The Word Made Plain

Voiceover: Welcome to The Word Made Plain with Senior Pastor Tony Clark of Calvary Chapel Newport News, in Virginia. Currently, Pastor Tony is teaching a study in the book of Acts. Please open your Bible to Acts chapter 8, verses 9 through 25.

Tony Clark: with me in your Bibles to Acts chapter 8. We're going to be looking at verses 9 through 25.

Father, thank you again for this time in your word. We pray that Lord, your word will minister to our hearts, that your Holy Spirit will teach us the truths of your word. Oh God, do a work in our hearts and in our lives today, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Acts chapter 8, looking at verses 9 through 25, the title of this message is, "A Counterfeit Faith." A Counterfeit Faith.

Did you know that a person can have a counterfeit faith in God? Well, someone might be thinking, well, isn't isn't this judging a person's faith in God? Yeah, yeah, it is. And we should be examining a person's faith because there are a lot of people who think that they have a genuine faith in God, but it's really a counterfeit. And their eternal soul is at stake.

Counterfeit by way of definition is made in exact imitation of something valuable or important with the intention to deceive or to defraud. And this brings us to a man named Simon. He thought that he had a faith in God, but as we will see, it was a counterfeit faith.

And we're going to look at four characteristics of a counterfeit faith. Number one, he had, speaking of Simon, had an incorrect view of self. A incorrect view of self.

Number two, he had an incorrect view of salvation. An incorrect view of salvation. Number three, he had an incorrect view of the Holy Spirit. An incorrect view of the Holy Spirit. And number four, he had an incorrect view of sin. An incorrect view of sin.

Now, last week we saw how Philip went to Samaria and preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to them, according to verse 5. And multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, according to verse 6. And verse 8 said that a result, as a result of the gospel being preached to them, a great joy was in the city as a result. Now, we pick up the story in verses 9 through 11.

It says, "But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, to whom they all gave heed from the least to the greatest, saying, 'This man is the great power of God.' And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time."

Now, Luke, the author in these verses is contrasting the genuine faith that the Samaritans experienced from the counterfeit faith of Simon. We know this from the conjunction "but" that starts verse 9. And here we are introduced to Simon.

Oh, history tells us that his full name was Simon Magus. He was a Samaritan who was a heretic, according to the early church writings. A heretic by way of definition, it's not on the screen for you note-takers, is a person holding false beliefs than what was already established beliefs.

Early church father Justin Martyr wrote that Simon was revered as a god by the Samaritans. Another early church father, Irenaeus, wrote that Simon was one of the founders of the false groups, false group, the Gnostics.

Now, Gnosticism comes from the Greek word gnosis, which means knowledge. And they taught that all matter or that which is physical is evil, and only that which is spiritual is real. Oh, they also taught that Jesus didn't have a real physical body, because that mean that meant that he would take on evil, but he had a spiritual one.

And they even believed that Jesus when he walked in the sand, he would not even leave footprints behind. It is believed that Simon was one of the founders of this false religious system. Verse 9 tells us that he practiced sorcery in the city.

The Greek word for sorcery is maguo. And it is used, and where we get our English word magic. And this word is derived from the Magi, who were priest of the Medo-Persian Empire, and it was also the Magi who came to visit Jesus in Matthew chapter 2. You understand that the Magi, the wise men, didn't come when Jesus was born.

You understand, I know you're, I know you're sending out some Christmas cards about right about now with the the shepherds and the wise men. They were there when Jesus was born. They came almost two years later. And that's that'd be maybe a Christmas message or something.

So the Magi, they they had a system by which they went by, that was a mix of science and superstition. Combining astrology and divination and occultic practices with history and mathematics and agriculture. It could be by trickery or by demonic powers that they performed their miracles.

And Simon's influence over the people was so great that this verse says that he astonished the people of Samaria. As I was going over my notes, I I began to that word stood out to me. Astonished. And so I had to look it up in the Greek language, and it is the Greek word existemi. It's not on the screen for you note-takers. It means to be put out of one's mind.

You would say they were out of their mind. It was also a word, if you have an old King James, it says bewitched. It's as if that someone cast a spell upon you. And that's what the word existemi.

And the last phrase of verse 9 lets us in on the true heart of Simon. It says that he was claiming that he was someone great. And this leads us to the first characteristic of a counterfeit faith seen in Simon's life. Number one, he had an incorrect view of self.

You would always know someone is off the wall if they think that they are someone great. Psalm 27 verse 2, it's not on the screen for you note-takers, it says, "Let another man praise you and not your own mouth, a stranger and not your own lips." And this is what Simon was doing, thinking that he was someone great. And we will see that Simon was seeking to be a superstar above all, rather than a servant of all. Like Jesus taught us in Matthew 20 and verse 26.

