Acts 8.2 The Sin of Simony

Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them, and many taken with palsies, and that were lame were healed.

And there was great joy in that city. But there was a certain man called Simon, which before time in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one, to whom they all gave heed from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.

But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Then Simon himself believed also. And when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.

Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John, who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost. For as yet he was fallen upon none of them, only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.

And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter, for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.

Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray, God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity. Then answered Simon and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.

And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans. Amen. Now I'd be grateful if you'd have your Bibles open at the passage we turned to earlier.

I remind you it's in the eighth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. Let me read to you once more the 18th and 19th verses. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the Apostles hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.

Friends who regularly attend the Tabernacle will know that since the turn of the new year we have been investigating, inquiring into, the Acts of the Apostles. We're doing this to ensure that we are familiar with the tremendous story of the birth and the development of the Christian Church. And here in the eighth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles we are confronted with some remarkable information.

This chapter is almost a pivot on which a great deal that is to follow swings. I say that because it is here that we read that the early Church moved away from Jerusalem and centered its evangelistic activity not just on the capital of Palestine itself, the Holy City, but they moved away. They moved to Samaria and there a representative of the Jerusalem Church proclaimed the Gospel.

I say that was a staggering thing, an incredible thing, for here is the first instance that we have that someone at any rate has realized the significance of the mandate the Lord Jesus gave to the Church when he said, Go ye out into all the world and preach the Gospel. Yes, the good news of salvation is to the Jew first, but it does not exclude the Gentile and it certainly does not exclude the Samaritan. And so here we have the record of one member of the early Church at Jerusalem moving northwards, coming to that little tract of land that's sandwiched between Galilee and Judea.

And there Philip proclaims the story of Jesus Christ, brings to the men and women in this prominent city of Samaria the essence of the Gospel. And I say this is tremendous. It marks a new turn.

It opens up a new chapter in the expansion of the Church of Jesus Christ. The Samaritans are to hear the Gospel and there is this ambassador of the Jerusalem Church, Philip, who is to proclaim the good news of the Lord Jesus. So on that score alone, this chapter is very, very crucial to the whole story of the development of Christianity.

Now the Samaritans are being invited to place their trust in the Lord Jesus. Another reason why this chapter is of particular significance is because you read of certain people who place their faith in the Lord Jesus, that is some of the Samaritans, who do not receive the Holy Spirit until some while after their conversion. And this particular incident has become a veritable battleground amongst theologians.

And even today we still have the heavy artillery brought up as people exchange their opinions on the significance of this. So that's another reason why this particular chapter is of importance. And yet a third is this, that here we read of a most remarkable man, an intriguing character.

He's only mentioned here in Scripture, but he certainly has an influence that was so great that some records of his life after this event are retained in secular history. I refer to the man Simon Magus, and he's the one on whom I want you to focus your attention this morning, because Simon was a sorcerer. He was a magician, if you like, a wizard.

And we're living in days when there is a revival of witchcraft, an interest in black and white magic. It seems quite extraordinary that in 1975 there should be such a revival, particularly in the West, particularly in the United Kingdom, and especially here in the county of Sussex. But this is what is happening.

And it's good for us to remind ourselves that this problem posed by this revival in black magic is nothing new. Before the Christian Church had been developing for a long time, this particular problem had raised its ugly head in Samaria in the form of Simon Magus. So I suggest to you it's crucial in our understanding of the acts of the Apostles, in our understanding of the power of the demonstration of the Holy Ghost, that we should look into the character of this man, that we should examine his claimed profession of faith in the Lord Jesus, and that we should work out some of the principles that can be drawn from this particular event as the Holy Spirit moves through Philip and Peter and John in the life of this man and rebukes him.

So that's what I have in mind to do this morning, to focus your attention upon this trader in the occult, this trader in black magic, Simon Magus. Let me talk to you a little bit about the man himself. But before I do that, I must remind you of Philip's activities at Samaria.

You remember how Philip has, as I put it to you the other week, taken the baton from Stephen, the first Christian martyr, and he has carried the baton of the gospel to this city in Samaria. There he has proclaimed the news of the Lord Jesus Christ, and his ministry has been highly successful, remarkably successful. There can be no gain in saying that fact.

