From Fake to Faith | Ep42

Transcript

When I have seen magicians work, I say, I know he didn’t do what I just saw him do. I know it was a trick, I know it not real, but it really looks real. There’s a trick to it, there’s an art to it, and some are very good at it.

In this lesson today, I want to study in Acts the eighth chapter about a man who’s called a magician, but he was a different kind of magician than the showman that we have today.

Our study today is going to be in Acts eight, five through eleven. Let me read those verses to us, and let’s think about that magician that is mentioned there. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them.

The crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip as they heard and saw the signs which he was performing. For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them, shouting with a loud voice. Many who had been paralyzed and lain were healed, so then there was much rejoicing in that city.

There was a man named Simon who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria claiming to be some great one. They all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, this man is what is called the great power of God. They were giving him attention because he had for a long time astonished them with his magic art.

There’s the magician I want us to think about today. Let’s look at what Simon had been doing. It said he was practicing magic.

This Greek word indicates sorcery. Sorcery means as a ritual or an occult or a technique for malviolence. That is true.

The same Greek word can also be translated magi, like the wise men, the magi who came from the east to worship Jesus as a baby. But it can be either way, used wickedly, and that’s what is used here in Acts 8, or it can be used in a good way as these wise men who came from the east to worship Jesus. We can tell by the reading that was done that this was a man who was misusing his ability.

Through magic, sorcery or rituals or the occult or some form of deception was promoting himself. The people were giving him attention because he astonished them. I can understand that.

When I watch those magicians, I’m astonished. I keep watching them because they keep fascinating me and they keep me tuned in because surely he can’t do the next trick while he did it. Well, in essence, that’s what was happening with this man Simon and the people of his day.

The people were astonished at what he was doing. And then he also was claiming that he was someone great. Now, this is a difference in terms of the magician and showman today.

They don’t claim to be someone great. They may have great ability. They may have a great talent for this.

But they’re not doing it to make themselves a religious leader. They’re not doing it to prove that they are from God. They’re simply doing it to be a showman for people.

And it also says he was claiming to be someone great. And people accepted that claim and saying he is the great power of God. Now, that’s the problem with what this man was doing.

He had the ability to trick. And we don’t know, I’m not given the details of how he was able to accomplish this. But whatever he was doing astonished the people and caused them to think this man is from God.

But he really was not. But then notice the text says about this man Philip. Philip was one of the men who came from Jerusalem.

He was first appointed one of the men that worked in taking care of the widows in Acts 6 chapter. And Philip went to Samaria. Samaria was north of Jerusalem.

Samaria was made up of people of a mixed race. They were Jews who had married Gentiles. So therefore became a group of people called the Samaritans.

And notice what he is doing as the text says. The crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip as they heard and saw the signs which he was performing. And then he named some of those specific signs.

For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice. And many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed. And so Philip had the ability to perform some miracles of healings, casting out demons, causing paralyzed people to be able to walk.

This was a sign. It was a sign that God had given him. He received that power evidently when the apostles laid hands on him in Acts 6 verse 6. You see, one of the powers that the apostles were given when they were baptized in the Holy Spirit is that they could impart a miraculous gift to someone by laying hands on them.

And in Acts 6 and verse 6 it mentioned that they laid hands on Philip and some others. Jesus spoke about these signs in Mark 16 verse 20 when he sent these prophets and apostles out. And as they performed these signs, these miracles, it says they were confirming the Word.

In other words, they didn’t have the New Testament written. When these apostles and prophets went out and preached, how would the people know that they’re really from God? They could perform a miracle. They could cast out a demon.

They could heal a paralyzed man. And that really was a sign that they did belong to God and that their message came from God. That’s what Philip was doing as he was performing these various signs.

And when they did that, it brought about great results and great joy in that city. And we can understand people rejoicing at that. And you can understand also as we stop and look at it the difference that they saw in what Philip did and in what Simon the Magician did.

Now, verses 12 and 13 are very fascinating. Let’s notice what it says here. When we had just read, I’ll read verse 11.

And they were giving him, Simon, attention because he had for a long time astonished them with his magic art. But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized men and women alike. Even Simon himself believed.

And after being baptized, he continued on with Philip. And as he observed the signs and great miracles are taking place. Notice what’s happened.

Here’s a man who was performing fake. And now then he is having faith. He knew that what he was doing was not real.

He knew that what he had done was simply fake and not real. But now then that he sees Philip, he recognizes that Philip is doing that, which is a matter of faith. So Simon went from fake to faith.

And then he had submitted his will to God. He was baptized just like those others who were baptized. Later, we can recognize that he did have a struggle with his heart, still being pulled back maybe by that power that they had and wanted to be able to do what they did.

But there’s no indication that his baptism was insincere. As these people were obedient to God by being baptized, so was Simon. Simon was converted.

He went from fake to faith. What he had been doing was not real. But what he saw being done was real.

And he wanted to have faith in Jesus Christ and was the task for the forgiveness of his sins. Sometimes we see today a number of people who claim that they can heal people. Let me, without being judgmental and without having the wrong attitude, these healers are not really faith healers.

They’re fake healers. Many proofs have been given to show that these people who claim they can heal people by laying their hands on them or smiting them are really not real. It’s been proven that they simply are staged.

They do it from city to city. People travel around being healed in every city. I hate to have to talk about those folks like that.

But that’s not what Philip was doing. Today, there are people who claim to have that power, and they don’t have that power. The people upon whom the apostles had laid hands could do it.

