(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

Hey, we're there in Acts eight. And the only, the reason we only read to verse number 25 is because I decided to break this sermon or break this chapter up into two sermons. Um, so they're in acts eight. Let's start there. Verse number one. And actually, let me bring up the speed. Remember that, uh, chapter seven was, um, about, um, Steven, remember Steven, the, the deacon. And he was out there preaching a wonderful message about the history of Israel and pointing people to Jesus Christ and, you know, uh, the religious leaders there of that day and the Jews, the Christ rejecting Jews, they did not like that sermon, so they decided to stone Steven to death and they had cast, they'd taken off their clothes. So those that, those that went to stone Steven took off their jackets and, you know, and later at the, uh, at Saul's feet, which was referred to as a young man at that time. And of course that same soul is who would become the apostle Paul. We know him more, more as, as by that name. Anyway, we get a little bit more information about soul or Paul here in verse number one, in acts eight, verse number one, it says, and soul was consenting unto his death. And so he was approving, you know, approving of the death approving of the, the murder of this man. And at that time, there was a great persecution against the church, which was at Jerusalem. And they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. The title for the sermon tonight is scattered abroad. It says they were all scattered abroad, scattered abroad. We're going to see how the saints of Jerusalem, uh, because of persecution, they're, they're going through other places, other villages, other cities, preaching the word of God. And so what we noticed here in verse number one, there's a few things that we notice is that they were scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, I want you to remember that. So it's the church in Jerusalem. The church in Jerusalem is in Judea, but of course they're prioritizing the city there. And because of the holiday seasons, you know, like the, uh, the day of Pentecost and things like that, many Jews are coming from other nations coming into the city. And so the gospel is being, uh, being preached. It's reaching the hearts of people. There are thousands getting saved. They're in Jerusalem. They're doing a great work in Jerusalem, but because of the persecution, they now find themselves going to other regions of Judea and Samaria. And then it says that at the end of that verse, except the apostles. So we learned that the apostles remained in Jerusalem. They remained, uh, during that time of persecution. Now I was kind of running my thoughts as to why that is the case. And I think we'll soon see later on is that soul and these persecutors, they're actually entering the houses of the believers. Now, uh, the apostles were largely from Galilee. They're not from Jerusalem. And so it's not their own houses in Jerusalem. So maybe for them, they're not being persecuted. Like you can't necessarily find, like, where is the house of, of, uh, John. Okay. Cause John's house is in Galilee somewhere. Right. And so maybe, uh, the persecution got from house to house is not affecting the apostles so much. Of course you still have believers in Jerusalem. It's not that every believer in Jerusalem is being scattered, but a lot of them are a lot of them are. And so it could be that the apostles have decided to remain in Jerusalem. For the church, uh, for the church and also to support the brethren that have decided to remain in Jerusalem. But I want you to keep your finger there and come with me to John 18. Keep your finger there and come with me to John 18, John 18. I just want to show you this verse here in John 18. And so, uh, you know, going back to the previous chapter, uh, the deacon, Steven, he was, you know, stoned to death. And I had mentioned last week that, you know, this was against the law because the Jews were under Roman power. And I just want to show you here in John 18, verse number 31, this is when the Jews are seeking to kill Jesus. It says in verse number 31, then said, pilot pilot, of course, being, um, part of the Roman empire, I said, pilot to them, take you him, take you Jesus and judge him according to your law, the Jews therefore said unto him, it is not lawful for us to put any man to death. See the Jews at the time were not allowed to put any man to death because I had to get approval from Rome. And so pilots say, look, you judge Jesus. I'm finding him innocent. Like you, you just take him and judge him. They're like, well, we want to kill him, but we can't. It's, it's, it's unlawful for us to do so. And so I just want to bring your thought there. How, how did the Jews get away with stoning Steven by killing a man? Of course, sometimes I suppose when you have mass numbers of people and the anger and the frustration, you know, they just said it, you know, wickedness in the heart to go and kill an innocent man. Can you come with me to acts nine quickly? Come with me to acts nine. So you're there in acts eight and let's come, come with me to acts nine. Something else that we learned in the next chapter regarding this persecution there in acts nine, verse number one, it says, and soul. Yet grieving out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord