Pastor Mac v.4 "It don't Work Like That!" Acts 8:18-25

words of encouragement and inspiration

"A Few Minutes with Pastor Mac"
                       www.bdubjr.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

He'll make it all. Whatever you gotta say. Whatever you need. Whatever is broken. He can fix it. No need to worry. He's alive.

SPEAKER_01 0:34

Hello and good morning. Thank you for tuning in to another podcast of a few minutes with Pastor Matt. We hope God is blessing you thus far on this Sunday morning. And we hope God's power, favor, and strength be upon you for this new week that is upon us. If you can't make service, don't forget we have Givlify app that you can give your donations and fresh fruits and uh grace giving uh through our app. And um, if you can't make it to service, so don't forget about that. We always want to make sure we give opportunity to uh so seeds into God's ministry. And if you can't make it again, our website as well, uh Give the website and on our app, uh Gibbilify. Thank you, those who uh tune in to another broadcast of the podcast. Uh a few minutes with Pastor Matt. We certainly thank God of your presence, and we thank God he's kept us. Uh another month. Here we are in June 2026. This first week is down. Thank God keeping up praying he keeps us through in this first month of summer. Texas Juba Digits are more than likely to get it out. Thank God that we don't have to be in the heating AC when it's hot in hell. Thank God we repented and we'll born again cursed, we have to worry about that. Praise the Lord. Thank God for you jumping in with our time. God keeps his hands on us. We maintain even though these undergrad times, economic politics, and all the other things, uh God is for your God, we thank you for the chance to your word from you. Up you have to maintain our lifestyle for the kingdom. We love you, we thank you, Lord. We bless your name. You are praise us, do you, or regular in your world, whatever it is. We know you can do it for us. You may wait, Lord bless us. Whatever it can be, our relationship, financial, relational, financial, physical or mental ability. We know you have the evil power, you are the great idea. Now let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart exel. Oh my Savior, my reading of the in Jesus the Christ's name, we read all the last time I gave you the text of Acts 8 to 17 to 25, uh 18 to 25. Uh the next one in the Lord is saying Acts eight, twenty-nine, three, thirty-five. Oh yeah, uh we need a translation of acting. Saying, Give me this authority and power too, so that anyone on whom I lay my hand may receive the Holy Spirit. But Peter said, May your money be destroyed along with you, because you thought you devour the free gift of God with money. You have no orders here in this matter, because your heart, the motive, or purpose is not right before God. So repent of this wickedness of yours and pray to the Lord that impossible that this out of your heart may be forgiven to you. For I see that you are provoked by bitterness and bound by sin. Solomon asked, Praise the Lord for me both that you so that nothing of what you have said will come before me. So when Peter and John had given a testimony and preached the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem preaching the good news about salvation in many Samaritan villages along the way. No, no, it don't work like that. No, no, it don't work. Uh we live in a world where almost everything has a price. Uh you can buy followers, you can buy influence, you can buy a platform, you can buy a blue jacket, you can buy lights, cameras, equipment, branding, marketing, and a microphone. Apparently you can buy politicians and presidents. But Acts 8 comes and tells us there are some things money you can't tell. You can't buy joy, you can't buy peace, you can't buy salvation, you can't buy the Holy Ghost. You can't buy a clean heart. Simon walks into a holy moment with a carnal mindset, thinking the power of God can be purchased like a product. Peter looks at him and says, in so many words, No, bro, it don't work like that. Let's look at this Simon, Simon from last week. He says, He sees the apostles lay hands and people receive the Holy Spirit, but instead of bowing in worship, he starts calculating a price. And the first thing that the text teaches us is this you can't buy it. Verse 20 says, But Peter said to him, May your money be destroyed along with you, because you thought you could buy the free gift of God with money. Simon wanted the power without the surrender. Simon offered money because he misunderstood the source and nature of God's gift. He thought the power of the Spirit was a product. He thought ministry could be monetized. He thought the move of God could be managed like a marketplace. But Peter tells him, May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money. God's