What Must I Do To Be Saved

What Must I Do To Be Saved Acts 16:27-34

Turn if you will to Acts 16

With all the religions from Buddhism to Islam to Christianity our world is seemingly covered in a cloud of confusion.

When one finds the truth of Christianity... knowing that it is Christ... and Christ alone in which salvation can be found there still exists a collage of denominations among those who call themselves Christians.

With all the denominations, Baptist Catholic, Lutheran Methodist, Pentecostal and more.

It is little wonder that people scratch their head and ask the question that the Philipian Jailer asked Paul many years ago. What must I do... to be saved?

Though the question was asked all those years ago...It must continue to be asked... and continue to be answered here today in 2003... and in all the years to come.

The answer varies depending who you ask but clearly God’s Word gives us a precise and true understanding of the answer we seek...to that question What must I do to be saved.

Acts 16

27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.

28 But Paul shouted, "Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!"

29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.

30 He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household."

32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house.

33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized.

34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God--he and his whole family.

Jesus...is that name... above all names. He is our beautiful Savior and Glorious Lord.

But how does that transition take place from where we say He is the Savior of the World to saying He is MY SAVIOR... What must... I... do to be saved.

Turn if you will in the Bible over to John chapter 2

Jesus...His very first miracle... happened surrounding a very joyous event. A wedding was taking place. Most people agree weddings are a very happy time, even though some are known to cry at weddings. Usually moms but sometimes Dad’s will cry at a wedding.

I once preformed a wedding and just before it was about to begin the father began sobbing heavily and the tears rolled down the fathers face. For in minutes the man who had raised 3 daughters would witness his very last daughter saying I DO.

I wanted to comfort the father of the bride. I went up and put an arm around him and patted him on the back and I asked him..."Those are tears of joy right?" He nodded and said in a soft voice ya... ya.

I said " your thinking about how your little girl is all grown up now huh?" He said "well actually I was thinking ...

"I’m finally going to be able to get into the bathroom."

Perhaps if you are a father with several daughters like myself you can relate to that sort of joy but we know this....

Jesus’ first miracle was a happy occasion. He was at a wedding celebration and wine was being shared but then the wine ran out.

Look at it with me in the Bible...

1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there,

2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.

3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, "They have no more wine."

4"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come."

5 His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."

6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

7 Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim.

8 Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet."

9 They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside

10 and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."