Acts: How To Spot A Fake

Good morning. It's good to see you all here. Welcome to Butte's glad

that you're here with us. If you have your bible's turned with me to

Acts chapter eight, and I'm going to start in verse nine and just a

minute, Acts chapter eight. It's good to have you. Thank you for

being with us here in person and watching online and on TV. I'm Pastor

Jonathan. If I've not met you before, I'm glad that you're here with

us in worship today. At the title of my sermon is how to spot

a fake. You know, we live in today and even have something here.

I don't know if you can see that from where you are, but

it's a million dollar bill. We'll give these out at the end the church.

If you did come in person, you're gonna miss out. This is

a million dollar bill. It's actually from Ray Comfort. It's an evangelism tool.

As you can tell, is not a real bill because there is no

real million dollar bills, So it's not a counterfeit. Why because it's not

a counterfeit because there's no such thing as a million dollar bill. And Ray

Comfort designed these as an evangelism tool. But if you look at it just

from a distance, and you didn't see the million dollars. You know,

got some of the same characteristics of a dollar bill. It's got some of

the same colors and different things. And if you saw it kind of just

say you glance your eye, you would think it looked as like a real

dollar bill. And it's hard at times to we come to a place in

our world today that it's there's a lot of things that look like the real

thing. Right. We even we get text messages this week or last week,

Brandy got a text message and she said, Jonathan, look at this

text message. She said, it's United's Postal Service and they've text me and

told me that they can't deliver a package. I said, Brandy, United

States post Office does not have yourself phone number. It's not real. But

you know, just because a text message says that it's from the United States

post Office, right, just because someone says that they're from something doesn't mean

that it's always real. You know. It's so funny as it come to

this passage of scripture, and I'll just be honest with you, and we

study it this morning, and I was thinking as I was preparing, even

thinking about this as we start the sermon, it just seemed like just a

few months we were looking at the same idea of how to spake, of

how to spot a fake. It seems like throughout scripture this is a common

theme in scripture about for you and I the importance of understanding what is real

and what is not. But we live in the world that there's all types

of counterfeits. But listen, it was not only an issue for today,

it was also an issue in scripture. And as we come to chapter eight,

Scripture wants to sus see Luke, wants you to see, the writer

of Acts, of how do you spake? How do you spot fake power?

And how do you spot a fake convert? Do you realize today there

are fakes out in our world. But Scripture would tell us there are fakes

in the church. They are false teachers, there's false preachers, and there's

false believers, fake believers. And as you come to chapter eight of Acts,

the early Church is in its emphasis it's growing, it's just starting.

This is a real issue for the er churches. How to determine who are

true believers and who are not, who has really has the power of God

and who does not. And as we come to chapter eight, the Gospel

is spreading out of Jerusalem into the ends of the earth, starting in Sabrian.

We looked at last week of how persecution led the Gospel to go out

of Jerusalem into Samaria, and Philip was led to Sameria. And he's preaching

the Gospel in Samaria. And we're going to see today that there are people

in Samaria who hear the good news of Jesus and their belief. And today,

in this passage of scripture, Luke wants you and I to see that

there's real Holy Spirit power and there's fate power. He wants you to see

there are real believers who believe and receive the Holy Spirit, and there are

those who say they believe but are not real. They're fake. And so

today I want us to see how to spot a fake, how to spot

fake power, how to spite spot fake conversions. You stand with me,

Unlet's read God's work together. It's Acts chapter eight and starting a verse nine,

and look at how scripture shows us this. Starting verse nine says there

was a man named Simon previously practiced magic in the city and amazed people of

Samaria, saying to himself, with somebody great, and 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 have paid attention to

him because for a long time he amazed them with his magic. But when

they believed Philip as he preached the good news about the Kingdom of God and

the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

Even Simon themselves believed. And after being baptized, he continued with Philip in

seeing signs and great miracles performed. He was amazed. Now, when the

apostles at Jerusalem heard that Sami 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 hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Now, when Simon saw the spirit was given through the laying of the apostles

hands, he offered them money, saying, give me this power also so

that anyone in whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit. But

Peter said to him. May your silver pierish 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 prayed to the Lord that if possible,

the intention of your heart may be forgiven. For I see that you're in

the gall of bitterness, in the bond of iniquity. And Simon answered,

pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what that you have said

may come upon me. And when they had testified the spoken word of the

Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the Gospel to many villages of the

Samaritans. Let's pray together, Father, I thank you for this morning,

and I thank you for the time that you allow us to come together.

