(taken from a message by Bob Russell)
SERIES: “IMPORTANT QUESTIONS”
TEXT: ACTS 2:22-24, 36-41
TITLE: “HOW DO I BECOME A CHRISTIAN?”
OPEN: A. The title of this message is “How Do I Become a Christian?”
--that’s such an important question. Three reasons I want to preach this message:
1. If you’re not a Christian, you need a clear signal, not mixed messages concerning this issue
2. If you are a Christian, you need to be confident that you’ve met the requirements in God’s Word.
3. If you’re a maturing Christian, you need to feel adequate in your knowledge in this area so that
you can share with others how they can become a Christian
4. A man went forward during the invitation time one Sunday. A counselor met him and told him
to kneel and “pray through.” While he was praying, another counselor came and asked him if he
would sign a card. After he signed the card, another counselor came and put his arm around him.
The counselor said, “Watch for the light, brother. When I was saved, I prayed and saw a bright
light.” Another counselor came and said, “Hold on, brother, hold on.” Another counselor said,
“Let go, brother, let go.” The man said, “Boy, between praying through, signing a card,
watching for a light, and holding on and letting go, I nearly went to hell!”
B. What does a person do to become a Christian?
--I want to invite us to do three things together this morning:
1. Let’s listen objectively
a. Don’t listen to see if what I say measures up to your past experience or tradition
b. Let’s just open God’s Word and allow Him to speak to us
--let’s listen objectively
2. Let’s study thoroughly
a. Let’s not take one verse and build a whole theology around that verse.
b. The Bible challenges us to correctly handle the Word of God and to study the whole counsel
of God
1). I heard about a fellow that argued that the Bible gave him permission to have eight wives
--four better and four worse
2). People can take one verse of the Bible or one phrase concerning salvation and close their
minds to any other verses that might expand on that subject
c. When you study the New Testament about how to become a Christian, sometimes the answer
is more detailed depending on the knowledge of the person being dealt with
--We need to put ALL of the Scripture together to form a complete picture
d. Let’s listen objectively, let’s study correctly, and…
3. Let’s begin correctly
a. The Bible is our source of authority but the place to begin in the Bible is after Jesus died and
rose from the grave.
b. A Christian is someone who follows the risen Christ.
--So, to discover how to become a Christian, we shouldn’t turn to encounters people had with
Jesus in the Gospels because He had not yet completed His mission
1). Those encounters give us insight into who Jesus is and what it means to be a follower of
Christ
2). But a study of Nicodemus, the rich, young ruler, the woman at the well, the thief on the
cross, do not tell us how to become a Christian
--Technically those people lived under the Old Testament dispensation. Jesus had not died
and come back from the grave.
3). To correctly understand how to become a Christian, the place to begin is immediately after
Jesus rose from the grave and ascended to the Father.
a). That’s why the book of Acts is the place to start. The four Gospels tell us about the life
of Christ but the book of Acts picks up after Jesus resurrection and ascension
b). The book of Acts tells us how the apostles carried out Jesus’ orders in Mt. 28:19-20 –
“…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son
and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…."
C. Acts Chapter 2 tells us that on the day of Pentecost, which was a significant Jewish holiday, Jesus’
disciples went into the streets of Jerusalem after the power of the Holy Spirit had come upon them
and they began to preach about Jesus.
1. This is an important section of scripture because it is the first time that a message was preached
about Jesus after his death, burial and resurrection and His return to heaven.
--A good rule of Bible interpretation to remember is “the rule of first mention,” which basically
says that wherever you find a doctrine, word, or theme mentioned in the Bible for the first
time, that passage can set the tone for understanding the topic throughout the rest of the Bible.
2. Peter was their main spokesman that day
--In Acts Chapter 2, Peter said in the first gospel presentation
a. Acts 2:22-24 – “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God
to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you
yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and
foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the
cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it
was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.”
b. Acts 2:36-41 – “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom
you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart
and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent
and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your
sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your
children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” With many
other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt
generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were
added to their number that day.
I. WE MUST BELIEVE THE GOSPEL
A. Those on the day of Pentecost who heard Peter preach responded, “What shall we do?”
--They asked that question because they believed what Peter said was true.
1. The word gospel simply means “good news”
a. And the good news is this: the Creator of this universe has reached down to His fallen creation to
save us.
b. Even though some of us deny His existence. Even though all of us have rebelled against His
commandments and we deserve His wrath. He still loves us.
2. He came to the earth in the person of Jesus Christ.
--He died on the cross for our sins. He came back from the grave to prove there is no power greater
than His and when we accept Him as our Savior; He gives us a purpose in life for the present. He
gives us a hope in eternity for the future, and He gives us a pardon for our past through the
forgiveness of our sins.
