Message – God’s Work Doesn’t Stop

This was one of the more difficult messages I’ve preached, mostly because I was in the middle of a pretty hectic week (as is often the case at seminary). In spite of this, I’m pretty happy with how this message came together. Below, you can find the manuscript I preached from. I departed from it in a few places (especially the area around “integration”), but you may find it helpful as you follow along.

Verse	Exposition
1-3 1 And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. 3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.	The Background of our study today is persecution in the church, and gives us our first clue as to the theme of this chapter. After Stephen has been martyred and the heat is turned up, what will happen? Will the work of God continue, or will the temple yet again go up in flames?
4-8 4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. 5 Philip went down to the city[a] of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. 6 And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was much joy in that city.	Short answer: No.Slightly longer answer: Absolutely not. Look at Acts 1:8 – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”This echoes the prophecy of Isaiah 49:6-7 he says:“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel;I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” They were just in Jerusalem, which is in Judea. Now look where Philip is: Samaria.Not only are Saul and the persecution not doing what they meant to do, but they are actually adding fuel to the work of the Gospel.The Samaritans were the historic rivals of the Jews. They were the people who were left behind after the Jewish people were exiled and ended up forming their own religion based on Judaism, complete with their own temple, which the Jews later destroyed. So there was a lot of bad blood between them.What heals this rivalry? The power of the Holy Spirit. But where there is power, there are power-hungry people.
9-13 9 But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. 10 They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” 11 And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles[b] performed, he was amazed.	So, the author of Acts, Luke, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, has shown us that just as death does not end the work of Jesus and is in fact the only path to resurrection and the work of God, so he shows that the persecution the church faces will not stop the march of the Gospel. But what about other enemies?Simon the Magician here represents two enemies of the Gospel. But let’s read on:
14-24 14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”	There are a few things to note in what I’ve come to think of as a Tale of Two Simons: Simon, the Power of God and Simon Peter, the Fisher of Men. First, Simon was baptized. We see that in verse 13. This shows us very clearly that not all those who say they follow the way of God truly are, or live in consistence with their stated faith. Therefore, we should not be surprised when we see so-called Christians who go about living un-Christian lives. Baptism does not save or change you: it is instead to be a signifier of the way you follow, in much the same way a marriage certificate shows one to be married to someone, but will not prevent them from cheating if they do not truly love the one they are with.The second thing we see here is that Simon the Magician offers two challenges or questions to the advance of the Gospel: First, can Christianity be integrated with other sorts of spirituality?Second, can the blessings of God be bought?There is a lot at stake here, more than you might imagine. If Simon Peter accepts, and gives the gift of the Spirit to this man, think of all the good he could do! How many more widows could the church take care of? And if the Gospel could somehow be integrated into the religion of whatever region it ends up in, wouldn’t that mean it would be adaptable and resilient, able to meet the needs of cultures all around the world?
20-24 20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are in the gall[c] of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” 24 And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”	Simon Peter answers these questions strongly. Why?Because he saw what was at stake. If the Gospel is integrated into another system, it ceases to be the gospel. Look what they called Simon the Magician, “The power of God that is called Great.” How long before that simply becomes “The powerful man who is great?” or “The man who is god?” No, God will not share his glory with any other. He will not allow any idol to take on his image. He alone is god, and will allow no competition within his churchWhat about selling the Spirit?People have tried this as long as the have understood there is something to sell. However, if elements of Christianity, whether salvation or the power of the Spirit, are for sale, as the Catholic church did in the Middle Ages, and as the Prosperity Gospel preachers do today, then it is no longer “Good news for all people” as in Luke 2:10, the previous book in this series. Instead, it is good news only for those who can afford it. The ends do not justify the means. If God wants to feed more widows through his church, he will and always has done it in ways that are consistent with his character, not by selling parts of himself.Yet even here, at the end of these verses, there is hope for redemption for someone like Simon.
25 Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.	After this confrontation, the disciples continue as they had been, preaching the good news to all people.The Gospel has withstood persecution, the temptation of integration, and the temptation of monetization. God’s work cannot be stopped.After all this, what’s the payoff?
26-30 26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south[d] to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. 27 And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”	This question may as well be addressed to us. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Ask yourself that every time you open the Word of God. If the answer is no, look at the response of the Eunuch.
31-33 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth.33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation?For his life is taken away from the earth.”	You might be thinking: “Huh, just another evangelism story.”You, my friend, would be wrong. Of all the thousands of people converted at this time, why did Luke focus on this guy? First, the Eunuch would not (or should not) have been able to be an official follower of Judaism due to ritual laws. Who knows how long he has been attempting to learn about God, and been turned away from the synagogue?
34-35 34 And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.	Now here is a man who follows God who is not afraid to come sit beside him and explain the Good News of the gospel for all people, that Christ died to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.
36-37 36 And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?”[e] 38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.	According to Homer’s Odyssey, Ethiopia was the “end of the earth” and represented everything that is “out there”.Therefore, Acts 1:8 is fulfilled, and so is the prophecy of Isaiah, the same scroll the Eunuch was reading. Yet is God’s work done? Why didn’t he return just after the Eunuch shared his joy in his home land?Because just as God wasn’t done after pentecost, and he wasn’t done after the meaning of the temple was fulfilled, he isn’t done here.Simon Peter must have thought about this, because he put it this way: “8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,[a] not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”2 Peter 3:8-9 The Power of God contrasted with things this world considers powerful: magic, money, sex, and government. Yet not one of those things can stand up to the march of the Gospel. Are you resisting God in some way, or do you perhaps think that if God REALLY knew you, he’d be done?He wasn’t done with Simon Peter, who denied him. He wasn’t done with the Jewish people, who killed Jesus. He isn’t done with you, and is waiting for you to turn to him for all you need, and to tell the world of the joy you can find in him.