went unto the high priest and desired of him led us to Damascus, to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. So we notice in the next chapter that soul, when he goes to persecute the believers, he gets approval or permission from the high priest. But even then the high priest doesn't have power in Rome. I mean, I mean, he's an influence in Rome, you know, uh, these religious leaders, they're an influence in Rome, but they're not the power in Rome. And so, you know, like we don't have a lot of information, but what I read between the lines is that I would have expected that these religious leaders would have got some kind of permission from Rome, from Pilate or whoever to persecute these believers. That's what I think. I'm kind of reading between the lines there, but what we noticed with the death of Jesus Christ is that Rome would do anything to just appease the masses. All right. So even when Pilate says, this man is innocent, I don't want to crucify him. I don't want to kill him. You know, he was swayed by the masses. This is what politicians do. All right. They're swayed by the majority, not by what is right or wrong, but by the majority, even if the majority are wrong, they're swayed by that. And so, you know, I would suspect that something similar happened in Jerusalem, that the majority are like, Hey, we hate these, these, these, uh, these religious cults of Jesus Christ. We need to get rid of them. We've already killed a man. And instead of causing, you know, massive mayhem and damage in Jerusalem, I think, I just might guess out there, I think Rome just said, all right, just go round up these troublemakers and get them out of Jerusalem and they probably once again, just gave into the desire of the masses. Now come back with me to Acts eight, Acts eight and verse number two. It says, and devout men carried Stephen to his burial and made great lamentation over him. So I assume these are again brethren from the church in Jerusalem. You know, they're upset. They take the body of Stephen. Uh, they bury him and they weep over him. Verse number three, as for Saul, he made havoc of the church entering into every house and hailing men and women committed them to prison. So this guy is like the enemy. Like this is enemy number one. So not just consenting to the murder of an innocent man like Stephen now entering houses. All right. I mean, I don't know where he got permission and power. Like I said, are you kind of have to, you're going to have to fill the gaps a little bit there. He must have some type of authority that's been bestowed upon him to better enter houses and, or, you know, identify these people as believers of Jesus and take them into prison. Now, this is really interesting because what if this was happening today? And I'm sure there are places in the world that this is happening. Okay. Where there is a man persecuting the church, a man persecuting believers, a man who's organized and getting the authorities, you know, on board to persecute the people of God. I want you to think, what would you think of this man? You don't know, he's going to become a soul. I'm sorry, an apostle Paul in the future. You just know, this is enemy number one of the church. I'm pretty certain that most of you be like, pastor, this guy's a reprobate. I guarantee you, you know why? Because I hear people say to me, Oh, so-and-so this person, that person, I think he's a reprobate. It's like, what do you do? Oh, I just don't want to hear the Bible. Oh, it doesn't want to get saved. Oh, it's just a bad person. Wicked person. I think it's a reprobate. What I want to show you here guys is that the unbelieving world can be pretty wicked, like extremely wicked and not be reprobate. And so I just want to highlight this to you. If you can come with me to Jude, come, come with me to the book of Jude. You know, come with me to the book of Jude, because I'm almost certain if this was happening on the Sunshine Coast in 2024, November, 2024, and we had so persecuted new life at the church. And you're, you're going to other places. You're going to Harvey Bay, you're running away from persecution. You're going to Toowoomba or something, right? You're just, you're going, you're getting away. That people are going to say, pastor, this guy's a reprobate. I'm confident that that would be the words of somebody. And yet what I want you to notice here in Jude, in the book of Jude. All right. Verse number nine. Yet Michael, the archangel, when contending with the devil. Is the devil a reprobate? Yeah, a hundred percent. Like there's a hundred percent. I don't just believe he is. He is all right. The devil's a reprobate. And so considering the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses, does not bring against him a railing accusation, but said the Lord rebuke thee. The Bible tells me that Michael, the archangel is, has a fear of God. That he doesn't even want to bring a railing accusation. He doesn't want to make a false accusation, even against the reprobate of all reprobates, the devil. One thing that really bothers me is how often people say, I think he's a reprobate. And it's like, well, I didn't call him a reprobate. I just believe he is. What does that mean? Like, oh, I believe New Life Baptist Church is a good church, but I didn't really, you know, I didn't say it really is a good church. What does that mean? And