Slain by the Spirit
2 Samuel 22:26-29; Acts 8:14-25
Chan Willis - C.P.C. March 21, 2010
“Slain by the $pirit”
2 Samuel 22:26-29; Acts 8:14-25
Have you ever been reading something, and you reach a particular portion that really jumps out at you? It may be because it makes you laugh… or cry… get angry… challenge your thinking. It might be because you really agree with it… or dis-agree. As I read through Ch. 8 of Acts, I came across a passage that elicited several of these emotions… and, at least initially, the one that brings out laughter!
I am reading about this Gentile non-believer, by the name of Simon, who is a highly-regarded practitioner of magic. (very prevalent in these days… not reserved for a Las Vegas act or TV show. Not like David Copperfield… this was much darker stuff). But he is greatly impressed by followers of Jesus Christ, particularly one named Philip, and comes to profess his belief in this man who has performed the ultimate act of ‘magic’… being raised from death to life. Acts 8:13 records that “Simon himself believed, and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.”
OK, that’s cool. This guy who has such a strong following in dabbling in the ‘dark side’ has come to the light of Christ. A life-changing experience, baptized into the family of God, leaving the old ways behind. This Simon guy is alright.
And then I reach verse 18. “When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
He sees the working of God’s Spirit through the followers of God’s Son, and wants to have that same power. Fine. Understandable. But then he ‘pulls out his wallet’ and basically says ‘how much you want for that?’ [early svc: It brought to mind an image not too different that this one… (show title slide)] In effect, Simon reduces the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit to a simple commodity to be bought and sold. Who does this guy think he is?
Which caused me to think about just that… Who WAS this man “Simon?” So I did a little research, and found out that there is more that meets the eye. Of course, there are several ‘Simons’ mentioned in the New Testament. We are most familiar with Simon Peter… or simply “Peter,” as we better know him. You know, the one who would deny even knowing Jesus three times… and then, despite his weakness, become the ‘rock’ through whom our Christian church was established.
There was also another disciple known as “Simon the Zealot.” (I know that word may have a negative connotation, but to be a ‘zealous’ follower of Jesus Christ… I don’t think that’s not such a bad thing!). You might also recall a man who was called out of the crowd to help Jesus carry his cross through the streets of Jerusalem—Simon the Cyrene.
The ‘Simon’ we read of here, though, is a different one. A much lesser recognized one. And yet, we know more about this Simon that either the ‘Zealot’ or the ‘Cyrene.’
The central character of this tale is named “Simon Magus.” The ‘Magus’ comes from the Greek root word of “magician.” Of course, we have already heard of this being his ‘profession.’ What I didn’t know was that this minor Biblical character actually contributes a word to our English language. “Simony.” When I came across this term, I went to my next favorite resource book after the Bible… Webster’s Dictionary… to get a better understanding of its meaning. (aside: You know, I love the dictionary… well, no, I love Jesus… I really like the dictionary! When I was looking up this word, there was actually a listing for the proper noun “Simon”—and it listed five ‘Simon’s’… all from the Bible. And NO, it did not list ‘Simon Cowell’ of American Idol fame! Just for ‘fun’ I Googled his name… and there were over 5.3 million different websites related to this obnoxious Brit. 5.3 million! Incredible… and sad. The good news: Jesus had 44 million!)
Anyway… “simony” is defined by Mr. Webster as coming from the name of “Simon Magus, a 1st Century Samaritan sorcerer mentioned in Acts 8:9-24.” Further, the word “simony” refers to the “buying or selling of church office, or ecclesiastical preferment.“ In this usage, the word ‘office’ means “service” or “duty.” So, this term “simony” describes just what Simon Magus did: seek to buy that which is used in church service, or duty… in this case, the gift of the Holy Spirit.
OK, so now that you’ve had your brief history and vocabulary lesson, SO WHAT? Yes, I know that it is just two weeks before we remember that triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem… just 3 weeks before the empty tomb and fulfilled promises of the Risen Savior. So, WHY are we talking about some ‘magic man’ named Simon… rather than the ‘miracle maker’ Jesus Christ?
