# What must I do to be saved

Category: Salvation & Gospel
Key Passage: Acts 16
Speaker: Paul Chisgar
Date: June 7, 2024

Amen. Glad we get to celebrate Easter. We’re going to sing “Christ Arose.” Christ Arose. We’ll sing the first and last verse. It starts off slow, then it gets really high and fast on the chorus, so make sure we stay with it. Much, Ms. Coutre. Great song. He did a good job with it. Turn your Bibles, if you would, to Acts chapter number 16. Acts chapter number 16.

There’s an old preacher who lived years ago, but he’s in heaven for a long time. He’s a very famous preacher. His name is Spurgeon—that’s his last name, Charles Haddon Spurgeon. When he was 15 years old, God had burdened his heart. He had a desire. He wanted to obtain forgiveness of his sins. And he’s a studious man. If you read his book, you know he’s an intelligent man.

But he said, “I did not know,” this 15-year-old young man. He said, “I was wondering; I wanted to know.” In fact, he decided; he made a little pact. He said, “I’m going to visit every place of worship until someone tells me how can I obtain forgiveness of my sins.” He began to visit different churches. He went to one church and he said the preacher got up and preached on, “Be sure your sin will find you out.” That’s a great Bible verse, great truth. My parents used to remind me of that one often. But he said, “I left. I still did not know: How do I obtain forgiveness of my sin?”

He said, “I went to another church.” And he said the preacher preached on, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked. For whatsoever man soweth, that shall also reap.” A great biblical truth. You’re going to reap what you sow. It was a good sermon, but he said, “I left; I still did not know: How can I obtain forgiveness of sin?”

He planned no business to get up to church, and yet that Sunday there was a storm that came in—it was a snowstorm, years and years going by—so a lot of churches were closed and whatnot. He said he went down a little street, almost like a little alley, just a small street, and in the back there, there was an old—now it was a little different in our day—Primitive Methodist church. And they were singing in there. He said, “I heard about them. I heard they sing so loud they’ll give you a headache.” And so he thought, “Well, I don’t know.” But he said, “I’ll tell you what, I’ll put up with a headache if they tell me how I can obtain forgiveness of my sins.”

So he went to that old Primitive Methodist church. The preacher could not even get to church that day. I believe it was a bridge that was out because of snow and whatnot. And a deacon said, “I’m not a preacher, but I’ll try; I’ll do the best I can.” He got up and preached from Isaiah 45:22. This is what it says: “Look unto me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” And they kept saying, “Look, look into Jesus and live.” And the Lord took the simple preaching of that man, and the gospel was made clear. All of a sudden, this 15-year-old man got saved that day. But he had wondered; he did not quite understand: How do I get saved, if you will?

Curtis Sutton got saved when he was around 11 years old. He said, honestly, as a boy, he used to wonder how. He went to church; his parents took him to church. He said, “I remember the preacher saying, ‘You must be born again.’” And as a boy, he thought, “Well, all right, how do I get born again?” He said, “I was wondering; I wanted to know; I did not know.” He said, “I would hear the preacher say…” He said, “I heard him say, ‘Jesus Christ died on the cross for me so I can go to heaven.’” He said, “I heard all that, but I just, as a boy, didn’t know how to put it all together. Okay, how does that equal me going to heaven?” He said, “I did not know.”

He said, “I was wondering.” He said, “In fact, I read my Bible.” So I’d read the Bible, and I’d read about Jesus down on the cross among the thieves and all that. And I’d think, “Well, how does that make it where I can go to heaven?” And I say that, friend, I think there are a lot of people out there like that. You’ve heard Jesus dying on the cross, paying for your sins and all that. But how—what exactly do I have to do to go to heaven? All right, I’ve got to be born again. How can I be born again?

In fact, there’s a parable Jesus is giving where a farmer is throwing some seed out, and it lands on four different types of ground. One of those very clearly was not saved. One of those clearly is saved, and two are kind of in the middle. I think I could prove one of those at least is saved, one kind of you just really can’t prove. But here’s my point: the one that was not saved—very obvious—Jesus explains that ground to his apostles there, and this is what he says. It’s in Matthew 13:19: “When anyone heareth the word of the kingdom and understandeth it not…”

They don’t understand it. “How do I get saved? What do I do to go to heaven?” They don’t understand it. Then cometh the wicked one—that’s Satan—and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. So here’s my pledge: I’m going to do my best this morning to try to make salvation very, very clear, very plain. I don’t think I’m very good at this, and I mean that, but I’ll do my best, and I’ve tried to work at this. But could I ask one thing of you: Would you listen very intently? Would you put away all the distractions? Maybe you need to move and go back to your bedroom with your iPad or your computer or your phone. But would you say, “All right, I’m going to focus in on this thing. What do I have to do? What is salvation, clear and plain and simple?”

