WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.759 Well, good afternoon, everyone. I'd repeat the welcome that Johnny gave you at the start. 00:00:04.839 --> 00:00:09.040 And as Johnny said, we're continuing looking at the book of Acts, the serving seven, these 00:00:09.040 --> 00:00:14.040 seven men who were chosen initially to help with the distribution of food to those in 00:00:14.040 --> 00:00:19.199 need. But two of them, at least I'm sure others as well, were greatly used by God in other 00:00:19.199 --> 00:00:23.800 ways. I think this morning's passage is probably going to be the least familiar of the ones 00:00:23.800 --> 00:00:28.120 we're looking at for many of us. Most of us are quite familiar with the story of the 00:00:28.120 --> 00:00:32.079 story of Stephen. We know about Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. We probably know about 00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:38.299 the original story of the food being distributed. But the spread of the gospel into Samaria isn't 00:00:38.299 --> 00:00:44.079 something, perhaps, that we've looked at so much. But as we look at the book of Acts and 00:00:44.079 --> 00:00:49.020 the plan of Acts that Luke is presenting to us of the spread of the gospel, this is a very 00:00:49.020 --> 00:00:55.280 important passage. This is a passage of strategic importance in the book of Acts and in the gospel 00:00:55.280 --> 00:01:00.960 going out into all the world. And we'll have a look at that as we go along. There are also some 00:01:00.960 --> 00:01:06.500 big characters. We want to look at them and to learn some lessons from them. And there are one 00:01:06.500 --> 00:01:11.900 or two difficult bits to it. And so we need to put our thinking caps on a bit later and try and get 00:01:11.900 --> 00:01:17.780 our heads around what the scripture is saying, what it means for us. Quite a lot to do. Let's begin 00:01:17.780 --> 00:01:24.319 by reading the passage to Acts chapter 8 and reading from the beginning. So Acts chapter 8 and reading 00:01:24.319 --> 00:01:31.039 from verse 1 and it says, and this is immediately following the stoning of Stephen, Saul was there 00:01:31.039 --> 00:01:37.719 giving approval to his death. On that great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem 00:01:37.719 --> 00:01:46.799 and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned 00:01:46.799 --> 00:01:54.159 deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men 00:01:54.159 --> 00:01:59.899 and women and women and put them in prison. Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever 00:01:59.899 --> 00:02:07.039 they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. When the crowds 00:02:07.039 --> 00:02:13.219 heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. 00:02:14.000 --> 00:02:20.099 With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many and many paralytics and cripples were healed. 00:02:20.099 --> 00:02:28.079 So there was great joy in that city. Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the 00:02:28.079 --> 00:02:35.299 city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great and all the people 00:02:35.299 --> 00:02:41.419 both high and low gave him their attention and explained, this man is the divine power known as 00:02:41.419 --> 00:02:47.259 the great power. They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. 00:02:47.259 --> 00:02:52.579 But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of 00:02:52.579 --> 00:03:00.439 Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself believed and was baptized and he 00:03:00.439 --> 00:03:07.359 followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. When the apostles in 00:03:07.359 --> 00:03:13.459 Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they 00:03:13.460 --> 00:03:19.060 arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit had not 00:03:19.060 --> 00:03:24.120 yet come upon any of them. They had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 00:03:25.120 --> 00:03:31.480 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw that 00:03:31.480 --> 00:03:37.040 the Spirit was giving at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money and said, 00:03:37.039 --> 00:03:43.120 give me also this ability so that everyone in whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit. 00:03:44.299 --> 00:03:49.659 Peter answered, may your money perish with you because you thought you could buy the gift of God 00:03:49.659 --> 00:03:56.399 with money. You have no part or share in this ministry because your heart is not right before God. 00:03:57.479 --> 00:04:03.219 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought 00:04:03.219 --> 00:04:11.259 in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin. Then Simon answered, 00:04:11.379 --> 00:04:17.579 pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me. When they testified and 00:04:17.579 --> 00:04:24.120 proclaimed the word of the Lord, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem preaching the gospel in many 00:04:24.120 --> 00:04:31.079 Samaritan villages. I'm sure God will be with us as we think about this passage of his word together. 