November 25, 2025 –  Responses to the Gospel — “Thanks” & “No Thanks” — Acts #22
Acts 8:9-24

One problem when you are going through a book of the Bible in a class or a sermon series is that you come to a time in the calendar when you want to cover a particular topic, like this week.  All of our thoughts turn to Thanksgiving.  And since you all are already thinking in that direction, it is important to discuss what the scripture says about what is already on our minds.  But we are slowly working through the Book of Acts, so let’s see what God gives.

Acts 8:9-24   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. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. 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. Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.

Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.

Well, we have this fascinating story about a man named Simon, a magician who tried to buy the Holy Spirit from the apostles. …Happy Thanksgiving!

Remember that it was the persecution of the followers of Jesus in Jerusalem that led them to leave Jerusalem and scatter to other places.   And last week, we discussed Philip, one of the seven men chosen, along with Stephen, to help disperse the church’s funds to widows and those in need.  He flees persecution in Jerusalem and ends up in Samaria, a place Jesus’ disciples didn’t want to go.  But Jesus had predicted that his followers would take the gospel to Jerusalem, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.

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.

They reach Samaria here in Acts chapter 8.  The ends of the earth would have to wait.  Now they kept spreading in Acts, to Asia Minor, Greece, Italy, and Spain.  But Jesus’ prediction about the spread of the gospel to the ends of the earth?  To this day, it has not yet been fulfilled.  A month ago, I mentioned some villages in Sierra Leone that still don’t have any idea who Jesus is.  There, where the gospel has not yet reached, evil prevails, and child sacrifice continues.  But the gospel is now reaching those villages, and Jesus’ prophecy that the ends of the earth would be reached draws closer to its final fulfillment.

But here is Philip in Samaria, and we discussed last week that the people there were very receptive to the gospel.  Luke tells us:

Acts 8:8   So there was much joy in that city.

The gospel brings joy… to those who accept it.    And they did

Acts 8:12   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.

Now, when the apostles in Jerusalem hear that Philip is baptizing Samaritans, Peter and John go to investigate.  

Acts 8:14-17   Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

Don’t get too caught up in this particular example: they were first baptized in the name of Jesus, then the apostles prayed and laid hands on them, and they received the Spirit.  In the Bible, the spirit comes sometimes with laying on of hands, sometimes not, sometimes close to water baptism, sometimes not. There are several different ways it happens in the New Testament.  What we need to remember is that the Holy Spirit is God’s gift to us under God’s control.  God is sovereign; he gives it in His time.

And in Luke 8, he sets up a contrast in how people responded to the gospel.  Luke contrasts the reactions of the Samaritans to the gospel with those of a man named Simon.  

What do we know of this Simon?

Acts 8:9-11   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. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic.

He practiced magic.  The Greek word is ‘mageuo’, from which we get our word ‘magic’,  but it is not magic as we think of it today.  We think of magicians like David Copperfield or other modern magicians who are, in reality, illusionists.  They perform things that trick your eyes and mind, like sawing someone in half or making things disappear.  They use elaborate props to trick you into thinking they have performed the impossible.

But a better English translation of ‘mageuo’ is ‘sorcerer’.  (And we see that word used in many English translations, KJV and NIV included.)  Throughout the Bible, sorcery is recognized not as illusion, but as a genuine power.  We know that God has miraculous power, but the Bible also recognises other supernatural powers at work in our world. Sorcery or magic in the Bible is always an actual power that is in opposition to God’s power.

This Simon in Acts 8 makes use of some supernatural power from evil spirits.  The Bible is clear that there are powers of evil at work in the world.  We too often downplay the work of evil spirits in our world, relegating this to horror movies.  But Scripture speaks of the danger of powers and principalities.  This is not something to laugh at or to toy with.  So this Simon performed some miracles with his sorcery and deceived the people into thinking he was a man of God; perhaps they even thought he was the Messiah.  The Scriptures warn us to test the spirits.  Do not believe someone is from God just because they can do amazing miracles.  The book of Revelation speaks of this as a problem in the last days.  

But now Simon encounters the true power of God, the Holy Spirit, through his indwelling presence in Philip, a follower of Jesus.  Simon recognizes that this power in Philip is greater than the power he uses.  So Simon believes what Philip is preaching, and he is baptized and stays close to Philip.   That phrase “continued with Philip” carries an intensity greater than our English words present.   Other translations note “He followed Philip everywhere.”  He wants to know more.  But what exactly does he want?

He sees signs and miracles and is amazed.  There is a difference between being amazed by a miracle or a power and being humbled by grace.   As the story goes on, we realize that Simon didn’t really become a full-fledged follower of Jesus.  And Luke drops some clues in the story.

