1 00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:06,720 X8 starting from verse one. And saw her approved of their 2 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:10,760 killing him. On that day a great persecution 3 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:17,960 broke out against this church, in the church, against the 4 00:00:17,960 --> 00:00:21,880 church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were 5 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:24,640 scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 6 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:30,160 Godly man buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him, but the 7 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:32,119 soul began to destroy the church. 8 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:36,480 Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women 9 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:41,040 and put them in prison. Those who had been scattered 10 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:43,480 preached the words wherever they went. 11 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:48,640 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the 12 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:52,480 Messiah there. When the crowd heard Philip and 13 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:56,920 saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what 14 00:00:56,920 --> 00:01:01,000 he said. For with shrieks impure spirit 15 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:05,760 came out of many, and many were paralyzed, or lain were healed. 16 00:01:06,320 --> 00:01:08,680 So there was great joy in that city. 17 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:15,040 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced the sorcery 18 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:18,400 in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. 19 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:23,960 He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both 20 00:01:23,960 --> 00:01:28,680 high and low gave him their attention and exclaimed, This 21 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:31,640 man is rightly called the great power of God. 22 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:36,880 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with 23 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:41,280 his sorcery. But when they believed Philip as 24 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:46,000 he proclaimed the good news of the Kingdom of God and the name 25 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:50,600 of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 26 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:56,520 Simon himself believed and was baptized, and he followed Philip 27 00:01:56,640 --> 00:02:01,120 everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. 28 00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:07,000 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted 29 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:11,200 the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 30 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:15,440 When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers, though 31 00:02:15,760 --> 00:02:19,920 that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit 32 00:02:19,920 --> 00:02:25,000 had not yet come on any of them. They had simply been baptized in 33 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:26,960 the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. 34 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:31,360 Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their 35 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:34,760 hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. 36 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:40,200 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given as the laying on of 37 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:44,840 the apostles hands, he offered them money and said, Give me 38 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:49,000 also this ability, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands 39 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:54,000 may receive the Holy Spirit. Peter answered, May your money 40 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:57,760 perish with you because you thought you could buy the gift 41 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:01,440 of God with money. You have no part or share in 42 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:05,600 this ministry because your heart is not right before God. 43 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:11,600 Repent of this wickedness and praise the Lord in the hope that 44 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:15,040 He may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart, 45 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:20,000 for I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin. 46 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:25,600 Then Simon answered, Prayed the Lord for me, so that nothing you 47 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:29,360 have said may happen to me. After they had further 48 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:34,360 proclaimed the words of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter 49 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:38,880 and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many 50 00:03:38,880 --> 00:03:42,800 Samaritan villages. This is word of God. 51 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:48,720 And we are in Acts chapter 8. We've been walking our way 52 00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:51,280 through this book of Acts for quite some time now actually. 53 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:53,640 And we're going to take a break for Christmas in a couple of 54 00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:56,760 weeks time. But in this history of the early 55 00:03:56,760 --> 00:04:01,080 church written by a man called Luke, Luke wants to show his 56 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:04,920 readers several things. He wants to show us what it 57 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:09,720 looks like to be on mission with the risen Jesus. 58 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:12,680 That's the title we've given this whole series. 59 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:15,640 He I want to show us what it looks like to receive the power 60 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:20,360 of the Holy Spirit so that we can live as witnesses for Jesus 61 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:23,000 in this world. And I want to show us what it 62 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:28,960 means to live together as Jesus, church on mission with him in 63 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:32,440 this world. And Acts chapter 8, the bit 64 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:37,040 we're in today, it begins at a very dark moment in the history 65 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:40,120 of the church, because we have the early church under attack 66 00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:43,440 here in Acts chapter 8. It begins with the followers of 67 00:04:43,520 --> 00:04:46,240 Jesus in a dark and difficult place. 68 00:04:46,840 --> 00:04:50,080 And Luke imagines us asking the question on their behalf, but 69 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:55,360 also on our own behalf. What is the Lord doing in times 70 00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:59,640 of pain and loss? Again, the early church, they 71 00:04:59,640 --> 00:05:02,160 have just lost their first leader, Stephen. 