time of the end.

And by the way Jesus identified it in principle as Rome,

some phase of Rome would be an abomination force to

the time of the end. And then he says, until

the decreed end is poured out on the desolate, or

that power would be present in some way, Rome in

some capacity at the second coming of Christ and would

be destroyed. So we have a little picture of eschatology

right here. In the seventy weeks of day On nine.

The early Church was working off of this prophecy. Is

the evidence for Jesus Christ that they were in fact

God's people, that the New Covenant had been inaugurated, because

it says he will confirm a covenant. Paul goes to

Hebrews nine and goes right here to say the New

Covenant is online based on the time prophecy after the

death of the Messiah Dale nine. The prophecy predicted that

the church would be persecuted all the way down to

the end of time. Gaber predicted that there would be

many desolations. He says, desolations are decreed, So don't be

surprised in your life when you face fiery troubles. Don't say, oh,

how could that happen to me? And my experience? The

Book of Daniel predicted that desolations are decreed. The early

Church experienced many of these desolations, and they came from

religion people, often from religious people on the inside who

gave their attitudes to the evil One and help to

persecute their brothers and sisters and friends. It will be

the same for us at the time of the end,

if we are faithful to Jesus Christ. Don't look for

popular Christianity, look for faithful Christianity. Now, I have never

been one, and I'll tell you this flat out, that

gives two cents about the majority affirming my ministry or

God's work. I would rather work with a faithful minority

who wants the Bible, who wants Christ, who wants to

do the right thing, who aren't arrogant, but the humble

servants of God. That I would three thousand people. I

once pastored a church that could have been considered a

little megachurch. The evangelistic budget was nothing like ours here

at Reaching Hearts. You see, so our church here is

having a greater impact in terms of our budget and

our outreach then that megachurch was that could barely pay

its bills because of unfaithfulness. It doesn't mean things are easy,

but we must be with the Lord. Look at first

Peter four twelve. Beloved, do not be surprised at the

fiery ordeal which comes upon you? And what does it

say in the Bible to do what to prove you? So?

Why does why does fiery trials come upon us? What

does it say to protest us? To prove us? As

though something strange was happening to you? But rejoice in

so far as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may

also rejoice and be glad when you share his glory

that is revealed. When his glory is revealed, You may

rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. So

how many of you have said, Lord, thank you so

much that I got attacked for sharing my faith last week? Lord,

thank you that I've been on the gun because I've

tried to follow your will. It's hard for us to

think that way. Look at John six thirty three. I

have said this to you that in me you may

have what does it say peace in the world? You

have tribulation, but be of good cheer, And I like this,

I have overcome the world. Friends. At this point in

Acts eight, the narrative shifts from the death of Stephen,

the first of the Magnificent Seven Deacons, to Philip, who

was the second in rank of the seven deacons. There's

a principle here. When Satan takes out a godly leader,

God always moves on another person to rise up, take

their place and move the cause forward, because God's work

is not dependent upon a great leader. Philip is known

in Acts twenty one to eight as Philip the Evangelist.

Philip's name in Greek means lover of horses, horses with

long flowing How many of you like horses here? Any

any horse fans? Okay? You realize that reaching Harts Church

was built where an old horse farm used to be.

The Hamburg horse Farm was right here. That we have

horse trails in the back that go around WSSC that

are awesome, and if we had horses we could also

do the same. So maybe we'll get someone with a

horse that will use our trails. Again. But Philip's name

means lover of horses, phil oh love hip hos horse

Horses with long flowing hair, graceful form, special speed are

symbolic of beautiful women in the Bible. Did you know that? So? Oh,

pastor Mike, now you're really you're really getting into trouble here. Okay,

wait now in the song now I know this from

chiastic analysis that horses with long flowing hair matches women.

It comes up again and again and again. So now

my sister loves horses, and others do that I know

of as well. And song of Solomon. Is Solomon a

wise man? Yes? Or no, the wisest man other than Christ.

Here's what he said. He compared his sweetheart Shoelamite to

a mayor of Pharaoh's chariots. Can we say, ah, ah, Now,

that must have been a very beautiful flowing hair in

the wind, graceful form, speed, they make those beautiful sounds

that they thought that way. So let's not get all

offended by that he was a lover of horses. No,

Philip had four beautiful daughters who were virgins, and they

were also prophets. Philip loved his daughter as a good

Christian father, and they must have loved him very much. Also,

these beautiful girls chose to stay home with their daddy,

to not get married, and to dedicate their lives to

sharing their faith to help their evangelist father win people.

