PART 8“SOURCE” AWRY

Do not allow a sorceress to live.

Exodus 22:18

Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who

practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or

who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone

who does these things is detestable to the LORD; because of these same

detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the LORD

your God.

The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice

sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so. The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must

listen to him. For this is what you asked of the LORD your

God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God nor see this

great fire anymore, or we will die.”

The LORD said to me: “What they say is good. I will raise up

for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his

mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. I

myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to

my words that the prophet speaks in my name. But a

prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who

speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.”

You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a

message has not been spoken by the LORD?” If what a

prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take

place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has

spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed.

Deuteronomy 18:9-22

Salient Points• As you enter the promised

land, shun the practices of the natives.• God’s driving them out in

the first place because of these practices.• The Prophet is superior

knowledge and power.• Sorcery, a distraction from

Jesus, is punishable by death.

Sorcery in Acts• Simon the Sorcerer - Acts

8:9-25• Bar-Jesus - Acts 13:4-12• Slave Girl - Acts 16:16-21• Sorcery Renounced - Acts

19:11-20

Simon the Sorcerer• Acts 8:9-25–Takes place in Samaria.–Ironically named “Simon,” working to establish a counterfeit church.–Converts to Christianity, astonished by the good news, great signs, and miracles.–Stumbles on the Holy Spirit.

Simon the Sorcerer• Lessons:–Greed is powerful.–Simon had not fully renounced or repented from his old life.–Could he have thought he had the right motives?• Verse 19

–Ultimately repented of his sinfulness.

Bar-Jesus• Acts 13:4-12–Further out – gentile territory.–More ironic names:• Bar-Jesus = “Son of” or “Disciple of”• Sergius Paulus = “Servant of Paul”

–Opposed his loss of power.–Blinded for a time.

Bar-Jesus• Lessons:–“Now” the hand of The Lord was against him. • Before or after?

–Would he be saved?• Blinded for a set amount of time.•His boss is now a hard-core Christian.•What does he have to go back to?

Slave Girl• Acts 16:16-21–Gentile territory.–Demon possessed.–A fortune from fortunes.–Proclaims the truth…albeit annoyingly.–Slave freed, Paul and Silas thrown in prison.

Slave Girl• Lessons:–How did she apparently predict the future accurately?–Why was her “spirit” so reckless as to commit “suicide by cop?”–She was twice enslaved, twice freed.

Progression• Sorcerer 1 – Perversion of

the Truth• Sorcerer 2 – Suppression of

the Truth• Sorcerer 3 – Persecution for

the Truth

• Outcome:–Fail, Fail, Fail

Sorcery’s Fall• Acts 19:11-20–Genuine miracles gain attention.–Extreme power of evil demonstrated.–Superior power of Jesus upheld.–Fear, belief, and conviction.–137 years’ wages worth of sorcery books deemed worthless and burned.

Sorcery’s Fall• Convicted believers

confessed their sins publicly.• Sorcery was renounced and

burned in public.• This tactic was officially

compromised.• And “the word of The Lord

spread widely and grew in power.”