I want you to take your Bibles
and turn with me to the book of Acts chapter 16. Acts chapter 16. Yesterday morning I was reading
and my heart was on back to a passage of scripture that I've spoken
on many times here. But as I began to look at this
passage of scripture, I was convinced I've got to preach
on this passage of scripture today. I've got to. Acts chapter 16, verses 30 and
31, Paul and Silas find themselves
in jail in Philippi. An earthquake is sent. All the doors are open. A Philippian
jailer sees all the doors are open. Being fearful, he's about
to fall on his sword, kill himself. And the apostle Paul cries out
to him, said, don't do yourself any harm. We're all here. He
gets a light, jailer does, comes in trembling, and he comes before
Paul and Silas. In verse 30 and 31, this is what
happens. Acts 16, 30, brought them out
and said, sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house. Now, if there was ever a need
of a hell-deserving sinner to be given understanding by the
inspiration of God as to the true meaning, that's what God
calls preachers to do. to give the sense of the passage. Set forth the truth of what's
being said. And if there's ever been a need
for us to understand what was asked by this jailer and said
by Paul and Silas, this is it right here. The first thing I
want to set forth before I begin the body of this message, turn
to Titus 3.5. I want to set forth something
that is absolutely true and must be said again. Paul the apostle
said, for me to say the same thing to you is not grievous, for you it's safe for us to hear
the same thing over and over and over. We're so prone. Titus
3.5, let me tell you what scripture says. not by works of righteousness,
which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us by
the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost. Romans 3, 20, Romans 3, 20, Romans
3, Verse 20 says this, therefore, by the
deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his
sight. For by the law is the knowledge
of sin. So let me tell you first and
foremost, it is absolutely impossible not improbable, it's impossible
for carnal man, man born in Adam, everybody in this room, everybody
in this world, it's impossible, it is impossible, it's impossible
for any man by his own free will or work to do anything in order
to accomplish His salvation by His own works, not by the works, not by the
good deeds, not by the noble actions of the law, shall any
soul be saved. Salvation, we know this, is totally
an act of God Almighty that has been bestowed upon a people of
His choosing. according to his good pleasure
to show mercy. That's how men are saved. Jonah 2.9 says salvation is of
the Lord. What does man have to do with
his salvation? Nothing. Nothing. The Lord told Moses in Exodus
33, 19, I will be gracious to whom I will
be gracious. I will show mercy on whom I'll
show mercy. So any thought of carnal man
thinking that he's able to accomplish by some act of his supposed obedience
unto God, in order to merit or procure his salvation is wrong. Wrong. It's anti-scripture, it's
anti-Christ, it's anti-truth. Anything that we think that we
did in order to procure salvation is wrong. The scripture bears
that out. By the deeds of the law shall
no flesh be, you know, not by works of righteousness which
we have done. Now, we've got that truth nailed
down. So with that thought, we're gonna
come back to this question that was asked by a Philippian jailer.
Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And the apostle Paul and Silas
gave him an answer. They answered him. They gave
him an answer that was inspired by the Spirit of God. This is
the truth. What must I do to be saved? And
Paul and Silas told him, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and
thou shalt be saved. Now, Paul and Silas were not
speaking out of both sides of their mouth. Now, you know that. Problem is that we think that
this right here, somehow, I know what's going through your mind.
Somehow. And you're sitting there thinking,
okay, now I want to make sure I hear what's being said. I do
too. Because there's something in our minds, is being born in
Adam, that here's this, we saw what Titus 3.5 said, we read
what Romans 3.20 said, and we hear what's being asked and said
right here, and you think it's something, something, something,
something needs to be explained. Because there seems to be a contradiction
somehow here. I don't know exactly what it
is, but there's something that's contradictory here, and it's
concerning salvation and Paul's answer and man's total depravity
and inability to do anything. So what was the Philippian jailer
asking and what was the Apostle Paul and Silas saying that is
needful for us now to understand? I want to understand this because
they ask a question. that is concerning me and you. You ask yourself, what must I
do to be saved? To be preserved. To keep safe. To be rescued from danger or
destruction. And then there's a word that's
in there means transported. What must I do? Now let me tell
you what the Philippian jailer did not ask him and what we think,
when we hear the word saved, what we think he asked. Let me tell you what you think
he asked. He did not say, what must I do
to be regenerated? It's not the word he used. What must I do to be converted?
That's what is normally set forth. as being said. That's not what
he asked. That's what we hear. That's what
we think because that's what we're normally told. That's what
I was told. That's why I came up in religion. That's what I
was told. I was told that that scripture right there was saying,
what must I do to be regenerated? Now, if he were to ask, what
must I do to be regenerated? And Paul would have said, believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ and you'll be regenerated. That's
salvation by works. Ain't no way around that. What
must I do to be converted? Well, to be converted and to
be made new, you have to believe. That's works. That is salvation
by works. That's not the word that the
Spirit of God moved upon that Philippian jailer to say. He
said, what must I do to be saved? Now there's three things that's
set forth in this scripture concerning believing, salvation, and almighty
God has moved upon this group of men right here to set forth
the truth of the absolute salvation of God's elect. It's not going
to be by the works of the flesh that we're going to be converted.
