Acts: What Must I Do To Be Saved

If you have your Bibles, if your turn with me

to Acts Chapter sixteen, starting in verse thirty.

Acts sixteen, starting in verse thirty.

Billy Graham was an evangelist, as we know as one

of the great evangelists of our time.

Billy Graham tells the.

Story that he led a lady to the Lord at

one of his crusades in Africa, and a lady got just.

On fire for the Lord had strong devotion.

For Christ and radically changed and it became a problem.

In the home.

Her husband was unbeliever and began resenting her for her

devoted faith. It came to a place that over the

years the bitterness grew so much that he despised her,

and he's despised her devotion to Christ. He was so

angry and bitter towards her that he decided at the

climax that he was going to kill her.

Decided he was going to kill her in his family.

So but he decided if he was going to do this,

and he had planned that he would kill her, he

would kill his children and then he would kill himself.

As he was planning, he thought he had to have

a motive for why he would kill her. He was

a banker, and so he had some very valuable keys,

and so he decided he would blame on her for

losing her his keys. See it all planned out that

day he went to work. After work, he was crossing

over a bridge over the Nall River, and he took

out the keys of the bank and he reached over

to the bridge and dropped the keys into the naw

went to a tavern and got himself inebriated. That day.

About that afternoon, his wife would go out to the

market to get food to make for supper.

And she happened to go by the.

Fish market, and she bought a fish that was freshly

caught out of the Nile River. She went and she

cut up in that fish, and in the stomach of

that fish was her husband's keys.

She thought, well, that's strange. I don't know how they

got there, but that.

Is surely my husband's keys. And she cleaned the keys.

And he had hooked that he put his keys on it.

When he came in from the house every time.

And so she went and she put the keys back

on the hook. She went off, and later on throughout,

you know, the rest of the day, she fixed the mill.

He didn't come home, which was kind of different. She

went on and went to bed. Suddenly, that night he

came home drunk, and he knocked on the door, and

he came in the house. He started screaming, where are

my keys? Woman, where are my keys? She got up

from the bed, she went to the hook, took the

keys and laid them in his hand.

And suddenly the Holy Spirit got ahold of his heart.

He fell to his knees, and.

The miraculous he confessed Jesus as Lord, and Jesus saved

him in that moment. It's a miraculous story of conversion

of someone an encounter moractually encountering the Lord in Jesus

saving his soul. As we come to Act sixteen, it's

another miraculous story. It's a Philippian jailer who encounters an

earthquake and it shakes not only the foundations of that prison,

but it shakes the foundation of his heart. And just

as the man from Aca Africa fell to his knees

and said, how must.

I be saved?

That day, the jailer who encountered the Lord that day

fell to his knees and he asked a very important question.

And the question is this what must I do to

be saved? What must I do to be saved? This morning,

as we come to Acts chapter sixteen, Paul and Silas

answer this Philippian jailer. And I pray that as we

see how Paul answers this jailer, how he could be saved,

what he must do to be saved? I pray we

evaluate on heart.

Lord today.

It's the Lord pursuing you, just as he pursued the jailer,

as just as he pursued the man in Africa.

Maybe today you're asking the question what must I do

to be saved?

And Act sixteen it shows us what we must do

to be saved.

Let's look to the word of God.

Today and hear his words for how we can find salvation.

You stand with me I ACTD Chapter sixteen, starting verse thirty.

This morning. The Bible says, then he.

Brought them out and said, Sir, sirs, what must I

do to be saved? And they said, and believe, and

the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and

your household. And they spoke to him the word to

him to all who were in his house. And they

took them in the same hour the night and washed

their wounds, and he was baptized at once, he and

all his family.

Then they brought them out into the house and sept.

Food before them and rejoice along with his entire household

that he had believed in.

God.

Let's pray together, Father, we thank you Lord for this morning.

I thank you Lord for this passage of scripture.

God. I believe that it was your sovereign plan that

you drew that jailer to yourself. God, I believe it was.

Your sovereign hand that you drew the man from Africa,

Lord to yourself.

Miraculously.

You moved heaven and earth, Lord, that they might hear

Lord your good news. And Lord, today you've moved heaven

and earth. You've moved people into this place to watch

online or watch on TV, Lord, that they might hear

the good news of Lord your son.

Lord.

