The sermon 'Some Seed Fell Among Thorns' by Trent Moody explores Acts 8:9-25, focusing on Simon the Sorcerer in Samaria. Simon, who practiced sorcery, amazed the Samaritans, claiming greatness. However, his influence was challenged by Philip's preaching of the Gospel, which brought joy and conversion to many. Simon himself believed and was baptized but revealed his misunderstanding of the Gospel by attempting to purchase the power of the Holy Spirit from the Apostles, Peter and John. The sermon emphasizes the danger of allowing worldly cares to choke the Word of God, drawing parallels to the parable of the seed among thorns. It warns against equating outward acts of faith with true spiritual transformation, urging believers to examine their hearts for genuine faith and repentance. The sermon concludes with a call to be open-hearted and receptive to God's Word, avoiding the pitfalls of superficial belief exemplified by Simon.

Acts chapter 8 and this morning we will be looking at verses 9 down through verse 25, Acts 8 and beginning with verse 9. Thus says the word of the Lord, 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 heated him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time. But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. Both men and women were baptized and then Simon himself also believed.

When he was baptized he continued with Philip and was amazed seeing the miracles and signs which were done. Now when the Apostles who were at Jerusalem heard 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 yet he had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the Apostles hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money saying, give me this power also that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit. 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. Repent therefore of this 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 in iniquity.' Then Simon answered and said, 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 the Lord they returned to Jerusalem preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.

Let us pray. Our Heavenly Father we are very thankful Lord who come before your Word today. Lord we often seek to be led by our own imaginations, by our own thoughts, by our own wisdom, but Lord we have come this morning for the wisdom of God. Lord we have not come before your word as the word of a man, but Lord as it is in truth the word of the Lord. And Father I pray that you would give great clarity and understanding into this word I pray oh Lord for the hearers of this word as the seed is sown this morning I pray oh God that it would be fallen upon good ground ground that has been tilled up ground that is soft ground that is ready to receive the Word of the Lord.

But Lord we know also that there are four types of soil and even this morning all of us, every one of us have a tendency to be one of the four. Lord, I pray that you would do your great work, plow the souls of men to receive your word, I pray in Jesus name. Amen. You may be seated. Amen.

You may be seated. In Matthew chapter 13 in verse 7 we read these words of the Lord, and some seed or and some fell among thorns and the thorns sprang up and choked them. He continues on in verse 22 and he says now he who received the seed among thorns is he who hears the word and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and he becomes unfruitful. As I mentioned in my prayer we know that these four types of soil speak very specifically regarding the hearts of men and how they receive the word of God. We see that in these three of these types of soil have a tendency and are not producing of fruit and yet the fourth is ready to receive the Word.

But this morning I want you to realize that as the Word of God goes forth even as believers we have a possibility of allowing the Word to fall upon deaf ears. There can be a tendency for the heart to be hardened because of some unconfessed sin or maybe even some distraction that you're not hearing what the Word of God says. There is a possibility that you have a stony ground in some sense that it just the Word of God is just not sinking in and it produces no fruit in your life. The third type of which I want to speak about this morning in Some Seed Fell Among Thorns is when we come to the house of God to hear the Word of God all the cares and the riches and all of the things of this life are so active in our minds that we do not hear what the Lord has to say and it produces no fruit. But my prayer is that you will be the fourth type, that your hearts will be ready to receive the Word of God and that it would produce in you an abundance of fruit.

And in fact I don't want to limit to this passage in the book of Acts to only the type of soil of the thorny ground because we do see within this passage of Scripture there are many receiving the Word of God but the passage seems to be tied up with this person named Simon and that's what I want to look at this morning. So as we turn our eyes and turn our attention to the book of Acts and chapter 8 I want to back up to verse 8 just for a moment and I want us to understand Simon's power over the people of Samarium. In verse 8 we read these words, and there was great joy in that city. We know this because last week we we preached about and we heard about this the great joy that was the result of the preaching of Philip and many believed in the gospel and were saved and great joy came to an entire city and yet the next verse begins as I wrote to you in the email this week, it begins with the word but in our English translation. But there was a certain man called Simon.

