Philip the Evangelist: Watch Out! 01-25-15am Acts 8:9 Intro: Orange Highway signs… slow down, Be careful! t/s – Big Orange Sign on our text… Be Careful! Acts 8: 9-14, 18-24 Review: The Evangelist – Not Me; Not Now; Not Them Read T/S – a Corporate Warning and a Personal Warning… Beware of False Teachers Claiming to be Christian! Exp – The Gospel is not threatened by Rejection, but Syncretism! (Syncretism = salad bar religion) Simon sought to add the Apostles’ Power to his bag of Tricks --- Later identified as the leader of the first Christian Heresy! • The Story is told in such a way that a surface reading may cause us to wonder, “Is Simon All Bad?” “Didn’t he get baptized?” “Maybe his heart is right, just different?” ILL- lady in Sayre, “I still think Peter was mean!” The Point == False Teachers are difficult to detect! Careful discernment is required. • Key is Motive! Attention (10-11) --- Imagine Simon and spot light! Money (18) – Offer to buy exposes intent to sell! Authority (9, 19) ILL – Man hit Porsche and left note! A number of people around me think I am leaving you a note that includes my name and number; but I am not. App – Healthy Balance between cynical and gullible! Not everyone who uses a “Christian” Vocabulary is a True Follower of Jesus; and a reliable Teacher! Paul in Acts 20: 28-30 – Tell Story Jesus in Mat. 7:15 – False Teachers..sheep/wolves! T/S – Simon was partly deceived, partly deceiving… Personal Warning… An empty form of religion…self-delusion Beware of a Faith that Cannot Save Exp – Many focus on vs. 13- Simon was a Christian… “Believed” • Profession of Faith; Baptism; associate with Christians, even Christian Leaders! • Yet, Vs. 21 – You are not one of God’s People! “Portion” = “Lot” like OT Promised Land “Matter” = “Logos” == Word, Gospel… You are not a member of the Gospel Family! 1) Faith Without Focus Exp – Contrast two statements of Faith in Vs. 12-13 People =Good News; Kingdom of God; Name of Jesus Simon = (Empty) He believed in the Power, not the Proclamation Faith --- a fuzzy, foggy, feeling of Faith -has no Saving Power! “Person of Faith” – What does that Mean?! James – You believe that God is One.. so do the demons! Saving Faith is Focused, Fixed, Fastened to Jesus! --- His Person; His Work on the Cross; His Authority 2) Sorrow without Repentance Exp – Vs. 22 – Repent…pray… heart forgiven! Vs. 24 – Simon was Sorry… Sorry he was exposed! “Repentance” never reveals itself in his Story! Ill – Zacheus is the NT model for repentance (change). He was A greedy, dishonest man…conspired with Romans.. Half of my possession I will give to poor, and I will Pay back four times those I have cheated. App – Simon’s Counterfeit Christianity was an Adding to, Not a Turning from… He Never Repented! Have you ever turned, broken hearted, from your Sin? Simon is an example of an empty, powerless form of religion: A Faith that Cannot Save… Faith without focus; Sorrow without Repentance 3) An Unchanged Heart Exp – Peter Condemned Simon’s Heart… Vs. 21 …. Not Right BEFORE God…. (Picture Judgment) Vs. 23 – He uses two OT images of Sin… a) Poison – bitterness tainting everything… b) Chains – Cannot please God Sin is Still corrupting and captivating You! App – Is your heart right before God? ILL – My visit with cousin Steve at Mammie’s 90th birthday. • Tall, thin, western shirt, wranglers and boots, circle in shirt pocket… quiet… talked to me. • I had been baptized when I was a kid; and, I went to church most of the time; but my heart wasn’t right. • The most frustrated man in world is a guy in church, trying to act like a Christian, never really been saved. Beware of a Faith that Cannot Save! Are you going to speed right through this Big Orange Sign? What about your heart before God? Is it Right? • You can fool the people around you • You can certainly fool me • You might even be able to fool your family • Sometimes, we even fool ourselves But we cannot fool God… Is your heart Right with God? _______ FOLLOW LIPSapp Classic Radio _______ FB: r-js/1vz7Pcz / TW: r-js/1kHd2Qt / Listen to LIPSapp Classic Radio r-js/1dOIQ18 #classicrock #rollingstones #ledzeppelin #santana #eagles #zztop #thewho #beatles #elvis #jimihendrix #dylan #acdc #michaeljackson #pinkfloyd #madonna #u2
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 22:42:03 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015