Introducing Wolves
Acts 8:9-24
July 1, 2012
Well, tonight we find Satan at it again.
We know that the greater progress a church makes,
The greater resistance they can expect from the enemy.
2 Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
And so it is no surprise that this early church is under extreme attack.
They were already plagued threats from the Sanhedrin,
But once Stephen was stoned those threats reached a whole new level.
Under Satan’s newest general (Saul)
The church started enduring physical persecution.
Many were forced to flee.
As we saw last week, all that did was
Open the door for the new missionary movement.
As Philip fled into Samaria he started preaching in Samaria and began to see
Captives delivered and eventually even the salvation of the lost.
So God is definitely winning the battle, but it is still a battle.
It is not as though Satan has quit.
Well tonight we are introduced to another attack.
While Satan is using Saul to attack the church from the outside, Satan is about to recruit a new general to attack from within.
This new general is a man named SIMON.
Also called Simon the Magician or even Simon Magnus
Without a doubt Saul was a Lion.
1 Peter 5:8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
Saul is a lion, roaming to and fro seeking to kill and destroy.
He is public, he is furious, he is deadly, and he is destructive.
Saul is a lion.
Simon on the other hand is a wolf.
Matthew 7:15-20 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “So then, you will know them by their fruits.”
While the lion makes no bones about who he is,
But simply tries to destroy, the wolf is much more seductive.
Jesus portrayed the wolf as one who will dress like the sheep
In order to get in close and destroy from the inside.
Saul was a lion
Simon is a wolf
Both are extremely dangerous.
When Paul said good-bye to the Ephesian elders for the last time he said:
Acts 20:28-31 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. “Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.”
Paul wrote there to shepherds rightly telling them to watch out for wolves.
• He called the “savage wolves”
• That would “come in among you”
• They would not spare “the flock”
Now a literal wolf sneaks in and eats the sheep.
A spiritual wolf sneaks in and deceives them.
“from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.”
And so we learn that wolves are especially dangerous.
Wolves deceive the sheep, they call the sheep to themselves,
And just when the sheep (or the shepherd) drops his guard,
The wolf carries the sheep away in destruction.
Tonight we deal with a wolf.
Peter wrote about them as well.
2 Peter 2:1-3 “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”
He would go on to say:
2 Peter 2:17-22 “These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, ” A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”
Jude also wrote about these men.
Jude 3-4 “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”
He would go on to say:
Jude 11-13 “Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.”
And so while Saul looks like the real enemy, don’t underestimate Simon.
Fortunately Peter did not.
Peter spots the wolf.
But just to show you how deceptive they are,
Peter spotted him, Philip did not.
This requires a definite alertness.
So tonight let’s take a look at a genuine wolf.
May remember that several years ago we actually studied this text
As a response to the “Culturally Relevant, Seeker Sensitive” movement
That is so popular.
That movement that places relevance with the culture above accuracy
And desires to please sinners more than it desires to please God.
Seeks to be “hip” and “cutting edge” and “trendy”.
But we talked about Simon as one of the fathers
Of the modern-day seeker sensitive movement.
HAVING STUDIED AGAIN, I AM STILL CONVINCED.
LET’S LOOK AT A WOLF
There are five things I want you to see about Simon tonight.
#1 HIS SPIRITUAL CLAIM
Acts 8:9-10
This story is in fact about Simon.
This is not a story about missions in Samaria,
It really isn’t even a story about how the Samaritans
Received the Holy Spirit, although we do learn that.
This is about Simon, who he was, what he did,
And why Peter was so harsh on him.
We also learn a little about Simon’s past.
“Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria…”
Simon was a magician.
• He could have simply been skilled in science and math
• He could have simply been deceptive in appearance
• He could have actually been affected by demonic power
Magic is a broad term, and we really don’t know exactly what Simon was doing.
But we do know Simon’s claim.
He was “claiming to be someone great;”
In other words he pulled his rabbits out of his hat
And used those smoke and mirror effects
To claim greatness among the people.
If we move in to verse 10
We find out exactly what he claimed about himself.
“and they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, “This man is what is called the Great Power of God.”
He claimed to be “the Great Power of God”
And this is important.
• We know he is a fraud (Peter will prove that)
• At this point he hasn’t even been baptized.