72 00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:05,960 If you're last week, he was murdered by the religious 73 00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:10,480 leaders. And for the early church, As for 74 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:13,760 Christians throughout history right up to the present, we find 75 00:05:13,760 --> 00:05:17,200 ourselves asking what is the Lord doing in times of pain and 76 00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:20,400 loss? Where is God when it hurts? 77 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:25,200 Where is God when his people are struggling and it seems God's 78 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:30,960 enemies are winning because the early church here is under 79 00:05:31,160 --> 00:05:33,480 attack? On the surface, it looks like 80 00:05:33,480 --> 00:05:36,120 all the work we've been reading about in chapters one to seven 81 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:40,280 is beginning to fall apart. The early church is scattered in 82 00:05:40,280 --> 00:05:43,760 the opening verses of Acts 8. Look at verse one again with me 83 00:05:44,400 --> 00:05:47,000 on that day, to the day that Stephen was murdered by the 84 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:50,360 religious leaders in Jerusalem. On that day, a great persecution 85 00:05:50,360 --> 00:05:53,560 broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the 86 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:57,160 apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 87 00:05:57,160 --> 00:05:59,720 Things look bleak for the early Christians. 88 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:01,480 People are being forced from their homes. 89 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:03,400 They're being dragged off to prison. 90 00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:07,160 The days of toleration of the early church in Jerusalem, they 91 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:13,480 are now over. And yet Luke wants to show us in 92 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:18,040 the verses that follow that Jesus is working even through 93 00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:22,160 this persecution. We want to show us that finally, 94 00:06:22,760 --> 00:06:25,120 in this chapter of Acts that starts in such a dark place, the 95 00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:31,000 gospel finally reaches Samaria. The Samaritan people, historical 96 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:34,440 enemies of the Jewish people, hated and despised for so long, 97 00:06:34,600 --> 00:06:37,800 but now they're being gathered into the early church through 98 00:06:37,800 --> 00:06:40,640 faith in the risen Jesus. And the Holy Spirit is 99 00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:43,520 empowering them to live for Jesus too. 100 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:48,840 Seeing all that follows in this dark moment in the life of the 101 00:06:48,840 --> 00:06:52,960 early church, Luke wants us to see something even in the 102 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:56,720 darkest of times. The risen Jesus is building his 103 00:06:56,720 --> 00:06:59,920 church through the witness of his scattered people. 104 00:07:00,840 --> 00:07:03,680 Jesus isn't absent. He's not abandoned his people at 105 00:07:03,680 --> 00:07:05,160 this moment. No, He is actually working 106 00:07:05,160 --> 00:07:10,320 through the hardship, the lost, the persecution to accomplish 107 00:07:10,640 --> 00:07:12,320 his purpose. I think there's real 108 00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:15,720 encouragement for every local church and every follower of 109 00:07:15,800 --> 00:07:19,120 Jesus in this bit of acts. In many ways, this bit of acts, 110 00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:22,840 we see Jesus keeping one of the most precious promises he made 111 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:25,360 to his disciples when he was here on earth. 112 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:29,480 We read that promise in Matthew 16, verse 18, where Jesus says 113 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:34,560 very simply, I will build my church and the gates of hell 114 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:39,400 will not overcome it. For the early Christians, it 115 00:07:39,400 --> 00:07:41,080 might have felt like the gates of hell had opened. 116 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:45,200 They were being scattered from their homes, but Jesus is still 117 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:48,360 with them. Jesus is still building his 118 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:51,920 church through ordinary suffering, fallen people like 119 00:07:51,920 --> 00:07:55,120 them. And today Jesus builds his 120 00:07:55,120 --> 00:07:59,080 church through ordinary suffering, fallen people like 121 00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:03,360 us. And nothing and no one can stop 122 00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:07,600 what Jesus is doing. Let's look at this passage 123 00:08:08,040 --> 00:08:10,640 together. Now he acts it again. 124 00:08:10,640 --> 00:08:13,920 These opening verses. The early church is scattered 125 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:17,680 versus 1, so 3. Stephen has just been killed by 126 00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:20,880 the religious leaders. He's died a brutal and bloody 127 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:23,840 and violent death. They've thrown rocks at him 128 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:27,160 until he died. And on that day, Luke says, a 129 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:30,840 great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem. 130 00:08:30,840 --> 00:08:35,200 And all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and 131 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:37,840 Samaria. So before this moment, there 132 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:41,799 was, if you like, an uneasy truce in Jerusalem between the 133 00:08:41,799 --> 00:08:43,679 religious leaders and the early church. 134 00:08:43,679 --> 00:08:45,400 Back in Acts Chapter 5, you're with us. 135 00:08:45,560 --> 00:08:47,880 One of the members of the Sanhedrin, A respected teacher 136 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:51,440 called Gamelio, said, let's leave these Christians alone. 137 00:08:51,440 --> 00:08:54,560 Let's see if what they are saying is really from God and to 138 00:08:55,440 --> 00:08:57,640 religious leaders. They still flog the apostles at 139 00:08:57,640 --> 00:09:00,600 that point, but they're kind of stepping back and waiting to see 140 00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:03,720 what will happen. But then in Acts chapter 8, 141 00:09:03,720 --> 00:09:07,160 Stephen's trial and execution changes everything. 142 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:11,080 The days of tolerating the early church are now over. 143 00:09:11,080 --> 00:09:14,600 The early Christians are driven from their homes, some drag to 144 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:16,640 prison. Only the apostles still enjoy 145 00:09:16,640 --> 00:09:18,360 one the some measure of protection. 146 00:09:18,520 --> 00:09:20,440 They're allowed to stay in Jerusalem. 147 00:09:20,440 --> 00:09:24,200 The rest of the Christians are driven out into Judea and 148 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:27,080 Samaria. Verse 2 Stephen is buried, 149 00:09:27,680 --> 00:09:30,200 probably by sympathetic Jewish believers. 150 00:09:30,200 --> 00:09:33,240 If the Christians are being scattered and he is mourned for 151 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:38,040 deeply, Luke says Stephen's a huge loss to the church. 