What a contrast there is for us in just these two verses. In verse 8 we have that there was great joy in the city and now in verse 9 but there was a man, a certain man called Simon. So who was this Simon? This Simon as we maybe you see in your copy of God's word, it may say the sorcerer's profession of faith or Simon the sorcerer and his sin. So who is this man?

Simon here was presenting or presented as the contrast if you will to the great joy that was received in the city of Samaria. He says very specifically, but there was a certain man called Simon. You see verse 8 describes for us the joy that came because of the gospel and Simon as the contrast to that joy. And so I hope that the question that I pose to you has caused you to consider the state of your soul and the presence or absence of joy in your own heart even this morning as you've come to the house of God as you've come before the Word of God what have you been meditating upon this week has this stirred something within you to consider the state of your soul. Are you the contraction here?

Are you that person who contradicts the joy perhaps of this little church that we're here right now? There is joy here in many of the hearts if not most of the hearts of the people here this morning because they have experienced true salvation, they have experienced the joy of the Lord because we are told the joy of the Lord is our strength. But there are some here this morning who no doubt are the contradiction to that joy because they have never truly believed savingly believed in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ they have never truly trusted in him and followed him and so my prayer today is that we would turn you from that stony ground and that thorny ground to that good ground to receive the Word of God and that your your joy would be increased. So my prayer for you is that this would no longer be your case. You see this is a day, today is not only the day of salvation but before it can be the day of salvation it must be the day of examination.

You must be willing to to look within, to examine your own heart before the Lord this is the day of joy for all of you who will examine yourselves and repent and trust in Jesus Christ. So who was this Simon? Why am I beginning here? It is because of who Simon is and who we see him to be. Simon, we are told in verse 9, Simon practiced magic 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.

You see it says here in verse 9 that he practiced sorcery. The word we would most likely understand would be magic. It means to do witchcraft, it means to practice black magic and in fact it was forbidden in the Old Testament but I want you to understand Samaritans were not ignorant of the good first the first five books of the Old Testament the Pentateuch they had an understanding and in fact in their tradition they they knew what the scriptures taught In Deuteronomy chapter 18 beginning in verse 9 we read these words, when you come into the land which the Lord your God has given you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of the nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead and I don't know if there's any other category that could be found that was not listed in this category regarding magic. He goes on in verse 12.

Notice what he says, for all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations, the Lord your God drives them out from before you. You shall be blameless before the Lord your God, for these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners. But as for you, the Lord your God has not appointed such for you. Again remember that the Samaritans read and had understanding of the first five books of the Old Testament.

In fact the woman at the well gives hint to this when she mentions in John chapter four, the woman said to Jesus, I know that Messiah is coming, who is called Christ, and when he comes, he will tell us all things. How did she know this? She knew this, I believe, because of what Moses said in the Pentateuch regarding that prophet who was to come. And Moses had instructed the people that you will hear him. You must hear him.

And so we must remember that Jesus had been also in Samaria at a former time, just a few years previously. And through the labors of the Lord Jesus Christ, Philip had entered into those labors and now was reaping fruit from the labors of Jesus Christ, just a few years earlier. And those labors as we saw last week brought great joy in this city. And now it is not unusual for us to understand this. It's not unusual that where the gospel is preached and accepted and bears much fruit and produces great joy that there will also be tares being sown among the wheat.

There will be goats among the sheep. Where God does a great work there also the devil will be and I dare say that there has never been a revival in the history of the world where there has not also been a counterfeit to draw away people unto themselves So beware wherever you and we pray for revival we ask God to send it but just know this that wherever there is Revival wherever there is the receiving of the Word of God there will also be counterfeits that are there as well The devil will so tears and the night among the wheat But Simon here we see was one that astonished the people. This word astonished as you can understand very clearly means to amaze. It means to throw into wonderment. The people, when they had been around, because we know that Simon was here for a long time, it says that he practiced his sorcery, but it says that he astonished the people of Samaria.

