Leave The Past Behind Series

Acts 8:9-25

Simon the Sorcerer

9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. 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. 12 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. 13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

20 Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22 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. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”

24 Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

25 After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.

This morning I want to talk to you about something that I think is very important in our Christian walk, it’s important for us in life in general…..it’s important in our spiritual life. The story that we have read this morning about Simon, this man who stands out because of what he did before he accepted Jesus as Savior, his story I believe is here for us for a reason….let’s let the Holy Spirit direct our thoughts this morning as we investigate God’s Word.

The First thing this morning that I want us to get our minds around is this:

1. Accepting Christ as Savior means there is a CHANGE IN COMMAND.

Read v. 9-11 9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. 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.

We need to understand that this Simon has been running the show for quite some time, he has had the people’s attention, their applause, he has had a power over them, because of his sorcery…which only can be demonic in nature. Simon was used to being in charge, making the rules…doing as he pleased basically.

Can I ask you a serious question? Well, I’m going to anyway. Before you became a Christian, isn’t that pretty well how you lived your life?

*Living for yourself

*Attempting to try to control and have power over other people

*Using other people for your benefit

*Living by your own rules

You might not see your life before Christ like that, but life without Christ in it is pretty easy to nail down….you can be a moral person, but when you get to the heart of it, life without Christ is centered on Self…there is a self-centeredness there that drives the non-Christian…basically because that is the condition of every man… we call it the carnal nature, this nature that looks out for self first.

Simon was in command. Before Christ, we perceive ourselves as being in command of our own lives, our own choices….trying to exercise our rights.

I hope you can remember the time, the day, the moment when you made a Choice, to Accept Jesus Christ into your Heart, and by Faith declare Him the Lord of your Life….Lord and Savior. When we Accept Jesus there are some dramatic changes that take place in our Life…Heart…and Mind. What are they?