Now whether Simon was using trickery or demonic powers, either way, Satan was using him to keep the people from God. And they were so amazed by him that verse 10 says they all gave heed from the least to the greatest. They were so impressed with him that they said, "This man is the great power of God." Or from this title, it shows that Simon claimed to be God, like the early church fathers wrote about.

Verse 11 says that they heeded him because he astonished them for a long time. See, the Samaritans believed in God and were waiting on the Messiah, which we learned from the Samaritan woman Jesus talked to in John chapter 4 and verse 25. So this made them very vulnerable to being deceived by someone like Simon. So number one, Simon had an incorrect view of self.

Oh, let's see what else happens. Look at verses 12 and 13.

"But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus, both men and women were baptized. Then Simon himself also believed and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done."

So once again, we see Luke the author contrasting the works of Simon with the work of Philip by using the conjunction "but." Verse 12 tells us, "But when Philip came into town and preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized."

Revival broke out in Samaria. An awakening of people's spiritual condition through the preaching of the gospel. Oh, Philip preached about Jesus, his life, his death, his his resurrection. Simon had the people looking to him. Philip had the people looking to Jesus. And beware of anyone constantly talking about himself more than Jesus. Taking your attention off of Jesus and putting them on them. Beware of such people. They have a Simon mindset, a Simon mentality.

However, verse 13 is a very interesting verse. It says that Simon himself believed and was baptized, and he continued with Philip. Aren't these the ingredients of salvation? Oh yes, it can be, but we will see that Simon was not a born-again believer. He had a counterfeit faith.

You say, "Well, what do you mean?" Well, James 2:19 says that even the demons believe in God, and they tremble, but they're not saved. I think that someone put it correctly, "You can miss heaven by 18 inches." That's the distance between your head and your heart. You can believe in your head intellectually, but you can miss it experientially. If it is not in your heart, and watch this phrase, and has not changed your life, you are no in no better shape than the demons.

There is not one demon who doubts that there is a God. Not one demon who doubts the Bible is God's word. Satan even quotes it in Matthew 4:6. He quotes the scripture. They believe that Jesus is the Son of God, according to Mark 5 and verse 7. Oh, we see that they ran and fell down and worshipped Jesus, the demon-possessed man in in Mark 5 and verse 6. So let's put this all together for you to see because this is a real wake-up call for many of you in here today.

Let's put it all together. Satan and his demons believe that there is one God, the Bible is God's word, believes that Jesus is the Son of God, and even worships him. Wow. And not one demon or one devil will be in heaven.

This kind of faith is counterfeit, not real, not genuine. See, it's not just what you believe intellectually. But it's when that belief has entered your heart and has changed your life. If your belief has not affected your behavior, then it is a counterfeit faith, dear people. It's a counterfeit faith.

Simon, number two, had an incorrect view of salvation. This is amazing because verse 13 says that he believed, was baptized, and continued with Philip. Surely such a person is saved, right? Not necessarily.

See, in Luke's version of the parable of the sower, it says in in Luke 8 and verse 13, it says, "But the ones on the rock are those who when they hear the word, they receive it with joy, and they have no root." Watch this, "Who believe for a while, like Simon. And in time of temptation, fall away."

The parable of the sower, you have to understand, is describing true and false conversions. Out of the four soils that the seed of God's word fell upon, three were false. Only one was true. And I believe that the church today is filled with a lot of stony ground hearers. People like Simon, who received the word with joy when the word is speaking about something they want to hear.

They are baptized and continue for a time. But watch this, bear no fruit. The fruit of a changed life. Oh, is this describing you today? Then you need to repent and cry out to God to change your life and make you like him. Many people have this faith. They say they believe in God and they think that, "Well, I'm good, right? I believe in God." The demons believe in God.

But it hasn't affected their behavior. It hasn't changed their lives. So all because they believe in God. Did you know all because you believe in God just proves you're not a fool? It just it doesn't mean you're saved. It just proves you're not a fool. Psalm 14:1, Psalm 53:1 said, "The fool has said in his heart there is no God." So you just acknowledging that there is a God just proves you're not a fool. Doesn't mean that you're saved. Doesn't mean you're born again. There must be the fruit of a changed life. That's what it's all about.

Now, we're about to see Simon's counterfeit faith exposed. Look at verses 14 through 19.

"Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as of yet, he had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Now they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. And when Simon saw that through the laying on of of the apostle's hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, 'Give me this power also that anyone of whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.'"

Now, in these verses, we see number three, Simon had an incorrect view of the Spirit. The first thing we see is that the revival in Samaria had reached the ears of the apostles in Jerusalem, according to verse 14. So they sent Peter and John to them. And once they got there, verse 15 says that they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet, he had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, according to verse 16. So what happened next? Verse 17 says that they laid hands on them, and they, the Samaritans, received the Holy Spirit.

