There Is No Catch!
Introduction:
A. How would you like to never have to:
1. Work again?
2. Be sick again?
3. Get old?
4. Die?
5. Struggle financially anymore?
B. What's the catch?
1. There is no catch!
2. That is basically what God is offering each and everyone of us.
C. God is offering us....
1. A rest that remains - Hebrews 4;9.
2. Freedom from sickness, and getting old - I Corinthians 15:51-54.
3. The opportunity to escape death - Revelation 21:4.
4. And, the riches of heaven.
D. But, what must we do to receive all these things?
1. Whatever God would ask would be a bargain!
2. But, He does not ask all that much.
We can look in the book of Acts and see what He required of those
in the first century, and know what He requires of us now, for His
requirements have not changed.
I. 3,000 on the day of Pentecost.
A. They asked what they must do, and Peter told them 37-38.
1. If there was nothing for them to do, or could do, he
would have told them so.
a. Many people today say you do not have to do anything,
or even cannot do anything to be saved, and receive all
the blessings we are talking about.
b. They say you are saved by grace, and if you do anything
you are no longer saved by grace.
c. But, they were not told that.
2. Peter told them to repent and be baptized.
a. Repent = change of heart, and change of action.
b. Baptized = immersion, plunge, dip, bury.
B. They were told if they did this they would receive remission
of their sins.
1. Remission.
a. Release from bondage (Thayer).
b. Forgive, pardon (Moulton ).
c. Cancellation of guilt (Arndt and Gingrich).
2. They that gladly received his word were baptized (41).
a. They did what they were told to do, and because of they
did they received the remission of their sins.
b. They received it gladly because they realized what God
was offering them.
II. Samaritans.
A. Philip preached Christ unto them (Acts 8:5-8).
1. Christ.
a. The annointed one.
b. The one prophesied about in the O.T.
c. The one God sent to save mankind - Luke 2:25-30.
d. Jesus.
2. Philip preached unto them Christ.
a. He told them that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of
God.
b. He told them about how Jesus died on the cross for
their sins, but God raised Him from the grave.
B. And, the people...
1. Were full of joy (8).
a. They listened to what Philip had to say (6).
b. They had heard the greatest message ever delivered.
c. Philip had revealed to them the depths of God's love,
for He sent His Son to die for them.
2. They acted upon this message (12).
a. They believed.
b. They were baptized.
III. Eunuch.
A. Consider what kind of a man he was (Acts 8:27-28).
1. This man was...
a. Religious - he had come to Jerusalem to worship.
b. Trustworthy - he had the charge over all her treasure.
c. Zealous - he had come to Jerusalem (1,000 miles).
d. Studious - he was reading from Isaiah.
2. Many people might say that this man was surely destined
to go to heaven, for he was a good man, but actually....
a. He was guilty of sin, for we all are - Romans 3:23.
b. And, the wages of his sins were death - Romans 6:23.
B. Without the blood of Christ, this man, just like all of us,
would face the wrath of God, and would not receive any of
the blessings we mentioned earlier.
1. We see what he did to recieve these blessings (35-39).
a. Believed.
b. Confessed.
c. Baptized.
2. And, he went on his way rejoicing.
a. He had everything to rejoice about.
b. He now had the hope of:
1) The rest that remains.
2) A life, after this life, free from sickness, and death.
3) Never growing old.
4) All the riches of heaven.
Conclusion:
A. There are other examples we could look at in the book of Acts:
1. Saul, who was told to arise, be baptized, and wash away his sin.
2. Cornelius believed, and was baptized.
3. Philippian jailor believed, and was baptized.
4. Lydia was baptized.
B. But, when we look at what these people did, we know what we
must do, for we must do the same thing.
1. Believe - Mark 16:16.
2. Repent - Acts 2:38.
3. Confess - Romans 10:10.
4. Baptized - Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; I Peter 3:21.
C. If you know what you need to do, why not do it right now?
1. You may not get another chance.
2. The Lord could return at any time, or your life could end at any time.
3. To wait to long is to lose everything.