He threw them into wonderment with his magic. He had some form of sorceries, he had some sort of spells that he would do, he had some sort of even trickery perhaps. And I say that because later on Simon's amazed at what Philip was doing. He probably recognized that much of what he was doing was a counterfeit magic in one sense, but I also believe that there are powers at work in the demonic world that can do things that are unexplainable by human understanding. He had a great sway over these people through his sorceries and through his magic.

He held sway over them. He had power over them. He astonished them. You know this is not unusual even in our world, even in America we see that these things take place. We see that there are certain people who can do certain things and it is a wonder to us how is it that these people believe what is taking place.

If you've ever been so bored that you've watched a little bit of a false prophet preach to a group of people you will see that these people are under a daze. It is as if they have been astonished to the point that their eyes are totally closed. You can sit and watch this and see what is going on and think, what in the world? How could anyone believe this? And so that's kind of what it was like, what Simon had sway over the people.

The amazing thing is, we'll learn in just a few moments, that it was not only the poor, but the rich, not only the lesser of the people, but the greater of the people. He had everyone under his spell in a sense. Everyone saw what he was doing and he held them in astonishment. But Simon's claim to greatness was something that really caught my attention. Notice with me it says he astonished the people of Samaria claiming that he was someone great.

We can deduce from this just a few things regarding this man, Simon, because remember this whole section of scripture began with but there was a certain man called Simon. We can deduce from Simon claiming that he was someone great to given that he was given to pride. He was given to thinking highly of himself. He liked the position in which he had over the people and he relished in the fact that he had astonished the people. He wanted to make a name for himself.

He wanted to be respected and feared by the people. He wanted power over the people. Matthew Henry says, pride, ambition, and an affection of grandeur have always been the cause of abundance of mischief, both to the world and to the church. Brothers and sisters I want you to realize that when there is pride especially pride to the point that someone would be claiming themselves to be great there is a grave danger in that person and in whatever it is that they're trying to do. Simon here had this astonishment and had the people in astonishment.

He was claiming to be something great and he was working a mischief among the people. In verse 10 the Bible tells us to whom they all gave heed from the least to the greatest saying this man is the great power of God. Again, it is interesting here, it was not only the lesser educated people who had been astonished by what he had done, but it was the well-educated people who were astonished by what he did. It was not only those who were poor, but perhaps those who were rich. It doesn't really give us the full definition, but it just says from the least to the greatest.

Perhaps it was those who had no influence in the community to those who had much influence in the community. From the least to the greatest, they were held sway to this man named Simon. Their testimony of Simon, this man is the great power of God, that's what they believed. He had so bewitched them that these deceived Samaritans believed that Simon was the great power of God and perhaps even the prophet of whom Moses had spoken. Their reasoning for heeding Simon was that he astonished them with his sorceries.

Verse 11, and they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time. Remember the The gospel has come to shine a light on those who sit in darkness. The Samaritans here were a people who were in darkness. They had been in darkness for a long time, so long, and Simon had been the one who was professing to be something great, professing to be the very power of God, and they had been astonished for a long time by his magical arts or whatever it was that he was doing. It was demonic.

All magic is demonic magic, because it is not of God. If you can read Deuteronomy chapter 18 and not come away with magic is demonic I don't know what you're going to do. How can you not come away with that understanding when God says that it is an abomination and let me just read it again. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead in verse 12 for all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you. It is an abomination.

Do not play around with magic, do not give yourselves over to magic, do not Pretend with magic because you're pretending what God forbids. Be done with it. He did this for a long time. How long? We don't know.

But we do know that he had bewitched the Samaritans to such an extent he had time to do it to where he influenced the least and the greatest. He had been all over Samaria bewitching people with his sorceries. But I want you to understand something. We see a turn in the story in verse 12. Another conjunction.

But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. The gospel's power over the people. We saw Simon's power over the people but I want you to understand the gospel's power over the people. Philip's message was simple and plain and to the point. He preached to them regarding the kingdom of God and he preached to them regarding Jesus Christ.

