Peter Brandon emphasizes the significance of baptism and addresses life's greatest question: 'What must I do to be saved?' He illustrates the importance of following the teachings of Scripture over personal opinions, using the example of the Philippian jailer who, after witnessing a miraculous event, urgently sought salvation. Brandon explains that true baptism is for those who have repented and believed in Jesus Christ, highlighting that it symbolizes a believer's death to sin and new life in Christ. He encourages the congregation to embrace their faith and live out their commitment to Christ, assuring them of the certainty of salvation through belief in Him.

A few years ago I was going to Bletchley to Glasgow by train and I didn't want to go actually into London. I wanted to miss going into London because it's 40 miles or 50 miles both way. So I got in touch with the local station master at Woburn Sands and he got down the book. He says you can do it. You can catch a train at Bletchley that arrives at Preston and that will pick up the Royal Scott that will take you to Glasgow and you'll be there at four o'clock. So I was quite comfortable and then I spoke to another man that travels backwards and forwards from Glasgow to London and I told him that I was picking up the Royal Scott at Preston. He said you never will. He said I have been travelling for years but I can assure you that the Royal Scott never stops at Preston. It stops at Crewe, Kyle Isle and then Glasgow. Well I got back to the local station master and I told him that he had misinformed me. He said all right Mr Brandon I'll get the book. So he looked at the book. He says well according to the book at this time of the year it stopped at Preston. Well I was a little uncertain whether to go by my friend or go by the book. So I saw another friend and I knew that he was constantly nearly every other week travelling from London to Glasgow. So I said in passing I'm catching the Royal Scott at Preston. He said you never will. He said you've been misinformed. It never stops at Preston. I can assure you. So I got back to the station master and I said to him excuse me sir but you have misinformed me and I have a very important appointment at Glasgow. Well he said I'll get the book. So I could hear the rustling of the leaves over the telephone and he said look Mr Brandon according to the book it stops at Preston. Now he says if you like you can go by your friend but I'm giving you what the book says. Well very gingerly and nervously I went by the book but I was so unhappy that when I got on the train at Preston that was going to take me to when I got on the train at Fletchley it was going to take me to Preston. I saw the station master all in his gold braid at Rugby and I called him over. I said this train stops at Preston correct? Then I can pick up the Royal Scott. Never he said. Never. He said I'll go and get the book. Can you imagine how I felt? And his hat nearly fell off with shock. He says according to this time of the year it stops at Preston. The train came in and it was the Royal Scott and I went by the book and I was right. Now I'm not going by my Christian friends although we love them. I'm going by the book and I want to give you baptism as it's taught in the scripture. Now first of all would you please turn to Matthew 28 and we're going to see why do we baptise. Matthew 28 and we just read a few verses so that we can see the reason why we baptise in this way. Matthew 28 and we read from verse 19. Go ye therefore and teach your nations baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo I am with you always even unto the end of the world. These are the words of the Lord Jesus and you will notice the subjects of baptism those who are teachable. Secondly you will notice that we baptise in the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost. Now why? Because it was the Father that gave the Son. It was the Son who gave his life on account of our sins and it's the Holy Spirit that comes into a Christian's life that gives him the new birth. Therefore the whole of the Trinity had a part in the conversion of a soul and therefore when we baptise we baptise in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost. Now you can see this is the clear teaching of the Lord Jesus and therefore the next question will be did the apostles obey it? Would you turn to Acts chapter 2 and we just read a short portion there to see how obedient these early apostles were to the command of the Lord Jesus. Verse 37 of Acts 2. Now when they heard this they were pricked in their heart and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles men and brethren what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them repent and be baptised 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. Then notice verse 41 then they that gladly received his word were baptised and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. Now isn't that beautifully and clear? The Lord commanded it, the apostles obeyed it and when they repented and believed they were baptised and that's what we're doing here this afternoon. We accept the command of the Lord Jesus and we obey it by baptising our young sister in the Lord. Now who are the people to be baptised? Now already you have seen in Acts chapter 2 it's those that repent and secondly you have seen in verse 41 then they that gladly receive his word. Now the question will be asked should all Christians be baptised? Yes because it's the command of the Lord Jesus. Are all Christians suitable candidates to be baptised? No. Baptism is not a matter of argument. If a person is rebellious then he shouldn't be baptised. It's those that gladly receive his word and therefore when we read the word of God and we do it gladly then it's not a legal action. You see if it's a matter of a sergeant major saying you must be baptised then it's legal. But if you love me he says keep my commandment and when we love the Lord Jesus we hear his word and we are gladly baptised. They that gladly received his word were baptised. Now if you come with me to Acts 12 or Acts 8 you will see another interesting scripture. Acts 8 verse 