But he claims to be God’s great power.
JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE CLAIMS TO BE FROM GOD
DOES NOT MAKE IT SO
• I don’t care how amazing their power is…
• I don’t care how charismatic their speech is…
• I don’t care how big their following is…
That is one of the tell-tell signs of a wolf.
They dress in sheep’s clothing.
They claim to be from God.
His Spiritual Claim
#2 HIS SENSUAL CONTROL
Acts 8:11
Having already learned about his spiritual claim,
Let me now show you just how effective he was at his game.
“And they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astonished them with his magic arts.”
It wasn’t just that this man claimed to be someone special,
It is that he was good at it.
He had a unique ability to continue to stay on the cutting edge.
His tricks apparently didn’t get old.
He had the ability to continually revamp his show
To keep people “astonished”
And by doing that, he actually continued to maintain control over them.
They continued to come back.
2 Peter 2:2 “Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;”
Some could look at this and say,
“He has no control over them, they keep coming because they want to.”
They could leave whenever they want.
But that isn’t necessarily true.
He is providing a service that appeals to their fallen nature.
It is like sin or an addiction.
He has them hooked.
This is a dangerous maneuver of a wolf.
HERE IS WHAT SIMON DID.
• He provided an atmosphere…
• He created a product…
• That they could only get from him.
This made him exclusive.
This made him important.
This caused the people to remain.
They had an experience with him they could not get anywhere else,
And because of this he was able to keep them “for a long time”
He had a sensual control over them.
His Spiritual Claim, His Sensual Control
#3 HIS SINISTER CONFESSION
Acts 8:12-13
And this is where Simon really gets sneaky.
You will notice that thanks to the persecution in Jerusalem,
Philip has now entered Samaria and as we learned last week
He is preaching, along with performing signs and wonders.
And so all of these people who once were captivated by Simon,
Now have another outlet for their amazement.
And verse 12 says, “But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike.”
So we find out that Philip’s preaching was in fact effective
For people are being saved.
They are believing in Christ, they are trusting in Jesus
And they are submitting to baptism.
That is certainly good news for them and for Philip.
But it is concerning news for Simon.
• This was his crowd.
• For years he had been the main attraction.
• Now Jesus was moving in on his territory.
And that means that Simon had a decision to make.
We’ve all heard the phrase, “If you can’t beat ‘em…”
(13) “Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed.”
Now at this point we recognize the dangers of “Easy Believism” theology.
We have all been exposed to that sort of cheap doctrine
That simply says all you have to do is believe and you’re saved.
And people who hold to that sort of thinking
Have a terrible problem answering the question about Simon.
Based upon their theology they have to say (and many do)
That Simon was saved.
The problem with that is down in verse 23,
After Simon displays his true colors Peter reveals that he is still lost
“For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.”
SIMON WAS NOT SAVED HERE IN verse 13,
But if all you look at is his claim & baptism then you are apt to be fooled.
After all, even Philip was fooled by Simon.
For Philip baptized him and let him accompany him.
Incidentally I think this event taught Philip about genuine salvation.
For after the Eunich (whom he will meet later) wanted to be saved
We find Philip being a little more thorough.
Acts 8:36-38 “As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?” [And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”] And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him.”
It is apparent even Philip learned from this incident.
The point to be made here is that Simon did not get saved,
But he sure appeared to from the outside.
It really echoes to us what James taught us:
James 2:19 “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.”
Intellectual belief is not salvation.
External baptism is not salvation.
Simon’s confession was an empty one, not genuine.
That then begs the question from us as to
WHY SIMON WAS BAPTIZED AND WENT ON WITH PHILIP?
“he was constantly amazed.”
Simon was a man who had made a living by amazing the crowds.
Certainly this required him to always be on the lookout
For new innovative ways to keep the crowds captivated.
Simon wanted to know more about Philip’s ability.
So Simon conformed in order to stay close to Philip.
And this is a dangerous ploy by a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
He isn’t concerned about people.
He isn’t concerned about Jesus.
He just wants on the latest fad that has come down the pipe.
And this is so concerning to me in regard to wolves of our day.
Always chasing the newest fads,
Constantly jumping on board with the latest gimmicks
Even willing to appear like followers of Christ if it helps their cause.