4. 1 Cor. 15:1-4 – Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you
received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to
the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to
you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried,
that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures
5. The first step in becoming a Christian is to believe the gospel message
--To believe that the Jesus story is real and that He did what He did for you
B. This step is called faith
--Heb. 11:1 defines faith: Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
1. We cannot prove that Jesus Christ came back from the grave.
a. We don’t have it on videotape.
b. We can’t put the Bible on some super computer program that can dispel any doubt on the Bible’s
authority.
2. But we do have some pretty convincing evidence.
a. We have reliable historical accounts from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
b. We have Christian people willing to die for their testimony that Jesus Christ is alive.
c. We have answered prayers
d. We have changed lives
3. God is not asking us to commit intellectual suicide
--to have faith is to accept the evidence as being true.
a. Someone has said that faith is going to the edge of all the light that you have and then taking one
more step.
b. But to believe is not just mental assent. It’s not just agreeing with an intellectual concept.
1). To believe is to be personally committed to the facts of the gospel of Jesus Christ’s and to trust
Him completely for salvation
2). Salvation is not something that we earn. It comes to us by God’s grace and through our faith in
God’s grace shown to us by Jesus Christ
--Eph. 2:8 – For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves,
it is the gift of God
3). However, faith requires a response
a). When the weather service issues a tornado warning for an area, the people in that area have a
choice: to believe the weather service or not to believe the weather service. Those who hear
the report and believe will take some kind of action. They will go to the basement; they’ll get
into a closet; they’ll get under a heavy table.
b). You see, their belief is not just mental acknowledgement of the facts. It is a belief that
translates into action. It’s not enough just to believe Jesus died and came back from the grave.
To believe is to trust His word as truth and to obey His commandments.
--James 2:17 – Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
II. WE MUST REPENT OF OUR SIN
A. Acts 17:30 - “God...commands all people everywhere to repent>”
--what is repentance?
1. The term in the original language is metanoia
--literally a change in the way we think and a change in our attitudes
a. I’ve been stubborn and resistant so I’ll change my attitude to become teachable and open.
b. I’ve been proud. I’ve been arrogant; now I’ll become submissive and humble.
c, I’ve been cynical and doubting; now I’ll become expectant and hopeful.
2. A woman was buying a shirt in a department store, and she noticed it had a little tag attached that said
“shrink resistant.” And she asked the sales clerk, “What does that mean, ‘shrink resistant?’” The
clerk said, “Oh, it’ll shrink, but it doesn’t want to.”
a. When we become a Christian, the Bible says we become sin resistant.
b. Now sometimes we do slip and we fall, but we don’t want to.
--Our attitude is changed.
B. Genuine repentance involves three elements:
1. Conviction
a. A state official was accused of misusing his position to secure a job for his girlfriend. When
evidence against him mounted, the politician issued the following public statement: “It’s possible
that I sent a wrong signal. If I did and I made a mistake then I’m sorry.”
--Not too many people were impressed with his superficial apology.
b. The word “if” robs a confession of any meaning.
--Real repentance doesn’t use words like if, maybe, perhaps, or I guess.
c. Real repentance admits the wrong and accepts responsibility.
1). When King David was confronted with his adultery by Nathan the Prophet, he admitted to God
and to his friend, “I have sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight.”
2). There was no denial. There was no blaming somebody else.
--Just a candid confession, “I have sinned.”
2. Contrition
--“feelings of remorse”
a. When people repent, there is often a sense of brokenness that is usually accompanied by tears.
b. Have you ever shed tears over your sins? Have you ever been so broken hearted that you just fell to
your knees and said, “I’m so sorry God, have mercy on me, a sinner”?
3. Change
--You see, it’s not enough to cry. There has to be a change in behavior.
a. Judas, the betrayer of Jesus Christ, had genuine feelings of remorse when he saw Jesus being led
away to be nailed to a cross. He realized that he had sold out Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. He knew
Jesus had done nothing deserving of death. And suddenly his greed, his corruption became apparent
to him. "...he was seized with remorse..." Matthew 27:3
--He confessed, "I have sinned." He tried to give the money back to the people who gave it to him,
but he was too proud to change. And later that night he went out and hung himself.
b. The Bible says on that same night, when Peter, another follower of Jesus, realized he had denied
Jesus three times, the Bible says he too went out and he wept bitterly.
--But, a little over a month later, we find Peter standing up in front of a huge crowd on the day of
Pentecost and preaching about Jesus Christ.
c. What’s the difference between Judas and Peter?
--Peter humbled himself enough to change.
d. You see, to repent means we go in the opposite direction.
1). That’s why the great preacher Peter Marshall made this statement: “Lord, thank you that we
can come to you just as we are. But remind us that we dare not leave as we came.”
2). God loves us just as we are, but He loves us too much to leave us that way.
III. WE MUST RESPOND TO CHRIST
A. If the Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes Patrol were to show up at your house and knock on your
door, and present that big check to you with all the cameras rolling and all the fanfare, you wouldn’t
have earned that would you?
--it’s a prize; a gift
1. However, you would have to do something to actually claim that gift
a. You’d have to go to the bank and cash the check
b. You’d have to appropriate that money for yourself
2. Salvation from God is a free gift in the name of Jesus.
--But we have to respond to it individually; we have to personally receive it.
