Well, good morning, and would you join me in the book of Acts chapter 8 today? Acts chapter 8. I'm reminded of a prophet by the name of Isaiah. In Isaiah chapter 6, he saw the Lord high and lifted up in the year King Uzziah died. And three or four verses down, six verses down, there is a conversation that we overhear that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit made. Whom shall we send and who will go for us? Whom shall I send and whom shall go for us? Which is a declaration of the Trinity in just another way. And Isaiah said, here am I, send me. And he talked a little bit, God did, and he said, you know, you're gonna go out and preach, nobody's gonna listen to you. He says, how long am I supposed to do that? Till there's no more inhabitants. That's how long we are to preach the gospel until there's no more inhabitants.

Well, here in the Book of Acts, we have a line of demarcation. Now, I think I was in the fifth or sixth grade when I learned about the line of demarcation that was drawn through South America. There were two countries that were fussing over some property. And a man that they all had high regard for and a very religious man, he just took the map and went like that, drew a line. He says, okay, you're gonna be Portuguese, you're gonna be Spanish. And that's why we have Brazil as a Portuguese nation, because it was a line of demarcation. In this passage of scripture, we have a line of demarcation. As in everywhere we travel in the scriptures, there is a line of demarcation. There's going to be a separation. And in this passage of scripture, we have this separation. You're either going to believe the gospel, know the gospel, or you're going to fall into the trap that so many do and think that the miracles are the most important thing that took place. Because Philip did some healing. And he did it by the power of God. And he was not like most people that I've ever met. He didn't brag about it. In fact, he says, it's not me. Don't look to me in that light. It isn't me.

The book of Acts chapter eight, verse 5, 6, 7, and 8, and verse 12. If you'd read those with me. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ unto them. You know, we just rejoice when we hear of someone preaching Christ. He doesn't have an axe to grind, he's preaching Christ. He doesn't have a religion to promote. I remember going up to the VA home and they asked me, what are you going to preach up here? And I said, I'm going to preach Christ. I'm not going to promote any religion. I'm not going to promote my church. I'm not going to promote anything. I want to preach Christ. Okay. Well, I don't think they understood what I had to say. But anyway, that's the message. We want to preach Christ, and here is Philip preaching Christ.

And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed of them, and many taken with palgies, and were lame and were healed. And there was great joy in the city.

Now travel down to verse 12, if you would, with me. And when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God. I wanna read that again. And when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God. What is that? Preach Christ. the name of Jesus Christ, the kingdom of God in the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized both men and women. So he spent some time there preaching Christ. And we have so often that these folks would look at this and say, well, the most important thing or nearly the most important thing that took place in this passage of scripture was there's a bunch of people that were halt or blind or maimed and he healed them.

You know, I really appreciated what, every once in a while I hear something in a song I've sang for years and years and years. And that song we just sang, it says, the flame shall not hurt thee. I only design thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine. Now if I could just keep that in mind about the things that we go through, that I go through, that that's God's purpose to refine and to put away the dross. Now that's His ministry and His good and His purpose to do that. So things happen to do that for us.

In this passage of scripture, we notice that there has been some healing taking place, and it is attestation to the fact that Philip was a preacher of Christ. Turn with me back, if you would, to the book of John, John chapter four. In John chapter four, we find that the Lord Jesus Christ was there in the same town in Samaria about four years earlier than this, and in beginning with verse 39 of the book of John chapter four, It says here with regard to the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now there's no record at this time that Jesus performed any miracles there, but you know there was a great miracle that Jesus Christ did perform and that's the preaching of the gospel. How glorious it is that we could ever hear the glories of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That we, and if you go over there to the book of Isaiah chapter six, you read about a people that said the gospel was gonna be preached, they wouldn't hear. how gracious it is to God, of God, how gracious it is of God that he would give a people a hearing ear about the gospel of God's free grace in Christ Jesus. And that we could come to the conclusion after the due birth and say, this is the truth. This is the truth that God has purpose to save a people and he opens ears of people so that they could hear the gospel.

