"What Must I Do To Be Saved?"
October 10, 2004

The Old Testament Lesson: Habakkuk 2: 1 - 4
The New Testament Lesson: Acts 16: 24 - 34

To motivate people to trust their faith for their salvation.

I.  It is human nature to look for something to do when we are in trouble.
    A. Wizard of Oz is a great movie because it reaches our deepest desire.
        1. Dorothy, through running away finds herself lost in Oz
            a. she has no idea how she got there and none for going home.
            b. she is instructed to go find the wizard of Oz who knows everything.
        2. When she talks to the wizard, she is given a difficult task to do
            a. she must prove that she is worthy of the wizard’s help.
            b. the task seems really daunting—kill the wicked witch.
            c. she sets off to do that and nearly dies in the process.
            d. but, in the end, she conquers the witch!
        3. When she returns to the wizard, she finds him an old fraud.
            a. He’s really sorry for his deception.
            b. He promises to take her home himself.
            c. But he fails to do even that simple chore.
        4. When Dorothy is sinking into depression, the good witch appears.
            a. She tells Dorothy she’s always had the power to go home.
            b. She doesn’t need to perform any miraculous feat.
            c. All she has to do is believe there’s no place like home!
        5. Friends’ this story is really the true gospel of Jesus Christ!
    B. The story of Dorothy’s search is in truth the person’s search for God
        1. People think that to get home to God, we’ve got to do something
            a. Some call it a righteous and holy life.
            b. Others talk about doing good works.
        2. I’ve repeatedly answered people’s question: am I good enough?
            a. many worry about having been good enough.
            b. Often live in fear that they’ve fallen short.
        3. The great task they attempt is to conquer evil in their lives!
        4. But that is really beyond our strength.
        5. But, that doesn’t mean we are destined for damnation!
    C. We’ve all got the power to go home.
        1. All we need to do is put our faith in Jesus Christ.
        2. That is the good news that Paul proclaimed to his jailer.
        3. When the jailer witnessed the miracle of Paul’s release, he was stunned.
            a. He planned to take his own life because he was sure to be executed.
            b. When he found them all there, he was ready to change his life.
            c. “He asked, what must I do to be saved?”
            d. I’m sure he was expecting a list of tasks he’d have to complete.
            e. But the answer was far simpler—Believe on the Lord Jesus.
        4. This becomes the foundation on which the church stands.
            a. to enter the kingdom of God there is only one requirement
            b. Faith!

II.  The Reality: we are not called to do something, but to believe someone!
    A. There reformation doctrine is simply called “Sola Fides—faith alone.”
        1. When it comes to our justification, we are dependent on God.
            a. There is no act which we can do to make up for our sin.
            b. There is no great deed lying before us to earn our salvation.
            c. We are helpless before the judgment seat, but we’re not hopeless!
        2. Our hope lies in what Jesus has already done for us.
            a. by entering our world and living perfectly, he provides our need.
            b. by giving his life on the cross, the pays our debt.
        3. Now when we stand before the judgment seat, God sees us through the lens of what Jesus has done on our behalf.
            a. Seeing Christ’s perfection and payment, God declares us free.
            b. We are declared, by God’s gift, to be redeemed.
        4. That’s what Scripture means when it says we are justified.
            a. We are declared righteous by the ultimate judge.
            b. We are looked upon as “just as if I’d never sinned.
   B. That justification is procured by faith.
        1. There is no work involved.  No great deed to do.
        2. The work has already been done.
   C. But don’t make the mistake of thinking this is easy!
        1. Human being are not used to getting things for free.
            a. We are accustomed to working for what we get.
            b. When are offered something for free, we look for the strings.
            c. Ever had someone call you up saying you’ve won a free vacation?  Do you know what you have to do?  You mean it’s not free?
        2. The same is true when it comes to reconciliation with God.
            a. People are trying to find out what they have to do.
            b. There must be something!  It can’t be free!
        3. I got into this conversation with a friend who is LDS
            a. talking of Christ, I said that he paid the price of our atonement.
            b. His rejoinder was that we had to earn our way to heaven.
            c. He said “You wouldn’t want to be someplace if you haven’t earned it, would you?”
            d. But that’s just the point, we can’t earn it.
            e. Scripture says “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life!”

III.  Faith Alone means we no longer worry about being good enough.
   A. I want you to feel the great weight of doubt lifted from your shoulders.
        1. The fear of failure that you’ve experienced can be a thing of the past.
        2. We don’t have to examine our lives through a microscope to see if we’ve got enough brownie points to get into heaven.
        3. Instead of trusting in our goodness, we lean on Christ’s goodness.
        4. That’s what gets us into heaven!  We can’t do it ourselves.
   B. Henri Nouwen wrote is Sabbatical Journeys about our need to become like Trapeze flyers.
        1. there’s a special relationship between the flyer and the catcher.
        2. The flyer is the one who swings high above the crowd.
            a. At just the right moment, the flyer must let go.
            b. At that point all the responsibility for his salvation is the catcher’s
            c. The flyer’s only job is to hold still, in mid air, and wait.
            d. The catcher swings up and grabs on.
            e. Flying Roudellas, “The flyer must never try to catch the catcher.”
            f. The struggles disrupts the catcher.
            g. The Flyer must simply wait to be caught, trusting.

My Friends, that’s what I would ask you to do today.  Believe the promise that God has given you.  That’s all you need to do to be saved!  God has His sights set on you.  God will not let you fall!  The work has already been done by Jesus who is your Great Catcher.  When life ends and we sail into the unknown, we can do so fearlessly.  God is right there to catch us!