00:04:31.079 --> 00:04:38.199 This is Dr. William Franklin. Last time I spoke on a Sunday morning, I introduced Dr. Franklin to you 00:04:38.199 --> 00:04:44.419 as Bill Franklin, the prisoner of war in Japan. He was the man who said, I'm a Christian. I love people 00:04:44.419 --> 00:04:49.459 rather than hating them. I couldn't hate my captors because if I hated them, it would do me harm. 00:04:49.740 --> 00:04:56.360 It wouldn't do any harm to them at all. This morning, I want to think briefly about Dr. Franklin, 00:04:56.360 --> 00:05:04.139 the renowned immunologist. He was the assistant to Sir Alexander Fleming in the invention of penicillin. 00:05:04.800 --> 00:05:11.020 He was the man who popularised the pollen count for hay fever sufferers. And today, at the age of 103, 00:05:11.460 --> 00:05:16.740 he's believed to be the oldest active scientist in the United Kingdom. He's still in his 90s and 100s, 00:05:16.900 --> 00:05:23.360 appearing as an expert witness in court and writing academic papers. My favourite story about Dr. 00:05:23.360 --> 00:05:29.460 Franklin was when he was asked to go and treat Saddam Hussein for his allergies. And he went and 00:05:29.460 --> 00:05:35.520 spoke to Saddam Hussein and he said, there's nothing I can do for you. Give us smoking 40 cigarettes a day 00:05:35.520 --> 00:05:41.699 and then I'll think of coming back and treating you. Quite a brave man, I think, with Saddam Hussein. 00:05:42.560 --> 00:05:46.860 The reason I'm talking about Dr. Franklin this morning, though, is he's a man who's not been afraid 00:05:46.860 --> 00:05:53.580 to be a little bit controversial in his views. And one of the theories that he's propounded is that 00:05:53.580 --> 00:05:58.939 we live in a society where everything is too sterile. And particularly with babies and young 00:05:58.939 --> 00:06:06.819 children, we are terrified of them getting germs and falling ill. And so we try to protect them. 00:06:06.920 --> 00:06:13.220 We take great care over hygiene and so on. And as a result, they don't get exposed to germs early on. 00:06:13.220 --> 00:06:18.480 And later in life, they may suffer for that. For instance, he says that the great rise in allergies 00:06:18.480 --> 00:06:24.780 over recent years, in part, may be due to the fact that we don't expose young babies enough 00:06:24.780 --> 00:06:31.660 to germs and so on. His suggestion was, if you've got a young child before they're born, 00:06:31.760 --> 00:06:37.280 you should get your cat or their dog, not afterwards. And it would be better for them, in his view. 00:06:37.279 --> 00:06:44.899 If I could sum his view up, and this is my words, not his, he perhaps is saying that what doesn't kill 00:06:44.899 --> 00:06:50.739 you will make you stronger. If you're exposed to germs early on, you build up resistance to them in 00:06:50.739 --> 00:06:58.179 your body, and ultimately you're stronger as a result. And I was thinking of that as I read this passage 00:06:58.179 --> 00:07:04.859 this morning. Because what's happening here is there's an attempt being made to destroy the church, 00:07:04.860 --> 00:07:08.780 and actually what happens is that it gets stronger. 00:07:10.180 --> 00:07:14.319 Don't we have the stoning of Stephen, the church in Jerusalem, after the initial flurry with Peter 00:07:14.319 --> 00:07:19.520 and John in Acts chapter 3 and 4, seems to have gone through a period of relative peace in terms of 00:07:19.520 --> 00:07:25.660 the authorities. And then that all breaks out with Stephen, and Stephen is killed, and Saul, 00:07:25.819 --> 00:07:28.680 who would later be Paul, then goes on the rampage. 00:07:28.680 --> 00:07:34.400 The word that's used in the original language is the word that might be used of an animal that goes 00:07:34.400 --> 00:07:41.900 out to kill its prey. And so Paul, Saul, is desperately trying to eradicate the church in 00:07:41.900 --> 00:07:47.660 Jerusalem, completely going from house to house, dragging people off, and putting them in prison. 00:07:48.720 --> 00:07:54.100 What happens? Well, he doesn't succeed in destroying the church, does he? Some Christians remained in 00:07:54.100 --> 00:08:00.060 Jerusalem, particularly apostles. But the other Christians, they moved out of Jerusalem, but as 00:08:00.060 --> 00:08:07.080 they went, they spread the gospel. And as a result of what Paul, or Saul was doing, the church grew 00:08:07.080 --> 00:08:15.100 stronger, and it spread into a wider area. I think that's a pattern of history. Johnny very much has 00:08:15.100 --> 00:08:21.460 been bringing before us this morning the persecuted church in our world. And many regimes have tried to 00:08:21.459 --> 00:08:26.379 destroy the church. We think of China in the last century, trying to destroy the Christian church 00:08:26.379 --> 00:08:32.279 completely. And what happens? The church in China is incredibly strong, many, many millions following 00:08:32.279 --> 00:08:39.600 the Lord Jesus. The regime in North Korea has tried to destroy the church there. And there is some 00:08:39.600 --> 00:08:44.759 evidence that the great growth of the church in South Korea, where the church is really, really strong, 00:08:45.139 --> 00:08:50.579 is in a large part people who've come from North Korea, refugees from North Korea, and the influence 00:08:50.580 --> 00:08:57.500 that they've had on the church in South