It is a scary thing to know that deceptive men
Will stop at nothing to maintain their crowd.
They will even use the name of Jesus and pretend devotion to Him
If it helps them keep their crowd.
2 Corinthians 11:12-15 “But what I am doing I will continue to do, so that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the matter about which they are boasting. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.”
His Spiritual Claim, His Sensual Control, His Sinister Confession
#4 HIS SELFISH CONSPIRACY
Acts 8:14-19
Now is where the wolf begins to show himself as a wolf.
Jesus said that you would know them by their fruits.
I suppose one could ask, what is the difference between a wolf and a shepherd?
• A shepherd takes care of the flock.
• A wolf takes advantage of the flock.
Here Simon is about to show his teeth.
Now it all starts with a visit from Peter and John.
(14-17) “Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit.”
We won’t spend a lot of time here, for the story is about Simon,
But it does warrant a little discussion.
It is important you understand what is happening here.
Some of used this text as evidence that a person can be saved
And then receive the Holy Spirit later.
That is not true.
Romans 8:9 “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”
A person receives the Holy Spirit at salvation.
Some ask, then why did these not receive it?
This was a very specific incident and one that
Was extremely important to the unity of the church.
God sent the Holy Spirit to come to the Samaritans through the apostles
For two reasons, both of which had to do with the unity of the church.
1) So Peter and John could bear witness that Samaritans were saved (similar to why Peter had to go to Cornelius)
2) So the Samaritans would know to submit themselves the apostles authority.
Had these men been saved completely apart from the apostles,
It very easily could have started two separate churches.
God was protecting the unity of His church, but using the apostles.
And so Peter and John came and “began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit.”
Although it doesn’t mention it, it is very likely that they were speaking in tongues, since that is what happened at Pentecost and at the beginning of Gentile salvation.
Either way, it was an outward physical indicator taking place
For it was something that Simon could see.
And this is where Simon begins to reveal his true colors.
(18-19) “Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
This really just pulls back the veil on Simon all the way.
A common plan amongst magicians of his day
was to purchase tricks from one another.
And Simon is showing his true colors.
“he offered them money”
• He can hold back his true intentions no longer.
• He has found the gimmick he has been looking for.
• He saw in this, the opportunity to keep his crowd for years to come.
“If I had the ability to lay hands on people and cause them to speak foreign languages, I’d be famous!”
“Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
I know it all looks good,
After all the end result would be people getting the Holy Spirit,
But don’t miss that this was a selfish request.
Notice it was all about him.
• It wasn’t about the people receiving the Spirit…
• It was about him being able to bestow it.
He is out to get his crowd back.
And this is really sickening, but it is so often seen today.
Church after church purchasing program after program
All just trying to do exactly why Simon was doing…
They’re just trying to keep their crowd.
And any so-called shepherd who is promising spiritual results,
Simply to maintain his authoritative position over you
Is looking more and more like a wolf.
Simon showed who he really was.
• He didn’t care about the sheep
• He didn’t care about the truest Shepherd (Jesus)
• He simply wanted a way to maintain his control over the crowd and he was willing to pay to get it.
His Spiritual Claim, His Sensual Control, His Sinister Confession, His Selfish Conspiracy
#5 HIS SHOWN CORRUPTION
Acts 8:20-21
Well, if you didn’t recognize Simon’s corruption from the previous verses,
You certainly will now, for Peter wastes no time exposing him.
Peter has seen and heard enough, and exposes the wolf.
In fact there are three things Peter exposes about Simon.
1) HIS DECEIVED MIND (20)
(20) “But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!”
J.B. Philips translated that verse, “To hell with you and your money!”
Peter reveals that Simon is deceived.
He thought God was for sale.
He thought God was inventing programs
That could be purchased to help men climb the ladder.
How scary that is today as well.
In our mission meetings we have read numerous sermons, one by a man named Paris Reidhead, entitled, “Ten Shekels and a Shirt”
It is about a priest from the tribe of Levi who didn’t think serving in Jerusalem paid enough so he left and found a man named Micah who offered him ten shekels and a shirt to be his own personal priest. And the priest accepted.
Later however, a band of men from the tribe of Dan came by and offered him more money, and you guessed it, the priest left Micah to serve the tribe of Dan.
