The Magic Man

with Pastor Micheal Oxentenko

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Okay, let's pray, Dear Father, were so grateful for Jesus.
We're grateful. We can get into our bibles. We can
focus on the word of God and know you as
Savior today in His name Amen. The Bible records an
Acts eight that devout men buried Stephen, and the young

(00:22):
man named Saul, who had consented to his death, entered
one house after another, arresting Christians, men and women and
throwing them into prison. Now we have one word for that.
We call it persecution. When the four hundred and ninety
year time prophecy of Daniel nine had come to its end,
it was the last year demonic powers moved on religious

(00:46):
people to persecute God's people so the Gospel would not
go to the world. And that is exactly what will
happen in the Mark of the Beast issue. At the
time of the end. Religious people will interact with the
civil authorities, according the book Revelation, to persecute those who
proclaim the First, the Second, and most importantly the third

(01:09):
Angel's message in that critical hour of crises at the
time of the End. And so it shouldn't come as
a surprise that Stephen died the very year the seventy
week prophecy of day On nine came to an end.
Some people say, Pastor Mike, what's that. That is the
time prophecy that Sir Isaac Newton called the cornerstone of
the Christian religion. It is the empirical evidence that Jesus

(01:30):
Christ is the savior of the world. Four hundred and
ninety years in advance from the going forth of the
decree to restore Bill Jerusalem prophesied in day On nine
twenty five, seventy weeks of years in day On nine
twenty four would occur until Messiah Prince and he maps
it out in detail. Seven weeks from the autumn of
four to fifty seven BC to four eight BC is

(01:51):
forty nine years four hundred and thirty four years sixty
two weeks until Messiah, and it brings us right smack
to the fifteenth year of Tiberia. Caes are recorded in
Luke three to one. So we have the New Testament
confirming that Christ showed up on time eighty twenty seven
prophetic time based on Daniel's time prophecy. Of course, that

(02:14):
time prophecy predicted that for the last seven years, unlike
modern dispensationless theology, which teaches they cut that seven years
off and throw it into the future. They call the
Messiah prince there the anti Christ. It's crazy stuff unknown
in Christian theology until the last couple hundred years. But
the reformers, the early Christians, they got this time prophecy

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right in the midst of that last seven weeks, that
last seven years, the Messiah would be cut off and
have nothing, and that was the death of Jesus Christ.
They would destroy the city and the sanctuary. And Jesus
refers to this verse when he says, you destroy this temple,
and in three days I'll raise it up. He's talking
about himself. The true sanctuary that came to tabernacle with

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us was Jesus Christ. So all that's going on, I
look at Acts eighty three, but it says, but Saul
was ravaging the church and entering house after house. He
dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.
Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.
Now that's not a bad thing for us to do.
We should go about preaching the word. All this was

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predicted in the four hundred and ninety years seventy week
time prophecy of Daniel nine. Look at verse twenty six
with me. Let's just read it. After the sixty two
weeks an anointed one, literally in the Hebrew misshiach Messiah
shall be cut off. So Christ dies after eighty twenty
seven the last at the beginning, in the middle of

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the last week, we learned later on, and it shall
have nothing. When Jesus died on the cross of Calvary,
you know what the Bible says, he had nothing. He
was rendered to a god forsaken moment. My God, my God,
why have you forsaken me? Fulfilling this verse? And shall
have nothing, And the people of the prince who is

(04:03):
to come shall destroy the city and the sainctuary. And
scholars have debated about that back and forth. Some have said, well,
the prince is the Messiah here. Others have said, well,
it's Titus, the Roman legion commander. The word nigied means
a military commander and principle, it's used for the Messiah
and Daniel eleven twenty two when the mess michiakhnagied would

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be cut off and have nothing. We broken by the
prince of the king of the North. But Jesus actually
quotes this verse. He says, the prince of this world
is coming, and he has no power over me. Christ
applied this to the devil. When we allow Satan to
come into our midst and we surrender ourselves to Satanic

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control in our lives, the whole thing falls apart. So
we cannot be in the business of allowing demonic forces
to control our attitudes. He goes on to say it's
in and in the Hebrew it can be translated. His
end shall come with a flood, and that matches Day
eleven twenty two, when the Messiah is swept away the