12. And when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ they were baptised both men and women. Now can you see in Acts 2 it's those that repent it's those that gladly receive his word but here in Acts chapter 8 it's those that believe the preaching of Philip were baptised. Therefore it's believers baptism. And tonight I want to explain as clearly as I can what it means to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. It means to put your faith and trust in him alone for your salvation. Then another interesting thing you will see there they did not baptise babies they did not baptise little children that had not reached the age of responsibility. They baptised note what it says both men and women. You will never find in the scripture a baby being baptised. But you will find in the scripture men and women who are the fit candidates for baptism. Then if you go over to Acts chapter 10 you will see another interesting statement concerning the candidates for baptism. Acts 10 47. Can any man forbid water that these should not be baptised which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we. And he commanded them to be baptised in the name of the Lord then prayed they him to tarry certain days. Now these were the Gentile Christians to be baptised and obviously they had received the Holy Spirit. And therefore Peter says can anybody forbid water that these should not be baptised. Is there anyone here that would prevent these people from being baptised seeing they have received the Holy Spirit. Now can I do this with my glasses case because I think sometimes when we see an object makes it much clearer than anything that is invisible. Imagine my glasses case to be your body. Now the Bible teaches that sin has made us inwardly unclean. The Bible teaches that the ordinary man and that means all of us have broken the 10 commandments and we are guilty before God and we all desperately need forgiveness. Now when God saves a person and he becomes a real Christian. First of all God cleanses that person from all sin because Christ died on the cross for his sins. And then into that life he puts the Holy Spirit and that person is born again. Now it's those that have been born again of the Holy Spirit who have received him that should be baptised. And they are the only people in scripture that should be baptised by the Lord. Now how should we be baptised? Now I know this is a problem but let's face it and I'm sure you will see the logic of this. Now if it were a matter of applying water to a candidate we should need just a little water. And I say this with reverence. If it were a matter of sprinkling water over the candidate then actually we could baptise our dear sister in a glass of water if it were a matter of sprinkling. When it comes to a matter of immersion you couldn't baptise a person in a glass of water. You would need much water. So then if you turn to John chapter 3 then you will see the right mode of baptism. You will see it right on the surface and the moment I read the scripture you will see the logic of baptism by immersion. John 3 verse 23. And John also was baptising in Enon near to Salem because there was much water there and they came and were baptised. Much water. Then secondly if it was a matter of sprinkling water over a candidate or even pouring water over a candidate we would go to the water. If it's a matter of immersing them in the water then we would have to go into the water. So if it's a matter of sprinkling we go to the water. If it's a matter of immersion we would have to go into the water. Now if you turn to Acts 8 you will see the answer on the surface of scripture. Acts 8 verse 38. And he commanded the chariot to stand still and they went down both, notice the preposition, into the water both Philip and the eunuch and he baptised him and when they were come up out of the water the spirit of the Lord caught away Philip and the eunuch saw him no more and he went on his way rejoicing and we trust that our dear sister will go on her way rejoicing. So isn't that clear? Number one, much water. Number two, into the water and this shows quite clearly that baptism by immersion was the New Testament move. Now what does it mean? Would you turn to Romans 6 and this gives us the true meaning of baptism. We'll just read the first five verses. Romans 6 verse 1. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? Know ye not that so many of us as were baptised into Jesus Christ were baptised 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. Now again I think I'm going to use my spectacles in order to illustrate this point. When we take a candidate and it's a very sacred act not really an act where we just want to see something that's new this is a very sacred act we plunge that candidate right underwater to show that that person has been identified with the Lord Jesus in death and that means their old life the life that they lived before they were converted has died as far as they're concerned. The old life goes right down into death. Paul says even in this chapter know ye not that the old man your old self was crucified with him. So when the candidate goes under the water it speaks of their old life dying and being crucified with Christ. Now what do we do with a corpse? We bury it. So when you see the candidate reverently going under the water it speaks that that old life once and for all has been buried out of sight. It's come under the judgment of God through Christ and that old life has gone. And then if we were to leave the candidate there for five minutes and this is the reality of it that person would actually come up as a dead person but we won't do that. We shall bring the candidate up immediately and it speaks that they're connected now with a new head the Lord Jesus. They're connected with him in all his risen power and therefore now the old life has gone and the new life is going to be lived and they're going to show the world that they are under a new master, they've got new ideas, they've got a new hope. In fact they are completely new in the sight of God. So can I repeat that? The moment the candidate goes down it speaks of their death to their