His message was the same one that Jesus Christ himself preached. He preached the Kingdom of God. He preached the same message that John the Baptist preached. He preached the Kingdom of God and Jesus Christ. The only difference is now the Kingdom of God had fully come because Jesus Christ had died and risen from the dead and was ascended to the right hand of the Father.

He preached Jesus Christ. He preached again His life, His death, His resurrection, His ascension, even as Paul said in 1st Corinthians chapter 1, but we preach Christ crucified to the Jews first, to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness. But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God because the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men and now Philip was witnessing that even the weakness of God is stronger than his magic and his sorceries because it says but when they believe Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. The power of the gospel was wreaking havoc on the power of the kingdom of the devil. And Jesus Christ being preached was rescuing men and women from the power of Satan.

Those who sat in darkness were seeing a great light through the preaching of Philip. And God was rescuing men and women even from this person whom they said this is the great power of God and Philip said no I will show you the power of God and the power of God is seen in the preaching of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's not in man's wisdom, it's not in our rhetoric, it's not in our strength of the flesh. The power of God is in the gospel. It is the power of God unto salvation to him who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." And that is exactly what we are seeing here this morning.

It was the power of the message of God that was rescuing men and women and to the fact and to the extent that they, both men and women, were being baptized. It was an astounding thing. What was taking place? For a long time, Simon had power over these people, and that power was now broken. You know there's another instance where there was a man, the demoniac, who was constantly cutting himself and in the tombs crying out day and night.

They had bound him with chains and nothing would hold him. The people were fearful of him. And you'll note that when Jesus came, that man was clothed and sitting and in his right mind. When the power of the gospel has its effect upon the lives of people you will see a dramatic change in the way they live. You will see that they are turned from darkness to light.

You will see that they will be turned from madness to sanity. They will be seated and in their out mind. You'll see them turn from nakedness to clothed. You will see them be changed and radically changed so that others know it. And they will be willing and eager to testify to it.

That's what baptism is. It's a testimony of what the Lord Jesus Christ has done. The results of Philip's preaching, again, the people believe. Fate comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Men and women were baptized.

Again, this was somewhat unusual. Think back of the woman at the well. I can't believe she said that you're speaking to me, a woman. And even for the Jews it was unusual to think that women would have such action within the kingdom of God. But here they are, both men and women, Luke notes, for us were being baptized.

This is the great power of God that overruled the weaker power of the kingdom of darkness. And in fact it goes to such an extent that the Bible tells us that Simon believed. In verse 13, 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. This idea of continuing, it means to adhere to one, it means to be his adherent, to be devoted, to be constant to one or to someone. I want you to hold this verse 13 in your mind and I want you to allow this verse to follow with us through this message.

Simon himself also believed and when he was baptized he continued with Philip and was amazed seeing the miracles and signs which were done. If the Bible stopped there we would be pretty assured that Simon the sorcerer was Simon the saint. We would understand that Simon had been radically changed. We would believe by these outward things that he believed was baptized and continued with Philip that this was a true believer. But I actually want to tell you that this was seed that was sown upon thorny ground.

The seed that was sown upon thorny ground was seed that was cast out onto that ground and it sprang up. It received the Word, but remember the cares and the deceitfulness of riches choked it out so that it did not bear fruit. We must be on guard brothers and sisters. We must understand that outward signs do not guarantee inward change and I want to show you that as we go through the rest of this sermon. Calvin notes, whereas Phillips admitted him into his company, it appeareth thereby how hard a matter it is to know a hypocrite.

And this is a trial of our patience. So Demas was a companion of Paul for a time. Afterwards he became an unfaithful revolt. Finally we cannot escape this evil but that wicked men and deceitful will sometimes join themselves unto us. And if at any time the wicked creep craftily into our company proud censors burden us unjustly as if we were to answer for their misdeeds.

