In Acts 2, on the day of Pentecost, Peter concluded his sermon by proclaiming that "God hath made this same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ" (v. 36). All who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ surely must admit that He is Lord! The Jews who gathered at Jerusalem on that occasion believed that Jesus was Lord and became followers of Him. But what does it mean to say "Jesus is Lord!"
First, the word "Lord" means "master, sovereign." The word then carries the idea of ruling with power and authority (Matthew 28:18). God demonstrated this power by fulfilling the prophecy of David in Psalm 16. God did not leave Jesus in hell or the hadean realm, but raised him up to sit on the throne of David (Acts 2:27-30). Therefore, Christ is Lord, sitting on the throne and ruling over His kingdom. So today, when people profess that Jesus is Lord, they are proclaiming that Jesus is on the throne, ruling and they are subject to His rule and authority. And, whether men profess this or not does not change the fact that Jesus is Lord.
The obvious question now is, "If followers of Christ claim Jesus as Lord, then why are there so many different beliefs among His followers?" The fact is there should not be. Jesus once asked, "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46). The point Jesus was making is that to be a follower of His means more than just calling Him Lord. In order to serve Jesus acceptably as your Lord means doing what he says (Luke 6:47; cf. Matthew 6:21-23). Recognizing Jesus as Lord, we must give our lives wholeheartedly to Him, presenting ourselves to Him as a living sacrifice, and doing the things He has said.
Looking back to Acts 2, we see these Jews that Peter had convinced that Jesus is Lord and Christ, asked the question "what shall we do?" They understood that since Jesus was Lord they must submit to His will to be pleasing to God. Serving God as a Jew was no longer acceptable. It could not be that they were going the same way, but just on different roads. Why? Because Jesus is the Lord and the only way to be pleasing to God is to do His will.
Now, each one of us must asked ourselves the question, "Is Jesus My Lord?" The answer will be determined by what you and I do, just as it was in Acts 2. Let us all determine that we will confess Jesus as Lord and follow Him in His example and obey Him in all things. Let there be no misunderstanding that Jesus is Lord. We will all confess it one day (Philippians 2:9-11). Let's confess it and do His will now on this side of eternity.
~In Gospel Power, Anderson, Alabama, 1/31/99.