I pray that, just as you gave their hearts ears

to hear Lord your word, may you give our hearts

openness to your word, a reception to your spirit.

Today.

And God, I pray you give us the spirit of surrender, Lord,

that we might surrender our hearts and our minds Lord

to you, our lives to you and Lord today I

pray there'd be people who would find salvation in you,

just as this jailor did.

But we love you. We thank you Lord for your word.

Lord.

I pray, Lord, moving in a powerful way. Lord, I

pray that I would.

Decrease in God, that you might increase, that you would

anoint me, Lord with not my words, but yours.

Lord. Lord, We thank you Lord for this morning. Your name.

We pray, Amen, you may be seated. What must I

do to be saved? What must we do to be saved?

Number one? What must we do to be saved?

First?

We must omit. First, we must admit. The Bible says.

You come to this passage of scriptures pretty instaunding if

you think about it. Here's this jailor. And if you

remember the story last week. From last week, Paul and

Silace was in prison. They were put in prison for

sharing the gospel. The city of Philippians city the different people.

There was a mob that came out out against Paul

and Silace.

They were falsely accused of trying.

To lead people away from Emperor worship or lead people

away to a false worship, and they were beaten with rod.

Scripture says they were stripped of their clothes, and then

they were thrown in prison. In prison that night. Scripture

says that we looked last week they were in prison.

And as they were in prison, about midnight, the Bible says,

the Paul and Silas, after being wrongly accused and be

wrongly beaten, is wrongly stripped of their clothes, the Bible says,

started praying. The Bible says it was dark in that prison,

and the people inside the prison, including the drailer, heard

Paul and Silas pray to the Lord, the Bible says,

and only they were they prayed. The Bible says, they

also begin singing, and the Bible says, after a time

of prayer, after a time of praise, the Bible says,

God brought an earthquake along that that prison, and it

shook the prison, and the I mean the earthquake broke

opened the doors, and it broke.

Up in the chains. All the prisoners were set free.

Bible says. It was dark and the prison.

The jailer awoke and he saw the doors were open,

but he was so dark he couldn't see the prisoners

were still in the cell. He knew as a as

being in charge of the prison, and making sure the

prisoners stayed secure in the prison, that if they were

set free, then the magistrates and the rulers of the

town would kill him for them getting out. So the

Bible says, if you go back with me from last

week's passage, you see in verse twenty seven, and when

the jailer woke, he saw the prison doors were open,

and he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing.

That the prisoners had escaped.

The Bible says, he took that sword and began to

think about killing himself.

And the Bible says that at that moment, Paul and

Silas cried out, listen to what scripture says in verse

twenty eight.

But Paul cried out with a loud voice, do not

harm yourself, for we are all here. So that's an

amazing story, This miraculous story, miraculous to the hand of

God shook the prison doors, opened up, the prison cells,

opened up, the chains of all the prisoners. Miraculous story

that hears this jailer who's about to take his life,

and God leaves Paul and Silas in prison to see

someone who is in concern, see someone who is suffering.

Just as the suffering, and they showed compassion and they

save this man's life. The Bible, if you think about

that for a minute, man, this is a great day

for this jailer.

I mean, he thought all was lost, and now he

found out that he was saved miraculously.

But the Bible says in verse thirty that look at

what the passage says. The Bible says that then he

brought them out. The Bible says that here this jailer

now all decides to lead Paul and Silas out of

the prison. He's been saved already physically from death. But

the Bible says, there's a new concern in his heart,

and it's no longer.

About physical death. It's about spiritual death.

The Bible says in verse thirty, he looks to them

and says.

What must I do to be saved?

Question seems a little bit ironic if you think, because

he had just found salvation of physical death, but now

he recognizes it's not just physical death, and I'm worried

about now now I'm concerned about eternal death. You know,

I really think about if you think about this passage scripture,

I really believe that he cried out to Paul and Silace,

what must.

I do to be saved?

Because now he understood. He was once concerned about the

judgments from the rulers and the magistrates. Now he concerned

about the judgment of God. You see, if you think

about this for a moment, he was there when, probably

when he had heard the story of Paul and Silas,

And he was there when he heard the testimony of

the demon possessed girl he'd been saved.

He was there and he'd heard.

The story about how Paul and Solace us had been

wrongly accused of preaching a heresy, a false God. He

had heard about how Paul and Silace been wrongly beaten,

And he was there baby probably when they put the

chains on Paul and Silas after being wounds on their

backs and sores on their body, and their bodies.