Lord, we come together as one accord. There's one body, Lord,

and that's with the desired Lord to hear from you or I pray that as

you feel fill up full of your spirit to proclaim your word to the people

of Samaria. God, may you feel me this morning with the power of

your Holy Spirit, that I might proclaim Lord you Jesus today, and that

just as those who heard your word were changed by your word through the work

of the Holy Spirit. God, you might feel me today that Lord,

that the people today might hear you and work of your spirit inside their hearts,

and God, they might believe in faith and Lord, they might be

changed Lord by your spirit today. So Lord, I pray Lord for what

I cannot obtain of my own or cannot create through a development of a sermon.

Lord, I or cry out for you today for the work of your

Holy Spirit to move today, feel me that you might use me. Father.

We come today as a body of believers, Lord, and in need

of your word and the work of your spirit today. So move in us

Father, in your name, we pray. Amen, you may be seated.

She come to chapter I actually see Luca is trying to show you the

difference between magic power and spirit power. Now, would you think about with

me if you read through scripture before. In the past and Exodus, God

raises up a leader. His name is Moses. Moses. God raised us

up by the Median and a Median, and he sends him to Pharaoh.

Right, and Moses has this question, God, when I go before Pharaoh,

how will he know that I'm sit by you, and God gives Moses

miraculous power. All right, God gives Moses miraculous power to demonstrate to Pharaoh

and to young believers that Moses was truly sent by God. But if you

go to all the way, and I encourage you go read it sometime today

in the next few days, you want to. In Exodus chapter seven,

Moses goes before Pharaoh, and you remember, he has a staff, and

God tells him to lay down the staff as aaron staff. Actually laid down

to staff and the staff turns like an turns into a snake. Right,

And then the scripture tells us that Pharaoh also has magicians and sorcerers, right,

and they laid down their staff, you remember, and what happens through

their magic power, they're able to replicate what Moses does. The thing is

Moses' staff or Aaron staff, actually eats their snakes. By the way,

it's got creepy. But as you see, as if plagus start unfolding,

the first plague comes and they turn the nile into blood, right, Moses

does that puts the staff in terms of noil into blood. The scripture tells

us in Exodus chapter seven that the magicians Pharah calls his magicians and gets what

he does the same thing, they do, the same thing. It goes

on that they he calls into a plague of frogs. Right, Pharaoh calls

his magicians and they bring a plague of frogs. But there's something that happens

in the third plague. Moses calls by God's through God's power, calls for

a plague of gnats. That would be bad. And you know, the

Bible says that Pharaoh turns to his magicians, and magicians says, we cannot

do it. And this is what they say, truly, this is the

finger of God. Do you understand something here? And and when God starts

moving through a new in a new way in Exodus's time, he demonstrates that

there's a power of God that's different than the power of man. As we

come to chapter eight of Acts, it's the same thing, Luke, you

wants you and I to see. He wants the believers to see that what's

happening through these early apostles, the power that's within them that is different than

magical power. And so he demonstrates this in chapter A. We see this

man, his name is Simon. Simon Magus is actually his name is actually

means magus, actually means magicians. And at the time and the and in

this period of time, there were magicians, and there were there are kind

of different types of magicians. Would say someone considered magi. You would see

magi in in the in the Gospel of Luke, the magi who came to

see Jesus. They studied the stars and they were this idea that there were

some magicians or magi, and and they use science to to discern different things

of the future. And that's what the magi did Luke, right. But

then there were some magi or magicians that didn't magic. They did that through

different charms or incantations or different spells, different things that they would do to

do magic. Simon here is the latter. He's known throughout some area.

Actually, church historians, if you do some studying actually that are not biblical

to just Jewish historians, would declare and know about Simon the Magician in a

great reputation or big reputation. At this time. Scripture tells us that this

Simon is known throughout just kind of the land. And as Luke wants you

to see this, he's calling upon the readers of who would read his gospel.

He would know Simon and listen to different things. That says about this

Simon. It says, there was a man named Simon who was previous practice

magic in the city, and the people we made Scripture says of Samara,

saying that he was somebody great. He was known as a great person or

a great power, not a great person great power because of his magic.

Scripture says in verse ten, they all paid attention to him, from the

least to the greatest. That just demonstrates that was a wide variety of acceptance

from different people from different walks of life who accepted him, that he was

somebody great because of his magic. And listen to the testimony verse ten.

It gives testimony of what people would say about Simon at this time. This

man is the power of God that is called great. Noticed that the Samaritans

even attributed the magical power that Simon had as a power of God. He

has God like power, that's what they would declare. That's what Luke tells

us that people once said about Simon, and in verse eleven, it says

they all paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them

with his magic. The scripture shows us that here's Simon had this magic power.

