The text I would like to call your attention to is Acts 8:9-24. Last week we learned that a great persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem causing it to scatter throughout parts of Israel. We saw how believers went about gossiping the gospel or evangelizing wherever they went and how Philip proclaimed Jesus before crowds. We saw how Philip’s preaching and miracle working sparked a citywide revival in Samaria. This morning we will discover that in the midst of all that good gospel work, in the midst of all the conversions and joy, there was a man there who professed new faith, got baptized, and assimilated into the body of believers and yet did not truly believe in his heart. I’ve entitled this morning’s sermon, “Simon: A Tare Amongst the Wheat”. Take your bibles and turn to Acts 8:9-24. Let’s read our main text, pray, and examine/apply it together.

Verse

9 But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. 10 They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” 11 And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic.

Commentary

Take notice of the point of contrast in the text. It says, “But”. In verses 4-8 Luke described all the wonderful things that were happening in Samaria. The scattered believers along with Philip were spreading the good news of the kingdom of God, the gospel, and people were being saved, healed, freed of evil spirits, and much joy filled that place. And then Luke wrote, “BUT”. Luke wants us to know that something happened. He then introduces us to a man named “Simon”.

According to the text Simon was a magician. Magic was very common in Samaria and it wasn’t that pull a rabbit out of the hat, Harry Houdini, David Blaine type stuff. That is illusionism. Magic in Simon’s day was comprised of science, superstition, math, astrology, divination, the occult, and agriculture. Simon was more like a psychic or medium or someone of that nature. People got into magic for the purposes of exalting themselves, making lots of money, and controlling others. Magic was a very narcissistic career. Magicians made small fortunes in locations where ignorance and gullibility were rampant. Communities that were exceedingly superstitious and syncretistic were prime places for magicians. Samaria was perfect. The US is perfect.

People here are very superstitious and syncretistic. People here are addicted to paranormal stuff and so on. TV psychics like John Edwards and Teresa Caputo are very successful and popular here. The Bible warns pretty explicitly against engaging in magic for several reasons, I’ll give you one. Magic is an unlawful and unnecessary spiritual medium that is used to discover information about the past, present, and future. In the Bible we can see how God has:

- Graciously provided humanity an account of history and creation.

- Graciously provided humanity with prophetic glimpses into the future.

- Graciously provided humanity with what they need to know about the afterlife and what happens to the  souls of people.

Magic is an alternative to the revealed Word of God. The revealed Word of God, the Bible, states that it is fully sufficient for all aspects of life and living (2 Tim 3:16-17). The Reformers called this Sola Scriptura or Scripture Alone! Since magic is an alternative spiritual route it has to pull from alternative spiritual forces. Those forces are dark forces or demonic forces. Boiled down, magic replaces the Word of God, and the magician replaces the prophet, apostle, pastor, or communicator of God’s Word. This exchange is an abomination to God. Exchanging His revelation for demonic revelation or any other form of revelation is insulting to Him. Revelation 21:8 says that those who practice magic or sorcery and do not repent: “will be cast into the Lake of Fire.”

Simon was this type of magician. And he was exceedingly popular because he amazed the people of Samaria. Verse 9 also says that “he claimed to be somebody great”. WhenSimon went about advertising his services he claimed to be somebody great. He referred to himself as Simon the Great. Kind of reminds me of that great and all powerful Wizard of Oz. Simon’s claims of greatness show that he practiced magic for the fame and glory of it. And there was plenty of that available. The Samaritans were saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” Or as the NASB puts it, this man is: the Great Power of God. Great is used as an appellation here rather than an adjective. An appellation is a nickname.

If great were used in the form of an adjective it would say Simon was great or Simon is great. But it doesn’t say that. It says, Simon the Great and Great capitalized. Great is therefore an appellation or nickname. If you have an ESV study or Reference Bible you’ll notice that Great is used to reference the “Great Ephesian Goddess Artemas” in Acts 19:27-28. Great now becomes a reference to deity. Harold O. J. Brown wrote,

“The early church Fathers reported that Simon was one of the founders of Gnosticism and that he viewed himself as God incarnate.