(05:09):
Prince of the covenant like a flood. His end shall
come with a flood, and to the end there will
be war, desolations are decreed. So based on that, now
look at verse twenty seven. He shall make a strong
covenant with many, and literally for one week and the
mindsets for half of the week, but literally in the Hebrew,
in the midst of the week, he should cause sacrifice

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and offering to cease. Christ had a three and a
half year ministry. In the middle of that last seven years,
the veil of the temple was rent from top to bottom,
type met any type, and no longer can a lamb
be a lamb. It no longer points forward to something,
because the lamb of God had appeared the sacrifice of
the Red Half. For it appear the sacrifice for all

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sacrifice had coalesced at the Cross of Calvary in the
midst of the week, and the sacrificial system came to
an end predicted by the prophet Daniel. And then it
says this, upon the wing of abominations shall come one
who makes desolate, even until the decreed end is poured
out on the desolate r the abomination of desolation spoken

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of and down on the prophet Matthew twenty four, verse fifteen,
that Christ said would be operative at the time of
the end. In verse fourteen, the gospel goes until the end.
It comes after the death of Christ. It's not Antiacus
Epiphanes four in the pre Christian era. It appears after
Christ's death on the cross, and it would be the

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major challenge to the Gospel at the time of the end.
And by the way Jesus identified it in principle as Rome,
some phase of Rome would be an abomination force to
the time of the end. And then he says, until
the decreed end is poured out on the desolate, or
that power would be present in some way, Rome in

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some capacity at the second coming of Christ and would
be destroyed. So we have a little picture of eschatology
right here. In the seventy weeks of day On nine.
The early Church was working off of this prophecy. Is
the evidence for Jesus Christ that they were in fact
God's people, that the New Covenant had been inaugurated, because
it says he will confirm a covenant. Paul goes to

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Hebrews nine and goes right here to say the New
Covenant is online based on the time prophecy after the
death of the Messiah Dale nine. The prophecy predicted that
the church would be persecuted all the way down to
the end of time. Gaber predicted that there would be
many desolations. He says, desolations are decreed, So don't be

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surprised in your life when you face fiery troubles. Don't say, oh,
how could that happen to me? And my experience? The
Book of Daniel predicted that desolations are decreed. The early
Church experienced many of these desolations, and they came from
religion people, often from religious people on the inside who

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gave their attitudes to the evil One and help to
persecute their brothers and sisters and friends. It will be
the same for us at the time of the end,
if we are faithful to Jesus Christ. Don't look for
popular Christianity, look for faithful Christianity. Now, I have never
been one, and I'll tell you this flat out, that
gives two cents about the majority affirming my ministry or

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God's work. I would rather work with a faithful minority
who wants the Bible, who wants Christ, who wants to
do the right thing, who aren't arrogant, but the humble
servants of God. That I would three thousand people. I
once pastored a church that could have been considered a
little megachurch. The evangelistic budget was nothing like ours here

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at Reaching Hearts. You see, so our church here is
having a greater impact in terms of our budget and
our outreach then that megachurch was that could barely pay
its bills because of unfaithfulness. It doesn't mean things are easy,
but we must be with the Lord. Look at first
Peter four twelve. Beloved, do not be surprised at the

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fiery ordeal which comes upon you? And what does it
say in the Bible to do what to prove you? So?
Why does why does fiery trials come upon us? What
does it say to protest us? To prove us? As
though something strange was happening to you? But rejoice in
so far as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may

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also rejoice and be glad when you share his glory
that is revealed. When his glory is revealed, You may
rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. So
how many of you have said, Lord, thank you so
much that I got attacked for sharing my faith last week? Lord,
thank you that I've been on the gun because I've
tried to follow your will. It's hard for us to

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think that way. Look at John six thirty three. I
have said this to you that in me you may
have what does it say peace in the world? You
have tribulation, but be of good cheer, And I like this,
I have overcome the world. Friends. At this point in