Now, you might say, “Well, I know I’m saved. I know I’m going to heaven,” and maybe that’s true, but maybe you’ll hear something this morning that will help you explain it to someone else. Because those that do not understand it—and there are many, many—they don’t understand it very clearly. They need you to help them.

So if I’m going to be honest, and I’m going to try to make it just as plain and simple as I can, I must go to the passage that I personally think is the clearest place in all the Bible. I love this passage because it’s just black and white; this man gets right to the point—the man that’s asking the question, the preachers that answer him. It’s a jailer. He’s a prison guard over the jail there. And these two preachers, great Christians—one of them is Apostle Paul. I think if you were to ask the majority of Christians for the three top Christians in the Bible, I would think the vast majority of the time, Paul would be at least one of those. God used him to pen about half of the books of the New Testament, maybe over half. But great preachers, and this is their answer. So let’s look at this. It’s in Acts 16. We’re going to be in verse number 30. Acts chapter number 16, verse number 30. We’re going to try to make it very, very clear for you: How do I go to heaven? Salvation, plain and simple. Verse number 30, Acts 16, verse number 30: “And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

And they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved and thy house.” And by the way, if we continued reading, you would notice that this jailer took those preachers to his house, and they gave the word of God to the people in his house, and they got saved also. Now, let’s just focus on this saying here: “What must I do to be saved?” Would you pray and ask God to make it very crystal clear to you? Everybody, would you pray that? If you are saved, so you can tell others; if not, so you understand how to be, and that you are not saved. So would you pray that as I pray? Lord, Father, I believe part of the reason you caused the rain allowed it so we can be in the auditorium and things a little bit clearer. The video is better, Lord, so we can present salvation very clearly. Lord, would you guide me in that? Most importantly, Holy Spirit, I pray you to go in the homes wherever these people are, and would you take the light of the gospel and just shine it very brightly in their minds and in their hearts? What I do ask is that people be saved because of this morning. Lord, please, would you do so? Father, I’m asking for that in faith because of Jesus. I’m asking in His name. Amen.

Thank you so much for praying with me. I like this man—I’m talking about the jailer, the prison guard that took these preachers out. I liked him for several reasons. Number one, because he knew he was lost. Just his question explains that he knew he needed to be saved. He knew that.

Now listen to me, friend. You might think I’m wrong, but I want you to listen. I believe if you understand, you’ll agree with me: The greatest reason people are going to hell is because they think they’re going to heaven. Do you get that? The greatest reason people are going to hell is because they think they’re saved. They think they’re going to heaven.

Years ago, I was driving my sister and me from Florida to Michigan. We were driving in her old Dodge Dart. It was one of those cars that just ran forever—never, never. How many miles were on it? I don’t know. Umpteen million miles. We don’t know because the odometer didn’t work anymore; it had been out for years. The speedometer didn’t work anymore. And here’s the problem: the gas gauge didn’t work anymore. Now, friend, when you have the odometer, the speedometer, and the gas gauge that are all out, and you’re on a long trip, that can be a bad thing. We were just coming out of Atlanta on 75, a little north of Atlanta, and sure enough, we ran out of gas. Now, somebody said, “Well, you big dummy, why didn’t you pull over and stop at the last exit and get some gas?” Because I didn’t know I needed gas that badly, friend. If I didn’t know it, yes, I would have done it. I didn’t know. And a lot of people don’t get saved because they don’t know their need. They think they’re going to heaven. The vast majority of people that go to hell, I believe, think they’re going to heaven.