it's, it's, it's a problem that I've seen, I've heard over the years, you know, it's like, I think it's supposed to reprobate. It's like, well, what evidence do you have? Oh, it doesn't like the things of God. I mean, look at soul. What in the world? I mean, that like, that is the worst thing you can call a human being, a reprobate, someone that has been rejected by God. And I just, I'm just concerned that I don't see a fear of God, a fear of making false accusations, like Michael the Archangel, we have an actual reprobate. And so I just, look, I believe in the reprobate doctrine. I believe it's an important doctrine. I believe we need to be aware of reprobates, but there is something not balanced in a lot Not balanced in a lot of Christian's lives, when everybody they come across apparently is a reprobate. And I've been hearing about this for years and years and years. And yet soul was not, but I guarantee you, a lot of people in this church would say to me, pastor, that man's a reprobate. And yet he becomes a great man of God. Imagine what you're calling that a great man of God, a great man of God to be, okay, at this point, he wasn't a great man of God, obviously. So I, the main point that I want to drive out of this point at the moment is, you know, you want to be careful who you call reprobate. You gotta be careful about that. Like, it's the worst thing to call any anyone, anything, you know, you'd rather be, you'd rather call somebody wicked, ungodly, filthy, right? I mean, I mean, whatever, but when you call him a reprobate, you're saying, look, this guy is done and dusted. He is so horrible that even God's given up on this person. So I want to be careful, you know, and I want you as a church and young people to be careful. This is serious business. You call someone reprobate, you're saying this is not just an unbeliever, not someone, not just someone that's a little confused, but this person is very much a child of the devil rejected by God. Serious accusation. Please don't just, oh, I think it's a reprobate. Like, honestly, when I hear that, I just think you're foolish. I'm sorry to offend anybody, but I just think it's just amazing foolishness. Now, the out and proud LGBT Mardi Gras celebrating, you know, faggots, are they reprobates? Of course they are. Okay, I'm not going to deny that. But we're just talking about, I've got a friend and I tried to preach him the gospel and I think it's a reprobate. Like, why? Has he done as bad as soul? You know, and I look, I'm telling you, I've gone soul winning in the past, not in this church, praise God. Someone doesn't hear the gospel. I'm not interested. Oh, it must be a reprobate. You know, the doctrine of reprobation is a deep doctrine. It requires a lot of fundamental truths to really come to that understanding. And I just feel people throw this word out too easily. You know, and it just turns me off. And it turns other people off. Because what soul needs is a bit of grace. What is it that Jesus gives soul? A bit of grace, a bit of patience, a bit of long suffering. He's an enemy. And how does God tell us to treat enemies? To do evil to them or to love them? We're commanded to love our enemies, are we not? And it seems to me that sometimes people don't want to love their enemy. So the easiest way to not love their enemy is to call them a reprobate. Now I've labeled them an enemy of God, so I don't have to love them. So you don't have to do good to them. How many railing accusations has there been made with that word reprobate thrown around? So many. And to me it's like, it's really disgusting. Especially when there's a believer who may have gone a little wayward, even in their beliefs, reprobate. It's horrible. I see that more on social media though than I do in real life. So I just want to be careful. Please be careful who you call a reprobate. Now come with me to 1 Timothy chapter 1, 1 Timothy chapter 1. 1 Timothy chapter 1 and verse number 12. 1 Timothy chapter 1. 1 Timothy chapter 1 verse number 12. So Timothy was written by Saul or the apostle Paul, of course, to Timothy. And he says these words in 1 Timothy 1 12. He says that I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who have enabled me. For that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, who was before a blasphemer. He says, man, I used to blaspheme God. He says, and a persecutor. He persecuted the church. An injurious. I caused injury. I caused harm. I caused damage to God's people. He goes, but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. He says, I obtained mercy. You know what? We all obtained mercy. That's why we're saved. That's why Jesus did not just wipe us out the moment we rebelled against him. The moment we sinned against the Lord, God's long suffering. I'm telling you, he's gracious. He's merciful. And I think in the opinions of many, you know, Saul does not deserve mercy for the damage he's doing to the cause of Christ. But he says, I did it ignorantly in unbelief. He did not know. He's not like actively trying to damage God. He's not actively trying to hurt God's people. You know, he's a Pharisee is what Saul is at this point in time. He's a Pharisee. You know, he's still stuck in the Jews religion. You know, he looks up to the high priest as someone who still has authority, even though we've entered New Testament times. He's wayward, but you know, he's actually persecuting the church because he thinks it's the right thing to do. He says, I'm ignorant. I did not know any better. And the thing is, when we see wicked people out there who might even persecute God's people, we don't know the condition of their heart. We don't know if they're just ignorant or if they truly know these are God's people. I hate God and I hate God's people and out there to just kill and murder and maim. We don't really know the intentions of someone's heart. We sometimes don't even know the intention of our own heart. But Paul is able to explain here, I was ignorant. That's why God showed me mercy. I did not know any better. And look at verse 114. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundance with faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus. He says God's grace was abundant. Man, he goes, I didn't, you know, I didn't sin out of God's grace. God still showed me his grace. My grace was, you know, my sins were still covered by the grace of God. I want to make that a point because I don't know what it is. And I'm telling you, I've just, it blows my mind how often people just reprobate. Why? I just believe he is. Why? Like, honestly, look, if this reprobate is doing as much damage as soul, this so-called reprobate is doing as much damage as soul, we still don't know if it's a reprobate. So we need some balance in the way we treat people, even people that so-called apparently hate the church. You don't know. They could be doing it ignorantly. They could think their religion and their purpose and their goals are righteous, and the right thing to do. Last thing I want to do is bring a railing accusation against somebody that God may very well save and do a great work for him, especially a believer, just because they're wayward on a few things. Reprobate. It's horrible. It's wicked. It's ungodly. And if that's how you are in life, reprobate, reprobate, reprobate, reprobate, reprobate, something wrong with your heart. Are you more righteous than God? Are you more knowing than God? You need a bit of his mercy. You need a bit of his grace to bestow that on other people. Anyway, back to Acts chapter 8 and verse number 4. Acts chapter 8. Verse number 4 says, Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word. And then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ unto them. Boy, I would love that if persecution ever came to New Life Baptist Church and we're all scattered, we're getting away from persecution. You say, hey, have you heard from, you know, the Estevals? Where do they go? Oh, the Estevals, they went to Bundaberg, right? It's like, oh, what's going on there? I don't know, but they're getting everyone saved. They're preaching the gospel out there. It's like, have you heard of the no sex? Where do they go? Oh, they're back in the hell hole. Oh, really? What's going on there? Well, they're still preaching the gospel over there. Praise God. Like that's such a good report. Like being persecuted, I guess some level of fear and concern for your well-being. But you land in another place and what are you doing? Hiding, stocking up, hiding in the bunkers because the end time is about to happen. Now they're out there just preaching the gospel. And so we're here, we speak of verse number five about Philip. And in Acts 6, when the first deacons were mentioned, remember it was Stephen and then Philip was a second name mentioned. Okay, so Stephen now has passed away. We now follow a little bit of the story of Philip. It says, then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ unto them. Now what I want you to do is keep your finger there and come with me to Acts 1. Come with me to Acts 1, just as a reminder. Acts 1 and verse number 8. Acts 1 and verse number 8. These are the words of Christ shortly before he ascended up to heaven. You may remember these words in Acts 1, 8. It says, but ye shall receive power. After that, the Holy Ghost has come upon you. So who's that power? The Holy Ghost, right? And ye shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem, which is where they started, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Now come back with me to Acts 8. So what's the, what's the system that Christ has spoken of? I suppose systems are, I don't know, the pattern, no, no pattern. The plan? You start in Jerusalem, then Judea, then Samaria, then the uttermost part of the earth. Okay, well look at Acts 8. Again, look at Acts 8, 1 again. And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was great persecution against the church, which was at Jerusalem. That's where they start. And they were all scattered aboard throughout the region of Judea. Yep, and Samaria, except the apostles. What I love about that is Christ is prophesying of what their journey is going to look like. Jerusalem, then Judea, then Samaria, and then the uttermost part of the earth. And that is essentially how the book of Acts is kind of written. Starts in Jerusalem, then Judea, now Samaria, okay. And then of course, especially with the apostle Paul and the church that is in Antioch, they're reaching the Gentiles, you know, in these other nations. They're going to other places of the earth. I love how, you know, Acts 8, 1 is basically the answer to Acts 1, 8. Okay, and we just see that this is the order that is seen in the book of Acts. Back to Acts 8 and verse number 6, Acts 8 verse