Korea. When the church is persecuted, when people try to destroy 00:08:57.500 --> 00:09:04.820 it, it tends to become stronger. And arguably the church in Britain these days is a bit fat and flabby, 00:09:05.160 --> 00:09:10.440 and the reason for that is it's all a bit too easy for us. We don't suffer that kind of persecution 00:09:10.440 --> 00:09:20.420 that ultimately leads to a stronger church. But there's a second significance, I think, of the 00:09:20.420 --> 00:09:24.660 persecution and what's happened as a result. And this is where I come back to what I was talking about, 00:09:24.880 --> 00:09:32.680 about the plan of the book of Acts. So in the book of Acts, it is the story of the spread of the 00:09:32.680 --> 00:09:40.420 gospel. It is the message of salvation going out around the world. You may remember in Acts chapter 1, 00:09:40.440 --> 00:09:46.240 the Lord Jesus says how this will happen. So first of all, we're to go to Jerusalem, to Samaria, 00:09:47.000 --> 00:09:53.540 and then to the ends of the earth. Very clear order, Jerusalem, Judea, which is the area around 00:09:53.540 --> 00:09:59.400 Jerusalem, you can just about see it hopefully on the map there, then to Samaria, and then to the ends 00:09:59.400 --> 00:10:05.900 of the earth. And what we have in this passage is the spread of the gospel to Samaria. 00:10:05.899 --> 00:10:14.679 So it is a strategic position in the book of Acts. It is the first time that the gospel has gone 00:10:14.679 --> 00:10:21.600 outside the immediate surrounds of Jerusalem. Now we need to understand a little bit about Samaria 00:10:21.600 --> 00:10:27.399 to understand the significance of this. If you read in the gospels, there are a number of stories that 00:10:27.399 --> 00:10:33.699 involve Samaritans. Most best known one always reads the story of the good Samaritan, this man who was the 00:10:33.700 --> 00:10:41.259 unexpected benefactor of the one who had been attacked by robbers. There's also the story of the Samaritan 00:10:41.259 --> 00:10:47.960 woman whom Jesus meets in John chapter 4 and has a discussion about her faith and about the fact that he 00:10:47.960 --> 00:10:54.259 could give her living water. There's a story about 10 lepers who were cured by the Lord Jesus, only one came 00:10:54.259 --> 00:10:59.560 back, and that was a Samaritan. There's an element of surprise in the fact it was a Samaritan. 00:10:59.559 --> 00:11:08.979 The Jews and the Samaritans didn't get along. The Samaritans were people who were descended from 00:11:08.979 --> 00:11:14.899 some who had been left behind when the Assyrian empire came and destroyed the nation of Israel. 00:11:15.000 --> 00:11:19.539 That's what we're learning about on Sunday evenings at the moment in the book of Amos. Some were left 00:11:19.539 --> 00:11:25.899 behind. Assyrian port and some other foreigners into that area. There was a lot of intermarriage between 00:11:25.899 --> 00:11:33.019 the Jews left behind and the foreigners who came. And what grew up was a kind of hybrid of the Jewish 00:11:33.019 --> 00:11:39.419 religion. It had elements of the true faith of the Old Testament. It had also brought in lots of 00:11:39.419 --> 00:11:46.459 superstitions and lots of things from outside. So as we see in the story of Simon, it wasn't really the 00:11:46.459 --> 00:11:52.079 true religion, the true worship of God that the Jews had. It was something that was related to it, 00:11:52.080 --> 00:11:59.600 but was in many ways inadequate. And for the Jews to go to the Samaritans was quite a big thing. 00:12:00.400 --> 00:12:05.500 It says in John chapter 4, when the Lord Jesus talked to the Samaritan woman, she was surprised 00:12:05.500 --> 00:12:14.100 because the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans. And so for Philip to go and to preach 00:12:14.100 --> 00:12:20.420 the Samaritans was in many ways something that was different, something that was quite extraordinary. 00:12:22.899 --> 00:12:28.019 But as we think of Philip, the title that is given in the scripture to Philip is that he is Philip 00:12:28.019 --> 00:12:33.840 the Evangelist. It's not in this passage in chapter 21 of Acts, Paul goes to Caesarea Philippi and he 00:12:33.840 --> 00:12:39.279 stays with Philip the Evangelist. He's the only person in the Bible who is referred to as being 00:12:39.279 --> 00:12:46.259 an evangelist. I like to think of him as Philip the good news man. That's what evangelist means, 00:12:46.379 --> 00:12:53.679 someone who brings good news to others. So as Philip goes and he reaches into Samaria, 00:12:54.139 --> 00:13:01.959 he is very keen that as he goes, he should tell people the good news about Jesus. That they should 00:13:01.959 --> 00:13:08.139 learn about the one who came, who lived the perfect life, who is the son of God, who died, 00:13:08.139 --> 00:13:15.980 and who rose again. And so as he goes in, he preaches Jesus to them. And there's a great 00:13:15.980 --> 00:13:22.100 response. The Samaritans respond, they believe they put their trust in the Lord Jesus. 