What Must I Do To Be Saved
Listen as I read today’s text:
Acts 16:16-33 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
17The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, “These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.”
18And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, “I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out the same hour.
23And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: 24Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
25And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 26And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.
27And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
28But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying,“Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.”
29Then he* called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, 30And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31And they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” 32And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
33And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. 34And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.
· With all the religions from Buddhism to Islam to Christianity our world it seems is covered in a cloud of confusion, and even when a person finds the truth of Christianity... knowing and understanding that it is Christ... and Christ alone in which salvation can be found, there is still many denominations among those who call themselves Christians.
And so it is little wonder that many people scratch their head and ask the question that the Philippian Jailer asked Paul many years ago. “What must I do... to be saved?”
The answer varies depending on who you ask, but God’s Word gives us a precise and true understanding of the answer to that question, “What must I do to be saved”
Jesus...is that name... above all names. He is our Wonderful Savior and Glorious Lord.
But just how exactly does that transition take place from where we say,“He is the Savior of the World” to saying “He is MY SAVIOR.” What must... I... do to be saved?
In John chapter 2: we read to do with Jesus and His very first miracle, and it happened at a very joyous event.
A wedding was taking place.
Jesus’ first miracle was at a happy occasion. He was at a wedding celebration and wine was being shared but then the wine ran out.
John 2:1And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: 2And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. 3And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. 4Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
5His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
6And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins{from 7 to 25 gallons of liquid apiece.
7Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. 8And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.
9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
10And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. 11This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him. {The symbolism is clear. The power of Christ filled the emptiness of the waterpots and that same power is able to fill the emptiness of Judaistic religion and the need for all people everywhere.}
He came to this earth to live and die on a cross and WHY... because He wanted to save sinners of which we ALL ARE.
We’re told in LK 19:10 that he came to seek and save that which was lost.
In John chapter 4 Jesus met a woman at the well. She was a Samaritan woman and Jesus was a Jew. Now in those days the Samaritans and the Jews did not get along at all.
Jesus meets the woman at the well at what was probably the hottest hour of the day. She had come to draw water at a time when no one else would be around. This seems to indicate that her reputation was one that was not well accepted, especially with the other ladies in the community.
Jesus was there at the well waiting when she arrived, He knew she would be there alone at this time of day and so He purposely was there.
Were told in4: vs 4 And he must needs go through Samaria. 5Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. 7There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water:
Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. 8(For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) 9Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
10Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
11The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? 12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
13Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
15The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
· The world is dry & like a desert without Jesus
And people are looking for something to quench the thirst of their life and Jesus alone is the answer.
He is the water of life...and if you’ll admit your need for him & Believe in what He did on the cross for you, confess that you’re a lost sinner in need of a Savior, Then your life will be filled with a fountain of living water rather than a sense of thirsting for something still un-found.
In Christ... you will find Eternal Life.
· Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. Luke 19:10
We all wrestle with the temptation of sin.
The temptation to do what is pleasing to the flesh....satisfying our own will and our own bodies.
Be it sexual temptation. Be it materialistic temptation,Be it a temptation that is full of pride.
Or even the temptation to seek revenge...to lie...to steal...or simply to do anything we know that would be against God.
Jesus endured temptation. He withstood temptation...
And with the help of Jesus you and I can overcome temptation.
Jesus was there in the wilderness shortly after his baptism by John the Baptist ....
LK 4: 1And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
3And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. 4And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God 4 And Jesus answered him, "It is written, MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE.’"
Jesus is 40 days in the wilderness and the Bible says He had nothing to eat. He fasted for forty days and then came temptation.
What does Jesus do in the face of great temptation...?
Did he fall into the devils trap...OF COURSE NOT...HE’S JESUS.
He knew the power of God, and that power comes from following the plan of God and the will of God... and you and I know that the Bible... tells us... God’s way for power in our lives.
But do you and I totally...completely...without fail...always avoid Satan’s trap?
Are we certain that we never give into temptation and sin?
There are times, if we’ll all be honest that WE miss the mark so to speak.
That’s why we need Jesus.
Remember the question that was ask earlier in the message?
What must I do to be saved?
Jesus could have turned those stones into bread. But He knew that was not God’s plan.
God’s plan is not that you and I MUST live a perfect life 100% sin free.
That’s what we should strive for but God’s plan is that He sent His Son into the world to die on the cross FOR ALL OUR SINS and that He did.
SO that all of us who could never be perfect could trust in the one who was and is and always will be perfect...His name is ...Jesus.
What must I do to be saved?
Turn stones into bread .....No....Live a perfect life......No
we’re to Put all our hope and faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
Romans 10: 9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