number 6. Great joy in that city. There was great joy in what city? The city of Samaria, okay. Great joy in the city of Samaria. So, Philip's doing a great work, reaching the Samaritans, performing miracles, casting out devils. I mean, he definitely has the power of the Holy Ghost upon him. Healing the sick, making the lame to walk, performing great miracles. And people are receiving the word that Philip is speaking. Now, keep your finger there. Come with me to John 4. Come with me to John chapter 4. John chapter 4. As I said, we had a soul winning marathon there in Port Macquarie and on Saturday. I didn't get any salvations. Praise God for the team that got a salvation. And sometimes, you know, you've been out there soul winning, you know that it can be quite dry and quite tough and you, you know, sometimes you don't even get the chance to plow this, you know, to plant the seed. You more like have to just plow the ground. Plow that dry ground so you can get that seed in there at some point. And I want to remind you of this great truth we see here in John 4. These are the words of Christ. In John 4 37, John 4 37, it says, And herein is that saying true, one soweth and another reapeth. So I never want you to get discouraged if you're out there preaching the Gospel and you're just not seeing salvations. You're not seeing someone able to put their faith on Christ and call upon the Lord in faith. Say, pastor, does it work? Well, yes, Christ says, one soweth and another reapeth. And so if you're not doing the reaping, what ought you to be doing? The sowing. Okay, you're laboring in the harvest fields of Christ. But then Christ says these words in verse number 38, I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour. Other men laboured and ye are entered into their labours. So he's saying to the apostles, his disciples at the time, we're going to reap. We're about to, and the context of this is Samaria once again. Okay, we're going to reap this harvest. We're entering into work that other men have laboured. I want you to understand that sowing is a team effort. And sometimes it's a team effort, not just a team here at New Life, but a team of previous generations. And you know, sometimes it might feel like we're just ploughing the ground. We're just getting a few seeds in there. But what about the next generation? They might see a great harvest because of the great work that we've done. One sows, another sows a seed, another reaps. And look at verse number 39. And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman which testified. He told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans would come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them. And he abode there two days. And many more believed because of his own word. So many more believed because of his own. They heard the woman, the Samaritan woman, she laboured, she sowed the seed, and then they come to Jesus, and then they hear him preach, and now they more than believe on him, right? Like Jesus himself is reaping the labour of the Samaritan woman before him. Verse number 42, and said unto the woman, now we believe not because of thy saying, for we have heard him ourselves. And know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. And so, you know, I want to just encourage you, continue, you know, sowing those seeds. And every now and again, we're going to reap. But I know what it's like in Australia. There's a lack of the fear of God here amongst our, you know, neighbours. And many times Brethren, it is just ploughing, it's planting. And praise God for the reaping that we get to do from time to time. But it's a team effort, okay, it's a team effort. There's a time to sow, there's a time to reap. Back to Acts chapter eight, verse number nine. Acts eight, verse number nine. Verse number nine, but there was a certain man called Simon, which before time in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, given out that himself was some great one. So Simon's going around Samaria, I'm a great sorcerer, right? I've got power. And then verse number 10, it says, to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, this man is a great power of God. So you got Philip, he's casting out devils, right? And then you have Simon the sorcerer, you know, and he thinks he's a great man. He's got a great reputation there amongst the Samaritans, about being a great power of God. Of course, he's not a believer, you know, the power that he's using is the power of the devil. Verse number 11, and to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. But when they believed Philip, preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptised, both men and women. All right, so you got Simon the sorcerer, or you have Philip. You know, do we follow Simon the sorcerer, the greatest great man, or do we follow Philip? Do we listen to what Philip's saying? And of course, many are believing on Christ. Not only are they believing, they're getting baptised. Of course, baptism ought to be a sign that you have believed. Baptism being the death, this picture of the death, the burial, sorry, the death, the burial, the resurrection of Christ, when you come out of that water. So many Samaritans aren't just getting saved, they're also getting baptised. And look at verse number 13, this is a man who's in the occult, you know, a man who's been empowered by the forces