A sincere question and a simple answer

 

LIMAVADY INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH

SUNDAY 27 AUGUST 2023 pm

ACTS 16 VERSE 25 – 34

A SINCERE QUESTION AND A SIMPLE ANSWER

 

We have in this passage a man coming to the feet of Paul and Silas and asking the question “What must I do to be saved?”  Have you ever come to that question?  Have you asked it in sincerity?  The answer is very simple – “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house.”  The apostle Paul had spent some time in Philippi, the capital city of Thyatira.  It was a city of commerce.  Paul had a vision of a man beckoning him to come over to Macedonia and help them.  They came first to Troas and then Philippi.  His visit began firstly with a time of praise – a women came out to the prayer meeting and was saved.  It was a time when the gospel was preached.  Then there was a damsel in the market place with a demon.  Paul demands the demon to come out of her and because of that she was no longer of any value to the men who gained from her work.  Paul and Silas ended up in a prison house because of the situation.  It brought them to the jailer who came to faith.  The greatest question with the most glorious outcome.  There is a step between us and death tonight.  In this story we see a glorious outcome.

 

The question revealed this man’s extremity.  This man came to himself, came to the place in his life of utter confusion.  Paul and Silas had preached the gospel in Philippi, the gospel of saving grace.  As a result they were put under the custody of this jailer.  He was told to beat them then put them in stocks.  As the jailer leaves them to try and sleep he hears Paul and Silas singing to God.  They were praising God not crying or criticising those who had put them in that prison.  Then suddenly there is an earthquake and the foundations of the prison begin to shake.  All the doors of the prison were flung open.  The jailer thinks everyone has escaped and he would be blamed.  His punishment would be severe.  He comes to the point where he decided to take his own life.  A call came to him “do thyself no harm for we are all here.”  He goes to where Paul and Silas where and asked them “what must I do to be saved?”  Looking into the face of these 2 men he realised that they had something he didn’t have.  Have you got God’s salvation tonight?  This man could go no further.  He looked out into eternity and felt his need, the extremity of eternity.  All the time he has been listening to Paul and Silas as they praised God.  Verse 17.  The little girl had said “these men are the servants of the most high God which shew unto us the way of salvation.”  Perhaps this was the demon in her but God used it for his glory.  In the Old Testament scriptures Joseph was disliked by his brothers and sold into slavery.  He told them later “you meant it for evil but God meant it for good.”  This little damsel is being used by the magistrates of the city to tell people’s fortunes and bring in money for the city.  Maybe the devil was speaking through her.  People had heard her message, maybe even that jailer had.  It was like a dagger to his soul.  Maybe you have heard a similar message tonight.  The word of God has come back to you like a dagger but you put it off.  There is a question you can ask tonight – the greatest of all questions.  It maybe will not make you rich or popular or intelligent but it will bring you face to face with the living Saviour.  He is willing to stop and come to you if you ask that question tonight.  Maybe this man was prepared to go through with whatever it meant.

 

A question that showed something essential.  This man realised that he must do something.  He didn’t have what these 2 men had in their lives.  There was a time when they bowed their knees and trusted Christ as Saviour.  Have you done that?  Was there a moment in your life when you came and bowed before the Lord?  When you saw him on the cross of Calvary, realised your sin was laid on him and he was dying for you not to condemn you but to save you?  You have to come and trust him tonight, accept he died for you and he can take your sin away.  This man realised there was something he had to do.  Balaam was asked by King Balak to come and curse the people because he felt threatened by them.  Balaam said “how can I curse that which God has blessed, let me die the death of the righteous.”  But he didn’t want to live a righteous life.  Jesus spoke of a broad way whose road is very wide and there are many people on it.  This way leads to destruction.  Did I choose to get on this way?  No you were born in this way.  We were all born in sin and shapen in iniquity.  We are on the broad way that leads to hell.  There is also a narrow way and there are few on it.  Have you found that narrow gate yet?  It leads to heaven and home.  It means leaving your sin behind, trusting the Lord as Saviour.  Jesus told us to strive to enter in to that narrow way.  Unless you seek with all your heart you will never find God.  You will not drift into God’s salvation.  It is a decision you have to make.  You cannot wake up some morning and be saved.  It is a decision and it is one you have to make.

 

A question that became a personal experience.  This man realised there was something he must do.  “What must I do to be saved?”  It didn’t matter what anyone else would do.  No one can make that decision, go through with this transaction.  Only you can come to Christ.  Don’t leave your spiritual situation to anyone else.  Trust the Lord for yourself.  This man was asking the greatest question he could ever ask.  This was about his soul.  It will not matter what anyone else does with Christ.  Pilate asked “what must I do with this man called the Christ?”  You have to do something with Christ.  You will either say “no I don’t want to be saved, I don’t want Christ or else you will come and trust him as Saviour and Lord.”  You must decide for yourself.  Will you come and trust the Lord tonight?  A question that secured eternity for this man.  A question that required the simplest of explanations.  Jesus died on Calvary just for you.  Come to him tonight, invite him into your heart and trust him for yourself.  You will be saved from this day onwards.