The Power is Yours (Acts 8:4-13,18-25)
Gary McManus, 05/18/2014Part of the Life With Jesus is Better series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
Luke is the writer/editor (by his own admission)
[See Luke 1:1-4, Acts 1:1]
Luke is an excellent writer even if we are not
certain why Luke is telling us the things that
he is telling us. Luke tells us much here.
Ancient peoples and ourselves are alike in
at least one way; we want control or power.
Magicians in the ancient world could help
with that. Magicians SAID they could help.
Charlatan= “chatterbox” ; a person who sold
Medicines. Now we think of a charlatan as
a huckster or swindler.
Luke saw Simon the Magician that way.
Simon the Magician “sold himself” as
The Great One. . .the Mighty One.
Simon obviously appreciated spiritual matters.
Simon the Magician could see and appreciate
that the Apostles have power.
Simon the magician wanted that power.
Simon offered to BUY the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit isn’t for sale. HS can’t be owned.
Do we want something FROM God?
Are our prayers for the purpose of GETTING
something from God?
That is NOT how Jesus taught us to pray.
[Lord’s Prayer]
Jesus didn’t teach us to pray for stuff.
Simon the Magicians’ first problem:
to Simon the Holy Spirit is some-THING
The power of God is not for sale to any one at any price.
But the power of God is REAL.
The church says, the Apostles said:
what everyone really needs is Jesus.
Jesus said that all of our real problems
come from our hearts. (Matthew 15: (18)19-20)
Jesus through the Holy Spirit works on our hearts.
Nothing can take that away.
See in the news this week? A Christian woman
in Sudan sentenced to death for being a Christian.
But the law cannot change the woman’s heart.
Threats of torture and death cannot change this Christian’s heart.
Only God in Christ can make our hearts right before God.
That is why what we are doing right now is free.
That is why our events are free.
What we are involved in, money cannot buy.
We are involved in the power of the Holy Spirit
It moves freely and it works freely.
But it is promised to ALL those who come to Jesus Christ.
(See Luke 9:1-2, Luke 24:49, Acts 3:1-16, Acts 8:4-8)
The power of the Holy Spirit STILL cures them all.
It starts in our hearts.
And it can never be taken from you. Amen.
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