CALLING ON THE NAME OF THE LORD
INTRODUCTION
A. (Gen.4:26) There is some disagreement among Bible scholars as to the meaning of the phrase “Then men began to call on the name of the LORD.”
a. called by the name of the LORD - distinguished from the children of men
(Cen.6:1 “sons of God” & “daughters of men”)
b. called in the sense of worshipping & serving the LORD
B. Down through the ages the righteous have been described as those who “call on the name of the LORD.”
a. Abraham (Gen.21:33)
b. Moses, Aaron, & Samuel (Psa.99:6)
c. David (lChron.21:26)
d. Christians (lCor.1:2; Ac.9.14; 2Tim.2:22)
C There is one passage in particular containing the phrase “calls on the name of the LORD,” that I want us to consider. It is (Joel 2:32).
I. THE NEW TESTAMENT IN AN OLD TESTAMENT PASSAGE
A. Like many other OT passages, Joel 2:32 is averse in the OT that is the NT concealed.
B. Joel 2:32 was a prophecy made sometime around 837 B.C & was initially fulfilled around A.D. 30 (Ac.2:14-21).
C. Thus, Joel foretells the time when men would call upon the name of the LORD during the Christian dispensation.
II. THE MEANING OF JOEL 2:32
A. A careful examination of the passage reveals the following:
a. people should & can “call on the name of the LORD”
a. anyone can call - “Whoever”
b. broad application & not just to the Jews
b. calling on the name of the LORD implies 2 things a. a need (you don’t call unless there is a need) b. grace - (God allows men to call even though we are undeserving)
c. calling on the name of the LORD results in salvation
a. from the penalty of breaking God’s law
b. the penalty of breaking God’s law is death (EziS:20; Rom.6:23)
B. In view of the meaning of Joel 2:32, why would anyone not want to call on the name of the LORD?
A. Though Joel tells us that anyone can call on the name of the LORD & be saved, yet, he doesn’t tell us how to call on the name of the LORD.
B. Most denominational preachers tell people calling on the name of the LORD means saying the “sinner’s prayers.”
a. many popular TV preachers have told thousands to pray the “sinner’s prayer”
d. many religious tracts mistakenly equate calling on the name of the LORD with saying the “sinner’s prayer”
e. some of our own brethren are misleading people when it comes to calling on the name of the LORD - “GotoGodinprayer& tell Him, I am a sinner in need of grace. I believe that Jesus died for me on the cross. I accept your offer of salvation. It’s a simple prayer with eternal results.”
C. What saith the Scripture? Calling on the name of the LORD is believing in the LORD (Rom.lO:9-17). The Scriptures exclaim how this happens.
a. one must believe - “believe in your heart that God raised Him (Christ) from the dead” & “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?”
b. in order to believe in Christ, one must hear about Christ - “And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard?”
c. in order to hear, there must be one to teach - “And how shall they hear without a preacher?”
d. in order to preach, the preacher must be sent - “And how shall they preach unless they are sent?”
e. summary - a preacher is sent; he preaches; a sinner hears about Christ; a sinner believes in Christ & as he does he is calling on the name of the LORD
D. Biblical examples of 1st century sinners calling on the name of the LORD show just what is involved in believing:
a. devout Jews on Pentecost (Ac.2:14-41)
b. Samaritans (Ac.8:4-6,12)
c. Ethiopian eunuch (Ac.8:29.38)
d. Paul (Ac.910,11,17,18; 22:16)
e. Lydia & her family (Ac.16:9,1O,1345)
f. Philippian jallor (Ac.16:30-33)
CONCLUSION (Joel 2:32; Ac.22:16)