Well, here in the book of John chapter four, verse 39, it says, and many of the Samaritans of that city. Now you remember the account, there's a woman at the well, she's not a very popular lady in town. And Jesus points out some issues with regard to her and no one else is around. How wonderful is the Lord that deals with us alone. Amen, yes. He deals with us alone.

But I can tell you this, that the problems I have when it comes to sin is the problems that everybody has. It's the fall. We fell in Adam and we just can't get out of the mess we're in by ourself. We need a savior. All right, Jesus preached there. The woman at the well was saved. She went back into town, told the friends. Now notice this in verse 39. And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, he told me all I ever did. So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him. Isn't this, I just, this is so outstanding. They besought him. Please stay in town for a little while. Would you please halt your activities and come here?

Well, we find out that when Jesus went into that town and spent two days, that was on his purpose. He'd already planned to do that. And how glorious it is that he would work in the hearts of people to encourage him to do that, because that means they wanted to be around him. And I find that that's the purpose of the church. We want to be around Him. We want to be in his presence. We want to hear his word. We want to know what he has to say. And we may not be able to understand it all, but we're comforted by being in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He goes on to tell us here, so when the Samaritans were coming to him, they besought him that they would tarry with them, and he abode there two days. Can you imagine having the Lord of glory in your home for two days? Next month, I will be able to say I've had the Lord of glory in my home for 40 years. He's been with me. I've just been carried all over by him. He is the master, the King. He's the ruler. He's the Lord.

And then it goes on to tell us there, he abode with them two days and many were more believed because of his own word. And then 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 Messiah, the savior of the world. And after two days he left, and you know what? He never left them. He was with them the rest of their life and throughout eternity. He never called it quits. He never said it's over. He never said when he left them in Samaria that this is the end, I hope you make it. He said, you are my people, I will lose none of you.

Well, to keep this in mind, we find that Philip goes down to Samaria, he preaches the word and some things take place. And there's going to be the preaching of the gospel and there's going to be some people saved. And then there's on the other side, we have some people that were healed. You know, I've been around people that believe in healing today. that you can go and talk to a man and he can hold his hand up and command the spirit to be gone or whatever it is. He can heal you of your some illness. And we find out that all I've never met one of those people yet that did not believe that they could lose their salvation. and could be saved over again and over again and over again.

Now, don't go home and say, Norm doesn't believe in miracles. I believe that God still heals, but it's not how we find it here. We can't out pray God and say, we're gonna get 10,000 people to pray for the healing of my friend. And then if we get that, God's gonna do it. You know, God does not change. And I'm thankful. Aren't you thankful that God doesn't change? That we don't get a thousand people together and we can change his mind? What if someone else gets 2,000 people together and changes his mind the other way? But the Bible tells us that there's not a shadow of turning with him. You can't even mark the shadow turning with him. He tells us in the Old Testament that he, I am God, I change not, therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. I don't change my mind. I have a purpose from the foundation of the world before the foundation of the world, I am carrying it out in time and it will be accomplished and some people are gonna be left sick and some people are gonna be healed as we find here under the ministry of Philip.

Jesus Christ went into a whole group of people down at the Pool of Bethesda. One man came out of that whole mess of people healed. Why? He's sovereign. He's the king. He healed whom he chose to heal that day. The same is true when it comes to our salvation. Thank God he intended to do something with us.

Would you follow over with me to the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 3 as we think about the preaching of the gospel? We think about the preaching of Christ. Here in the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 3, we find an important statement made with regard to the preaching of the gospel, and Philip did that there in Samaria. In the book of 1 Corinthians chapter three and there in verse six, we find the apostle Paul is led by the Holy Spirit. And I really appreciated what brother Mike had to say this morning in that Bible class over and over and over to remind us that there was not various authors of the word of God. There are various secretaries, but the author of the word of God is God. Underline it, take it to the bank, thank God for it. Whatever men may write about it, God is the author.