You look into the fifth and the sixth verses of the chapter and you find the impact that the ministry of Philip has had upon the citizens of this town. The people, verse 6, with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. His word was not only in the word itself but also in the power of the Holy Ghost, for his ministry was authenticated.

People with deranged minds were made well. People who were paralyzed suddenly found that their limbs had recovered strength. Those who were lame were able to walk around.

No wonder when you read verse 7, the comment has to be made that there was great joy in that city. Of course there was. A man filled with the Holy Spirit, endued with the Holy Ghost, with a heart impassioned with the gospel of Jesus Christ, had come along and he shared to the townspeople something of what the Lord had done for him and what he could do for them.

But prior to Philip's arrival at this particular place, the man who had commanded the greatest influence was none other than Simon Magus, a man who had doubled in a different sort of power to that of Philip, a man who was a sorcerer well versed in black magic. And again, this is no exaggeration. I have a right to make this observation from the ninth verse.

We're told that Simon, which before time was in the same city, used sorcery and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one. He had convinced the people that he was an extension of God, that he was a demonstration of the power of God, and his impact upon the city had been considerable. He had bewitched them.

The New English Bible tells us in translating verse 9, he swept the Samaritans off their feet with magical arts. But now Philip's come. You think, for a moment, let me digress.

Of all the places where Philip might have gone to have preached the gospel as the first preaching point outside of Jerusalem, fancy picking this place. It must have been the worst spot in the whole of that area for gospel proclamation. He were a townspeople bewitched by a man who traded in black magic, by a man who dabbled in sorcery.

But Philip, prompted by the Holy Ghost, goes to this particular place and he preaches the name of Jesus Christ. He preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ. And even Simon Magus has to admit that the power and the authority that Philip has is far greater than his own.

Like an incident in the Old Testament, when the magicians of Egypt had to admit the superiority of the power of Aaron and Moses. So, Simon Magus recognises that Philip has a greater influence than himself, and it would appear that Simon Magus has committed himself to the teaching of Philip. He has made some sort of commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ.

These Samaritans have moved over from the influence of Simon to Philip, and Simon himself has made some commitment, has acknowledged the teaching and the authority of Philip. But when you come to verse 13, you seem to gather from this particular verse that all is not well in the so-called conversion of Simon. Certainly we're told that he believed, and we're told that he was baptised.

But then we're given this information which is critical to an understanding of the whole of the mentality of Simon Magus. He continued with Philip and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. As though the thing that mesmerised Simon was not the word that Philip brought, but the power that Philip displayed.

As though this old sorcerer is still hankering after a greater ability to dabble in magic than he has had heretofore. And he feels that if only he can learn the secret of Philip's success, he too shall be able to do such wonderful things. Well then, this is the man himself.

This is Simon, the one who has influenced a city, the man who has dabbled in black magic, the one who is still to make a tremendous impact, particularly in Rome in years to come. This is the character who we meet in the eighth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. But let me move on, and rather quickly at that, to talk to you about the sin which he committed.

The sin which he committed. News of what had happened in this Samaritan town had filtered through back to Jerusalem, and the disciples had decided to send a delegation, verse 14, in the form of Peter and John, to investigate. And these apostles come to this Samaritan town, and they inquire into the labours of Philip, and they realise that a great work has been wrought for the Lord.

These men applaud Philip for his evangelistic activity. They realise that something genuine has been done in terms of the expansion of the kingdom of God, and yet, having spiritual discernment, they realise that the ministry of Philip is yet to be consummated by the sealing of the Holy Ghost. And so those who have been converted, and there were large numbers in the town, come to the apostles, and there they receive the imposition of hands, and following this, the gift of the Holy Spirit becomes theirs, the 17th verse.

Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. Now we come to the sin of Simon, because we read in the 18th verse the attraction that this particular incident has for this sorcerer. When Simon saw that through the laying on of the hand, of the apostles' hands, the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.

