“Let all the house of
Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ,
this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this they were cut to the
heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we
do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the
name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the
gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and
for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And
with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying,
“Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word
were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls (Acts 2:36-41).
Peter concluded his sermon with a revelation
and an invitation. Inspired by the Holy Spirit that rested upon him, he
confidently revealed that Jesus is “both Lord and Christ”. The
name Jesus means the Lord who saves… “She will bear a son, and you shall
call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew
1:21). As the Christ, Jesus is the only one anointed by God to save our
souls. As Lord, Jesus is sovereign over every inch and moment of our lives. Peter
preached Jesus Christ the Lord, the sovereign, anointed Savior and such a
confrontation demands a response. Either we believe the truth revealed in His
name or we do not. As Peter preached this Pentecost sermon, many were “cut
to the heart” and they responded with a question… “what shall we
do?” Our hearts should be confronted by the same question every day. In
light of what we believe about Jesus Christ the Lord, what shall we do
today? Our lived-out answer to this question reveals what we truly believe in
our hearts about the name that cuts to the heart.
He is Jesus. Peter invited those whose
hearts were stirred by the name of Jesus to be baptized or immersed in that
name. This was a challenge to publicly declare full surrender of their lives to
Jesus, believing that He alone can forgive their sin. Not long after this
sermon, Peter would preach again, this time to Jewish leaders, and his message
would echo the same truth about the power of the name of Jesus to save souls… “There
is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given
among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Bearing the name of
Jesus confronts others with His gospel.
He is Christ. Peter called those whose
hearts were confronted by the name of Christ to be baptized or immersed in the
truth that He is God’s promised Messiah. All who are truly born-again confess
that Jesus is the Christ… “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ
has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been
born of him” (1 John 5:1). Living daily in the truth that Jesus is the
Christ is a continuous reflection of our confidence in the fulfillment of all
of God’s promises. Jesus fulfilled hundreds of prophecies about the Messiah,
many of which He would not naturally have control over, such as when and where
He would be born and how He would die and be raised again. Believing that Jesus
is the Christ affirms the faithfulness of God in all things… ‘For all the
promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we
utter our Amen to God for his glory” (2 Corinthians 1:20). Trusting in
the name of Christ reminds the world of the Father’s faithfulness.
He is Lord. Peter identified Jesus as
the one made Lord by God. This was an echo of the Father’s identification of
His Son as God… ‘But of the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever
and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom” (Hebrews
1:8). When we believe Jesus is Lord we acknowledge and surrender to His authority
and sovereignty over everything… “at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians
2:10-11), and we declare our dependence on Him for our salvation… “if
you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that
God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Submitting
to the lordship of Christ confronts others with the blessings and consequences
of His reign.
As we grow up into Christ, we become a better reflection of His name,
Jesus Christ the Lord…
The Name that Cuts to the Heart.
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