Though we must take heed of faculty which calls us the gospel to be slandered oftentimes, and we must be so much the more vigilant that we admit none without great choice for as much as we hear that great men have been deceived." Simon was a deceiver even though he had believed, even though he had been baptized, even though he had continued with Philip, even though he was amazed at the working of God. Next I want us to look intently at verses 14 through 17 the Apostles confirmation of the Samaritans into the church. Now when the Apostles who were at Jerusalem heard 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 yet he had fallen upon none of them that they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. The apostles who were still we were told earlier that the apostles everyone left Jerusalem except for the apostles they had stayed and the apostles had gathered together and they had sent Peter and John.

They were willing to submit to the will of the group of apostles and they went. They had heard what was taking place in Samaria and therefore they went. It's very important that we understand in this time for the Apostles to confirm non-Jews into the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. There was to be no division. There was not going to be the Samaritan Church and the Jewish church and the Gentile church or the cowboy church or the biker church or whatever it was.

It was the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now we have to remember it was to the Jew first and also to the Greek. This was showing the importance of the apostles giving their affirmation of what the work of God was doing among the Samaritans. Remember Jews had no dealings with Samaritans But yet here they are receiving the word of God both men and women are being baptized what would the Apostles do? Well they went.

Why did they go? Well Paul gives us some understanding in this. Paul teaches us in Ephesians later on in chapter 2 regarding Christ he says for he himself is our peace who made both one and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in his flesh the enmity that is the law of commandments contained in ordinance, so as to create in himself one new man from the two thus making peace and that he might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross thereby putting to death the enmity and he came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near for through him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. He goes on in chapter 3 and describes this great mystery of what God was doing in Christ when he was reconciling and bringing the Gentiles into the church. It was a great mystery and Paul explains that mystery in Ephesians chapter 3.

But the Apostles went so that there would be a confirmation or affirmation that the church of the Lord Jesus Christ was one church. It was not a church divided among nationalities or ethnic groups, it was the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to remember that the Samaritans believed that it was in their mountain that they were to worship God. But God did not want these new converts to continue in that same type of thinking and he didn't want the Jews to think that either. You remember Peter, he's going to have to go through a vision when a great sheet is let down before him where God helps him to understand that the Gentiles will be brought into the kingdom.

It was neither on this mountain Jesus said nor in Jerusalem where the Father would be worshiped. I believe the Apostles coming to lay hands on them was meant to bridge that divide and bring them together in love and unity. In John 4 the woman said to Jesus, Sir I perceive that you're a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship. And Jesus said to her, Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem worship the Father.

You worship what you do not know we know what we worship for salvation is of the Jews but the hour is coming and now is when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. For the Father is seeking such to worship him. God is spirit and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and truth. Paul mentions these very things in Galatians chapter 3. He says, For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There's neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free. There is neither male nor female. For you are all one in Jesus Christ and if you are Christ then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise.

But Peter and John then prayed for them to receive the Spirit. I can't help but believe that this had a direct correlation with what Jesus told them in John 14. He said, most assuredly I say to you, he who believes in me the works that I do, he will do also. And greater works than these he will do because I go to my Father and whatever you ask in my name that I will do that the Father may be glorified in the Son if you ask anything in my name I will do it if you love me keep my commandments I will pray the Father and he will give you another helper that he may abide with you forever. The Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him but you know him for he dwells with you and will be in you." So here Peter and John having these promises of Jesus Christ they knew that these people what they needed more than anything was the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit living in them.

They needed the power of the Holy Spirit so that they would not be again duped by the power of a Simon. They needed a helper. They needed the Spirit of Truth to dwell in them. And so do we. Let us also ask the Lord to give the Holy Spirit even today.

Remember the Apostles came and prayed to God for the Holy Spirit. Jesus prayed regarding the Spirit of truth and I would say let us pray for those who do not have the Spirit of God. How about this? How about when we pray for our children we ask the Holy Spirit of God to come and awaken them and quicken them to the faith. How about our neighbors as we pray for them that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth would come upon them that they would have the scales removed from their eyes that they would see the beauty and glory of Jesus Christ and it also it goes into our communities and into the world.

Oh, that God would pour out his Spirit upon all men. That's what Moses prayed. I would to God that all of you were prophets. He desired everyone to be filled with the Holy Spirit. And that should be our prayer as well.

