Time for decision?

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied “Repent, and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins...’ Acts 2:37-38

“Don’t just stand there - do something!” Has anyone ever shouted that at you? 

It’s a totally normal day, and then some sudden emergency arises - a fire, someone taken ill, a child running into the road - and you are paralysed with indecision. You know something needs to be done, but you just can’t think what the best course of action is. Result? You dither, perhaps hoping that somebody else will come along and take charge. 

It’s no exaggeration to say that the crowd who listened to Simon Peter on the Day of Pentecost were in exactly that position. The sheer power of his words had “cut them to the heart” and convinced them that they were in a hopeless situation - rebels against God, and actually guilty of putting his Son to death.

Like someone who has at last faced up to a fatal disease, or a driver who suddenly realises his brakes have failed, they see their situation in a totally new light: putting it plainly, heading for destruction.

So they cry out those words of despair and helplessness, “What shall we do?” As if to say, we know we must do something, but... what?

How does Peter reply? Well, he gives them two commands, and then offers them two promises.

The first command is to “repent”.

 

The basic meaning of this quite theological-sounding word is actually very simple: turn around. Peter tells them that like a driver driving the wrong way on a motorway they are heading - disastrously - in the wrong direction. And if you are heading in the wrong direction, well, the obvious thing to do is to turn round. 

The people Peter is talking to have, in effect, rejected God, his truth and his light. This seemed fine while it lasted, but the day of reckoning is now upon them and it’s time for action.

And that’s how it is for us. Living without God may seem a pretty good idea for a while, but it can only be for so long. So Peter’s words are for everyone: stop! turn around! start again! now! before it’s too late!

Are you ready for a u-turn in your life?

The second command is to “be baptised”.

 

Baptism, being dunked in water, was, so to speak, the badge of membership of the people of God. It was the way you identified yourself with the infant church. Like a person taking a bath you were symbolically washed clean of your sins. Like a person laid to rest in the tomb and then raised up again, you were “born again” to a whole new life of purity, power and holiness.

Is it time you were born again?

Peter, then, is talking about the biggest turnaround you will ever experience in your lifetime. That, and nothing less.

But then he goes on to the two promises which, after this massive crisis of conversion, will mark you out for the rest of your life.

First, you will receive “the forgiveness of your sins”.

 

God is holy and will not compromise with sin; ultimately it must come under his judgment. But the good news is that God loves to forgive our sins; he is merciful and loving. And because we have humbled ourselves and put our trust in Jesus he treats our sins as if they were never committed. The cross has dealt with them.

Can you say with confidence today, Yes! My sins are forgiven?

Second, you will receive “the gift of the Holy Spirit”.

 

You might say, “All this sounds absolutely wonderful, but I’m sorry, I just don’t have what it takes to enable me to live this new God-centred life.” Well, no. And neither do I. And neither does anyone else. 

But the good news, again, is that you don’t need it - it is provided by God himself, in the person of the Holy Spirit.

You can describe the Holy Spirit in various ways, but a favourite way of mine is to say that he is the energy, the breath, the very life of God himself, breathed into our souls. It is the Spirit alone who enables us to be the new people God intends us to be. 

Put it like this: if baptism gets you going, the Spirit keeps you going.

All this is why the gospel is essentially “good news”, the best in fact that you will ever hear. But remember, the great change Peter is talking about starts with action, with a decision. The question those people asked on the Day of Pentecost is one we must ask too: What shall I do? 

Time to stop dithering?

Lord God, right here and now I turn my back on my life of sin and disobedience. I humbly and gladly accept the sacrifice Jesus made for me on the cross, and I claim the promise of sins forgiven and the power of the Holy Spirit. So help me to live this beautiful new life until the day I see Jesus face to face. Amen.