Real or Not Real?
12.07.09 JCC am
(From the game show, deal or no deal?)
What is truth and what is error?
You will have a son and you will name him Jesus.
There is a tall man who will enter your life
You will win a fortune within the next year
You will cast out demons in my name
It’s not easy to spot the real thing some times
We have to make a choice which to choose
Throughout the centuries, people have made claims to the future and to having the truth; here are a few:
Joseph Smith founder of the Mormon cult
Joseph Smith-as prophet, teacher, and beloved leader of the “Saints” (as members of the Church are called)-was the prophet of the “Restoration.” That is, he did not establish a new religion, but restored the ancient Church of Christ. He was able to do this, because he was called of God, given authority directly from God, and he taught truths which he received directly from God. Through his ministry, what was a handful of believers in 1830, has become a worldwide Church.
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Jehovah’s Witnesses trace their origins to the nineteenth century Adventist movement in America. That movement began with William Miller, a Baptist lay preacher who, in the year 1816, began proclaiming that Christ would return in 1843. His predictions of the Second Coming or Second Advent captured the imagination of thousands in Baptist and other mainline churches. Perhaps as many as 50,000 followers put their trust in Miller’s chronological calculations and prepared to welcome the Lord, while, as the appointed time approached, others watched nervously from a distance. Recalculations moved the promised second advent from March, 1843 to March, 1844, and then to October of that year. But, that date too passed uneventfully.
Charles Taze Russell then took control
In the decades following the death of founder Charles Taze Russell, his successor J. F. Rutherford found himself forced to re-write many of the sect’s major doctrines.
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"Heaven’s Gate" was the latest of three organizations founded by Marshall Herff Applewhite and Bonnie which they organized in 1975.
Heaven’s Gate is a destructive, doomsday cult centered in California. 21 women and 18 men voluntarily committed suicide in three groups on three successive days starting on 1997-MAR-23. Most were in their 40’s; the rest covered an age range of 26 to 72.
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Wicca: a Neopagan, Earth-centered religion
"We are not evil. We don’t harm or seduce people. We are not dangerous. We are ordinary people like you. We have families, jobs, hopes, and dreams. We are not a cult. This religion is not a joke. We are not what you think we are from looking at T.V. We are real. We laugh, we cry. We are serious. We have a sense of humor. You don’t have to be afraid of us. We don’t want to convert you. And please don’t try to convert us. Just give us the same right we give you--to live in peace. We are much more similar to you than you think." Margot Adler
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Hubbard established the Church of Scientology in 1954, based on theories he conceived in his best-selling book, “Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health.” Today, the Los Angeles-based church claims 10 million members and more than 7,000 churches, missions and other groups around the world
Downtown Clearwater is an international Scientology stronghold and a destination for elite members (including celebrity devotees like Tom Cruise and John Travolta) who come from all over the world for the highest levels of the church’s spiritual training.
So let’s look at what the Bible says:
Reading: Acts 8:9-25
Simon was "giving out that he was some great one"
Yearning for his place of prestige and power
Within all of us is there is a tendency to exalt ourselves
From the Garden of Eden until now human nature wants to be god rather than to exalt the living God
That’s Simon’s pretension…he was putting out that he was some great one
People didn’t realize that he was energized by Satan himself!
He bewitched people with signs
He was skilled in the art of magic
The secrets of the ancients
As a leader
1. Followed by deceived people
2. They thought he was the power of God
a. He made them think that
3. Highly regarded by people
"Satan shall throw strong delusion; people believe a lie rather than truth.”
Simon had been there a long time, in this city, using sorceries; perhaps he came there by the instigation of the devil, soon after Jesus had been there, to undo what he had been doing there; for it is always Satan’s way to crush a good work in its bud and infancy
This is why we must be careful here
There’s nothing better to Satan than seeing God’s work here stopped or distracted
Illustration: My offered trip to India (not the right time)
He saw the miracles of Philip
Left without followers, he thinks it best to join the man who had fairly outstripped him, but without a touch of real conviction
But Philip was exalting Jesus not himself
When you have something people think is worth having, people will follow you
The rapidness with which they deserted him and attached themselves to Philip, shows the ripeness of Samaria for some religious change
He didn’t want to be a follower, but to be followed
He was an attention seeker
He followed and made a decision
But some say of Simon’s profession of faith
Simon believed also, does that mean he got saved? Not necessarily!
Are we saved by believing? Yes, but by believing on
Look at
James 2:19
You believe that there is one God; you do well: the devils also believe, and tremble
The demons of hell believe…they believe in God, not on Him! [His existence/deity]
Mark 3:11
And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, You are the Son of God.
The demons also believe in Jesus
Matthew 8:29
And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with you, Jesus, you Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?
“don’t send us to hell right now!”
