that I've been with him, I've
grown to love him more. And that is something. Acts chapter two. I've entitled this message, What
Shall I Do? What shall I do? At three times in the book of
Acts, this specific question is asked. What shall I do? Once after Peter's sermon. On
the day of Pentecost. We read where their hearts were
pricked and they said, men and brethren, what shall we do? And then the Philippian jailer.
Asking Paul and Silas, sirs, what must I do? To be saved. And then when Paul
is giving his account of his conversion experience on the
road to Damascus in Acts, chapter 22, verse 10, he said, What shall
I do, Lord? This is a good question. And it is one that you and I
better be asking. What shall I do? Now, the first time it was asked,
it was a general question. What should we do? Give us some
direction. We're in a world of trouble.
What shall we do? The next time it's asked, it
is even more specific. What must I do to be saved? And then the next time it is
even more specific. What shall I do, Lord? It's very important. In all three
instances, the question was not answered with a, well, there's
nothing you can do. That's what a lot of people would
answer, well, there's nothing you can do. Without question, the Bible teaches
the total depravity and the total inability of all men by nature
as a result of Adam's fall. That can't even be debated. Our
Lord said in John chapter 6 verse 44, no man can come to me. He doesn't say he may not come.
He says he cannot come. He lacks the ability to come. Total depravity, every faculty
of man, the understanding is darkened. The will is bound by
the sinful nature. The affections are evil. No part of man has the ability
to do anything in this thing of salvation. The Bible teaches
that. But if our understanding of that
would lead us to answer this question, what shall I do with
the, well, there's nothing you can do. All we prove by that
is that we do not really understand what the Bible means by total
depravity and total inability. Now let's look in Acts chapter
2, the first time this question is asked. Acts chapter 2, verse
36. Therefore, let all the house
of Israel know assuredly that God hath made this same Jesus,
whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." Now, when they heard
this, they were pricked, stabbed in their heart, and said unto
Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what
shall we do? Now, this question was asked
by the men who had participated in the actual murder of Jesus
Christ. These were the men that had literally
driven the nails in his hands and in his feet. These were the
men who cried out, Let him be crucified away with this man. These are the men who ask this
question. Now, I realize that the Lord
laid down his life willingly. And he said, no man takes my
life from me. It's not like he was a victim.
He was not a victim. Every nail that was driven was
driven according to the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God. And he was in complete control over everything that happened. It was his will being done. He
gave the men the strength to drive the nails. That man who
put the spear in his side, he was strengthened by the will
of Jesus Christ. That's the only way that took
place. We realize that. He is in complete control of
this. But as far as what those men
were guilty of, they were guilty of murdering the Son of God.
Look what verse 22 says of Acts chapter 2. You men of Israel,
Hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you
by miracles and wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst
of you, as you yourselves also know, him being delivered by
the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken and by
wicked hands have crucified and slain. Now can you begin to imagine
how terrified these men were. Scared to death. That one we nailed to a tree
is the Son of God. That one we nailed to a tree
and we thought He was dead, He's been raised from the dead and
right now we're in His hands. He can do with us whatever He
is pleased to do. They were pricked, stabbed right
through their heart. They were in anguish. We are
in a world of trouble. Now that was their attitude.
What are we to do? Question. Do you and I have any reason
to be any less terrified than them. Now, I want you to think about
that. You and I are equally guilty before God of this crime. If I would have been there, I
would have done the same thing, and you would too. Turn with me to Luke 23. Beginning in verse 20. And understand that this is what
you and I have actually said in our hearts, it's not something
that was imputed to us, but we didn't do it. It's something
we're guilty of. Look in verse 20. Pilate, therefore,
willing to release Jesus, spake again to them, but they cried,
saying, Crucify him! Crucify him! Now, these are these
people that we're reading about in Acts chapter 2. And he said
unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I found
no cause of death in him. I therefore chastise him, and
let him go. And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that
he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of
the chief priests prevailed, and Pilate gave sentence that
it should be as they required. And he released unto them him
that for sedition, talking about Barabbas, and murder was cast
into prison, whom they had desired, but he delivered Jesus to their
what? Will. It's not like We are these poor,
unfortunate victims who have had their sin charged to our
account. We are guilty as they are. Now, when we talk about the imputation,
you listen real carefully. When we talk about the imputation
of Adam's sin to our race, we are mistaken if we think that
we are held responsible for a sin that we did not actually commit. You see, if you're just held
responsible for a sin that you didn't commit, you're a victim,
aren't you? You're a victim. Poor you. How unfortunate. I mean, can you believe that
happened? It's kind of like the fellow who's in prison for a crime he
did not commit. We feel sorry for people like
that, don't we? I mean, can you imagine right now how many people
are in prison for crimes that they did not commit, but they
were imputed to them, so they're in prison. Now, if our understanding
of imputation makes us think, well, poor victims, you know,
we're no. When Adam sinned, I sinned. That's what the Bible teaches.
