Afternoon all
Jesus said in John 3:3 I tell you the truth, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again. Being born again is to be converted, and that’s what I would like to talk about today.
What is conversion? Is it as easy as simply believing in Jesus and being baptised? In the book of Acts, chapter 8 verse 13 it reads Simon the sorcerer himself believed and was baptised. Was he then coverted born again saved?
Well I would like to work through this question with you today.
Acts 8 verse 13 Simon himself believed and was Bapisted. However if you were to read on It becomes clear that Simon was not coverted hence not saved. Wait a minute here we have someone who believed and was baptised and yet not coverted not saved, Why?
It’s quite a scary thought isn’t it, that any one of us could be just like Simon, believe in Jesus baptised but yet not coverted hence not saved
Acts 8:9 reads Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people. He boasted that he was someone great and all the people both high and low gave him attention and exclaimed this man is the divine power known as the Great power, They followed him because he had amazed them for along time with his magic. As I read the life of Simon I begain to relise my early life was not that different. I didn’t go practicing sorcery, but my drive to in life was to impress people and that too is really boasting that I was someone great, desiring to get their paises and acceptance. I did it though what I was good at, that was sport; as a young man I lived for the roar of the local crowd as I race up the wing boucing the football, I trained hard and put my body on the line for that.
And I also loved to remind of how fast I could bowl and the cricket side who appealed against the light late afternoon because they fear the speed of my bowling. In a sence I too boasted that I was someone great and failed to acknowlegde that God is the Giver of all good gifts. I believe if we are honest we can all be a little like Simon, seek the paises of others through what we can achieve or do, maybe it’s with the clothes we wear, how we look, or house we have and cars we drive without remember it all comes from God. We can all try to get people praises through what we are good at, whether it be sport, music, academics, looks you full in the blanks Reading on
Verse 12
But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptised, both men and women Verse 13 Simon himself believed and was batized. Simon believe the Good news that is that Jesus was the son of God and forgiveness and enternal life was found in Him. It goes on to say and he followed Philip everywhere, that sounds like a pretty good church member to me, good attendance He must of went to the bible studies, prayer groups, evangleical meetings etc. it says he was astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. Simon was in the very presence of God. experiencing his power and great works; the preaching of Philip, what was wrong then? Lets read on
Verse 14
Now here we read God making his Holy Spirit available When the apostle in Jeruslem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God they sent Peter and John to them 15 when they arrived they prayed for them that they might recieve the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not come upon any of them they had simply been baptised into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed there hands on them and they recieved the Holy Spirit. There is no reason to assume at the same time Simon would not have also recieved the Holy Spirit.
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 me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands on may recieve the Holy Spirit.This is where Simon goes wrong, off the tracks; Instead of inviting the Holy Spirit to contol his life, live like Jesus; he wanted to use the Holy Spirit to furter his own angenda. But we are not to use God Like that, that is not acceptabel to Him.
We’re here not to get God to support our work, but to let God do his work through us and with us!
Verse 20
Peter answered; May your money perish with you because you thought you could buy the gift of God with your money. You have no part or share in this ministry because your heart is not right befor God. Repent of this wickness and pray to the Lord and prehaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin. .
Peter here Confronts Simon with His Sin. Simon still refuses to act personally and allow the Holy Spirit to Change his life bring him to repentance, face the sin and give it to God, instead he says in verse 24 Pray to the Lord for me. Simon didn’t believe he had a on going need for Jesus, big mistake that.
Simon was not converted because he refused to let the Holy Spirit live in him, do it’s work through him. He refuse to let God’s love, which we all recieve with the laying on of hands be expressed. He wouldn’t give up the way he had always been, wanting people praises and saying he was someone great. Did he go through Baptism just to get something for himself?
Conversion is not about us being better a person of ouself. it’s more than believing in Jesus and being Bapitised. Conversion is about letting God live his life in you. believing that your need for Jesus is on going That’s the part Simon didn’t want any of. He saw this as God intruding, but what does the Bible tell us in Mark 8:34? If any would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily, we have a lot of crosses (dying) to do if we truely deny ourself and follow Him. But whoever shall lose his life for me and the gosple shall find it
It means giving oneself over to Christ so that the spirit may posses one and control ones life. Just as Jesus said we are to do. Mark 8:34 whoever loses his life for me will save it! Conversion is a on going process. As the aposle Paul said we are to fight the good fight
I haven’t always reliesed that it’s not a fight for my good to win; but instead to let the love of God be expressed through me, that’s what the fight about.
While thinking about this suject of conversion I reliese in some ways it’s simialar to the phyical birth of a human.
Being born is a trumatic thing isn’t it just ask the mums here
The baby goes along pretty much happily for nine month, not always but that’s generaly true; Then comes the time to be born, time to leave the womb, face change; is the baby happy about that? It would appear not. There are stages the baby puts the mother through to be born. Different stages of labour that can last for hours, painful hours. The birth is a struggle a fight; so to our spiritual walk is a stuggle a fight. the stuggle is to let God live his life in you! in every aspect of you, but that not easy for us and just as a baby during birth puts the mother through a awful time, we put God though a awful time; as we stuggle God is having to continuely forgive our sins! Jesus blood washes us again and again! We give God pain.