All right, here in the book of 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul is a secretary, and he was used to write something down that is so important because he tells us here, I planted. Now, did he have a garden? Is that what he's talking about? Did he have an orchard? Is that what he's talking about? Did he have some material place that he's gonna put seed in the ground? No. Now, he may have been a gardener when he was growing up, and he may had a garden sometime in his life, and he may have even had an orchard, but he's not talking about that kind of seed. He's talking about the seed of the word. He was called to preach Christ, and he preached Christ, and here in Corinth, where he preached Christ, he says, I planted, I scattered the seed out, and another preacher came along after me, a brother who believed the gospel, And he said, Apollos watered. He came along and he took that sprinkler can. What was that? He just kept putting the water of the word onto the people. That's what we have in the scriptures is the water of the word. We pour the water of the word. We plant the seed. We pour the water of the word. We preach Christ in him crucified. We continue to do that. We don't have another message.

I remember when I was in religion, one Sunday morning you had an evangelistic message, Sunday night you had a doctrinal message, and Wednesday night you spoke to the few that came and said, we're going to have this kind of message. Well, you know what? We find out that that's not what the scripture has to say about it at all. It's priest Christ every time. and he will take care of the issue. So I planted a polis water. Now he says, this is the sum and substance of all of this. Don't ever leave this very thing. Don't ever get the idea that there is any growth whatsoever outside of this statement. But God gave the increase. It's God that gives the growth. It's God that sprouts the seed. It's God that applies the water. It's God that causes the seed to grow. It's the God that causes salvation to come. It's God that gives the new birth. It is God and God alone. The seed is acted upon by God. The seed is acted upon by God's water. The seed has nothing to do, God acts upon it.

So we have the preaching of Christ will lead the Lord God Almighty to producing fruit, God's fruit. I planted a polis water, but God gave the increase. I planted the seed. But you never find him writing in a book, let me tell you how many professions of faith I got in Corinth. That wasn't his business. I can tell you this, there's a whole lot more professions of faith than there is salvations. Now, there in the book of Acts chapter 8, we find that there are some miracles performed. And you know, they were. They were miracles. Miracles were undeniable. They heard and saw the miracles, which he did. And it tells us there of some of those miracles that were done in the host of Samaritans that were there by Philip. The miracle's not part of the gospel. Miracles are given by God to authenticate the preaching of the gospel.

We find out later in Paul's life, he had to leave a dear friend in a place that he was sick. The miracles were over. The word of God had been authenticated. Now preach Christ and him crucified, and God will give the increase.

We notice here, as we think about what took place, would you turn with me to the book of Acts chapter 14. In Acts chapter 14, there's a similar incident taking place, but it's with Paul and Barnabas. In the book of Acts chapter 14, we read this, and we find out just as we would follow Philip there, as he preached in Samaria, Paul and Barnabas came to Lystra, which is a city in what we know as Turkey today. And there was a certain man of Lystra, verse eight, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked, And the same heard Paul speak, who steadfastly beholding him and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, and said with a loud voice, stand upright in thy feet. And he leaped and walked.

Now notice the results of this among the people. And when the people saw what Paul had done, They lifted up their voices saying, in the speech of the Liconian, the gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. And they call Barnabas Jupiter. Have you ever heard of that God? And they call Paul Mercurius. Have you ever heard of that God? because he was the chief speaker. And then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates and would have done sacrifice with the people, which when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard, they rent their clothes and ran in among the people crying, saying, sirs, why do you these things? We also are men of like passions. With you, we're just men. We're not Jupiter and we're not Mercury. We're not special in any way. God has authenticated the preaching of his gospel by this man being healed.

He goes on to tell us, turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven and earth and the sea and all things that are therein, who in time past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways or permitted it. So here we have an example. Now Paul and Barnabas, if they'd have been most preachers that I've ever met, they would have been glad to have those oxen slaughtered and let's take up an offering. But these two preachers of the gospel said, stop! Don't continue with this. This is not right. We're not anything special. The only thing special that we have is the gospel of God's grace in Christ Jesus. Listen to it. Pay attention to it.

So that's the difference we find so often among the miracles that were presented in the Bible and the miracles that are presented today. You know, there's not been one God, here we have this God here, there's not been one God, little g, not one God, little g, that has ever performed one miracle.