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Acts eight, the narrative shifts from the death of Stephen,
the first of the Magnificent Seven Deacons, to Philip, who
was the second in rank of the seven deacons. There's
a principle here. When Satan takes out a godly leader,
God always moves on another person to rise up, take

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their place and move the cause forward, because God's work
is not dependent upon a great leader. Philip is known
in Acts twenty one to eight as Philip the Evangelist.
Philip's name in Greek means lover of horses, horses with
long flowing How many of you like horses here? Any
any horse fans? Okay? You realize that reaching Harts Church

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was built where an old horse farm used to be.
The Hamburg horse Farm was right here. That we have
horse trails in the back that go around WSSC that
are awesome, and if we had horses we could also
do the same. So maybe we'll get someone with a
horse that will use our trails. Again. But Philip's name
means lover of horses, phil oh love hip hos horse

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Horses with long flowing hair, graceful form, special speed are
symbolic of beautiful women in the Bible. Did you know that? So? Oh,
pastor Mike, now you're really you're really getting into trouble here. Okay,
wait now in the song now I know this from
chiastic analysis that horses with long flowing hair matches women.

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It comes up again and again and again. So now
my sister loves horses, and others do that I know
of as well. And song of Solomon. Is Solomon a
wise man? Yes? Or no, the wisest man other than Christ.
Here's what he said. He compared his sweetheart Shoelamite to
a mayor of Pharaoh's chariots. Can we say, ah, ah, Now,

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that must have been a very beautiful flowing hair in
the wind, graceful form, speed, they make those beautiful sounds
that they thought that way. So let's not get all
offended by that he was a lover of horses. No,
Philip had four beautiful daughters who were virgins, and they
were also prophets. Philip loved his daughter as a good

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Christian father, and they must have loved him very much. Also,
these beautiful girls chose to stay home with their daddy,
to not get married, and to dedicate their lives to
sharing their faith to help their evangelist father win people.
To Jesus Christ. Philip was a lover of horses. That's

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what's really in the meaning of that name. Acts eighty
five Philip went down to a city of Samaria and
proclaimed to them the Christ. Do you see that in
your bible? Who did he proclaim? Ah? He didn't say, well,
by the way, let me tell you about how good
my church is. Now. His church was good, But what
was his message? Jesus Christ. Samaria is the place where

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Jesus met the woman at Jacob's well near Shechem. Jesus
had already been there. He had already worked with that woman.
At the well, Jesus revealed to the Samaritan woman that
he was the Christ, the Messiah, before he did it
in any scale than anybody else. And thus the ground
had already been prepared by Jesus for the Samaritans to

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receive the Christ. And Philip was proclaiming that which Jesus
had already shared. Sometimes we reap in our evangelistic efforts
from the labors of those who have come before us.
Christ spoke this truth to his disciples at the well
in Samaria where he met the Samaritan woman. Look at
John four thirty seven, for here the saying holds true.

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One sous and another reaps. I sent you to reap
that for which you did not labor. Others have labored,
and you have entered into their labor. So Christ knew
that what he was doing there would have an impact later,
and that Philip the Evangels would show up to win
this country to Jesus. Christ could have us. Jesus would

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have us all, every one of us here encourage a
humble attitude about our role and place of importance in
a service. Friends, we are not indispensable and great in
the work of God. We are interconnected and in need
of the gifts and efforts of others to make a
difference in life. When we serve in the church, it's

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not about how good we do. It's not about how
pretty we look. It's not about how import and we
sense our role. It's about what we do in quiet
service and selflessness for the church and for others. Notice
the fruit of Philip's efforts in the field that Jesus
had already prepared in advance. Look at verse six, Acts eight,
and the multitudes with one accord gave heed to what

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was said by Philip. And when they heard him, they
saw the signs which he did. For unclean spirits came
out of many who were possessed, crying with a loud voice,
and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So
there was much joy in that city. Philip's preaching of

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the Christ, who is the Gospel of God. According to
Romans one, Jesus is the gospel, the death, the burial,
the resurrection of Jesus. He died for my sins. He
was buried to take him away. He was raised, as
Paul says in Romans four twenty five to four. Our acceptance,
our justification, our legal acquittal. Christ the Apostolic Gospel, not

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some crazy version of the gospel or no gospel at all.
And there were three results. Number one, people were freed
from their personal slavery to demonic powers. I want to
thank Lucian for making this slide for me. Thank you,
God be praised. He took the initiative to make sure
you could see this. Number two, many people were healed

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from their physical diseases and ailments. You see, the healing
ministry goes with the gospel ministry. That's why intrinsically, God's
work has always had health dimensions to it. Number Three,
the people experienced a new and intense joy. Say that
word with me. Joy. Now, my wife's middle name is joy.