Now when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands, the Holy Spirit was given. What did Simon see? It's obvious that the Samaritans spoke in tongues. He saw something that made his counterfeit faith come out, because the end of verse 18 says, "He offered them money."

This is where the term simony comes from, which is the practice of buying a position in the church. See, during the Middle Ages, many of the Popes actually bought their way into office, and it became known as simony, which was derived from these verses here. We must beware of the Simon mentality. It can creep into our lives when we think that we can purchase the gift of God through our devotional life, or through our piety, or our fasting, or our spirituality.

I tried to do this very early on in my walk with the Lord. I I tried to do this. I I thought that, you know, through my great devotional life and my spirituality, that I can get God to do things in my life. And as I was reading through the book of Acts, I got to chapter 3 and verse 12. And God had that verse leap off the page and hit me between the eyes like never before. I've read it hundreds of times.

And it it was when the the Peter and John, God used them to heal the the man laid at the gate called Beautiful. You remember. And and he when Peter reached down, grabbed him, lifted him up, he began to dance and followed them into the temple. Well, afterwards, all of a sudden, all of a sudden, the crowd, people start crowding around Peter and John. And Peter said, "Why do you look at us as though by our own power or godliness we made this man walk?" God had that verse knock me between the eyes and said, "Tony, the work that I'm going to do through you, it's not going to be by your power or your godliness." That phrase knocked me over.

It's not going to be through your great devotional life or your prayer or your fasting that I'm going to do the work. I'm going to do through you. It's not going to be by your power, nor your godliness, that people in Newport News and the surrounding area are going to walk with me. It's not going to be through that. Acts 3:12 is not on the screen as you can tell.

The Holy Spirit is a gift. It cannot be purchased with money or energy. Jesus said in Luke 11:13, "If you being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will I heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask?"

Listen to this verse in Isaiah 55:1. I know this is on the screen. It says, "Oh, everyone who thirst, come to the waters. And you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price." It is free. All you have to do is ask. It's a free, free thing. So if you are thirsty in your soul today, come and drink of Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 4 and verse 14, "If you drink of me, you will never thirst again."

He paid the bill in full on Calvary's cross. All you have to do is come to him today in brokenness and in repentance and humility. Oh, here's the thing that I had to learn. Don't try to give God a reason to bless you. Just come as you are. Oh, we used to sing a song back in the the 80s and the 90s, it says, "Come just as you are." Just come.

Here in our text, Simon is trying to buy the power of the Holy Spirit. He said in verse 19, "Give me this power also that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." Oh, he wanted the power of the Holy Spirit to put on a show and not to change his life. Simon was treating Peter and John as they were fellow practitioners of magic and was ready to negotiate the price to buy the secret of their power. How did Peter react to what Simon said? Look at verses 20 and 21.

It says, "But Peter said to him, 'Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money. You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God.'"

Now Peter was irate at Simon. He said in verse 20, "Your money perish with you." Now, I believe that JB Phillips captures what the original Greek says in his paraphrase, the JB Phillips paraphrase. This is what Peter really said, according to the Greek language. Peter said to Simon, "To hell with you and your money." This actually conveys what Peter said in the Greek language. Now, today in our Western mindset, we that that that's that's like a curse word. No, he was really telling him, "To hell with you and your money," not as we use it today.

See, that's why you all reacted the way you did. Because you've told some folks just this week, "To Hades with you!" That's not what he was saying. That's not. Simon wanted to buy the gift of the Holy Spirit and not change his character, but to fulfill his ambition. And Peter tells him in verse 21, "You neither have part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God." This is why his faith was not right. Simon had an incorrect view of the Spirit. And number four, Simon had an incorrect view of sin. Look look at verses 22 to 25.

"Repent therefore of your wickedness and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity." Then Simon answered and said, "Oh, pray to the Lord for me that none of these things which you have spoken may come upon me." So when they had testified and preached the word of God, of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans. Now, in these verses, we see Peter, we see that Peter tells Simon in verse 22 to repent of his wickedness.

Voiceover: If The Word Made Plain has been a source of inspiration and encouragement to you, why not consider becoming a Word Made Plain giving partner to keep this listener-supported program on the air? As a giving partner, you join forces with Calvary Chapel Newport News's Kingdom Vision of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You can make your tax-deductible gift online at calvarynn.org, or send your gift of any amount to 15553 Warwick Boulevard, Newport News, Virginia 23608, and receive a gift from Calvary Chapel Newport News as our thank you. In addition to your financial support, we ask that you pray for The Word Made Plain broadcast, that it touches hearts and generates change in the lives of people around the world. We pray you've been blessed by God's Word today and hope you'll tune in next time to hear The Word Made Plain.