Look, if you will, over to Matthew chapter 7. Matthew chapter 7. Let’s just see what Jesus says about this subject. Very interesting. He addresses this. And I want you to say it: Matthew chapter 7, verse number 22. The Bible there says, “Many.” That’s very important. Many. Many in America, many in Zimbabwe, many across the globe. Many will fall in this category. “Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord…’”

“‘Have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name did many wonderful works?’” Now wait a second. They knew to call him Lord. They knew that; they’d been around religion; they’d been around. They understood. They knew enough to prophesy in His name that Jesus—they were telling the truth, they were preaching, they were prophesying in the name of Jesus. They cast out devils in the name of Jesus. They did many wonderful works. They fed the hungry, and they’ve loved their neighbor, and they’ve been kind, and they’ve treated others as they want to be treated. In the name of Jesus, these wonderful works. I believe they thought for sure they’re going to heaven—many, many.

But look at this next verse here, verse number 23, Matthew 7: “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: Depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Oh, there’s going to be so many people that stand before him that day and they’ll be, “Oh, I’m ready. I’m going to have it. I’m good.” He’ll say, “Hey, I never knew you.” “You know me. You know about me. You know all these different things. You know enough to preach and cast out devils and do works for me.” “No, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” That’s going to be such an awesome time in a sad way—I mean by awesome, that so many think they’re going to heaven, and yet they wake up in hell. What a sad thing.

Joe Henry Hankins went to see his doctor—the preacher years going by. And he asked the doctor, now this is years ago. He said, “Doctor, what’s the strongest poison known to man?” The doctor said potassium cyanide. I don’t know if that’s true today or not, but that’s what the doctor said then. And the preacher asked his doctor, “How much would a man have to take to kill him?” And the doctor said this: “Well, if he can take the lid off and put just a drop of potassium cyanide underneath his tongue, where it very quickly gets in your blood system,” he said, “if he just takes a drop and puts it there, before he had put the bottle top back on, the lid on, he’d be dead.” And Curtis Sutton said, “Well, what if he just took the whole bottle? What would be the difference?” And the doctor said, “There’s no difference. Dead’s dead. They’re both dead.” And he said, “Why are you asking me about this?” The preacher asked the doctor, and the doctor said, “Well, the most difficult task I have is to convince people that are lost.” And sometimes we think we’ve got to drink the whole bottle, and yet the honest truth is if it just takes a drop—just a drop—I’m just as dead.

You see, Jesus said in Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” And I’ve got to realize I’m lost. I’m in need of going to heaven. You see, all need to be saved—everyone.

He said, “Well, I’m not as bad as so-and-so. I don’t do that. I’m not—I didn’t do that. I’m pretty good.” Friend, just one drop. My wife is in nursing school. And in nursing school, they have to make an 80% in order to pass every class, different subjects, whatnot. A couple subjects, they combine to make one class. But every class, they have to make an 80% or they will not graduate. Now, here’s the amazing thing: on some tests you take, she’ll say, “I failed.” And I said, “What did you make?” And she may have made a 79 on some test she’ll take; she’ll make a 30, maybe—no, I don’t think she’s made any that low—but just say somebody made a 30 or whatever in a class overall class. Friend, it doesn’t matter; they failed. It doesn’t matter if they made a 15 or a 5, or they made 79.9—they failed. See? And it’s the same with salvation, friend. Nobody’s good enough. I mean, all of us need to be saved.

In fact, the Bible says in James 2:10. Now listen to this verse, listen to this, what God says, God’s word. He said, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” Just one thing, just one. You see Adam—Adam and Eve—Adam, God said, “The day that you should eat of it, you shall surely die.” Adam didn’t have to eat every fruit on the tree. He didn’t even have to eat the whole piece of fruit that he had—just one bite. Friend, the Bible says, “All have sinned.” I mean, the standard is so high, it’s perfection. None of us are there. You say, “Well, I’m not that bad.” Just one drop is the same thing as taking the whole bottle. Seventy-nine is the same as a 20. Fail is a fail.

We all need to be saved. Have you ever played Spoons? You say, “What are you talking about? Spoons? That’s what I eat with.” Have you ever played the card game Spoons? You get maybe seven people around a table. Craziest game in the world, a lot of fun. And you deal four cards to each person. And then the dealer, he just starts taking from the deck, and he’ll flip one up. If he wants it, he keeps it and passes just as quick as he can. He’s passing. And he’ll go around the table. And as soon as one person gets four of a kind—whatever it is, four of a kind—then they can grab a spoon. Now, as soon as one person grabs a spoon, everybody can grab a spoon. Now, here’s the deal: Seven people, there are only six spoons. Somebody’s going to be without a spoon. It gets intense. I mean, folks, that’s how I lost fingers playing that game, you know? I’m telling you, it’s intense. But here’s the thing: Usually, you don’t get a spoon. You get a letter if you spell S-P-O-O-N-S. You’re out. A lot of people get ‘S.’ A whole lot of people don’t get a spoon; you’re out. Friend, just one sin, you’re out. “The wages of sin”—that’s Romans 6:23, check it out sometime—it’s not plural; it’s singular: “Sin. The wages of sin is death.” That’s eternal death, or hell. You’re out. Friend, all of us are out—every one of us. And this jailer, he knew. He needed to be saved.

