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What Must I
Do
to be
Saved?
The Best
Kept
Secret
So, what shall we
do? That is the very question that a multitude of people
asked Peter and the apostles on the day of Pentecost. On
that day thousands of people had gathered to listen to
Peter. On that day, the people finally understood who Jesus
was, they understood that they had crucified their Savior,
and they believed that he was raised up from the
dead!
They asked Peter and the apostles,
"What shall we
do?"
Brace
yourself, because his
answer is not want you have heard a million
times before. In fact,
you would think that
Peter's answer was the
best kept secret in
the bible!
Acts 2: 38-39
Then Peter said unto
them,
Repent, and
be
baptized
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the
remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift
of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to
your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many
as the LORD our God shall call.
So, in response, what the people
do? Did they act on Peter's answer?
verse 41
And they that gladly
received his word were baptized.
- Peter did NOT say, "Repeat this
sinner's prayer."
- Peter did NOT say, "Invite
Jesus into your heart."
- Peter did NOT say, "Just be a
good person."
- Peter did NOT say, "Believe.
Have faith."
- Peter did NOT say, "Call on the
name of the Lord."
Calling on the name of
the Lord: If
you look in your bible at verse 21 of Acts chapter 2,, Peter
said, "whosoever shall call
on the name of the Lord shall be
saved." But, he
continued to preach.
So, listen to what he
said next. There was more! That
was not the end of the lesson! In verses 22-36, the people
continued to listen to him preach, Then, when they were
convinced, they believed, and his words cut to their hearts,
and then they asked the question,
"What shall we
do?"
His answer was, "Repent
and be baptized for forgiveness of your sins!"
Why didn't he simply say, "Call
on the name of the Lord?"
The answer is demonstrated in Acts 22 with Saul's
conversion. Jesus appeared to Saul, verse 8,
"I am
Jesus" and Jesus told him,
"Go to Damascus and there you
will be told what to
do!"
You see, there was something that he needed to do.
So, Saul went. What was he told to do?
Acts 22: 16
And now, why tarrist thou?
(Why do you wait?)
Arise, and be
baptized and wash away thy sins,
calling on the
name of the
Lord.
You see, it is in the act of
baptism that we
call on the
name of the Lord.
What
is baptism and why is it important?
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Baptism comes from the
Greek word
"baptizo"
which means to make
fully wet or
immerse.
It comes from the root word "bapto" which means to
cover
wholly, to dip, to
stain (as with dye) or to wash.
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1) Baptism is a new
birth.
Have you ever heard that
we must be born again?
John 3: 3-7 Jesus answered
and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the
kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man
be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into
his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water
and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh;
and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel
not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
We have all experienced the
physical birth. But now we must be born again of Water
and Spirit.
2) Baptism puts you
inside Christ.
Romans 6: 3
Know ye not, that so many of
us as were
baptized
into Jesus Christ...
Galatians 3: 27
For as many of you as have
been baptized into Christ...
3) Baptism buries you
with Christ so that you can share in his
death and resurrection.
Romans 6: 3-5
Know ye not,
that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus
Christ were
baptized into his
death? Therefore we are
buried with him by
baptism into death: that
like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory
of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of
life. For if we have been planted together in the
likeness of his death, we shall be also in the
likeness of his
resurrection.
Colossian 2: 12 12
Buried with him in
baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him
through the faith
of the operation of God, who
hath raised him from the dead.
4) Baptism saves us...
1 Peter 3: 21
The like figure whereunto
even baptism doth
also now save us (not the
putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of
a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of
Jesus Christ.
Mark 16: 16 He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he
that believeth not shall be damned.
5) Baptism washes away
your sins... Acts 22: 16
Arise and be baptized and
wash away thy sins. and
Acts 2: 38 ...be baptized for
the remission of sins.
How Urgent is
Baptism?
The book of Acts is the book of
conversions. There we find examples of people being
converted to Christ. The following people responded to the
gospel by being baptized.
Example #1
The Ethiopian
Eunuch
was baptized
immediately
upon hearing the gospel, Acts 8: 26-39
...they came to a certain
water: and the enuch said, See, here is water; what doth
hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest
with all thine heart, thou mayest... and they both went down
into the water, both Philip and the Eunuch; and he baptized
him.
Example #2
The
Jailer
and his whole family
were baptized the
same
hour
that they heard the gospel.
Acts 16: 33 And he took them
the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and
was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
Example #4
Saul
was blinded for three days, but
as soon as his eyesight was restored, he got
baptized
immediately.
Acts 9: 18
And immediately there fell from
his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight
forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
Example #5
Cornelius
received the Holy Spirit FIRST, but he still got baptized
immediately!
Acts 10: 47-48 Can any man
forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have
received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the
Lord.
Never
once did Peter or any
apostle tell anyone at any time to say a sinner's prayer.
Never once did they tell anyone to invite Jesus into their
heart.
What did Peter say?
Acts 2:38 And Peter said to
them, "Repent, and be baptized
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of
the Holy Spirit.
Peter's answer is the gospel of
your salvation! ... the
gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye
believed, ye were sealed with that Holy
Spirit... Ephesians 1:13. It
was the first gospel message after the death and
resurrection of Jesus. On the day of Pentecost as recorded
in the book of Acts, Christ's church was established. Those
who were baptized were added to the church and they received
the Holy Spirit.
You may be asking yourself,
"Why should I
care
what Peter said?" The answer is
in Matthew 16:18-19. Jesus said...
And I say also unto thee,
That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my
church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against
it. And I will give unto thee
the
keys of the
kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on
earth shall be bound in heaven...
There you have it!
Jesus gave the keys
of the kingdom to Peter. He
gave the keys to one person, not anyone else:
not the pope, not
Billy Graham, not your preacher, and not
you. Jesus gave them to Peter
and that is why I listened to Peter's gospel of
salvation.
Peter holds the keys!
Peter said it, so it is
bound on earth and in heaven. If you want to be sealed by
the Holy Spirit, then you should listen to his answer and
then be baptized for the forgiveness of your
sins.
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Key #1...
Believe
Key #2...
Repent
Key #3... Be Baptized for
forgiveness
Key # 4... You will
receive the Holy Spirit!
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Peter's answer and the answer for every believer was always
the same:
Arise and
be
baptized and
wash away thy
sins, calling on
the name of the Lord. Acts
22: 16.
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