To Jesus Christ. Philip was a lover of horses. That's

what's really in the meaning of that name. Acts eighty

five Philip went down to a city of Samaria and

proclaimed to them the Christ. Do you see that in

your bible? Who did he proclaim? Ah? He didn't say, well,

by the way, let me tell you about how good

my church is. Now. His church was good, But what

was his message? Jesus Christ. Samaria is the place where

Jesus met the woman at Jacob's well near Shechem. Jesus

had already been there. He had already worked with that woman.

At the well, Jesus revealed to the Samaritan woman that

he was the Christ, the Messiah, before he did it

in any scale than anybody else. And thus the ground

had already been prepared by Jesus for the Samaritans to

receive the Christ. And Philip was proclaiming that which Jesus

had already shared. Sometimes we reap in our evangelistic efforts

from the labors of those who have come before us.

Christ spoke this truth to his disciples at the well

in Samaria where he met the Samaritan woman. Look at

John four thirty seven, for here the saying holds true.

One sous and another reaps. I sent you to reap

that for which you did not labor. Others have labored,

and you have entered into their labor. So Christ knew

that what he was doing there would have an impact later,

and that Philip the Evangels would show up to win

this country to Jesus. Christ could have us. Jesus would

have us all, every one of us here encourage a

humble attitude about our role and place of importance in

a service. Friends, we are not indispensable and great in

the work of God. We are interconnected and in need

of the gifts and efforts of others to make a

difference in life. When we serve in the church, it's

not about how good we do. It's not about how

pretty we look. It's not about how import and we

sense our role. It's about what we do in quiet

service and selflessness for the church and for others. Notice

the fruit of Philip's efforts in the field that Jesus

had already prepared in advance. Look at verse six, Acts eight,

and the multitudes with one accord gave heed to what

was said by Philip. And when they heard him, they

saw the signs which he did. For unclean spirits came

out of many who were possessed, crying with a loud voice,

and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So

there was much joy in that city. Philip's preaching of

the Christ, who is the Gospel of God. According to

Romans one, Jesus is the gospel, the death, the burial,

the resurrection of Jesus. He died for my sins. He

was buried to take him away. He was raised, as

Paul says in Romans four twenty five to four. Our acceptance,

our justification, our legal acquittal. Christ the Apostolic Gospel, not

some crazy version of the gospel or no gospel at all.

And there were three results. Number one, people were freed

from their personal slavery to demonic powers. I want to

thank Lucian for making this slide for me. Thank you,

God be praised. He took the initiative to make sure

you could see this. Number two, many people were healed

from their physical diseases and ailments. You see, the healing

ministry goes with the gospel ministry. That's why intrinsically, God's

work has always had health dimensions to it. Number Three,

the people experienced a new and intense joy. Say that

word with me. Joy. Now, my wife's middle name is joy.

I don't say like this, Diana, Diana Joy Oxentanko. When

you say joy, how do you say it? Joy? Joy?

You smile? The text says there was much joy in

that city. Now, friends, Christ didn't come into this world

to make it a sadder and more somber place to be.

He didn't raise up his church so he could frown

and feel awful all the time. Christ came to earth

to bring Heaven's joy into our lives. Christ sends his

followers today into the cities to bring joy into places

that are plagued with crime and violence. God didn't ask

Philip to run from the cities. God sent Philip to

the save the city of Samaria. Friends, were not ambassadors

of doom and gloom and fear called to spend out

our days in the woods running from end time events.

The Bible says, the fearful end up in the lake

of fire. We are messengers of joy, sent to people

like us who live everywhere, including the city and all

the communities of the world. Philip was an evangelist. In

John fifteen, verse eleven, these things I have spoken to you,

Jesus said that my joy may be where What does

the text say may be in you. Christ wants to

be in you. And when His joy is in you,

it's evidence that Christ is with you, that your joy

may be full. So without Jesus, how much joy do

we have? None? With Jesus we have full joy. There

was much in that city because Philip the evangelist preached

Jesus Christ much joy. I was invited to the Grace

Presbyterian Church last week, and I preached on Sunday the

sermon I preached on Saturday here, and it was a

blessing to me. I saw them respond to the prophetic message,

to my testimony to God's word. But they were already

loving Christians with joy in their congregation. What a wonderful thing.

At this point, the narrative an Axe eight shifts to

a man named Simon who was a magician. I will

call him the magic man, Simon the magic man, because

that is what he was. Look at Acts eight, verse nine.