00:13:23.980 --> 00:13:28.879 I think there's a challenge here for us. Philip was put out of his comfort zone, 00:13:28.939 --> 00:13:34.620 his comfort zone being with other Christians among Jews in Jerusalem. He goes to Samaria, 00:13:34.620 --> 00:13:42.399 and what does he do when he gets there? He preaches the message of the gospel to them. He shares with 00:13:42.399 --> 00:13:50.100 them the good news of Jesus that he has that they don't yet have. Wherever we've been placed, 00:13:50.560 --> 00:13:57.620 if we know the Lord Jesus of our trust is in him, our responsibility, like Philip, is to be 00:13:57.620 --> 00:14:05.899 evangelists. To share what the Lord Jesus has given us with others in the trust that they will come to 00:14:05.899 --> 00:14:13.200 put their faith in him. There are too many of us, I think, as Christians who are quite silent about 00:14:13.200 --> 00:14:19.460 our faith. Great to come on a Sunday and to worship together and to learn together. But when we go to 00:14:19.460 --> 00:14:25.560 work or to college or among our neighbours during the week, how much do we talk of what Jesus means to 00:14:25.559 --> 00:14:34.599 us and what he can mean to them? And if we do, we may be surprised sometimes at how receptive they are. 00:14:34.659 --> 00:14:41.419 I'm sure Philip was quite surprised at how receptive the Samaritans were to his message. I was reminded 00:14:41.419 --> 00:14:45.599 of that this week. We were having a conversation at work. I can't remember how it all started, 00:14:46.000 --> 00:14:50.359 but it got on to what I do on a Friday, which is broadly things around the church here and what I 00:14:50.360 --> 00:14:55.919 might do more in my retirement. And people would talk that it was involved with church. It was 00:14:55.919 --> 00:15:00.899 Christian things. Two or three minutes later, the guy who sat next to me, he was a slightly younger 00:15:00.899 --> 00:15:04.639 member, the guy in his 50s. He said, Ian, I want to tell you something that might surprise you. 00:15:05.120 --> 00:15:10.759 Do you know Crubber's Close? And I said, yes, I know Crubber's very well. He said, when I was 17, 00:15:10.960 --> 00:15:15.519 I used to sing in the choir there. Now, we didn't have much chance to talk a little bit about Crubber. 00:15:15.519 --> 00:15:19.399 I was in the much chance to follow up that conversation. But here was someone I had no 00:15:19.399 --> 00:15:24.259 idea they had any Christian influence or background in their life. And yet, as a young man, 00:15:24.539 --> 00:15:28.639 he had been under the preaching of the gospel. He'd even gone to the extent of being involved 00:15:28.639 --> 00:15:33.299 in the choir. And there are opportunities, hopefully, to talk to him again later on. 00:15:34.299 --> 00:15:39.319 Very important that we are known to be Christians, that we're known to be followers of the Lord Jesus 00:15:39.319 --> 00:15:45.259 and are willing to share our faith with others, as Philip the Evangelist did. 00:15:45.259 --> 00:15:45.379 Thank you. 00:15:46.480 --> 00:15:50.960 So our first big character that we're looking at, Philip the Evangelist, the good news man, 00:15:51.299 --> 00:15:58.159 the man who shared his faith in Jesus with others. And tremendous results he achieved, didn't he? 00:16:00.139 --> 00:16:05.039 Second person who comes into this story is Peter the Rock. Now, it's Peter and John. We're going to 00:16:05.039 --> 00:16:13.059 focus on Peter, who is probably the more prominent one here. Peter means the Rock. So a bit of repetition 00:16:13.059 --> 00:16:20.500 there, but that is the meaning of the name Peter. And you may remember back in Matthew and other 00:16:20.500 --> 00:16:27.379 gospels how Peter got his name. He was Simon, originally Simon the fisherman. And Jesus asked 00:16:27.379 --> 00:16:32.580 the disciples, who do people say that I am? And they gave various answers. John the Baptist, 00:16:32.759 --> 00:16:38.220 Elijah, Jeremiah, one of the prophets. And Jesus said, who do you say I am? And Peter said, 00:16:38.559 --> 00:16:45.000 you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus then said, you are Peter, the Rock. 00:16:45.000 --> 00:16:50.440 On this rock, I will build my church. Now, different words for rock. So most likely Jesus is talking 00:16:50.440 --> 00:16:55.360 about Peter's confession, about the truth that he said, rather than Peter himself as being the Rock 00:16:55.360 --> 00:17:04.220 at that point. But then in the next verse, he says that Peter will have the keys of the kingdom. 00:17:04.220 --> 00:17:13.620 And I think that is to some extent what is being talked about here in Acts chapter 8. Peter the Rock, 00:17:13.740 --> 00:17:21.339 the man who has been, Jesus said, you have the keys to the kingdom. He comes to Samaria so that he can 00:17:21.339 --> 00:17:28.140 validate that what has been done among the Samaritans really is a work of God, that they really have come 00:17:28.140 --> 00:17:34.420 to trust in the Lord Jesus. He is the one who is able to go back to the church and to say, yes, 00:17:34.520 --> 00:17:40.500 these people are genuine Christians. They are genuine followers of the Lord Jesus who should be accepted 00:17:40.500 --> 00:17:48.580 as those who know and love the Christ. So Peter and John sent to validate and they go back eventually 00:17:48.580 --> 00:17:57.660 and they're able to do that. But while they're there, Peter lays hands on the Samaritans and they 00:17:57.660 --> 00:18:04.019 receive the Spirit. And that's where we get into the slightly more difficult part of the passage 00:18:04.019 --> 00:18:10.500 today. Let's take a step back and we'll think about what's involved in coming to know Jesus and then 00:18:10.500 --> 00:18:17.680 we'll think specifically about the difficulty we face here. If someone is starting out as a Christian, 00:18:18.120 --> 00:18:24.560 if they're coming to faith in the Lord Jesus, there are three things which would normally happen. 