and the power of darkness, of the devil. Verse number 13 says, then Simon himself believed also. Simon the sorcerer became a believer. And when he was baptised, so it's pretty clear, right? I mean, you should believe before you get baptised. He continued with Philip and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. So it's like, man, whatever power I've got, the power that God's given Philip is even greater. It's like this must be the truth and he believes the preaching of Philip and gets baptised. I don't know why people want to deny that Simon became a believer. Like I look at verse number 13, he says he believed. It's not the words of a man. This is the Holy Spirit narrating the Bible for us. And the Holy Spirit is telling us that Simon himself believed also. But you know, there are many churches and many preachers that will say, he didn't get saved here, but says, what must I do to be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and that shall be saved. So the Bible tells me he's a believer. He's believed, he's a believer is what he is, right? And then he gets baptised and he's impressed by the power of Philip. I want you to understand where Simon is at this point in life. He used to be, he was perceived to be a great man of a great power of God with his sorceries. And now he's a baby in Christ. Like in the eyes of many or something great and now he's like this, he's right like baby, right? Needing nappies, needing to be fed, needing to be changed. I mean, this guy needs to grow in the Lord, right? Like he's starting all over again from scratch and he's looking at Philip. And this is what babes in Christ many times do. They look at other great men of God and look at great pastors. Whoa, look at that pastor go and then let's, I want to be like him. This is what Simon's doing. I want to be, you'll soon see, I want to be like Philip. I want to do what these men are doing. And look at verse number 14. When the apostles, which were at Jerusalem, remember they stayed in Jerusalem, that's why they heard that Samaria had received the word of God. They sent unto them, Peter and John. So Peter and John are often working together very closely together. We've seen that so far in the book of Acts. So they're like, they're hearing about the news, man, the Samaritans are getting saved. They're like, all right, let's go check it out. They come and see. Verse number 15, who when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost. Now they're already believers, aren't they? So to receive the Holy Ghost, what is happening here? You see, the moment that you're saved, you're born of the Holy Spirit. You're born of the Holy Ghost. You're born again. And of course, in the New Testament, you also have the abiding of the Holy Spirit upon you, okay? He lives within us. He gives us the ability to know the scriptures, to learn the deep things of God. So what are they doing then? If they're giving the Holy Ghost upon them, what are they doing? Look at verse number 16, for as yet, he was fallen upon none of them, only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. So all they've done was got baptized, but they had not yet received the Holy Spirit. Verse number 17, then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. And when Simon saw that through laying on the apostles hands, the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, saying, give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. So he goes, wow, even you guys have this power to give people the Holy Ghost, can I pay you so I can do it too? So what have we learned so far in the book of Acts? This giving or receiving of the Holy Ghost, is this talking about salvation? Well, by this chapter, we can see very clearly that it's not salvation, because they're already believers, aren't they? Okay, now keep your finger there and come back with me to Acts chapter one. Acts chapter one, I know I've gone over this again and again, but I feel like there's a lot of misunderstanding in the book of Acts, amongst many churches, amongst many pastors, not that I'm this amazing, you can never get anything wrong, Pastor Kevin, but I feel that the book of Acts is very consistent. Okay, in Acts chapter one, verse number seven, we've seen this already, but I want you to slow down a little bit, think about this, Acts one seven, and he said unto them, it is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. Verse number eight, but ye shall receive power. Now let me just read to you what Simon said again, saying, give me also this power. Okay, that on whom so I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. Well, what does verse number eight say? But ye shall receive power. After that, the Holy Ghost has come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem and in Judea, all Judea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth. So this power of the Holy Spirit is for what purpose? To preach the gospel, to reach the lost, right? And then we see in Acts chapter two, on the day of Pentecost, the power of the Holy Ghost comes upon them. They've got these cloven tongues of fire that appear, a sound of a Russian wind, and they go out there, they're preaching, and they're preaching in other languages that they've never learned. They've been given such a power of God, such a power of the Holy Spirit upon their lives, and they're able to do great