That has been my prayer for you this morning that not one person would leave here without being filled with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, to be turned from darkness to light. And in this religious rite they laid their hands upon them. I don't want to spend too much time here other than to say that we see this in the book of Acts specifically. There's different reasons for the laying of hands upon certain people. It's in the Old Testament.

We know that Joshua the son of none was full of the spirit of wisdom for Moses had laid his hands on him. We see it also confirmed in the New Testament that here we have before us that the Apostles came, Peter and John, and laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Again remember this is descriptive not prescriptive. It's not something that we continue and you don't have the Holy Spirit until we lay hands upon you. This was something that only took place in the book of Acts in the New Testament and except for laying on of hands of appointing elders we see Paul did that with Timothy the eldership laid hands upon Timothy but that was for the work of ministry but specifically for the receiving the Holy Spirit it was God attesting to their belief by receiving the Holy Spirit.

Again we're not told exactly what it looked like, what took place in other places in the book of Acts we were told and they spoke with tongues and they prophesied but we're not told here what it looked like but there was something that was seen because Simon saw something and we'll see that in just a minute. You see in Acts 19 the Bible says and when they heard this they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus and when Paul had laid hands on them the Holy Spirit came upon them and they spake with tongues and prophesied. But now lastly I want us to spend the rest of our time in verses 18 through 25 and this is where to some extent the veil is removed from our eyes regarding this man Simon. This is where we have the veil pulled back and God allows us, so the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of Scripture, to see the heart of Simon. And my prayer is that the Holy Spirit of God would pull the veil back on your heart so that you would see and discern what is in yours.

Who are you? I've asked who was Simon But my question now is who are you before the Lord? Peter confronts Simon's sin. Simon's sin is known as the sin of simony. It refers, so he sinned to such a degree that he had a sin named after him, how about that?

It was one of which a person attempts to buy or sell an office in the church. So we have, just say this on the side note, I pray that none of us ever have a sin named after us. He offered money and we see that in verse 18. And when Simon saw, remember I said Simon would see something, Simon the sorcerer, the magician saw that through the laying on of the Apostles hands the Holy Spirit was given. There was something that took place that we're not told exactly but he saw something to the extent that impressed him over the impression that he had of himself.

Remember he was very impressed with himself. He went around telling everybody else how great he was. You ever met anybody like that? Well Simon was like that. And it says he offered them money, he offered them money saying give me this power also.

Peter is and Luke who's writing this but he's pulling back the veil on Simon's heart. Give me this power also. So Simon offered money for the power. He was not interested in being himself changed by the Holy Spirit but only to have the power to give it. He had spent his life being addicted to power.

Remember for a long time he did this to the people. He loved to claim that he was someone great, verse 9. He was not grieved when the people said this man is the great power of God. How do you feel if people praise you? I'm not saying that you always have to be this false humility, but what takes place within you When like Simon people say, man you're great, tell me more.

Or do you want to offset that? No, it is not me, it is God in me. You see he loved to have an audience, he loved to have sway over the people and now he wanted the great power. He wanted the power that broke his power over the people. That's how the magician's mind worked.

He didn't fully understand exactly what he was dealing with. He didn't understand that he was actually dealing with the great power of Almighty God. He just wanted that power. He wanted, he saw that the power of the Holy Spirit was so far superior than his own magic and trickery and he wanted that power. The thorns are starting to choke out the word that he had heard and unsavingly believed.

I want to stop here just for a moment and ask a few questions, probing questions. Number one, what do you want from God? What do you want from God? Do you want power? How about money?

How about possessions? How about notoriety? And number two, what is being choked out in your life right now? Is the Word of God being choked out in your life or is the world being choked out in your life? The answer to this may be the difference between eternal life and eternal death.

Do not think that because you have simply believed that you have savingly believed. I'm not trying to make the gospel harder but just clearer. There's a difference between simply believing and savingly believing. We read in the scriptures of those who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. Look with me in John chapter 2.