00:18:24.559 --> 00:18:32.299 The first thing and the key thing is that they believe in Jesus, that they recognize that he is 00:18:32.299 --> 00:18:38.500 the Son of God, that they recognize their own sinfulness and inadequacy before God, and they 00:18:38.500 --> 00:18:44.460 believe that through Jesus' death and taking our place on the cross, they are able to be forgiven and 00:18:44.460 --> 00:18:52.119 they are able to know the risen Lord Jesus in a personal way today. That is the only thing that is 00:18:52.119 --> 00:18:59.019 necessary to be saved, to be forgiven for our sins, to know that we have an eternal, secure future. 00:19:00.219 --> 00:19:05.079 But there are two other things in the New Testament that are also associated with starting out 00:19:05.079 --> 00:19:11.459 as a Christian. And the first of these is being baptized. It's in this passage here that the people 00:19:11.459 --> 00:19:17.039 believed and they were, they believed in the name of Jesus Christ and they were baptized. 00:19:17.039 --> 00:19:25.000 In the book of Acts, as we go through again and again, we see this pattern. People believe and 00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:30.119 shortly afterwards they're baptized. Happened chapter 2, 3,000 people believed and were baptized. 00:19:31.180 --> 00:19:38.039 Samaritans here believed, were baptized. Later in the chapters, the Ethiopian, he believes he's 00:19:38.039 --> 00:19:42.279 baptized. Saul, next chapter, believes he's baptized. Cornelius and his family is flipped in jail 00:19:42.279 --> 00:19:46.680 and the family. We could go on. The pattern of the book of Acts is you believe in the Lord Jesus, 00:19:46.779 --> 00:19:54.579 that is what's needed for salvation. But afterwards, you go through baptism as a symbol that you have 00:19:54.579 --> 00:19:59.899 been changed, that you have died with Christ, that you've been buried and that you have been raised with 00:19:59.899 --> 00:20:06.859 him. I have to say in our day, and actually for most of church history, that immediate link between 00:20:06.859 --> 00:20:15.699 belief and baptism has been at best diluted. Many churches would baptize those who are too young to 00:20:15.699 --> 00:20:20.619 have believed in the Lord Jesus based on their faith of their parents and trusting that in due course, 00:20:20.939 --> 00:20:27.819 they will come to put their faith in the Lord Jesus. Many do, others don't. Other churches like this one, 00:20:28.199 --> 00:20:33.079 we believe we should baptize people who have already put their faith in the Lord Jesus, that the order in 00:20:33.079 --> 00:20:39.659 the book of Acts is important, that you believe first and then you're baptized. But we have tended to 00:20:39.659 --> 00:20:46.419 separate the two. It can be many years between believing and being baptized. It wasn't my case, 00:20:46.460 --> 00:20:53.779 it is for many others. And perhaps there's a danger that we begin to see baptism as being a kind of 00:20:53.779 --> 00:20:58.839 optional extra. It's quite nice if people who have believed in the Lord Jesus get baptized, 00:20:58.839 --> 00:21:05.159 baptized. But it's not really that important. Now I stress again, you come to faith in the Lord 00:21:05.159 --> 00:21:12.000 Jesus only through believing in him. That is what makes you a Christian. But very important for us 00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:17.500 that we take that next step, that we publicly declare our allegiance to the Lord Jesus, that we're baptized, 00:21:18.220 --> 00:21:26.159 and we symbolize in that very physical way what God has done in our lives. So we believe and we're 00:21:26.160 --> 00:21:32.779 baptized. And then the third element is receiving the Holy Spirit. And that's the one where there's a 00:21:32.779 --> 00:21:39.140 little bit of difficulty in this passage. Conservative evangelical Christians, that's us, by and large 00:21:39.140 --> 00:21:45.560 would teach that when you believe in the Lord Jesus, immediately you receive the Holy Spirit. All 00:21:45.560 --> 00:21:52.019 Christians have the Holy Spirit. But if you look at this passage, it appears that there's a bit of a gap. 00:21:52.019 --> 00:21:58.900 The people of Samaria, they believed in the Lord Jesus, they were baptized, and then sometime later, 00:21:58.900 --> 00:22:04.920 Peter and John come along and they receive the Holy Spirit. Now how can that be? Why is that 00:22:04.920 --> 00:22:10.200 happening? Well, there are four views on that. I'm going to briefly present all of them. And what I 00:22:10.200 --> 00:22:15.879 would say is you will find respected Bible commentators who would hold to each one of them. So let me clear 00:22:15.879 --> 00:22:21.220 what my view is. But if you take a different view, you'll be in good company one way or the other. 