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I don't say like this, Diana, Diana Joy Oxentanko. When
you say joy, how do you say it? Joy? Joy?
You smile? The text says there was much joy in
that city. Now, friends, Christ didn't come into this world
to make it a sadder and more somber place to be.

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He didn't raise up his church so he could frown
and feel awful all the time. Christ came to earth
to bring Heaven's joy into our lives. Christ sends his
followers today into the cities to bring joy into places
that are plagued with crime and violence. God didn't ask
Philip to run from the cities. God sent Philip to

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the save the city of Samaria. Friends, were not ambassadors
of doom and gloom and fear called to spend out
our days in the woods running from end time events.
The Bible says, the fearful end up in the lake
of fire. We are messengers of joy, sent to people
like us who live everywhere, including the city and all

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the communities of the world. Philip was an evangelist. In
John fifteen, verse eleven, these things I have spoken to you,
Jesus said that my joy may be where What does
the text say may be in you. Christ wants to
be in you. And when His joy is in you,

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it's evidence that Christ is with you, that your joy
may be full. So without Jesus, how much joy do
we have? None? With Jesus we have full joy. There
was much in that city because Philip the evangelist preached
Jesus Christ much joy. I was invited to the Grace
Presbyterian Church last week, and I preached on Sunday the

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sermon I preached on Saturday here, and it was a
blessing to me. I saw them respond to the prophetic message,
to my testimony to God's word. But they were already
loving Christians with joy in their congregation. What a wonderful thing.
At this point, the narrative an Axe eight shifts to

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a man named Simon who was a magician. I will
call him the magic man, Simon the magic man, because
that is what he was. Look at Acts eight, verse nine.
But there was a man named Simon who had previously
practiced magic in the city and amazed the nation of Samaria,

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saying that he himself was somebody great. They all gave
heed to him, from the least of the great at
saying this man is that power of God, which is
called great. You ever said something that's great? Have you
ever said I am great? Everybody's silent? Sure you have, man,

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I feel great? You ever said that? You ever bragged
about yourself a little bit? Okay, Look records that Simon
the magic Man proclaimed himself to be someone great. Now
we can do the same thing as a church. We say, oh,
our church is so great. Now it may be, but
when we boast, Paul says, we should boast of whom

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boast of the Lord and First Corinthians one. The Greek
word from magic has related to the great Greek word
for great. It sounds similar in the language. The two
words are similar, like magic and magnificent. You get an
idea of that. In the Gospel. God has not called
us to greatness, did you hear me, But to smallness,

(20:30):
to insignificance, to take up our cross daily and follow him.
God has not called us to proclaim our self importance
or how indispensable we are in the world, but to
proclaim our important and indispensable Savior, who in love gave
himself for the world. When we have done our work

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in the Church and the world, we will soon be
forgotten for it. But Jesus Christ will be remembered long
after we are gone, because we have been faithful links
in a chain. John the Baptist told his disciples that
I must decrease that he, Jesus, might increase. Simon, the
magic Man, had it all backwards. Simon was in the

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business of looking big and important, so you gain a
sense of self importance and greatness in the church. Simon
fed off the approval and admiration of others. He got
supply from that. In the Gospel of Luke in the
Book of Acts, the power of that God was not
a person. That wasn't Jesus. The power of God was
the Holy Spirit. Friends, when you have God's power, you

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have God's Holy Spirit your life Luke one p. Seven.
He will begin, he will go before him in the
spirit and power of Elijah Luke one thirty five. The
Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of
the Most Tie will overshadow you. Luke four fourteen. Jesus
returned in the power of the Spirit in the Galilee,