works for God. You see, as I've been covering for the book of Acts, this is the power that comes upon us as believers, when God wants to utilize us to do our work. When you go out there and you go and preach the gospel, you say, pastor, I'm going to go knock some doors. All right, ask God for the power of the Holy Spirit. Ask him to give you that ability, that you'd go out boldly, that you can speak with clarity, that you would have great wisdom, that you'd be able to touch the hearts of the people, that the Holy Ghost would go with you as you go and win souls. When I get up to preach, I've said it over and over again, I'm sick of it, I'm sick of saying it, but that I ask God, give me your power, fill me with your spirits, pour your Holy Spirit upon me, that I can preach the truth of your word. And so these men are saved, and Simon the sorcerer is saved, but yet that power has not yet fallen upon them. The power to be able to preach the gospel, the power to be able to perform these miracles that we see taking place in the early church. Come back with me to Acts 8, Acts 8 and verse number 20. Acts 8 verse number 20. So it says, hey, I'll pay you for it, I'll give you some money, is that what you need for me to have this power? Remembering who he was, like he was great, and he wants to be great again. He's not happy, he's not content just being baby in Christ, Simon, right? Verse number 20. But Peter said unto him, thy money perish with thee, because thou has thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. So this is where people say, see, he's not saved, because he thinks he can purchase the gift of God with money. Now, as soul winners, as experienced soul winners, when you think of the gift of God, I guarantee you, I'm pretty sure that your first thought is, say Romans 6 23, all right? For the wages and sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. God, the gift of God is eternal life. Or Ephesians 2 and 8, for by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. So what is the gift of God? Salvation. What is the gift of God? Eternal life. Now, that is a gift of God. Don't get me wrong, that is a gift of God. But what happens is a lot of preachers will come with that thought, the gift of God is salvation. And therefore, if Simon is trying to purchase the gift of God with money, he must not have salvation, he must not have everlasting life. That's where they make the mistake. And this is why I try to teach you guys, when you need to compare scripture with scripture, when you need to understand further, stick narrowly in context, stay in the chapter, stay in the book, or read other books by the same author, before you just go everywhere else, okay? Now, we're in the book of Acts, all right? The book of Acts is consistent. Now, come with me to Acts chapter 2. Come with me to Acts chapter 2 and verse number 38. Acts chapter 2 and verse number 38. Let's compare scripture with scripture, but let's stay narrow in our approach. In Acts 2 38, it says, Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. So what is the gift in this reference? The Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost coming upon that person and empowering them to do a great work for God. You see, the repenting part, the repenting of someone's faith and putting their faith on Christ is what saves them. But once you're saved, now you want to receive that gift, the power that comes to you through the Holy Ghost. Can you come with me to another passage? Acts chapter 10. Acts chapter 10, please. Acts chapter 10 and verse number 44. Acts 10. Acts 10 and verse number 44. There we have the Holy Ghost falling upon people again. Look at this. Because that on the Gentiles also was poured out what? The gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues in other languages and magnified God, then answered Peter. So what is the gift of God? The Holy Ghost coming upon people and again giving them the power in this case to speak and preach in other languages. Come with me to Acts 11. Acts 11. Acts 11, verse number 15. Acts 11, verse number 15. And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them as on us at the beginning. So the same teaching, the Holy Ghost coming upon them and pairing them. Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptised with water, but ye shall be baptised with the Holy Ghost. Remember being baptised with the Holy Ghost? Acts 2, the ability to preach the Gospel. Look at verse number 17. So what is the gift that God gave? The gift of the Holy Ghost. And so I want to show you there that when you compare Scripture with Scripture, those that are receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost are already saved. Already saved and then being given the power by God to go and do a great work for him, like preach the Gospel and maybe preach the Gospel in other languages. So Simon wanting to pay for the gift of God is not trying to pay money to get saved. In context of Acts, he's trying to pay money to have the power that the apostles have, but he's just a baby in Christ. God's not given him that ability to pass the power on to other people. I hope that's clear. He's already saved, which is why he desires the gift of the Holy Ghost. He already believed by the preaching of Philip. He's just making a mistake. All right, he's making a doctrinal mistake. You know, he's a babe. He's been