B. Two things we see in the Bible that people do to respond to the good news of Jesus
1. Confession
a. Rom. 10:9-10 – “...if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that
God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are
justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”
b. When Jesus died on the cross, He died publicly.
--It was during the daytime. It was on a high hill overlooking the city of Jerusalem. It was on a
Jewish feast day. There were many thousands of people there.
c. When you accept Jesus Christ, He wants you to say so publicly.
d. I heard about a man named Charlie Moore. Charlie got transferred on his job to a strange new
city and because of this transfer, he decided to join the company softball team so he could get to
know other people. But there was a problem: Charlie was a terrible softball player. But, he
thought it would be a good way to get to know some of his co-workers.
In the first game, when it came time for Charlie to bat, he heard somebody yelling, “Come on
Mr. Moore. You can do it Mr. Moore. Attaboy Mr. Moore.” Every time he came to the plate he
heard this voice yelling for him. On the way home he told his wife and his teenage son,
“Somebody in the stands kept yelling for me, but I didn’t think anybody knew me here.” His son
said, “Dad, that was me.” And Charlie said, “Well, then, why did you call me Mr. Moore? Why
didn’t you just say, ‘Come on, Dad.’?” His son said, “Dad, I didn’t want people to know I was
related to you.”
e. When we have a relationship with Jesus Christ we ought to be proud of Him. We ought not to be
ashamed.
1). We ought to be eager and glad to say, “Jesus Christ is my Savior. He’s my Lord. I’m not
ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
2). That’s the response of confession.
2. Baptism
a. In our passage this morning, when the people believed the message, they asked, “What shall we
do?”
1). Peter’s response: Turn from your rejection of Jesus Christ. Submit to Him by being baptized
that your sins will be forgiven and that you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit
2). v. 41 – “Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were
added to their number that day.”
b. Those of us in this worship auditorium who are married went through some sort of marriage
ceremony
1). There were a lot of things that preceded that ceremony: : getting to know each other; falling in
love with each other; and making a statement of intention called the engagement.
2). But what is it that you point to as the defining moment of your relationship?
--The wedding ceremony: when you exchanged vows, and you exchanged rings and you
marched down the aisle. The preacher signed the license.
3). You might not have felt like things had changed, but trust me, things had changed!
--The two became one.
c. God gave us baptism as a sacred ceremony to celebrate the uniting of our lives with Him.
1). Now, there better be a lot going on before you get into the baptistry.
--Like getting to know who Jesus is. And making a commitment to follow only Him. And
there is certain to be growth that takes place after baptism.
2). But, baptism is the benchmark that God gave us to recognize the transition in our relationship
with Him.
3). Baptism separates the tire kickers from the car buyers.
d. Please understand, it is not the act of baptism that saves us.
1). That is a teaching called “baptismal regeneration” and we reject that view.
--But baptism is the act that symbolizes how we are saved!
2). The invisible work of the Holy Spirit is visibly dramatized in the water.
--Rom.6:3-4 – “Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in
order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too
may live a new life.”
e. Baptism is a willing plunge of the body and soul into the promise and power of Christ.
1). The entry into water signifies that apart from Christ we are dirty.
2). The lowering of the body signifies that we are willing to die to sin and self.
3). The raising up from the water signifies that just as Jesus was raised from the grave, we can be
made alive again because of Him.
4). Baptism seals our covenant with Christ, uniting us to Jesus and His Body – the church
f. Please also understand that baptism is not the final step of the Christian life
--it simply marks the beginning of the Christian life
1). When we get married, the wedding ceremony isn’t the last step of the marriage – it’s the
beginning
2). Two statements from Jesus
a). Mt. 24:13 – “He who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
b). Rev. 2:10b – “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
3). I’ll spend some more time on this subject in my next message in this series
CLOSE: A. Bob McFall was a 39-year-old bachelor suffering from A-plastic anemia. He needed a bone
marrow transplant. A search was conducted among his family & they discovered that his first
cousin was the ideal one to donate bone marrow so that Bob McFall could live on.
But when the first cousin was approached, and it was explained to him that there would be no
harm to him whatsoever, he refused to give any bone marrow. So Bob McFall sued his first
cousin and took him to court.
The trial dragged on and on until finally a verdict was reached. While the behavior of the first
cousin was considered reprehensible, the court ruled that it could not force him to give any bone
marrow. Bob McFall died 3 weeks after the trial. Sacrifice is not in our vocabulary today.
B. But contrast that to the cross.
1. God sees us wallowing in our sin understand that the only remedy is a blood transfusion.
--But it must be the right kind of blood.
a. It must be holy blood.
b. It must be God’s blood.
2. Jesus could have said, “I’m not going. I’m going to stay here.”
--But willingly He sacrificed Himself.
3. There is the necessity for sacrifice that comes as a result of the tragedy of sin.