152 00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:43,680 This hurts the early Christians. And then verse 3, we made a new 153 00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:46,600 figure who will loom large for the next while. 154 00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:50,520 The figure of Saul and Luke says in no uncertain terms in verse 155 00:09:50,520 --> 00:09:53,560 3. And Saul began to destroy the 156 00:09:53,560 --> 00:09:56,200 church. It was Saul's mission in life. 157 00:09:56,200 --> 00:09:58,560 He is going house to house, reminding us that in the early 158 00:09:58,560 --> 00:10:00,560 church, people didn't meet in church buildings. 159 00:10:00,560 --> 00:10:03,480 They met in people's homes. And Saul is systematically 160 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:07,600 seeking to wipe out the church one house at a time. 161 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:10,080 He's dragging off both men and women to prison. 162 00:10:10,280 --> 00:10:14,320 It is a terrifying picture of the church under attack by 163 00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:20,760 savage enemies of God's people. And Fast forward, Fast forward 164 00:10:20,760 --> 00:10:24,000 to the present day. The grim reality is there are 165 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:28,040 still plenty of souls at work in our world today. 166 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:32,200 A few weeks ago, if you were here, we observed persecution 167 00:10:32,200 --> 00:10:34,280 Sunday. Together we prayed for believers 168 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:38,520 around the world who are persecuted for their faith in 169 00:10:38,520 --> 00:10:42,200 places like North Korea, Iran, China, Somalia. 170 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:45,640 We learnt that one in seven Christians living today across 171 00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:51,120 the world, one in seven faces severe persecution for their 172 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:55,360 faith in Jesus. A couple weeks after that, I 173 00:10:55,360 --> 00:10:58,480 went to Blackpool to the FIC Leaders Conference. 174 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:01,280 The focus was on world mission. We spent the middle evening 175 00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:04,440 praying for the persecuted church worldwide or the 176 00:11:04,440 --> 00:11:07,240 particular focus on Nigeria and Sudan. 177 00:11:08,240 --> 00:11:09,840 And I'm sitting there and you may know one of our mission 178 00:11:09,840 --> 00:11:11,920 partners that the Wallace family, Matt and Lisa Wallace, 179 00:11:11,920 --> 00:11:14,000 and their children are in Nigeria. 180 00:11:14,680 --> 00:11:17,120 And we know that the more Christians are killed for their 181 00:11:17,120 --> 00:11:20,920 faith in Nigeria than in all the other countries of the world 182 00:11:20,920 --> 00:11:27,200 combined, that the world of persecution didn't end in Acts 183 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:30,280 chapter 8. They're so countless Christians 184 00:11:30,280 --> 00:11:33,520 today, persecuted for their faith, scattered from their 185 00:11:33,520 --> 00:11:37,400 homes, dragged off to prison, killed for what they believe. 186 00:11:37,400 --> 00:11:40,560 The world of Acts 8 is still the world we live in today. 187 00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:43,600 And many of our brothers and sisters in Christ around the 188 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:46,960 world are on the front line today. 189 00:11:49,760 --> 00:11:51,680 And so of course, for them, just As for the early Christians, 190 00:11:51,680 --> 00:11:57,240 they might ask at times, what is the Lord doing right now for the 191 00:11:57,240 --> 00:11:58,360 early church? They're thinking, well, well, 192 00:11:58,360 --> 00:12:01,200 things were going so well, we were growing so great. 193 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:02,880 Why? Why is it we're suddenly facing 194 00:12:02,880 --> 00:12:05,160 fierce opposition? And this early church that has 195 00:12:05,160 --> 00:12:07,160 just been growing and growing is now scattered. 196 00:12:07,920 --> 00:12:10,600 So the early church feels finished in Jerusalem. 197 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:16,280 But then verse 4 and following and I'd say the picture and the 198 00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:20,720 mood changes dramatically. It's as if looks or wants to 199 00:12:20,720 --> 00:12:23,760 pull back the curtain a little and show what is really 200 00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:26,480 happening behind the scenes at this moment. 201 00:12:27,560 --> 00:12:31,720 And what is happening is the risen Jesus is building his 202 00:12:31,720 --> 00:12:33,480 church. The church may be scattered by 203 00:12:33,480 --> 00:12:37,640 persecution, but it's through that very scattering that Jesus 204 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:42,360 is at work building and extending his Kingdom in this 205 00:12:42,360 --> 00:12:44,600 world. The gospel finally reaches 206 00:12:45,240 --> 00:12:48,200 Samaria. That's verses four and five. 207 00:12:48,200 --> 00:12:51,320 Those being scattered preach the Word wherever they went. 208 00:12:51,680 --> 00:12:55,360 And Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the 209 00:12:55,360 --> 00:12:58,760 Messiah there. And we might think, well, what's 210 00:12:58,760 --> 00:13:01,440 the significance of that? Well, to understand that we need 211 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:03,480 to kind of flick back to the very beginning of Acts, Acts 212 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:07,600 chapter 1 and the opening Commission that Jesus gives his 213 00:13:07,600 --> 00:13:11,560 disciples there Acts chapter one, verse 8, Jesus says this, 214 00:13:11,560 --> 00:13:14,480 you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and 215 00:13:14,480 --> 00:13:17,840 you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and 216 00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:19,760 Samaria and to the ends of the earth. 217 00:13:20,680 --> 00:13:23,680 Some of that verse is seen as like the contents page for the 218 00:13:23,680 --> 00:13:26,160 book of Acts. It shows how Luke structures his 219 00:13:26,160 --> 00:13:28,520 book, and up to the end of Chapter 7, we've seen the 220 00:13:28,520 --> 00:13:32,080 disciples as witnesses for Jesus in Jerusalem. 221 00:13:32,720 --> 00:13:36,600 But now from chapter 8, Jesus is leading his people outside the 222 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:40,400 city of Jerusalem and into all Judea and even into Samaria. 223 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:43,280 It is a key moment in the book of Acts. 224 00:13:43,560 --> 00:13:45,840 And it's clear that even behind the attacks of his enemies, 225 00:13:46,560 --> 00:13:49,640 Jesus is at work. He's leading his people on 226 00:13:49,640 --> 00:13:54,080 mission to proclaim the gospel to people who haven't yet heard 227 00:13:54,080 --> 00:13:56,440 it. So what? 228 00:13:56,440 --> 00:13:59,960 We learn from this unique moment in church history and there's a 229 00:13:59,960 --> 00:14:02,360 lot for us to see in this chapter. 230 00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:04,920 First of all, I think we learn this. 231 00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:09,480 We learn that every believer is a witness for Jesus. 232 00:14:09,480 --> 00:14:13,320 Every believer is a witness for Jesus. 