CALLING ON THE NAME OF THE LORD

     Welcome to "What Saith the Scriptures." A program designed to
lead to a better understanding of the Word of God. Shouldn't this be
the desire of all spiritually minded people. Paul told Timothy to,
"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not
to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15).
To this end we set our heart.
     I introduce our subject this morning by reminding each one that
the prophecies of the Old Testament and their application to us are
of unlimited value today. It has been correctly said, "The Old
Testament is the New Testament concealed; the New Testament is the
Old Testament revealed."  By that we simply mean that the New
Testament explains the Old Testament prophets in their fulfillments.
One of the most important prophecies is found in Joel 2:28-32, "And
it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon
all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old
men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also
upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour
out my Spirit. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the
earth: blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be
turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and
terrible day of Jehovah cometh. And it shall come to pass, that
whosoever shall call upon the name of Jehovah shall be delivered;
for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those that escape,
as Jehovah hath said, and among the remnant those whom Jehovah doth
call."  Centuries later, Peter stood before a multitude of people on
the day of Pentecost and said, "This is that which hath been spoken
through the prophet Joel" (Acts 2:16). He then makes a direct
quotation of Joel 2:28-32. So we are not left to guess what Joel was
speaking about. Peter said it was the event that was then taking
place. What we understand about Joel must be understood in view of
the things that were happening at that moment in time.
     Both Joel and Peter, in his quotation of Joel, speaks of the
salvation from sin that is being offered to mankind. The events of
that day, the pouring out of the Spirit upon the apostles, their
ability to speak in languages which they had never studied, the
sound of a great rushing wind, all of these things to inaugurate
this new system, to introduce the gospel to man, to give man the
opportunity to be forgiven from past sins, with the hope of eternity
in the presence of Jehovah, all of these now taking place. It should
be the desire of everyone, each of you in our listening audience, as
well as your neighbors and friends, to experience the forgiveness of
sins and to enjoy the expectation of one day being ushered into the
very presence of the Father.
     But, you will note, this passage shows that human desire must
be present. Jehovah does not wish that any should perish (2 Peter
3:9), but it is clearly stated that ONLY THOSE WHO CALL UPON THE
LORD SHALL BE SAVED. You will notice that the term "whosoever" is
used. That includes all people, you and me, and everyone else. God
has offered salvation to all. Hebrews 2:9 states that Christ tasted
death for all men, that's everyone. In John 3:16, we have the
statement that God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten
son, that whosoever believeth on Him shall be saved. These passages
make it very clear that the old Calvinistic doctrine of
predestination and foreordination is not founded upon the truth of
the Word of God.  God did not chose certain ones to be saved and
certain ones to be lost before this world began. If that be so, then
God is a respecter of persons, yet, Peter states that such is not
the case.  (Acts 10:34).  The passages we are looking at, Joel 2:28
and Acts 2:16, likewise make it clear that "whosoever calls shall be
saved."
     But, what does it mean to "call upon the Lord"? There is a lot
of misunderstanding as to how that might be done. Some seem to think
that all one has to do is to cry out the name of the Lord in a loud
voice. Just address the Lord by shouts and noise. And the louder you
are the more apt you are to be heard. The old concept of the
mourners bench came into existence with this misunderstanding. The
sinner was told to "cry loud to the Lord, and he will hear you." If
one but stops and thinks for a moment, this in reality is a
contradiction. God is willing to save you, but you must cry out to
him to save you. You see, that just does not make good sense. So, we
can see, that to "call upon the name of the Lord," does not mean
merely to call out His name. It is more than simply speaking the
name of the Lord.
     "Calling on the name of the Lord" is more than merely praying
for salvation. In Matthew 7:21, Jesus states, "Not everyone that
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;
but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven." Surely
one saying, Lord, Lord, is addressing the Lord. But Jesus said not
all who so address Him shall enter into the Kingdom.  Not all who
pray are saved and I shall enlarge upon this thought a little later
in our study. But, just here, Joel and Peter are requiring more than
prayer. I am not seeking to detract from prayer, but only to show
that the phrase "Calling on the name of the Lord," is not simply
prayer.
     Note verse 32 of Joel once again, "whosoever shall call" and
"those whom Jehovah doth call." There is not only a calling upon
God, but there is also a calling from God. In acts 2:39, as Peter is
concluding his sermon, he states, "For to you is the promise, and to
your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the
Lord our God shall call unto him." How is this call from God
manifested unto man? Reading from 2 Thessalonians 2:14, "whereunto
he called you through our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of
our Lord Jesus Christ." Paul states that men and women are called by
God through the gospel, which is God's power to save, Romans 1:16.