old life for they have died in Christ. It speaks of their burial, it speaks of their resurrection with Christ and now they're going to show the world that they're going to walk in newness of life. Now it takes us five minutes roughly to get baptised, it will take us a lifetime to live it out. Lots of people have been baptised but not all that have been baptised are living a baptised life and therefore all of us want to ask ourselves the question as we see this holy act of baptism, am I living a baptised life? Dead to sin, dead to the world, alive unto God and our beloved friends who've come to see our sister being baptised. Can I put this to you? Wouldn't it be lovely if you trusted Christ today? Scores of people have been saved at a baptism and wouldn't it be lovely if someone today quietly trusted Christ and they were born anew of the Holy Spirit as you saw our friend being baptised. Shall we ask the Lord to bless us? Lord this is a wonderful moment and we do pray for our dear young sister that as she goes through the waters of baptism the joy of the Lord may fill her. This act of obedience may be the means of bringing glory to God and we pray that she may become one of thy daughters that will be very special in the family of God. Make her a living witness at school, we pray too that thou wilt fill her with the Spirit of God. Grant that thou wilt shield her from all temptation. Pray that through the reading of scripture the Lord Jesus may reveal himself to her powerfully. Pray too that through her witness others might come to know the Lord Jesus and especially make this afternoon and this act of baptism very precious to her even in days to come. Grant this in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen. Well dear friends it's a joy to be with you again with the word of God. Thank you for coming and we trust that God will bless you tonight. The subject we shall discuss is life's greatest question. But before I read the scripture and give you a simple message I would like to thank the whole assembly for their loyal support in the mission and thank you very much for the invitation and I do trust that the meeting will be a blessing to the local church. I would like to thank Dr and Mrs Ray Wilson for their lovely hospitality. They've given us a lovely home and I want to thank them for all their kindness and also to the family lovely family of boys and one girl. One strange thing that's happened in the heat I've noticed that their feet get swollen and their shoes get tight and they've had some problems in that realm if you speak to them they'll tell you all about it. Anyhow I do want to thank them for all their kindness and all those people that have offered us hospitality we appreciate it very much indeed. Now let's turn to the scriptures we're going to turn to act 16 and we're going to read from verse 16 and this is the first time the gospel came to Europe. Act 16 and we shall commence reading at verse 16. And it came to pass as we went to prayer a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying in other words fortune telling. The same followed Paul and us and cried saying these men are the servants of the most high God which show unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days but Paul being grieved turned and said to the spirit I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her and he came out the same hour. And when her master saw that the hope of their gains was gone they caught Paul and Silas and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers and brought them to the magistrates saying these men being Jews do exceedingly trouble our city and teach customs which are not lawful for us to receive neither to observe being Romans. And the multitude rose up together against them and the magistrates rent off their clothes and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them they cast them into prison charging the jailer to keep them safely who having received such a charge thrust them into the inner prison and made their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God and the prisoners heard. And suddenly there was a great earthquake so that the foundations of the prison were shaken and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's bands was loose. And the keeper of the prison awakening out of his sleep and seeing the prison doors open he drew out his sword and would have killed himself supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice saying do thyself no harm for we're all here. Then he called for a light and sprang in and came trembling and fell down before Paul and Silas and brought them out and said serves 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 they spake unto him the word of the Lord and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes and was baptized. He and all his straightway and when he had brought them into his house he said meet before them and rejoiced believing in God with all his face. And the Lord will bless to us the reading of his word. I believe every European should be so glad that the gospel did not initially go into Asia but it came into Europe. And the first local church in Europe was in a lady's house called Lydia. And because the gospel went right into Europe it civilised the whole of Europe eventually with the gospel. You will find this dear friends wherever the gospel goes it brings real civilisation in every single respect. And that is why Christianity has made such a tremendous impact upon the world. But when Paul got to Philippi he ran into serious trouble. A young girl that was a brilliant satanic possessed fortune teller realised that these two men had a power that she hadn't got. And she would run along saying these men are the servants of the most high God which show unto us the way of salvation. And therefore through her Satan was using flattery upon these men of God. And Paul turned round with apostolic power and he commanded the unclean spirit or spirits to come out. And they came out the same hour. And when her master saw that the hope of their gains was gone and therefore this girl couldn't tell satanic fortunes then there was an uproar. Now may I say this