The Sure Truth about Salvation

The Book of Acts - Part 53

Acts 16:9-15

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church - August 17, 2014

*Larry Sarver once said: "There are very few things in life that you can be absolutely certain about. Many of the things we buy disappoint us despite the 'satisfaction guaranteed' label. And cars break down even when they are new and well cared for. . . If you've ever had the 'check engine' light come on when you are out in the middle of nowhere, you know how troubling uncertainty can be!" (1)

*Many things are uncertain in this world. Thank God that the most important things are sure! And here in the story of Lydia, we can see four sure truths about salvation.

1. First Christians: We surely have to speak up about Jesus.

*That's what Paul's missionary team was doing in these verses. After Paul had the vision in vs. 9 that led the team to Macedonia, vs. 10 says: "Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them."

*Now God wants us to do the same things we see here: Go and tell. Go and tell. Keep walking with the Lord. Keep talking for the Lord. And notice in vs. 10 that they didn't waste any time. They "immediately" tried to do what the Lord wanted them to do, and so should we. Time is a precious thing. We must not waste it. We must do all we can for the Lord while we can.

*May God help us to do all we can to share the good news about Jesus Christ!

-That Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for our sins.

-That He rose again from the dead.

-That He will forgive our sins and give eternal life to everyone who turn to Him and receive Him as Lord and Savior.

*God wants us to speak up about Jesus, like we see Paul's team doing in vs. 13. Here Paul said, "And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there."

*God wants us to speak up about Jesus too, and there are a lot of different ways to do it. I cannot begin to express how impressed I am by our adults and youth, who spent most of yesterday signing up over 70 children for Upward Football and Cheerleading. Every practice they will hear a devotional about the Lord, and every halftime they will hear something that points them to Jesus.

*Howard Hendricks went home to be with the Lord in February 2013. He was 88 years old when he went to Heaven. For over 50 years, Howard Hendricks was one of the best known Christian leaders in our nation. He taught at Dallas Theological Seminary, authored 16 books, and was a mentor to both Chuck Swindoll and David Jeremiah.

*How did all of that get started? When Howard Hendricks was 9-years-old, he was out in the yard playing marbles. A Sunday School teacher came by to invite him to Sunday School. Howard heard the word "school" and thought, "No way!"

*The teacher realized he wasn't getting through, so, he asked a different question, "Wanna play a game of marbles?" After he wiped-out the 9-year-old in a couple of games, he then asked, "Wanna learn how to play this game better?" Dr. Hendricks later said, "By the time he'd taught me how to play marbles over the next few days, he'd built such a relationship with me that I'd have gone anywhere he suggested." Dr. Hendricks ended up in a Sunday School class with 12 other boys, and 11 of them ended up in fulltime Christian service. (2)

*We never know how much good will come when we tell the truth about Jesus. And there are all kinds of ways to reach people. But we must speak up about Jesus Christ. That's the sure truth about salvation.

2. The second truth is that God has to do the saving.

*We see the sovereign Hand of God at work in vs. 14, where God's Word says: "Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul."

*The Lord opened Lydia's heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. This verse points us to a key truth that is both comforting and humbling at the same time: Only God can do the saving!

*We cannot save anybody. Only God can save a soul. Only Jesus could die on the cross for our sins. Only Jesus could rise again from the dead. Only the Holy Spirit can bring people under conviction for their sins, and lead them to the truth about salvation.

*In Matthew 11:25-27, Jesus prayed to His Father and said:

25. . . "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.

26. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.

27. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and he to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."

*John 1:12-13 tells us that:

12. But as many as received Him (i.e. as many as received Jesus), to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name:

13. who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

*Yes, we have a part. We have to receive Jesus. We have to "believe in His name." But only God can give us the new, spiritual birth. Only God can save a soul.

*In John 6:44-47, Jesus said:

44. "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

45. It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.

46. Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.

47. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life."

*Do not think that God is arbitrary or callous about choosing who to save. In 2 Peter 3:9, God's Word tells us that "the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."

*And in 1 Timothy 2:1-4, Paul taught us to pray, and said:

1. Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,

2. for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.

3. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,

4. who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

*God desires for ALL people to be saved, but the Lord has to open our hearts, just like He opened Lydia's heart. Again, in John 6:44 Jesus said, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day." This truth gives all the glory for our salvation right where it belongs: To God.

*Anybody who is truly saved will understand that God was seeking for us a long time before we ever thought of seeking for Him. In his book "Jesus Among Other Gods," Ravi Zacharias told the story of a little girl who got hopelessly lost in the deep forest. She called and screamed as long as she could, but all of her efforts were in vain.

*Her terrified parents and a group of volunteers searched frantically for the girl, but when darkness fell, they had to give up for the night. Early the next morning the search began again, and it was the girl's father who found her. She was fast asleep on a rock when Dad called her name and ran toward her. Startled awake, his daughter threw her arms out to her daddy. Then as he picked her up and hugged her over and over, she said, "Daddy, I found you!" (3)

*No. God found us! He saved us! God has to do the saving. That's the sure truth about salvation.

3. The third truth is that new believers should take a stand for the Lord.

*This is what Lydia and her household did in vs. 15: "She and her household were baptized." Lydia and those other new Christians took a public stand for the Lord by being baptized. All believers should stand up for Jesus Christ by being baptized, joyfully following the Lord as He has commanded us.

*But we must understand that baptism does not save us. Lydia didn't get baptized in order to be saved. She got baptized, because she had already been saved by trusting in the Lord. Many Scriptures show that Christians are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross for us.

*Please listen to these examples:

*John 3:16-18 says:

16. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

17. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

18. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

*John 3:36 says: "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.''

*And Ephesians 2:8-10 says:

8. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

9. not of works, lest anyone should boast.

10. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

*In 1 Corinthians 1:14-17, Paul was pleading for unity in the church, and this is what the Apostle said about baptism:

14. I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,

15. lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name.

16. Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other.

17. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.

*There has probably never been a Christian who loved lost people more than Paul. If baptism was required for salvation, Paul never would have been content to not baptize.

*When Zacchaeus got saved in Luke 9, the Bible says:

8. Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.''

9. And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham."

*There was no baptism there, because baptism does not save us. Rather, baptism is a symbol of what God has already done in our lives. It's a symbol of what Jesus did on the cross to save us. And it's a symbol that our sins are washed away.

*Now, many Bible-believing, Jesus-loving Christians believe that baptism IS required for salvation. They mostly get this false doctrine from a possible interpretation of Acts 2:38. There God's Word says: "Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'"

*The word translated "for" in this verse can mean "in order to," so they think it means "be baptized in order to receive the forgiveness of sins." But that little word "for" can also mean "on account of," and that's how we take it.

*People are baptized on account of the fact that they have already received the forgiveness of sins." If I say I'm going to the store for some milk, then I'm going to come home with some milk. But if I say I'm going to the store for my wife, I'm not coming home with a wife! No. I already have a wife. And we are baptized because we have already been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ!

*But if baptism doesn't save us, then why be baptized? -- Because we have received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and He has commanded us to be baptized. In Matthew 28, after Jesus rose again from the dead, the Bible says:

16. Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.

17. And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.

18. Then Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

19. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

20. teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'' Amen.

*We call Jesus "Lord," and He IS the Lord God Almighty, so we should be willing to do what He tells us to do. And He tells us to be baptized. All believers should stand up for Jesus by being baptized.

*Lorena Garlington accepted Christ as a young girl, but she never followed Him in believer's baptism, never, that is, until a couple of months before her 100th birthday! Lorena always knew she was supposed to be baptized, but never got around to it.

*It happened back in 2000 at the Huntington Beach Baptist Church. Gerald Squyes was Lorena's Pastor. And on the day of her baptism, Lorena said this to her pastor: "I've struggled with this so long, because I know the Bible says you should be baptized." Then when she emerged from the water, Lorena said, "This is the greatest day! It's the best thing that's happened to me in years." (4)

*Lorena was overjoyed, because she finally took a public stand for the Lord. Of course, that's not the only way we should stand up for the Lord. We should all stand up for Jesus by our baptism, by the way we speak, and by the way we live. That's the sure truth about salvation.

4. And the fourth truth is that all believers should serve the Lord.

*We should serve the same way Lydia served in vs. 15. Here God's Word says: "And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, 'If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.' And she constrained us."

*Notice how eager Lydia was to serve the Lord. She begged them to come to her house. And then it says she "constrained" them. The NIV says she "persuaded" them. But the idea is that she compelled them. She practically forced them to stay in her home.

*Lydia was eager to serve the Lord! And it reminded me opening verses of Psalm 100:

1. Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

2. Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.

*Lydia served the Lord with gladness. She was eager to serve the Lord! And she served the Lord by opening her home to Paul and the other missionaries. But there are dozens of great ways for us to serve Jesus. In Romans 12:4-13 from the NLT, Paul put it this way:

4. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function,

5. so it is with Christ's body. We are all parts of his one body, and each of us has different work to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others.

6. God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you.

7. If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching.

8. If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

9. Don't just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good.

10. Love each other with genuine affection,* and take delight in honoring each other.

11. Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically.

12. Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful.

13. When God's children are in need, be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night.

*There are dozens of great ways for us to serve Jesus. And that's important for us to remember, as the Nominating Committee is in the middle of their work. We are kicking off another season of Upward, and another school-year of Orange.

*There are dozens of great ways for us to serve Jesus, IF WE WILL. The key is to get our eyes off ourselves and get our eyes on God.

*King Duncan told about a preacher named Lolley who was scheduled to preach as a guest one Sunday morning in a small church. As Bro. Lolley was waiting for the service to start, he decided that he needed to comb his hair and straighten his tie. Unfortunately, he couldn't find a mirror. But he did find a glass-framed picture hanging on the wall, and if he turned just right, he could see himself well enough in the reflection to comb his hair and fix his tie.

*Then Bro. Lolley noticed something. The picture behind the glass was a picture of Jesus. And when he stood at the proper angle to see himself, he couldn't see Jesus. But when he turned at another angle to see Jesus, he could no longer see himself. Bro. Lolley said he couldn't keep his eyes on himself and on Jesus at the same time. He was deeply touched by that experience, and he never forgot it. (5)

*Neither should we! May God help us to take our eyes off ourselves, and look to the Lord Jesus Christ, being willing to serve Him however He wants us to serve. God wants all saved people to serve, and that's for sure.

Conclusion

*Let me sum up the truth about salvation: Yes, we have to speak up about Jesus, but God has to do the saving. New believers (all believers) should take a stand for the Lord by being baptized. And all believers should serve the Lord.

*This is the sure truth about salvation in tonight's Scripture.

(1) Adapted from SermonCentral sermon "Know You Are Forgiven" by Larry Sarver - Romans 8:1-4

(2) Howard Hendricks, "Say It with Love" - Source: SermonCentral sermon "Bid the Children Come" by Russell Brownworth - Proverbs 22:6

(4) Baptist Press, 6222000 - Source: Fresh Illustrations by Jim Wilson - 08012000 - FreshMinistry.org

(5) Gary E. Parker, THE GIFT OF DOUBT - San Francisco: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1990 - pp. 90-91 - Source: Sermons.com sermon "Strength Through Weakness" by King Duncan - 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 - Independence Day Weekend 1994