Word of Salvation - January 2012

 

WHAT IS TRUE FAITH? John Haverland

 

Text: Acts 16:30-34

Heidelberg Catechism LD 7.

Readings: Phil 1:1-11; 4:4-9; Acts 16:11-34

 

Theme: In response to the jailer's great need and question about salvation Paul directs him to faith in Christ.

Purpose: To explain how you can be saved through faith in Christ and to urge you to this.

 

 

Sometimes you hear someone ask a very perceptive question – a question that shows a good understanding of the subject under discussion, a question that is thoughtful and clear.

That can happen in a class at school when pupil asks a question of her teacher, or in catechism when a student asks a question of his pastor, or at work when an employee asks his boss about some aspect of his job.

 

The Heidelberg Catechism asks a lot of good questions – 129 of them! That is what a catechism is – it is a summary of the Christian faith in the form of questions and answers.

 

Here is an excellent question to ask: “What is true faith?” and the catechism gives us a great, classic, reformed answer to that question.

 

We are going to consider this question and answer as we examine another vital question asked by the Philippian jailer; “What must I do to be saved?” And we will look closely at the answer Paul and Silas gave to that.

 

Context: The apostle Paul was on his second missionary journey. He had taken Silas with him, and along the way they were joined by Timothy and Luke. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit they went from Asia into Europe. This was the first time the gospel had been preached in Europe so this was a very significant step. They went to the area of Macedonia, which was the northern region of what is now Greece, and went to the city of Philippi, which was a Roman colony. Their first convert was a wealthy woman named Lydia.

 

They stayed on in the city preaching and teaching about God. But a slave girl who had an evil spirit followed them around for many days calling after them. Paul became so troubled by this that he commanded the spirit to leave her. Luke then describes how Paul and Silas were seized, taken before the magistrates, stripped and beaten and then put into prison. The jailer put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

 

But about midnight there was such a violent earthquake that all the prison doors flew open and the chains holding all the prisoners came loose. The jailer, fearing that his prisoners had escaped, and knowing that he would be executed for this, was about to take his own life. But Paul called out to him and stopped him. In verse 29f we read; “The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved’.”

This important question gave them an opportunity to explain the way of salvation.

 

In order to be saved you must have:

1. A sense of need.

2. A faith in Jesus.

3. A change of life.

 

1. First of all you must have A SENSE OF NEED.

 

This sense of need seemed to come to him suddenly, probably prompted by the dramatic events of that night.

However, we don’t know what the Holy Spirit had been doing in his heart before that.

Maybe he had heard the slave girl calling after Paul and the others saying; “These men are servants of the Most High God, and are telling you the way to be saved.” (vs 17) Perhaps he had been thinking about what she had said.

He also knew that these prisoners were a little unusual because they were in prison for religious offences, not for any criminal offence.

 

We don't know what had been going on in his mind prior to these events, but we do know he suddenly saw his need. He became aware of the Most High God and of life and death and the issues of eternity. These events and thoughts prompted the vital question; "What must I do to be saved?"

 

This is the most important question anyone can ask. It is the most pressing issue of all of life. You need to ask this and find an answer to it because this will determine how and where you will spend eternity - in heaven or in hell.

 

Yet many people don't even think about this question, let alone ask it, or even less, seek an answer. They go along with their normal day-to-day lives of eating and sleeping, working and playing, without a thought for eternity.

Maybe that describes you at this time? You are going along with your usual routines without thinking too far ahead.

 

But God has ways of making us stop and think. He can step into our lives in sudden and dramatic ways in his remarkable providence.

He can do that on a large scale with an earthquake, or a flood, or a great fire, or a tsunami, or a volcanic eruption.

Or he can do that on a family and personal level as he works directly in our lives or in the lives of those close to us. You, or someone you love, may become very ill. Someone in your family may have a serious accident, or die. You might lose your job or a lot of money.

 

In these events the Lord interrupts our lives to make us pause and ponder our sin and eternal destiny; to draw out of us this question; "What must I do to be saved?"

 

To be saved you must have a sense of spiritual need, an anxiety of soul, an awareness of your own sin and a desire for salvation. This is the first step to salvation.

 

2. Not only do you need a knowledge of sin you also need, secondly, A FAITH IN JESUS.

Paul responded; "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved." (vs 31).

 

Here we need to consider the whole matter of faith. The catechism asks a helpful question – “What is true faith?” – and responds with a clear and biblical answer. It describes three components of true faith.

 

a. Faith involves “a knowledge … that everything God reveals in his word is true.”

 

The jailer had addressed Paul and Silas as “sirs”; the Greek word is “Lords”. But they directed his attention away from themselves to the Lord Jesus. He had to believe in Jesus.

 

But to believe in Jesus the jailer had to know something about him, and so Paul and Silas "spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house" (vs 32). Knowledge is essential to faith.

 

There is a story about a poor man who used to go around the country villages selling small goods. In his travels one day he heard an old woman singing a rhyming song;

I’m a poor sinner and nothing at all,

But Jesus is my all in all.