as clearly as I can. If revival came to Sydney a real revival all Christians would be facing opposition. It would close down the public houses. That means your alcohol hotels. It would close down the gambling dens. And all those kind of entertainment that was not for the glory of God would close. And that would cause problems. The moment you touch finance then you're in serious trouble. So Paul and Silas these two gentlemen from heaven who were really mighty men of God were cast into prison. And they were cast into an inner prison. And in that inner prison they manifested and revealed basic Christianity. It's so easy to be a Christian in a Christian family. It's so easy to be a Christian in a country that submits to the facts of Christianity. But it's very difficult to be a Christian in an inner prison especially a Roman prison. But these men were brilliant for God in a brutal prison. And right in the midst of their session of praise and prayer there was a mighty earthquake and this man the Philippian jailer was converted. And we're going to examine that conversion tonight. Now first of all we will not experience an earthquake in this room or I trust not whilst I'm preaching. You see it's not the purpose of God always to bring an earthquake. If the Lord had used the earthquake method on little Lydia she would have died with a heart attack. The separate breezes of grace blew upon her and her heart was opened. But this man was a tough customer. He was a difficult man. He was a Roman centurion and therefore God was going to use violent means in order to bring about his conversion. And right in the midst of this earthquake he took a sword and he was going to kill himself. Now you might say that is ridiculous but do remember this. When a Roman centurion failed in his duty or failed on the battlefield he always committed suicide. Such was their devotion to Caesar. And therefore this man being a true Roman who saw all his prisoners liberated did what most Roman centurions would do. He was in the process of committing suicide when God spoke to him. And he cried out what must I do to be saved? It was a hard cry. It wasn't a whisper. It came right from the depths of his innermost being. And if you look at that question the first thing you find is this. It was a question of intense extremity. God speaks to the human race in four ways. First of all he has spoken to us by his son. God who at sundry times and in divers manners spaking times passed unto the fathers by the prophets hath in these last days spoken unto us thy son. And that means if I want to know what God is like I look at Jesus Christ who was God manifest in the flesh and I see the whole story of the glory of God told out in manhood in Jesus Christ. Therefore when you see the son you see the father and when you see the father you see the son. Secondly God speaks to us through the word of God. If you want to communicate to your wife if you're married when you're away you can do it by to me. You can pick up a telephone and speak to her verbally or you can take a piece of paper and write a letter. Now the most reliable form of communication is not that which is verbal but that which is written. If you go to the court and you have anything in writing that's fine. Now God has not left us to hear say. God has given to us this lovely book the Bible and it's God's letter to the human race. Therefore the word of God says faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. And every preacher should preach clearly from the holy scriptures because it doesn't matter one iota what the preacher thinks it's what the word of God says. Thirdly God speaks to us by preaching. The word of God said how shall they hear without a preacher? How shall they preach except they be sent? How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel. In other words the preacher has to get alone with God in the sanctuary and he waits upon God for a message. He doesn't carry with him a list of sermons for that would be awfully wrong. But he goes into the presence of God and he says now Lord what am I to say to that congregation tonight? And he waits and waits until God gives him the message and then he comes out from that sanctuary he stands on the pulpit and he says if I may use old-fashioned language thus sayeth the Lord. It's the word of the Lord for the moment and God is going to speak to us tonight through the scriptures through the preacher and therefore I trust that we may respond to the overtures of God's love and mercy. And then lastly if we will not listen to Christ if we will not read the word of God we say it obsolete I don't need it today. If we will not listen to the preacher then how can God speak to us? Well his last voice is the voice of adversity. Sometimes he can use adversity in a nation and cause a catastrophe. Sometimes in a person's life he can cause a sickness and through adversity he speaks to us. For instance my own father was saved what he thought was on his deathbed. God brought him low. God spoke to my own beloved mother through the death of her first child and over and over again you will find that God speaks through adversity. Now why does he do this? The soul that is within your body is the real you and that is eternal. The physical part of you is called the body of humiliation and that's temporal and the devil comes to us and deceives us and he says something like this you know you're just an animal that's all you are. You're just a bundle of bone and muscle and fiber and nerve tissue and blood cells that's all you are. God says don't be ridiculous what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul and God says you were made in my image and in my likeness. I stamped myself upon you you're eternal and when death comes that's not the end after death the judgment and therefore sometimes God has to bring a person right to the verge of eternity to make him think. Now friends can I share something with you? Let God speak to you through preaching not through adversity. He doesn't want to do that. He wants you tonight to hear the word of God and open your heart to the Savior but if you block your ears and shut the doors of your soul