He demonstrates this power. But I want you to understand that scripture tells

us that he used this power to bring glory to himself, to make a

name for himself. As you walk through this passage of scripture, you see

that when we start thinking about how do we recognize what is fate power and

what is real spiritual power? I think it's important to understand that fate power

is for man's glory. Fake power glorifies self. Holy spirit power glorifies Jesus.

Hear me. Fake power glorifies self. If you think about Simon the

magician, what did he use his power for? It's for his name,

It's for his greatness. All of this is about him, and he wants

to be known as great. It's for his glory. It's for his greatness.

I think this is very important when we think about as you for you,

and I think it's what's so applicable for you as you look at this

passage of scripture is I know today that's across our world and on TV and

online and different even as far as tiktoks and all kinds of different things in

social media, you hear of different pastors, you hear of different preachers,

you hear of different things who declared that they have the power of God.

I think it is important when you start evaluating what is real power and what

is spiritual power. I think it's first I ask the question, is it

for men's glory or is it for God's glory? I want you to understand

something here. Look at scripture with me. Go back with me to verse

six of chapter eight. Let's go back to verse five. Since when Peter

went down to the city of Samarian proclaimed to them the christ the crows with

one of corp paid attention to what was being said by Philip, and he

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

were paralyzed or lame or healed. So there was much joy in that city.

Scripture says again, persecution led the Christians of leave Jerusalem, and what

happened and was given an example of scripture that Philip was one of the ones,

and he went into Samaria. Samaritans says, we looked at last week

where people who were rejected by the Jews, didn't have a good relationship with

the Jews. The Jews didn't like them. Philip goes to this area where

people who were not accepted, and he begins preaching the Gospel. Tell it

scripture we just read. And in the process of preaching the Gospel, what

does he have? He has the power of God, he Holy Spirit power.

Scripture says, he heals the lame, he cast out the demons.

But go back with me. So we see that here is Philip, and

he has the spirit of God, the power of the Holy Spirit, and

he's doing miraculous things, miracle things right, healing the lamb, casting out

the demons. But look at verse twelve. But when they believe Philip as

he preached the good news, listen to this about the Kingdom of God and

the name of Jesus Christ. Listen to me today. Simon wanted all the

attention for himself. He wanted all for what his glory. Philip had the

power of God upon him, But Philip did not turn the attention of the

power of God upon himself or his ability. Philip turned the power of God

towards Jesus. He used the Holy Spirit to say and the power that God

was using in and through him to lead people to Jesus, not lead people

to Him. And there are people in our world today who have maybe demonstrate

power, but it's faith power because that power that they're demonstrating is for their

glory, it's for their name, it's for them create a following instead of

pointing people to Jesus. I think it's just so important that you hear this.

I remember several years ago when I was in South Carolina, I was

pastoring and I went I used to pay some tennis with some guys in the

area and that were just other guys, and there was one guy that we

played tennis with and he was from another denomination, and we were playing tennis

and he was very charismatic. We did not believe the same theologically, but

you know, I don't believe in not having fellowship with someone just because theological

we don't agree. But I remember one time we were playing tennis and we

were out and we're kind of midway through the game and it started raining,

and he again, he was charismatic, and he believed that he had the

power of the Holy Spirit, and with the power of the Holy Spirit,

he could control the weather, and so it started raining and it was just

kind of a little light rains at first, and he prayed, says,

Lord, we need to finish this game. Stop this rain. And I'm

not kidding. If I'm lying, I'm dying. He took his hand and

like a water spiket, he turned it like that and the rain stopped.

And he looked at me. We were playing. He said, look,

you there, see that, And in a way he was, and he

laughed, and in a way he's demonstrated that, or he was doing that

to show. Look, you think I don't really have that power. I

do have that power. Here's the problem with that. We didn't have a

discussion about that. But here's the problem with this. Here's a problem without

teaching him using that power was for whose glory? It's for our glory,

right, it's for our benefit. That what finished the game. Do you

think that God would allow someone to have power to do something that's going to

benefit their glory or their desires or their comfort. No. God uses the

power of his Holy Spirit always to bring glory only to Jesus Christ. In

anything else that is seen for our self or for our benefit is not the

power of the Holy Spirit. The power of the Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus.

It's not for our glory or for our desires. So I think it's very

important that Luke wants you to see this. There is something different the magical

power or man made power and the Holy Spirit power. Secondly, fake power

is controlled. Holy Spirit cannot be controlled. It's very clear as we see

this passage scripture. Verse eleven shows this that they paid attention to him for

a long time because he mazed them with his magic. He did this through

skill. He did this through learning a skill, through learning different things that

he create this. He could do this. We saw this same thing in

Exodus with these magicians, these sorcerers. They did this as a skill.

