What was missing in Simon's life was heartfelt recognition of sin, brokenness for sin, crying out to Jesus for forgiveness and accepting and trusting him humbly that when he died and rose, the debt was paid, and he is a worthy

Lord and God for my life now.

John Piper is talking about Simon the sorcerer here in Acts 8. Sometimes what looks like

genuine faith isn't, and the evidence that it isn't is what's not going on in the heart.

I'm Dan Kruver. In this episode of Light and Truth, John Piper explores what happens when the object of our faith isn't actually Jesus.

This message was originally delivered at Bethlehem Baptist Church on May 12, 1991.

The simplest illustration that I could think of to picture what happened to Simon, the mistake that Simon the magician made in text, is this. It's happened to every mother who's had toddlers.

Happened to us four times. You have a one-year-old sitting on your lap and say it's springtime and the first Robin lands on the limb outside the window.

And you lift up your hand and you point and you say, look, look at the robin.

And what do they look at?

The finger.

They always look at the finger.

It takes a long learning process to know that this thing right here means don't look at it.

This means don't look at me.

A little kid doesn't get that.

And if you watch a little baby's hands, as soon as you do that, little fingers start moving,

experimenting to see if they can make that funny shape that you've just made to imitate.

They never look out the window until they catch on.

Now, Simon made that mistake.

The signs and wonders are the extended finger.

Look, look out the window to Jesus.

Look at the glory of the cross.

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