233 00:14:13,920 --> 00:14:16,480 It's a real, real moment in the book of Acts because up to this 234 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:19,720 point, up to the end of Chapter 7, the apostles have taken the 235 00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:23,400 lead on Jesus mission. They've been the ones preaching 236 00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:25,000 and teaching. They've been the ones leading 237 00:14:25,200 --> 00:14:26,440 the way. But now Luke tells us the 238 00:14:26,440 --> 00:14:30,360 apostles are still in Jerusalem. The apostles are staying behind 239 00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:33,680 is the other ordinary believers who've been scattered across 240 00:14:33,680 --> 00:14:37,440 Judea and Samaria. And Luke tells us those who had 241 00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:40,960 been scattered preach the word wherever they went. 242 00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:44,600 And then what does that mean? Preach the words? 243 00:14:44,920 --> 00:14:47,320 I don't think it means that every ordinary believer was sort 244 00:14:47,320 --> 00:14:49,520 of standing up, like maybe I am now and gathering a grip and 245 00:14:49,560 --> 00:14:51,520 then then monologuing for 20 minutes. 246 00:14:51,520 --> 00:14:54,280 I'm not sure that is what it means actually. 247 00:14:54,280 --> 00:14:57,080 The word here, the Greek word that Luke uses is the same word 248 00:14:57,080 --> 00:15:02,080 often translated as evangelize, to share good news, to bring 249 00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:05,000 good news. The picture Luke is painting 250 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:09,480 here is of ordinary followers of Jesus sharing the good news of 251 00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:14,320 Jesus in informal, ordinary conversations and the impact 252 00:15:14,320 --> 00:15:16,000 it's having on the people they meet. 253 00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:21,040 Again, some some church leaders call this maybe gossiping the 254 00:15:21,040 --> 00:15:24,280 gospel and it's actually something Chrissy that every 255 00:15:24,280 --> 00:15:27,480 single believer can do. It's not restricted to apostles 256 00:15:27,560 --> 00:15:30,520 or prophets or church leaders. That is the picture that Luke 257 00:15:30,520 --> 00:15:34,240 paints of every ordinary believer can do this. 258 00:15:34,240 --> 00:15:37,200 We can evangelize. We can share the gospel 259 00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:40,960 informally, person to person and that is what these early 260 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:45,760 believers were doing. Now it's clear that the apostles 261 00:15:46,200 --> 00:15:48,640 still have a vital part to play. We're going to meet Peter and 262 00:15:48,640 --> 00:15:50,560 John in a little moment. We've got Philip, one of the 263 00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:53,440 seven, still leading the way. But it's as if Luke is 264 00:15:53,440 --> 00:15:55,880 challenging his readers here. What about you? 265 00:15:56,760 --> 00:16:00,960 Will you play your part in Jesus mission wherever he has 266 00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:06,120 scattered you in your life? And Jesus knew what he was doing 267 00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:09,360 when he put these believers in the places he put them in. 268 00:16:11,080 --> 00:16:13,480 Actually, one commentator suggests that the very fact that 269 00:16:13,480 --> 00:16:16,560 they're in Judea and Samaria is itself a witness to Jesus. 270 00:16:16,560 --> 00:16:18,480 People would say, well, well, hang on, you're from Jerusalem. 271 00:16:18,480 --> 00:16:20,640 What are you doing out here? What are you doing in Judea? 272 00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:22,880 What are you doing in Samaria? And they would say, well, 273 00:16:22,880 --> 00:16:24,920 actually, I'm, I'm a follower of Jesus. 274 00:16:24,960 --> 00:16:26,960 And we were driven from our homes. 275 00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:30,840 We had to come here. I said, who's Jesus? 276 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:35,320 What does it mean to follow him? And then they can talk, and they 277 00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:38,160 can share who Jesus is. They can talk about all they 278 00:16:38,160 --> 00:16:41,240 have seen of him, who he is, and what he has done for us. 279 00:16:42,880 --> 00:16:48,280 We can share Jesus in whatever place God has put us as ordinary 280 00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:50,080 believers. It's not just the apostles and 281 00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:52,320 prophets. It's all of us. 282 00:16:54,360 --> 00:16:57,000 That's worth saying. We we aren't all evangelists 283 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:02,000 like Philip or the apostles, but we can all evangelize like the 284 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:05,520 early believers did through word and deed, through loving the 285 00:17:05,520 --> 00:17:08,000 people around us, through praying for the people around 286 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:11,160 us, through provoking questions and then making the most of 287 00:17:11,160 --> 00:17:14,040 opportunities when those questions get asked. 288 00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:17,079 The apostle Peter puts it like this, writing to a group of 289 00:17:17,079 --> 00:17:21,400 believers scattered across Asia. He says in one Peter 315 to 16 290 00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:24,800 In your hearts Revere Christ as Lord, to live with Jesus as 291 00:17:24,800 --> 00:17:26,640 Lord. And always be prepared to give 292 00:17:26,640 --> 00:17:29,000 an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the 293 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:31,000 hope you have. Do this with gentleness and 294 00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:34,440 respect, keeping a clear conscience, so those who speak 295 00:17:34,440 --> 00:17:37,200 maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be 296 00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:41,320 ashamed of their slander. This is what ordinary Christians 297 00:17:41,320 --> 00:17:44,200 are called to do. We're not called to be like 298 00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:47,480 Philip necessarily, and to break new grind and to proclaim to a 299 00:17:47,480 --> 00:17:51,520 city in Samaria the good news. But we can in our lives Revere 300 00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:56,840 Christ as Lord, pray for questions to be asked of us, and 301 00:17:56,840 --> 00:18:01,560 then answer those questions in the power of the Spirit that is 302 00:18:01,560 --> 00:18:04,840 ordinary Christian witness. Luke says it's sort of almost 303 00:18:04,840 --> 00:18:09,240 begins in verse 4 with this scattering out of Jerusalem. 304 00:18:10,160 --> 00:18:14,160 We each have a part to play on mission with Jesus. 305 00:18:16,120 --> 00:18:18,640 But again, gloriously, Luke also says there are certain people in 306 00:18:18,640 --> 00:18:20,600 the church with particular rules. 307 00:18:20,600 --> 00:18:23,200 And he introduces us to this man called Philip. 308 00:18:23,880 --> 00:18:25,640 And Philip, he's, he's one of the seven. 309 00:18:25,680 --> 00:18:27,840 I was appointed by the early church back in Acts 6 to 310 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:29,680 distribute food to the widows there. 311 00:18:29,680 --> 00:18:32,160 He's described as a man full of the spirit and wisdom. 312 00:18:32,400 --> 00:18:35,920 And later in Acts, Luke refers to him as Philip the evangelist. 313 00:18:36,400 --> 00:18:39,560 That's Acts 21, verse 8. Philip's actually the only named 314 00:18:39,560 --> 00:18:43,480 evangelist in the New Testament. And here in Acts chapter 8, we 315 00:18:43,480 --> 00:18:48,160 sort of see Philip in action. Philip breaks new ground for 316 00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:49,920 Jesus. That's what an evangelist does. 317 00:18:50,080 --> 00:18:52,040 They break new ground for the gospel. 