What must I do to be saved

May 28th 2023

Series: The Book of Acts

Sermon Title: What must I do to be saved?

Topic: Journey through the book of Acts.

Key Passages: Acts 16: 16-40

Sermon Blurb: In today’s message we see Paul and Silas do something GREAT that lands them in hot water. We will see God turn that into something great that leads to the answer to, “what it takes to be saved.” And we will also see how God plants a church with a unique group of people.

Sermon:

Hello Family Church!!!!!

Family Moment

Welcome back to our study through the book of Acts!

Today we get to jump right back into the book of Acts.

Grab your Bible and open it up to where we left off….

Acts 16

As you are getting there….

Let me catch up any guests we have today.

The book of Acts is all about the church that was launched by Jesus shortly after his resurrection and return to heaven.

We have seen all kinds of attacks happen to try and stop the growth of the church from inside and out.

But no matter what happens God’s movement continues!

Last week we saw God re-directing people to get to where He needed them to be.

All kinds of people coming to know Jesus and amazing things happening!

The church is growing! God is moving!

Paul and the early church must be on a spiritual high!

I mean there is SO much good stuff in chapter 16….that we are now into our third week on this one chapter!

PAUSE

Let’s read and then unpack some things…..Acts 16 starting at verse 16…

Acts 16: 16-40 Paul and Silas in Prison Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling.

17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” 18 She kept this up for many days.

Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.

19 When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities.

I want to pause here for a second….

What they just did was GOOD in the eyes of God.

What they just did was GOOD in the eyes of the church.

They cast a spirit out of a woman and set her free.

BUT….

In the eyes of the world what they did was bad!

In the eyes of the world, they just took away this woman’s income source.

They took away this woman’s power.

They took away her owner’s income source.

In the eyes of the WORLD, they STOLE something.

PAUSE

And I bring that up because I want you all to understand that the things of God and the things of the world are often at odds.

You need to know that sometimes following Jesus will put you at odds with people that do NOT follow Jesus.

You need to know that following Jesus might make it harder for you at school.

You need to know that following Jesus at work might make it harder for you.

Following Jesus on your sports team might get you made fun of.

PAUSE

Church the day might come that we have laws made in our country that make following Jesus illegal in parts….

And I know that sounds crazy but do NOT forget what we saw over the Covid lockdowns…..

We churches were told worshiping God was now ILLEGAL and you could get sent to jail….

That happened by the way in our country for some pastors….

Where your church could get its electricity and water turned off….

That happened as well in our country by the way!

Where you are told if you do NOT do something that you feel goes against your faith in Jesus you will be fire….

That also happened in our country by the way!

PAUSE

The day may come when you will have to choose to stand strong for God or bend the knee to culture……

And you are going to have to make a choice….

Do you follow God’s leading no matter what….

Or do you follow cultures leading because following God would cause you too much hardship or pain….

PAUSE

Church…..

As we have walked through the book of Acts we have seen GREAT times in the church!!!

We have also seen very hard times….

We need to understand we will see the same in our lives.

Great times….

And hard times….

And it is about to get harder for Paul and Silas…..verse 20

20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”

Which is a lie by the way…

But if you have not figured it out yet people lie all the time…

Which is why I always suggest to people…. Trust but verify!

Trust people but verify it is true and factual.

But mob mentality sinks in and….

22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods.

23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

Stop there…..

Remember what we just talked about?

What could happen to us one day…

They simply do something GREAT for this young woman…

But since others did NOT think it was GREAT they got publicly stripped, beaten, and thrown into prison!

Not fun.

I hope that happens to none of you.

Church we cannot to for granted the freedoms we have today or they will be taken from us…

We cannot be afraid to share the Good News of Jesus with others today because if we are one day evil will rule more and more hearts and lead us to worse and worse places…

Just look around us and what is happening in our world…

The answer is Jesus ruling more hearts and minds!

PAUSE

So let’s see what we can learn from Paul and Silas…

What can we learn from how they respond to going through something really hard….

Verse 25…..

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

Stop there……

What were they doing church?

Praying and singing…

But not just any singing….