serving his false gods for money. He thinks the real God might be something similar. All right, he needs time to grow. He needs time to learn, all right. He's not some unbeliever who had to turn from all his sins to get saved or something like that. He's a believer who just needed some guidance, all right. All right, back to Acts 8 and verse number 21. Acts chapter 8 and verse number 21. Thou has neither part nor lot in this matter, for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. The reason you're not getting this power of the Holy Ghost is because your heart is not right. And brethren, I believe that is true, even if you try to go out soul winning, if you don't have the right heart, if you want to do something for God, but your heart is not right, that God cannot use you. God will not be able to empower you, the Holy Ghost. You've got to have your heart right in order to be utilized by God to do something great. Verse number 22, repent therefore of this thy wickedness. What's it repenting from? Having the wrong heart, okay? And pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the goal of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity. Now we know why Simon's heart was not right. Because of bitterness. Simon, who was a man, a world renowned man in Samaria, because of his sorceries, is now just a babe in Christ, watching other great men do things. He became bitter about it. Brethren, success in ministry sometimes can breed bitterness in the hearts of other people. I want you to be aware of this. I want you to be careful of this in your own heart. I've seen it in my own heart sometimes. Where, you know, I mean, not now, but like, you know, when I'm young in the faith and I'd see people succeed and do great things for God and I'm like, ah, I wish that was me. I'm not sure if you've ever experienced that. Or someone's just so upset about it, or someone's just serving the Lord and you're like, ah, it makes me uncomfortable. And you try to criticise, well, maybe they're not doing things right. You know, try to justify yourself to make yourself feel better. That bitterness, that bitterness will stop the Holy Spirit using you in a powerful way. Your heart is not right when you have bitterness. And brethren, one thing I remember as a young man, that changed my heart, that changed my understanding. I'll just read it to you, Romans 12, 15. Rejoice with them that do rejoice and weep with them that weep. But primarily rejoice with them that do rejoice. You know, if we're seeing Peter and John and Philip do great things for God, greater things than what we're doing, instead of getting bitter about it, ah, I wish that was me, ah, that should be me. Like, you know what? They're rejoicing, I'm gonna rejoice with them. Changes your outlook. This is why I don't have a heart to just criticise pastors and criticise churches. You know, I don't have that heart. Like, I may have had that heart long time ago, but now if I see someone trying to do something for God, I just rejoice in it. You know, the God who saved me, the God who's given me abilities is a God that's using someone else. Praise God, I rejoice with you, brother. I rejoice with you, sister. That's the right approach. Don't let the goal of bitterness enter your heart. You know what? Rejoice with others and get busy with the Lord. Get your heart right. Ask the Lord to give you the power of the Holy Spirit when you go out there and do something for Him. But success in the ministry causes bitterness. It just, I don't know why. I mean, I know why, but I don't know why. If that makes sense. I know why because we're all sinners. I know why because people want to be seen as something greater. And when they feel like I'm just a babe, I'm not, I'm not much. And they see someone else succeeding. And this doesn't have to be just a ministry. This can be in life. And you see, they seem to be doing really well. You just bought a new car. Why can't I? That shouldn't be me. God bless them again with kids. What about me? God's given them this job. What about me? Look, that bitterness needs to, you need to get your heart right. And when your brethren rejoice and your brethren do well, you rejoice with them. Verse number 24, Then answered Simon and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me. And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans. So they do a great work in Samaria and then they're done and they make their way back to Jerusalem. But on their way back, they go into different villages in Samaria, getting other people saved. So what started in this chapter as something very negative, persecution, to the people of God, the title of the sermon was scattered abroad. The brethren are scattered because of persecution. Let's say one day we're scattered brethren. What do we do? We continue seeking the Lord. We continue preaching the gospel wherever God would have us. Wherever God would send you, we continue serving the Lord, asking that the power of the Holy Ghost will be upon us and you'll be utilized greatly by God. But brethren, most important, make sure the condition of your heart is right. Make sure God can use you. Cleanse your hearts, serve the Lord, rejoice in the success of other people's ministry, and God will look down and he'll bless you, you'll please him, and he'll empower you to do something great for him. All right, brethren, let's pray.