Being weak from the beating that they received. He was there.

He was one of the ones who had been had

a role in persecuting wrongly Paul and Silas. And now

he knows that he is now oppose God's people because

there in that prison, as these two prisoners, or these

prisoners Paul Saus been wrongly beaten and charged, they were

the ones that they heard he was heard praying to

the Lord. He was the one that he heard them

singing to the Lord. And now he realizes, in that moment,

I pose I persecuted people who were sent by God.

You remember what the Bible says. There was another person

who miraculously were saved.

You remember who it was. His name was Saul. Remember Saul.

Saul was on the road to Damascus. And what was

he on the road to do. He was on the

road to persecute Christians, right, And the Bible says that

there he met the Lord on that Damascus road, and

his name was Jesus. And the Bible says when he

encountered Jesus, he fell to the ground, just like that

African man. And he heard a voice, and the voice

said to Saul, what Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?

You see, I believe this. Philippi and jail are knew in.

That moment that day, when he was leaving that jail,

that I was saved by these men, and these men

were sent by God. And I was the one who

was opposing them, just like the others were opposing them.

And not only did I oppose them, him, but I

oppose their God. I have sinned against God. And he

comes to them and he doesn't.

Go on it, sinsariy, what's next? Where do you want

to go? Now? His first concern is as they leave

the prison, that's how can I be saved?

I've sinned against the Holy God, and now I stand

in judgment against that God, and I must out find

eternal salvation. You know, the Bible says in Romans three

twenty three, for all have sinned and fallen shore of

the glory of God. That's all of us, everyone in

this room, everyone watching online on TV. All of us

has sinned against the Holy God. Scripture says in Romans

six twenty three. For the wages of that sin is death.

Not only have we all sinned, but we've all sinned.

Against the Holy God.

And the wages of that sin eas eternal death, separation

from a God who loves us. That's an eternity, separated

from a God in eternity and hell. That is the

wages of our death, of our sin. But the good

news of the Gospel, the good news of Jesus, is

what John three point sixteen. For God so loved the world,

that's you even in the midst of your sin. God so

loved you that he gave his only son, that whoever

should believe in him shall not what perish be have

eternal life.

What must we do to be saved.

We must come to a place just like that jailer did,

just like that man in Africa did. We must come

to a place where we met that God. I've sinned

against you.

God.

My sin is not just against Paul and Silas, and

not just against my neighbor, not just against my family member,

not just against.

My friend or my enemy. God. I have sinned against you,

and God, I.

Stand in judgment for the sins I've committed against you.

And we must come to a place where we met

that God.

I have failed.

There's a story, It's one of my favorite stories of

long ago old illustration.

I remember my youth pastor telling me this illustration.

Story of a little boy named Johnny. Johnny went to

visit his grandma. Now he is out and his grandma

on his way. His mom and dad had got him

a slingshot. He never had a slingshot before, so he

went outside like all of us young boys, and he

got that sling shot. He was in the woods, trying

to hit different things, and he couldn't hit a thing.

He couldn't hit a tree, big old, big old tree.

He couldn't hit it. So he was, you know, he

was kind of getting a little discouraged. And so he

was making making his way back into the farm and

there his grandma had this duck. She loved this duck,

and so he thought, man, I can't hit a tree.

Ain't no way I can hit that duck. So he

pulled that sling, shot back and he let it go. Well,

he couldn't hit the tree, but he sure hit the

duck and it fell out dead. Well. Johnny took the

duck and he ran and she had a wood pile,

and he hid that duck underneath that wood pile. About

that time, he looked over, after getting all the pieces

of wood back in place, he looked over and there

was his.

Sister, Sally. She had seen it all. She said, oh wait,

I'm gonna tell. I'm gonna tell. He said, oh no, no, no, Sally,

don't tell what. Don't tell grandma. She'll be so upset.

So he goes into the house and they were about

to eat supper, and they were finishing supper and about

time to do dishes, and grandmother looked at Sally and said, Sally, it's.

Now time for you to go get the dishes. And

she looked at Johnny. She said, Johnny said he would

do the dishes. They did you, Johnny, She leaned over, Johnny,

remember the duck.

