Simon The Sorceror: Bargaining With God Series

So, there are a lot of people in the world who like the thought of getting a bargain or even more – the process of bargaining for something. But this morning I’m not going to be talking about bargaining for things of this world. You see, there are also many people in this world who bargain for spiritual things.

Before I go any further I think I need to clarify what I mean about the word bargain. You see "bargain" is one of those tricky English words that can be either a noun or a verb. When it is used as a noun, as in "I got a bargain" then it refers to an item or service received by paying less than what it is worth. When it is used as a verb, as in "I bargained for the keyboard" it carries with the meaning of working out terms for the exchanging of items or services. Sometimes this exchange will result in a "bargain" but sometimes it will result in being "ripped off" – you see the difference?

So when I talk about there are many people in this world who bargain for spiritual things I am talking about the word "bargain" as a verb. In other words there are a lot of people in the world seeking to work out terms for the exchange of spiritual gifts or services for something they do or offer in return. Many religions and cults in the world operate to some degree on this premise. For example, with Islam if a person offers their life by dying in a "holy war" they are ushered into paradise. With certain new age cults – there is the "bargaining" with things beyond the grave by attending to certain rituals or actions. You can even see commercials on TV for Psychics where you can call a number and "pay" for "spiritual guidance" for your life. Sometimes these services are even offered at a bargain – "5 free minutes!" The point I’m trying to make is that for a lot of people bargaining carries over from their lives in the world to their dealings with the spiritual.

And if you think you’re immune to this, think again. How many of you have ever found yourself in a crisis situation and you’ve found yourself praying – "God if you bless me in this way then I will do this"! I know I have – "Lord if you bless me with enough money to pay off my debts then I’ll start taking the surplus and giving it to missions".

As I read the story of Simon, the question that immediately came to mind was "Why is His story included?" Of course this question is the obvious question I have asked for every biblical character I’ve studied! Look at the passage, Luke could have left out Simon’s story and we still would have got an interesting look into the work of the Holy Spirit through Philip and the apostles in the region of Samaria. We still would have learned the important lessons being communicated through this account. Lessons such as how the message of the kingdom of God and of Christ is for everyone not just the privileged (the Samaritans were outcasts to the Jew’s "traitors" – The city of Samaria (in the region of Samaria) had been the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel in the days of the divided kingdom, before it was conquered by Assyria in 722 BC. During that war, the Assyrian king took many captives, leaving only the poorest people in the land and resettling it with foreigners. These foreigners intermarried with the Jews who were left, and the mixed race became known as Samaritans. The Samaritans were considered half-breeds by the "pure" Jews in the southern kingdom of Judah, and there was intense hatred between the two groups. But Jesus Himself went into Samaria (John 4), and he commanded his followers to spread the gospel there (Acts 1:8)); Or of the importance of the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. But Luke, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, chose to include this story of a man named Simon and today I want to focus on one aspect of this particular event in Simon’s life that communicates an important lesson to us and why his story was included here. That lesson is, "THE THINGS OF THE SPIRIT ARE NOT THINGS THAT CAN BE BARGAINED FOR!" That is, the things of the Spirit are not things that we can earn, work towards, or buy! The things of the Spirit are the gift of God and come by simple faith, belief, and willingness to receive His gift!This lesson is one that springs out of Simon’s offer to Peter to buy the ability of imparting the Holy Spirit upon others. As we look closely at Simon’s offer there are a few things that can be said about it that highlight why Peter would have such a strong rebuke for Simon. What was wrong with Simon’s request?