But then Peter and John arrive. They came from Jerusalem to see what was going on with these Samaritans.  And Simon sees that Peter and John:

Acts 8:13    Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.

For example, we read that Luke said the Samaritans “believed the good news about the kingdom of God and Jesus Christ.” (Acts 8:12)  But about Simon, he says, “Even Simon himself believed,”  but he doesn’t state exactly what Simon believes.  Sometimes it is essential to note what is not said.  That’s just a hint.  Luke makes it clear here.

Acts 8:18-19   Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 

Simon didn’t believe the gospel message of Jesus.  He wasn’t interested in the truth of the Gospel; he was just amazed by the power.    He had made himself very popular by using the power of evil, impressing the people.  Now Peter and John come in with a greater power, and he wants to purchase it.  He thinks God works like a magician’s guild — you pay to learn the secret, the new trick.  

Now look at Peter’s response to Simon:

Acts 8:20-21  “But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!   You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.”

Does that seem harsh to you?  Let me put this in a situation you might understand better. 

Imagine that you have a spouse who is a great cook, and one day you meet someone who is wowed by your spouse’s cooking, and they say, “Wow, she is a great cook.  How much do you want for her?  That is just not right.  But Simon’s sin is even worse than that. The Holy Spirit isn’t merely another person—He is God Himself. Simon has offered to buy God himself, as if God were something you purchased at a store!

Simon is trying to use the ways of the world to control the things of God.   So Peter reacts strongly:

Acts 8:22-23  “Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.

Peter says, You are still in your sins.  You have not given your heart to Jesus.    You are in the bond of iniquity — in bondage to sin — a slave to sin.   You need to repent.

And how does Simon answer?

Acts 8:24   And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”

There is fear in Simon’s response, but no repentance.  He wants to be relieved of any consequences.  He does not ask for forgiveness or cleansing.  He does not commit to changing his ways.  He wants protection, not transformation.  He still does not understand the gospel.  Repentance is not being sorry you got caught — It’s being broken because you have offended God.

Now there are a lot of lessons from this passage.  We could talk about how Simon was all about the power, all about the show.  He was drawn to the people preaching the gospel because of their powerful display.  People today are still captivated by the spectacular — they attend a church based on celebrity pastors,  or incredible music, great programs, or impressive buildings.  Unfortunately, some are like Simon the Sorcerer.  It’s all about the show.  But fascination is not faith.   

We could talk about how Simon was amazed by power—but not humbled by grace.  Simon only came to God for what he might get out of Him.  He understood nothing about the gospel. It’s possible to get close to God’s movement, to belong to a body of believers, to be baptized, and yet still not be transformed.

But I am supposed to be headed to a Thanksgiving message, so let me focus on this:Simon thought he could purchase the power of God.   If you are wealthy enough, then you can buy your way into a political office. You can buy power, prestige, and titles, but you cannot buy the Holy Spirit.  Your money will not influence God.  You can’t purchase salvation.  You can’t buy forgiveness.  These are gifts God gives freely to surrendered hearts.

It’s a good thing that God’s grace is not for sale.  There is no way any of us could ever afford it.  The price is too high.  Only Jesus could pay that price.  We should live lives of continual thanksgiving to God who gives us every breath we take.

Psalm 100:4  “Enter his gates with Thanksgiving…”
1 Thessalonians 5:18  “…give thanks in all circumstances.”
Ephesians 5:20  “…always giving thanks to God the Father for everything.”
Philippians 4:6  “…in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

We should not come into God’s presence without a voice of gratitude.  We should always enter into prayer with an attitude of thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving is rooted in joyful repentance.  We need to check our motivation.  Are we seeking Jesus for His blessings or because He is Lord?

We need to watch our hearts.  God doesn’t just want our worship songs.  He wants our surrender.  We need to reject any attitude of entitlement. We do not give thanks because we have everything we want;  We give thanks because God has given us everything we need in Christ.  We must guard against a consumer Christianity.  We don’t make deals with God.  We can’t purchase financial success by tithing.  We can’t earn extra blessings from God by doing good deeds.  Faith isn’t a spiritual marketplace.

We do these things, we obey God because we love him.  They are acts of gratitude.  Thanksgiving is often not what you say, but what you do.

Simon shows us the danger of a heart not right with God —a faith without surrender, a belief without gratitude.  But Samaria shows us what happens when the gospel takes root —joy erupts, worship spreads, and lives are transformed.  This Thanksgiving —let us not be like Simon, pursuing what God gives.  Let us seek God Himself, the source of every good and perfect gift.

2 Corinthians 9:15   Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!