The first two teachers to propagate gnostic ideas within Christian circles were Simon and his successor Menander. Unlike later and more famous representatives of Gnosticism, both Simon and Menander claimed divinity for themselves. According to Acts 8:9-11, Simon called himself “the great power of God.” The Greek term he used, dunamis, was used by later, more orthodox theologians in reference to the Son of God and the Holy Spirit… Justin Martyr also reports Simon’s messianic claim.”

Simon went around claiming to be god and he used his magical powers to convince the Samaritans. But Simon was no god. He was nothing more than an opportunist who took advantage of the Samaritans. He exploited them for his own purposes. He used magic to minister to their hopes and fears. In reality, he was just swindling them out of their money and causing them to adore and honor him as a god. If he had done these things 40 miles away in Jerusalem, he would’ve been executed. Not in Samaria. Let’s look at 12-13.

Verse

12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miraclesperformed, he was amazed.

Commentary

Notice the point of contrast again. Simon the magician was popular; saying he was great; the Samaritans considered him a god; everyone went to see him… But. Luke now shows us that when Philip came on the scene and started preaching the gospel and performing miracles the Samaritans flocked to him, even Simon’s followers. Simon was no longer the next big thing. Simon was no longer the center of attention. And when the people listened to Philip preach the gospel many responded by faith and were baptized. This basically meant that they weren’t going back to Simon. Their days of seeking the soothsayer were over. No more visits to the town psychic for them. They had Jesus! With no one left to woo, wow, and exploit, Simon made his way over to where the crowd was gathered to listen to Philip.

Luke tells us that even Simon believed and was baptized and then proceeded to follow Philip wherever he went. Luke says that Simon was amazed by the signs and wonders that accompanied Philip’s preaching. Simon’s constant amazement is a dead giveaway that his magic paled in comparison to what the Holy Spirit was doing through Philip. Look at 14-17:

Verse

14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

Commentary

News about the Samaritan revival reached the apostles in Jerusalem and they sent Peter and John to check it out. Peter and John had a threefold mission.

1. They came to assist Philip with the spiritual harvest. The response of the Samaritans was too great for one man to handle.

2. They came to give apostolic sanction and blessing to Philip’s work among the Samaritans. The apostles were the leaders of the church and maintained that position even after the church spread from Jerusalem.

3. They came down from Jerusalem and prayed for the Samaritans that they might receive the Holy Spirit. Although they had believed and been baptized, the Spirit had yet to fall upon them.

Verse 16 causes many-many questions to arise. Why did the Samaritans have to wait for the Spirit? How could they truly believe without the Spirit? Why was the Spirit delayed? Listen to MacArthur’s commentary for 8:16:

“For centuries, the Samaritans and the Jews had been bitter rivals. If the Samaritans had received the Spirit independent of the Jerusalem church, that rift would have been perpetuated. There could well have been two separate churches, a Jewish church and a Samaritan church. But God had designed one church, in which ‘there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male or female, but all are one in Christ Jesus’ (Gal 3:28). By delaying the Spirit’s coming until Peter and John arrived, God preserved the unity of the church. The apostles needed to see for themselves, and give firsthand testimony to the Jerusalem church, that the Spirit came upon the Samaritans. The Samaritans also needed to learn that they were subject to apostolic authority. The Jewish believers and the Samaritans were thus linked together into one body. Today, believers receive the Spirit at salvation (1 Cor 12:13).”

I checked several commentaries to see what others had said and they seem to all agree.

The delay was meant to bring unity to the church and to give the apostles the opportunity to assert their authority. I’m pretty astonished by how God brought the Samaritan’s to belief and how He sustained their belief while at the same time holding back His Spirit for a period of time. That’s crazy, that’s mysterious, that’s a miracle! Verse 16 reminds us that nothing is impossible for God. Now how did the apostles impart the Spirit to the Samaritans? Verse 17 says, “they laid their hands on them that they may receive the Spirit.” Look at verse 18-19:

Verse

18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

Commentary

The apostles were going about laying their hands on the Samaritans and the Samaritans were receiving the Holy Spirit and Simon took notice of what was going on. He then offered the apostles money to give him the power to impart the Spirit to others. Simon treated Peter and John like fellow magicians. It was very common for magicians to sell their tricks and spells to one another as they traveled around. They did this to build up their repertoires. Selling your tricks and spells, if they were any good, could be very lucrative. Simon saw the apostles as fellow magicians rather than as the leading authorities in the church. Simon’s request was a very ignorant and irreverent. Some scholars suggest that his request shows that there was a problem with his faith. That his faith was immature. I would like to suggest that his request shows that he had false faith which is no faith.