They could do this through their abilities. It was not God's power, it

was man's power, and they could control it. The Holy Spirit power cannot

be controlled. It's interesting as you come to this passage of scripture, it

says that they paid attention because he's done this for a long time. As

you come to verse fourteen, the apostles are coming in right, the apostles.

We see people we're going to talk about this, let them a little

bit. We see people come to know the Lord through Philip's preaching, and

Peter and John come in, and they're coming in to see whether these Samaritans

are truly being saved. And one thing they find that when they get there

is the Holy Spirit had not come. Now hear me, Peter and John

right going in the temple heal the lame man. You remember that that had

the power of the Holy Spirit to heal the lame. Philip has the power

to heal the lame right to cast out the demons. So now you've got

three three men, and they're three leaders who've demonstrated the power of the Holy

Spirit to heal the lame, to cast out the demons. But they cannot

give the Holy Spirit to these believers. What does that show you? They

can't control it. So what happens when they come into the city to check

on the Samaritan believers? What do they do? Scripture says, look with

me and verse let me find it here verse fourteen. Now, the apostles

that Jerusalem heard that Samarita received the Lord. They sent Peter and John who

came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. You

see, Philip, Peter and John know that they can't control the Holy Spirit.

They cannot give the Holy Spirit away. And they know that the Holy

Spirit will look at this in a little bit is a gift of God of

salvation. So what did they do. They pray to the Lord that the

Holy Spirit might come down. You see, fate power is controlled, the

Holy Spirit cannot be controlled. Can I tell you today we live in the

world. We are control freaks, right. We like to be in control.

We like to have control of our cars. We like to to some

of you today you hear about these cars that drive themselves. You said,

uh uh uh, I'm not getting in one of those cars. Why because

I want to continue to be in control. I want to make sure I'm

in control of that will. We like to be in control, and as

we think about there's sometimes we even want to be control of the spiritual things

in our life. We got to call this week. I said, this

is amazing how God works. That I was preparing the sermon. This in

my see, this has never happened to my ministry. Okay, this week

we got a phone call. You're not gonna believe what I'm about to say.

A phone called by someone and they called because they had gotten sage and

they had taken to sage and they were I don't know what you do with

sage, burn it something I don't know. And they were using sage to

clean the cleanse the spirits of their house yep. Talking about being in to

control, trying to control what the evil spirits in their home. So they

were doing that and as the process of cleansing the spirits of their home the

energy they they felt like there was an evil spirit in their home. So

they called the church office listen and ask if they could get if we could

get them holy water, that we might give them holy water, that they

could take the holy water into their house and cleanse the evil spirits in their

home. I tell you that because there sometimes we do not realize in our

world there are those in our world. There are those and maybe even here

today. And you think that there's something that you can do to control the

Holy spirit or the or spirits of this world. You could burn stage and

cleanse your home. You can use holy water to cleanse your home. And

all that is the idea that I can control something. The reality is we

we told the individual, listen, this is not something that we can control.

We can't control the evil spirits in your home. You can't cleanse the

evil you can't control them. Can't cleanse the evil spirits in your home.

You have to understand the Holy Spirit. You cannot control. What is our

only hope, Our only hope is what Peter and John did is pray to

the Lord Lord. I've got to have your spirit power within me. I

can't control it. I can't make it happen. God, I need you.

Can I just say to you, and I said to this our church

family on Wednesday night. You know, as much as I want to with

all my heart, I tell you, if you say, Jonathan, what

is one thing you want to see happen on a Sunday morning? What is

one thing by preaching, of preparing a sermon, what do you desire?

There's one thing that I desire above all, by you hearing this message today,

that God's word would speak to your heart and change your heart. I

mean, if you would say, at the end of the day, what

do you want, Jonathan? That's what I desire. That's why I prepare

messages, That's why I prepare sermons. But can I tell you today it's

much as skill and talent and ability that I might put in a sermon.

Can I tell you this today that by my skill and by my strength,

and by my understanding of scripture, there's one thing I cannot do, And

I cannot change your heart. I cannot. And so you know what I

do. I pray for the Holy Spirit to work in your heart. Why

because I cannot control the Holy Spirit. But I warn you today, listen

to me today. There are people in our world today that are trying to

control the Holy Spirit and their churches and their pastors, and they're using manipulation

to try to control the Holy Spirit. There's a story that came out just

many years ago about a church in our area in our state, and there

was instructions by the staff by the pastor that when the invitation comes that staff

members and church leaders should walk down the aisle and look like they're giving responding

to the invitation to produce an environment that people would respond. Were also instructed

that they're staff members. If they were into congregation and they were singing the

songs, the staff members need to be expressive and they need to really be

raising their hands that really need to be worshiped. When the pastor was preaching

and he said something they really need to be expressive and responding to the message.