Johnny went over and started washing the dishes. And about

that time, later on after supper, Grandpa came out and says, hey,

don't you want to go fishing while all his children

go out fishing? And the grandma says when, no, Sally,

and he needs to stay back and help me with preparing

lunch for tomorrow. And Sally looked at him and says, well, no, Grandma,

I think Johnny. I think Johnny wants to help you

this time, don't you Johnny, Yes, Grandma, I think I'll

help you. And Sally and Grandpa went fishing. About this

happened on and on for about two for the whole weekend,

almost a week he stayed with his grandma, and he

finally got so tired of doing all the Sally's chores,

making up her bed, doing all the dishes, and doing

all the things that Sally needed to do, that he

finally came.

Up one day and came up to his grandmother.

He says, Grandma, you didn't know about it, but last

week I was outside and I had that sling shot

and I killed your duck.

Grandmother looked at Johnny and she said Johnny. Put her

arms around him. She said, Johnny, I know. I was

standing by the window when I saw the whole thing happen.

And because I love you, I forgive you. I was

wondering how long it would take for you come and

ask for forgiveness. I forgive you the day that I

saw it, and.

I've been waiting for you come ask for forgiveness. Can

I tell you today, listen to me today. Jesus has

seen all your sin. There's not one sin you've ever

committed in your life that Jesus has not seen. And

Jesus the day he saw you, he forgave you. And

Jesus is just waiting for you to come before him,

just like Johnny did and said, Jesus, I'm a sinner.

You know my sin, Lord Lord, I need your forgiveness.

How what must we do to be saved?

We must have first omit number two. We must believe.

Listen to what Paul and Silas says and Acts chapter sixteen,

verse thirty they said, verse thirty one, and they said

believe and the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved,

you and your household. Now, if you remember a few

weeks ago, as we were looking at the Philippian and

the Philippi, Philippie was a very polytheistic culture. It was

a culture that worshiped many gods. And the demon possessed

girl when she was crying out that the Paul and

Silas was proclaiming the Lord, she was using the term

that would be used for Zeus. And they would worship

many different the Greek gods.

And we know that.

Through studies that it was Polytheism was huge in this

period of time in Roman world. There's a book written

by Andrew Clark. The books called Serve the Community of

the Church, and the books really digs down to what

life was like in the Greca of Roman world and

the Grecor of Roman world at the time. Every father

would have a responsibility to creating a shrine in his home,

and the shrine in his home was to be to

the many gods of that town or that culture, or

that community, and he was responsible responsible of leading his

entire family, sometimes weekly or if not daily, the worship

of many gods. It would have been no different than

the time of Philippi. This jailer, his whole life was

not an issue of whether he would worship a god.

He has worshiped many gods in his life. And when

he comes to Paul and Silas and says, what must

I do to be saved? Paul and Silas says to him,

listen to the words here verse thirty one.

Believe in the Lord Jesus, the Lord.

There is a divine term to describe that Jesus is

not only man, but he's also divine.

He is Lord, he is God.

Jesus is divine, he is Lord, and he is Christ,

he is the Messiah. He was fully God. I mean

he was fully man, but he was also fully God.

And he's saying, believe in the Lord Jesus. And for

Paul and Silas, they're calling this jailor to turn away

from worshiping many gods to worship the true God Jesus,

to worship him alone. It's the very same words that

Jesus taught in John fourteen. You remember John fourteen, after

Judas has betrayed them. Jesus had predicted that the Lord's

Supper the last supper, that someone would betray. The Bible

says that Judas leaves out and disciples are troubled, and

in John fourteen Jesus responds to them. In John fourteen

one through six, he says, this, let not your hearts

be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me. In

my Father's house there are many rooms. If it were

not so, I've told you that I go to prepare

place for you. And if I go to prepare place

for you, all will come again and take you to myself,

that where I.

Am you may be.

Also you know the way to where I'm going. And

Thomas said, Lord, we do not know where you're going.

How can we know the way.

And Jesus said to him, listen to this. I am

the Way, the Truth, and the life. No one comes

to the Father except through me. As you remember this story.

In this John fourteen he tells them, at the very beginning,

letting not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, Believe

also in Me. Every Jewish boy would have been required

memorize scripture, and very script for scripture, that they would

memorize with Deuteronomy six four through five, and that passage

is here, O Israel, the Lord, our.