power is not for sale. God's spirit is not merchandise. The Holy Ghost is not a spiritual upgrade. The anointing is not something you add to your resume, it is the gift of God. Let me say that again. The anointing is not something you add to the resume. It is a gift from of God. And Simon had money in his hand, but the problem was in his heart. Simon thought he had a transaction problem, but Peter diagnosed a transformation problem. Simon thought, I need access to this power. Peter said, No, bruh, your heart is not right before God. And then number two, you can't faith. Acts verse 21 says, Peter says your heart is not right before God. You have no right, you have no part to share in this matter because your heart is not right. This is the real diagnosis that Peter gives him. Simon's issue was not a bad doctrine, it was a bad design. He wanted the power but not purity. He wanted the ability but not accountability. He wanted the gift but not the giver. It don't work like that. That word heart is important. Biblically, the heart is not just emotions. The heart is the control center of the person, it is the place of desire, will, thought, worship, motive, and allegiance. God is not just checking your hands, He's checking your heart. Because if the heart is crooked, the hands become dangerous. So Peter is saying, Simon, your issue is not merely behavioral, your issue is spiritual. Something in the center of you is out of alignment before God. And when the heart is not right, ministry can become manipulation, worship can become performance, leadership can become control, preaching can become self-promotion, service can become a stage because God will not bless a crooked motive just because it is wrapped in church language. Proverbs 423 said, Keep your heart with all viligence, for from it flows the springs of life. Jesus said in Matthew 15, 18, 19, what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart. Evil desires, false motives, pride, and corruption begin inside before they show up outside. So Simon's request exposed his interior condition. His money was not the root, his money was the fruit. The root was a crooked heart, still shaped by old patterns of control, self-promotion, and spiritual manipulation. But here's the mercy text. Peter does not expose Simon to embarrass him, he exposes him to rescue him. Peter's rebuke is severe, but is not hopeless. He does not say, Simon, you are finished. He says, repent and pray. That means there's still a road back. The same God who reveals the crookedness of the heart can also cleanse the crookedness of the heart. But the road back is not denial, it is not excuses, it is not image management, it is repentance. So first you got you can't buy it. Secondly, you can't fake it. And then thirdly and finally, uh, you must repent of it. And verse 22 through 25, so repent of this wickedness of yours and pray to the Lord that if possible, this thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are provoked by bitterness and bound by sin. But some said, Pray to the Lord for me, both of you, Peter and John, so that nothing which you said will come upon me. Peter and John had given a testimony and preached the word. They went to Samaria and preached the good news. But but but look but look but look look look take take a look. Peter does not rebuke Simon, he gives him a way back. Repent and pray to the Lord. That means Simon is wrong, but not beyond mercy. He is exposed, but not beyond grace. He is confronted, but not cut off from the possibility of restoration. And but the way back is repentance. Repentance in scripture is not just feeling bad, it is a turning, it is a change of mind, heart, and direction before God. And that matters because repentance is not punishment. Repentance is mercy. Um God opens when judgment could have been the final word. And this is consistent with the gospel message in Acts that Peter has been saying. Acts 2.38 said, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. In Acts 3, uh, 19, he says, Repent, therefore, and turn back that your sins may be blotted out. So Peter's not changing his message for Simon. He is applying the same gospel truth. When sin is exposed, the right response is repentance. Simon's response in verse 24 is sobering. Pray for me to the Lord and nothing of what you have said may come upon me. That response is not clearly full of repentance. It sounds more like fear of consequences than sorrow over sin. Some Peter, some people, some people want prayer to escape consequences, but they do not want repentance to change their condition. Or repeat and press play on. Now, some people want prayer to escape consequences, but they do not want repentance to change their condition. Simon asked Peter to pray, but Peter had already told Simon to pray. And that matters. Peter says, You pray. Simon says, No, you pray for me. And there's nothing