All right, let's take our Bibles
once again. Let's turn to the book of Romans.
Book of Romans chapter 10. Romans chapter 10. I'd like to look at one verse
of scripture as our starting point just to read it, but there
will be a couple more in this area that I want to look at. But it's verse 13. Romans 10,
13. For whosoever shall call upon
the name of the Lord shall be saved. Now, if there's ever been a plain
statement concerning salvation, this is it. For whosoever shall
call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. If there's ever a scripture that
I truly wanted to understand, I mean, it's simple to read.
I understand the words. Oh, but the meaning of it. I
pray God, give me some understanding. This is the only way we understand
anything. if the Lord doesn't give us understanding. Let's just look at this verse
of scripture for a few minutes. And may the Lord be pleased to
bless it. That's what I ask right now.
Lord, bless this to our hearts. All right, I've got a few questions
here. First of all, to whom is he speaking
when he says, Whosoever. To whom is He speaking? Well, listen to this verse of Scripture,
just one before that. For there is no difference between
the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich unto
all that call upon Him. So who is He speaking to? Well,
I can tell you this. Everybody. I'm going to preach
the gospel to everybody. Now, I know this. God's got a
people. God has an elect. Now, scripture
bears that out. That's not up for debate. I know
that people hear that word election. Well, I've got a question for
you. Is it in the Bible? So God's got an elect, I know
that. But do you know who I'm going
to quote this verse of Scripture
to? Everybody. When Peter quoted this passage
of Scripture right here on the day of Pentecost, it's from Joel. Chapter 2 verse 32, it says,
it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the
Lord shall be delivered. Delivered from what? Well, delivered
from sin. Delivered from Satan, from the
world, the second death, the justice of God. 4, continuing
in Joel 2.32, for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance,
as the Lord has said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall
call. Again, God has a people and deliverance
is laid up For them, that's, let me read Luke chapter one,
Luke one, verse 68 to 72, Luke chapter one. Now listen to the
word, just listen to what the word of God, Luke one, 68. Luke
one, 68, blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he hath visited
and redeemed his people. and has raised up a horn of salvation
for us in the house of his servant David, as he spake by the mouth
of his holy prophets, which hath been since the world began, that
we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all that
hate us, to perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to
remember his holy covenant." God has a covenant. He's made
a covenant. It's called a covenant of grace. That's what David said. David
said, this is all my hope. This is all my salvation right
here. That He has made with me an everlasting promise. A covenant. A promise. This is all of my hope. And the
apostle Peter was moved. to reveal that what happened
on the day of Pentecost was the manifestation of what God had
promised in the book of Joel. In the book of Acts chapter 2,
Acts chapter 2 verses 7 to 11, you know what happened on the
day of Pentecost. The Spirit of God was poured out and there were people there. They
were celebrating a festival. a holy day. It was Pentecost. They were there, and there were
people from all over the place. And the Spirit of God fell on
that place, and it was like cloven tongues of fire over some of
these preachers that God had raised up, and they began to
preach. They began to preach, it says,
in other tongues, but it's in languages that they'd never learned
before. But listen to what happened, Acts 2, verse 7 to 11, it says,
and they were all amazed. Now here we are, we're talking
about whosoever, Jew, Gentile, Jew, whosoever. They were all
amazed, and they marveled, saying one to another, behold, are not
all these which speak Galileans? And how hear we every man in
our own tongue, wherein we were born Parthians? and Medes, and
Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and
Cappadocia, and Pontus, Asia, Persia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and
the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews,
and proselytes, Cretes, Arabians. We do all hear them speak in
our tongues the wonderful works of God. And look in verse 16. And then Peter said, and this
is what was spoken by the prophet Joel. He was telling them, he
said, this is what Joel was talking about. Whosoever shall call on
the name of the Lord shall be, Joel says, rescued, delivered. In the book of Romans, the word
is saved. They're going to be saved. So,
whosoever. I'm telling everybody. Alright,
so here's a general call that goes out concerning the glory
of God. But now here's a second question
I got. What does it mean to call upon the name of the Lord? Whosoever
shall call on the name of the Lord, Well, I know this. It doesn't mean to merely call
out His name. You know, somebody said, if you
just call on the name of the Lord, okay? Call on the name
of the Lord. What do you mean? What do you
mean, call on the name of the Lord? If merely calling Him Lord,
and no understanding, if it was merely a calling or an acknowledgment
of who he is. If that were so, demons would
be saved. When the Lord came to the country
of the Gadarenes, there were some demons that were within
a man there. He was possessed of some demons. And the demons, the scripture
says, the demons cried unto the Lord out of the man. Here they
were, what, using his voice. The demons cried out. And here's
what they said. What have we to do with thee,
Jesus, thou son of God? Someone says, I believe in God.