318 00:18:52,040 --> 00:18:55,480 They're particularly gifted by God for like first contact 319 00:18:55,720 --> 00:18:57,280 evangelism. And then they help other 320 00:18:57,280 --> 00:19:00,840 believers make the most of opportunities to speak of Jesus. 321 00:19:00,840 --> 00:19:04,520 Evangelists like Philip are a gift from Jesus to the wider 322 00:19:04,720 --> 00:19:07,480 church. And to begin to understand just 323 00:19:07,480 --> 00:19:12,160 how significant it is that what Philip is doing in Samaria, we 324 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:14,880 need to remember, maybe learn for the first time, just how 325 00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:20,080 deeply Jewish people and Samaritan people hated each 326 00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:24,560 other in the 1st century. There were centuries of division 327 00:19:25,120 --> 00:19:31,200 and hatred, and suddenly those centuries are being overturned 328 00:19:31,480 --> 00:19:35,360 by Jesus. The history is that the 329 00:19:35,360 --> 00:19:38,880 Samaritans and Jews, they were once simply Israelites, part of 330 00:19:38,880 --> 00:19:43,240 the nation of Israel. 92 BC the Kingdom is divided. 331 00:19:43,240 --> 00:19:46,480 Israel to the north, that's 10 tribes, it's capital is Samaria, 332 00:19:46,480 --> 00:19:48,040 that's where the word Samaritan comes from. 333 00:19:48,320 --> 00:19:51,760 Judah to the South, 2 tribes, it's capital is Jerusalem. 334 00:19:51,760 --> 00:19:54,600 So they're divided. 722 BC, better history for you. 335 00:19:54,840 --> 00:19:57,640 The northern kingdoms conquered, carried off into exile by the 336 00:19:57,640 --> 00:19:59,760 Assyrians. And when those exiles from the 337 00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:03,440 north continue return, sorry, they intermarry with the nations 338 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:05,320 around them. And that means the Jewish people 339 00:20:05,320 --> 00:20:07,360 in the South go, well those guys, they're not really 340 00:20:07,360 --> 00:20:09,400 Israelites anymore. They've intermarry, they don't 341 00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:13,680 trust in God anymore and they began to despise them by the 342 00:20:13,680 --> 00:20:15,880 time of Jesus. Jews and Samarans are deeply 343 00:20:16,080 --> 00:20:18,000 divided. Samarans worship God on Mount 344 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:20,240 Gerizim. Jews worship God the temple in 345 00:20:20,240 --> 00:20:22,800 Jerusalem. With wonderful understatement, 346 00:20:23,080 --> 00:20:26,080 the writer of John's gospel, John says Jews do not associate 347 00:20:26,080 --> 00:20:28,920 with Samarans. That's really putting it mildly. 348 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:34,320 But yet in the Gospels, Jesus himself reaches out to a 349 00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:38,000 Samaritan woman at a well and her whole time in John four with 350 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:41,400 many coming to faith and Acts one verse 8 we saw a moment ago, 351 00:20:41,560 --> 00:20:46,160 Jesus calls his disciples to be his witnesses in Samaria. 352 00:20:47,240 --> 00:20:50,480 And the great thing here is that Jesus is leading his people on 353 00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:52,520 mission even to places they don't want to go. 354 00:20:53,280 --> 00:20:57,880 The risen Jesus wants Samaritan people in his church and he 355 00:20:57,880 --> 00:21:02,080 sends Philip to them to proclaim the gospel to them. 356 00:21:03,560 --> 00:21:07,320 So Philip arrives verse 5 in either a city in Samaria, that's 357 00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:10,600 how the NIV translates it, or some transition to V city in 358 00:21:10,600 --> 00:21:13,680 Samaria, maybe a reference to that capital city Samaria from 359 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:17,920 the Old Testament. And what is Philip's message of 360 00:21:17,960 --> 00:21:18,280 I? Simply? 361 00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:24,120 Philip's message is Jesus. He just talks about Jesus a lot 362 00:21:24,120 --> 00:21:28,720 in the power of the Spirit. Again, the Samaritans were were 363 00:21:28,720 --> 00:21:32,960 close enough links to the Jewish people that they too were 364 00:21:32,960 --> 00:21:36,760 waiting for God to send a rescuer to put things right. 365 00:21:36,760 --> 00:21:40,040 Now the Jewish people wanted that rescuer to be a king, a 366 00:21:40,040 --> 00:21:42,800 descendant of David. The Samaritans are waiting for 367 00:21:42,800 --> 00:21:46,400 someone they referred to as Taheb, literally the restorer, a 368 00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:51,360 prophet like Moses Phillips message to the Samaritans is the 369 00:21:51,360 --> 00:21:53,760 same message he would have given to Jewish people. 370 00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:58,840 Jesus is the one we've been waiting for, the one you've been 371 00:21:58,840 --> 00:22:02,080 longing for God to send. His name is Jesus. 372 00:22:02,080 --> 00:22:05,480 He is God's prophet, God's restorer, God's rescuer. 373 00:22:06,760 --> 00:22:10,240 And little later in verse 12, Lew records another aspect of of 374 00:22:10,400 --> 00:22:12,360 Philip's message. He proclaimed the good news of 375 00:22:12,360 --> 00:22:14,200 the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus. 376 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:17,880 Basically, God's king has come to put things right and his name 377 00:22:17,880 --> 00:22:20,480 is Jesus. Philip's message is all about 378 00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:22,360 Jesus. He doesn't start with the 379 00:22:22,360 --> 00:22:25,160 religious divisions and debates between Jews and Samaritans. 380 00:22:25,160 --> 00:22:27,840 He doesn't just give them good spiritual advice to live a good 381 00:22:27,840 --> 00:22:30,800 life. No, he talks about Jesus, who he 382 00:22:30,800 --> 00:22:35,200 is and all that he has done. It is good news about Jesus 383 00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:37,040 because it's not like something we do. 384 00:22:37,600 --> 00:22:40,080 It's about what Jesus has done for us. 385 00:22:40,080 --> 00:22:44,880 And again, amazingly, Luke tells us that Philip was empowered by 386 00:22:44,880 --> 00:22:48,320 God verses 6:00 and 7:00 to perform great signs and 387 00:22:48,320 --> 00:22:51,400 miracles. And those signs pointed clearly 388 00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:54,640 to the person and power of Jesus. 389 00:22:55,400 --> 00:22:58,480 We're told that the Philip was able to drive impure spirits out 390 00:22:58,480 --> 00:23:01,120 of many. That shows Jesus authority over 391 00:23:01,120 --> 00:23:04,240 evil. Philip is able to heal those who 392 00:23:04,240 --> 00:23:07,000 are paralyzed or lame. That shows Jesus power to 393 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:11,160 restore what is broken. Those signs, like they are all 394 00:23:11,160 --> 00:23:13,160 the way through the New Testament, are signs of God's 395 00:23:13,160 --> 00:23:15,000 Kingdom breaking into the present. 396 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:18,760 God's Kingdom that will come finally when Jesus returns to 397 00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:20,760 bring a glorious new creation with him. 398 00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:24,920 And there are moments in history, like Acts 8, where that 399 00:23:25,120 --> 00:23:29,520 Kingdom breaks in and points powerfully to Jesus. 400 00:23:31,080 --> 00:23:34,960 They are signs, says Luke. A sign isn't meant to take all 401 00:23:34,960 --> 00:23:39,240 our attention onto it. The sign points us to something 402 00:23:39,480 --> 00:23:42,480 or to someone. And these signs pointed the 403 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:48,560 Samaritans to Jesus. And this was a unique moment in 404 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:52,120 salvation history. Fast forward to today, and 405 00:23:52,120 --> 00:23:55,720 sometimes, gloriously, signs and miracles still happen. 