God, the Lord is one.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,

with all your soul, with all your might. When Jesus

says to disciples, let not your heart be troubled. Believe

in God, he says, your whole life, you've been taught

to love God with all your heart, with all your soul,

with all your strength. And Jesus says, that has been

foundation for you as a Jew to believe in, the

believe in the believe in God with all your heart,

with all your soul, with all your strength. Now, Jesus says,

now that you're troubled, what should be your hope is

just as your foundation has always been to believe in God.

Your hope now should be believed in the same way

you always believe in God. Have that same belief foundationally

in me, that I too am God, the same God,

and that you are to love me with all your heart,

with all your soul, with all your might.

When Philipp and I mean.

Paul and Silence says to this jailer, you've loved a

lot of other gods, You've served a lot of other gods.

Now it's time to love Jesus with all your heart.

Serve him alone with all your might, follow him, and

with all your soul believe in him. You say today,

what must I do to be saved? You must believe

in Christ. That he's the only way to be saved.

He's the only way. He's the only truth, and he's

only life. Believe in Christ for your salvation. Put your

hope and put your faith in what Christ has done

for you on the cross, and believe in him. Love

him with all your heart, with all your soul, with

all your strength. This jailer and only had a belief

in Christ, but also he had a belief in that

produced changed change in him. Centeress, you come to this

passage of scripture. Look what happens in verse thirty one.

And they said, and believe in the Lord Jesus, and

you'll be saved. You're in your household. And they spent

the word of the Lord to him to all he

were in this house, and he took them the same

hour the night, and he washed their wounds, and he

was baptised, And he was baptized at once. He and

all his family. Then he brought them into his house,

and he set food before them. It's interesting, this jailor

is the one who once persecuted them, But now there's

a change in this jailor. And this jailor is now

one who's no longer persecuting them, this one who's caring

for them. He brings them in his home, he serves

them meals. He now cleanses their wounds. He went from

being an enemy now to a friend. He went from

being an enemy to now a part of the family

of God. There was a change. His belief produced a

change in his life. Can I tell you, when we

admit that we're a sinner, and we believe that Jesus

Christ is the only way, we love them with all

our heart, with our soul, with our might, it changes us.

You know.

Scripture tells us this, and Second Corinthians five seventeen. Therefore,

anyone who is listening to this in Christ, he is

a new creation. The old has passed away, and behold,

the new has come.

Ask you today, what must I do to be saved?

If you ever been said, you've ever come to a

place in the time of your life that you admitted

your sinner, that you believe Christ was the only way.

You couldn't be saved through your good works, you couldn't

be saved through your heritage, you couldn't be saved through

believing in worshiping other things. Jesus was the only way,

and you were going to commit your whole life to

love Him with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.

And then there was a time where you saw a

change in your life. Has that ever happened to you?

If not today, would today be the day that you

met your sinner? Would day be to day that you

believe that Jesus Christ died on a cross for your sins,

and you put your whole faith in the Him in

the completed work that he completed for you.

Heard the story of a man.

His name is Mos Rosen. He did a ministry to Jews.

It's called Jews for Jesus. In the nineties. He did

in this ministry in southern California. He was in southern

California for about thirty years. One day he went back.

He had been in different places. He went back and

he was speaking in southern California. And after he spoke,

a man came up to him and he looked at him,

and he said, Pastor Rosen, do you remember me. Pastor

Rosen looked at him for a minute. It's been many

years since he'd been in that area, and he said

he slowly realized it was a guy named Ted. Ted

when he was earlier in his thirties. When he was there,

he had met Ted. Ted was in his thirties and

Ted was one of was from Hollywood, and he was

one of what Rosen called a pretty boy. He was

kind of caught up in the Hollywood glamour and lifestyle.

Ted had struggled with homosexuality.

Ted had his father was a rabbi, a Jewish rabbi,

and he'd done his best to raise him up in religion,

but the religion had not kept Ted from his vice.

Ted had, knowing when his dad could see that the

religion wasn't going to help his son, he.

Got him involved in psychotherapy.

And he had been and treated for psychotherapy for ten

years and it produced no change in Ted. Finally, one

day the therapist said that Ted, you're a homosexual and

that's all that you can ever be, and you might

as well come to terms with it. After some time,

he met Rosden and one day, after all the education.

He had excellent education, after all the.

Therapy, after all the religion of Judaism, Ted put his

faith in Christ.