Well, demons believe in God. They believe in God. They said,
art thou come hither to torment us before our time? They knew
who he was. They called his name. But they
weren't converted. They weren't converted. So calling
on the name of the Lord has something to do more than just calling
His name. They called His name Jesus, thou
Son of God. Calling on the name of the Lord,
back in Romans chapter 10, calling on the name of the Lord has to
do with the response of a new heart that has been imparted
or put within by the Spirit of God. And listen to this. Sinners call on the name of the
Lord not in order to be saved or to be
converted. That's getting the cart before
the horse. They call on the name of the
Lord because He, the Lord Himself, has already called them, converted
them, saved them. There's a new heart there. The
call that is being spoken of here by the Apostle Paul, whosoever
shall call on the name of the Lord, that call is out of a new
heart. Here again in Romans chapter
10, look at verses 8 and 9. I'm just backing up. For what
sayeth this? The word is not thee, even in
thy mouth and in thy heart. That is, the word of faith which
we preach, if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,
and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from
the dead, thou shalt be saved." Out of the abundance of a man's
heart, his mouth speaks. God Almighty's got to give a
man a new heart. before he's going to call, he'll
call on the Lord if God is giving him a new heart, giving him a
new desire. You know what, 2 Timothy, 2 Timothy
chapter 2 and verse 2 Timothy 1 verse 9, the scripture says,
or 8 and 9, be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our
Lord, nor of me as prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions
of the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us
and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us
in Christ Jesus before the world began. So, whenever the apostle
Paul is talking about whosoever shall call on the name of the
Lord shall be saved, whosoever shall call on His name, how are
they going to call? That's going to be my next question.
They call on the name of the Lord, they call on the name of
the Lord, but again now, What is his name? They call on the
name of the Lord. Now, whenever we talk about the
name of the Lord, it means the character. The character. Who is he? That's what the Apostle
Paul, or Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus. Saul, Saul,
why persecutest thou me? Who are you? And here was Paul,
he was a religious man. He was a Pharisee. He said he
worshipped God. But he didn't know. He didn't
know the Lord. He didn't know Him. Man by nature, and this
is all of us. Somebody said, do you call on
the name of the Lord? What's His name? What's His character? What's his character? Let me
get that so we can, you know. Whenever Abraham was stopped
from killing Isaac, now why was Abraham going to kill his own
son? Because God told him to. That's the reason. I want you
to take your son, your only son, take him to a place that I'll
show you. and you offer him unto me for a burnt sacrifice. Now you know what Abraham was
doing? Exactly what God told him to do. Abraham raised that knife, put
his son up on that altar, raised the knife, and in his heart,
the boy's dead, but he getting ready to put that knife in his
heart. God stopped him. Stopped him and told Abraham,
he said, I want you to turn and look. He turned his head and
looked over here, and here was a ram caught in a thicket. You take that ram, you take that
ram, and you take your boy off that altar, and you put the ram
on the altar and offer that ram. And there's a picture, substitution. And the scripture says that in
Genesis chapter 22, in verse 14, he called the name of the
place the very name of the Lord. He called it Jehovah-Jireh. What does that mean? The Lord
will provide. That's what it means. There's
the name of the Lord. The Lord will provide. He provided Himself
a lamb. So whenever we call on the name
of the Lord, who we're calling on is the Lord who provides Himself
a lamp. When the people in the wilderness
couldn't drink the waters of a place called Marah because
the waters were bitter, it says the Lord made the waters sweet
for the people. There was something wrong. The
water was polluted. It was bitter. It wasn't fit
to drink. That's what it means. And the
Lord told Moses, there was a tree, and it says, you cast the tree