If he'd have said that, that would have been that he's resting
in his belief. He's resting his faith. Now,
here's the first thing we've got to understand. There is an
understanding and a clear conviction to a regenerated sinner wrought
by the Spirit of God. There's an understanding that
wasn't there before he was regenerated. What did I just say? I'm gonna
tell you right now that before anybody would ever ask that question,
right there, what must I do to be saved? God's gonna have to
do something for him first before he'll ever ask that question.
He wasn't asking what must I do to be regenerated. Turn with
me to John chapter three, and we're gonna turn to a few passages,
but I want us to understand something because I'm telling you that
by and large, the vast majority of people that are resting in
their decision, in their exercise of their will, their feeling
that I've done something in order to be, what they're saying is
regeneration. He didn't ask that. I'm gonna
show you something. John chapter three, verse one
through three. John one through three. There
was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
The same came to Jesus by night and said unto him, Rabbi, we
know that thou art a teacher come from God, for no man can
do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus
answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except
a man be born again, cannot see. perceive the kingdom
of God. Unless Almighty God does something
for a sinner first, there is no vision, there is no desire,
there's no asking after the kingdom of God. A sinner must be regenerated
first. All men are born with a dead,
dark, hard heart of stone, which will never believe, which will
never bow, which will never ask after the things of God. The
Lord Jesus Christ just said that. Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God. The Lord must come to a vessel
of his mercy and initiate the need in that sinner. John 3, 5 to 6, right there where
we are. Jesus answered, verily, verily,
I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the spirit,
he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of
the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the spirit
His spirit. Turn to Ephesians 4. Ephesians
4. Ephesians chapter 4, verse 21
to 24. Ephesians 4. If so be that you've heard him,
that had been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus, that you
put off concerning the former conversation of the old man,
which is corrupt according to the deceitful lust, and be renewed
in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man,
which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Now, there has got to be before
anyone, this Philippian jailer came in there and he was trembling
and he said, sirs, what must I do to be saved? And Paul and
Silas answered him. Believe. What must I be to be
kept and transported and saved? What must I do? Believe. You've
got to believe the truth. But something's got
to happen first. You're going to believe Saul
of Tarsus. Turn with me to the book of Acts,
chapter nine, when Saul of Tarsus, spiritually dead rebel, dead
in trespasses and sin, dead. He was dead. He was stopped on the road to Damascus.
The scripture says this concerning his encounter, Lord's encounter. Let me say that of him. Acts
chapter nine, verses one through six. and Saul, yet breathing
out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the
Lord, went unto the high priest and desired of him letters to
Damascus, to the synagogues, that if he found any of this
way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound
unto Jerusalem. And as he journeyed, he came
near Damascus, and suddenly there shined round about him a light
from heaven. He fell to the earth and heard
a voice. saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
He said, who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said unto him, I'm
Jesus, whom thou persecutest. It's hard for thee to kick against
the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what
wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise
and go to the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
Now let me tell you what happened here. Here was a spiritually
dead sinner, religious, He was a Pharisee, trusting in his works. Read him over in Philippians
3. He'll tell you how good he was, how good he thought he was. And here's a spiritually dead
sinner breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples
of the Lord. And almighty God stopped him. Leave that Saul of Tarsus to
himself and to tell him to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and
he'd laugh at you. He was threatening. He was going
to get them. And God stopped him and did something
for him. Turn over to 2 Corinthians 4.
What's going to have to happen, 2 Corinthians chapter 4, verse
6. Before anybody will come and
ask, what must I do to be saved? I'm gonna get to point two in
just a minute. But before anybody will ask that
question, God's gonna have to do something. Second Corinthians
4.6, for God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness,
has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of
the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Now right here,
you're going to see, we all see, the rich display of sovereign
grace to produce light in the very darkness of a hell-deserving
center. The knowledge of the Lord Jesus
Christ and man's need of Him must be commanded of God first. God Almighty must shine into
a sinner according to these scriptures before that sinner can believe. He's dead. You tell a spiritually
dead, you tell a dead man, how many times have I said this?
I've preached so many funerals here, stood in this pulpit and
there's a casket right there. Dead. Dead. He don't hear, he
don't move, he don't think, he don't speak, he don't do nothing.