Can I tell you that it's trying to what control the Holy Spirit?

Listen, fake power is controlled, the Holy Spirit cannot be controlled. And

can I tell you Church family, as you are looking and evaluating the things

of this world, may you understand fake power glorified self. The Holy Spirit

glorifies Jesus. Fake power is controlled, the Holy Spirit cannot be controlled.

Third, fake power is bald. The Holy Spirit is a gift of God.

Scripture says that when Peter and John came and they prayed, they prayed

for the Holy Spirit to come. They prayed and placed their hands on the

believers. And when they placed their hands on the believers, they ever see

the Holy Spirit. It wasn't It wasn't them touching them that gave them the

Holy Spirit, or I gave them the Holy Spirit was a gift of God.

Scripture even says that but after they did that, Simon the magician sees

that they touched them and they ever see the Holy Spirit. And he stops

on thee and says, I tell you what, hey, let me give

you some money, million dollar bill, Let me give you some money,

and that I might have this power. You give me this power. Magicians

during this time, and I know still today they would sell their tricks to

other magicians. Simon is using that idea. He thinks, hey, this

is just a trick. They could show me how to do this, and

I command I've already become known. There's great in this area. If I

could do this, this, just this would just bring up my repertoire,

I'll be even better than I was before. But look at what Peter says

to him. Look at Scripture with me. In verse eighteen. It says,

now, when Simon saw the Holy Spirit was given through the laying of

the Apostle's hand, he offered them money, saying, give me this power,

also that anyone whom I lay my hands on might receive the Holy Spirit.

But Peter said to him, may your silver perish with you. Because

you thought you could listen to this, you could have attained the gift of

God with money. There it is very clearly Peter declares, listen, you

thought you could buy this with money. The spirit of God cannot be balked.

It is only the gift of God. Can I tell you We live

in a world today that uses fake power to glorifyself. Those who are trying

to build a name for themselves for their glory, not for Jesus. There

are those who are trying to use fake power to control the Holy Spirit.

And there are those who are using fake power to think that it can be

balked. Can I tell you just that the heart and and really there's almost

two messages in the one message today, And that's just the way Luke wrote

this passage of scripture. The prosperity Gospel today thrives on this idea that you

with your money can buy the Holy Spirit if you listen to Prosperity Gospel throughout

our world today, it hinges upon this that this idea that you can buy

the Holy Spirit. This gentleman coming this week with this idea, he didn't

ask to buy it. But it's just that idea that I can get it

from somewhere, and just throughout I can just I could go through example after

example example. I think the biggest example for me is just when I go

to Tanzania. There are people who are living in poverty, poverty. Just

two years ago, there was a story in one area in Tanzania. There

was a three year old girl and she was healing people with holy water,

and people were traveling for everywhere to see this little girl to see if she

would pour miracle water on them. And the idea that it can be bought,

the Holy Spirit cannot be bought. It is truly a gift of God.

Hear those warnings. See what scripture is showing us today. As Paul

continues to go, I want you to look at this passage scripture, he

normly wants a Paul I said, Paul I met Luke not only wants us

to see the difference between manpower and Holy Spirit power, but he also wants

you to see the difference between false conversion and true conversion. You remember in

Acts chapter one An Acts chapter one Jesus is one of Jesus' commissions of the

apostles of the Early Church. And this is what it says. But you

will see power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you'll be my

witnesses in Jerusalem and Alljda and Samaria to the ends of the earth. All

right, do you remember that? Well, as we come to Acts chapter

eight, we see the fulfillment of that persecution right that has led the Christians

out of Jerusalem. And where's the Gospel gon. Next, Jesus says,

you'll be my witnesses in Jerusalem. They were when the witnesses of Jerusalem in

