This Week\’s Sunday Lesson, \”Growing In Jesus Takes Time\”, 10/4/2015

 

GROWING IN JESUS TAKES TIME

 

Acts 8:8-24

 

 

THE PREACHED WORD SHOULD BRING JOY

V:8. \” So there was great joy in that city.\”

1. After the stoning of Stephen, at the hands of Saul, the Church was persecuted and

many were scattered to other cities and countries.

1. Samaria was one of the cities that the Jews and Gentile Christians came and settled.
2. Philip went to Samaria and preached the Gospel.
3. It is strange that before the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Jews would not

deal with the Samaritans.  John 4:9

1. Because of the persecution, Samaria became one of the cities they sought protection

from their own people.

1. Do not burn a bridge because you never know when you will have to cross over

it again.

1. The very folk you reject might be the ones you need in the future.
2. There was joy in Samaria because the Word of God was taught to them by the

same people who had rejected them.

1. Philip the Deacon, healed the sick and cast out demons in the name of Jesus.
2. Many believed in Jesus Christ as their redeemer because of Philip\’s teaching.

 

ABSENT OF THE WORD GIVES THE DEVIL FREE REIGN

V:9-10. \” Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great,  and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, \”This man is the divine power known as the Great Power.\”

1. Simon was a magician masquerading as if he had the power of God.
2. He used his magic abilities to gain influence, fame and fortune.
3. He was skilled in his trade and knew how to mislead and deceive

people in all levels of the city.

1. He enjoyed the praise of man.
2. He love the fact that people believed he had divine powers.
3. He kept his trade a secret, because no one knew he was deceiving them.
4. When the Word of God is not being taught, Satan has a field day.
5. Satan is the father of deception.
6. Without the Word of God, you cannot stand against him.

 

WHEN YOU KNOW THE TRUTH YOU CAN IDENTIFY A LIE

V: 11-12. \”They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.\”

1. When you know what is real, a fake is easily recognized.
2. Simon didn\’t heal anyone, he just fooled everyone.
3. Following Simon, the Samaritans were not enlighten , they stayed in the dark.
4. Simon didn\’t teach the Word because he had no knowledge of the Word.

 

THE POWER OF THE WORD

1. When Philip came preaching and teaching the Word of God, the deceptions of

Simon became clear.

1. When people were healed and lives were changed, the falsehood of Simon was

was brought to the light.

1. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
2. The Word has convicting power, convincing power and condemning power.
3. The Word convicts us of our sins.
4. The Word convinces us of our need for a redeeming Savior.
5. The Word condemns our evil behavior.
6. The Word has enlightens power, enabling power and equipping power.
7. The Word enlightens us to the love of God, the grace of God and the mercy of God.
8. The Word enables us to resist the temptation of sin and fight the devil\’s advances

into our lives.

1. The Word equips us with the power of the Holy Spirit, all spiritual gifts and all

things necessary to do  the will of God.

1. When the Samaritans witness the miracles brought by the hands of Philip and the

power of the Word of God, they quit following Simon and followed Jesus.

 

THE WORD HAS THE POWER TO CHANGE THE WORST INTO GOD\’S BEST

V:13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.\”

1. The Word of God is so powerful that it can turn an enemy into a disciple.
2. We all are witnesses to this power.
3. Before Jesus came into our lives, we all were enemies of the cross.
4. Before Jesus, we all were liars, deceivers and cheaters, just to name a few of our

sins.

1. When Simon heard the Word and witnessed the power of the Word,

he abandoned his trade and followed the teachers of Jesus.

1. Simon, followed the foot steps of the original disciples of Jesus who dropped

their trade and embraced Jesus.

1. Simon was living in the dark, until he heard the Word of truth.
2. Simon knew His magic was an illusion, but the power of the Word was real.
3. Once Simon was introduced to the light, he abandoned his dark world.
4. The Word ought to be life changing and continuing life improvement.

 

GOD STEPS IN WHEN WE NEED HIM

V:14-16. \”When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.\”

1. The work of God is a team effort.
2. We all have different gifts, different talents and different assignments, but we serve

one God.

1. Philip introduced the Samaritans to the work, the power and love of God.
2. God used the apostles to pray for the new believers to receive the Holy Spirit.
3. There is power in corporate prayer.
4. We have a duty to pray for other believers that they may be empowered and

equipped to serve God.

1. When we serve God, He knows when we need help to accomplish His will.
2. God sent two of His veterans Apostles to assist in the work of laying hands

on the new believers to receive the Holy Spirit.

1. This served as a reinforcement to the Samaritans that they were truly accepted and

one with the Jews in the body of Christ.

 

 

V:17. \” Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.\”

1. Some commentary writers say the Samaritans received the Holy Spirit

when they first believed.

1. The laying on of hands by Peter and John added the miraculous manifestation of

the Holy Spirit to them.

1. Acts is considerate by some commentary writers as a transition period between

the Law and the age of Grace.

1. While the apostles lived, the laying on of hands to receive the Holy Spirit by the

apostles was the common practice.

1. After the book of Acts in the New Testament, you will not find the Holy Spirit

being given by the laying on of hands by believers.

1. Having received the Holy Spirit, the Samaritans were empowered to resolve

all differences with the Jews to continue the spread of the Gospel.

