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‘WE MUST BE SAVED”

 

 PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING BIBLE SCRIPTURES

 

(ACTS 4:10-12)

 

 

It says in (Acts 4:12) “WE MUST BE SAVED”.  This is what we call in the Word of God, a “divine imperative”.  It is a divine command with all the authority of God’s Word behind it.  It is something that is urgent, something that is absolutely necessary.  What is it that is urgent, that is absolutely necessary?  It is this, “YOU MUST BE SAVED”.  Since this is a divine imperative from God, you have the responsibility to understand what it means and to obey it as well.   The purpose of this message is to help you understand why God says in His Word “YOU MUST BE SAVED” and to explain how you can be saved.  We want to consider these three scripture verses by way of the following simple outline:

 

1.       THE NEED OF SALVATION – Man’s Ruined Condition

2.     THE PROVISION OF SALVATION – God’s Remedy

3.     THE WAY OF SALVATION – Man’s Responsibility

 

FIRST – THE NEED OF SALVATION – Man’s Ruined Condition

 

It says in (Acts 4:12), at the end of the verse, “We must be saved”.  Has anyone ever asked you the question, “Are you saved”?  Have you ever seen a sign on a building or along a roadway that says “Jesus Saves”?  The words “Savior”, “salvation”, and “saved” are not words that are frequently seen or heard in today’s contemporary news media.  Consequently, most people have only a vague understanding of what these words really mean.  This subject, which is rarely heard or discussed in today’s society, is a vitally important subject in the Word of God.  The Bible, the Word of God, has much to say about the salvation of God.  The reason is, “We must be saved”.  The words “saved” or “salvation” means deliverance or rescue from a danger which threatens.  The word “Savior” refers to the person who is able to save from danger.  You may not feel that you are in danger, but the Bible says that all humanity is in peril, and therefore needs to be delivered or saved from that danger.  “We must be saved” because of the following: 

 

·        We are all sinners by nature.  We were born into this world with a sinful nature within us.  We cannot help this, for we inherited it from our parents and they, in turn, from their parents and so on, all the way back to Adam and Eve, our first parents.  Each of us came into the world possessed of a sinful nature which makes us sinners by birth.  In (Ephesians 2:1, 3) it says of all who are unsaved that they are “dead in trespasses and sins” – “and are by nature the children of wrath”.  You may not feel dead but God says you are spiritually dead as a result of your trespasses and sins.  This means you are lifeless before God with no vital contact with Him.  In this condition you are under or subject to the wrath of God and appointed to death and judgment.  The Bible also says that while we are living under the control of this sinful nature, we are “living in the flesh”.  It says in (Romans 8:7 8) “they that are in the flesh cannot please God”.  The sinful nature within a person develops unhindered as that person grows into adulthood.  The manifestation of the sinful nature is soon evident by sinful thoughts in the mind, sinful words from the lips, sinful acts committed in the life and a sinful attitude of rebellion adopted toward God Himself.  We need only look within our own heart to see the reality of the sinful nature within us.

·        We are sinners by practice.  Alfred Gibbs said, “We do not have to sin in order to become sinners, but we sin, because we are sinners”.  It says in (Romans 5:12) “By one man (Adam) sin entered into this world and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned”. As a result of Adam’s sin, human death entered the world.  Death has become the common lot of all Adam’s descendents because “all have sinned”.  It says in (1 Corinthians 15:22) “in Adam all die”.  Everyone born of human parents inherits Adam’s sin, and also sins by his own deliberate choice.  In (Romans 3: 9-20) we have God’s portrait or x-ray of the human race (this includes you dear reader).  Below is a description of just a few of these verses.  Please consider this picture carefully;

 

1.        (vs.9) “Jews and Gentiles, they are all under sin”.  There are no exceptions; every person is under the power of sin.

2.      (vs.10) “There is none righteous, no not one”.  There is universal unrighteousness in the world.  There is not a single righteous person.  It says in (Isaiah 64:6) “We are all as an unclean thing and all our righteous nesses are as filthy rags”.  It is not possible to obtain God’s favor or earn salvation by our so called righteous deeds.

3.      (vs. 11) “There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God”.  There is universal ignorance and independence toward God. 