What must I do to be saved? I like him. He knew it; he understood it. I don’t know how he knew that. Maybe the preachers had talked to him earlier. I don’t know, but he knew that. Here’s the second thing I liked about this guy: First of all, he knew he needed to be saved. And then he knew the right terminology—biblical terminology. Watch what he said. It’s there in verse number 30, if you want to look at it. He said, “What must I do to be saved?” I like that word. It’s a Bible word. God uses this term “saved” a lot. John 3:17: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.” Ephesians 2: “For by grace are ye saved through faith.” I like this one, 1 Timothy 2:4: “Who will have all men to be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth.” It’s so clear, so definite: either saved or lost, no in between.

Sometimes we’ll use—I’m sure I’ve used it in times past—but sometimes we’ll use this term “relationship.” I’m not fond of using that term when dealing with salvation because relationships are a little vague. I was at Food Lion a couple weeks ago. One of our men, I just so happened, he was there shopping. We met each other, and then we ran into one of his old friends. And he invited his friend to come to our church. We met, we talked. And then I was in Food Lion just this week, or a couple days ago, and I saw that man. I said, “Hey, are you still looking forward to coming to church? We’re going to have driving service and all that.” And I have a relationship with that man now. I know him. We’re building a friendship rapport. But I have a relationship with my wife, too—two totally different relationships. I know my wife much better. Now, friend, so I’m saying “relationship” is a little vague. Are you saved? That’s a Bible term. “What must I do to be saved?” I know either I’m saved or lost. It’s a very clear distinction: saved or lost. No in between. It’s not a process.

Now, can I say this? Every person in the world, every person in the world is either saved or lost. Every person you’ve ever met, they’re either saved or they’re lost. He knew it: “What must I do to be saved?”

I like it. He knew the right biblical term. I’ve already mentioned my wife being in nursing school. They get stories from the previous classes and whatnot. Every year they have a whole program; a whole class goes through the program. And they’ve heard stories about people that went through last year. And one man—now, here’s the thing—they had to make an 80 to pass, remember that? Every class. One man, in one class, made a 79.8—two-tenths of a percent—and he failed. I’m sure there were others that went through the program and they just failed so bad, I mean, just horribly failed. Either way, they both failed. Friend, you’re either saved or lost. No in between. You either passed, you graduated, or you don’t.

Can I say this, friend? And I don’t say this braggingly; I say this trying to convince you: I’ve read the Bible through many, many times. I don’t know how many times—well over 20 times. Friend, I’ve never read one time about purgatory in the Bible. It’s just not there. You won’t find it. In fact, you won’t find any reincarnation in the Bible. You just won’t find that. You’ll find in Luke chapter 16 there are two men that died. One man was a very wealthy man. And the Bible says a rich man died, and in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torment. He went to hell. He goes on and he cries out, “Hey, Father Abraham, would you send Lazarus? May I dip the tip of his finger in water and just put that on my tongue? I’m tormented in this flame.” Now, he went to hell. There’s another man, Lazarus, I’ve already mentioned. He was a poor man, a beggar at the store, but he was saved. He went to heaven, paradise, Abraham’s bosom—it’s where heaven was at the time. And, friend, you’re either saved or lost. There’s no reincarnation. There’s not a chance to get another try. No, this is it. You’re either saved or lost. It is appointed unto man once to die, and after this is judgment—just once. It’s Bible. Every person is either saved or lost.

Now, let’s get to the answer. All right, this guy’s a good guy, the jailer, the prison guard, and he’s right on spot: “What must I do to be saved?”