What happened when the hands of the apostles were placed on the believers at this Samaritan town is not specifically said. We do know that they received the Holy Ghost, and that this was self- evident. It was not just some internal experience, for Simon could not have realised that himself.

There was something visible, something external, something pragmatic, something that could be seen. Maybe a change in their countenance, like happened to Moses when he was at the summit of Sinai, who when he descended and saw the people again, they shied away from him, because his face shone with the glory of God. Or maybe, as some argue, these Samaritans spoke in tongues, as had happened on the day of Pentecost.

Certainly that sort of manifestation of divine power would have had its own attraction for a man of the mentality of Simon. So when Simon sees this happen, when he sees this, what he considers to be a magical rite performed, the wizardry in him comes out prominent. The old magician is back in his true colours.

He wants the same power. He wants the same authority. He wants to be able to convey the same influence that he believes the Holy Ghost is, and so he offers money.

And in so doing, he gives a new word to our English vocabulary, for the word simony really means trying to buy or trying to sell a spiritual blessing. You remember a man in the Old Testament who was guilty of the same sin, Gehazi. He worked for Elisha.

Elisha has been used by the Lord so that Naaman, a Syrian, is recovered of his leprosy. Naaman would show his indebtedness to Elisha by giving him a gift of money, but the Prophet wisely refuses. But Gehazi, behind his master's back, endeavours to acquire some money from Naaman.

He endeavours to buy or to be given money for the spiritual blessing which Naaman has received, the sin of simony. Well, here we have it in its New Testament manifestation. Here is this wizard, this sorcerer, wanting to buy a power which he recognises is superior to his own, and in so doing, he merits the condemnation of Peter and John.

They perceive the state of this man. They're no doubt aware of his past reputation, and they realise that Simon himself has not been changed. He has not been made a new man in Christ Jesus.

He needs dealing with, and he needs dealing with very firmly indeed. Now, what can we deduce about this particular request of Simon when he says to these two, give me also this power that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. I think it will be worthwhile following through this line, because it will help us to understand better the approach that we should have to the doctrine and indeed to the ministry of the Holy Ghost.

I say that when a man approaches God or approaches God's ambassadors in the form that Simon addressed John and Peter, he insults God. He insults God. The sin of Simon insults the Lord Almighty.

He looks upon God, as did the Israelites of old, to whom Amos makes reference in his prophecy, who feel that God can be fobbed off by a multitude of sacrifices being offered, who are more concerned with the external than the internal, who feel that God is more concerned with dramatic external things than the inner cleansing of the heart. The sin of Simon, I say, insults God, and thus it merited the condemnation of Peter when he says, Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter. You have no association with Jesus Christ at all if you can harbour this sort of idea that the power of God, the gift of God's Spirit, can be bought.

And what is more, the sin of Simon, I argue, betrays a low estimate of the Holy Spirit. Simon sees of the Holy Ghost in terms of merchandise which can be bought, something that can be acquired by the offering of money. Again, he's more concerned with the outward than with the inward.

I once read an article by Donald Gee, who, before the Lord called him to glory, edited the magazine called Pentecost, in which he put down some very, very good advice for folks interested in the doctrine of the Holy Spirit and in the experiences that the Holy Spirit brings to the life of the Christian. He warned against putting the gift before the giver and the sign before the substance. Simon, he always does that.

This is precisely what we find this magician doing, more concerned with the sign than what he is with the substance, more concerned with externals than with internals. And any man who commits the sin of Simon, I say, shows a low estimate of the Holy Spirit. But perhaps even more important is this observation, that the sin of Simon contradicts the principles of the gospel.

What is the gospel based on? How is a man saved? Well, he's saved by placing his trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. He can't come along with his wallet, he can't open his checkbook, he can't write out a sum of money and give it to the church, and no salvation. If he tries to do that, he's engaging in the same sin as did Simon.

And you must be aware of many people whose approach to the church and the gospel is just like that. And you have a businessman way back in Sheffield, a millionaire whose theology really was on that basis. As long as he was writing out checks, as long as he was engaging in philanthropic activity, he was pleasing God Almighty.

