The Book of Acts: Message Fourteen
By Dr. Michael
Guido, D.D.
In a quaint
section of Ireland, there's a ruin bearing the name
of Repentance Tower. A traveler asked his guide,
"Do you know the way to heaven?" "Yes,
sir," answered the young man. "You go
around by that tower." Acts 2:38 gives us that
same information. Let's turn to it and get a glimpse
of the first converts.
Mark the
contrition. When Peter preached on the Day of
Pentecost it wasn't to amuse but to alarm, not to
caress but to convict, not to entertain but to
excite, not to soothe but to sting. So it's written
in Acts 2:37, "When they heard this, they were
pricked in their heart." Now the word
"pricked" means to pierce with a sharp
instrument and to penetrate with pain. In this case
it means they were suddenly afflicted with alarm and
agony. Why? Because of their wickedness, and as a
result of their wickedness, they feared the wrath of
God. It was then that they cried, "What shall we
do?"
Mark the
change. Peter said, "Repent." That means to
change your mind concerning sin and the Savior. It
means to turn from your sin to the Savior. He was
convicted over his sins, and to him Gypsy Smith said,
"You must turn from your sin and receive the
Savior." Just then a man came up and asked,
"Will you let me talk with him?"
"Yes," answered the evangelist. So the man
said, "I want you to read John 3:16, 'For God so
loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life.' Do you believe
that?" "I do." Then the newcomer read
Romans 10:9 and 10, "If thou shalt confess with
thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thy
heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou
shalt be saved." "Do you believe
that?" "I do," he confessed.
"Then you're a Christian," said the
counselor. "No, I'm not," he answered.
"The Bible says, 'Let the wicked forsake his
way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let
him return unto the Lord.' Now I'm that wicked man,
and I have to forsake my sin and my wicked thoughts.
In my heart is a sin. I'm hugging it, and I'm not
willing to give it up. My own common sense tells me I
can't be saved until I surrender." To repent,
therefore, means to acknowledge your sins, to abhor
yourself, to abandon your sins, and to accept the
Savior. Have you really repented?
Mark the
confession. Peter said, "Repent, and be baptized
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the
remission of sins." This doesn't mean that water
baptism will save a sinner. It does mean that if
you're saved, you'll confess the Savior by being
baptized. Baptism is an outward thing. Salvation is
an inward thing. The original renders this verse,
"Repent and be baptized because of the remission
of sins." Oftentimes the word "for" is
used to mean "because of." We say that
"he wept for joy," when we really mean that
"he wept because of joy." So we can say
that the people were exhorted to be baptized as a
sign that they repented and had received the
remission of sin.
Mark the
cleansing. Peter spoke about "the remission of
sins." If there's no repentance there's no
removal of retribution. For the Bible says,
"Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise
perish." If there's no repentance, there's no
remission of sins. The Bible says, "Repent, and
be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus
Christ for the remission of sins." There's no
sin too wrong to be remitted, too brutal to be
blotted out, too foul to be forgiven, too corrupt to
be cleansed. Thank God, the "blood of Jesus
Christ cleanses us from all sin." As soon as you
repent of your sins, your sins will be remitted. A
Royal Prince on a visit to France was being shown
through the state prison where many criminals were
confined for terrible offences. The governor gave the
Prince the power to give a prisoner his freedom in
honor of his visit. He went from one prisoner to
another, questioning each one. Some said they were
falsely accused, and others said they were wrongly
judged. But there was one grey-haired man who
acknowledged his sin, and who admitted that he got
just what he deserved. Laying his hand on his head,
the Prince said, "You are forgiven. You are
pardoned." And he, the worst man there,
according to his own confession, was set free. God
saves the "chief of sinners." Has He saved
you? Won't you let Him save you now?
copyright 2000 Guido Evangelistic
Association
All Scripture verses are
quoted from the New King James Version..
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the book of Acts.
This series of messages on the
books of the Bible were originally written for
broadcast on Dr. Guido's radio program, "The
Sower." They are collected and reprinted here
for your enjoyment and spiritual edification.