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Acts one to eight. But you shall receive power when
the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall
be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and
Samaria and to the ends of the earth. Magic is
God's counter is Satan's counterfeit of Holy Spirit power. Magic

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relies on unclean spirits, personal power, self esteem, position, and
rank manipulation instead of the Holy Spirit working in your life.
Magic seeks seeks to manipulate power to get what we
want in life. The Holy Spirit seeks to change you

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so God can get what he wants in your life.
Simon the Magic Man had it all wrong and upside down,
and so can we. There are many who come to
church who are just like Simon the Magic Man. Maybe
we have been those people in our life. Many people
come to church looking to see what they can get
out of the church, instead of seeking what God can
do in the church for them and in the world.

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They measure the worth of the church by whether or
not the church meets their needs. Instead of seeking to
surrender their lives and needs to God. They say, well,
I can't serve because I wasn't treated right. I can't
serve because they can't get my need met right. So
God's Holy Spirit is missing in their lives because it's
all about them and it's not about Christ and God's power.

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At The heart of the magic Man's syndrome is the
delusion that I me and my is the most important
thing in my religious experience. I want the kind of
music that meets my needs. I want to go to
the church where I feel important. I want to go
to church that helps me grow financially. See the problem,

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dear heart, God didn't put you on this earth to
look greater, to be greater, whine about your needs that
have to be met. God placed you in Jesus because
God loves you, because God loves you more than God,
to save you, to make you a selfless being for
all eternity, to live for other men and women and children.

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All the people in the city had been duped by
the magic man in his act. Surprisingly, Philip's preaching was
so effective that many people were converted Jesus Christ in
spite of the shister Simon the Great Verse eleven, Acts eight.
And they gave heed to him because for a long

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time he had amazed them with his magic. But when
they believed Philip as he preached good news that means
the gospel about the Kingdom God and the name of
Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women, where
is the real amazing part of the story. Is it
the magic or the baptisms? Baptisms? Notice the stark contrasts

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with Simon the magic Man and Philip the evangelist. You
were noticed in the text that Philip didn't preach the
good news about Philip. Philip preached the good news about
the Kingdom of God and most importantly, the name of
Jesus Christ. As a result, many men and women were
baptized into Jesus Christ. In verse thirteen, what happened to

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Simon the magic Man? It says even Simon himself believed,
and after being baptized, he continued with Philip, and seeing
signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed. Simon came
forward in that altar call of Philip, he was baptized
into Jesus Christ. Like the rest, he saw a winning

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program in the church. He wanted to be a part
of it. But when Simon got his eyes off of
Jesus and didn't take long for Simon and on to
the miracles of Jesus through Philip, the importance of his
baptism fade away, and the power of it and the
power of real conversion was sacrificed. Instead of focusing on

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the name and person of Jesus in order to have
a relationship with Jesus and the Word of God. I'll
say this forthrightly. We're living in a time when most
Christians could care less what the Bible says. Do you
know that they don't care? Many people don't care what
the Bible says. But God cares what the Bible says,

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and we should care. I mean, when these apostles were
preaching the truth, they were not preaching a message that
was doom and gloom. They were preaching a message of
hope based on the Word of God and the life
of Christ that had become alive to them in their time.
When the apostles that Drusalm saw that the Holy Spirit

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was doing it in Samaria, they sent Peter and John
to help. Philip Out fifteen says that Peter and John
came down to pray for the people to receive the
Holy Spirit. Friend, No one receives the Holy Spirit without
prayer and baptism in the name of the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit. Acts eight fourteen. And when the

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apostles that Jerusalem heard that Samari 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 it had not yet fallen on
any of them. But they had only been baptized. And
what does the text say, They've been baptized into the

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name of the Lord Jesus, for he gives on to say.
Then they laid their hands on them, and they received
the Holy Spirit. Some people said, well, all I need
to do is accept Christ. Well, guess what, when you're baptized,
you're not baptized into the name of Jesus alone. Did
you know that? Look records the people had the had