All right, I like it. So clear. Here’s the answer from God through these men. Here it is. You see it right there, verse number 31. What they say in verse number 31: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”

This is election year, November the 3rd. If everything’s in order, I’m going to go to a voting precinct, and I’m going to give them my voter registration or ID or something. They’re going to sign up, then they’ll walk me over here to this little booth. I walk in that little booth, and there’s a little curtain and whatnot. It’ll pull up for President of the United States, and I have a button to push. I’ll push that button, and right beside it, a check will go off over here by Donald Trump. There’s another button down there; I can push that button—I don’t know, maybe it’d be Joe Biden—and a check would go there by Joe Biden. And when I step in that booth, I’ve got to check which one of those men I’m voting on to hold that office. And see, the way you get saved is you go to God, you say, “God, as far as the office of getting me into heaven, paid for my sin, I want to vote for Jesus.” I can’t rely or believe in myself to fulfill that role, that office. I’m going to push the button for Jesus. I’m relying on Jesus.

You see a little different believing about it. All the Bible says the devils believe and tremble; they believe there is one God. But when you put your belief on Jesus, there’s a different story for you: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”

Now, here’s a good thing: Jesus has already paid for your sins; they’re already paid for. In fact, Isaiah 53:6: “All we like sheep have gone astray.” That’s the Old Testament way of saying we’ve all sinned. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” It’s already been laid on him. First Peter 2:24: “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree.” He’s already paid it.

Now, here’s the thing: Some will say, “Well, that’s all the sins that I commit before I get saved. Surely, surely it can’t be my future sins after I’m saved.” Well, friend, think about that. Jesus died about 2,000 years ago. All your sins were in the future. No, “He laid on him the iniquity of us all.” So he’s already died to pay for that, but I must make the choice. I must go in that voting booth. I must check off Jesus. No, I’m not going to rely on myself, the church, or anything else. I’m voting for Jesus. That’s how you could say, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Here’s a good thing: Today is Easter, the day we celebrate His resurrection. Here’s a good thing about it: When he rose again, it proved that the debt Jesus was paying for was paid in full. It satisfied the Father. That’s what the Bible means in Romans 4:25: “Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification.”

I’d just forget, just as if sin never existed, is what the word means. Now, here’s a good thing, friend. If Jesus died and He stayed buried and He stayed paying for my sins continually, well, maybe there’ll come a day when my Father says, “Hey, He’s been paying all these years; it’s not paid off. I want you to pay for your sins.” And I’d have to go to hell. But you see, when Jesus rose again that third day, it proved that the payment for sin was paid. He paid, and He rose again. So now I vote for Jesus; I believe on Jesus, and it’s paid. He already paid it, and I’m putting that by faith on my account. God says, “All right, I see that belief. I go and put Jesus’ righteousness on his account.” I can choose to pay my sin debt, but I never pay it off. That’s why hell is forever.

Now, something else about November the 3rd election: I hope you vote. I hope you vote. Get back in church; we’ve got voter registration cards in the back. You can fill them out. But here’s it: November the 3rd comes, and I go in there. And here’s the thing: I push that button voting for—it puts that check over here for Donald Trump. And just say, “Well, I wouldn’t mind if it was a co-presidency; both of them could do it together.” And so I say, “Well, I push that button there; the check’s there for Donald Trump. But let me push that other button,” and I push that other button for whoever it is, and I say, “I want it to be both.” Here’s the thing: That check up there for Donald Trump automatically disappears, and then the check down here automatically appears. You see, you can’t vote for both. It’s got to be one or the other.

Now, friend, here’s where it gets real confusing. I think this is where the “many” comes in from Matthew 7. I think this is why, across America and across the globe, so many think they’re going to heaven, but they’re really going to hell, because they’re trying to vote for Jesus. They’ll get Jesus in there, but they think, “Well, you’ve got to do something,” whether it be baptism, or you’ve got to quit sinning some. You’ve got to do something. You can’t just be all Jesus. You can’t vote for both. See, it’s either one or the other.

You see, when I say, “Yes, Jesus plus my good works,” there are two problems with that, friend. Listen to me real close here. Listen real close. Two problems with that.

