Philip must have told them what the kingdom of God would be like. “But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.” It appears that Simon’s spell on the people had been broken when they heard the good news about Jesus and about his kingdom. Now Simon may have had the attention of the Samaritans for a long time performing his tricks but that completely changed when Philip came to town preaching the gospel. Whatever the case, Simon must have been able to do some pretty amazing things with his sorcery because he kept the people amazed for quite a while. Some of them dabble in darkness and are able to do things with the help of evil spirits. There have been many magicians over the years and most of them are in it for entertainment, but there are some who are in it for the occult. Or maybe magicians with a darker presence like David Blaine or Chris Angel. We might associate Simon with Harry Potter, or real life magicians like Harry Houdini, or David Copperfield, Penn & Teller. It’s one thing to make this claim himself, however Simon wasn’t alone, it seems that all the people (rich & poor, short and tall, smart and dumb, high and low) of the area also thought the same, or maybe even greater for they put Simon on the same level as God. I heard that if you have to say you’re great, then you’re probably not. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” 11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery.” There’s not a lot that we know about Simon except that he practiced sorcery (magic) and boasted that he was someone great. “Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. And that’s where Philip meets a shady guy called Simon. While he was in Samaria, he proclaimed the good news about Jesus, the Son of God, and the Spirit confirmed his message with many miracles people were healed, demons were driven out, and there was great joy in that city. Maybe he remembered Jesus told them to be his witnesses to Jerusalem, and all Judea, and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. It was an odd place for him to be, because the Jews thought the Samaritans were disgusting and yet that is where he went. He scattered like everyone else except the apostles and ended up in Samaria. We pick up today’s passage following Philip after he left Jerusalem because of the persecution. Let’s see how this is connect to this morning’s passage, but first let’s pray. The crunch!?!? From the outside, both the apple and cheeseburger looked good, appealing, and delicious, but on the inside they were disgusting. Imagine if she hadn’t flipped it over and actually took a bite. But before she ate it she flipped it over to put some mustard and catsup on it only to find a huge roach imbedded in the meat. When they delivered it, she was hungry and it looked so delicious. At this one place she ordered a cheeseburger. They stopped along the way at different diners, drive ins, and dives to eat. My mom tells this story about the time when she drove to California with her sister. Have you ever been hungry and picked up a good looking apple but when you bite into it, you find out that it’s all mushy and brown? It’s not very pleasant, right. “ You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God.Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart.” Downloads Transcript Is Your Heart Right Before God?
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