John chapter 2 right at the very end in verse 23, 24, and 25. Now when he, Jesus, was in Jerusalem at the Passover during the feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs which he did." Sounds like Simon. But Jesus did not commit himself to them because he knew all men and had no need that anyone should testify of man for he knew what was in man. We are really seeing in a microcosm the same thing happening here. We have a man believing in the Lord Jesus.

Hey, he believed he was baptized. He continued with one of the men of God to see the miracles and the amazing things happen. But we also are seeing the heart peeled back so that we could see what was in it and what we see is not pleasant. You see scripture shows us clearly that there is a difference between simply believing and savingly believing. What has believing in Christ What has believing in Christ accomplished in your life?

What do you want from it? Have your desires changed? Have your desires changed? Or are your desires changed because you believe you are forgiven? Do you grieve over your sin or are you more given to your sin because you believe in the abounding grace of God?

Shall we sin all the more that grace may abound? What fruit has believing in Christ produced in you? What has it worked? I want you to notice what Simon did not ask for. He did not ask for the Apostles to lay hands on him.

He did not ask for the Holy Spirit to be given to him. He wanted the power to convey the Holy Spirit but he did not want the presence of the Holy Spirit in his life. Sometimes what you are not asking from God is revealing. You may find a window into your soul when you consider what you're not asking for. But Peter will not let this rest.

He will not allow Simon to go away with simply give me this power also. We have another conjunction, but Peter. We have but Simon, but Philip, and now but Peter. But Peter said to him, your money perish with you because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money. This does not sound like someone who is speaking words of encouragement to a believer who has slipped into sin.

Your money perish with you. Simon thought the Apostles heart was like his heart. I bet you they're doing it for money too. I'm going to appeal to them where I could be appealed to." And he appealed to hopefully their desire for gain. Remember some of the requirements of an elder has to do with those who are greedy, as the King James says, for filthy lucre, for gain.

You see Simon, he saw everything as transactional instead of transformational. He saw being believing in Jesus, he saw being baptized and continuing with Philip as being something that was a transaction by which he might receive that power as well to continue to hold sway over the people and to astound them. He loved it when people were astounded by what he did. But there was no transformation. What an offense to Peter and John who had left so much.

Those who had left the world to gain Christ. Consider what the Apostles had given up in order to follow Christ and to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Luke 18, then Peter said, See we have left all and followed you. Luke 14, Now great multitudes went with him and he turned and said to them, If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple and whoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple sounds like easy Sounds like easy believism to me. Sounds impossible.

And it is if you've not been savingly believing. If you've only simply believed, you will look at this and you think that is ridiculous, that is crazy, that is beyond anything I could ever imagine. Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ is not just so that you can somehow get gain. It is something that you are willing to count the cost of. You're willing to say, is it worth it to follow him?

Because you're going to suffer persecution. You're going to be cutting off limbs and God is going to be pruning you to the point to which you feel like you're going to die sometimes. But he does it to bear more fruit. Peter reveals Simon here. He says, Simon, he said, you have neither part nor portion in this matter for your heart is not right in the sight of God.

Simon's heart was not right because he did not savingly believe. What does this reveal to us about the issues of the heart? He said your heart is not right. Man, your believing seemed right. Your profession of faith Looks good.

Your baptism, we all clapped. You continued, you'd like to be in the presence of the saints. Good job. But is your heart right with God. You cannot hide from God.

You may fool Philip, you may fool Peter, you may fool your pastors, but you will not fool God. He believed truths about Christ but he did not believe savingly on Christ. He was not willing to give up his sinful desires. God knew what was in his heart and God knows, dear brothers and sisters, what is in yours. He knows if your heart is right with him, think of it.

Again, Simon believed, was baptized, and continued, but the whole time his heart was not right. If this does not put some form of trembling in every heart in this room, I don't know what will. To think that all this can be true of Simon and his heart not right. This is surely an instruction to each of us this morning. So do not rest upon your beliefs, do not comfort your simplicity of your baptism, do not console yourself with the fact that you continue with the believers, I go to church.

