What shall we do?

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:37-39)

What shall we do? Those who listened to Peter's words -- that Jesus Christ had been killed and rose again, that His spirit, the spirit of the Living God, is dwelling in those who believe -- recognize they have a choice to make. Now that they've heard the Gospel, they could accept it or deny it. So they asked perhaps the most logical question that can be asked upon being confronted with the Truth: now what? What shall we do? 

Peter's response must have seemed, for those who heeded his words, too good to be true. That's it? It sounds so easy! Repent and be baptized and voila... we're right with God? Without even sacrificing a lamb or a young goat?

Now, we know, as did those who heard Peter's words, that repentance isn't as easy as it sounds. It's a daily -- even an hourly -- decision. But even then, as Peter tells them (and us), we don't need to rely on our own strength. Repent and be baptized, he says, and we will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. What a promise! Through Christ we can not only be forgiven our sins, but have the strength, in His power, to resist temptation!

That's the Gospel in a nutshell. And now the question remains: What shall we do with it?

Both Lord and Christ

 Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.
“For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself:

‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,

Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”’

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:33-36)

As Peter prepares to wrap up his first sermon, he again looks to David to confirm the identity of Jesus. Sitting at the right hand of God, Jesus is both Lord and Christ - the Anointed One. This passage from the Psalms (Psalm 110) is a recognition of the Messiah's sovereignty. It stands out as a reminder -- both to the Jews of Peter's day and the Christians of ours -- that God's chosen does things as He sees fit, whether those actions conform to our own ideas or not. 

Remember, Israelites longed for a political Savior to free them from the tyranny of Rome. In bringing up Psalm 110, Peter was letting them know -- perhaps reminding them -- that God is at work on a much grander scale. 

The passage serves to remind us, too, that though He is our personal savior, Jesus is so much more. He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother... but He is also King. He is the Christ, but He is also Lord. We who say we serve Christ would do well to remember that. This isn't simply a happy-go-lucky, skipping hand-in-hand friendship with Jesus. This Christianity is nothing less than service to the King of Kings.