It's more than or whatever. Let's put it this way. Imputation
means more than we make it out to be. I don't know. I don't
even know how to explain this the way it ought to be explained,
but I know this. It's not simply that I'm charged with the guilt.
No, I did the sin. Now, look what Romans 5.12 says.
Turn with me there. Romans 5.12, Wherefore, as by
one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so death
passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. When Adam sinned,
I sinned. When Adam sinned, you sinned. It's not just having to charge
your tax. You did it. You did it. We're not merely held responsible.
We are responsible. So you and I have every reason
to be just as anguished, just as distraught as these men were. Men and brethren, What shall
we do? These men saw what they were
guilty of, murdering the Son of God, whom God raised from
the dead and made him Lord. And they were in the sovereign
hands of the living Christ who could do with them whatever he
was pleased to do. They say to Peter, who was preaching
that message, and the rest of the apostles, meet him, brethren.
What do we do? Well, accept Jesus as your personal
Savior. That sounds offensive, doesn't
it? Let God forgive you. Let Him forgive you. Make Him the Lord of your life.
He already is Lord. Men and brethren, what shall
we do? I love Peter's answer. Repent! Repent. And be baptized. Every one of you in the name
of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you shall receive
the gift of the Holy Ghost. Repent. What's that mean? What's it really mean to repent?
I used to be so distressed over this question because I looked
at repentance In this manner, repentance means to be sorry,
and that's certainly involved, but how sorry? When are you sorry
enough? And I've heard preachers say,
if you've repented, you'll stop that sin and you won't commit
it anymore. If you've really repented, you haven't repented.
If you repeat that sin. Now, wait a minute. You name
me one sin you stopped in your heart. Just one. If you have a shred of honesty,
you'll say there's no sin I've not stopped committing in my
heart. So if repentance is being sorry and stopping, no one in
this room has repented. Isn't that so? Repentance means change your
mind. Everything you thought wrong. Every thought you've had about
God is wrong. Every thought you've had about
yourself is wrong. Every thought you've had about
salvation is wrong. Repent, change your mind, and
be baptized. And that doesn't mean the act
of water baptism brings about the remission of sins, you know
that. Anybody here that has any understanding of baptism knows
that the act of water baptism does not cause the remission
of sins, but what baptism represents causes the remission of sins. How are my sins washed away?
By what baptism represents the life. the death, the burial,
and the resurrection of Christ. You see, baptism teaches us something
about union with Jesus Christ. That's the main teaching of baptism.
Union with Jesus Christ. When He lived, I did. I was in Him. And everything
He did, I did. When He died, I died under the
wrath of God. Remember when He walked out of
that tomb. I don't know how you picture
that in your mind's eye. But he went into that tomb with
the sins of God's elect. He walked out of that tomb without
sin. All sin was washed away. Sin
was remitted. That's where the remission of
sins comes from. Through the life, the death,
the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn with me to
Mark chapter 1 for a moment. Mark chapter 1. What is repentance? Well, I hope
this will be helpful. Mark chapter 1, verse 4. John did baptize in the wilderness
and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission Now you find
these two words in the New Testament together four times. Repentance
and the remission of sins. Go on reading verse five. And
they went out unto him all the land of Judea And they of Jerusalem
and all were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing
their sins. Now, does that mean that they
confessed their sins, they got up in front of everybody and
told everybody all the bad stuff they did so everybody's ears
would tingle and then they would be baptized after that confession
of sin? No, no, not at all. The act of baptism was the act
of the confession of sin. When I'm baptized, I confess
that my sin is such that the only way I could be saved is
by being united to Christ. When He lived, I lived. When
He died, I died. When He was raised from the dead,
I was raised from the dead. There's nothing I can do about
my sin. I can't do anything to put it away. It's only what He
has done as I am united to Him. Now, repentance, as much as anything
else, has to do with repentance regarding the remission or the
forgiveness of sins. Now, here's the fact of the matter.
Every one of us, by nature, thinks there's something we need to
do to get our sins forgiven. If I do this, if I do that, and
if I do that, my sins will be forgiven. Forgiveness is the
end of human religion. But in the gospel, it's the beginning. It's the beginning, the full,
free, frank forgiveness, the remission of sins. Repentance is a complete change
of mind regarding the remission of sins. Let me show you this
in scripture. Would you turn with me to Hebrews
chapter 10? Beginning in verse 12. But this man. After he had offered one sacrifice
for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God. From henceforth
expecting till his enemies be made his footstool for him by
one offering, he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is
a witness to us, for after that he said before, this is the covenant
that I'll make with them after those days, saith the Lord. I'll
put my law into their hearts, and in their minds will I write
them, and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now,
how can God not remember my sin? There's only one way that can
be answered. There's nothing there to remember. It's Put away. Now, look what he says next.