We're starting the study of the book of 1 Samuel. We just finished up the book of Judges and we're going into the book of 1 Samuel. And if you read ahead, you find out that Israel decided that they were going to be very successful in the battle by taking the Ark of the Covenant with them. How foolish we are. How foolish we are. What foolish little rabbit's feet we have. And they took the Ark of the Covenant into battle. There were several thousands of Israel killed that day and the ark was taken from them by the Philistines and put in the house of Dagon, their god. Now the interesting thing about this is God's going to share us a whole lot about little G gods by this. They have the Ark of the Covenant in the house of Dagon, their God, the one they go worship, the one they slaughter animals to, the one they go into battle for, and all these things. And they walk in the next morning and Dagon is on his face before the Ark of the Covenant. Well, the Bible tells us that they had to help him up. You know, that's interesting to me. They had to help their God get up back on his podium.

The next day they come in and there's three things have happened to their God, Dagon. He can't perform one miracle. In fact, when they come in the next morning, he has no hands and he has no head. It's been broken off. And I can just see in my mind's eye, the Prince of God's hand on the back of Dagon as he give it a shove. This is what I think of the God Dagon. Now, he was not pleased with Israel taking that Ark of the Covenant into battle as a lucky rabbit's foot, but he was going to demonstrate as a result of what was happening, this is not my God. the god Dagon. He's in the dust. He has a broken head and he has broken hands and I'm demonstrating he cannot do anything.

Now, they're going to send that ark back and several things take place, but there's no miracle performed by Dagon. In fact, he can't even take care of himself. Miracles were undeniable. They heard

Turn with me, if you would, to the book of Luke chapter 7. In Luke chapter 7, we have an inquiry from a dear brother. Our brother is in jail. He's been arrested and put in jail by Herod. He is known as the forerunner of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is a cousin in the flesh of our Savior, the Lord Jesus. He went ahead of him and declared, there's one coming who've been spoken of of old, the Lord Jesus Christ is coming. Well, he's been arrested. He's been put in jail. And you know, there as the rest of us have moments of discouragement, wondering what's happening. And he sent an ambassage to the Lord Jesus Christ to ask a question. There's no better place to ask your question. He didn't ask anybody else, why am I here? He didn't ask anybody else, why am I going through this? He sent it to the Lord and there in the book of Acts chapter seven, it says, And when, verse 20, and when the men were coming to him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us under thee saying, art thou he that should come, or look we for another?

Now, I've read all kinds of commentaries on that, and most of it's just absolute foolishness. Number one, God intended for this to happen so he could share with us this passage of scripture. In this passage of scripture, we find out what happens as a result of the preaching of the gospel. And the preaching of the gospel never did anything for our physical, but it takes care of our spiritual. Would you rather enter into heaven broken and maimed and saved or enter in to hell in good health and lost. Well, I don't have to go very far with that. Here it says, verse 22, verse 21. And in that same hour, he cured many of their infirmities and plagues and evil spirits, and unto them that were blind he gave sight. Then Jesus answering said unto him, go your way. and tell John what things he hath seen and heard, how that the blind see. The lame walk, the lepers are healed or cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor is the gospel preached. Now the Lord Jesus Christ brings up that list of things to share with John. And if we only look at Jesus Christ from a physical standpoint of the good deeds that he did while he was upon this earth, we have missed the point.

Jesus Christ shares with us in this list of things that he has done, physically, a representation of what he does for us spiritually. We are dead in trespasses and sin, and yet we find the Lord Jesus said, I raised the dead. We are lepers. Leprosy is a symbol of sin. We are filled with leprosy and only one can come along and heal us of our sin and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are lame and we can't get up and get to him. It doesn't matter how often we hear, come to Christ, if he doesn't give us strength in our legs, spiritually speaking, we can't come. We're stuck, but he's the one that gives us that. And he says, the blind see. My goodness, when Jesus Christ gives us health in his salvation, we find out we get to see things we never saw before and we may still be physically blind. We get to see the glory of the Lord. Isaiah said, I saw the Lord high and lifted up. That's what God does for his people. You get to see things you never knew was possible until the Lord gives us the new birth and we get to see.

He goes on to tell us there, how the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to the poor, the gospel is preached. What a statement Jesus Christ makes here about himself and his ministry when he's upon this earth. This is why I came. I did not come simply to raise the dead. I did not come simply to heal people of their diseases. I'm going to do that, but in so doing, I am demonstrating what must be done on all of my people. If they're ever going to be saved, I must come and heal them and raise them from the dead. And that's what we find.