But there was a man named Simon who had previously

practiced magic in the city and amazed the nation of Samaria,

saying that he himself was somebody great. They all gave

heed to him, from the least of the great at

saying this man is that power of God, which is

called great. You ever said something that's great? Have you

ever said I am great? Everybody's silent? Sure you have, man,

I feel great? You ever said that? You ever bragged

about yourself a little bit? Okay, Look records that Simon

the magic Man proclaimed himself to be someone great. Now

we can do the same thing as a church. We say, oh,

our church is so great. Now it may be, but

when we boast, Paul says, we should boast of whom

boast of the Lord and First Corinthians one. The Greek

word from magic has related to the great Greek word

for great. It sounds similar in the language. The two

words are similar, like magic and magnificent. You get an

idea of that. In the Gospel. God has not called

us to greatness, did you hear me, But to smallness,

to insignificance, to take up our cross daily and follow him.

God has not called us to proclaim our self importance

or how indispensable we are in the world, but to

proclaim our important and indispensable Savior, who in love gave

himself for the world. When we have done our work

in the Church and the world, we will soon be

forgotten for it. But Jesus Christ will be remembered long

after we are gone, because we have been faithful links

in a chain. John the Baptist told his disciples that

I must decrease that he, Jesus, might increase. Simon, the

magic Man, had it all backwards. Simon was in the

business of looking big and important, so you gain a

sense of self importance and greatness in the church. Simon

fed off the approval and admiration of others. He got

supply from that. In the Gospel of Luke in the

Book of Acts, the power of that God was not

a person. That wasn't Jesus. The power of God was

the Holy Spirit. Friends, when you have God's power, you

have God's Holy Spirit your life Luke one p. Seven.

He will begin, he will go before him in the

spirit and power of Elijah Luke one thirty five. The

Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of

the Most Tie will overshadow you. Luke four fourteen. Jesus

returned in the power of the Spirit in the Galilee,

Acts one to eight. But you shall receive power when

the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall

be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and

Samaria and to the ends of the earth. Magic is

God's counter is Satan's counterfeit of Holy Spirit power. Magic

relies on unclean spirits, personal power, self esteem, position, and

rank manipulation instead of the Holy Spirit working in your life.

Magic seeks seeks to manipulate power to get what we

want in life. The Holy Spirit seeks to change you

so God can get what he wants in your life.

Simon the Magic Man had it all wrong and upside down,

and so can we. There are many who come to

church who are just like Simon the Magic Man. Maybe

we have been those people in our life. Many people

come to church looking to see what they can get

out of the church, instead of seeking what God can

do in the church for them and in the world.

They measure the worth of the church by whether or

not the church meets their needs. Instead of seeking to

surrender their lives and needs to God. They say, well,

I can't serve because I wasn't treated right. I can't

serve because they can't get my need met right. So

God's Holy Spirit is missing in their lives because it's

all about them and it's not about Christ and God's power.

At The heart of the magic Man's syndrome is the

delusion that I me and my is the most important

thing in my religious experience. I want the kind of

music that meets my needs. I want to go to

the church where I feel important. I want to go

to church that helps me grow financially. See the problem,

dear heart, God didn't put you on this earth to

look greater, to be greater, whine about your needs that

have to be met. God placed you in Jesus because

God loves you, because God loves you more than God,

to save you, to make you a selfless being for

all eternity, to live for other men and women and children.

All the people in the city had been duped by

the magic man in his act. Surprisingly, Philip's preaching was

so effective that many people were converted Jesus Christ in

spite of the shister Simon the Great Verse eleven, Acts eight.

And they gave heed to him because for a long

time he had amazed them with his magic. But when

they believed Philip as he preached good news that means

the gospel about the Kingdom God and the name of

Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women, where

is the real amazing part of the story. Is it

the magic or the baptisms? Baptisms? Notice the stark contrasts

with Simon the magic Man and Philip the evangelist. You

were noticed in the text that Philip didn't preach the

good news about Philip. Philip preached the good news about

the Kingdom of God and most importantly, the name of

Jesus Christ. As a result, many men and women were

baptized into Jesus Christ. In verse thirteen, what happened to

Simon the magic Man? It says even Simon himself believed,

and after being baptized, he continued with Philip, and seeing

signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed. Simon came

forward in that altar call of Philip, he was baptized

into Jesus Christ. Like the rest, he saw a winning

program in the church. He wanted to be a part

of it. But when Simon got his eyes off of

Jesus and didn't take long for Simon and on to

the miracles of Jesus through Philip, the importance of his

baptism fade away, and the power of it and the

power of real conversion was sacrificed. Instead of focusing on

the name and person of Jesus in order to have

a relationship with Jesus and the Word of God. I'll

say this forthrightly. We're living in a time when most

Christians could care less what the Bible says. Do you

know that they don't care? Many people don't care what

the Bible says. But God cares what the Bible says,

and we should care. I mean, when these apostles were

preaching the truth, they were not preaching a message that

was doom and gloom. They were preaching a message of

hope based on the Word of God and the life

of Christ that had become alive to them in their time.