The man, whose name was Jack, thought to himself; “Ah, that just describes me!” So he began to sing this to himself as he went about his selling. Over time the Holy Spirit used these few lines and his meditation on them to bring him to a genuine faith in Christ. He was converted and gave up swearing and drinking and began to attend church services. After a while he decided he should join the church. When the minister and elders asked him about what he believed he replied;

I’m a poor sinner and nothing at all,

But Jesus is my all in all.

As they questioned him more closely he was able to give a good explanation of what he knew about his own sin and about the forgiveness he had in Jesus.

 

Some people misinterpret faith as a mystical experience. They have some feelings about God, or they watch a movie like "The Passion of the Christ" and they feel all emotional and they mistake that for genuine faith.

 

Faith does involve a mystical element - a deep communion with God, a filling of the Holy Spirit, and a sense of the presence of Christ - but all of this is based on what we know about Jesus.

 

Paul and Silas “spoke the word of the Lord to him”. This teaching of the apostles is summarised for us today in The Apostles Creed. This creed summarises all that a Christian is called to believe. It is “a creed beyond doubt and confessed throughout the world”. (HC Q 22) It outlines the teaching of the Bible about God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. True faith involves knowledge of who God is and what he has revealed in his word.

 

b. Secondly, faith involves a conviction that God's word is true.

You might know the facts of the Bible but that is not enough for saving faith; you also must be convinced that all this is true.

 

In the South Island of New Zealand many tourists go bungy jumping off the historic bridge over the Kawarau River just outside Queenstown. It is a long, long way down to the river below. Sometimes you see people standing on the edge of the bridge, hesitating. Maybe they are wondering if the rubber cord will hold them, or if the straps around their ankles will be secure, or if they will hit the water. The operators try to reassure the person. They explain the details of the rope, and how much it will hold and how they have worked it out exactly, and the method they use for attaching the cord to their ankles. The jumper not only needs to know these facts but also needs to be convinced they are true. He needs to assent to this in his mind. He not only needs to know the facts. He needs to be convinced that they are true.

 

This is also necessary for saving faith. To believe in the Lord Jesus you need to know what the Bible says about him and you must assent to this truth about Jesus in your heart and mind. You need "a conviction that everything God reveals in his word is true." (HC Q 21)

 

c. But you need something else in saving faith. You need "a deep rooted assurance" or trust.

 

Yes, you must know the truth about Jesus and you must be convinced that this is true.

But even the demons believe there is one God - and they shudder. Their knowledge of God does not produce saving faith. True faith involves trust.

 

The person about to jump off the Kawarau bridge does not trust in that rope until he actually jumps. Knowledge and conviction are not enough - he must rely on that rope, he must trust himself to it.

 

So too for the Christian: to believe you must commit yourself totally and completely to Jesus as Lord. You must trust in him, believing that he was and is the Son of God sent to redeem you from your sin. You must rely on him as your Lord and Saviour.

Have you done that? Do you have faith? Do you believe in the Lord Jesus? These are the most important questions you will ever be asked.

 

Faith is not something for just the beginning of your life as a believer. You need to continue to believe. Keep on trusting in Jesus. Faith is a personal attachment to Jesus that keeps going. Through faith we live close to the Lord Jesus by his Spirit.

 

Are you doing that? Do you live by faith?

Do you trust Jesus day by day?

Do you lean on him and rely on him for eternal life, but also in the decisions you face each day, and when you get ill, and when you are anxious and when you doubt?

 

In order to be saved you must have a sense of need and a faith in Jesus and, thirdly,

 

3.You must have A CHANGE OF LIFE. We will briefly note three changes in this man’s life.

 

a. Notice, first of all, that he was baptised, along with all of his family.

 

Baptism is the visible mark of union with Christ in his death and resurrection. It is the sign that our sins have been washed away. When a person is baptised like this he is identified as a Christian, as someone belonging to the people of God, as part of the church of Jesus Christ. A Christian must be baptised.

 

b. Secondly, notice that he showed love for Paul and Silas as fellow believers.

 

When they were brought into the prison they were torn and bleeding from a severe flogging; they were in pain and distress. The jailer didn't care. He locked them up in the innermost cell and put their feet in the stocks so they were even more uncomfortable.

 

After his conversion, however, he took them into his house and washed their wounds and gave them a meal. He had compassion on them and he took care of them. He showed love to his new-found brothers in Christ.

 

If you have come to believe in Jesus then that will be evident in a life of love for other Christians. You will seek their company. You will look forward to meeting them in worship on Sundays and in Bible studies during the week.

 

c. Thirdly, “he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God - he and his whole family” (vs 34).

 

People who put their faith in Jesus are filled with joy. Fear is replaced by faith; anxiety with peace; guilt with assurance.

If you believe in Jesus you rejoice knowing that your sins are forgiven; that you can live with the joy of a clear conscience, and that your name is written in heaven.

 

This is why Paul wrote later to the believers in Philippi, including this jailer; "Rejoice in the Lord. I say it again, rejoice!" (Phil 4:4)

 

Here are two good questions to ask: “What must I do to be saved?” and “What is true faith?”

 

Have you asked those questions for yourself?

Have you had them answered?

Do you recognise your need of Jesus?

Are you putting your faith in him?

Are you showing love to other believers?

Are you rejoicing in the Lord?

 

Amen.