Rosen led him to the Lord. Rosen would then leave,

Actually I'm sorry.

Rosen would disciple him for a little bit and then

he would have a memorial failure and then leave the Bible study.

Rosen would been transferred his leave his the Ministran in

southern California, would go and work in New York City

for some time.

So time had passed. Now he sees Ted for.

The first time and again after ten twenty years. He's

was starting to say a few things and Ted stops.

Himan says and interrupts him before he goes any further,

and Ted says, Rose, and I want you to meet

my wife. I want you to meet my daughter and

her son, her so and my son in law. And

I want you to meet my two grandchildren. Had been

a lot of time had passed, and in front of

his family, he said, don't let anyone ever tell you pastor.

That they were born gay.

He said, I used to say that about myself, but

he said this, but when you're born again, you have

the power to be whatever God wants you to. Be.

What a victory you see, Ted, Listen, admitted he was

a sinner and believed in Jesus, and the belief in

Jesus and surrendering life to Jesus and produce change in

Ted that psychotherapy or education or religion.

Could not bring.

Listen, what must we do to be saved? We must admit,

we must believe. Lastly, we must confess. The Bible says here.

Look at the passage scripture. He took them in the

same night and washed their wounds, and he was baptized

at once, he and all his family. You know, the

Bible says that Romans ten nine and ten. Listen to this,

because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord,

and believe in your heart that God raised him.

From the dead, you will be saved.

For with one heart the one for with the heart

one believes and is justified. And what the mouth, one

is confessed, and one confesses and is saved. Not all.

We must admit that we're a sinner.

Now we must believe that Jesus Christ.

Is the only way.

And we must love THEE with our heart, soul, mind,

and strength. But thirdly, we must come to a place

where we confess that he is our lord, he's mine,

he's my savior, He's my Lord. That's what this jailor did.

Not only did he admit that he believed, but publicly

he confess. How did he confess? He confessed through believers baptism.

Do you know the Bible says that Matthew, that you

must confess publicly through baptism, through the obedience of baptism.

You know the Bible commands baptism.

Jesus's last words of Disciples.

Of Matthew twenty eight nineteen, go therefore and make disciples

of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,

Son of.

The Holy Spirit.

Jesus commands us to be baptized. And our baptism is

a public confession of what Jesus.

Inwardly has done in our heart.

And here's this jailer, and how does he respond to

Jesus saving him?

He admits Jesus sinner, he believes at Christ.

But he public declares to his family and his friends,

or what Jesus has done in his heart through baptism.

Can I tell you what's knowledge is? We see this

isolated and acts sixteen, but we see.

It all through Acts.

You remember, the Bible says in Acts chapter two, the

day of Pentecosts, thousands of people came to know the Lord.

And the Bible says in Acts chapter two, those who

receive his word were baptized, and that were added that

day about three thousand souls listen to day at Pentecosts.

How did they know who came to know the Lord?

How did they proclaim? That day? They proclaimed publicly through baptism,

The Bible tells us in Philip, you remember the Ethiopian eunuch.

This is first time the Gospel was going outside of Judaism.

Is this Ethiopian?

He was on his way back from Jerusalem, a godf

on his way back to Ethiopia. And the Bible says Philip,

there the good preaching the gospel, And the Bible says

that he's preached the gospel hears.

He says, what.

Stops me from what prevents me from being baptized? He'd

believed upon Jesus, and he proclaimed his belief in Jesus

by being baptized just last week or a few weeks ago.

And Acts chapter sixteen, it's salvation, And I mean the

Gospel is going this first time in Philippi, Paul meets

a lady there. You remember, her name's Lydia, And the

Bible says, God opened up her heart to hear what

Paul and Silas says. And after God opened up our heart,

how does she declare to everyone or what Jesus had

done in her heart? And the Bible says in Acts

sixteen fifteen, and after she was baptized her or in

a household as well, the Bible says, listen, that we

are the mint, the were sinner, we're believe in Christ.

That lastly we should confess, and we should confess with

our mouths, and we should confess with our life, and

we should confess with our actions by and only publicly proclaiming,

but also outwardly proclaiming through baptism. You know, the Bible

says that in Luke, it's a very powerful passage of scripture.

In Luke, chapters nine, verse twenty six, the Bible says,

whoever is shamed of me in my words and of him,

will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes.