into the waters. You throw a tree in there. Throw
a tree. Oh, but that tree. That was a beautiful picture
of the cross, of the Lord's crucifixion, His cross, that in itself for
Him, like the strife we just talked about in Proverbs 26,
17, that strife, He passed it by and meddled with strife. It
was bitter to Him, but all the sweetness that was wrought, that
came forth for God's people, and the Lord Heal that water
by throwing a tree into it. A picture of His crucifixion,
His cross. And Moses spoke and revealed
the name of the Lord of that place, and here's what he called
it. I am the Lord that healeth thee. He called it Jehovah Rapha. The Lord that healeth. How is
a sinner's How is he healed from the penalty of death? The blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ. I don't have the ability to heal
myself. I don't have the ability to put
away my guilt. I call on him who shall provide. He has provided himself, the
one who's healed me. When Moses' hands were tied,
remember in Exodus 17, The Israelites were fighting with the Amalekites. And as long as Moses held his
hands up, Israel got the victory. But if Sam got tired, then the
Amalekites got the victory. And Aaron and Hur, the Scripture
says, held his hands up. Held his hands up before the
Lord. And the people wrought a victory by God's grace over
the Amalekites. Victory was accomplished by the
Lord. the Lord of Israel, and Moses
built an altar there and called the name of that place Jehovah-Nissi,
the Lord, my banner, meaning that wherever we are fighting
under his banner, his standard, his flag is what it means. Victory
assured. Jehovah-Nissi. The Lord, my banner. When God met with Gideon, revealing
to Gideon that God was going to give deliverance to Israel
over their enemies, Gideon, knowing that he'd seen the Lord face
to face, God met with him. And peace was promised Gideon
by the Lord, and the scripture says that Gideon built an altar
unto the Lord, and he called it Jehovah Shalom. The Lord, our peace before God. Peace that's been established
again through that broken body and that shed blood. David was
moved by the Spirit of God in Psalm 22. To begin that Psalm
is this here. The Lord is my shepherd. Jehovah-rah-ah is that. That's his name. He's our shepherd. Jeremiah was directed to declare
the foundation upon which all God's sheep stand accepted before
God. Jeremiah 26, 23, 6, in his days,
Judas shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely. And this
is his name, whereby he shall be called the Lord our righteousness,
Jehovah Sidcanu. Spirit of God moved upon Ezekiel
to reveal the name of the Lord when the prophet spoke of New
Jerusalem. The church, the entire church
of God, Ezekiel 48-35, in the name of the city, from that shall
be the Lord's there. The Lord is there. Jehovah Shema. That's a fulfillment. That's
what the Lord in His high priestly prayer, John 17, 24, this is
what He prayed. Father, I will that they also
whom Thou hast given Me be with Me where I am that they may behold
My glory which Thou hast given Me for Thou lovest Me before
the foundation of the world. So calling upon the name of the
Lord is to call upon Him as He's revealed in Scripture. Call upon
Him who is the all and in all. He's the sovereign God by whom
God shall supply all the need of His people. It's not merely
to call His name. People say just come down the
aisle and just call on the name of Jesus. Tell me what that name
means. It's just like saying come down
and call on Marvin's name. What does that mean? Tell me
who He is. Tell me what He's done for His
people. Tell me where He is now. Tell
me how He's keeping me. Give me some security. What does
His name mean? Whosoever shall call on the name
of the Lord. And how are sinners next? How
are they providentially brought to call on the Lord? How? How does God do this? Well, back in Romans chapter
10, verse 13, now listen to this. We're not born knowing the name
of the Lord. The Lord will provide. The Lord
our shepherd. The Lord our banner. The Lord
our righteousness. The Lord our peace. Man by nature
doesn't know that. But how does God bring his people
and put them where the Spirit of God is pleased to bless That
understanding, how does he do it? How does he do it? I've heard
people say, I don't have to go to church, and I don't have to
listen to preaching. I can go out in the woods and
just watch nature. Well, not according to scriptures.