4.      (vs. 18) “There is no fear of God before their eyes”.  Man sins with impunity in our contemporary society.  There is the thinking that there will be no accountability, but God will judge sins and the sinner.  (Proverbs 16:6) says “By the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil”.  Also, it says (Psalms 111:10) “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”.  Do you fear God or have a fear of God’s impending judgment? 

5.      (vs. 19) “All the world is guilty before God (subject to the judgment of God)”.  There are no exceptions.  It says in (Hebrews 9:27) “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment”.  This is the danger ahead and the reason God says “You MUST be saved”. 

6.     (vs.20) “By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight”.  Have you been trying, by your own efforts, your religious exercises, your good works to please God and thus earn His salvation by your own merits?  You cannot save yourself.  You cannot earn or merit God’s salvation. 

 

It is evident from the above verses that what it says in (Ecclesiastes 7:20) is certainly true, “There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not”.  God also says in His Word, (Ezekiel 18:20) “The soul that sinneth, it shall die”.   It is a sign of true wisdom when a person honestly faces the question of his sins.  Have you done this?  Have you ever acknowledged before God that you are a sinner and that you need to be saved?  “YOU MUST BE SAVED” because God is holy and righteous and He must punish sin and the sinner.  God does not desire any to be eternally lost, but is “longsuffering to us ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).  Have you ever repented of your sins?  You can see now, I believe, why you have “THE NEED OF SALVATION”.  Thank God He knows our need and has provided for our need in the gift of His own well beloved Son.  (John 3:16) “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life”.  Have you ever, by a definite act of faith, believed in the Lord Jesus Christ?  Was there a definite time when you received Him as your own personal Savior?  Let us consider now the second point in our little outline;

 

SECOND- THE PROVISION OF SALVATION – God’s Remedy

 

God’s provision of salvation is in the person of His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  He alone, is the Savior of sinners.  In the scripture passage we are considering, (Acts 4:10-12), there are five particular things said about Him that we should consider.  Please note the following:

 

1.        (Verse 11a) – The Rejection of Jesus Christ

2.      (Verse 10a) – The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ

3.      (Verse 10b) – The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

4.      (Verse 11b) – The Ascension, Exaltation and Glorification of Jesus Christ

5.      (Verse 12) – The Salvation Available Through Jesus Christ

 

  1. (Verse 11a) – The Rejection of Jesus Christ

 

This part of verse 11 says “This is the stone which was set at naught of you builders”.  Peter is quoting an Old Testament scripture, (Psalm 118:22).  The Lord Jesus Christ also quotes this scripture in (Matthew 21:42).  He is, Himself, revealed in the Word of God as “the stone”.  Read (Daniel 2:35), (Matthew 16:18), (1 Corinthians 10:4) and (1 Peter 2:4-8). To “set Him at naught” means to reject Him.  The “builders” of the nation of Israel rejected Him.  It says in (John 1:11) “He came unto His own (the Jews), and His own received Him not”.  The Jews, nationally, even to this day, have rejected Him.  They have rejected him as their Messiah.  It says in (Isaiah 53:3) “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief”.  What about you dear reader?  Are you still rejecting Him?  If you have never received Him as your own personal Savior, you are still rejecting Him.  This is most serious indeed.  Will you continue to turn your back upon God’s Savior and God’s offer of salvation?  Are you “building” a life for yourself without a Savior?

 

  1. (Verse 10a) – The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ

 

This part of verse 10 says “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified”.  In this verse the responsibility for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is charged to “the people of Israel”.  It is also true that the Gentiles had their part in the crucifixion as well.  “Be it known unto you all, Jesus Christ was crucified”.  Every one should be made aware of this truth.  This is the heart of the Gospel message and God said (Mark 16:15) “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature”.  The apostle Paul said to the Corinthian believers, (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) “I declare unto you the gospel, which ye have received, and wherein ye stand, by which also ye are saved.  “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, He was buried and he rose again the third day according to the scriptures”.  It was for your sins and my sins that He died on the cross.  He went under the wrath and judgment of a holy God.  He paid the price God demanded and finished the work that God gave Him to do.  God’s gift of salvation can be yours if you believe the gospel and receive Jesus Christ as your own personal Savior.  Will YOU believe on Him and receive Him as your own personal savior?