Simon didn’t respond to the gospel as his Ephesian contemporaries had. When Paul brought the gospel to Ephesus many people were converted including magicians. The magicians rallied together and gathered their spell and trick books and brought them to the town square and burned them in front of all the people. They turned from their black arts, they repented. But Simon didn’t turn from his old profession. No, he attempted to expand his magical repertoire by asking to buy the apostles special ability.

Keep in mind that there was a revival happening at this place. Men and women were being rescued from hell, damnation, hopelessness, and insecurity by the power of the gospel! The apostles were going about imparting the Holy Spirit to these new believers. Lives were being forever changed! The gifts of the Holy Spirit were becoming manifested! This was like a Samaritan Day of Pentecost. This was huge! And all Simon could do was ask the apostles to sell him their trick? Why wasn’t he rejoicing? Why wasn’t he worshipping? Why wasn’t he leaping like the lame beggar at the Beautiful Gate? I’ll tell you why.

Simon was no true believer he was a tare amongst the wheat. Simon’s goal from the very beginning was to do whatever he could to get his followers back. That’s why he went to Philip and claimed to believe, got baptized, followed Philip around, and then asked to buy the power of the Holy Spirit. Everything Simon did was out of vainglory. He wanted his worshipers back no matter what. Simon’s strategy was to come into the newly formed and expanding Samaritan branch of the church and physically assimilate into it and then draw his old clients as well as new ones to himself. Simon was more than a false believer or tare, he was a wolf. Wolves come into the church to prey on the sheep. They cloak themselves in Christianity. They copy and mimic believers. When they feel the time is right they begin to promote things that are off; things that do not line up with Scripture; unorthodox ideas. They attempt to lead the sheep away from the truth and away from the Shepherd with their ideas and influence. That is what Simon was aiming to do.

Theologians actually named a heresy after Simon. It is called Simony. Simony is the act of paying for sacraments and consequently for holy offices or for leadership positions in a church. In its simplest terms Simony can be described as trying to buy from God spiritual things with temporal things such as money, gold, silver, and so on. Friends, nothing that God has is for sale---certainly not the Holy Spirit. Indeed, there is nothing that sinful men have to offer Him. Salvation and spiritual blessing He pours out freely to His children. Look at verse 20-23 to see how Peter responded to Simon’s irreverent and selfish request.

Verse

20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. 23For I see that you are in the gallof bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.”

Commentary

Peter was irate. He was infuriated. The literal meaning of the Greek has been softened by most translations. I’m not sure why. J. B. Phillip’s rendering, “To hell with you and your money!” conveys the actual sense of Peter’s words. Simon’s view of the Spirit as a commodity to be bought and added to his repertoire was utterly blasphemous to Peter. Ananias and Sapphira were struck down for lying to the Spirit. What should Simon receive for attempting to buy the Spirit? Peter exposed Simon’s false faith by telling him that he had no part of what was going on because his heart was not right before God. The Greek says that his heart was “crooked”. Peter then commanded him to turn from his wickedness, to repent. Simon, “Turn from your vainglory, turn from your pride, turn from your selfishness, and turn from your simony!”

