Teaching Notes

                                          

SECOND QUARTER ~ Salvation

What is it and Why do I Need it

Lesson  – How Do I Get Saved?

Scripture: ³⁰ He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. ³¹ They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” ³² Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. ³³ At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. - Acts 16:30-33

I WANT TO DO WHAT’S RIGHT!

Tommy felt bad about getting in trouble all the time.  He didn’t mean to, it just seemed that trouble was always showing up where ever he was. Tommy decided that he was going to do the right thing. He smiled to himself confidently that he would get everything right from now on.

The next day Tommy started on his way to school. He had only gotten two blocks away from his house and all his resolve to do right was forgotten. Tommy saw a small dog and began picking on it. The owner saw Tommy and yelled at him, “Hey kid, get away from there, don’t you know that’s not right?”

The words spoken by the stranger reminded Tommy about his promise. He felt really bad, he hadn’t even made it to school and he was already doing wrong. “What’s wrong with me?” Tommy thought. Tommy was a little gloomy for the rest of the day.

Tommy’s dad saw the look on his face when he returned from school. “What’s wrong son?” Tommy’s dad asked.

“Ah dad, I decided yesterday that I was going to do what’s right, but before I got to school, I was messing with a neighbor’s dog and got yelled at.” Tommy looked defeated, “What’s wrong with me?”

“Son, there’s nothing wrong with you, your just like everybody else. People are always trying to do the right thing, but often mess us with they are depending on their own power.”

“Who’s power should I be trusting in to do right?” Tommy asked.

Tommy’s father called him over to him. “Son, remember when Pastor Smith was preaching about being saved? He talked about how we can’t do the right things without God’s help. If you want to do what is right Tommy, you have to first ask God to help you. The only way you can get that help is to accept his gift of salvation.”

“What is God’s gift?” Tommy asked.

“Remember we talked about how Jesus is the gift that God gave the world so that we could be saved if we believed. If we believe in Jesus, we can be saved and then God will give us His Spirit to help us do what is right.”

Tommy thought about it for a few moments. “Dad,” he said, “I want to do right, but I need God’s help, will he help me?”

“Yes son, he will.”

~Examine the Word~

The jailer that was responsible for Paul and Silas experienced the earthquake that shook the jail and set Paul and Silas free. The jailer was concerned that they had gotten away. When he found out they had not, he asked them a question. He wanted to know how he could be saved. Maybe it was seeing God’s presence with Paul and Silas that made the jailer realized he needed to be saved. Whatever it was, he came to the place where he wanted to know, what do I do need to do to be saved.

~Discovering the Truth~

There are some things that happened to the jailer that is important to for us to understand. When he asked the question of what must I do to be saved, he had a “spiritual awakening.” What this means is in a sense he was “asleep” spiritually. He did not understand the things of God, and he would never understand them until God’s Spirit helped him to see. God’s Spirit placed him under conviction. This was awareness that he was guilty before God, just as Tommy in the story realized he was always doing wrong regarding the things his father told him.

Once the jailer was convicted and realized he was guilty before God (which we call a sinner), he was now faced with a decision. The decision called for him to ask, how do I get saved?  The process of salvation moves the sinner from realizing they need to be saved to making some choices.

Process of Salvation:

·         The sinner must be sorry for their sins. – The sinner must make the choice that they will no longer follow after sin or those things that God hates. (“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regrets, but worldly sorrow brings death” - 2 Corinthians 7:10).

·         The sinner must ask God to forgive them (repent) of their sins. – When the sinner is sorry for their sins, they will ask for forgiveness for what they have done wrong. Repent literally means to change your mind or to turnaround. In other words, repentance could be spelled with a four letter word: Q – U – I – T. (“Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” - Acts 16:31).

·         The sinner must confess his sins and his acceptance of God. – If a sinner wants to be saved, they can’t try to hide their sins. When they do, God promises to help. (“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” - 1 John 1:9).

·         The sinner must pray and believe by faith that they are saved. – Once a sinner has confessed their sins and is ready to ask God for salvation, they must believe by faith that God has done it. There may not be some outward feeling or emotion that takes you over, but you must believe it has been done. (“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” - Romans 10:13)

~Conclusion~

We have been studying about how important we are to God. We have learned that God loved us so much, he sent His Son to take the punishment that should have been for us.  Jesus died in the place of all sinful men and women so that we could be re-connected to God (our bridge fixed).

The jailer asked the question about being saved. He wanted to have a right relationship with God. Paul told him that he simply had to believe on Jesus and he would be saved. Tommy in our story also came to realize he was not able to do what was right by himself. He wanted to, but he couldn’t do it alone. Tommy’s dad told him that God would help him through the gift of his Son. It is that simply! And it is fantastically unbelievable, all at the same time.

~Additional Scriptures~

§  Christ told Nicodemus, “You must be born again.” - John 3:7

§  Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. - Acts 4:12

§  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. - John 3:18

Are You on the Right Track?

True or False Questions

1. _______ A Holy God must judge and punish sin.

2. _______  Jesus freely laid down His life on the cross.

3. _______  It was absolutely necessary for Christ to die so that we could be saved.

4. _______ The wages of sin is a free trip to heaven.

5. _____ The first thing an unsaved person needs to do is to give up all his bad habits and sinful practices.

6. _____ A man is not saved by good works.

7. _____ Once a person is saved it doesn’t really matter how he lives.

8. _____ As saved people, we should be fruitful unto every good work.

9. _____ The believer is able to do good works because it is God who works in him.

10. ______ Jesus the Righteous One died for unrighteous me.

11. ______ Jesus died so that I might live!

12. ______ God showed His great love towards us by forgetting about our sin.

13. ______ God showed His great love towards us by sending His Son to die for our sin.

14. ______ Jesus died as my Substitute which means that He died in my place.

15. ______ I believe with all my heart that the Lord Jesus Christ paid the death penalty for my sin and I’ll always be thankful for what He did for me on the cross.

MAKE THE BEST CHOICE FOR YOUR LIFE!                              

Prayer: Lord, today I want to be saved. I acknowledge that I am a sinner, which means I have not been obedient to your ways. I know that even if I try, I can’t do it by myself. I also know that I cannot erase my bad deeds from before. So I ask that you forgive me of all my sins and accept me as your child. I receive Jesus by faith. Amen. (Personal pray, instead of group one because of the message).