Acts 16- How to be saved

This is an incredible story! We see God doing some incredible things! He loosens chains, saves people, and even casts out demons! God is doing big stuff!

It’s in the midst of him working that some one asks a very important question- “How can I be saved?”

Maybe you’ve asked the same question. Maybe you have a friend who is asking the same thing?

God clearly lays out how we can be saved here!

This may seem simple but it’s so very important!

Look at what the bible says about practicing the simple things- Hebrews 2:1 “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.”

Acts 16:12–40 (KJV 1900)

12 And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days. 13 And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither. 14 And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. 15 And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us. 16 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: 17 The 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. 18 And 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. 19 And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, 20 And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, 21 And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans. 22 And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. 23 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: 24 Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. 25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 26 And 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. 27 And 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. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. 29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, 30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. 32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. 34 And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house. 35 And when it was day, the magistrates sent the serjeants, saying, Let those men go. 36 And the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and go in peace. 37 But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out. 38 And the serjeants told these words unto the magistrates: and they feared, when they heard that they were Romans. 39 And they came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city. 40 And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed.

The Meaning of Salvation (Acts 16:29)

What does it mean to saved?

Saved from what? Who? where?

It’s a term we throw around a lot but what does it mean?

We are saved from:

Sin- What is sin?

1 John 3:4 “4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”

Sin is breaking God’s law

James 4:17 “17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”

Not doing good or what we know to be right

Proverbs 21:4 “4 An high look, and a proud heart, And the plowing of the wicked, is sin.”

Pride

Sin bares a consequence- Death.

Romans 5:12 “12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”

Romans 6:23 “23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

More than just a physical death but it’s a spiritual death too

Sin will ultimately condemn us

John 3:36 “36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

No heaven with out salvation/being saved

John 3:3 “3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

We need to be saved from sin, death, and judgement! How?

The Means of Salvation (Acts 16:31)

We have addressed how bad sin is and its consequences but by what am I saved?

Acts 16:31 “31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

Its by the “Lord Jesus Christ”

Not Religion, Not works, Not anything else!

Jesus and Jesus alone

Acts 4:12 “12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

John 14:6 “6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Jesus is THE WAY!

It’s in his work we’re saved! The Gospel!

Romans 1:16 “16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

This is the Gospel!

1 Cor 15:1-3 “1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;”

Notice he’s Lord!

Lord means owner! Lord means God and ruler!

Jesus is Lord!

1 Cor 6:11 “11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

Romans 10:9 “9 That 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.”

To be saved we need to understand that he is God and Lord!

The Method of salvation (Acts 16:31)

Acts 16:31 “31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

“Believe” it was by belief! TO BE SAVED SIMPLY BELIEVE!

It’s by faith! More than knowing but it’s by faith!

Faith is taking God at His Word

- Put your faith where God has put your sins, on Jesus

It’s always been by faith!

Acts 8:37 “37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

John 3:16 “16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

John 3:18 “18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Notice some thing about the man who got saved!

Depressed and in Jail on the verge of killing him self

despite how bad he was the gospel still saved him!

You’re never too bad or too far gone for God’s grace!

This message would totally change his life

He went from beating Paul to caring for him!

This message can change yours too!

2 Cor 5:17 “17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Conclusion- BELIVE! BELIVE the gospel! It can save you! Tell the world, if they believe it can save them too!