the only way he can get in sometimes is through adversity. Secondly it was a question of astonishment this man being a Roman centurion and obviously had heard the apostle Paul preaching and was infuriated with what he heard. You say how do you know that if he hadn't have heard the apostle he would never have said what must I do to be saved. Obviously he had some information to use that language but from the narrative you can see that the man was infuriated and when the magistrates handed the apostle and Silas over to the jailer you could almost see his eyes greedily looking at them saying just the two rascals that I wanted and he finds the worst prison the inner prison. Now the inner prison was the place where they kept murderers and before actually they were executed they died with bronchopneumonia in these places. The floor would be covered with two inches of mud. Rats would be there in their hundreds and some of these poor men lost their feet by these hungry people and here were these two men with their backs all bleeding for they had been scourged and he says to his soldiers throw them in and you can hear the splash of mud as they're thrown in. Now he says make their feet fast in the stocks then he says slam the door and he says that's the end of their Christianity and friends it was just the beginning. At midnight man's lowest point they reached their highest pitch spiritually and Paul must have nudged Silas and said grand to be here isn't it brother. Shall we sing? Yes. What shall we sing? Here we suffer grief and pain in the other prisons they're just the same not a bit of it. They were singing praises to God at midnight they were singing some of the lovely psalms you see because they were suffering for Christ the spirit of glory was upon them. There they were worshipping and praising God with the rats all around them their feet bleeding their bodies wrecked with pain and there they were praising God. No wonder there was an earthquake. The Bible says if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything he shall ask it shall be done and those men were praying for the prisoners and I'm sure they were praying for the jailer. Now let's look at the jailer he feels the bedroom rocking he thinks that he's in a very vivid dream and he pinches himself he comes out of a deep slumber and he says no this is not a dream something's happening. He finds that the bed is rocking like a ship on an angry sea he gets out of bed all awkwardly he looks through the lattice and he can't believe it. All his prisoners are liberated you see the earthquake so shook the prison bolts were pulled out of the wall chains that were on their feet were all released and all these prisoners were liberated. Now you see the difference with a man that's not a Christian he doesn't start praising Caesar he takes out his sword and he's going to kill himself and Saul sees him or Paul sees him. Now what would a natural man say that's just what you deserve you put us in prison and you had no right to do it and remember I'm a Roman citizen now stick it in deep not a bit of it he turned to that man with a loud voice and said do thyself no harm old fellow we're all here you see the wonder of it Paul had such an influence on those prisoners that when they could escape they wouldn't it was his influence on them they were all still there and turning to that man he said look don't plunge yourself into eternity don't throw yourself into hell do yourself no harm we're all here dear friends I've seen scores of people in Sydney doing that they are preserving their body but they're stabbing their souls living for the body living for pleasure living for business living for knowledge living for the car living for the boat living for everything but their eternal soul thrown away what would you think of your beloved if you gave your beloved a beautiful engagement ring in a well padded box and she threw away the ring and she kept the box you would be disgusted and there are thousands of people that keep the old box the body but the soul the ring they throw it away and I want to say to you like the apostle tonight with all my heart do yourself no harm you've got to face eternity if you die without Christ you will be lost this is not medieval scare language this is the teaching of the bible he that believes on the sun has light he that believes not the sun shall not see light but the wrath of God abides on him and we want to say to you tonight do yourself no harm get your soul saved and then the man started to calculate and he thought very carefully and he said supposing I had plunged the tip into the vital place of my heart where would I be and it dawned upon him like thunder coming into his mind oh I would be in a lost eternity and that word rang in his soul listen eternity eternity infinite eternity and he didn't say what must I do to be religious what must I do to be good what must I do to turn over a new leaf notice what he said trembling all over what must I do to be saved what must what vitality you know dear friends if we are going to live we must drink water that's a must if we are going to live we must eat food that's a must if we are going to live we must have a certain amount of exercise that's a must if we are going to live we must learn to breathe properly that's a must but here's a greater must if you're going to heaven you must be saved you know there's only one thing in life that's vital and that is you get saved and this is what the scripture says how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation what must now think of the individuality what must I do he wasn't now thinking of his family he wasn't even thinking of those prisoners God had put a ring right around him and God was pointing right at him he had seen his soul almost on the verge of the abyss of hell and as he looked into that yawning infinite mess he said what must I do friends put a ring around your soul tonight just draw it around yourself and say what must I do you see every one of us is going to give an account of himself to God and it is vital that we have this personal commitment with him before we die and here's your opportunity then what did