In glory, the glory of the Father and of the

Holy angels.

You know, we must we should not be ashamed of

what Jesus has done in our hearts.

Maybe you're here today? Are you saved?

Have you met the Lord like the jailer did, like

the man in Africa?

Have you encountered the Lord?

And when Jesus has come to you as he when

he's miraculously have moved in your life? Has there come

to a place where you said, Lord, what must I

do to be saved? Have you come to a place

where you've declared Lord, I admit that.

I'm sinned against you. Have you come to a.

Place where you said, Jesus, I believe that you're the

only way, and I want to give you my heart,

and I want to love you with all my heart,

with all my soul, with all my strength. Have you

come to a place where you confess him as your Lord?

And have you done that publicly?

I encourage you. If you've ever done that, I encourage

you to do that today. Grab the invitation.

In just a minute, I ask you, if i'd be

down to the altar, I'd love for you to walk

you how you can do that today?

I love to lead some of you.

Maybe you have done that, You've received Jesus as your

Lord's savior. But you've never followed in believers baptistm you've

never made a public in baptism.

Maybe some you need to come forward and.

Say, you know what I need to do, that it's time,

it's time to make it public.

Or what Jesus has done into my heart. There's old writer.

He was a poet in.

The nineteenth century. His name was Francis Thompson. He wrote

a poem called the Hound of Heaven. In the poem, Thompson,

who was a follower of Christ, struggled with poverty and

poor health, an addiction to opiums, which at that time

was sold over the counter, and in despair.

He wrote this.

Poem called the Hound of Heaven, and he described his

running from God. He described it this way, how he

was running from God.

He says, I.

Fled him down the nights, down the days. I hid

from him, under the running of laughter. I spat from

those strong feet that followed followed after me. But Thomas

not only described in his poem his unrelenting running from God,

but he also described the unrelenting love of Jesus that

like the hound of Heaven, like a hound that's in

pursuit of something, to find something that is lost. He

described Jesus as the hound of Heaven that was radically

in pursuit of him.

And he described this.

Unhurrying chase, unperturbed pace, deliberate speeds, a majestic instant, a

majestic urgency. He hears the feet of Jesus running after him.

All things betray those who betray me.

Jesus calls out.

John Stought as a pastor, and John Stott referred to

Thompson's poem, and Johns said this, He said, my faith

is due to Jesus Christ himself, who pursued me relentlessly,

even when I was running away from him in order

to go my own way. As if it were not

for the gracious pursuit of the Hound of Heaven, I

will today be on the scrap heap of waste and

discarded lives. Today, I'm asking you today, Are you like Thompson?

Are you relentlessly running from God Who's pursuing you? Can

you hear today? Listen in this time today, do you

hear the hound of.

Heaven pursuing you? Can?

I tell you he unrelentantly loves you, and he will

unrelentantly pursue you. Will today be today just as he

pursued the man in Africa, just as he pursued the man,

the jailer and Philip High.

Today he's pursuing you today. Will you come to a

place Today's today a salvation? Today?

Today is when I ask the Lord, how can I

be saved? Today's today that I met Lord, I'm a

sinner Today's to day.

I believe that Jesus is the only way.

Today's today where I confess Him as my savior, as

my Lord.

Will you pray with me? Lord?

I thank you Lord for your word. I thank you

Lord for Lord, thank you Lord for being the hound

of heaven. Lord. I thank you that you pursued the

man in Africa. Lord, I thank you that you pursued

the jailer. God, I thank you you pursued ted.

God.

I thank you today that you pursued me. Or I

pray for all those today that are running or today

I pray that they would hear your voice calling them

to come home, calling them to fine forgiveness, calling them.

To find salvation in you today. Or I pray there'd

be those today that would mean that their sinner.

Confessor sin before you. Or I pray they'd be those

today would believe that Jesus, you are the only way

to believe that, Lord, you accomplish what you accomplish on

the cross to forgive them of sin, that you believe

that they would believe that you died on the cross

for their sins, that they might have forgiveness today. Or

I pray they would be those today that we could

FASc you as the Lord of their life and we're

surrendering their life to you today. Lord, however you lead today, Lord,

I pray today would be the day that we respond.

Lord, not to me, but Lord to you. Lord.

We love you, We thank you, Lord for this word.

In your name, we pray Amen.

Misus painting

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