When the apostles that Drusalm saw that the Holy Spirit

was doing it in Samaria, they sent Peter and John

to help. Philip Out fifteen says that Peter and John

came down to pray for the people to receive the

Holy Spirit. Friend, No one receives the Holy Spirit without

prayer and baptism in the name of the Father, the Son,

and the Holy Spirit. Acts eight fourteen. And when the

apostles that Jerusalem heard that Samari 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 it had not yet fallen on

any of them. But they had only been baptized. And

what does the text say, They've been baptized into the

name of the Lord Jesus, for he gives on to say.

Then they laid their hands on them, and they received

the Holy Spirit. Some people said, well, all I need

to do is accept Christ. Well, guess what, when you're baptized,

you're not baptized into the name of Jesus alone. Did

you know that? Look records the people had the had

not received the Holy Spirit because they had been baptized

only into the name of Jesus. Turn to Matthew twenty eight.

Look at verse eighteen. Christ gave us the baptismal formula

here that recognizes the person of the Father, the person

of the Son, and the person of the Holy Spirit,

what theologians have called the trinity, what has been called

in our early church history the Holy Trio, the Heavenly trio.

But it's the same thing, but with the early Church

affirmed as the triune God had and Jesus came and

said of them all authority on heaven earth has been

given to me. Next verse, go therefore and make disciples

of how many nations, all nations, baptizing them in the

name of Jesus. Only does it say that baptizing them

in the name singular of the Father and of the

Son and of the Holy Spirit, which means they share

the same name. In the Old Testament, that name is Yahweh.

You go to Axus twenty four. Yahweh is talking about Yahweh,

who is also on the mountain. That's the Father and

the Son Yahweh with Yahweh. But in the baptismal formula

that Jesus gave us, we are to recognize that the Father,

the Son, and the Holy Spirit have the same name.

They're Yahweh. They're the Jehovah Yahweh, God of Mount SINAI.

Next verse, teaching them to observe all that I've commanded.

You should we pick and choose what the Bible says.

You know, when some ethesis comes along and he says, well,

I think that we should do this, but the Bible

says this, but we kind of know we should we

go with the ethicist or the Bible. The Bible and

that goes for theology, Christian religion, and the like. There

are many people today who honestly believe that God nailed

his law to the cross of Calvary. Now think about that.

In Psalms one hundred and nineteen fifty five, the Bible

says that God's law is God's name. Same thing, because

God's name is I am who I am. If God

reveals his name, he's revealing his character who he is,

and the law because of that association is a revelation

of the character of God. Now, guests who came to

reveal the character of God, what's his name? Christ said,

the name that you have given me I have revealed

to them. He means your character, your law, your covenant.

God didn't nail the law to the cross of Calvary.

God knailed the lawgiver to the cross of Calvary. God

didn't do away with the laws of moral standard. He

let the law giver, God in Christ die because the

law could never be changed. Friends, the ten Commandment law

is the constitution of the universe. And that's why in

the Lord's prayer, our Father, who art in heaven, how

w it be thy, what thy name, thy kingdom? Come?

Thy will be done on earth as it is where

in heaven. God's law here is the same as God's

law there. He gave them his covenant in Deuteronomy four thirteen.

As good as Philip was with all his evangelistic zeal

and success, Philip still needed the clear teaching of Peter

and John his overseers, to perfect his methods to baptize

people in the right way, to not err in theology.

And Jesus says that we're to baptize people in the

name of the Father, of the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Don't think for one moment you can willfully ignore the

Trinity and your baptism experience that you can refuse to

recognize the person of the Holy Spirit. Friends, God's not

going to give you the Holy Spirit if you insult

him and insult the person of the Holy Spirit. He says,

he is jealous for his spirit. That is why the

apostles laid their hands on the people, because the Holy

Spirit is called the hand of God the finger of

God in Old Testament symbolic imagery. So they laid their

hands upon them to receive the Holy Spirit. Recognizing the

person of the Holy Spirit. We should do the same,

and we do it baptisms. Here. When Simon saw the

power in Peter and John to lay hands upon the

people to receive the Holy Spirit, Simon saw big dollar

signs popping up in his mind. Look at verse seventeen.

Then they lay their hands on them, they received the

Holy Spirit. Now, when Simon saw the spirit was given

through the laying on of the apostles hands, he offered

them what money, okay, bucksheesh, saying, give me also this

power that anyone on whom I lay my hands may

receive the Holy Spirit. Now, friend, think about this. The

Gospel is free, and the Bible teaches us the Holy Spirit,

God's gift of grace to us the magic and didn't

realize that we don't earn our way into God's favor.