The GOOD singing…can I get a halleluiah from the hymn people?

Should we just bust into the doxology here…

Start singing….

Praise God from whom all…what church….

PAUSE

Put yourself in their shoes….

What would you do if you got striped naked in public.

Beaten by rods in public.

Then thrown into jail….

Then fasten by chains in your cell to make sure you don’t escape….

What would you do?

What would you think?

PAUSE

I would be willing to bet that a lot of us would regret that we followed God’s leading….

I would beat a lot of us would be wondering if God abandoned us.

Be honest….

Some of you know I am right….

PAUSE

They praise God…..

They praise God in the good times….

They praise God in the bad times…..

Because they know something church…..

They know this…

Write this down…..

God will work through any situation.

Repeat

And you are about to see that come to life….verse 26…..

26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken.

At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.

Pause here….

You might wonder why he is about to kill himself…

Because understand these Christians are REALLY good at escaping prison!

Jesus escaped somehow…under guard and a sealed tomb!

Earlier in the book of Acts Peter escaped from Prison.

The Romans knew that somehow….these annoying Christians kept getting out of jail….

And in Rome if you lost your prisoners….if you wanted to die honorably…you killed yourself…

If you wanted to die without honor….then you were found alive and executed…

So this guard…is about to do what he considers the honorable thing….BUT

28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

Stop there…. Leave that on the screens….

He asked them what church???

What must I do to be saved….

What must I DO to BE saved….

You will see a blank after that question in your notes….

Why don’t you write down what you think it takes to be saved there….

The jailer was SO moved by what he saw in Paul and Silas when they were arrested…

He was SO moved by how they followed their God after what happened.

He was SO moved by the fact that they choose to STAY in prison when they could have fled…

That he realizes….these are not normal people!

No normal person stays in prison when they can leave!

No sane person would do this….

These guys must REALLY believe what they say they believe!

PAUSE

So he asks them…..

What must I do to be saved…

Let’s see what Paul and Silas say it takes to be saved….

31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house.

Stop there….

They did NOT answer, "You don't have to do anything… you are already saved….. because Jesus died for the whole world."

They did NOT say, “All roads lead to the same place so just be a good person.”

They did NOT say, “Just make sure your good deeds out weight your bad and your good.”

They did NOT say, “Just go to church one day a week from now on and your good.”

PAUSE

That is not what they said, because that is not how it works.

The death of Jesus for sinners was not designed to save people apart from a PERSONAL response.

Yes….Jesus died to save EVERY person BUT Jesus does not FORCE a response….

We have FREE will to accept that free gift or not…

ONLY those who respond to Jesus are saved…

Jesus’ death covers all your sins IF..KEY WORD IF…. you will receive it and believe in Jesus Christ.

Jesus becomes your substitute for sin IF you accept Him and follow His ways.

God has provided salvation for sinners.

It is sufficient for all sinners.

And all are invited to come.

But it does not save a person who will not come.

A personal response is absolutely necessary.

What response to Jesus is necessary in order to have our sins forgiven and in order to have eternal life?

Or, as the jailor said, "What must I do to be saved?"

The clear answer is to BELIEVE in Jesus…period…

Believe in Jesus and you are saved by the Grace of Jesus.

It is not by works…

It is not by your actions…

It is not by you that you are saved!

You are saved by the grace and work of Jesus alone!

PAUSE

So verse 32 says….they spoke the Word to him and his household….and it goes on to say…..verse 33….

33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized.

34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.

WOW!

His whole household comes to faith!

And his entire household is baptized!

What a GREAT day!!!!

And it gets even better… verse 35…

35 When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” 36 The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”

37 But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.”

38 The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. 39 They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city.

Let me just explain that….

If you were a Roman citizen you got all kinds of privileges that most Roman people did not get.

See go back to what I said earlier today…

Today, just like back then, people do NOT like to make sure things are what they appear to be.

People do jump to conclusions and then often realize they were WRONG later…

Remember what I said…TRUST but VERIFY….

If they had not given into the mob mentality and done some homework and asked some questions….

They would have found out Paul and Silas were Romans and what they were about to do to them was actually illegal!