I love this verse. Now, where the remission of these
is, there is no more offering for sin. Don't you dare try bringing
one. Where the remission of these
is. You fellows are wondering how
your awful sin of murdering the Son of God can be remitted Your
sin was remitted by what that one accomplished in you crucifying
him. Can you imagine how amazed they
were at that? The very thing they were guilty
of is what God used to wash away their sin. The death of the Lord
Jesus Christ. You know, only God can bring
good out of evil. And indeed, He did. Acts chapter 16. What must I do? Repent. Repent. Regarding the remission
of sins. Acts chapter 16, verse 30. This is the Philippian jailer.
He brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? What must I do? What's necessary for me to do?
I got a letter from a fellow about a month ago, and I don't
know what his motive was in writing this letter, but he said, I want
you to answer one question for me. I only want you to answer
one question. Is there anything a sinner must
do to be saved? Well. If I would have answered that,
no, salvation is by grace. I would have given a half-truth,
salvation is by grace, but I wouldn't have told the whole truth because,
yes, there is something a sinner must do to be saved. Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. And that's how I wrote back Acts
chapter 16, verse 30, 31. Sincerely yours, Todd Nyberg.
Nothing else. This answer comes in the form
of a command, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, this
man also knew he was in a mess. Look in verse 27. And the keeper
of the prison, awaking out of his sleep and seeing the prison
doors open, he drew out his sword and he would have killed himself,
supposing that the prisoners had been fled. This man was distraught. Then, but Paul cried with a loud
voice saying, do thyself no harm for we're all here. Then he called
for a light. Then he sprang in and came trembling
and fell down before Paul and Silas and brought them out and
said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? Now, when the Bible talks about
being saved. It's talking about being saved from sin. Matthew 121 says, Thou shalt
call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. I have to be saved from the condemnation
of my sin, the penalty of my sin. That's what justification
is all about. If I'm saved from the condemnation
of my sin, that means there's no condemnation of them that
are in Christ Jesus. I'm not guilty. I have nothing to be
condemned for. I also need to be saved from
the power of my sin, because I can't not sin. I need to be
saved from the power of my sin. I lack the ability to repent.
I lack the ability to believe. I lack the ability to love God.
I have to be saved from the power of my sin, and I need to be saved
from the presence of my sin. Well, I don't sin anymore. What must I do to be saved from
my sin? Believe. Rely on the Lord. The Lord. Lord of creation. Lord of confidence. Lord of salvation. Whose will must be done. Rely upon the Lord. Jesus. Thou shalt call His name Jesus,
for He shall save His people from their sins. Rely on His
life as your justification before God. You're saved by His life.
Rely upon His death as your complete sin payment. Rely upon His grace
to deliver you from the power of sin in the sense that you're
enabled to believe the gospel. There was a time when you couldn't
believe. You can now. That's saved from the power of
sin. Saved from the very presence of sin. Now, according to the
Word of God, I am saved from the presence of sin. Right now. Do you still sin? Well, yeah,
my flesh does. I'd be a liar to say it doesn't.
But doesn't the Bible say we're already glorified in Christ Jesus?
Past tense, Romans 8. In the person of the Lord Jesus
Christ, I am saved from Just all together saved. All together,
nothing to worry about, nothing to stress about. I am complete
in the Lord Jesus Christ. I love this. He said, believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Look down
in verse 34. And when he brought them into
the house, he set meat before them and rejoiced, believing
in God. With all his house. You see,
when you believe the Lord Jesus Christ, you believe He is God. Do you believe that Jesus is
God? I know He is. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
God's anointed, God's anointed prophet. He is the Word of God.
God's anointed priest, the one who makes me acceptable before
God. God's anointed King, the Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 22. Verse 10, And I said, What shall I do,
Lord? At this time, he knows who he
is. What shall I do? Lord. Back up to verse six, and it
came to pass that as I made my journey and was come nigh into
Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great
light round about me. The other count says it was above
the brightness of the sun. This light is nobody less than
Jesus Christ Himself. And I fell unto the ground, and
heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou
me? And I answered, Who art thou,
Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus
of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. And they that were with me saw
indeed the light, and were afraid, but they heard not the voice
of him that spake to me. And I said, What shall I do,
Lord? He knew who he was at this time.