Scriptures doesn't bear that out. But here's what scripture
bears out of how God does it. Romans chapter 10. Again, I'll
read verse 13 through 15. For whosoever shall call upon
the name of the Lord shall be saved. Now, look at 14. How then shall they call on him
in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in
him of whom they've not heard? And how shall they hear without
a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent,
as it is written? How beautiful are the feet of
them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings
of good things." Now, how? How can somebody call on the
name of the Lord, as we know we must call, unless they're
persuaded And they believe on him as he is revealed. How are
they going to call? I could give you any name. I just say call on so and so. And he'll do so and so. How can
I do that? I don't even know who you're
talking about. How can I be persuaded or believe what you're saying
is so? How are they gonna hear? How
are they gonna call in whom they've not believed? And a sinner must
be given a heart to believe because he won't call. All right, so
how are they gonna believe on him in whom they've not heard?
How are you gonna believe on somebody you never heard of? Again, I give you some name,
you've never heard of it. Never heard of this person. How
are you going to believe on Him of whom you've not heard? Faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the Word of God. How are they going to believe
on Him whom they've not heard? And how are they going to hear
without a preacher? True faith, according to God's revelation,
comes no other way. This is the only way what we're
doing right here. You might say, well, there's
different ways. No, there's not. There's one
way that God is going to call his sheep out. One way. One way. God Almighty is going to call
a preacher. I'll give you pastors according
to my heart. And somebody said, well that's
just your opinion. This is not my opinion, I'm just reading
it. I'm reading you what God has said. God will grant, He'll
give a preacher. And what He'll do is, He's gonna
call that preacher, He's gonna teach that preacher the gospel.
Again, let me explain the gospel. It is the declaration. It's the
declaration of God's eternal purpose. to show mercy and compassion
to sinners of his choosing through and in the person of the Lord
Jesus Christ. The gospel is a declaration of
what God has eternally purposed to do in saving unworthy sinners. And here's how he's going to
do it according to what I just read. He's going to send a preacher. He's going to teach a preacher.
He's going to settle that preacher's heart. He's going to teach that
preacher the gospel. That declaration of what God's
done. This is not an offer for God
to try to do something. God's going to do what God wants
to do. But here's how he's going to do it. He's going to take
a preacher, and that preacher's going to preach. And he's going
to tell everybody. He's going to preach the gospel
to everybody. He's going to tell them what God has said. And the
Spirit of God is going to call out and save all that God Almighty
has eternally purposed to save. He will save them. John 6, 37. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. If you get around that word,
shall, right there, then you might be able to change that
truth, but you can't get around it. All that the Father giveth
me shall come to me. How's he going to call them?
He's going to put them under the sound of the gospel. The gospel is
not a message that makes God to be a beggar and man to be
the final say in salvation. That's not the gospel. The gospel
is the declaration of God's will, God's purpose, God's power. to
save his people from their sins. So how are we going to hear without
a preacher? And here's my last point. What's
the end or the promise to all that God Almighty saves? What's the end of those that
he's purposed to save? Sends a preacher, he gives a
new heart to hear the gospel, grant some faith to believe it,
and they believe it. And they call out of a new heart,
gives them a new heart, they call. Like a baby that's alive,
baby's born. And he cries. You've heard me
say this before, you've heard this illustration. Does a baby
cry in order to become alive? What, the baby was dead? And
if it'll just go ahead and cry, then it'll be alive? No, the
baby's alive. It comes out of the mother's
womb alive. And what is it? It cries. It
cries. A sinner, what happens? God gives
him a new heart, grants him life, and he calls. Life is their first. And he calls on the name of the
Lord as he hears this preacher proclaim who the Lord is. Who
is the Lord? He's the shepherd. He's the peacemaker. He's the provider. He's the Lord. He's the banner. He's God. And they hear it and they believe
it. Give them the heart to believe it. And they call. They call
on Him. Lord, save me. He saved them. He already saved
them. They just found out about it. They just found out. Whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Shall be saved. The Lord said,
I know my sheep. I know my sheep. They know me. And I give unto
them eternal life. They didn't earn it. They didn't
earn it. I give it to them. And they shall never perish. Whosoever shall call on the name
of the Lord shall be saved. Because God saved them. Because
God keeps them. Because God preserves them. Because
God loves them. He's able to keep them from falling.
He's able to keep them to the uttermost. All that come unto
God by Him. Here's my plea. Lord, save me.
Save me. Lord, save me. May God bless
this to our hearts for His glory and our good. Amen.