00:22:21.220 --> 00:22:30.120 But there are two possibilities here. One is that the coming of the Spirit coincided with the people 00:22:30.120 --> 00:22:37.019 becoming Christians, and the other is that it was a separate event. Those who say it coincides say, 00:22:37.120 --> 00:22:41.160 well, it must do, because that is the pattern of Scripture. You believe you immediately receive the 00:22:41.160 --> 00:22:46.019 Holy Spirit. Those who say there are two stages say, well, if you look at this passage, the natural reading 00:22:46.019 --> 00:22:52.559 of it is they believed at one time and at some time after they received the Spirit. So what are 00:22:52.559 --> 00:22:59.660 possible explanations? First explanation some people suggest is actually the Samaritans weren't 00:22:59.660 --> 00:23:05.019 Christians when Peter and John arrived. They'd heard the message from Philip. They'd believed in some 00:23:05.019 --> 00:23:10.139 kind of way, but perhaps just looking at the signs and outward trappings, not really believing in Jesus, 00:23:10.140 --> 00:23:17.440 not with their faith in him. I think that's very difficult to justify from the passage. There's no 00:23:17.440 --> 00:23:21.480 suggestion that Peter and John came and they said, what Philip's taught you isn't really the full 00:23:21.480 --> 00:23:27.220 message. Here's what you should know if you want to become Christians. No, they came, they saw what 00:23:27.220 --> 00:23:33.660 had happened, and they laid their hands on the people and they received the Spirit. So I think that one's 00:23:33.660 --> 00:23:41.120 quite difficult. Second possibility is that the Samaritans already had the Spirit. So when Peter 00:23:41.120 --> 00:23:45.779 and John came, what was happening was not that they were receiving the Spirit for the first time. They 00:23:45.779 --> 00:23:50.040 had received that at the point when they became Christians, when they were converted. And what 00:23:50.040 --> 00:23:56.880 happened here was that the evidence of the Spirit being in them was given as Peter and John came along. 00:23:57.820 --> 00:24:03.180 I find that one quite difficult too. If you look in the book of Acts, beginning at chapter 2, 00:24:03.180 --> 00:24:08.740 as the Spirit came on the early Christians, then there were signs of that they were able to speak 00:24:08.740 --> 00:24:13.740 in languages they hadn't learned. Same thing happens elsewhere in the book of Acts. There's no 00:24:13.740 --> 00:24:19.160 mention here of what evidence there was that the Christians in Samaria had received the Spirit. 00:24:20.539 --> 00:24:26.440 There's no evidence, nothing to say, here is what happened when Peter and John came. They had 00:24:26.440 --> 00:24:31.120 evidence of the Spirit, and this happened. Now, it's quite likely they did speak in tongues or something 00:24:31.119 --> 00:24:35.500 like that, but it's not something that was emphasized. And if this was the evidence of the 00:24:35.500 --> 00:24:41.179 Spirit having come on them at conversion that was being put out here, then surely Luke would have said, 00:24:41.579 --> 00:24:47.439 this is why it happened. So again, possible, but I find that view again quite difficult. 00:24:48.879 --> 00:24:53.959 Third view is people would say, well, actually, what's the fuss about? This is the normal thing that 00:24:53.959 --> 00:25:00.219 happens for Christians. When you come to faith in the Lord Jesus, you don't immediately receive the Spirit, 00:25:00.220 --> 00:25:06.220 that you get baptized in the Spirit at some future point in your Christian life. 00:25:07.299 --> 00:25:12.620 Again, I find that quite difficult to tie in with the general teaching of the Old Testament, 00:25:12.839 --> 00:25:18.380 of New Testament. For example, Paul says in Romans chapter 8, if anyone does not have the Spirit of 00:25:18.380 --> 00:25:24.460 Christ, they do not have Christ. In other words, if you don't have the Spirit, then you're not a 00:25:24.460 --> 00:25:29.980 Christian. In other passages saying similar things. So again, I would find that quite a difficult, 00:25:29.980 --> 00:25:35.559 quote, interpretation. Which just leaves us with one option there, if you accept what I've said, 00:25:35.559 --> 00:25:42.740 that the circumstances here were quite exceptional. So the normal pattern of the New Testament is you 00:25:42.740 --> 00:25:49.380 receive the Lord Jesus by faith and immediately receive the Holy Spirit. But in this particular 00:25:49.380 --> 00:25:54.759 situation in Samaria, there was something different, something exceptional happening. 