Lordy Lordy Look Who's Lordy

LORDY LORDY LOOK WHO’S LORDY

ACTS 2:36-41, 1 CORINTHIANS 8:4-6

INTRODUCTION... Our Daily Bread, July 31 1992 [sharing an article]

In 1991 a Gallup poll showed that 78 percent of Americans expect to go to heaven when they die. However, many of them hardly ever pray, read the Bible, or attend church. They admit that they live to please themselves instead of God. I wonder why these people would want to go to heaven. In an article title, “Are We Ready for Heaven?” Maurice R. Irwin points out that only 34 percent of the American people who call themselves Christians attend church at least once a week.

In the article mentions that the people polled “admit they live to please themselves rather than God.” Do you think that is still true? I realize that this article was written in 1991, in another century, in another millennium even... do you think it is still true? Do we still live for ourselves rather than God?

READ ACTS 2:36-41

READ 1 CORINTHIANS 8:4-6

I would like to take a few minutes and dissect these verses from these two passages before I pull them all together into one thought. We’ll look first at the Acts passage and then we’ll move on to the 1 Corinthians passage.

I. ACTS 2:36-41 AND THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST (THEOLOGY)

VERSE 36

We find verses 36-41 in context of Peter’s very first sermon. He is preaching to the crowds at Pentecost. In verse 36, Peter makes a supremely important statement. He first of all states that all Israel, and all of us, can be assured about what he’s about to say. It is a Truth. It is a Fact. It is not a theory or a question, but something proved by the Holy Scriptures of God and attested to by His prophets. The statement is this: “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” As silly as this sounds, we need to go back to school for a moment and visit our English class. We need to remember our verb tenses: present, past, future. I want you to- look at this verb “has made” and tell me what tense it is in. We find that in the statement “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” that the Lordship and the Savior status of Jesus is already given. The authority has already been given. The moment that God made Jesus Lord and Christ was a past moment! Jesus being Lord is already a certainty and a reality because it has already happened.

What does that mean exactly? It meant for Peter’s listeners and for us that Jesus is Lord of All, whether we choose to acknowledge this or not. It means that Jesus was already extending the offer of salvation to Peter’s listeners.

VERSE 37

These people as they listened realized the implications of what Peter was saying. Jesus had been made Lord of All Creation and Savior of the human race by God. This was a done deal. And they were faced with a choice. Their question is appropriate: “Brothers, what shall we do?”

VERSE 38-39

In verses 38-39, Peter then offers the people listening the way to access and accept Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives. He states that they first must repent. Repenting is changing your way of life and admitting that we have sinned against God and went our own way. Repenting is the beginning of saying to God, I accept Your Son’s sacrifice for my sin. Peter also states that they should be “baptized.” We have to realize that Peter is saying to these people that they must submit to the will of God and take Him as Lord and Savior. This means doing things God’s way. Jesus showed us God’s way when He was baptized by John the Baptist. Peter also states that they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, the mark of those who take Jesus as Lord.

Verse 39 explains to us that the offer of salvation is for all people. The Promise of Salvation is offered to the children and the distant relatives of all those hearing the message. Peter states that the message of salvation is for “all whom the Lord God will call.” Since Jesus is Lord of all, He calls all people, but not everyone answers. All people have the opportunity and the offer of salvation given to them. They either accept it or reject it.

VERSES 40-41

Verses 40-41 share with us that those who accepted the message was about 3,000. I find it interesting that it is stated in that way. “Those who accepted.” I find it interesting that it does not say that “all who heard the message were baptized” or “all who heard Peter were baptized.” It does not say that. Some accepted the message and others rejected it. Some accepted Jesus as Lord and others rejected Him.