he say what must I do to be saved what did he mean what must I do to be saved from this earthquake he was already saved from that what must I do to be saved from the powers of the Roman authorities he was already saved from that Paul says we're all here but what did he mean he had seen into the infinite yawning abyss of darkness he had seen that hell was a reality he knew he was only a second from it he wasn't so much worried about death it was after death and he turns and he says Paul I'm a sinner I need to be saved from sin I need to be saved from its consequences eternal death what must I do to be saved do you know sometimes I do wish that God would give us a peep into hell everyone would be crying for mercy every one of us and this man didn't say it politely right from the depth of his heart he cried out what must I do to be saved and Paul had the answer like a flash he said believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and I have believe that's the principle of salvation he didn't say work he didn't say try and improve yourself try and stop blasphemy give up your drinking he didn't say that he says look there's only one way of escape believe and what does that mean just nodding at Jesus saying I believe that you came I believe that you died I believe that he lived oh no no no much more than that when you pass your doctor's surgery you see the plaque outside and you see all his degrees and you believe him but in order to get help you've got to do more than that if you go and see your doctor and he carries out a thorough examination because you're not feeling well and then he sends you to hospital for some deep x-raying and then the pictures come back the x-rays all come back and they're carefully examining he will quietly say this you urgently need an operation what are my chances 50 50 will you have the operation and you look at that man and you say right I've got absolute confidence in him I'm gonna trust him and you are rendered totally unconscious so that you can't lift an arm you can't do a thing and you put yourself completely in the hands of a surgeon that can sometimes make a mistake but you give yourself unreservedly to him and he removes the growth and will imagine it's a wonderful cure and you go back and you say sir you saved my life and he will say well I couldn't save your life until you trusted me now that's it it's coming to the Lord Jesus and not nodding your head at him but coming to him and implicitly and absolutely trusting him to forgive and to save your soul you can't do that only he can do that and you put yourself completely into his hands and he'll do it believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved but now notice the object of salvation he didn't say believe in Jesus but notice what he says believe on or in the Lord Jesus Christ now we are take that word Christ what does it mean God sent one God's anointed one there was only one man that he could send into this world to save sinners that was his son that's why he was sent the father sent the son to be the savior of the world and when God sent him the Christ then he anointed him and there was only one person that the Lord ever really anointed himself all the kings all the priests were anointed by men there was only one lovely man that the Lord anointed and that was his son the Lord Jesus and when he was baptized by John the Holy Spirit came upon him like a dove and God said this is my beloved son in whom I find all my delight and he was anointed with the power of the Holy Spirit because he was the Christ sent and anointed Jesus what does that mean Jehovah the Savior and he became Jehovah the Savior not by his coming or by his miracles he became Jehovah the Savior when he hung on a Roman gibbet and died for our sins and bore them in his own body on the tree and if I want to see Jehovah saving when I listen to that great cry that fell from his lips my God my God why hast thou forsaken me then I say he was wounded for my transgressions and bruised for my iniquities when I hear him saying triumphantly it is finished then I know that he completed the work and when I see that God has raised him from the dead then I know that he's a living Savior that can save fully and completely all that come unto God by him but Paul says he's not only Christ he's not only Jesus he's the Lord it was a wonderful moment when he went back to heaven when God said to his son sit thou on my right hand until I make all thine enemies thy footstool the scripture says at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father and therefore in scripture there's a twofold lordship there's the lordship of self and sin and behind that the power of Satan and there's the lovely lordship of Jesus and I can say this to you all I have seen sin smashing the lives of thousands I've never seen Jesus spoiling a life not one and therefore when you become a real New Testament Christian you make Jesus your Savior and you make him your Lord you believe right into the Lord Jesus Christ so the object of salvation but then it's a personal salvation now note what he said what must I do you see he was concerned with his own soul and rightly so he has a personal need you can see it there's the man trembling with this suicidal sword in his hand what must I do and Paul sees a man with a personal need and now he's going to introduce him to a personal Savior and he says believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and now that man with the sword that man that threw us in prison that man that's been brought to the brink of eternity believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you you children shall be saved do you know I believe the Lord's pointing I believe there's someone here that the Lord's pointing at right now you've got a need you need to be saved and the Lord Jesus is coming to you as a personal Savior and he wants to save you tonight believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved but then look at the assurance of salvation he doesn't say believe on the Lord Jesus and you might be saved he doesn't say believe on the Lord Jesus and hope to be saved he says believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved wouldn't it be terrible if we couldn't be sure think of the issues at stake we live in our bodies for about five seconds in comparison with eternity we come in by birth we go through our pilgrimage and that's called life we go out in death and it's all over in five seconds I'm in my 66th year it's gone like a flash in fact I don't know where it's gone just can't believe and in a few more years that will be my three score and ten and if the Lord doesn't come I shall be going home shortly after that I believe when our work's finished we don't want to hang around here we want to go to heaven it's a lovely place but oh dear friends look at this man he wanted to be saved and quite frankly if the Lord keeps us in doubt about eternity then it's full of unkind what a terrible thing when you're breathing your last thinking have I got in do you think I'm ready am I good enough have I gone to church enough times to make it have I passed my spiritual examination oh dear friends that would be agonizing it's not like that at all you see God in his great love and mercy has made salvation so clear and plain that you can be saved now and know it believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved you say well how do you get the assurance trust in Christ and his word and this is what his word says and I love the scripture it's the only one that's mentioned three times in scripture in all its completeness Joel 2 Acts 2 Romans 10 and this is the word whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved and that meant if someone switched from the preacher now and bowed his head and said right from the depth of his heart Lord save me now at this moment he would do it if you meant it and trust it that's what the word of God says and the reason why I know I'm saved is not because I feel it not because I've been baptized by a merchant or I take the bread and the wine or anything like that I know I'm saved because God's word says it and therefore my trust is twofold it's in Christ and Christ alone and in his word and when I stand before him I shall be able to say Lord the word says whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved and can he go against his word of costa it's on his word says the psalmist about his name but then look at the evidence of salvation now I know this may appear to be a contradiction but I must say this I do not believe a person can claim to be saved if his life doesn't show it one man came to me recently and he looked smelly and dirty and filthy he says I'm saved and I could smell him of drink I said I don't believe it ah he says because I haven't got a nice suit like you you don't think I'm being I've been saved I said it's not your suits it's your fruits and I said if you were saved you wouldn't look like that you see when this man got saved I want you to note how practical it was first of all I want you to note his respect he called Paul and Silas sirs and I'm sure of this no Roman centurion would ever call a couple of prisoners sirs the moment he got saved he must have thought my they're gentlemen from heaven and called them sirs usually according to custom they swore at them but he called these two men sirs then I want you to note they speak to him the word of God in other words before he was saved if Paul started to preach the gospel he would have equipped them but now the man saved they speak the word of God and he has a hunger for the word of God he wants to listen to it and the moment you get saved you will hunger for the word of God if you haven't got a hunger it's a sure sign you're not saved Paul said his newborn babes or Peter desire the sincere milk of the word that you might grow thereby then I want you to note the complete change of life he brings them into his house a thing a Roman centurion would never do and he started to wash their stripes in other words he was saying I'm so sorry about this Paul we shouldn't have done this would you forgive me I'm sorry I put you in that awful prison I'm going to wash your stripes you see a complete change in his life you know dear friends you can live the life of a saint in your home in the hall but you can be a sinner at work no salvation in that this man took them out of prison and wash their stripes then you see his obedience as Paul preached the word of God to him he told him about baptism all those that believe on the Lord Jesus should be baptized and you can almost imagine Paul saying first of all you're plunged right down into water so that not one part of your anatomy is seen and that speaks that you have died in Christ and you've died to the old way of life hmm and then you go right underwater as a symbol that that old way of life is buried that's the finality of that kind of living and then we're going to bring you up out of the water to show that you're connected with a new master and the world that you've been living you will live for it no longer and you will live for Christ and walk in newness of life are you willing to be baptized he says I am and in front of all his men he goes down into the water and the two men that he put in prison they baptized him and you can almost hear them saying justice are you a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ I am and everyone's watching are you willing publicly to confess Jesus Christ to be your Lord Savior and God I am right do it now Jesus Christ is my own personal Savior my God my Sovereign Lord upon this confession of faith I now baptize you in the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost and under the water he went six foot two of him and there was a splash and little Paul baptized him they're all watching that's the end of his old life he's finished with it and under he goes it's buried and he brings him up to walk in newness of life and when he comes up from the water he didn't say my I'm in trouble now with Caesar I've got some problems to face not a bit of it when he came up out of the water he was rejoicing praising worshipping God oh he says I'm so glad to be finished with that old life I'm glad to be linked with a new Savior he says come and have a lovely meal and he opened his home and