The New Exile- The Spread of the Holy Spirit
Sermon on Acts 8.1-40
Title: The New Exile- the Spread of the Holy Spirit
Theme: The Influence of the Holy Spirit spreads as the Holy Spirit wants.
Goal: to encourage Christians that the Holy Spirit spreads as the Holy Spirit wants.
Need: Often Christians like to control the movement of the power of the Holy Spirit.
Isaiah 56:8
Sermon in oral style.
I want to continue where we left off last week. We journeyed through the first 5 chapters of Acts last week. We saw the power of the Holy Spirit. We saw the power that the apostles possessed because the Holy Spirit inspired them. We saw how Ananias and Sephirrah died because they lied to the Holy Spirit. They withheld from God what they already committed to him. Now, I want to look at a pretty long section that has really interested me this week. We are going to look at the whole chapter of Acts 8.
But lets get there slowly and look at chapter and section headings to find the themes again that show up all through the book of Acts.
Notice the themes of the power of the apostles. You also will see themes that show up like the positive influence of persecution.
When we get to chapter 6 we should notice that something different is happening and this sets the stage for what comes up in Chapter 8. It tells us at the beginning of chapter 6 that even these Holy Spirit filled apostles are overlooking the care of Grecian Jews. The Hebraic Jews are fine, but the Grecian converts, these widows are being over looked.
So they choose seven spirit filled people to look after the distribution of food. The most recognizeable one is Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Interesting that the first Christian martyr was a essentially a deacon. His story is in the next two chapters.
But then we come to chapter 8 and it tells us one of these themes in Acts. The positive influence of the persecution of Stephen and other Christians. Verses 1-41And Saul was there, giving approval to his death.
On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.
4Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.
In verse 4 Luke uses a word intentionally that gives away his evaluation of the events that he is going to write about next. The word is scattered. You could look it up and you would find all kinds of passages about the scattering of people around the world like after the tower of babel or the scattering of armies after a defeat. Searching the English word only helps a little. The greek word is diasporentes. If you search this word you will find it more in the Old Testament where it means exiled. The recreated Holy Spirit community is beginning to look like the Old Testament community. Many believers are exiled away while only a few remain in Jerusalem.
The Old Testament exile needs to be kept in mind as we read.
Now verses 5-85Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. 6When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. 8So there was great joy in that city.
Philip. Another one of the seven chosen along with Stephen preaches boldly and confidently. He does miracles.
Did you notice where he was exiled to, where the scattering sent him? To Samaria. And which type of people live in Samaria? Its the Samaritans. The unruly sinners themselves. The ones not pure enough. These are the half-Jews.
That’s not all. He also reaches out to a sorcerer. Sorcery was a big no no for the Jews. Verses 9-139Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is the divine power known as the Great Power.” 11They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. 12But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
One note about the importance of doing miracles. Philip does miracles. Simon does evil miracles. What is it that changes the hearts of the people for God. Is it miracles? Is it healings and casting out demons? Verse 12. Two kinds of miracles being done, but it is the proclamation of the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. That’s what leads to the conversion of the people in Samaria. The good news even wins over Simon the sorcerer who is amazed at the things Philip does and preaches.
The miracles are always secondary to the message of who Christ is and what he has done for us. Some Christians act as if the miracles are the good news. Do a miracle, then you know you have the holy spirit in you. Its encouraging to a non miraculous preacher like myself that power is in the promise of Scripture, that Christ died to make us right with God. Miracles would be awesome, but its secondary.
The next thing we have in the passage left me wrestling for the longest time. Philip preaches and baptizes the Samaritans who believe, but they haven’t received the Holy Spirit. This doesn’t seem right. The Holy Spirit has given them faith, but isn’t fully present with them? Its tough to understand.
We shouldn’t right away then assume that some people are just special enough to lay hands of people and give them the Holy Spirit. Isn’t that the mistake that Simon makes? He believes that giving out the Holy Spirit is an ability that can be bought. Listen as he tries to buy something that just isn’t for sale. Verses 13-2014When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 17Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
20Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”
24Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”
Laying on of hands is not our way of controlling the power of the Spirit. When the elders and deacons who were chosen today have hands laid on them, its not because the officebearers of the church have the corner on the Holy Spirit. It IS a way that we ask special blessing from the Holy Spirit on them. But the Holy Spirit comes on who he wants to.
But why did John and Peter need to come to Samaria. Did Philip not have his laying on of hands license yet? What?
What’s going on is a Samaritan Pentecost. In chapter 6, the 7 people who were going to minister to the widows already had the Holy Spirit on them, then had hands laid on them. These have hands laid on them, so that the Jews are not the only one who have the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes on Samaritans. God has something different going on.
Then the story returns back to Philip again. This time its a story that we probably have heard before about Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. In that story and Ethiopian needs help interpreting Scripture. Philip helps him understand it according to the Holy Spirit. The passage he reads comes from Isaiah 53:7-8. We find it in verse32The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture:
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before the shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
33In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”
Philip started here to tell all about Jesus Christ. And the eunuch stopped the chariot they rode so Philip could baptize him. The eunuch accepted the faith.
This made me wonder why a passage like this would be included in the Bible. Why did Luke decide to write about Stephen and Philip out of the seven deacons but not of the others. Why did Philip get scattered to Samaria? Why did the Samaritans have another Pentecost when Peter and John came? Why when there were thousands of people that came to faith, why the story of this eunuch?
It’s because the ministry events that surrounded the life of Philip are the fulfillment of prophecies of Old Testament. Turn to Isaiah 56. The ministry of Philip accomplished what the Holy Spirit promised would happen.
Perhaps we can summarize chapter 8 like this: The exiled/scattered Christians gather in the foreigners to experience the Holy Spirit. And even a foreign eunuch accepts the love of Christ.
Now let me read what it says in Isaiah 56. 1This is what the Lord says:
“Maintain justice
and do what is right,
for my salvation is close at hand
and my righteousness will soon be revealed.
2Blessed is the man who does this,
the man who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it,
and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
3Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the Lord say,
“The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.”
And let not any eunuch complain,
“I am only a dry tree.”
4For this is what the Lord says:
“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose what pleases me
and hold fast to my covenant—
5to them I will give within my temple and its walls
a memorial and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that will not be cut off.
6And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord
to serve him,
to love the name of the Lord,
and to worship him,
all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it
and who hold fast to my covenant—
7these I will bring to my holy mountain
and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
a house of prayer for all nations.”
8The Sovereign Lord declares—
he who gathers the exiles of Israel:
“I will gather still others to them
besides those already gathered.”
Exiles here is the same as the word scattered in Acts. God will gather those who are scattered. Still others with join the kingdom through all those who are scattered. Foreigners and empowered eunuchs. Philip brings the fulfillment of this passage. Philip brings fulfillment of the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of God the Father and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit going to all communities of the world.
One final point. Throughout the Old Testament, did you notice how those who were scattered were suppoed to be gathered again into a physical location of Jerusalem. Through the Holy Spirit, there is no gathering back to one place like the temple in Jerusalem. Through the Holy Spirit, the gathering is bringing others to recognize that the Holy Spirit lives in them. Through faith they have been gathered in.
I will open it up again now. Are there questions you really are hoping to have answered tonight