Sounds like today?

People now suing because what has happened to them over the past couple of years are WINNING…because it was wrong!

And they do NOT want people to find out what they did was wrong…so they try to appease them…..

Interesting….

Church….I hated history until I went through seminary….

And then I realized how much we as humans just keep repeating history….

We keep doing the same stupid things over and over again.

Church….

Can I encourage you to learn from your parents, your grandparents, from history….

It can save you from so much pain….

PAUSE

Let’s wrap up this chapter….then I have one more cool thing to point out….

Verse 40….

40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left.

We will stop reading there…

What an amazing story!

PAUSE

Here is what I want you all to think about in closing…..

God wanted a strong church to be planted in Philippi…

Look at whom God wanted to reach first to be leaders in this church….

Last week we saw God a businesswoman named Lydia.

She led a woman’s prayer gathering but was missing a relationship with Jesus….

Paul led her to Jesus and the first leader is born!

The second person…..

A former fortune-telling slave girl!

She was filled with gratitude and attached herself to Paul’s team and became part of the first church of Philippi.

So now there is a businesswoman, her household, and a former fortune-telling slave girl!

The third person needed….

Paul gets him and Silas thrown in jail.

But God knows what he is doing.

There is one more founder of the church plant in Philippi that he wants to be included……. the jailer of all people!

PAUSE

Quite a montely crew…..

Not whom most of us would assume we be a great plant team….

I mean if I look at who helped plant this church….let’s just say I am thankful whom God choose to use here…..

Now I will say there was at least one odd one on the team…but I won’t say who…..

Cough….Bob…..

PAUSE

The first members of the first church plant in Philippi:

1. A businesswoman and her household.

2. A former slave girl.

3. And a government employee, the jailer, with his household.

That’s the church plant in Philippi.

What incredible diversity in this early church!

Luke says the Lord opened Lydia’s heart Acts 16:14.

The name of Jesus delivered the demonized slave girl Acts 16:18.

God sent an earthquake to open a jailer’s eyes Acts 16:26!

PAUSE

Do you see the point church…

Write this down….

When we follow God, the impossible happens, and His church grows.

Repeat

Church…..

And do NOT miss the KEY part of this entire passage that you all need to see…..

God can use anyone!!!!

Let me say that again…..

God can use anyone!!!!

Church…..

Paul use to hunt down, imprison, and occasionally have Christians murdered….

Paul hated Jesus and wanted to destroy everything he did.

If God can work through Paul….he can work through you!

God will now work through a businesswoman….

We have some AMAZING businesswomen in our church!

If God can work through a businesswoman back then…he can today!

God will now work through a woman who was a slave…the OPPOSITE of a business leader!!!!

Who also was demon possessed!

If God can work through someone who would have thought they were a nobody and God can work through you as well!

God will now work through a government employee…a prison guard….

We have some amazing police officers…military people and government employees at our church…

If God can work through this guy…he can work through you!

PAUSE

Church…..

If those kinds of people can be a part of a church plant….anyone want to guess what I am going to say????

SO CAN YOU!

The same Power that created the church in Philippi….is present today….

And we at Family Church are BOLD enough to believe…..

That GOD will raise up Paul-and-Silas-type church planters here inside our church!

I really believe that in the future more and more of our church staff will be coming from inside our church!!!

I really believe that some of you listening to this message will one day be pastors and leaders!

I really believe that some of you here that have accepted Jesus and come from really broken pasts will one day be a part of core teams going out and planting new churches….starting new campuses!!!

I really believe YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!

Because stories like this in the Bible prove it!!!!

PAUSE

Let’s wrap this up with a life application today…..

And for those of you who are new, or newer, to Family Church.

We love to end our messages with an application point to your life.

Something that you can take away from the message and apply to your life this week.

This week’s life application says this……

Life Application: God can work through anyone. God wants to work through you. How could you start preparing NOW for God to work through you in the future? As a result of today’s message, I will ____________________________.

Let me encourage you to write down one simple thing you WILL do as a result of what you learned this week….

And watch what God does!!!!

Let’s Pray…..

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