What must I do to be Saved?

Acts 16:25–32 (NASB)

25 But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; 26 and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. 27 When the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” 29 And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, 30 and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him together with all who were in his house.

A group of believers were meeting by a river when one of them fell into the water. It was obvious that the poor fellow couldn’t swim, as he waved his arms and splashed the water wildly.

One of the other believers was a strong swimmer and was called on to jump in and save the man before he drowned. But though able to save the drowning man, he just watched until the wild struggles stopped. Then he dove in and pulled the man to safety.

When the rescue was over, the rescuer explained his slowness to act. “If I had jumped in immediately, he would have been strong enough to drown us both. Only by waiting until he was too exhausted to try to save himself, could I save him.”

It seems to be all too easy for us to be like that drowning man. Our self-efforts can actually prevent us from being saved! Unfortunately, some people must reach the point of being too exhausted to continue trying to save themselves (by dealing with their own sin) before they become willing to trust in the Savior and accept his gift of salvation.

In our text the question is asked concerning how salvation is to be received. In the answer it is revealed that salvation rests upon the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I. The choice related to salvation.

A. The choice involves accepting salvation by faith:

Romans 10:13 (NASB)

13 for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Ephesians 2:8–9 (NASB)

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

B. The choice involves receiving the Lord Jesus as Lord:

Luke 6:46 (NASB) “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?

C. The choices which the Christian must make daily are numerous:

Workout our own salvation with fear and trembling

II. The confessions related to salvation.

A. You must confess your need:

Romans 3:23 (NASB)

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

B. You must confess your unworthiness: Isa. 64:6.

Isaiah 64:6 (NASB)

6 For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

C. You must confess Christ as personal Saviour:

Romans 10:9–10 (NASB)

9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

1. If you are ashamed of Him, He will be ashamed of you: Luke 9:26.

2. If you are the right kind of Christian, you will not be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: Rom. 1:16.

III. The change related to salvation.

A. The Christian becomes a new person:

2 Cor. 5:17.

-A New creation. The Old Has gone!

B. The Christian develops new habits: Rom. 6:1–22.

Habits of forgiveness, compassion, and kindness

C. The Christian finds new friends:

Bad company corrupts good character

D. The Christian has new desires:

Psalm 122:1 (NASB)-I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”

E. The Christian discovers a new joy:

Psalm 16:11 (NASB)

11 You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

F. The Christian receives a new peace:

Philippians 4:7 (NASB)

7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

IV. The cost paid after receiving salvation.

A. There is the cost of hardship:

2 Tim. 2:3. NASB

B. There is the cost of persecution:

2 Tim. 3:12. NASB

Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

C. There is the cost of being hated because you love the Lord Jesus Christ:

John 15:18 (NASB)

18 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.

D. There is the cost of trials: Rom. 8:28.

E. There is the cost of chastisement:

Heb. 12:5–11. NASB

V. The challenge related to salvation.

A. The Christian must seek heavenly things:

Colossians 3:1 (NASB)

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

B. The Christian must put Christ first daily: Matt. 10:37.

Matthew 10:37 (NASB)

37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

If we choose to confess God will change us. Maybe you are here this morning and you are the one who is drowning, waving your arms frantically, and trying to save yourself.

The story is told of a time when Satan held a meeting to plan on the demise of those who were close to salvation. “What shall we do?” asked Satan.

A daring demon stood and shouted, “I have it! I know what we can do! We can tell men that there is no life after death, that they die like animals.” Satan’s face fell as he answered, “It will never work. Man is not ignorant; even atheists admit of times when they sense a tomorrow after death.”

Another demon spoke, “Here’s the solution! Let’s say there is no God or if there ever was, he is dead—because even if he started the universe, he has left it now.” Satan replied in dismay, “That won’t work either; most of them know there is a God, even though they don’t seek him.”

Other ideas were presented, but none brought hope to Satan and his demons. Finally, as they were about to give up, one demon spoke up in excitement, “I have it! A sure solution!” The other demons crowded around to hear the plan. “Go tell them that God is real and the Bible is God’s Word.” A gasp came from the audience as the demon continued, “And tell them that Jesus is God’s Son and frees men from sin.”

The other demons were horror-stricken, thinking that their associate had gone bananas, until, with a smile, he added, “Then tell them that this is not the best time to choose Christ. Help them make excuses for delaying their decision. Tell them there is no hurry!” The demons danced in delight, realizing a workable plan had been

We can make all types of excuses of why we don’t commit our lives to Christ. It all comes down to having faith or not having faith.

A Christian rapper named Lecrae, had a conversation about this with someone and said “If I'm wrong about God, then I wasted my life. But If you're wrong about God, then you wasted your eternity

Don’t delay. Obey!