Peter said, “Pray that the Lord might forgive you for the intent of your heart.” Peter then ended his correction with his final assessment of Simon’s heart and condition. He said in verse 23, “I see that you are in the gallof bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” “Simon, you are still in bitter bondage to sin, you are unregenerate.” Even thoughPeter got angry, and rightfully so, even though his words were like a dagger, his true desire was for Simon to repent and be saved. Peter could’ve told Simon to go to hell with his silver and left it at that. But he didn’t. He exposed his false faith and let him know that he was a tare and he urged him to repent. He urged him to pray to the Lord for the forgiveness of his soul. But Simon didn’t respond the way that Peter desired. Look at verse 24:

Verse

24 And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”

Commentary

Simon didn’t say, “I can’t believe what I’ve done, I’m so sorry for my selfishness, help me to become right with the Lord. Please forgive me for offending you and God. I’m really having a hard time letting go of my old lifestyle and career, it’s such a struggle. Help me please, help me please.” He didn’t say anything like that. He asked Peter to pray that nothing bad would happen to him. Simon had been struck with a little fear. He feared that something bad could happen to him. But there was no remorse or repentance in his response. He wouldn’t even pray. Peter said “pray to the Lord for the forgiveness of your soul.” But Simon said, “Nah that’s cool, you pray for me, pray that nothing bad happens to me, man.”

Simon’s only concern was to escape the temporal consequences of his sin. True repentance, however, consists of more than that. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 7:9-10:

2 Corinthians 7:9-10

9As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. 10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

Paul wrote, “Sin causes grief and grief produces repentance.” Simon displayed no grief, only slight fear. We see no grief or repentance from Simon. When the true believer sins they experience remorse, grief, brokenness, and even frustration. How many times have been frustrated with yourself because of your sin? Why do I keep doing this stuff! How many times have you become angry with yourself because of sin? Rejoice in knowing that these are the correct responses to sin. But fear of God or reverence is correct to. We should revere God. But reverence apart from grief is not of the Spirit.

In true salvation, reverence and grief are both present and married together in the believer. We respect God, we seek to honor Him, and when we sin against Him and others we experience grief and remorse and those things lead to repentance, restoration and joy.

These very important things were absent in Simon’s life. I believe they are absent in many churchmen today. Many in the church are just like Simon. They fear the consequence of sin but have no real hatred of sin in their hearts. I believe many in the church today are like Simon in that they have become captivated by what they see rather than converted by what they hear. They see the incredible fellowship of the church; they see the outpouring of God’s power and blessings, they see the talent of God’s people on display through music, art, and teaching; they see the beauty of the people of God serving one another. They see opportunities to employ their own talents. All of these things captivate them! And yet, out of pride and love of sin, they suppress the truth and remain unconverted by what they hear.

Years ago a friend of mine quoted a statistic that said only 10% of all Christians were actually born again which means that the other 90% are false believers or tares. Over the years I’ve served around people who profess faith, have been baptized, who follow leaders and other believers around and then respond to their sin like Simon. I’ve seen the fear of consequence arise without any grief, remorse, or brokenness so many times I can’t even count them all. I believe the church is filled with “Tares”. I believe the church is filled with captivated and unconverted people. I believe there are Simon’s everywhere!

One of the most fearful realities in all of Scripture is that some who think they are saved will be eternally lost. Thinking that they are on the narrow way of saving truth that leads to heaven, they are in reality on the broad road of religion that leads to destruction. They will one day hear from the Lord Jesus Christ the most shocking, terrifying words any human could ever hear: “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice iniquity.” To their horror, they will discover too late that there is an entrance to hell at the edge of the very gates of heaven.

Friends, how can we know if we are truly saved? Let me ask you this. Have you come to realize that you are a helpless sinner in need of God’s grace and mercy? Have you repented of your sin which basically means to experience a change of heart about sin? Have you placed your faith and trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ? If so, you’re a true believer.

I’ll close with this as we transition to communion. We all by default commit “Simony”. Our Simony is that we try to purchase our justification before God through moralism and good deeds. Before we enjoy the elements together we must not forget Peter’s rebuke to Simon and to all who try to purchase from God. He said, “To hell with you and your silver!” Friends,we have no purchasing power. We have nothing to offer God. We are all broke and bankrupt. Therefore, our justification comes not by what we do or say but by faith in the One who justified us, Jesus Christ. Justification is by faith alone. May we believe that and continue to live in the freedom that comes only through our Lords finished work. Amen.