But you see, that's another form of simony in a different dress. And there are many people who are so deluded. If only I do this, if only I do this penance, if only I satisfy God by engaging in this activity, then I'll buy my salvation, then I'll ingratiate myself with Him.

My friend, it's a sin of simony, a different facet of it, not exactly the same as this man's. But nonetheless, in essence, it boils down to the same thing, building up a doctrine of salvation through works. And God will not be fobbed off, God will not be bought off.

Spiritual blessings, be they blessings of salvation or blessings of power through the Holy Spirit, cannot be bought in this fashion. And what is more, I say to you that the sin of simony, as depicted here, fosters the personality cult. What was it really that had attracted Simon? I say that there's enough evidence in this chapter to draw this conclusion, that Simon wanted to propel himself in front of the people again.

He admired Philip for his ability, for his influence, and he wanted the same influence himself. He wanted to foster the personality cult. And I'm not dealing ungraciously with Simon.

If you check secular records, you'll find that this is precisely what Simon did after this event, even after the rebuke that he receives from Peter, pushing forward himself. And today, there are those who trade in simony, who engage in the same thing as did this magician, more concerned about personal reputation, advancing themselves in the guise of glorifying the Holy Ghost. Happily, one does not come across this very often, but I have now and again come across magazines from America, which I think in their content have not stopped short of committing simony on the part of the editor.

When a man pushes himself forward, when a man seeks to accumulate wealth through the putting out of so-called prosperity pacts, and then endeavouring to get God's people to send in regular sums of money so that they can be assured of God's blessing upon their lives, I say that's another manifestation of simony, and this needs to be said these days. But it was only about a year or so ago when the evangelical world in this country, the evangelical section in this country, was saturated with pieces of literature from one American organisation asking them, on the basis of receiving God's blessings, to week by week or month by month make contribution towards their enterprises. All this, I say, is simony.

It had its manifestation in the first century. It has it today. Forewarned is forearmed.

Let us ensure that there is no simony in our lives, no misunderstanding of the work of the Holy Spirit, no endeavouring to buy any of God's blessings, for that in itself is a negation of the principles of the Reformation. We are saved by faith and everything I receive from God I receive freely by his good graciousness. But let me try to wind things up this morning in our study.

Having looked at the man himself and the sin which Simon committed, let me in contrast show you something of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. For the whole passage reverberates with the power, with the demonstration of the Spirit in the life of 1 Philip and 2 Peter and John. And I say that the first observation which can be drawn at this point, and it's a wonderful observation when one thinks of the revival in black magic and witchcraft today, is this, that the gospel of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Ghost is more is superior to any of the forces of evil, indeed to the combined forces of evil.

This particular city of Samaria was the epitome of sinfulness. Here was a townspeople bewitched by a sorcerer. Here was sin in its extreme fashion abounding.

But when Philip comes and preaches the gospel, hallelujah, grace much more abounds. And all the evil power, all the evil forces that were in that city could not gainsay the ministry of Philip. And I think that's tremendous.

And I think that we need to underline it in our minds today, that within the gospel proclamation of the life and the death and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, there is power, there is dynamite, and it is this power in which the church trades. And we have the ability, we have the resources in the 20th century here on the south coast to resist every manifestation of evil, be it the blackest power of the occult. We have it, I say, in Jesus Christ.

And in this particular chapter is an illustration. The power of Philip is greater than the power of Simon. And even the magician has to recognize this.

But what is more, in this incident, we see one of the manifestations of the gifts of the spirit. Indeed, there are more than one of the manifestations, but one particular one, which is often overlooked in these days. I refer to the discernment that was shown on the part of Peter and John.

They see this man, Simon Magus, an outstanding convert or so he seemed. If he came into the tabernacle and he had such a reputation on the south coast, I'm sure we would be praising God for his salvation. And if we were immature and stupid enough, we'd bring him into the pulpit to give his testimony just two or three days afterwards, and that would be silly.

But here are Peter and John exercising the gift of discernment. They realize that the state of this man's heart has not been changed. There may have been some external change conditioned by the supernatural activity that he's seen on the part of Philip and the desire to harness that himself.