406 00:23:55,720 --> 00:23:57,840 They happen in God's church around the world. 407 00:23:57,840 --> 00:24:00,680 They happen in God's church even here in this country. 408 00:24:00,840 --> 00:24:05,360 We can and should pray for healing when we know people 409 00:24:05,360 --> 00:24:08,240 struggling. We should thank God when He does 410 00:24:08,400 --> 00:24:12,240 heal, as He has done in recent times in our church family. 411 00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:14,800 And above all, we should pray that those signs and miracles 412 00:24:14,800 --> 00:24:18,560 will achieve their purpose, not for us to be obsessed with them, 413 00:24:18,800 --> 00:24:23,200 but for them to point us to Jesus, who he is and all he has 414 00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:27,640 done for everyone who trusts in Him and that great new creation 415 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:30,680 he's going to bring one day, where sin and death and 416 00:24:30,680 --> 00:24:36,720 suffering will be no more. Philip is breaking new grind for 417 00:24:36,800 --> 00:24:39,520 Jesus here. It's a unique moment in 418 00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:42,960 salvation history. And then there's this weird 419 00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:49,800 moment in verses 14 to 17 where there's a delay in the Holy 420 00:24:49,800 --> 00:24:54,200 Spirit coming on the Samaritans. I want to say that what what 421 00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:57,880 Luke's trying to show us here is it's the same Jesus at work in 422 00:24:57,880 --> 00:25:00,760 the lives of Samaritans as he was at working Jewish people. 423 00:25:00,880 --> 00:25:03,920 It's the same gospel at work in Samaria as was at work in 424 00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:06,240 Jerusalem. And the Samaritans are welcome 425 00:25:06,240 --> 00:25:10,160 into the same church that those Jewish believers were in, the 426 00:25:10,160 --> 00:25:13,440 church loved by Jesus and bought by him. 427 00:25:14,720 --> 00:25:17,480 If you like verses 14 to 17 or the description, you could call 428 00:25:17,480 --> 00:25:22,600 it the Samaritan Pentecost. Verse 14, we learned of the 429 00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:25,600 apostles in Jerusalem hear about what's happening in Samaria, and 430 00:25:25,600 --> 00:25:28,240 they send two of their leaders, Peter and John, to come and see 431 00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:31,640 what the Word of God has been doing just on the screen there. 432 00:25:31,640 --> 00:25:34,720 When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that 433 00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:36,960 they might receive the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit 434 00:25:36,960 --> 00:25:40,840 had not yet come on any of them. They had simply been baptized in 435 00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:43,600 the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their 436 00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:46,880 hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. 437 00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:53,360 And what's going on here? Why was there this delay in the 438 00:25:53,360 --> 00:25:55,640 Samaritan believers receiving the Holy Spirit? 439 00:25:57,040 --> 00:25:58,800 And this past has been interpreted many ways by 440 00:25:58,800 --> 00:26:02,000 different church traditions in different ways. 441 00:26:02,720 --> 00:26:05,120 So according to some Roman Catholic teaching, actually, it 442 00:26:05,120 --> 00:26:08,480 teaches that that believers need church leaders to come and place 443 00:26:08,480 --> 00:26:12,280 their hands on new believers after baptism to confirm they 444 00:26:12,280 --> 00:26:15,560 truly are believers, and only then do they receive the Holy 445 00:26:15,560 --> 00:26:18,000 Spirit. That's one line of Catholic 446 00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:21,400 understanding of this passage. According to some Pentecostal 447 00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:23,680 and charismatic teaching, actually, it teaches that 448 00:26:23,680 --> 00:26:26,400 conversion is always a two stage process. 449 00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:28,160 The first step, you believe and are baptized. 450 00:26:28,360 --> 00:26:31,160 The second step, you receive the Holy Spirit. 451 00:26:31,800 --> 00:26:34,120 That's what some Pentecostal and charismatic traditions 452 00:26:34,160 --> 00:26:36,760 understand. It's not what this passage is 453 00:26:36,760 --> 00:26:39,840 teaching here. Again, I find it really helpful 454 00:26:39,840 --> 00:26:42,600 always to see where different church traditions get some of 455 00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:44,080 their theology and practice from. 456 00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:47,520 But I don't believe Luke is presenting Axiate as the normal 457 00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:51,200 shape of the Christian life and of Christian conversion. 458 00:26:51,800 --> 00:26:55,080 Again, we need to remember this is a unique moments in the 459 00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:58,880 history of the church, and every time the gospel breaks new grind 460 00:26:58,880 --> 00:27:02,320 in Acts, there is a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit to 461 00:27:02,320 --> 00:27:06,360 prove that God himself draws near to everyone who puts their 462 00:27:06,360 --> 00:27:10,440 faith in Jesus, even people we might imagine would never be 463 00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:13,040 welcomed by God. That happens on the day of 464 00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:17,200 Pentecost when this ramshackle group of Jews are in Jerusalem 465 00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:19,840 and the Holy Spirit comes on Pentecost. 466 00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:21,480 It happens in Acts 10. We're going to see in a few 467 00:27:21,480 --> 00:27:24,200 months time when the Roman centurion Cornelius and his 468 00:27:24,200 --> 00:27:26,440 household put their faith in Jesus. 469 00:27:26,440 --> 00:27:30,480 And it happens here when despised Samaritans are welcomed 470 00:27:30,520 --> 00:27:34,520 into the church through their faith in Jesus. 471 00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:38,440 So there's not a delay because some of the Samaritans are 472 00:27:38,440 --> 00:27:41,960 second class Christians or because they need to wait for a 473 00:27:41,960 --> 00:27:43,440 second blessing of the Samaritan. 474 00:27:43,440 --> 00:27:47,280 Christians needed to be welcomed into the people of God by the 475 00:27:47,280 --> 00:27:50,360 apostles with the full blessing of the apostles. 476 00:27:50,520 --> 00:27:54,120 So be clear to everyone at that point that Jew and Samaritan are 477 00:27:54,160 --> 00:27:59,040 equal members of the Church of Jesus because of their simple 478 00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:03,720 faith in Jesus. The Samaritan Pentecost is about 479 00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:07,920 the unity of the Church. The Holy Spirit now lives in 480 00:28:07,920 --> 00:28:11,520 every Samaritan who puts their faith in Jesus. 481 00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:16,000 People who once were enemies are now united in the church simply 482 00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:19,200 through their faith in Jesus. And the Spirit is the sign of 483 00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:23,040 that unity. And the Spirit lives in every 484 00:28:23,040 --> 00:28:26,920 man, woman and child today who puts their faith in Jesus. 