He don't do nothing. I tell him all you've got to
do in order to get out of that casket is just believe. He's dead. What's got to happen
first? God's got to do something. That
Philippian jailer, a hard rebel, knowledge of his sin was brought
to light. God Almighty did something and
he knew now. He knew before he didn't. We're looking at the effect of
it. I can tell you according to scriptures, something happened
to that Philippian jailer first. That wouldn't have done anything
for him. How many miracles have we seen? How many miracles were
recorded? How many people did the Lord
Jesus Christ heal? How many did he raise from the
dead? Did that make any difference? Almighty God's gotta do something
first. Before the Spirit of God turned with me to John 16. John
chapter 16. John 16, verse seven and eight. The Lord is speaking to his disciples.
He's getting ready to go to the cross, back into glory. John 16, verse seven. Nevertheless, I tell you the
truth. It is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not
away, The Comforter will not come unto you, but if I depart,
I will send Him unto you. And when He's come, He will reprove. He's going to convince the world
of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. Now let me tell
you what the Lord just said. Before anybody can believe, the Spirit of God is going to
have to empower in regenerating grace, mercy. He's gonna have
to convince a man of sin. What does that mean? That that's
what we are. Convince him of sin and of righteousness. What do you mean? That righteousness
before God is what we lack. and is only provided by and in
the Lord Jesus Christ. Gonna convince him of sin. Now
I'm telling you, a regenerated sinner knows that he is a helpless
sinner before God and that his righteousness is his filthy rags. He's gonna convince him of sin,
of righteousness and judgment. What does that mean? He's gonna
convince him that judgment is what we deserve. but was satisfied for a people
of God's choosing by the Lord Jesus Christ who bore the guilt
of all of his people. I laid down my life for the sheep,
paid their debt. When the Spirit of God comes
to convince a sinner of sin and righteousness and judgment, he
comes to that sinner first and removes that heart of stone first. and gives him a new heart and
speaks to that heart. Turn to 2 Timothy 1. He speaks
to that heart, that heart now that hears. The hearing ear and
the seeing eyes of the Lord, both of them's of the Lord. We
talk to people like knowing the scripture says we're dead in
trespasses and sins, and men will stand up and talk to people
like dead men can hear. All you gotta do now, It's just
exercise your free will. They're lying to you. They're
lying to you. 2 Timothy chapter 1. 2 Timothy 1 verse 8. God Almighty
has got to show mercy for us. 2 Timothy 1 verse 8. Be not thou therefore ashamed
of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me as prisoner. But be
thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the
power of God, who has saved us and called us with an holy calling,
not according to our works, according to his own purpose and grace,
which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior, Jesus
Christ, who hath abolished death and hath brought life and immortality
to light through the gospel. It's plain from scripture. Unless
you be born again, You're not gonna perceive the kingdom of
God. You're not gonna perceive your
need. You're not gonna perceive the sacrifice. You're not gonna know anything
about it. You must be born again first by the spirit of God. God's
gotta do something for you first before you can respond. The question that was asked by
the Philippian jailer, was the result of God's grace, which
bring me to my second point. Second and third points are not
as long. The needy sinner is taught through regenerating grace
that he's been given faith to believe and that his salvation
is totally found in the person of God's Lamb, the Lord Jesus
Christ. Back in Acts, we can go back
to Acts Go back to Acts chapter 16. He's taught something. He asked,
what must I do to be kept, preserved, transported into glory? What
must I do? What must I do to be saved, not
regenerated? No word. Don't get that word.
Quit thinking that he was asking, what must I do to be regenerated? You must be born of the Spirit.
Regeneration is of God. You don't do something to be
regenerated. What did you do to be conceived in your mother's
womb? What'd you do about it? What'd
you do? Well, I didn't do anything. Okay, thank you. What'd you do
to be conceived of the Holy Spirit? You didn't do anything. We're
born of the Spirit, born of the Spirit, born of the Spirit. He
asked them, what must I do to be saved? And they said, believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ. You must believe by faith. Believing
by God-giving faith. Trusting is totally. of the Lord. It says concerning
faith in Hebrews 11 6. But without faith it is impossible
to please him for he that cometh to God must believe that he is
and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Now let me tell you what else people's being told. All you've
got to do is exercise your faith. Where does a man get faith? Where
do you get it? Well, everybody's got a little
faith. That's not what scripture says. Scripture doesn't say everybody
has faith. I want you to turn to Philippians.
I've got it written down here in my notes, but I want you to
look at Philippians chapter one. Philippians chapter one. Now listen, faith is essential
to life, salvation and faith. Without faith, it's impossible
to please God. Without faith, How does a man
get it? How does a man get faith? Philippians
129. For unto you it is given in the
behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer
for his sake. That which almighty God has purposed
in eternity, Now you know Ephesians 1 verse 4 says that God has chosen
a people before the foundation of the world in Christ that they
should be holy and without blame before him in love. God's got
a people. Now you know that. I mean scripture bears that out.