00:25:54.759 --> 00:25:59.980 And was that something exceptional? Well, it was the fact that for the first time, 00:26:00.339 --> 00:26:05.819 the message of the Christian faith was going beyond the Jews and people who weren't Jews were being 00:26:05.819 --> 00:26:10.579 brought into knowledge of the Lord Jesus. There'll be something similar, a couple of chapters on, 00:26:10.839 --> 00:26:17.460 when the Gentiles were brought into the church. And the importance, I think, the significance of the 00:26:17.460 --> 00:26:23.299 fact that the Spirit is received a bit later than when the people first became Christians, 00:26:23.299 --> 00:26:30.740 is that this was a validation for them and for the church at Jerusalem. It was a validation for the 00:26:30.740 --> 00:26:36.919 Samaritans, because Samaritans, we said, they're a kind of superstitious form of religion, and they 00:26:36.919 --> 00:26:42.799 had many different gods and people they saw as being great powers. And there was a danger they saw this as 00:26:42.799 --> 00:26:48.740 just being something along the same lines. That they trusted in the Lord Jesus, and they would add that to all 00:26:48.740 --> 00:26:55.620 the other things that they did as part of their religious life. Peter and John coming from Jerusalem, 00:26:56.079 --> 00:27:02.240 and the coming of the Spirit upon them as a result of that, was evidence to them that this was something 00:27:02.240 --> 00:27:09.380 different, that this was the real thing. Jesus, in his conversation with the Samaritan woman in John chapter 4, 00:27:09.599 --> 00:27:15.460 said salvation comes from the Jews. And here, in a sense, was it being worked out in practice, 00:27:15.460 --> 00:27:20.600 that the Jews came, they brought the message of the gospel, the message of the Lord Jesus for the whole 00:27:20.600 --> 00:27:25.900 world. And as Peter and John came, they were able to show the Samaritans that this was really 00:27:25.900 --> 00:27:31.380 something that was very different from what they had. This was the truth of God in their lives. 00:27:32.259 --> 00:27:37.799 But it was also important for the church in Jerusalem, because if Philip had preached to the 00:27:37.799 --> 00:27:43.180 Samaritans, they believed the word, and they'd received the Spirit, then the Jews in Jerusalem, 00:27:43.180 --> 00:27:48.100 the Christian Jews in Jerusalem, might have had the same suspicion that the non-Christian Jews, 00:27:48.160 --> 00:27:52.380 if we can call them that, had of the Samaritans. That they were people who were different, that they 00:27:52.380 --> 00:27:59.480 are an inadequate religion, and that they just bolted Christianity onto that. The coming of the Spirit, 00:27:59.620 --> 00:28:06.180 as Peter prays for these Samaritans, was evidence to the church in Jerusalem that this was the real 00:28:06.180 --> 00:28:12.940 thing, that God was at work outside the Jewish nation, that the Samaritans too had been received 00:28:12.940 --> 00:28:19.980 into the church. And what it does above all, it prevents two churches growing up. The church of 00:28:19.980 --> 00:28:25.100 the Jews, who followed the Jewish tradition, and the church of the Samaritans, who still didn't have 00:28:25.100 --> 00:28:30.600 very much to do with them, and to follow some of the traditions of the Samaritans. There is one 00:28:30.599 --> 00:28:37.419 church, because there is one Spirit who has been given to all those who believe in the Lord Jesus. 00:28:38.379 --> 00:28:46.240 So I think it's an exceptional circumstance for exceptional reasons. But actually, the key thing 00:28:46.240 --> 00:28:51.859 in it, I think, is not how the Spirit came upon the Samaritans, but the fact that the Samaritans, 00:28:51.939 --> 00:28:59.319 as Christians, had the Spirit, and there were evidences of that. Whatever our beliefs about the 00:28:59.319 --> 00:29:03.819 doctrine of the Holy Spirit, it is really important, if we believe in the Lord Jesus, 00:29:04.139 --> 00:29:12.379 that we have the Spirit in us and working in our lives, transforming us to be more like Jesus, 00:29:13.019 --> 00:29:17.679 helping us take on the character of Jesus, empowering us to do things which, in our normal 00:29:17.679 --> 00:29:22.279 physical sense, we might think we weren't able to do. But as the Spirit gives us his gifts, 00:29:22.599 --> 00:29:28.519 he enables us to do them. Providing us with assurance of the fact that we know Jesus, that we 00:29:28.519 --> 00:29:35.619 trust in him, and that we have an eternally secure future. Guiding us in our lives, helping us to know 00:29:35.619 --> 00:29:41.960 what is God's way for us through reading the Scripture, and helping us to do what is right. 00:29:42.039 --> 00:29:47.660 That is the work of the Spirit. That is why we need the Holy Spirit. And to be a Christian, 00:29:48.379 --> 00:29:53.279 to have the Holy Spirit, means to have a life that is being changed, that is being transformed, 00:29:53.279 --> 00:29:58.460 transformed, and it really does need to make a difference for us. If we become a Christian, 00:29:58.539 --> 00:30:02.500 it shouldn't be possible for us just to go on and to do the things we always did, but say, 00:30:02.579 --> 00:30:08.599 well, I believe in Jesus now, but nothing else has changed. If we know Christ, if we have faith in him, 00:30:08.759 --> 00:30:13.639 if we have the Spirit, that should make a real difference in our lives. 00:30:13.640 --> 00:30:21.200 Very briefly, because we almost run out of time, Simon. Simon, who is known as the Great Power, 00:30:22.000 --> 00:30:26.780 and probably thinking of as he was the kind of divine messenger come to Samaria. 