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not received the Holy Spirit because they had been baptized
only into the name of Jesus. Turn to Matthew twenty eight.
Look at verse eighteen. Christ gave us the baptismal formula
here that recognizes the person of the Father, the person
of the Son, and the person of the Holy Spirit,
what theologians have called the trinity, what has been called

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in our early church history the Holy Trio, the Heavenly trio.
But it's the same thing, but with the early Church
affirmed as the triune God had and Jesus came and
said of them all authority on heaven earth has been
given to me. Next verse, go therefore and make disciples

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of how many nations, all nations, baptizing them in the
name of Jesus. Only does it say that baptizing them
in the name singular of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, which means they share
the same name. In the Old Testament, that name is Yahweh.
You go to Axus twenty four. Yahweh is talking about Yahweh,

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who is also on the mountain. That's the Father and
the Son Yahweh with Yahweh. But in the baptismal formula
that Jesus gave us, we are to recognize that the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit have the same name.
They're Yahweh. They're the Jehovah Yahweh, God of Mount SINAI.
Next verse, teaching them to observe all that I've commanded.

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You should we pick and choose what the Bible says.
You know, when some ethesis comes along and he says, well,
I think that we should do this, but the Bible
says this, but we kind of know we should we
go with the ethicist or the Bible. The Bible and
that goes for theology, Christian religion, and the like. There
are many people today who honestly believe that God nailed

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his law to the cross of Calvary. Now think about that.
In Psalms one hundred and nineteen fifty five, the Bible
says that God's law is God's name. Same thing, because
God's name is I am who I am. If God
reveals his name, he's revealing his character who he is,

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and the law because of that association is a revelation
of the character of God. Now, guests who came to
reveal the character of God, what's his name? Christ said,
the name that you have given me I have revealed
to them. He means your character, your law, your covenant.
God didn't nail the law to the cross of Calvary.

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God knailed the lawgiver to the cross of Calvary. God
didn't do away with the laws of moral standard. He
let the law giver, God in Christ die because the
law could never be changed. Friends, the ten Commandment law
is the constitution of the universe. And that's why in

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the Lord's prayer, our Father, who art in heaven, how
w it be thy, what thy name, thy kingdom? Come?
Thy will be done on earth as it is where
in heaven. God's law here is the same as God's
law there. He gave them his covenant in Deuteronomy four thirteen.

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As good as Philip was with all his evangelistic zeal
and success, Philip still needed the clear teaching of Peter
and John his overseers, to perfect his methods to baptize
people in the right way, to not err in theology.
And Jesus says that we're to baptize people in the
name of the Father, of the Son and the Holy Spirit.

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Don't think for one moment you can willfully ignore the
Trinity and your baptism experience that you can refuse to
recognize the person of the Holy Spirit. Friends, God's not
going to give you the Holy Spirit if you insult
him and insult the person of the Holy Spirit. He says,
he is jealous for his spirit. That is why the
apostles laid their hands on the people, because the Holy

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Spirit is called the hand of God the finger of
God in Old Testament symbolic imagery. So they laid their
hands upon them to receive the Holy Spirit. Recognizing the
person of the Holy Spirit. We should do the same,
and we do it baptisms. Here. When Simon saw the
power in Peter and John to lay hands upon the
people to receive the Holy Spirit, Simon saw big dollar

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signs popping up in his mind. Look at verse seventeen.
Then they lay their hands on them, they received the
Holy Spirit. Now, when Simon saw the spirit was given
through the laying on of the apostles hands, he offered
them what money, okay, bucksheesh, saying, give me also this

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power that anyone on whom I lay my hands may
receive the Holy Spirit. Now, friend, think about this. The
Gospel is free, and the Bible teaches us the Holy Spirit,
God's gift of grace to us the magic and didn't
realize that we don't earn our way into God's favor.
We can't buy the love that is the gift of

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God through the Holy Spirit. We can't manipulate the heart
of God to be gracious. We can't pay our way
into a heaven that is free. It's not at pay
and pray like many of the televangelists of our time
would teach a satanic instruments of evil. It is just
pray on your knees and let God in his kindness

