A. Every person who would be saved must call upon the
name of the Lord.
1.
This requirement
is made clear in Acts 2:21, Romans 10:13, and other passages of the Bible.
2.
Unfortunately,
the clarity of the Scriptures has often been hindered by men who apply an
incorrect explanation of how one may call upon the name of the Lord.
B. In this lesson, we seek to understand what it means to
call on the name of the Lord according to the Scriptures.
II. JOEL: "WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE
DELIVERED"
A. Joel prophesied of the coming day of the Lord.
1.
Joel prophesied
to the kingdom of Judah during the reign of Joash at a time when the land was
plagued by locusts, drought, and famine (see Chapter 1).
2.
He used this
occasion to foretell of an even greater devastation that would come upon Judah
(2:1-11) and the other nations (3:1-15) when God would judge them for their
sins.
3.
In the midst of
these prophecies of destruction, Joel called upon Judah to repent (2:12-17) and
promised that God would deliver them on His conditions (2:18-32; 3:16-21).
B. The prophecy of Joel 2:28-32 was ultimately fulfilled beginning
on the day of Pentecost following Christ's ascension in Acts 2:14-21.
1.
Just before Jesus
ascended to heaven, He instructed the apostles to wait in Jerusalem until they
were "clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49), and they did so (Acts
2:12).
2.
When the Holy
Spirit had come upon the apostles on Pentecost and they began preaching in many
languages, some of the Jews accused them of being drunk (Acts 2:1-13).
3.
Peter refuted
these accusations by saying, "This is what was spoken of through the prophet
Joel," and quoting from Joel 2:28-32.
Notice the last verse of this quotation in Acts 2:21 -- "And it shall be
that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
III. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO "CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD"?
A. At first, calling on the name of the Lord might seem
to be merely speaking His name or using the term "Lord" to address Jesus
Christ. However, it must be something
more.
1.
In it evident
from Joel's prophecy that the people of Judah in his time were required to do
more than merely using the name of the Lord.
They were to fast, weep, mourn, and return to God with all their hearts
(Joel 2:12-17). This is how they were to
call upon His name.
2.
Concerning the
idea of simply using the name of the Lord, Jesus explained in Matthew 7:21,
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven,
but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter."
B. Consider what the people did to call on the name of
the Lord and be saved after Joel's prophecy was quoted on Pentecost in Acts 2.
1.
After Peter had
quoted Joel 2:28-32, he explained from the Scriptures that Jesus is both Lord
and Christ (Acts 2:22-36).
2.
When the Jews who
were "pierced to the heart" by this message asked what they should do, Peter
answered in Acts 2:38-39:
"Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of
Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of
the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for
you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God
will call to Himself."
3.
Notice how the
prophecy of Joel 2:28-32 was being fulfilled with the events that began on that
day of Pentecost.
a. The Holy Spirit had been poured out on the apostles
and would soon pass on to all men, both Jews and Gentiles, as the gospel spread
(see also Acts 10:44-48; 11:15-18).
b. Signs and miracles would be performed by the apostles
and others with the spreading of the gospel (see Acts 2:43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8;
8:6; 19:11).
c.
Those who heard
and believed the gospel were calling on the name of the Lord and being saved according
to the instructions of the gospel. Notice
Acts 2:40-41:
And with many other words he solemnly testified and
kept on exhorting them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation!" So then, those who had received his word were
baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
C. The correct understanding of what it means to call on
the name of the Lord is further demonstrated by the instructions given to Saul
of Tarsus in Acts 22:16.
1.
Saul had come to
Damascus with the intention of persecuting Christians, but he was struck with
blindness when the Lord Jesus spoke to him on the way (Acts 22:4-11).
2.
Saul was led into
Damascus where he prayed for three days until at last Jesus sent a disciple
named Ananias to him (Acts 9:9-16).
3.
After Ananias had
healed Saul of his blindness, he said to Saul, "Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your
sins, calling on His name" (Acts 22:16).
4.
Notice that three
days of prayer were not sufficient to save Saul.
a. Although Saul was certainly calling on the Lord in his
prayers, he did not call on the name of the Lord in the sense in which Joel
prophesied until he obeyed the commandments of the gospel.
b. Only when he was baptized did he call on the name of
the Lord in such a way that his sins were washed away.
5.
Compare the
instructions of Ananias to the words of Peter in 1Peter 3:21.
a. After referring to the salvation of Noah during the
global flood, Peter wrote, "Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you -- not
the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience
-- through the resurrection of Jesus Christ."
b. Here we see that the act of baptism is described as
"an appeal to God," which is almost the same as saying that baptism is a call
on the name of the Lord.
c.
Through the
resurrection of Christ, which is imitated in the act of baptism (Rom. 6:3-4), a
believing sinner calls on the name of the Lord for salvation, appeals to God
for a good conscience, and has his sins washed away.
D. Consider the steps involved in calling on the name of
the Lord in Romans 10:12-15.
1.
This passage also
quotes from Joel 2:32. Read it here:
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for
the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for
"Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved." How then will they call on Him in whom they
have not believed? How will they believe
in Him whom they have not heard? And how
will they hear without a preacher? How
will they preach unless they are sent?
Just as it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring
good news of good things!"
2.
The steps that
lead a person to call on the name of the Lord are clear and simple.
a. A preacher is sent to preach the gospel according to
the mandate of Christ in the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16).
b. Those who hear the gospel from the preacher have an
opportunity to believe the message.
c.
Those who believe
in Christ have an opportunity to call on His name and be saved.
d. This is exactly the process that is exemplified in the
passages we have studied in this lesson (Acts 2:14-40; 22:12-16).
E. Notice that calling on the name of the Lord is a
continual practice.
1.
Calling on the
name of the Lord is not only the act of baptism, but rather it is a principle
that guides every word and deed of a Christian from his baptism until his
death. Indeed, it is an appeal to the
authority and direction of Christ for everything. "Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in
the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father" (Col.
3:17).
2.
Notice that all
early Christians were described as those who called on the name of Jesus (Acts
9:14, 21; 1Cor. 1:2). Certainly,
Christians today should be described in that same way.
3.
Calling on the
name of the Lord is truly a way of life for Christians as 2Timothy 2:22
suggests: "Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love
and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart."
IV. CONCLUSION
A. To this day, the prophetic words of Joel stand as the
immutable truth of God: "And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of
the Lord will be saved."
B. Have you called on the name of the Lord for your salvation? If so, do you continue to call on His name as
a way of life? Do not fail to do so, for
it is a matter of eternal life or death.