you know he must have given them the best meal that was possible isn't that lovely sets before them a beautiful meal and I want you to note this he took a step of faith and trusted Christ as his Savior now he's going to live the life of faith believing in God with all his heart isn't that wonderful you see being saved isn't just signing a form or coming to the front or seeing the preacher it's a living vital contact with the Lord Jesus and it's throwing yourself at him saying Lord I can't save myself but I'm going to trust you to save my soul from hell and from sin and then I'm going on trusting you to make me holy through your blood a life of faith but you know it was a household salvation oh you say brother Peter do you believe in that of course I do what household salvation oh yes oh I didn't think you believed that of course I do I believe that Lydia and her house was saved and I believe that this man and his house were all saved but I don't believe in household baptism oh that's the lie of the devil we don't believe in that I do trust that if there's some here who are Christians and you've not been baptized in the biblical way you'll get baptized because you're going to meet a baptized savior what will he say to you if you've not been baptized as a believer expressing your death burial and resurrection but this man believed and all his house no let me give you a case in point the first one in our family to get saved was my sister Nellie came home from school said to my mother that she'd been converted and my mother didn't know what the word was and said you were always a Christian I had you all christened as children so you were a Christian Nellie oh no she says mommy that's not it I've received Christ as my savior well she went to see her sister my aunt Ada and she told her a big story that this conversion business was very serious and that Nellie was on the verge of a very serious mental breakdown oh she said what shall I do she said give her a shock you see in those days they believed in shock treatment she said what kind of shock treatment cut her hair now in those days it was a disgrace for a girl to have short hair so mother called her over and said this conversion business is very serious Nellie you're on the verge dear of a mental breakdown and you're worrying me and I've got to give you a very big shock I'm going to cut your hair oh she said don't do that mother come here she says and off came her hair and she watched her she wouldn't let her go to any service but my sister Nellie never compromised never budged oh I do thank God for that girl and after about a year mother could see that Nellie's top story was in good shape but there was a real change in her life and Nellie worked on her sister Lillian and after about 18 months Lillian got saved but she said don't tell mum you get your hair cut and those two girls started to pray for mother and did they pray for mother mother wanted them to go to the theater with them they didn't have pictures but the girls wouldn't go and she was still a bit worried wouldn't go in for the pleasures of their parents absolutely faithful to the word of God and then the girls praying for mother got her to come to one meeting like this and when mother heard the gospel she was infuriated she said to Nellie never you ask me to go and hear a message like that again but she couldn't get it out of her mind and for six months she heard that message over and over and over and over again as it was preached by the holy ghost and she came home one day and by her bed she knelt down and asked the Lord to save her and that was mother saved and then my father thought that there was something wrong with her top story he begged her to go to the doctor but she wouldn't go you see she didn't want the things of the world she gave them up the dancing and the theater and the drink all went and then mother worked upon her four sons or five sons and one by one with the exception of one and we're not quite sure about him we all trusted Christ and I can hear now the prayers of my dear mother thank God for a praying mother when a mother starts praying for her children things happen mother if you're a Christian don't bother so much about their clothes or their job or their partners pray of course but make sure you pray Christ into them that's the vital thing Christ being formed in your children well the only one that was out now was poor dad and he wrestled and fought told us that we were all believing in rubbish but he went to one meeting and God spoke to him but he did nothing about it and then God spoke to my father through adversity he had a breast ulcer he wouldn't go and see a doctor and quite frankly he was bleeding to death and I was called home and then I said to my dad how does pantheism stand up when you're like this he said everything is blown to pieces I said not Christianity death is the gateway to glory dad ah he says I'm too old to change now I can't give the Lord the feg end of my life that was an old cockney expression well I said dad you won't give him the feg end of your life he'll have you for eternity the malefactor on the cross in the last moments of his life said Lord remember me when you come into your kingdom and he was saved he said well how can a man be saved and you know when I heard that I knew my father was right near to conversion and I read him that verse whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved he said prop me up and I did and there was silence and then in a loud clear voice he said Lord would you save an old sinner like me and the Lord saved him and I went and told my beloved mother as she was sitting by a fire dad has trusted the Lord and she fell on her knees and wept and said that's 30 years of prayer answered we had a family wedding only two years ago and there were nearly 64 Brandons present four generations all saved because one girl brought Christ into the family believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house who's going to take Christ home tonight who's going to bring Christ into the family is there someone tonight like the Philippian jailer you're going to trust Christ to save you then do it now