He was a man who was using God as a means to achieve his own ends.
He was using spiritual things as a way to serve his own selfish ambitions.
That is what Simon was doing.
That is what many preachers do today.
In fact Mr. Reidhead goes on to talk about a young man he met.
A young preacher came to me down in West Virginia, Huntington, West Virginia. “Brother Reidhead, I have got a great church. We have got a wonderful Sunday school program, got a radio ministry, growing. But I feel a personal need and a personal lack. I need to be baptized with the Holy Ghost. I need to be filled with the Spirit. And someone told me God had done something for you and I wanted you to help me…”
He was like a fellow driving up in a big Cadillac, you know, to someone standing at the filling station say, “Fill it up, Bud, with the highest octane you have got.” Well, that’s the way it looked. He wanted power for his programs. And God is not going to be a means to anyone’s end. I said, “I am awfully sorry. I don’t think I can help you.” He said, “Why?” “I don’t think you are ready.”
I said, “Well, suppose you consider yourself coming up with a Cadillac. You have talked about your program. You have talked about your radio. You talked about your Sunday school and church. It’s very good. You have done wonderfully well without the power of the Holy Spirit.”
That is what the Chinese Christian said, you know when he got back to China.“What impressed you most about America?” He said, “The great things Americans can accomplish without God.”
And he had accomplished a great deal, admittedly, without God. Now he wanted something, power to accomplish his ends even further. I said, “No, no. You are going…you are sitting behind the wheel and you are saying, ‘Give me power so I can go.’ You won’t work. You have got to slide over.”
But I knew that rascal because I knew me. I said, “No, it will never do. You have got to get in the back seat.” And I could see him leaning over and grabbing the wheel. “No,” I said, “It will never do in the back seat.” I said, “Before God will do anything from you do you know what you have got to do?” He said, “What?” I said, “You have got to get out of the car, take the keys around, open up the trunk lid, hand the keys to the Lord Jesus, get in the trunk, slam the lid down, whisper through the keyhole, ‘Lord, look. Fill her up with anything you want and you drive. It is up to you from now on.’”
And that is why so many people, you know, do not enter in to the fullness of Christ, because they want to become a Levite with 10 shekels and a shirt. They have been serving Micah, but they think if they had the power of the Holy Ghost they could serve the tribe of Dan. It will never work, never work.”
And that was Simon, and it is so many of those in ministry today.
They are not serving God, they are serving self
And only using God as a means to help them keep their crowds.
They know that the presence of God is good for business,
And so they will pay any amount in order to make sure that God is present
Some admittedly don’t even make it that far.
They are content to give a counterfeit version of God.
Substituting God for well prepared performances with tremendous talent.
That is what Simon wanted and Peter told him to forget it.
You have a deceived mind if you think you can buy God with money.
As Paris Reidhead said, “God is not going to be a means to anyone’s end”
Simon didn’t know that. He had a deceived mind.
2) HIS DEPRAVED HEART (21-23)
And here Peter really lowers the boom.
Simon’s truest problem wasn’t ignorance, it was depravity.
His heart had never been redeemed.
His life had never been changed.
“You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.”
Simon was still in his sin.
And that meant for him there was only one option.
(22-23) “Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. “For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.”
He needed to see himself enslaved in sin, turn from it and be forgiven.
This is what every wolf needs.
• Quit serving yourself and start serving God.
• Repent of sin and escape from the bondage.
3) HIS DETERMINED WILL (24)
And this is tragic.
Simon would not repent.
He simply told Peter, “Pray to the Lord for me”
And why did he want Peter to pray, because he had offended God and needed forgiveness?
No.
“so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”
He still was only concerned about himself.
This man was an imposter and Peter exposed him.
• Claiming Spiritual greatness
• Controlling people sensually
• Confessing Christ in deception and falsehood
• Conspiring to offer money to keep his crowd
• And so corrupt that he would not recognize is his sin or repent of it.
That is a wolf and he laid attack on the church,
But God’s people recognized him and refused to let him ravage the flock.
But there you have it.
Satan certainly attacks with the lions,
But he also attacks with the wolves.
Be on the alert.
To read one more time what Paul said to the Ephesian elders.
Acts 20:28-31 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. “Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.”
