Bill Acton :: Acts 8 - Philip’s Witness in Judea and Samaria

Sermon Outline for Acts 8

Philip’s Witness in Judea and Samaria

1. The Expansion of the Church – Act 8:1-5
   1. The paragraph begins with persecution
   2. The paragraph ends with proclamation
   3. God uses opposition
      1. The murder of Stephen by the Council
      2. The rage of Saul
         1. Forced the Church out of Jerusalem
         2. Made it necessary for all believers to be “ministers”
      3. Christ rules in the midst of enemies
2. Philip in Samaria – Act 8:4-24
   1. It was a transitional witness
      1. Samaria is between Judea and Galilee
      2. Samaritans are a bridge between Jews and Gentiles
   2. It was a genuine ministry of the Spirit
      1. There was response to the truth (Christ) – Act 8:5-6
      2. There was the accompaniment of power
         1. There were miracles of healing
         2. The physical demonstrated the power of the spiritual
      3. There was great joy in that city – Act 8:8
   3. The real thing vs. the counterfeit – Act 8:9-24
      1. Simon the magician
         1. He was involved in sorcery
         2. The marks of counterfeit faith – Act 8:9
            1. Counterfeit faith exalts the human – 2Co 4:5
            2. False Christianity attempts to interject a mediator between a believer and God – 1Ti 2:5
               1. Someone who claims an “in” with God
               2. A special channel that others don’t have
            3. Counterfeit power
               1. The “magic” was an occult practice – Deu 18:9-12
               2. The demonic produces miracles
            4. The counterfeit can deceive many
      2. The devil joins the Church – Act 8:13
         1. Simon openly identified himself with the Church
         2. The other Scripture passages reveal that Simon was unregenerate
            1. He said the right words
            2. He was a phony
         3. The weakness of the Church
            1. Unregenerate coming in and going through the motions
            2. Calling themselves Christian, but remaining unchanged in their heart
            3. The “mixed” multitude in the wilderness
      3. The Samaritans and the Holy Spirit
         1. The ministry of Peter and John
         2. Prayer and laying on of hands
         3. The Holy Spirit and the Samaritans
            1. Placing them into the Body
            2. Preventing the possibility of two churches
      4. The exposure of Simon
         1. He tried to buy spiritual power with money
         2. Peter’s rebuke
            1. “You and your money are both going to hell”
            2. You have spoken blasphemy
            3. Simon’s heart is not right before God. God reads hearts
            4. Simon is full of bitterness and the slave of iniquity
            5. The call to repentance
         3. Simon’s reply
            1. No real repentance
            2. He desired to escape the penalty
            3. No concern about his insult against God
         4. Simon became one of the chief opponents of the Gospel