Judea. And then what in Samaria Philip preaching here is fulfillment of what Jesus

promised. But you have to understand the Jews didn't like this idea. They

thought salvation was only for the Jews, not for the Gentiles, not for

the Samaritans through their half breeds. Now Philip fulfills what Jesus commanded. He

goes and he preaches there. Scripture says, I think it's clear as you

come to this passage of scripture in verse twelve. But when they believe Philip,

as he preached the good news about the Kingdom of God in the name

of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and win. Even Simon

himself believed, and after being baptized, he continued with Philip. Scripture says

that after he preaches, they believe. In verse fourteen, it tells us,

now, when the apostles had Jerusalem heard that that Samaria had to received

the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John. So here's

this what's happened is Peter has not Peter Phillip has preached. There, people

received the gospel. People are being baptized. Where it gets back to Jerusalem,

Man and Samaritans come to know the Lord. They're not come to none

of the Lord, but they've been baptized. There's followers there. The Jews

are like, I just don't know about this. I mean, God was

only for the Jews and not for others. I just really don't know if

really other people can be saved. So they send and you're going to see

this. This is a consistent theme throughout acts. They sent a delegation or

two from the apostles to Samaria to verify that the Samaritans have been saved.

So just understand what's happening here. The Early Church is sending out two apostles,

Peter and John, into Samarita, into Samaria to verify these people are

saved. Did they're not fake converts, that they're true converts. That's what's

happening in this passage. So what do they look for it? So the

question of all you probably ask pastor, Okay, there's a difference between fake

conversion and true conversion. How do we know the difference? Well, I

think, how do we know the difference? As we see what they look

for? Right, Notice as they come to the passage scripture in verse fourteen

that when Apostle Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the Word, and they sent

them Peter and John, who came down and pray for them that they might

receive the Holy Spirit, for that he had not yet fallen on any of

them, and they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus

Christ. What did Peter and John look for to verify the Samaritans were truly

saved? He looked for the dwelling of the Holy Spirit. You say,

pastor, how do I know what is true conversion? How what is real

conversion? It's the in dwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives

within our hearts. First Corinthians says, right one Corinthians three sixteen. Do

you not know that you are the temple, that is, the Holy Spirit

dwells within you. So as we look at this passive scripture, understand they

didn't go in and says, Okay, We're gonna come in and see if

these are true believers. Well, you know what, they all been baptized,

They all say they believe. Yeah, they're okay, no, no,

no, no, no, no, there's much more than that.

And here's here's here's a few things. I want you to think. Scripture

wants you and I see fake conversion versus true conversion. First, faith conversion

relies on works. True conversion is by faith. Faith conversion relies on works.

True conversion is by faith. Scripture says, here they go in and

they're they're they're looking for the Holy Spirit. They have not received the Holy

Spirit. So they pray, Lord, we need to see whether these people

really truly yours or not. So they pray, Lord, if this,

if this is really your work. Understand, the power of the Holy Spirit

is always the authenticate the work of God, the work of God through the

preaching of the Word, through Philip, Peter and John, the work of

God in saving. So that's when we see the coming of the Holy Spirit

here. That's why it's delayed, because God is wanting the early Church to

see this was truly his work. So they pray and the Holy Spirit comes.

Now, notice what happens here. The Bible says, look at look

with me. In the passage of Scripture, when they laid hands on them

Verse seventeen. They received the Holy Spirit. And when Simon saw that the

Holy Spirit was given through the ling of the pustle's hand, he offered them

money. You see, they were looking for whether all those people who'd believed

in have been baptized, those who said they believed in those who were being

baptized were truly saved. And they were those who received the Holy Spirit.

But there was one in the group, and his name was Simon. And

Simon wanted what, Oh, I don't know if I've got that yet,

Hey, let me give you some money for that. You see, Simon

had not received that Holy Spirit. Can I understand? Can I encourage you

today that fate conversion relies on works. True conversion is by faith. You

know, there's denominations today that believe that you're saved through baptism. There's a

denominations today in our world today that teach that you're saved by being baptized.

I mean badti ties by a certain in the name of Jesus, by a

certain way. Catholics believed in salvation by works. It's very through scripture.

It's very clear through scripture salvation is by faith. Here's I want to caution.

This maybe one of the most important sermons I've preached in a long time.

You know why, You've heard me say it a lot of the last

few months. Billy Graham says, fifty percent of those in the church are

lost. Why really based upon zero point one? Here, there's many who

believe they're saved, and it's not based upon the Holy spiritual work in their

life. It's based upon their works. I cannot tell you how many times

in my ministry I can think of a man right now. I was in

the church and he was having some health issues. He was kind of on

his health was declining severely. People in the community knew this man that were

concerned about him, always revered him. They were concerned about it. Salvation.