1. There must be unity in the body of Christ to fight the battle against the devil.
2. The devil will use any division to separate us from the mission of Christ.
3. When we focus on our differences, we want be wholly focused on Christ.
4. In the great commission, Jesus commanded the Jews to start the spread

of the Gospel in Jerusalem first then to Samaria second.

1. We cannot call ourselves children of God if we cannot make peace with our

neighbors.

1. Jesus commanded us to love our neighbors as ourselves.
2. It took the persecution of the Church to move the Gospel out of Jerusalem.

 

OUR IGNORANCE OUGHT TO PROMOTE THE STUDY OF GOD\’S WORD

V:18-19. \” When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles\’ hands, he offered them money  and said, \”Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.\”

1. You can take a man out of the hood, but you may have a hard time getting the

hood out of the man.

1. We don\’t completely change over night.
2. We are saved, sanctified and justified by the blood of Jesus once we believed in Him.
3. Accepting Christ as our personal Savior is just the start of our regeneration.
4. Any man in Christ is a new creation.
5. The new creation starts out as a babe in Christ which has to grow in Christ.
6. The new birth is ignorant of the ways of Christ.
7. The Word says train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old

he will not depart.

1. Simon showed his immaturity by trying to buy the ability to cause others

to receive the Holy Spirit by the touching of his hands.

 

A WISE MAN LISTENS TO GODLY COUNCIL

V:20-21. Peter answered: \”May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God.\”

1. It is the duty of the older mature Christians to steer the new Christians in the

right direction.

1. Peter himself got the same rebuke from Jesus several times. Matt 16:23,  John 13:8
2. Simon did not know that his request was offensive to God.
3. Simon had to be trained in the Word to know the ways of God.
4. After all, the Jews had denied the Samaritans access to the Synagogues where

the word was taught.  John 14:19-21

1. Simon had made His livelihood by being a master of his trade.
2. He wanted this gift which he probably thought was similar to his previous

craft.

1. Simon may have asked for this gift so that he could glorify God with his hands.
2. Simon may have asked for this gift so that he could be as effective serving

God as he had been promoting himself.

1. Simon was probably not an eye witness to the miracles of Jesus nor

was he a student of Jesus.

1. He probably had not received the Holy Spirit to give him insight into

the Word.

 

 

V:22-23 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.\”

1. This may have been the first training that Simon had received concerning the Word

of God.

1. First, Simon was taught that there are sins against God.
2. Second, he was taught to pray.
3. Third, he was taught that the God he served was a forgiving God.
4. Forth, he was taught not to envy the gifts of other Christians.
5. Fifth, Simon was taught that God gives His disciples insight into the hearts of

man.

1. Sixth, Simon was taught that sin did not change his relationship with God but

his fellowship with God.

1. Seventh, He was taught that when he sinned he needed to repent and ask for

forgiveness.

1. He was taught that fellowship with Jesus is restored when there is an absent of

un-repented sins.

 

1. Simon was in the best place with the best people to learn the Word of God.
2. He was blessed to follow Peter and John while they did the work of God.
3. Simon had to learn that there is growth in our mistakes.

 

1. Some commentary writers say the Samaritans received the Holy Spirit

when they first believed.

1. The laying on of hands by Peter and John added the miraculous manifestation of

the Holy Spirit to them.

 

 

THE POWER OF PRAYER

V:24 \”Then Simon answered, \”Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said

may happen to me.\”

1. To ask for prayer is a sign of Christian growth.
2. Simon did grow because he knew that there is power in intercessory prayer.
3. Simon grew because He ask God to be tolerant with him.
4. Simon grew because his encounter with Peter and John gave him a testimony

to the goodness of God in his life.

1. Simon learned to fear the one true God.
2. The beginning of knowledge is the fear of the Lord.
3. We must learn that not everyone is as mature as we are in the Lord Jesus.
4. We must learn that we still have much spiritual growth ahead of us.
5. We must learn to be tolerant with others as God has been tolerant with us.

 

Some commentary writers say the Simon was not saved and was still a pretender.

But the text says that he believed and was baptized. We must remember that Peter

was rebuked by the Lord Jesus from heaven and by the Apostle Paul after his conversion.

Acts 11:10, Gal 2:11.

 

You also must remember that Peter lied 3 times about knowing Jesus after walking

with Him for three years ( John 13:38).  I am not bad mouthing Peter, I just giving Simon

the benefit of my ignorance.

 

THE LESSON TO LEARN HERE IS THAT BEING FILLED WITH THE HOLY

SPIRIT DOES NOT ELIMINATE THE POSIBILITY OF SIN.

 

Sometimes you have to look in the mirror before you start judging folk.

Just because other people don\’t look like you, talk like you, walk like you and

think like you don\’t mean they are not saved and have a prepared place in heaven.

You be the judge. The Lord did not tell us that Simon was not saved.

 

Everyone of us has a past that God has not used to deny us heaven.

Everyone of us has a past life of sin that Jesus has covered with His blood.

Every believer while he still lives is growing in Christ.

 

THANK GOD THAT HE OVER LOOKED MY PAST AND GAVE

ME FAVOR IN HEAVEN

 

Rev M. Mitchell

Asst Pastor of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church.