Message topic: Why do I need to be saved?
Scripture text: Acts 16: 25-32
Why do I need to be saved? I know that you realize that this is a personal question; what is the personal answer you got to the personal question? It is quite possible that the answer would be saved from what, and why? What are the answers you generally get when you ask yourself questions? Are they generally negative or positive?
First we must know the meaning of what is ment by to be saved, which is to be rescued or preserved from harm, danger, or injury, to make or keep safe, to keep in health and well-being, quite often before we can be saved, we must come to realize that we need help and then cry out.
In our society which we are living today, when we go to laydown to rest at night, we should give thanks to God for His protection and provision which He has made for us when we see and hear of all the heinous acts which men have been taking against each other, and ask Him to continue His defense of us against the acts of the evil one daily.
Let us not forget that mankind because of his relationship with God, has to think about what to do to be saved both physically and spiritually: Listen to this famous cry from someone when he realized that he needed to be saved, which is recorded for us in Luke 15 and verse 21.
The son said unto him, father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son, he realized that he needed to be saved from death by physical and spiritual starvation, so he cried out to both his earthly and heavenly father to save him.
While we see from a limited viewpoint, God is able to see the big picture: there are important things we learn from scripture that shows us how God demonstrates his care for us daily as he answers our prayers as in Matthew 7: 7-11, Philippians 4: 4-7 we have been told to ask without doubting in James 1: 6 and in 1st John 5: 12-15 instructs us to ask of God in confidence: How strong is our prayer life?
God provides hidden things that we do not ask for or know we need: He provides exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us; can you testify to God working in our life? In what ways has He blessed you?
God provides us with materials things as recorded for us in Matthew 6: 25-34, our physical needs will be met, God always sustain his people as He says in Philippians 4: 19, He wants us to depend on Him: it is also important to remember that material things should not become our primary goal in life: as recorded for us in Matthew 16:24-26.
We must never forget that blessings and prosperity do not always mean an endorsement by God, for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.`
If God has provided a wonderful salvation through Christ as revealed in the bible, how can anyone be sure that He has received Christ and is the beneficiary of this marvelous grace of God?
The question of what one must do to be saved was asked long ago by the Philippian jailor in Acts 16: 30. When Paul and Silas had been beaten and thrown into prison in Philippi, with their feet fastened in the stocks, in this painful condition, they could not able sleep, so they sang praises to God.
The scripture records that at midnight, as they were praying, there was an earthquake that broke them loose from their bonds and open the prison doors: the Jailor, rushing out and seeing the doors open, assumed that the prisoners had fled, and knowing that the law demanded that a jailor who lost prisoners should be put to death, was about to kill himself when Paul called out to him to do thyself no harm, we are all here.
Upon hearing these words, the jailor called for some light, he then fell down before Paul trembling and asked, sirs what must I do to be saved? Paul and Silas both immediately respond as recorded in Acts 16: 31, believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.
As a result of the jailor’s conversion, his entire house also believed and was saved, then he took Paul and Silas, washed their wounds and had fellowship with them: but how do we know that they were saved?
In discussing God’s wonderful plan of salvation in Ephesians 2: 8-10 the Apostle Paul sums it up in these verses, for it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourself, it is the gift of God, not by works so that no one can boast.
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to be good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
As far as we know, this jailor had never heard of Jesus and the gospel: then why did he bring up the question, what must I do to be saved?
Perhaps he had overheard the story of how Paul and Silas were thrown in jail because they had perform an unusual act upon a slave woman who could no longer act as a sorceress, and had proclaimed that Paul and Silas were servants of the Most High God who proclaim to us a way of salvation (Acts 16:17) furthermore, the earthquake episode might have provoked the jailor to think that it was some type of act of God.
This we know, they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. Why did they speak God’s word to him? to produce faith as in (Romans 10: 17)he must have wanted to know who this Lord Jesus was.
But how you believe on someone unless you are taught first? (Romans 10: 13-16) biblical faith produces obedience (john 3: 36) repentance and water baptism are commands (Acts 10: 17-30)
That Philippian jailor two thousand years ago asked the question, what must I do to be saved? That question is still relevant today, but in addition, saved from what, and why do we needed to be saved?
God is pure and Holy, and when He made man, He made him in His own image and likeness, so man was pure, but when the man disobeyed the command of God, he was no longer pure and holy and needed to be rescued from destruction: the love of God for man is so great that he sent his only son that whosoever believes in the one who has no sin, Christ Jesus, will be saved and have eternal life in the presence of God as He intended it to be from the beginning .
There is only one way that man can be saved or rescued from death and destruction: that is through Jesus Christ who paid the penalty for the restoration of the ability for man once again to stand in the presence of God without any sin separating them.
When the man who was made in the image and likeness of God disobeyed the command of God, he became a sinner and could no longer stand in the presence of the Holy pure and living God until Jesus the son of God who had no sin came and bridge the golf that came between man and God because of disobedience.
The Philippian jailer in his fright and dismayed cried out to Paul
and Silas asking, what must I do to be saved: the only true answer is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shall be saved.
Since then there has been no changes in God’s saving plan as Jesus said when He came on the seen, I am come that you may have life and have it more abundantly.
God sent His son to restore mankind unto himself for life without end in His presence for-ever.
Have you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord and savior, are you looking for someone else, there is none other in heaven or on earth who can redeem fallen man back into fellowship with God.