When we get over to the Acts chapter 8 there in verse 6, turn back there with me if you would, we find in Acts chapter 8 verse 6, Acts 8, verse 6, it says, and the people who were one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles that he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many that were possessed of them. What does that tell us? You know, in the book of Ezekiel, God said in a very pictorial way, I will give them a new heart. And my friends, if we don't have that new heart, we're still filled with the demons of the fall. A new heart. I give unto you a new heart. That's what he said. You must be born again. You must have a birth from above and not just the general birth that you got from your parents.

As he shares here, the unclean spirits crying with a loud voice. What happened by the maniac of Gadara? And he was a wreck. He's not somebody you would want to invite home. He's a wreck. He's miserable and a wreck. He's had to be kicked out of his family for his wretchedness. He's living in the tombs, the only place people would leave him alone. And Jesus walked in there one day and healed him of his wretchedness. And the next thing we find, and I love it because it speaks volumes of spiritual blessings that Christ gives, he's sitting, clothed, and in his right mind. What does the Lord do for his people? He causes us to sit at his feet. Lord, we're closed. clothed with the righteousness of Christ, accepted in the beloved, because his perfect work in keeping the perfect law of God was established in such a way that he can impute that righteousness to us and we can have that perfect clothing.

In the right mind. I love what we find in the Bible, let this mind be in you, which is also in Christ Jesus. We are given a mind of Christ. No, we still carry this flesh around, but now we can think about spiritual things like we never could ever before. We can read the scriptures and say, oh my goodness, I never saw that before. We can read the scriptures and see them preaching the gospel there in Samaria and say the most important thing that happened for those people is they got to hear the gospel.

Now there's some that were healed to authenticate the preaching of the gospel, but even in those healings, it was typical of what Christ does for us when he saves us from our sins. Unclean spirits were cast out. I'll give you a new heart. They were feeble. How feeble we are. We have a palsy, a natural palsy against coming to Christ. We just can't get it done. You remember that man at the Pool of Bethesda? He was depending on someone else to take him down to the water. He was feeble. He had the palsy. He couldn't get anywhere. What was the answer? Christ came to him. And he says, get up and walk. And then it tells us there, the lame were healed, the crippled, the halt, the lame. We're just so broken up because of the fall.

My dad used to say, it's not the fall that hurts you, it's the sudden impact with the earth. And I found that out one time when I was bucked off of a horse. The distance from the saddle to the ground was not that bad, but the impact was harsh. That's what we find in the fall. Adam fell, and in our day, it continues to go on that we are sinners by nature, sinners by practice, and sinners by choice. And God Almighty must be involved. He's the one that must cause it to grow. So the unclean spirits were taken. And then in verse eight, it says, and there was great joy in the city. And then we read verse 12 there. But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God in the name of Jesus Christ, what was the most important thing that Philip did when he was in Samaria? The record of the healings is not in this verse of scripture because that's not the most important thing. They are typical only of what God does for us from a spiritual context, a spiritual blessing.

But these, when he came, when they believed Philip, preaching the things of the kingdom of God, where did their belief come from? God Almighty has to give us that very belief. We won't have it until we're born again, and then we're capable of believing the word of God. Goes on to tell us there, concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. They were baptized, both men and women. You know, the most important baptism that we can have is being baptized by the Spirit, and that's another word for having the new birth. That's just what it is. We're raised from the dead. We're immersed in the Spirit. We have the holy God indwelling His people. That's the only part of us that has sanctified in the sense that we need it. We have Christ in us, the hope of glory.

Well, as we go on here, we find And our time is not quite up, but we're going to close this morning. We find that there's a person there that heard Philip preach. And it says he believed and he was baptized. And before you know it, he's wanting to pay money to have the same power that these disciples were having. And those disciples said, Your heart is not right with God. Not right. What does a heart that's right with God? Agrees with God. Quits arguing with God. Quits telling lies on God. A heart that's right with God bows before his throne of mercy and says, thank you, Lord, for saving my soul. Thank you, Lord, for making me whole.

Brother Mike.