Well, I believe that before we can fully appreciate who Jesus is, we must first come to grips with who WE are. In some ways, that is what the season of Lent is all about. A time of preparation… not only to be reminded of what happened in Jerusalem 2000 years ago… but to prepare our hearts and minds for that future time (whether 2000 more years or ‘to-nite’!) when Jesus comes again in glory to ‘judge both the living and the dead.’ We need to come to grips with our own human nature so that we can more fully live into Jesus’ divine nature…
Let’s think about this guy Simon Magus. He was into some pretty ‘shady’ stuff. And people were really taken in by it all. But then, they… and he… found the true source of all miracles. They all became baptized believers. But the real power, that is only available through God’s Holy Spirit, had not come to them. And Simon Magus wanted more. He wanted what those Spirit-filled believers like Phillip, Peter, and John had. And so, to acquire these ‘magical’ powers, Simon resorted to the way he was most familiar with… to buy them.
He clearly did not see that the miraculous powers of the Triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) were spiritual gifts… but rather, an ability that could be bought and sold like so much grain or wine. He wanted to be ‘slain in the Spirit’ of holiness… what he was instead was ‘slain in the Spirit’ of pride and secularism. Applying earthly principles to divine living…
Many of us have come through similar experiences. We too may have been involved in some ‘dark, shady stuff’… and perhaps also been looked up to by a lot of other people. But we found the ‘real deal.’ We found Jesus. We became baptized believers… believing in “the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ.“ (Acts 8:12)
And maybe, like Simon, we wanted more. We saw the blessings bestowed upon and demonstrated by other believers empowered by God’s Holy Spirit. We said, ‘I want to be like them.’ But at what price? What cost? Maybe not by payment of money, but by a personal ‘investment.’ By being, in the words of the Wizard of Oz, “good-deed-doers’? By fulfilling our one-hour-a-week church obligation? By contributing to worthy causes? Can’t we all… even the very BEST of us… fall into that worldly mindset that the more that I DO for God, the better off I am?
Now, this is not to say that some of us could truly do MORE to ‘build the earthly kingdom of God.’ Certainly, each one of us needs to assess just what we are doing to bring Jesus’ message of hope, of healing, of LIFE to others. But we will NOT experience God’s richest blessings merely by what we DO for Him… but rather, what we ARE to Him. It’s not about counting up what you’ve given to God… but count the blessings of what He has given to you! [You and I are called by God to live a life that honors One MUCH…]
You and I are called by God to live a life that honors One MUCH bigger than ourselves. Let us not be held captive… ‘slain’… by a spirit of foolish pride and human preoccupation with earthly things. But rather, let us allow the true Spirit of God to dwell in our hearts. A Spirit who stands at the door and knocks. One we cannot ‘pay’ to come in. Like a friend, He will only come in if asked. There is absolutely nothing you can give to God that He doesn’t already have… except your HEART. May our attitude be like that of Paul’s—that everything we have… everything… is rubbish, garbage, human waste… compared to “knowing Jesus Christ (as) Lord.” …and all God’s people said, “Amen!”
CHARGE
Ancient Christian writer Hippolytus penned story about Simon falling into that pit of pride and power. Simon told his ‘disciples’ that if buried alive, he would rise on 3rd day… Unfortunately, they fulfilled their end of the deal…but he did NOT! Should remind us that our attempts to dig ourselves out of the burdens of life that can ‘bury us’ will be futile on our own. Only JESUS was buried and rose again. May we rely on Him, and Him alone… through the power of His Spirit… to “press on toward the goal…to win the prize …for which God has called (US) heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low. You are my lamp, O LORD; the LORD turns my darkness into light. (2 Sam 22:26-29)
Acts 8:14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 17Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money 19and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."
20Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin."
24Then Simon answered, "Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me."
25When they had testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.
Simon - "This man is the divine power known as the Great Power." 11They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. 12But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
Phil4:7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him …not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
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