Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord

Sermon notes from Sunday 14 June 2020

Romans 10 verses 1 - 13

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Paul is praying for something that is attainable to all who hear - verse 1 - Paul says "my heart`s desire."  A deep longing that all his brethren might be saved, if they would confess their sin and trust Christ as their own and personal Saviour.  Paul was writing to a people who would search the scriptures "for in them ye think ye have eternal life and they are they which testify of me."  Paul is speaking to a people who think they are on their way to heaven and home but lost in sin, on their way to a Christless eternity.  "Satan hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." (2 Corinthians 4 verse 4) Is that your burden tonight.  To see our family and friends saved?  Are you praying for them?  Paul`s prayer - he wants to see them saved.  The only thing he could do in this respect was to get down on his knees.

The positon that Paul presents.  What does it mean to be saved?  The word "saved" means to rescue something, to deliver someone from danger. John Wesley in his testimony referred to a fire in the rectory of Epworth when he was about 9/10 years of age.  As the roof was about to collapse he was picked up and carried to safety.  He referred to this as a brand that was plucked from the fire.  Peter in Acts 4 said "no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved."  It is not something additional, added onto our lives.  To Nicodemus in John 3, Jesus said "ye must be born again."  Are you saved by the grace of God tonight?  1 Corinthians 1 verse 18.  Paul realised he was a sinner, to Timothy he referred to himself as "the chief of sinners".  We are all in that category, under the same judgment.  Paul recognises the only way to be saved was to come to the Lord and trust him.  Paul did everything to ridicule the church, to bring the church down.  On many occasions that would come back to haunt him.  Stephen was a young deacon of the early church, he was full of faith. One day he was arrested and charged.  As he was stoned to death, he looked up to heaven and asked the Lord not to lay this to their charge.  Paul must have seen it all and it must have been a dagger to his heart.

The possibility he points to.  "whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved."  It embraces all.  It doesn`t matter how long you have rejected his voice speaking to you.  In Jericho a man sat by the wayside.  He was blind Bartimaeus.  He was carried to that spot every day.  A great burden upon society.  One day God came walking past the blind man sitting there.  He stopped, had compassion on him, gave him grace to be healed.  We all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  God wants to save you.  Think of Lydia who set aside time to go to the riverside.  She heard Paul preaching the word of God.  God reached down, opened her heart and she was saved.  Paul points to "the name of the Lord."  He points to God, not to some church or fellowship.  The angel to Joseph told him to call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins.  The world didn`t need a philosphy teacher but a Saviour.  God sent his only son.  There was no other good enough.  The Lord came into this world to save your soul.  Paul was speaking to a people, trying to make their own way to heaven, they believed their righteousness would get them into heaven but they couldn`t do it.

The privilege Paul points to - having sins forgiven.  Sin will take us into lost hell for all eternity.  What a privilege - you can be forgiven of your sin.  What a privilege to know you are on your way to heaven.  Salvation can be found in no other.  Are you saved tonight?  Have you never come to Christ, never known your sins forgiven?  You can have that acceptance by Christ tonight.  Confess your sins, admit your need of Christ, ask him to come into your heart and life and he will save you.