Isn't it nice how all of God's word just fits into place. Reading
now from Romans 10:11-14, "For the scripture saith, Whosoever
believeth on him shall not be put to shame. For there is no
distinction between Jew and Greek: for the same Lord is Lord of all,
and is rich unto all that call upon him: for Whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call
on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in
him whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a
preacher? and how shall they preach, except they be sent? even as it
is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad
tidings of good things!" Thus, only those who have heard the gospel
may call upon the name of the Lord. Did you not notice again, that
everyone must call?  But what is involved in this calling?
     To call upon the name of the Lord is more than believing. Did
you not hear the inspired writer as he said, "How then shall they
call on him in whom they have not believed?" Calling is one thing;
believing is another thing. They are not the same. One cannot call
until one has believed. Belief is necessary before one may call.
     That makes another point crystal clear. One is not saved from
sins the moment he or she believes in Christ as the Son of God. If
so, then one is saved without calling of the name of the Lord. If a
person is saved the instant that one believes on Christ, then Paul's
statement in Romans 10:14 would be made void and useless.
     So, if calling upon the name of the Lord means more than just
saying the name of Christ; if it means more than simply praying; if
it means more than only believing; what does it mean to call upon
the name of the Lord? One may pray, one may believe, yet not call on
the name of the Lord.
     To answer the question, I now turn to the conversion of the old
persecutor, Saul of Tarsus. Saul, now called Paul, recalls his
conversion in Acts, chapter 22.  He was intent upon persecuting
Christians, putting them into prison, killing them if possible.
While on a journey to Damascus for that purpose, the Lord appeared
unto him, saying, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" (verse 7).
Saul asked the question, "What shall I do, Lord?" (verse 10). The
answer given was, "Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall
be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do."
(verse 10). Saul shows his faith (or belief) as he arises and goes
into the city to wait for further instructions.  In Acts 9, we learn
that Saul spent three days and nights praying, (Acts 9:9). Again,
you will note that prayer did not save him. After three days of
praying and fasting, Saul was still in his sins. Here is a man who
believes, who prays, yet is not saved. He has yet to call upon the
name of the Lord.
     To this believer who had been praying for three days, the
preacher Ananias came and spoke, "And now why tarriest thou? arise,
and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling of his name." (Acts
22:16).  Ananias told Saul how to call upon the name of the Lord.
Calling upon the name of the Lord means that one has heeded the
instructions of the Lord and obeyed His commandments. To call upon
the name of the Lord means that one is in a right relationship with
the Lord and can address Him as a child of God.
     There was one thing which Saul had not done as Ananias
approached him. Saul had not be baptized for the remission of his
sins. And from the study of other scriptures, we learn that all are
commanded to be baptized for the remission of sins. Acts 2:38,
reads, "Repent and be baptized, everyone of you in the name of Jesus
Christ, for the remission of your sins." Saul of Tarsus needed to do
that. Jesus had given the great commission with these words, "Go
into all the world and preach the gospel, He that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved" (Mark 15:15-16). Saul of Tarsus needed to
do that. Once again, all of God's Word fits together in perfect
harmony, if we just put each piece in its place.
     So, we have answered our question. How does one call upon the
name of the Lord? By believing and obeying the commandments of the
Lord. Remember, Jesus said, "Not everyone that saith unto me Lord,
Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that DOETH the
will of my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21).
     Although Faith is essential to the salvation of the soul, it
takes more than faith to please God. It takes an obedient faith, one
that will ask, "Lord, what would you have me do?" Although prayer is
an essential ingredient for God's Children, prayer will not make one
the child of God.
     To call upon the name of the Lord does not mean simply to
verbalize His name; to say the name of Christ, although one must
confess the name of Christ; for did not Paul say, "With the mouth
confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10:10). But, just simply
saying His name over and over, is not calling on the name of the
Lord. To call upon the name of the Lord means that one has responded
to the commands of the Lord and rendered obedience to them. Those
who are thus saved have the exalted privilege of "Calling upon the
name of the Lord." They have become the child of God by their
obedience. My friend in this radio audience, if you have not obeyed
the commands of Christ Jesus, you cannot call upon His name; and if
you cannot call, you are not saved from sins.

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