00:30:27.800 --> 00:30:32.940 Well, unfortunately for Simon, that nickname hasn't really stuck. We tend to call him Simon the Sorcerer 00:30:32.940 --> 00:30:38.820 these days. Down through church history, he's been known as Simon Magus, and was the first really 00:30:38.819 --> 00:30:44.619 strong heretic in the Christian church. He hasn't come out well in history, doesn't come out well 00:30:44.619 --> 00:30:51.779 in this passage. Simon, who appears at first to believe, who appears like all the other Samaritans 00:30:51.779 --> 00:30:57.799 have come into faith in the Lord Jesus, and yet who makes it clear by his actions that his faith 00:30:57.799 --> 00:31:05.839 isn't real. Who thinks he can buy power from God. Who covets what other people have for himself, 00:31:05.839 --> 00:31:12.359 but not because he wants to have faith in the Lord Jesus. Perhaps because the on which he'd been 00:31:12.359 --> 00:31:17.220 held before was now diluted, because these people were coming, and the work of the Spirit was much 00:31:17.220 --> 00:31:24.179 greater than the work that Simon could do. Very briefly, what's the lesson of Simon for us? 00:31:24.779 --> 00:31:32.579 I think it's this. It is possible to be apparently part of the church of the Lord Jesus, 00:31:32.579 --> 00:31:39.779 but actually to have no real part in it. To appear to outward appearances, to be a Christian, 00:31:40.240 --> 00:31:47.079 to be a follower of Jesus, but actually our heart hasn't been changed. Even Simon's reaction to the 00:31:47.079 --> 00:31:51.839 way Peter rebuked him suggests his heart hadn't been changed. He isn't repentant. He asked Peter to pray 00:31:51.839 --> 00:31:59.259 for him. And there's a real danger that we could be sitting in a church, we could be enjoying the 00:31:59.259 --> 00:32:05.059 worship, we could enjoy the fellowship, the companionship, the love that is there. We could 00:32:05.059 --> 00:32:10.500 even have a great respect for Jesus and think of him as being a great teacher, even the son of God, 00:32:10.619 --> 00:32:17.799 but not to have a personal relationship with him. To be interested in the trappings of Christianity, 00:32:17.799 --> 00:32:23.899 humanity, but not to have come ourselves to the point of trusting in Jesus, committing our lives 00:32:23.899 --> 00:32:31.559 to him and following him. As we said, when we were looking at the steps of coming into the Christian 00:32:31.559 --> 00:32:37.859 church, the first thing, the key thing is that we believe in Jesus, we believe in who he is, 00:32:38.240 --> 00:32:44.000 we believe in what we are, that we are sinful, that we are inadequate before God, and we trust in him as 00:32:44.000 --> 00:32:51.079 the only one who can bring us forgiveness and bring us eternal life. And sadly, in our churches, 00:32:51.200 --> 00:32:56.920 I suspect there are many, many people who on the outside would appear to be Christians like those 00:32:56.920 --> 00:33:04.160 around them, but actually have never come to that point of trusting in Jesus and allowing him to change 00:33:04.160 --> 00:33:11.200 their lives. Can I throw that challenge out today? Examine your heart before God, whether you really 00:33:11.200 --> 00:33:16.940 are trusting in Jesus, whether you really have come to that point of believing in him and committing 00:33:16.940 --> 00:33:24.299 yourself to him. Time's gone. A visitor just says, some of the things that we've said, just to remind 00:33:24.299 --> 00:33:29.120 ourselves, what I've just said, the priority of faith, the key thing in becoming a Christian is to 00:33:29.120 --> 00:33:35.580 believe in the Lord Jesus. The obedience of baptism. If you've trusted in the Lord Jesus but haven't yet 00:33:35.579 --> 00:33:41.559 followed him in baptism, then please do consider that very seriously. It is a key step in your 00:33:41.559 --> 00:33:46.919 Christian life. The transformation of the Spirit, the fact that when we have the Holy Spirit, that makes 00:33:46.919 --> 00:33:53.720 a difference in our lives. Where we started with Philip, the privilege of witness, that as Philip was 00:33:53.720 --> 00:33:59.079 the good news man, so we can be the good news men and women going and telling others, if we know the 00:33:59.079 --> 00:34:05.599 Lord Jesus, telling others about him and bringing them to faith in him as well. Let's pray together. 00:34:07.259 --> 00:34:12.819 Father, we thank you for your word to us. We thank you for this passage, for the way in which persecution 00:34:12.819 --> 00:34:20.539 couldn't stop the growth of your church, how even in the most difficult times, your people grew and 00:34:20.539 --> 00:34:26.759 flourished and were able to reach out to others. Help us as a church and as individuals, if we know the Lord, 00:34:26.760 --> 00:34:32.500 to be those who take the good news to others, who are witnesses to him, who see others coming to put 00:34:32.500 --> 00:34:38.500 their faith in him. Pray for any today who haven't yet put their trust in Jesus, that they may realize 00:34:38.500 --> 00:34:45.780 the vital importance of that and take that step of commitment, of faith, of passing from death to life. 00:34:46.580 --> 00:34:51.040 Pray for any who haven't been baptized and might be considering that. Pray for any who might feel their 00:34:51.040 --> 00:34:56.600 lives haven't been changed as they would like, that the Spirit may work in them as well. Apply your word to us. 00:34:56.760 --> 00:35:03.080 Help us to take it seriously and we pray our lives may be changed as a result. Thank you for your 00:35:03.080 --> 00:35:07.560 presence with us and we commit ourselves to you now in Jesus' name. Amen.