I said, Pastor, would you go visit him? I said,

sure, I go visit him. I remember walking in the door of his

house. He hadn't been to church and thirty years or more, struggle with

alcohol, struggle with a lot of different things, such and such. I

want to come talk to you about Jesus, preacher. I'm good, I'm

good you are tell me about that. Why? Yeah, I believe in

the Lord, Yeah, I believe. I believe in God. And you

know, when I was a child, I was baptized and you could not

convince him that he was not saved. He based his salvation upon his works,

not on the work of the Holy Spirit. True conversion, listen,

is not by works. Doesn't matter if you're a church member, doesn't matter

if you did baptized, It doesn't matter what you've done for God. Salvation

is by faith. That's what Ephesian says, for by grace. You have

been saved through faith. It's not your own doing. It is the gift

of God, not the resort of works. So that no one may boast,

Can I encourage you to just a form of application. Warn you parents,

grandparents. So many children as a young age make a decision for Christ,

and you're as you're concerned because they're young. Okay, how do I

make sure as they get older, how do I make sure they're really made

that decision? Because you are like me, you don't really know what's in

their heart right, And so many parents early on, I can tell you

I've seen this in time and time again, they push their children into baptism,

and then later on when their teenagers get older, even to young adults,

Mom I'm not really sure if I made that decision just right. Oh,

you know you were baptized. You're okay, and no, they're listen

to me. You verify with your family members and your loved ones that there's

salvation is not based upon their works or salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ.

Make sure as you, as individual church members understand true conversion is by

faith. Secondly, faith conversion is absence of the Holy Spirit. True conversion

receive the Holy Spirit. You need to move fast here. But I want

you to see here there's an absence of the Holy Spirit. In Simon,

he doesn't have it even so much so in verse twenty, if you look

at the passage of Scripture, when Peter rebukes him, he says in verse

twenty, Peter says, may your silver and perish. May your silver perish

with you because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money.

You have neither listen to this. You have neither part or lot in this

manner, for your heart is not right with God. He says, to

this idea part or lot is the idea You have neither a little or a

lot. What is he saying there? Peter's saying to Simon, Simon,

you don't. You don't have a little bit of the Holy Spirit or a

lot of the Holy Spirit. You don't have anything. It's a way of

emphasizing that he doesn't possess it. What does he call him to do?

He calls him to repent. I think you're you're asking maybe today, as

you come to this pastor scripture, you've probably read this, he said.

Surely as you first read this, surely he is a believer and he's he

says he believed. He says he was baptized. So you're tell me,

Pastor, he is not a believer. How do we know he's not a

believer because the Holy Spirit didn't live on this heart. Peter says, the

Holy Spirit's not within you, Simon. So you asked me today, Pastor,

how maybe you hear this and you're watching today and you said, Pastor,

maybe I'm one of those ones that I made a decision for Christ at

a young age. I've been baptized about how do I know that my salvation

it's true? How do I know that the Holy Spirit lives within me?

I think a key way that we see that the Holy Spirit working in us

is a spirit of repentance. You see, the Holy Spirit leads us to

repentance, a conviction of sin and repentance for Simon, and just trying to

walk you through this quickly. For Simon, there's no conviction of sin.

For Simon, there's no repentance, Peter says. In this passage of scripture,

Peter says, you have your silver and peerish perish with you because you

thought you could obtain the gift of God. He says in verse twenty one,

you have neither part or lot in this good. Verse twenty two he

commands him. He says, repent therefore this wickedness of yours, and pray

that the Lord, if possible, then intent of your heart may be forgiven.

For I see that you're in the guild of bitterness, in the bond

of iniquity. And Simon answered, pray for me that nothing of what you

have said may come upon me. So Peter says to Simon, Simon,

repent, repent of the evilness in your heart, and that maybe God will

forgive you. The Bible says Simon in the end says what he doesn't say,

You're right, I need to pray, I need to repent. He

actually looks back at Peter and says, Peter, pray for me that I'm

forgiven. Simon does nothing to express his brokenness or a repentant heart, or

even pray for repentance or pray for forgiveness. In turn, Simon still wants

what someone else to do something for him that he's not willing to do for

himself. Here's an old song, because you may have heard about it.

I heard it before. It's Kenny Chesney song that called Everybody wants to Go

to Heaven. Really, there's a lot of bad things about the song,

but probably the worst part about the song is that there's a I think a

verse that says, uh said to the pre maybe you didn't see me throw

an extra twenty in the plate. There's one for everything I did last night

and one to get me through the day, and here's a ten for you

to remember the next time you go to the Lord's ear. And then the

song goes and everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to go

right now. The imagery for Kenny Chesney and his song is that he's not

really willing to do anything for forgiveness. He wants the preacher to pray for

his forgiveness. That's the idea of Simon. Here. There's no repentance,

there's no conviction of the spirit. It's just I'm going to continue the way

things are, and maybe you pray and maybe I'll be forgiven and what you

said won't really happen to me. There's no there's no conviction of sin.