God's got a people. He's got an elect. He's got an
elect. But Paul says in Romans 9, Isaiah,
if there wasn't a remnant, according to the election of God. We'd
all be like Sodom and Gomorrah. There is an elect that God's
going to save. And they must believe. God has
ordained. They must believe. They must
believe by faith. That's God's word. That's God's
will. That's God's purpose. That which
Almighty God has purposed from eternity, He will most certainly
accomplish and supply in time. The Lord ordained that believing
and trusting in his son, casting by faith all of our hope for
life, godliness, salvation before him, was demanded. That's demanded. They must, without
faith, there's no pleasing God. How am I gonna please God? By
faith. God's going to have to give me
faith. He said it's given unto you to
believe. You've got to believe. Faith
to believe Him. Faith to trust Him. Faith to
suffer for His sake. Faith that is from above. The faith of God's elect. It
has one object and it's not your works. Now I'm telling you this
is the biggest lie that's ever been told out of hell. Does a man that has trusted in
his works look to? He looks to his works. That's
what he looks to. And he boasts in them, too. He
boasts in them. I walked down the aisle, you
know, all the stuff. Just name it all. Just everything. I spoke in tongues. I got baptized. That's what you're looking to.
What must I do to be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And thou shalt be saved. I can
tell you this, what must I do to be delivered, kept, preserved? What must I do to be saved? That
was the question he asked. Paul told him, he said, well,
you know, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Lord told
us this, before you're going to believe, God's going to have
to regenerate you. God's going to have to give you
faith. And here's the last point. Last truth set forth concerning
a sinner's salvation. is the assurance of life. Now
here's what Paul said. That Philippian jailer said,
sir, what must I do to be saved? They said, believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house. Thou shalt be saved, thou shalt
be saved. You believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ. If almighty God gives you faith to believe, not in
yourself, but faith to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Thou
shalt be saved. Believing, turn to 2 Timothy,
2 Timothy 1. Coming to Christ and believing
on the Lord Jesus Christ is not, 2 Timothy 1, is not a doubtful
truth to the regenerate. Second Timothy 1.12 says this, for which cause also I suffer
these things, nevertheless I'm not ashamed. For I know whom
I have believed and am persuaded that he's able to keep that which
I've committed unto him against that day. Spiritual knowledge,
I'm gonna read this from Romans 10. Spiritual knowledge of Christ
is essential to faith. Spiritual knowledge of Christ
is essential to faith. God's gonna give it
faith. Listen to Romans 10, 13, 14. Whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved. Okay, that's a fact. Whosoever shall call on the name
of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him
in whom they've not believed? How shall they believe in Him
whom they've not heard? How shall they hear without a
preacher? Let me tell you something. Before God Almighty saves any
of His people, now this is the Lord's way, He's gonna send a
preacher and He's gonna teach a preacher. He's gonna save a
preacher first. For a preacher to preach the
truth, God's gotta save him first. He's gonna teach that preacher
the truth of God's sovereign grace. of how God Almighty has
been pleased to regenerate and save his people, keep them. And he's going to teach that
preacher the gospel, which is what we just heard. And he's
going to preach it. And the spirit of God who knows
the elect of God is going to take that word preaching of the
gospel. That's the power of God unto
salvation. And he's going to come to the
elect of God. And he's going to remove a heart
of stone. He's going to give them a new
heart. And he's going to convince them of sin, righteousness, and
judgment. They're going to say, what must
I do to be saved? Believe. And they're going to
believe with the faith that God's given them. They're gonna rest
in it. They're gonna believe that. I'm
not gonna trust my works. I don't trust my works. Listen,
y'all, I came down the aisle three or four times. I had to
rededicate a couple of times, because I slept in there. Then
I didn't know if I was really sincere, so I got in the water
three times. I think three, two or three times,
I don't remember. Trying to find some assurance.
neighbor, God Almighty, was pleased. He crossed my path with a faithful
preacher that told me the truth, that truth that just jerked the
rug out of everything I'd ever been taught and believed, which
was a lie. I said, well, I was converted
back, you know, I was nine years old, I was converted then, I
was, you know, and I didn't, I wasn't sure, so I went ahead
and went through it again at 17, you know, because I'd been
kind of bad. So I thought I'm gonna have to
get, so I had to go through that again. All the while trusting in my
choice, trusting in my decision, trusting and trusting. And one
day God Almighty was pleased to regenerate me by the grace
of God and teach me the truth of salvation in Christ. Gave
me some assurance. Salvations of the Lord. What
must I do to be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved and thy house. What do you mean by that?
You mean everybody in the house? No. But if he saves the people
in your house, he's going to save them the same way. For God's
glory and for the eternal good of his people. Amen. All right, let's take a break.