Last week at the close of our service led by our youth a drama called Heaven and Hell was portrayed. In the blink of a eye an accident propelled one girl to heaven and one to hell. Two close friends separated forever- Never to see or talk to one another again.
This morning where do you stand. Do you know for certain that if you were to die that you would go to heaven? Do you know for certain that your husband, wife, sister, brother, mom, dad son, daughter- the ones that perhaps sit with you on your pew are going to heaven? How about your neighbor, your co worker, your best friend? Heaven is a real place and Hell is a real place. Everyone sitting in here, everyone who lives in Sandridge, Everyone who lives in our state, country and world will eventually end up in one of these two places.
This morning I want to bring a simple message. A message that preaches the Good news of Salvation.
With that goal in mine turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Acts chapter 16 beginning in verse 25
Setting the stage, Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned for preaching the Gospel. Beaten badly with rods at midnight Paul and Silas find themselves praying and singing hymns. Verse 25 says that the prisoners were listening to them. God’s light had shone into the darkness of the Prison and all were drawn to it. After an earthquake, all the prison doors were shaken loose. The Jailer ran to see and to his horror he saw all the prison doors were open. It appeared to the Jailer that all had escaped. The penalty for the jailer would be a horrific death; so the jailer decided to forgo the torture and commit suicide. But right before the Jailer was to fall on his sword, Paul’s voice screamed out “ We are all here! Every prisoner was still there. Leaving that point of desperation that point of suicide the jailer fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. There in this position the jailer asks a haunting question. A question that has been asked many times throughout the centuries. “What must I do to be saved?”
Perhaps this question haunts you as well- maybe you know the answer. If not, linger a bit longer with this message as together we answer the Jailer’s question.
So, what must I do to be saved?
First we need to ask a basic question. What does the word “saved” imply or mean?
The Greek word sodzo which is translated saved means to be delivered. But delivered from what?
What was this Philippian jailer wanting to be saved from?
Some say, the earthquake. But the earthquake was over when the jailer asked his question.
Some say, saved from his superiors who would kill him since the prisoners escaped. But clearly the Jailer knew when he asked the question that the prisoners had not escaped.
So what did he need to be saved from? What did he need to be delivered from? As Baptists we give an invitation at the end of our service, and invite lost people to be saved… But from what?
The Bible says, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved… But again Saved from what?
The answer comes from an angel who proclaims the birth of Christ. Listen to the angel’s words:
thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
What are we saved from? What are we delivered from? From Sin. We are saved from sin. We are delivered from sin.
Willie Nelson, before IRS caught him, when he still had money, built his own golf course on his own land.
Someone asked him about “par”. Par to the non golfers are how many attempts it should take to put the ball in the hole.
They asked what par was on his course.
He said, it’s my golf course, par is what I want it to be. He pointed at the first hole, “that’s a par 47, yesterday I birdied it”.
That’s how a lot of people approach sin these days, they think they can just define it for themselves…never mind what God says about it…they “feel” it’s ok!
The Bible points out the very root of the problem and calls it what it is: sin! Romans 3:23 says this: For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Each of are sinners. From the moment of our birth to the day we die we sin. We fail God and fall short of his desire for us. Yet in the midst of our sin Jesus Christ came and died for us that we might be saved or delivered from sin.
Giving us the hope and possibility of salvation and deliverance. But the choice is up to us. Jesus Christ saved us from sin in three distinct ways.
First Jesus Christ delivered us or saved us from the penalty of sin.
Romans 6:23 says: The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The apostle Paul calls sin the “body of death”
In ancient Rome, they killed criminals in several gruesome ways: crucifixion, thrown to wild animals, and another way: when convicted of a capital crime, many were executed by being attached to a cadabre, a dead body, usually of someone who died of a loathsome disease like leprosy…they would tie the corpse to the back of the criminal, who was required to work, eat, sleep w/ that dead body tied to him…as it decayed and decompose, the disease would overtake the criminal, who would then die a slow, agonizing, humiliating death, attached to that cadabre.
The Bible says we all have a body of death that is tied to us, it’s called “sin.” But praise God, Jesus came to save us from the penalty of sin.
Second Jesus Christ saves or delivers us from the pollution of sin.
When we get saved, the Lord says, I’ll not only keep you out of hell (what most people think they’re saved from in total) but I’ll give you a new nature…I’ll clean you up from the inside out…I’ll give you power to get victory over bad habits, to learn a better way to live, how to get rid of the things that don’t belong in your life, and replace them w/ much better things.
Years ago a man in England was in prison, but he was pardoned by the queen…a friend delivered the message to him saying, “I’ve got great news: you’ve been pardoned! You can go free!”/his prisoner friend showed no emotion/ “don’t you understand? The queen has set you free/he unbuttoned his shirt, drew it back, revealed a large cancerous growth in his chest that was eating away his life/ “ask the queen what she can do about this?”
It’s not enough for us to be saved from just the penalty of sin, we must also be saved from the pollution and the power of sin.
Not just the sin that would send us to hell, but the sin that will continue to wreck our life right now.
Not just the sweet by and by, but the nasty now and now.
No wonder the author of “Rock of Ages” wrote:
“be of sin the double cure, save from wrath and make me pure!”
The Bible says sin shall no longer have dominion over you…there’s no sin you cannot gain victory over by the power of Christ…yet some of us continue to be led around by the nose by Satan himself, and we think we have no control over it…but I’m here to tell you that Jesus has broken the power of sin in our life, and we need to claim the victory and say, “enough is enough, I’m claiming the victory today!”
Penalty/pollution (power)/ and…
Finally, In the final days, in the end of days we will saved or delivered from the very presence of sin.
Revelations 21: verse 4 describes our future home in this way. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, their shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.
One day in heaven there will be no sin
Jesus Christ died for you and you and you that you might be saved. Delivered from your sins. Today if you are unsure or if you know that when you die you will go to the real place called Hell, and you want to be sure then listen very carefully.
It is as simple as ABC
A admit that you are a sinner. Admit that you need to be delivered from your body of death called sin.
Second, B Believe
Paul answered the Jailer’s question with this answer, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.
A man once was afraid of flying. When asked about it, He said, I know intellectually it’s ok, but emotionally I can’t handle it. one day though he said, I’m a grown man, wasting lots of time, I’m gonna do it. So he bought a ticket, got on board, buckled himself in and made his destination.- white knuckling it the whole way. But he made it!
What was the difference?
Before he believed in airplanes. Now he believed on the airplane.
In the same way Millions of people believe in Jesus Christ, with their (head), but will because they’ve never believed on Jesus Christ with their (heart), they’ve missed heaven by 18 inches!
Third. C- Call on him, Commit your self to Jesus
Jerome, one of the early church fathers who translated the Bible from greek into Latin, said one night he had a dream and Jesus came to his house to visit him. He gathered all his money to give as a gift, but Jesus looked at him and said, I don’t want your money or your possessions Jerome asked “Lord, what do you want?” Jesus responded, Jerome I want your sin, that’s what I came here to get!
Jerome later said, “In my dream I gave Jesus my sin, and He gave me eternal life.”
What an exchange!
Today commit your self to Jesus and exchange your sin for heaven.
As easy as ABC
Admit you are a sinner
Believe on Jesus Christ as only hope for salvation
Call on Him to save you
This morning choose heaven. Let today be your day fo salvation.