Can I tell you and enrollments Chapter seven, Paul is talking about sin.

And I don't know if Paul echoes some of the things that you ever struggled

with, but Paul says these words. He says, you know, the

things that I really want to do, I don't do, and the things

that I really don't want to do are the really things that I do.

And then Paul says, in the end of chapter seven, who will save

me? For the wretched flesh of that I am? Because I can't do

the things I want to do, and the things I don't want to do

is the very things I do. I'm just a wretched sinner. What will

save me? And in Romans chapter eight, he declares what saves him,

what saves him, it's the Holy Spirit living within him and this is what

he describes. He says in Romans eight twelve and sixteen. So, then,

brothers, we are dead ors not to the flesh, to live according

to the flesh, because if you live according to flesh, you will die.

But it's the spirit. But by the spirit you put the death the

deeds of the body. You will live for all who are led by the

Spirit of God or sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit

of slavery to fall back into fear. But you ever see the spirit of

adoption as sons, and whom we cry, ay be Father. The Spirit

bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. You know what

Paul is saying here, that if you're a child of God, the Holy

Spirit lives within your heart, and the Holy Spirit, listen, will bring

in your heart a conviction of sin, and that conviction of sin will lead

you to repentance. And that conviction of sin that leads you to repentance is

a sign that the Holy Spirit's living in your heart. You say to me,

the pastor to that, how do I know whether Spirit's living in my

heart? Are you convicted of your sin? Can you sin and get away

with it? Or when you sin is there conviction in your heart of sin?

And does that conviction lead you to repentance? If you do have that,

listen to spirit, God is residing in your heart. Secondly, I

want you. Thirdly, I want you to see faith conversion that's accent of

the Holy Spirit. True conversion receives the Holy Spirit. Lastly, fake conversion

is absence of repentance. True conversion is repentance of the heart, just what

it described for Simon, here there's absence of repentance. He does a repent

of the sin. Even in this passive of scripture. He describes again repentance

is of the heart. In verse twenty two, Peter says, repent therefore

the wickedness of yours to pray the Lord. If possible, the attende of

your heart might be forgiven. And here in verse twenty three describes what's in

his heart. For I see that you're in the gall of bitterness and the

bond of iniquity. So he says, I see your heart. It's full

of bitterness and your bond of iniquity. You're trapped in sin. That's what's

in your heart, Simon. And he calls him to repentance, repent turn

away from your sin that you might be forgiven. Scripture says and Second Corinthians

seventy nine. As it is, joy is not because you were a grieved,

Because you're grieved and repenting, for you felt a godly grief so that

you suffered no laws. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation

without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. Can I tell you today,

fake conversion is absence of repentance, true convision. True conversion is repentance of

the heart. Today, as God speaking to you today, the Holy Spirit

speaking to you today, can I tell you I ask you today, can

you receive His word by faith? Can I ask you today? Can you

receive the work of the Holy Spirit in your heart? And when that Holy

Spirit leads you to repentance, and as he leads you, don't make the

mistake of Simon today and say, pastor, would you just help me pray

for me? Pastor know the day listen to me. The Holy Spirit's calling

you. I can't make that decision for you. I can't make that prayer

for you. I can't make your heart turn away. That's the decision that

you today Just says Simon had to make you have to make today. Scripture

says, as you hear the Spirit's voice, will you respond, will you

listen? Will you turn to him? May you find the power of the

Holy Spirit working in you, and may you receive that power that that power

might change you forevermore. Will you pray with me? Father? I thank

you Lord for this message. And Lord I pray today as your word is

spoken that Lord you know our hearts. Lord, there's so many different counterfeits

in our world today, and Lord, I pray today would be a day

that we would see. Lord, your word is true, your spirit is

real, and God here there is a power in your Holy Spirit that's like

no other of this world. And God, may we not settle for the

counterfeits of our word world, But may we Lord long Lord, for the

power of your Holy Spirit working in us. May Lord we evaluate who is

in our heart today, whether we our hearts are right with you, Father,

whether we have received you by faith, whether we have received your Holy

Spirit, whether we have responded in repentance today, and God, those that

you're leading today, Lord, I pray that just as Peter call Lord Simon

to respond, Lord to your word Lord, I pray that today there'd be

those who would respond, Lord, not to my words or my thoughts,

or my ideas or Lord. Today, I pray that they would understand that

this is them responding to your word and to your Holy Spirit. So,

Lord, I pray you'd lead those today your name. We pray Amen Jesus pain to