Number one, the problem is, if it’s Jesus plus me being good enough, I’m never good enough. Just one drop—remember that? I’d have to be perfect. Friend, if it’s Jesus plus me, even the best that I can do, my righteousness, Isaiah says, is filthy rags. Satan is all about us putting a little bit of our works in there because if we can get us to just put one drop of our works in there, it’s contaminated. No, you can’t vote for both. Two problems when you’re trying to vote for Jesus plus your good works being good enough: One, you’ll never be good enough. And then two—now listen to me—two, then you’re not fully believing on Jesus. You see, if I’m taking 90% on Jesus and 10% on me? No, no, no. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” When God says it, He means it. He meant what He said and said what He meant. I’ve got to put 100% belief on Jesus. I take my belief, my faith, and I say, “Hey, Jesus, as far as me getting into heaven, I want to believe totally on You.” That’s how you get saved. So many people—Jesus plus—two problems: not good enough, and they’re not believing fully on Christ. Oh, no. The preacher Philip asked, “Do you believe with all your heart?” No, you put all your belief on Jesus—100%. I trust fully.

See, that was the problem with the man over there in Matthew 7. Remember the many will say to me, “Lord, Lord”? They knew to call Him Lord; they knew how to prophesy in His name; they knew how to cast out devils in His name; they knew how to do many wonderful works. But they were standing before Him giving their reasons why they should go to heaven. Did you notice it was all about His works? Oh, he knew Jesus, yes, but Jesus didn’t know him. Because he was depending on Jesus—yes, he was calling Him Lord—but he was also depending on what all he had done. Did you notice what Jesus said, friend? “I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Why did He call it iniquity? Because God said, “I gave you My Son to die on the cross; He rose again. And yet you want to add to it? You won’t simply by faith believe fully on Jesus? You want to add your stuff in here?” And God said, “I watched My Son suffer and bleed and die and be punished. You want to try to add to it?” Believe 100% on the Lord Jesus Christ. Yeah. That’s why Jesus, when He was on the cross, that’s why Jesus said—remember the seven sayings—one of those sayings, He said, “It is finished.” Why did He say that? Because He’s saying, “Don’t add to it. I paid it. I’m satisfied. I did everything that needed to be fulfilled. I did it. Don’t add to it. It’s finished.”

You see, Jesus is not a part of salvation; He is salvation. He is not the one that helps you to save yourself; He is the Savior. You’re not saved by doing, but by resting in what was done 2,000 years ago.

A little boy went to the preacher. He said, “Preacher, what must I do to be saved?” And the preacher said, “You’re too late, son.” The little boy started crying. He said, “Too late to be saved?” And the preacher said, “Oh, no, no, no, no. Not too late to be saved, but too late to do anything to be saved.” You see, Jesus did it 2,000 years ago. You put your faith in what Jesus did. It’s not a matter of confessing your sins. Can I say that? The Bible doesn’t say that in Romans—sin. It says confess to the Lord Jesus. But I had to confess my sin? I can’t remember all my sins; there are too many of them. You can’t either. No, it’s a matter of confessing Jesus: “Jesus, I’m believing on You. I’m voting for You.” That’s how you get saved.

I’m done besides this last point. I’m going to just talk for a little bit, give one last story, and I’m done. But you must make a decision. You’ve got to make a decision. Friend, you’re either saved or lost. You’ve got to make—look, if a fellow meets a girl, a pretty girl, a good girl, a godly girl, whatever it may be, and man, he falls in love with this girl and he likes this girl. They talk about getting married. They talk about how many kids you’re going to have, where they’re going to live, what they’re going to do—talk about all those things. They love each other in love. Friend, they’re not married unless they ask, “Will you?” and she wills, hopefully. Amen. And then they have to go before a justice of the peace or a preacher or somebody. And the preacher says, “Do you?” Now look, if Matt said, “Brother Matt said, ‘Well, I don’t know if I can live up to her expectations,’” and she said, “Well, I don’t know if I can be the wife he wants me to be’”—look, friend, it doesn’t matter. Nobody lives up to their spouse’s expectations all the time. Friend, you say, “I do,” and you’re married. Whether you live up to them or not, you’re just as married. And when you go and say, “I do believe on Jesus”—now, friend, you can talk about it all you want. You can hear all about it. You can talk about getting married. But you’ve got to say, “I do.” And somewhere along the line, you’ve got to go to the voting booth. You’ve got to say, “Hey, Jesus, I’m going to vote for You.”

So you’re either saved or lost. Not knowing in between. If we were to die right now, we would stand before God. I want you to think about it: If you were to die right now, you would stand before God. If I were to die right now, stand before God, and God said, “Well, I should let you in. I said, ‘Well, that’s a pretty good fellow; he preached to that church for 20-something years, whatever may be.’” No, it’s not going to be that. But if I went and I said, “Hey, there was a day, there was a time, and I knew Jesus was my only hope, and I went over and I said, ‘Jesus, I’m asking You, I’m believing, would You pay for my sin?’” And God Almighty said, “Oh, that’s it. That’s it. That’s it. You’ve believed on Him. Come on in, my son, my daughter. Yes.”

