Believe and Call

True believing produces a true calling

Romans 10:13-15

 

It is very important to keep a proper balance between grace and whosoever will.  Both are taught in the Bible, therefore both need to be preached.

There is a reason for great discouragement concerning salvation if it were not for the grace of God.

1.       If I read Psalms 14:2 – God looked to see if any obeyed Him and found all were disobedient.

2.       Romans 3:10 – There is none good, no, not one.

3.       Ecc. 7:29 – God made man upright, but he has sought out many inventions.

4.       John 3:16 – Whosoever will may come, and I realize that nobody will come.

5.       John 1:11-13 – We are saved by the power of God.

6.       Eph. 2:8-10 – We are saved by grace, through faith, not of works, lest any should boast.  Because we are His workmanship, we are not our workmanship.

The fact is that people will call upon the God they believe in, but they might not believe in the same God we do.  If they don’t know about Jesus Christ and what He has done on the cross of Calvary, they won’t believe on Him, and won’t call on Him for salvation.

There is a promise to the people of all the earth, if they will call upon the name of the lord, they will be saved.  It is very important to understand that people must know who God is in order to call upon His name.  They cannot misunderstand this vital point, for there will be no salvation apart from understanding.  Proper preaching is very, very essential.

1.       I Kings 8:41-43 – Solomon’s prayer of dedication at the temple.  Any stranger from far off, who comes to Israel for the name of the Lord, and calls on the name of the Lord, shall be saved.  It is noted that in order to come to Israel, they must first leave their own homeland.  It is impossible to hang onto the world and cling to God at the same time.

2.       John 8:30 – Explain how these people believed in Christ, but they didn’t see themselves as sinners, therefore would not call to Him to save them.

3.       Mark 5:24-29 – Explain how the woman knew there was no help outside of Christ, and that she struggled to touch His garment, believing He would heal her.  The lost are like this.  They must realize there is no other place to turn, that only Jesus can help them. And they must call on Him because they believe on Him.

The following scriptures were on the original outline, but weren’t used in the message preached at Willow Hill.

4.       Joel 2:32 – The concluding verse of Joel prophecy, which starts in verse 28, reveals that whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

5.       Heb. 11:6 – “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”  You must believe God is, before you will call upon Him, and receive the reward you desire of Him.

6.       Jonah 1:5 – When the mariners with Jonah called upon the name of their own gods, they got no relief, no help, and no nothing.  If you misunderstand who God is, there is no relief, no help, no nothing for you.  Verse 6-10 – All the mariners knew God was the true God and were very much afraid when Jonah revealed he was running from that true God.  Verse 13 – after the men knew the truth of what was required of them, they didn’t do it, and found no relief.  Verse 14 – after they cried exceedingly, and obey did they find any relief.  Verse 16 – that relief was coupled with fear.

7.       Matthew 9:20,21 – When the woman that had the issue of blood for 12 years believed Jesus could heal her, her belief caused her to act, and she pressed through the crowd and touched the hem of Jesus garment.  It was not touching the hem of the garment that caused her to be healed; it was belief in action.  It was not refusing to plow the fields in the 7th year that caused the ground to be prosperous in the other 6 years.  It was obedience to the Word of God.

8.       Matthew 15:21-28 – Jesus healed the daughter of the women who agreed that it wasn’t right to cast the bread of the children to the dogs.

9.       Mark 1:40 – The leper came, kneeling before Jesus and declaring, “…If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.”  Do you see the believing, that causes the action of calling?

10.   Luke 17:12-14 – These lepers were cleansed when they obeyed what Jesus told them.