wrong with asking folk to pray for you, but nobody can repent for you. Nobody can surrender for you. Nobody can get your heart right for you. At the same point, you must go before God yourself and say, Lord, search me, clean me, change me, make my heart right. Simon wanted Peter's prayer. But God wanted Simon's repentance. He wanted protection from judgment. But God wanted transformation of the heart. He wanted relief from consequences, but God wanted release from corruption. And he wanted the punishment removed, but God wanted the poison removed. And that is where the text becomes a mirror. Yes. Lord, don't let me lose this. Lord, don't let this fall apart. Lord, don't let me suffer this. But the deeper prayer is, Lord, make me right. Lord, clean my motives. Lord, humble my spirit. And Lord, purify my desires. Lord, don't just fix what I broke, but fix what's broken in me. Touch your name and say that ain't how this works. You cannot skip repentance and expect restoration. Priest Pastor Mag, I'm doing the best I can. You cannot ignore conviction and expect freedom. You cannot ask God to bless what he's trying to correct. So Simon tried to buy what God could give, only he could do it. But the good news is what Simon could not purchase, Jesus already paid for. Not silver, not gold, but with his precious blood. Do you mind if I talk about him for a moment? He was born in Bethlehem, baptized in the Jordan River, raised in Nazareth, walked the streets of Jerusalem. And one Friday he died. He paid for salvation on that Friday. Paid for mercy on that Friday. He paid for forgiveness on that Friday. Paid for a clean heart on that Friday. And they pierced him, nailed his hands to the cross, and pierced him in his time and riveted his feet. And he died, paid it all for us. He died on that old rugged cross. Till the moon dripped away in blood till the soldiers said surely surely this must be the Son of God. They put him took him off that cross, put him in the morrow tomb. Stayed there all night Friday night. Stayed the whole day Saturday and Saturday night but the reason why we can shout for joy The reason why you can't buy your salvation. The reason why you can't buy forgiveness is that early Sunday morning he got up from the grave with all power in his hands. So lift up your hands and tell God thank you that we don't need to pay for it no more. You paid it all for us, and anybody comes for something trying to buy something, trying to sell us something from the Lord. We can tell him no, no, uh, it don't work like that. Only God can do what he do in our life. His blood was shed for our sins, and all we got to do is accept it, repent and begin again. Peter told Sam repent and pray. And if we do that, pray every day. God will work some things out in our life. Give it over to the Lord and let him work it out. Won't he do it? Somebody out there ought to be happy. Won't he do it? Won't he do it? He's always doing it over and over again. If I keep on pressing, press on the monk, I ain't seen nothing yet. Touch a neighbor that's in your house right now and tell them that you ain't seen nothing yet. I have not seen his not heard all that God has for man. He's gonna make it work somehow. Keep on praising Keep on praising Yeah, I feel good right about now. Oh work it out for you. Make waves out of noise. Keep on doing it again and again. Every time I turn around, he keeps on blessing me. Oh and over and over and over and on and on and over and over again. I thank you, Lord. I yes, uh, because you've been so good. I invitation is extended now. If you don't know Jesus, the pardon of your sins. If you would like to get to know him better and get saved, allow him to come into your life. Simply say this prayer. Jesus, I need you in my life. I believe you died and rose again on the third day. I trust you to control my life and to enhance my future. If you said that prayer, uh it's as simple as ABC. Accept, believe, and commit. If you did that, we would love to hear from you. You may contact us through email, get praiseon at house of praisepp.org. Or you may go simply to our website, www.house of praisepp.org, contact us, and someone from our discipleship team will get back with you with other information you need in order to begin this new life in Christ. We love you to life, we look forward to hearing from you. Thank you again for listening to our podcast. We hope something was said, be a blessing for you, be a blessing for you this week. We know that we are still in the hands of God, and we will trust him to keep and deliver us. Bless you, God bless you. We love you to life, and you can't do anything about it. Look forward to next week. The Lord says the same. We hope that you are praying and reading the word and staying true and standing on the promises of the Lord. God bless you, and we'll see you next week.

SPEAKER_00 20:18

I need to do this.