What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise,
and go into Damascus, and there it shall be told thee of all
things which are appointed for thee to do." I love the way the
Lord speaks. He speaks as the Lord does. You
go to Damascus and you'll find out what has already been appointed
for thee to do. Verse 11, When I could not see
for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them
that were with me, I came into Damascus, and one Ananias, A
devout man, according to the law, having a good report of
all the Jews which dwelt there, came unto me, and stood, and
said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked upon
him, and he said, What's the first thing he heard? The God of our fathers have chosen
thee." First thing he heard. I don't believe I'd get much
argument from anybody over this. When God speaks in power to a
sinner's heart, I don't know if they hear these particular
words, But the first thing they hear is God is God. And he can save or he can pass
by. And your only hope is that he would choose you and there's
nothing in you that would cause him to have to do that. You're
in his sovereign hands. First thing he heard. I know
that many people would say you need to wait before you deal
with all nonsense. This is the first thing somebody
needs to hear. God elected the people. That's the first thing
somebody needs to hear. You can't preach the gospel and
not preach election. And this is evangelism. Whatever that is, this is evangelism.
The God of our fathers has chosen thee. And here's what he's to
do. Remember, this is what was appointed
by God for him to do. The God of our fathers hath chosen
thee, that thou shouldest know his will. Regarding every believer, you
are to know the will of God. Now, that's not talking about
his will of command. Paul already knew that. That's not talking
about his will in providence. You don't know that till after
the fact. You really don't. I mean, there's never up to the. I'm just going from my experience.
There's never been any time that I've ever done anything as far
as, you know, going this direction or in that direction. I hope
it's the will of God. I think it is. But, you know,
for sure, after the fact, don't you? What he's talking about
is God's will of redemption. I came down from heaven, our
Lord said not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent
me. And this is the Father's will which is sent me, that of
all which he hath given me, I should lose nothing. But raise it up
again at the last day. I know that everybody Jesus Christ
died for must be saved. Now, I know that. I know if he
died for me, I must be saved because of who he is. It's Christ
that died. And I need no other argument.
I need no other plea. It is enough that Jesus died
and that he died for me. I'm to know his will and I'm
to see, he says next, to see that just one. I see. I really see. that just one. How God can be
just, inflexibly just, and justify me when I'm unjust in and of
myself. I understand that. I see that
just one. I see He was made to be what I am. that I might be who He is. I see that. I see a real substitution
took place. I see a real satisfaction took
place. I see a real reconciliation took
place. God's reconciled to me, and I'm
reconciled to Him. I see that just one. And next,
He says, you're to hear the voice of His mouth. You will know The gospel of Christ,
you will know the person of Christ is the word of God. You know,
this is God's message. This isn't just some religious
fellow talking. This is the very message of God,
knowing his will, seeing that just one and hearing the voice
of his mouth. Go on reading verse 14, verse
15. For thou shalt be his witness
unto all men of what you've seen and heard. Now, what is a witness? Somebody who's seen something.
I think it's interesting how religious people train people
to be witnesses. Now, if you've got to train somebody to be a
witness, that's dishonest. I mean, it really is. I saw! You know, if you're training,
you're teaching them to lie or trying to embellish the story
or something. No. You'll be His witness to all
men. And that word witness carries
with it the idea of a martyr. You're willing to die for what
you've seen and what you've heard. You've seen how God can be just
and justify the ungodly. You've seen the will of God.
You've heard, and by His grace, you'll die for this. You'll be
His witness to all men of what you've seen and heard. Now, he
says in verse 16, what are you waiting on? Waiting for experience? Waiting to get better? Waiting
for a feeling? Quit waiting. Don't wait on anything. Arise and be baptized, washing away thy sins, calling
upon the name of the Lord." Now, you know as well as I do that
the act of baptism does not wash away sins. But what baptism represents washes
away sins. Union with Christ. What He did,
I did. That's my confession. And I and
my conscience in my conscience, my sin is washed away by the
blood of Christ. This actually satisfies my conscience. I'm satisfied. I'm satisfied
that right now I stand before God without guilt. Through the powerful blood of
Jesus Christ, the Lord washing away my sins. He said, don't
wait, arise, be baptized. Baptism is our confession of
Christ. If you haven't been baptized, you've not confessed Christ.
This is our public confession of Christ. It's not coming down
and telling everybody. It's the act of baptism is the
act of confession. Arise and be baptized, washing
away thy sins, calling upon the name of the Lord. Now, this is
in my experience. You know where my salvation began?
In my experience? Calling upon the name of the
Lord. Whosoever. I love that word, whosoever.
I'm one of them. Whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord. I'm calling on who He is. I'm
asking to save me by His holiness, by His mercy, by His sovereignty,
by everything that He is. I'm calling on His name to save
me. Lord, save me. Whosoever shall call. I'm doing
it right now. Whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved." That's when my salvation began
in my experience. And you know what? It hadn't
moved an inch from there. I'm calling on His name right
now. Lord, save me. Amen. We're going to make a bridge
for that paddle boat.