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SERMON SERIES: We’re currently in a sermon series through the book of Acts. Today we’ll read Simon’s story.
Saul Ravages the Church
8 And Saul approved of his execution.
And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. 3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.
Philip Proclaims Christ in Samaria
4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. 5 Philip went down to the city[a] of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. 6 And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was much joy in that city.
Simon the Magician Believes
9 But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. 10 They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” 11 And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles[b] performed, he was amazed.
14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are in the gall[c] of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” 24 And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”
25 Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.
In this part of God’s Word we’ll take a close look at Simon’s story. By doing so, we’ll learn that…
We need to remain on guard against temptation by:
- Not slipping into old patterns
Acts 8:9-11, 18- 19, Prov. 26:11, Matt. 12:43-45, 2 Cor. 5:17, Rom. 6:12-14, 12:1-2
- Checking our hearts before God
Acts 8:20-21, Prov. 4:23, 17:3, 1 Sam. 16:7, Jer. 17:9-10, Ps. 51:10
- Monitoring our intentions
Acts 8:22, Ps. 19:14, Prov. 16:2, 21:2, 1 Chron. 28:9, Heb. 4:12, 1 Cor. 4:5
- Looking out for bitterness
Acts 8:23, Eph. 4:31, Heb. 12:15, James 3:14
And when we fall back into temptation:
- Repenting
Acts 8:22, 2:28, 3:19, 1 John 1:9, Luke 13:3, 2 Pet. 3:9
- Seeking out prayer
Acts 8:24, James 5:16, Eph. 6:18, Col. 1:9, Ecc. 4:9-12, 1 Thess. 5:25
- Getting back to doing the Lord’s will
Acts 8:25, Eph. 2:10, Gal. 6:9, Matt. 28:18-20
Reflecting on God’s Word
Getting Started
- Take some time to read over Acts 8:1-25 and pray.
- Have you ever read or heard about this before? What stood out to you as we were talking about it?
- As you think about this sermon series through the book of Acts, what observation do you have?
- As you think about Simon’s story, and what he did, what comes to mind? What observations do you have?
Diving In
- Pretty quickly, Simon falls into his old, sinful ways. What are some sinful habits that you need to be on guard against, so you don’t make the same mistake as Simon?
- Read Acts 8:21. When Peter calls out Simon, he makes it clear that Simon’s heart is not right before God. What can you build into your life to make sure your heart stays right before God?
- Read Acts 8:23. Peter very explicitly calls out Simon for being bitter. How much does bitterness affect your life? How could you deal with it more effectively when it sneaks into your life?
- Read 1 John 1:9. Peter calls out Simon to repent of his sin. Is there any sin that you need to take before the Lord and repent of right now? Spend some time in prayer, asking God to examine your heart.
Applying the Scripture
What are your biggest takeaways from this passage of God’s Word?
Who can you ask to keep you accountable to applying this to your life?
What practical step(s) do you need to implement in your life to apply what God has taught you in this passage of Scripture?
How would applying this affect your life and your relationship with the Lord?
Small Group Guide:
Open with prayer.
Go around and give everyone a chance to share about how the past week has been. What’s one highlight? What’s one lowlight?
If your small group has talked about it before, feel free to use this time to hold people accountable to what they’ve asked to be held accountable for previously, and go through the “missional” part of this discussion guide.
Prayer Time:
Pray for each other in your small group to be faithful take the step(s) that you shared above. Pray for each other and the interactions that they have with those who don’t know Jesus. Pray that God would soften the people’s hearts to what He has for them. Pray that God would give everyone opportunities to share the Gospel.
Staying Missional:
Share spiritual/missional conversations you’ve had where you live, work, and play:
Who did you have a conversation with that took a spiritual/missional turn this week?
What questions did you ask to discover where God is at work in their life, even if they are not aware?
How were you able to share your story of life change or how you have experienced Jesus?
How can you be intentional this week with people where you live, work, and play to have spiritual/missional conversations if the opportunity arises?
Who in your life do you think could be discipleable or open to spiritual/missional conversations?
What’s next?
Discuss the next step for your small group. When will we gather again and what purpose will it fulfill?