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” Friend, can I say this? Now listen to me: If you go to hell, it’s not because you’re a sinner. A lot of sinners are going to heaven. It’s because you didn’t vote on Jesus. You didn’t trust in Jesus. You didn’t believe on Jesus. You’re adding your works to it, whatever it may be. No, no. I take all my trust and I put it in Jesus Christ. Yeah, saved, going to heaven.

Last story, and I’m done. When I was a teenager, about 17, 18 years old, I went to camp—church camp, a church camp in Florida. There was a section of the camp that the public could come to, and it had a large lake there, and the public had come in and rented canoes to go out on the lake. I was there with a church group, but a man and a lady had rented a canoe, and they came over to the water. Now, let me describe the man a little bit to you. He was tall, a big fellow. He probably worked out on his weights all the time. I mean, he had big old muscles, kind of like your pastor has, you know, in his dreams. But anyway, a big fellow. I mean, just a big muscular fellow. But he seemed a little wimpy when it came to the water; he was a little afraid. And the guy in the canoe—they rode out. I’m sure, I think it was his girlfriend, I don’t know—but I’m sure he probably did it just to impress her. But they got out on the lake, and they goofed off a little bit, and I think he was scared after death. Sure enough, that canoe flipped over. Now, I’m talking about this big fellow; he couldn’t swim. I’m talking about he’s going underwater, he’s screaming, “Ah, save me!” I mean, he’s kicking, scratching, you know, just… I’m a 17, 18-year-old boy, I thought, “Well, somebody can do something.” I’m not a good swimmer, but I can swim, so I hopped in the water and ran out there, too. About the time I got to that man, there was a lifeguard running—I mean, as fast as you could—and he’d seen what was happening. And the lifeguard yelled, “Don’t touch him; he’ll kill you!” Well, if someone tells me somebody’s about to kill me, that registers in my brain a little bit. I thought, “Wow, this might not be a good idea.”

About that same time, that big old fellow, that big fellow, he got a hold of that arm right there. I mean, he got a hold of it. He got a hold of it real good. In fact, I had a bruise for a good while afterward. I don’t bruise very easily. I had a big old bruise after that. I mean, so this guy’s yelling, “He’ll kill you!” This guy’s got a hold of my arm so tightly I thought I was going to squeeze the bone out of it. I mean, goodness gracious, I thought, “We’re going to get loose somewhere.” I mean, finally, praise the Lord, I got loose from that fellow. I thought, “I’m staying away.” About that time, the lifeguard was swimming out there. He told me again, “Stay away from him; he’ll kill you.” So you ain’t got to tell me twice, buddy; I’m staying away from him. He’s already killed that arm right there. That’s how I lost fingers—I’ve told two stories about losing fingers now. But anyway, I mean, and I did. And the lifeguard, I watched him so wisely. He said, “Sir, calm down. Sir, I’m not going to save you.” In fact, he told me, he said, “Look, if he passes out, get so much water, I’ll get him. Don’t go up there. Let him alone.” “Sir, I’m not going to get you until you stop kicking and moving your arm. Just stop. Just rest. If you go underwater, I’ll save you. Don’t do anything else. Just lay there. If you stop all that and just lay there, I’ll get you. I promise you.”

It’s just like a—you can see that big old fellow just stopped. And he went underwater just a second, and that lifeguard was there, grabbed him up underneath, lifted his head above water, swam over, took him over to the shore, got him safe. He was fine. Now, friend, when you go to Jesus, you don’t save yourself. You don’t grab a hold of Jesus and hold on. Oh, no, no, no, no, no, friend. You say you just stop all you can do. So, “All right, Jesus, I’m going to believe on You. Would You save me?” And Jesus, He’ll grab you. He’ll save you. He’ll wash away all your sin. He’ll get you to the shore of heaven, friend. But you must stop all you can do to save yourself and believe on the Lord. Friend, if you’re there…