485 00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:30,280 There's no need for a delay now. The Spirit comes when we claim 486 00:28:30,520 --> 00:28:34,360 Jesus as Lord, we repent of our sins, we ask him into our lives. 487 00:28:34,360 --> 00:28:36,320 We say, I will follow you, Jesus. 488 00:28:36,960 --> 00:28:40,720 And the Spirit comes and lives in US, empowering us to be 489 00:28:40,720 --> 00:28:46,480 witnesses for Jesus. OK, it's a big moment, actually, 490 00:28:46,480 --> 00:28:50,360 that Jesus is building his church in the face of 491 00:28:50,360 --> 00:28:53,000 persecution, in the face of believers being scattered, in 492 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:55,280 the face of huge cultural barriers that have existed for 493 00:28:55,280 --> 00:28:58,840 centuries. But again, look, it's so 494 00:28:58,840 --> 00:29:01,880 realistic because we might think again, well, Jesus building his 495 00:29:01,880 --> 00:29:05,000 church, it's going to be just a non-stop victory train, a 496 00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:08,960 victory lap of joy. But actually it's always messier 497 00:29:09,200 --> 00:29:11,120 than that. Luke tells us it's never 498 00:29:11,240 --> 00:29:14,880 straightforward. Whenever and wherever Jesus is 499 00:29:14,880 --> 00:29:17,960 at work saving people and building his church, there are 500 00:29:17,960 --> 00:29:21,040 not only genuine responses to the gospel, there also are often 501 00:29:21,040 --> 00:29:26,520 false responses to the gospel. And we see this in our last 502 00:29:26,520 --> 00:29:29,760 little section with this man called Simon the sorcerer. 503 00:29:29,760 --> 00:29:32,720 Feel like he is a cautionary tale here. 504 00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:35,320 And there's so much we can say about Sam. 505 00:29:35,320 --> 00:29:39,120 We don't have much time. He's a sorcerer looks as without 506 00:29:39,320 --> 00:29:43,480 particular surprise. This is the first encounter, 507 00:29:43,480 --> 00:29:47,280 actually, between Christianity and magic in the book of Acts. 508 00:29:47,280 --> 00:29:49,960 It won't be the last. There are several moments where 509 00:29:49,960 --> 00:29:54,160 the church grows in a context where people are fascinated by 510 00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:58,480 magic and the dark arts. What does Luke tell us about 511 00:29:58,480 --> 00:30:00,760 Simon? He practised sorcery in the city 512 00:30:00,760 --> 00:30:04,400 and he had a large following of Samaritan people as a result. 513 00:30:04,400 --> 00:30:08,520 Simon, he was a pretty big deal. In Samaria verse 10, all the 514 00:30:08,520 --> 00:30:11,560 people both high and low gave Simon their attention and 515 00:30:11,560 --> 00:30:15,680 exclaimed, This man is rightly called the great power of God. 516 00:30:17,440 --> 00:30:20,680 Now Noah, does Luke suggest Simon's a fraudster or he's he's 517 00:30:20,680 --> 00:30:23,920 faking it? Simon genuinely practice magic. 518 00:30:23,920 --> 00:30:27,480 He trusted in spiritual forces other than the living God and he 519 00:30:27,480 --> 00:30:32,840 was hugely popular as a result. It's fascinating for us today in 520 00:30:32,840 --> 00:30:35,800 a more rational age. The Bible doesn't dismiss magic 521 00:30:35,800 --> 00:30:37,720 as just something superstitious, doesn't just say we should be 522 00:30:37,720 --> 00:30:41,440 more rational than that. The message actually of axiate 523 00:30:41,440 --> 00:30:44,800 with this inter encounter with Simon is that after the coming 524 00:30:44,800 --> 00:30:48,360 of Jesus, his life, death and resurrection, we no longer have 525 00:30:48,360 --> 00:30:53,320 to fear spiritual forces opposed to God in the name of Jesus. 526 00:30:53,320 --> 00:30:57,720 Christians have authority over evil because we share in Jesus 527 00:30:57,720 --> 00:31:00,880 victory over sin, death and the devil. 528 00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:05,000 Luke wants to see Simon as this powerful guy but actually in the 529 00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:09,920 face of the gospel message about Jesus, Simon couldn't compete 530 00:31:12,440 --> 00:31:14,560 and it just turns Simon's world upside down. 531 00:31:14,560 --> 00:31:17,360 Verse 10. Before Philip came, people gave 532 00:31:17,360 --> 00:31:21,560 Simon their attention. Verse 10, after Philip came 533 00:31:21,560 --> 00:31:24,600 proclaiming Jesus and word, indeed, verse 6, they all paid 534 00:31:24,600 --> 00:31:27,320 close attention to what Philip said. 535 00:31:28,120 --> 00:31:30,800 Simon's time of fame and popularity is at an end. 536 00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:35,120 And so we might say, well, how is Simon going to respond to 537 00:31:35,120 --> 00:31:37,080 this, to the coming of the Gospel in Samaria? 538 00:31:37,240 --> 00:31:38,480 Well, that gives us an amazing answer. 539 00:31:38,480 --> 00:31:43,040 In verse 13, he says Simon himself believed and was 540 00:31:43,040 --> 00:31:45,840 baptized. It's an amazing moment. 541 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:49,000 Simon himself is gripped by this message of who Jesus is. 542 00:31:49,800 --> 00:31:51,600 He doesn't try and beat Philip and the other believers. 543 00:31:51,760 --> 00:31:55,640 Instead he joins them. Simon the sorcerer puts his 544 00:31:55,640 --> 00:32:00,760 faith in Jesus and is baptized. It's a real surprising moment. 545 00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:06,680 And yet I've called Simon a cautionary tale here because 546 00:32:06,680 --> 00:32:10,280 very quickly it seems there's something not quite right with 547 00:32:10,280 --> 00:32:13,080 Simon's profession of faith in Jesus. 548 00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:16,960 And it comes to a head when Peter and John come to visit. 549 00:32:18,280 --> 00:32:19,720 So Peter and John arrive in Samaria. 550 00:32:19,720 --> 00:32:21,960 They pray for the Samaritan believers. 551 00:32:21,960 --> 00:32:24,560 They place their hands on them. The Samaritan believers receive 552 00:32:24,560 --> 00:32:28,320 the Holy Spirit. And Simon's response is an ugly 553 00:32:28,320 --> 00:32:32,240 one. Verse 18 Simon offered Peter and 554 00:32:32,240 --> 00:32:36,560 John money and said, give me also this ability, so that 555 00:32:36,560 --> 00:32:40,680 everyone whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit. 556 00:32:42,600 --> 00:32:45,400 Simon tries to buy the Holy Spirit. 557 00:32:46,040 --> 00:32:50,160 He wants to buy God and God's power. 558 00:32:51,280 --> 00:32:54,680 It seems that old habits die hard for Simon. 559 00:32:54,840 --> 00:32:56,960 He's still thinking like a sorcerer. 560 00:32:57,120 --> 00:33:00,560 He still thinks he can control what God is doing and make 561 00:33:00,560 --> 00:33:04,800 himself great in the process. And Peter denounces Simon in the 562 00:33:04,800 --> 00:33:08,240 strongest possible terms. Verse 20, May your money perish 563 00:33:08,240 --> 00:33:11,680 with you because you thought you could buy the gift of God with 564 00:33:11,680 --> 00:33:14,200 money. And Peter calls Simon to 565 00:33:14,200 --> 00:33:16,280 repentance. Repent of this wickedness and 566 00:33:16,280 --> 00:33:18,880 pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for 567 00:33:18,880 --> 00:33:21,280 having such a thought in your heart. 568 00:33:23,040 --> 00:33:24,440 And that's where Luke leaves Simon. 569 00:33:26,760 --> 00:33:29,600 Was Simon a genuine believer? It's hard to say. 570 00:33:30,760 --> 00:33:33,200 Luke describes Simon as he does the other Samaritans. 571 00:33:33,200 --> 00:33:35,520 Verse 13, He believed and was baptized. 572 00:33:36,240 --> 00:33:38,200 And yet there are worrying signs here. 573 00:33:38,200 --> 00:33:41,360 Right from the beginning, Luke down at verse 13. 574 00:33:41,920 --> 00:33:44,960 Again we learned that Simon followed Philip everywhere. 