What Must I Do to be Saved?

Consider the story of the Philippian jailer, which is found in Acts 16:25-31. To set the context, Paul and his entourage were staying in Philippi "for some days" (Acts 16:12). "On the Sabbath day" (v. 13a) they went down "to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made" (v. 13b). There they "spoke to the women who met there" (v. 13c). One of the women, Lydia, heard Paul, repented and believed on Jesus, and "she and her household were baptized" (v. 15a). A wealthy businesswoman, she "persuaded" them to stay at her home while in Philippi (v. 15b).

A "slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination" (v. 16a) met them and began following them wherever they went, crying out, "These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation" (v. 17). She did this continually "for many days" (v. 18a). It was greatly annoying, so Paul "turned and said to the spirit, 'I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.' And he came out that very hour" (v. 18b). Now, she had "brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling" (v. 16b). So, "when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities" (v. 19).

They told the magistrates that "they teach customs which are not lawful for us" (v. 21). So the magistrates "commanded them to be beaten with rods" (v. 22b) and "threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely" (v. 23b). The jailer "put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks" (v. 24). That is where we pick up the story.

It came about that "at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them" (v. 25). Then the Lord took over: "Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's chains were loosed" (v. 26). What a miracle! Paul and Silas were set free.

All the commotion and noise awakened the jailer. Seeing "the prison doors open" (v. 27a), he assumed that everyone had fled, and the prisoners had all escaped. So he "drew his sword and was about to kill himself" (v. 27b), when things took a strange turn. "Paul called with a loud voice, saying, 'Do yourself no harm, for we are all here'" (v. 28). No one had left! The jailer "called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas" (v. 29).

The jailer brought Paul and Silas out of the prison and asked a profound question: "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (v. 30). Paul and Silas answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household" (v. 31).

God is seeking repentance. He wants everyone to repent, turn away from their sin, and believe on Jesus, receiving Him as their Lord and Savior. 2 Peter 3:8-9 says, "But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." God is allowing time for everyone who will, to repent and come to Jesus.

John 1:12 says, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name." Romans 10:9-10 clarifies further, "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." It is time for all to repent, believe on Jesus, and be saved. Amen.

A Changed Man

As Jesus was making His way toward Jerusalem, "He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee" (Luke 17:11). As He passed through these regions "He entered a certain village" (v. 12) where He healed ten lepers (vv. 13-14), only one of which, "a Samaritan" (v. 16), "a foreigner" (v. 18), came back and "glorified God" (v. 15), "giving Him thanks" (v. 16).

As Jesus and His disciples continued on toward Jerusalem, He answered the questions of the Pharisees who followed along (vv. 20-21) and taught His disciples (vv. 22-37). He told parables to them (Luke 18:1-14), blessed the little children who were brought to Him (vv. 15-17), answered the question of a lawyer, using it as a teaching moment (vv. 18-30), and prepared His disciples for what was to come in Jerusalem (vv. 31-34).

That is the context of our story. Jericho is but a few miles down from Jerusalem, and as they were "coming near Jericho" (v. 35), they came across a blind beggar whom Jesus healed (vv. 35-43). Then, as "Jesus entered and passed through Jericho" (Luke 19:1), our story begins.

"There was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich" (v. 2). He wanted to see Jesus, "but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature" (v. 3). As the children's Bible song goes, "Zacchaeus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he" (Sometimes entitled "Zacchaeus Was a Wee Little Man," the original author and composer are unknown, and the song is widely regarded as being in the public domain. Copyright: Public Domain). "So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way" (v. 4).

When Jesus came by, "He looked up and saw him" and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house" (v. 5). So Zacchaeus did as Jesus instructed. "He made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully" (v. 6). But the Pharisees and the townspeople did not like that at all. They all complained that Jesus "has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner" (v. 7).

Zacchaeus knew he was a sinner, which was something the Pharisees and many others failed to admit. And Zacchaeus understood his need to repent and be changed. He heard God calling him, a sinner, to come home. God was seeking repentance and Zacchaeus was ready.

Zacchaeus repented right then and there, and became a changed man. He said to Jesus, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold" (v. 8). And Jesus, seeing his faith, responded, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham" (v. 9). Then He added, "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost" (v. 10).

Jesus came to save sinners. He calls us to confess our sin and repent. Trust Jesus for your salvation. Live by faith in Him. Amen.

Repent!

On the day of Pentecost, when Peter had explained to the people what was happening, he preached the gospel of Christ. When he concluded with the words, "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36), the people "were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Men and brethren, what shall we do?'" (v. 37).

Peter gave a profound answer to this heartfelt question. He said, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (v. 38). Then he added, "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call" (v. 39).

In New Testament Greek, the word "repent" (v. 38) suggests the idea of changing one's "mind or purpose" (W. E. Vine, M.A., Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Unabridged Edition, [MacDonald Publishing Company: McLean, Virginia, no copyright], 962), in this case, turning away from sin. It involves "both a turning from sin and a turning to God" (Ibid, 963). Hence, the idea of a one hundred and eighty degree turnaround in the direction your life is going. You turn away from your sin, leaving it behind, and turn to God, believing in Him by faith.

The need of every sinner is repentance. "Repent," declared Peter. Repent and believe, and your sins will be forgiven, you will be saved, and you will receive the gift of God's Spirit. Baptism is an outward sign of an inward change. It is a sign that says you believe and now belong to Jesus. It is a sign of repentance.

The "promise" (v. 39) is for both Jew ("to you and to your children") and Gentile ("to all who are afar off"). The "promise" is for "as many as the Lord our God will call" (v. 39b). God calls sinners to repentance. Do you hear God's call to repent? Amen.