You said, “Preacher, I believe He died for me, rose again, and I need saving.” Maybe you’re there and you say, “I thought I was saved, but I was adding my works there.” Would you—would you right there, friend? Would you say, “Oh, Jesus, I need to be saved”? Wherever you are, would you bow your head, close your eyes? Wherever you are, friend—it may be you’re in your bedroom; it may be a group of people around you—right there in your heart, would you bow your head? Would you tell Him, “Jesus, I’ve got at least a drop; I’m a sinner. Jesus, I understand I cannot save myself. I’m going to just rest fully on You. Would You save me? Jesus, be my Savior”? Would you tell Him that right now? “I’m trusting in You and You alone to save me. Thank You, Jesus, for dying for me. Thank You for saving me.” In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Friend, if you just prayed that, welcome to the family. I’m thrilled to be a brother in Christ. You just changed from the lost category to the saved category. Friend, He reached—there’s nothing you do. He reached His arm underneath you, if you will. He picked you up. He’s the one that saves us. He’ll get you home to heaven. Would you do this at the bottom? If you’re on YouTube, there at the bottom, you’ll see a little link: “I’ve just trusted Christ as my Savior,” something like that. Would you check that, friend? It’ll send you to another site, just another page. Would you fill that out? When you do that, I’ll send you a free Bible. You need a Bible, friend. I’ll send you a book. It’s a wonderful book. It’s got all kinds of different Bible verses for different subjects because you need some peace. You’re going to have a whole section full of Bible verses about peace, finances—that’ll have a section of that; depression—we’ll have a section of it, whatever it may be, marriage—all these things. I want you to have that; you need that. You say, “I just put my faith totally on You. You called on Him.” Would you check that? We would love to rejoice with you. I’m so glad you’re part of the family. We’d love to just rejoice. Wonderful. It’s the best thing in all the world to be part of the family of God. Saved. You’re in the saved category now.

Now, maybe you’re there and you say, “Preacher, I’ve been saved, been saved for years.” Maybe you just know you’re saved. Could I ask you this? Would you commit today to being a part of the family of God that tells others, that makes it clear? See, there are too many people—so often they don’t even know; they don’t understand. They think they understand, but they don’t. And they need someone lovingly to come alongside and say, “Hey, let me guide you. Let me just try to make it as clear as I can.” It’s amazing how many people, if they hear it clearly and plainly, oh, they want to put all their belief on Jesus. They need someone to guide them.

Would you promise? Would you commit, wherever you are—you’re in the living room, your kitchen, wherever it may be, you’re in your bedroom right there—would you maybe just even raise your hand? Say, “I’m going to commit. I’m going to commit to being a part of this team that tries to make it so clear.” That’s our job: to teach them about salvation. That’s the Great Commission. God wants us to do that. Friend, I believe I’ve already mentioned it, but I believe there’s going to be a harvest. Someone needs to be out there in the fields; if the fruit doesn’t get picked, it rots. You say, “I’ll be a part of the team.”

One more question, and I’m done. You say, “Preacher, preacher, I’m going to pray. I want to pray for someone I know I don’t think they’re saved. Maybe it’s a relative; maybe it’s a friend.” But would you commit this morning? We’re going to ask this last question. I’m going to pray. We’ll have our pianist play a little bit. But would you right there where you are say, “I’m going to pray. I’ll commit to pray until either that person goes home or I go home, or until they get saved”? It’s amazing how many people get saved because someone’s praying for them. Would you right there, right there in your living room, would you say, “Hey, I’ll be that prayer warrior. I’m going to pray for them to get saved until they get saved”? Would you do so?

If you just asked Jesus, you put all your belief on Jesus, would you check that link? Let us know. We want to rejoice. You need that Bible; you need that book and the Bible. And then, hey, I’ll be a part of the team that gets the gospel out so clearly. And then you say, “I’m going to pray for that person.” We’re going to have a word of prayer. As soon as I’m done praying, we’ll just have our pianist play just a minute or so. We’ll just spend some time confirming those decisions. If you just got saved, you just believed on Jesus, would you thank Him? Would you love on Him, just thank Him for saving you? He’s the best, He’s the only Savior, eternal Savior. Would you just love on Him and thank Him for that?

Father, thank You so very, very much for Your word that makes it clear. Oh, Lord, bless these ones that call on You, put their belief on You. Lord, let them spend some time and let us know about it. It’s going to be a help; it’s in the literature. Lord, help us to be faithful in giving out the gospel clearly. Lord, help us to pray for those we love until they get saved. Bless our people during this time. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Original File: What must I do to be Saved - Pastor Paul Chisgar 41220