There is no consolation at all in these things if your heart is not right in the sight of God. You're not saved by your profession of faith. You were saved by the grace of God through faith. You're saved by the finished work of Jesus Christ. You're saved by His power and His resurrection.

You're saved when God removes your heart of stone and gives you a heart of flesh. Your faith, my friend, is the gift of God by which you Believe that God has done all that He said He did through Jesus Christ. That is saving faith. You're not saved again by your faith. You are saved by the object of your faith.

Believe. It doesn't say just believe. It says believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, the object of our faith. You can have faith in anything. It will not save you unless the object of that faith is Jesus Christ and Him alone.

Do not believe in your profession of faith. Do not believe in your baptism. Do not believe in your continuing with the saints. Rest assured though that if the object of your faith is Jesus Christ according to the Scriptures you have savingly believed." Simon, it is of note, wanted to enter the church to lead and not to serve. He wanted the power of an apostle without the cost of being a disciple.

I've known men like this. They'll only serve the church with a title. Only an office will do. I would say with Peter, your heart is not right in the sight of God. What does Peter tell him to do?

Repent therefore of this your wickedness and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. Peter does not leave him hopeless. Let me just say that. He gives him the answer. Repent!

Repent and believe! Repent and pray! Ask, beseech God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. Because Peter said that he perceived, He saw something in Simon. He says, for I see that you're poisoned by bitterness and bound in iniquity.

How did Peter see this? I don't know if it was just so clear to him in spiritual discernment or if the Holy Spirit told him as he did with Ananias and Sapphira in chapter 5, or simply just this spiritual discernment that he had, he saw it because of what Simon asked for. He wanted the power and he was willing to pay, and if he was willing to pay he would be willing to charge. We are given more insight into Simon by his petition. Verse 24, then Simon answered and said, pray to the Lord for me that none of these things which you have spoken may come upon me.

Simon wanted Peter to pray. Sometimes our little children say daddy pray for me. I will gladly pray for you but I cannot savingly pray for you. Oh how every daddy and mommy wish they could but we cannot. You see Simon was concerned about the consequences of his sin more than the guilt of his sin.

Pray that these things will not come upon me. Upon me." I want to close with this thought before the application, just a few points of application, but I want you to know this, that the fear of judgment is not enough to give you affections for Christ. The fear of hell is good and it's good for a sinner to fill it. But if you love not the Savior, you will have no part with him. I've talked to many people who profess faith because they were scared of hell.

I've been scared of hell too. But being scared of hell does not save you. Loving Christ, Believing on Christ is what saves you. I'm glad you're scared of hell, you should be, but you should so much more love Christ that even if there wasn't a hell you would believe on him. And then lastly some application.

I'm going to skip verse 25 just for time other than to say the Apostles go home preaching along the way. Application, five things really questions for you to think about. Number one, I ask what I ask you this week in the email, are you the exception to the joy of this church by your failure to believe in the gospel? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ that your joy may be full. Number two, what is it that throws you into wonderment?

Are you bewitched by the wonders of the world? Are you captivated by the beauties of Christ? Number three, are you trusting in your profession, your baptism, or your presence with the saints, or are you trusting in Christ alone? Did I say four? That was number three wasn't it?

Number four, how do you respond to spiritual rebukes? Simon feared but did not obey. We have no reference of him repenting and praying, only saying, you pray for me. And lastly, as the Apostles went preaching on the way are you ready? Are you eager?

Are you determined to share the gospel as you go with every person that God gives you opportunity to speak with. Oh may God give us all heart to do this. To be men like Philip and be men like Peter and John and the Apostles who have a hunger and a desire to see people come to the knowledge, the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Let these things simmer upon your hearts and meditate upon them and I pray that they will do eternal good. Let's pray.

Our Father in heaven we thank you and we glorify your son Jesus Christ. We pray oh God that you would truly do that soul work today. I pray oh God that there are no thorny hearted hearers here this morning. No stony hearted, no pathway hearted, but hearts that are open, ready to receive the Word of God that it might spring forth and bear abundance of fruit and I ask it in Jesus name. Amen.