But we don’t have apostles today. And we don’t therefore have people upon whom the apostles have laid hands. And so our world is, unfortunately, filled with a lot of fake healers.

Now, when we say that, it doesn’t mean that God doesn’t work. A lot of times when we say that these miracles don’t recur through the hands of those people, people take it to say that we don’t believe that God can heal. No, God can heal.

God still works. He just does not work through the hands of certain people or anyone today. The miracles and signs were done then because they did not have the Bible at that time.

But once the Bible was written down, we don’t have to have those miracles to create faith. You see, John tells us the reason he wrote his book. He said, truly, did Jesus do many other signs which were not written in this book? Well, these are written that you may believe, that believing you may have life eternal.

Notice what John said. We have the Bible, the record of those miracles, so that we can be saved. A written record can cause us to believe in Jesus, just like the written record today can convict a person of a crime.

A written statement can convict people of truth. And so it is that we have these written records of the signs that Jesus and his apostles and prophets did, and they can cause us to believe, just as it caused those people in some area to believe. We are, unfortunately, still have a lot of faith healers and leaders today.

You know, those who teach that salvation is by faith alone, are really a fake teacher. They’re not teaching what Jesus taught. They’re not teaching what the rest of the Bible teaches.

They’re not teaching the complete plan of salvation that God has given to us. They’re only teaching part of it. You know, James said that we’re not saved by faith alone, but rather by faith and work.

Let me read James 2, beginning in verse 14, and let’s think about what he said with regard to faith and work. Faith is a part of our salvation, but the Bible never teaches that it’s faith alone. James, as he discussed this subject, said, beginning in verse 14, what use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith, that he has no work, can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, go in peace, be warmed and be filled, and yet you do not give him what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Now notice verse 17, even so faith, if it has no work, is dead being by itself.

A person may believe in Jesus, but that by itself will not save that person. No person in the Bible was ever saved by faith alone. When he had faith in Jesus, it was manifested by the repentance he manifested and by being baptized.

Let’s go on in the reading of James. That was verse 17. Verse 18 says, but someone may well say, you have faith and I have work.

Show me your faith without the work, and I will show you my faith by my work. You see, when a person says, I believe in Jesus Christ, well, James says, show me. Show me by the works you do.

Well, we show that by repenting of our sins, by submitting to being baptized for the forgiveness of our sins. James goes on to say, you believe that God is one, you do well. The demons also believe and shudder.

Demons believe that Jesus is the Son of God, but they’re not saved because they don’t manifest repentance and so on. Now then notice what else he goes on to say, but are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without work is useless? Was not Abraham, our father, justified by works when he offered up Isaac, his son, on the altar? You see that by faith was working with his works. And as a result of the works, faith was perfected.

You see, faith and works go together. And these are not works that cause God to owe us salvation. They’re simply works that manifest that we have faith.

And so just as Philip dealt with a fake healer, someone who was not really doing what he claimed he was doing, so it is true of people today. There are a lot of people who fake healings, but they’re not really doing them. Now God can work and God can heal.

But unfortunately, there are many people who are fake teachers. They may be honest and sincere. They may believe what they say rather than trying to deceive people.

But when they say salvation is by faith alone, they are fake. That’s not what the Bible teaches. Faith must manifest itself in work.

And those works are repenting of sins and being baptized for the forgiveness of those sins. And so as we look at this great lesson in chapter 8 of Acts, let’s take the lessons that are there and let’s challenge whatever we see or hear. Let’s be like the Bereans in Acts 17.

When Paul preached, it says they searched the Scriptures daily to see whether or not those things were so. We need to have that attitude toward what I say, toward what you hear any preacher say. You need to examine it and compare it with what the Bible says.

We don’t want our salvation to be trusted in something fake. We want our salvation to be trusted in the faith that’s once and for all delivered to the same. Thanks for joining us this week and spending time in God’s Word.

Special thanks to Mac Graham, John Kachelman, and Lightway Media for recording, producing, and making this podcast possible. If you’re ever in the Littleton, New Hampshire area, we’d love to have you join us for worship and Bible study on Sunday afternoons at 4 at the Senior Center. You’re always welcome.

For more information about this podcast, visit lightweightmedia.com/meditating-on-the-word and find the link there to email me to subscribe to my free weekly newsletter with more information you can use in your personal Bible study. Be sure to like, subscribe, and follow us on your favorite podcast app so that you never miss an episode. And if today’s message encouraged you, share it with someone else and consider leaving a review.

It helps others find us too. Until next week, keep meditating on the Word.

* * * * * * *

“Meditating On The Word” is hosted by Wayne Burger, recorded by Mac Graham, and produced by John Kachelman III and LightWay Media. Follow us on social media to get updates and information when available.

If you’re ever in the Littleton, New Hampshire area, please join Wayne and Mac for worship and Bible study on Sundays at 4 PM at the Senior Center. You’re always welcome! You can get more information on their work online at www.littletonnhchurchofchrist.org.

Want to get more Meditating On The Word in your inbox? Subscribe to Wayne’s weekly publication by sending him an email, and get more study information each week. Email Wayne at gwayneburger@gmail.com or find the link at www.lightwaymedia.com/meditating-on-the-word.

Check out LightWay Media online and find more podcasts and bible study resources at www.lightwaymedia.com. You can shop, listen, or download materials anytime online, and more podcasts are under development for release this year.

Tagged as:
Acts Littleton New Hampshire Wayne Burger