 

  1. (Verse 10b) – The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

 

This part of the verse says, “Jesus Christ (was) crucified, whom God raised from the dead”.  Jesus Christ is a living Savior.  God signified His approval of the work of His beloved Son by raising Him from the dead.  It says in (Hebrews 2:9) “By the grace of God, Jesus Christ tasted death for every man”.  But, being sinless, and the holy Son of God, death had no claim upon Him.  In (Revelation 2:18) the Lord Jesus said “I am He that liveth, and was dead, and behold I am alive forever more, Amen, and have the keys of hell and of death”.  “Hell” is the translation of the word “Hades”, the place where the spirit of an unsaved person goes at death.  “Death” or the grave is the abode of the body at death.  The Lord has “the keys of hell and of death”.  This means that He has the power and authority over the bodies and souls of those who have departed in death.  At the “Great White Throne” judgment spoken of in (Revelation 20:11-15), it says in (verse 13) “death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them (the body and soul reunited) and they were judged every man according to their works”.  (Verse 15) “.  The Judge on the throne is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.  It says in (Acts 17:31) “God hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man (Jesus Christ) whom He hath ordained, whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead”.  Also, it says in (John 5:22) “The Father judges no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son”.  You will stand before Him in the judgment.  This is the reason “YOU MUST BE SAVED”. 

 

  1. (Verse 11b) – The Ascension, Exaltation and Glorification of Jesus Christ

 

This part of the verse says “The Stone (Jesus Christ) is become the head of the corner”.  “The Stone” had been cast aside by the Jewish religious leaders.  Now He is declared to be the “headstone of the corner”.  He is the very foundation of all that God is building.  It says of the Savior in (Hebrews 1:3) “When He had by Himself purged our sins; He sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high”.  It says also, in (Philippians 2:9) “God hath highly exalted Him (Jesus Christ) and given Him a Name which is above every name”.  God, the Father, has given His beloved Son the highest place in Heaven.  He is “the Head” over all things.  “No place too high for Him is found, no place too high in Heaven”.  Before Him every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  Read (Philippians 2:9-11).    You can “bow the knee” while there is time and acknowledge His Lordship and receive Him as your Savior.  Or, you can “bow the knee” in a time to come, at the judgment seat when you are judged for your sins and hear the Lord’s words, “depart from me, I never knew you”.   Which will it be for you?

 

  1. (Verse 12) – The Salvation Available Through Jesus Christ

 

This verse is very important.  It says “Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby WE MUST BE SAVED”.  HE IS THE EXCLUSIVE SAVIOR.  Please notice the following about this verse;

 

·        There is salvation.  Praise God.  Peter did not say, “There was salvation” or “There will be salvation”.  He said “There is salvation.  This salvation is “under heaven”.  This salvation is available to all who pass through this scene on the way to eternity to be spent in either heaven or hell.  There is no salvation once you have left this earth.  These are the days of God’s grace when men, women, boys and girls have an opportunity to be saved.  It says in (2 Corinthians 6:2) “Now is the accepted time, behold now is the day of salvation”.  Dear reader, are you saved?  Please don’t wait until tomorrow or some future time.  You can never be sure about tomorrow.  You have no assurance about your future.  Only God knows when this “day of salvation” will come to an end, or come to an end for you.

·        This salvation is available only through Jesus Christ.  It is not in any other.  It is not in you.  It is not in your parents, your priest or your preacher. It is not in your confirmation or your baptism.  It is only and alone in Jesus Christ.  Jesus alone can save.

 

 

THIRD – THE WAY OF SALVATION – Man’s Responsibility

 

A man once posed the question, (Acts 16:30)”What must I do to be saved”?  The answer to the question is found in (Verse 31)”Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved”.  You must believe in Him in order to be saved.  The Lord Jesus Christ, by His death and resurrection has made possible the salvation of all who will trust Him as their Savior.  Will you acknowledge before God that you are a guilty, lost, helpless, hell-deserving sinner?  Will you come, in faith, to Christ and receive Him as your very own personal Savior?   It says in (John 3:16)”God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life”.  It says also, in (John 3:36)”He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him”.

 

Dear reader, as you read this message you are at “the crossroads” in your life.  Which way will you go?  Will you reject the Savior and God’s offer of salvation?  Or, will you receive Him to be your Lord and Savior?  It’s your decision and your responsibility.

 

Please give this matter your most serious attention.  Will you be a believer or a non-believer?  Your eternal destiny depends on your decision.

 

CHRISTIAN MESSENGER