But fundamentally, deep down, there is no change. Here comes Peter and John, and they discern the spiritual state of this man's heart. And Philip exposes him.

Peter exposes him. Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter, for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.

And with all the talk that there is these days on the gifts of the Spirit, let me say that one of the greatest gifts to be cherished and needed and required is the gift of discernment, to be able to differentiate between the false and the genuine, the spurious and the spiritual. Well, here are Peter and John exercising this gift, and they expose Simon Magus as a result. And here is something else shown concerning the power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of men who used in his service.

Have you noticed how Peter and John retain their integrity? Why do I make mention of this? Well, Simon has offered them money, and there are many people right down the centuries to the 20th century who will be bought off by money. Unfortunately, money has been sometimes in the history of the Christian Church a blight. Peter has confessed that he's got no money.

You remember the man who was by the gate, beautiful? He wanted arms, he wanted some money. Peter said, silver and gold I have none. What I have I give to you in the name of Jesus Christ to arise.

I've got no money. Here's Simon coming along offering Peter money. Now, Peter and John are human beings.

They had at least at one stage in their lives an attraction to the acquiring of wealth. Here is the insidious temptation of the devil. Use your power to enrich yourself.

The possibility has been put before many. It's been dangled like a forbidden fruit, and there have been many who have snatched at the fruit. But the Holy Spirit is so dumb and so alive in the in the hearts of Peter and John that Peter dismisses curtly and bluntly Simon and his audacious suggestion.

Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money. But finally, notice this. Again a manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

As Peter and John engage in dialogue with Simon as they censure him, as they remind him of his eternal lot, if he should continue this way of life, they still go on and they minister to the gospel. They minister the gospel to him. Look at verse 24, or rather look at verse 22.

Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. A man who is filled with the Holy Spirit, a man who is manifesting the power of the Holy Spirit, never forgets the great power that there is in the gospel itself. And though Simon has committed this sin, though he's on his way, though he has not quite arrived at the place where he has committed the unpardonable sin, Peter tries to stop him on his tracks.

And he endeavors to get this man to repent, to turn right around, to change his whole attitude to life, to his whole attitude to spiritual things. Repent of thy wickedness, and pray God that you shall be forgiven for your sins. So, you see, it doesn't really matter at what facet, at what particular stage you look into this story.

You see the manifestation of God's power, the power of the Holy Spirit. You see a realization of men who are filled with the Spirit in terms of the ministry that they perform. Philip goes to Samaria, or goes to one of the towns of Samaria, and his ministry is more powerful than that of the magician.

Peter and John come down from Jerusalem, and they're used by the Lord to seal the conversion of the Samaritans, and to indicate to all people that the gospel door is wide open to the Samaritans, these mongrel Jews. They too can come into the family of God. And here, I say, is a demonstration of the power of the Spirit in granting Peter and John discernment, and an ability to withstand temptation.

Now, isn't it just wonderful, friends, to appreciate this? That God is still the same, and that His power is still the same, and the Church of Jesus Christ still has the power of the Holy Ghost, and the indwelling of the Spirit within the lives of believers. Isn't it about time that we began to claim more and more this tremendous potential that we have? I read some while ago that in Scotland, of all places, there are something like four or five hundred thousand pounds in banks which actually are unclaimed legacies. People who have been made rich, and yet they've never claimed their riches.

And the executors of the wills have never been able to close down the estate. Reluctant people to inherit wealth. Now, it seems to me that sometimes this is the condition of the evangelical church.

The potential, it's always there. But to claim the inheritance, to go on day by day in the power, in the might, in the demonstration of the Spirit, this is what is so necessary. Particularly in the twentieth century, towards the end, when dark clouds are hovering over the scene, when so many manifestations of evil are confronting us, not just overseas, but here in our own beloved county, it is necessary to claim each day our inheritance, and to find that we too have with us the supernatural power of a supernatural God, who has charged us with the responsibility of gospel proclamation, as it was in the day of Philip in the Samaritan town.

So may it be here in Worthing, as men and women tell forth, the great good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and witness the transformation of lives. May this please God for His namesake. Amen.

And now let's join together in the words of the grace. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.