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to his work in your life through the power of
the Holy Spirit. In verse nineteen, Simon wanted the same
power to give the Holy Spirit to anybody he wanted to.
That is not how it works for us. The Holy
Spirit only comes to those who come to Jesus in
humility and pray for the Holy Spirit. And friends, know

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Jesus in your life. No Holy Spirit. At this point,
Peter lets Simon the magic man, have it. I mean,
he lays into him in Love Acts eight twenty. But
Peter said to him, you are silver. Perish with you
because you thought you could obtain the gift of God
with money. Now the doctrine of indulgences, which the Roman

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papacy affirms today, that you can pay your way out
of purgatory. You can put money in a coffer and
somehow some person can get out of the fires of purgatory.
The Bible doesn't teach a purgatory. In fact, Johann Tetzel,
who in the Reformation was selling indulgences to build the

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you know the Vatican Saint Peter's Basilica at the time
of Martin Luther, had a little poem and this is
the English version. As soon as coin in coffer clings, clinks,
or something like that, sold from purgatory springs millions of dollars.
The Vatican City has been built upon the lie that

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you can buy your way out of to malice bitterness,
he says in verse eight twenty three, for I see
that you are in the gall of bitterness and in
the bond of iniquity. Malice, bitterness, and iniquity had a
reign on Simon's heart that it made him a slave

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to self. Simon the magic man wasn't great at all.
He was really a small, puny man, holding grudges, making
life miserable for others. He was toxic, he was narcissistic.
It was all about Simon, not about Jesus. And Peter
called on Simon to repent and to pray so the

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Holy Spirit could change him, or he was a dead man.
The same is true for us, friends. If we go
to church for those kind of reasons, we're dead men
and women. We must live for Christ for the right
kind of reason. Simon was in danger of dropping dead,
just like Annas and Saphara had dropped dead when Peter
confronted them about their lives to the Holy Spirit twenty

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four and Simon answered, pray for me to the Lord,
that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.
Now when they heard they had, and now when they
had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, it
says they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the Gospel to many
villages of the Samaritans. Notice what Simon asked Peter to

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pray for. He asked Peter to pray for the consequences
of his sin, that that would not happen. He did
not ask Peter to pray for a changed heart. That
was malice and bitterness in the bond of iniquity that
Peter pointed out. He didn't say, oh, Peter, pray that
my heart is different. So when you pray the prayer

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that only wants good things in your life, but you
don't pray for a changed life, it can turn on
you and you can become imprisoned by the very things
that control you. You can become blind in facdom. In
the field of psychology, Carl jun called it the shadow

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and shadow projection that when you come to believe that
others have the very traits that you yourself have that
are evil, but you don't recognize it, and you come
to hated in others, you become the most kind of
evil possible. That's why Jesus had judged, not that you
be not judged. We are to have a sense of
our smallness, none of our greatness, because we tend to
project onto others their own sinfulness. Simon didn't plead with

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Peter for grace to change his life. He also didn't
pray for himself. He just asked Peter to pray for him.
Not altogether bad here, but definitely not ideal. And what
did God do to Simon? God spared Simon's life anyway
to show Simon that he loved him, that he was

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gracious towards this narcissistic, deceived man, and that he was
baptized into Christ. And God's true power of love could
change him to that person at any point in time
who has done what Simon does can do exactly what
Peter did. We can have someone pray for us, and

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then maybe in time we will pray for ourselves. You
can pray for yourself. Acts eight twenty five. Now, when
they had testified and spoke the Word of the Lord,
they returned to Jerusalem preaching the what the Gospel, What
does the word Gospel mean we talked about it last week.
The good news to many villages of the Samaritans friend

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in the power of the Holy Spirit, many walls of
racism and resentment were broken down, and men and women
were saved by the power of the Holy Spirit, who
is the right answer in our lives as the free
gift of God for the magic Man syndrome that we
all could be afflicted with, and maybe we all have heart.

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Come to Christ. Consider yourself small, let this mind be
in you that was in Christ, and watch the Holy
Spirit work in your life to save others. And don't
be surprised that God saves you too. Your heavenly Father,

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we thank you today for Jesus. We ask you to
live in us and help us to live for you
in Jesus' name, Amen,