We can't buy the love that is the gift of

God through the Holy Spirit. We can't manipulate the heart

of God to be gracious. We can't pay our way

into a heaven that is free. It's not at pay

and pray like many of the televangelists of our time

would teach a satanic instruments of evil. It is just

pray on your knees and let God in his kindness

to his work in your life through the power of

the Holy Spirit. In verse nineteen, Simon wanted the same

power to give the Holy Spirit to anybody he wanted to.

That is not how it works for us. The Holy

Spirit only comes to those who come to Jesus in

humility and pray for the Holy Spirit. And friends, know

Jesus in your life. No Holy Spirit. At this point,

Peter lets Simon the magic man, have it. I mean,

he lays into him in Love Acts eight twenty. But

Peter said to him, you are silver. Perish with you

because you thought you could obtain the gift of God

with money. Now the doctrine of indulgences, which the Roman

papacy affirms today, that you can pay your way out

of purgatory. You can put money in a coffer and

somehow some person can get out of the fires of purgatory.

The Bible doesn't teach a purgatory. In fact, Johann Tetzel,

who in the Reformation was selling indulgences to build the

you know the Vatican Saint Peter's Basilica at the time

of Martin Luther, had a little poem and this is

the English version. As soon as coin in coffer clings, clinks,

or something like that, sold from purgatory springs millions of dollars.

The Vatican City has been built upon the lie that

you can buy your way out of to malice bitterness,

he says in verse eight twenty three, for I see

that you are in the gall of bitterness and in

the bond of iniquity. Malice, bitterness, and iniquity had a

reign on Simon's heart that it made him a slave

to self. Simon the magic man wasn't great at all.

He was really a small, puny man, holding grudges, making

life miserable for others. He was toxic, he was narcissistic.

It was all about Simon, not about Jesus. And Peter

called on Simon to repent and to pray so the

Holy Spirit could change him, or he was a dead man.

The same is true for us, friends. If we go

to church for those kind of reasons, we're dead men

and women. We must live for Christ for the right

kind of reason. Simon was in danger of dropping dead,

just like Annas and Saphara had dropped dead when Peter

confronted them about their lives to the Holy Spirit twenty

four and Simon answered, pray for me to the Lord,

that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.

Now when they heard they had, and now when they

had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, it

says they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the Gospel to many

villages of the Samaritans. Notice what Simon asked Peter to

pray for. He asked Peter to pray for the consequences

of his sin, that that would not happen. He did

not ask Peter to pray for a changed heart. That

was malice and bitterness in the bond of iniquity that

Peter pointed out. He didn't say, oh, Peter, pray that

my heart is different. So when you pray the prayer

that only wants good things in your life, but you

don't pray for a changed life, it can turn on

you and you can become imprisoned by the very things

that control you. You can become blind in facdom. In

the field of psychology, Carl jun called it the shadow

and shadow projection that when you come to believe that

others have the very traits that you yourself have that

are evil, but you don't recognize it, and you come

to hated in others, you become the most kind of

evil possible. That's why Jesus had judged, not that you

be not judged. We are to have a sense of

our smallness, none of our greatness, because we tend to

project onto others their own sinfulness. Simon didn't plead with

Peter for grace to change his life. He also didn't

pray for himself. He just asked Peter to pray for him.

Not altogether bad here, but definitely not ideal. And what

did God do to Simon? God spared Simon's life anyway

to show Simon that he loved him, that he was

gracious towards this narcissistic, deceived man, and that he was

baptized into Christ. And God's true power of love could

change him to that person at any point in time

who has done what Simon does can do exactly what

Peter did. We can have someone pray for us, and

then maybe in time we will pray for ourselves. You

can pray for yourself. Acts eight twenty five. Now, when

they had testified and spoke the Word of the Lord,

they returned to Jerusalem preaching the what the Gospel, What

does the word Gospel mean we talked about it last week.

The good news to many villages of the Samaritans friend

in the power of the Holy Spirit, many walls of

racism and resentment were broken down, and men and women

were saved by the power of the Holy Spirit, who

is the right answer in our lives as the free

gift of God for the magic Man syndrome that we

all could be afflicted with, and maybe we all have heart.

Come to Christ. Consider yourself small, let this mind be

in you that was in Christ, and watch the Holy

Spirit work in your life to save others. And don't

be surprised that God saves you too. Your heavenly Father,

we thank you today for Jesus. We ask you to

live in us and help us to live for you

in Jesus' name, Amen,