But God knows as we stuggle a new life result, his love flows; people are blessed, and the joy that brings to God can not be compared to the suffering. the joy God recieves from that, cannot be compared to the suffering, just as it is so for mothers when the birth is complete. the joy God feels about us living now for Him and forever with Him over-rides any pain we put Him through
Our experience with God is to be more than having friends with the same values and a place where we feel we belong and are loved, not that there is any thing wrong with these things they are good and they should be part of every Church, but it should be more
Our experience with God is about letting Jesus live his life in us, through us. We are to be dead to the old self and alive to the life of Jesus.God want us to keep our personality; our indviuality but he also want us to let Him exprees His love through us.
He won’t force Himself on us, he wants a wiiling heart . That will always be a stuggle untill we are change and have enteral life with God. As I mention befor, Paul said we are to fight the good fight, and I haven’t always reliesed that it’s not a fight for my good to win; but instead to let the love of God be expressed. In fact God tells me there is no good of myself. I will talk more on this latter
Conversion is to turn on. We turn on to the work of God, the Holy Spirit in our life.
Converted people will still make mistakes because none of us in this room fully allows God to express His love in us all the time. None of us give freedom to the spirit to do it’s work in us all the time. We make mistakes Abraham and Moses did. King David did. Peter and Paul did; all the great men of God have made mistakes even after conversion. Abraham called the father of the faithfull early in his conversion under pressure distorted the truth, stuggle with faith in God, faith that God could and would sort it out. Moses stuggle in his conversion with obedience and was not able to enter the promise land because of it. David stuggle to have on going close relationship with God and often slipped into sin. Peter acted Hypitcritially when he separted himself from the gentiles for fear of what the Jews would think of him. and at that time He was failing to let the life of Jesus live in Him. Paul Lack patience with John Mark and was not willing for a time to forgive and let him have another chance because he had left him on a earlier mission. We all need the Grace of God great or small, because we all fail to let his love live fully in us all the time
Grace is not a cop out for converted Christians; It’s a Gift of God to Christians who reliese that they are unable to fully let God’s love be expressed in them all the time. So the need for God’s constant Grace upon thier life. Being aware of this reality should make us always willing to forgive others. We should always be willing to forgive others, because God is constantly forgiving you for not letting his love be expressed fully in Him. every monment of every day. Probably none of us are doing it perfectly right now as you sit here and listen. I certaintly wouldn’t like to aurge with God that I am right now even as I speak; that I’m letting the Holy Spirit do it’s full work in me. I could say I am letting it do a work in me but it’s full work probably not. Instead I thank Him for this Constant state of Grace that I am blessed to be in. If we accept and understand that! how can we not have a forgiving attitude to others. We simply can not afford to have otherwise because Jesus warned in Matt 6:14-15 For if you forgive men when they sin against you your heavenly father will also forgive you but if you do not forgive men their sins your father will not forgive your sins.
I don’t want anyone to be discouarage from want I have said about your Human condition don’t belt yourself up over it; accept the situation, reliese God’s got it in hand and love yourself. Love yourself! this is very important. Do you at times feel it’s too hard to love yourself? Well God loves you doesn’t he! God loves you so much that he died for you. And he still loves you. We are to love ourself, and will if we want to be like God.
Let now continue on in Act! Acts 8:26 Here we have a bibical example of right response to the Holy Spirit.
Philip and the Ethopian
As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he did, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
29 The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.”
30 Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah; so he asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”31 The man replied, “How can I, when there is no one to instruct me?” And he begged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him. 32The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this:
“He was led as a sheep to the slaughter.
And as a lamb is silent before the shearers,
he did not open his mouth.
33He was humiliated and received no justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”
34The eunuch asked Philip, “Was Isaiah talking about himself or someone else?” 35 So Philip began with this same Scripture and then used many others to tell him the Good News about Jesus.
36 As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?”£ 38 He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.
39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing.
The Eunuch reliesed He needed a Savior and responded as such; He was fully aware of his weakness and ongoing dependence on Jesus. It would appear Simon did not. The Eunech reponded to God’s love with love.
John 15:13-14 No greater love has this than a man lay down his life for a friend. The Eunuch gave up his life, so Jesus could live.
Jesus says your are my friend if you do as I command. John 15:12 quotes Jesus as saying My command is this Love each other as I have love you. Isn’t Jesus commanding us every minuite of very day right now though the in dwelling Holy Spirit to do that? To love each other, To let him live in you so that you can love others like he has loved you. With out letting Him live in you how can you do it? How can you forfull John 15:12? the command to love each other as He has loved you! I don’t believe you can. I
don’t believe you can. Unless Jesus does it through you. unless you let Him that is.
Doesn’t the Bible that sit’s on your lap in 1st John 2:27 say you need no one to teach you as the spirit will lead you to all truth. Is there any more truth than the life of Jesus? Are you letting him live in you. Are you to yeilding to the Holy Spirit’s work? The work of letting God’s love, Jesus love, the Holy spirit love be expressed in you? We should be. It His work not you own work. Phil 2;13 Besause God is always at work in you to make you willing and able to obey his own purpose. It’s not our own works. understanding and doing this is a converted mind