575 00:33:46,440 --> 00:33:49,440 He was more interested in Philip and following him than maybe he 576 00:33:49,440 --> 00:33:53,800 was in following Jesus. Simon was astonished by the 577 00:33:53,800 --> 00:33:56,960 great signs and miracles he saw. Again, he seemed more interested 578 00:33:56,960 --> 00:34:00,840 in the signs Philip performed than he was in the message 579 00:34:00,840 --> 00:34:05,800 Philip proclaimed. Basically reading this this 580 00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:09,400 week, I think Luke just doesn't tell us whether Simon did repent 581 00:34:09,440 --> 00:34:12,719 in the end, whether he confessed his sin was forgiven by God, 582 00:34:12,719 --> 00:34:15,199 continue to follow Jesus. We just don't know. 583 00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:19,920 Early church tradition records Simon becoming a false teacher, 584 00:34:20,239 --> 00:34:23,400 drawing people away from the gospel for money, twisting the 585 00:34:23,400 --> 00:34:25,800 message of Jesus. But in the end, we just don't 586 00:34:25,800 --> 00:34:30,840 know how Simon's story ended. But it acts like a cautionary 587 00:34:30,840 --> 00:34:35,920 tale, a warning sign to us. Not everyone who professes faith 588 00:34:35,920 --> 00:34:39,880 in Jesus turns out to be a genuine believer. 589 00:34:41,120 --> 00:34:43,280 And the only way to know if someone's faith is genuine, What 590 00:34:43,280 --> 00:34:47,320 do they keep following Jesus? Do they confess their sin and 591 00:34:47,320 --> 00:34:49,920 ask Jesus to forgive them? Do they follow Jesus as Lord of 592 00:34:49,920 --> 00:34:52,040 their lives? Do they love God above all else 593 00:34:52,040 --> 00:34:55,040 and follow him in the community of His church? 594 00:34:57,160 --> 00:35:01,480 Only time will tell. For any of us, mission can be 595 00:35:01,480 --> 00:35:05,320 messy. Lucas telling us that Jesus is 596 00:35:05,320 --> 00:35:08,360 at work. That's the message of acting. 597 00:35:10,040 --> 00:35:14,760 Jesus is building his church in this world and nothing and 598 00:35:14,760 --> 00:35:20,080 nobody can stop him. He's building his church even 599 00:35:20,080 --> 00:35:22,400 three times of loss and hardship. 600 00:35:23,520 --> 00:35:27,400 Stephen was a huge loss to the church, and they're scattered, 601 00:35:27,400 --> 00:35:29,520 they're persecuted, they're driven away from their homes. 602 00:35:31,240 --> 00:35:33,240 But Jesus is at work through that. 603 00:35:33,240 --> 00:35:35,760 And it's the same today across the world. 604 00:35:35,760 --> 00:35:38,760 Christians are persecuted for their faith in places like 605 00:35:38,760 --> 00:35:41,480 Nigeria, Sudan, Somalia, China, Iran. 606 00:35:41,800 --> 00:35:43,520 And yet the churches in those countries are often seeing 607 00:35:43,520 --> 00:35:47,200 remarkable growth in people coming to faith in Jesus. 608 00:35:47,280 --> 00:35:49,920 Whereas maybe more settled, peaceful countries like in the 609 00:35:49,920 --> 00:35:54,000 West see less of that. Jesus builds his church even 610 00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:59,000 three times of persecution and difficulty, and Jesus builds 611 00:35:59,000 --> 00:36:02,160 this church through the witness of ordinary believers like us. 612 00:36:02,160 --> 00:36:04,240 I think verse 4 is just remarkable. 613 00:36:04,240 --> 00:36:07,880 In this passage, again, the apostles are back in Jerusalem, 614 00:36:08,040 --> 00:36:11,800 but those who've been scattered preach the word wherever they 615 00:36:11,800 --> 00:36:16,360 went. Ordinary believers built Jesus 616 00:36:16,360 --> 00:36:18,360 church through their witness to him. 617 00:36:20,120 --> 00:36:21,680 Again, if you think of maybe individuals, if you're a 618 00:36:21,680 --> 00:36:23,920 Christian here today who shared the gospel with you, maybe they 619 00:36:23,920 --> 00:36:26,200 were really ordinary fallen people. 620 00:36:26,200 --> 00:36:27,480 Maybe they weren't great at everything. 621 00:36:27,480 --> 00:36:29,360 Maybe they're a bit unimpressive. 622 00:36:30,280 --> 00:36:34,000 But Jesus builds his church through weak, unimpressive 623 00:36:34,200 --> 00:36:37,640 people like us, like the early believers. 624 00:36:38,000 --> 00:36:41,160 And verse 4, we might not all be Philips, we might all be gifted 625 00:36:41,160 --> 00:36:45,400 evangelists, but we each can play our part on mission with 626 00:36:45,440 --> 00:36:47,760 Jesus. We can love our neighbors, we 627 00:36:47,760 --> 00:36:50,640 can pray for them, we can pray for each other, pray for 628 00:36:50,640 --> 00:36:54,480 opportunities to speak of Jesus and be ready to give an answer 629 00:36:54,480 --> 00:36:59,040 when those questions come. We each have a part to play in 630 00:36:59,080 --> 00:37:03,600 Jesus mission. And finally, the risen Jesus 631 00:37:03,600 --> 00:37:07,960 building his church by calling unlikely people to trust in him. 632 00:37:09,320 --> 00:37:10,600 Again. We don't get it when we read 633 00:37:10,600 --> 00:37:14,040 this, but you couldn't get more unlikely than the Samaritans. 634 00:37:14,040 --> 00:37:18,640 Despised, hated by the Jewish people and yet they are now 635 00:37:18,640 --> 00:37:22,720 welcomed into the church through simple faith in Jesus the 636 00:37:22,720 --> 00:37:25,480 rescuer. They were waiting for the King 637 00:37:25,480 --> 00:37:30,320 come to put things right then it wasn't without its challenges 638 00:37:30,320 --> 00:37:33,320 and it's bumps and it's Mass. The the story of Simon is a 639 00:37:33,320 --> 00:37:39,280 cautionary tale, but actually we want to call people to follow 640 00:37:39,280 --> 00:37:43,360 Jesus. We want to call unlikely people 641 00:37:43,840 --> 00:37:49,800 to trust in him because we are all pretty unlikely Christians. 642 00:37:50,840 --> 00:37:53,320 If you've lost sight of that, if you think, well, of course I 643 00:37:53,320 --> 00:37:55,800 follow Jesus. I'm a good guy. 644 00:37:56,760 --> 00:37:59,760 I'm I'm a spiritual person. Well, you've lost sight of just 645 00:37:59,760 --> 00:38:04,520 how unlikely it is that you get to call the Son of God, Lord and 646 00:38:04,520 --> 00:38:06,480 the God he made the universe Father. 647 00:38:06,680 --> 00:38:09,520 And you get to have God, the Holy Spirit live in you, 648 00:38:10,440 --> 00:38:15,200 empowering you in this world to live as a witness for Jesus. 649 00:38:17,480 --> 00:38:20,400 Jesus delights to call unlikely people to trust in him. 650 00:38:21,480 --> 00:38:28,200 Samaritans, Irish people, British people, insert the name. 651 00:38:30,320 --> 00:38:35,720 The reason Jesus is building his church through the witness of 652 00:38:35,720 --> 00:38:39,560 his scattered people. So I want to say I'd say it for 653 00:38:39,560 --> 00:38:44,760 all it's drama and it's challenge, this is a passage to 654 00:38:44,760 --> 00:38:48,960 help us just take heart. We give out batches of Flyers a 655 00:38:48,960 --> 00:38:51,560 few minutes ago. It's our Carol service season. 656 00:38:51,560 --> 00:38:55,120 It is Christmas coming as we give out invitations to our 657 00:38:55,120 --> 00:38:57,440 Carol services, whether that's in person to someone. 658 00:38:57,440 --> 00:38:59,480 There's a big sash on the table. Well, that's through a 659 00:38:59,480 --> 00:39:01,880 letterbox. Someone you may never meet, you 660 00:39:01,880 --> 00:39:03,520 hear their dog barking and that's it. 661 00:39:03,760 --> 00:39:07,080 Actually, we can pray that actually God will use our 662 00:39:07,080 --> 00:39:08,680 witness. The risen Jesus will work 663 00:39:08,680 --> 00:39:12,800 through the witness of his people to build his church in 664 00:39:12,800 --> 00:39:16,680 this city at this point in history. 665 00:39:16,680 --> 00:39:19,120 And he will do that through the witness of ordinary, flawed, 666 00:39:19,280 --> 00:39:25,480 weak people like us. Jesus says I will build my 667 00:39:25,480 --> 00:39:29,640 church and the gates of hell will not overcome it. 668 00:39:31,040 --> 00:39:35,040 Well, we play our part in what Jesus wants to do in this world.