Demons believe with their head but their heart is wicked
Simon believed in his head
He never submitted his will to the will of God
He was a pretender, a counterfeit, his faith wasn’t based on the Word of God, but on the miracles he saw
He had no intention of following Christ; he wanted to be able to work miracles
He was convinced that Philip preached a true doctrine, because he saw it confirmed by real miracles, of which he was the better able to judge because he was conscious to himself of the trick of his own pretended ones
When you know truth, then you will recognise error
Only a real £10 note can show up a counterfeit one
It’s one thing to “pray the sinners prayer”…it’s another thing to be truly born again!
He sounded like a saved man
Jesus said to be aware of wolves in sheep’s clothing
He followed Philip, and was baptised
Illustration: David Brown says, ‘What a light does this throw on what is called Baptismal Regeneration!’
But v24 still no evidence of salvation…just didn’t want these bad things to happen to him!
We can pray for sinners who ask to be saved…but they get saved when they pray for themselves!
This shows us how close someone can come to salvation without being genuinely converted!
He was never born again
He saw how God’s power was far greater than what he had experienced
I would love to know what Philip did that was so marvellous
He went along to gain the secrets of this power
He wanted this because it was better than he already had
Simon’s pretension, profession…
He then saw how the Holy Spirit was passed on
Peter and John came to town
Now Simon wasn’t popular
He knew that only these men could give him status, power and authority again in the town
He tried to purchase it
How much will you take for the Holy Ghost?
Money can buy a lot of things, but not salvation and certainly not the gifts of the Spirit!
Certain conditions must be met if we are to experience this power
Attitude must be in harmony with the work of the Holy Spirit
The purpose of the Spirit is to point to Jesus John 14: 26b
The mark of a Christian who is controlled by the Spirit is one who is supremely concerned about exalting Christ, not themselves
Simon’s request was never granted. How can your request be granted?
The Christian is like a spotlight that draws attention to the One it is focused on, not itself
You never look at the spot light, but on the object it illuminates
Simon wanted the power of the Spirit like a new possession
Sometimes we want things for the wrong reasons
Power, Position and authority
But is it a ‘calling?’
Spiritual ambition here shows itself the key to Simon’s character
He did not seem to have a great burden for the people across the Jordan or in the Greek world or even across the street
The Holy Spirit is not given for the personal enjoyment of Christians alone
He is given to empower us to minister to others. Jesus said, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses to me" Acts 1:8
That is always the formula with God
Simon was a magician. He was accustomed to using certain formulas to manipulate the forces of nature and to produce the desired effect
He wanted to manipulate the Holy Spirit in the same way v 19
Some people try magical approaches to the power of God
They carry objects
They repeat a certain formula or chant
They go and worship a place or object
The whole approach is wrong
Submission to the will of God is the first thing
The Holy Spirit is not some power which we can summon at our command
He is the Lord, who summons and commands us
We do not get the Spirit. He gets us
The way to have the power of the Spirit in your life is to pray, "Thy will be done."
When he wanted a new trick or a new power, Simon bought it from some other sorcerer
He assumed that he could do it now
Magicians and illusionists today buy from each other and keep the code of secrecy
Today’s mentality is everything has its price
Peter responded, "Your money perish with you, because you have thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money" v 20 Did you notice what he called it?
A gift, a gift of grace
God’s power cannot be earned or bought
May your money perish with you….
They had discovered and discarded him as a hypocrite for they knew how to separate between the precious and the vile
Simon didn’t want these things upon him that where spoken by Peter and John
He wanted his riches, his fame and following
Peter shows him his character, which is inferred from his crime
The disguises of hypocrites are soon seen through; the nature of the wolf shows itself
The character given of Simon is really the character of all wicked people
First, They are poisoned by bitterness
Sin is an abominable thing, which the Lord hates, and sinners are by it made abominable to him; they are vicious in their own nature.
In living sinful there is a root of bitterness
Deu. 29:18. Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison.
Their faculties are corrupted, and the mind embittered against all good
Heb. 12:15 See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
Secondly, They are in the bond of iniquity—bound over to the judgment of God by the guilt of sin, and bound under the dominion of Satan by the power of sin; led captive by him at his will, and it is a sore bondage, like that in Egypt, making the life bitter.
With pride shall come shortness of spiritual blessings
There are many who profess the Christian religion, and yet have no part nor lot in the matter, no part in Christ
They are those whose hearts are not right in the sight of God, are not animated by a right spirit, nor guided by a right rule, nor directed to the right end
He must repent,—must see his error and retract it—must change his mind and way—must be humbled and ashamed for what he has done
Those that have said and done wrong must, as far as they can, unsay it and undo it again by repentance
They must pray to God, must pray that God would give repentance, and pardon upon repentance
Simon, as great a man as he thinks himself, shall not be counted into the apostles’ communion
There is a lot here, but all needs to be considered
Summary:
What heart are you?
What motivates you?
Who is central to your life?
Do you have a Simon spirit or a Christ-like servant heart?
Receive the free gift of Grace with a heart that exalts only Jesus
