Call Upon the Name of the Lord

Introduction

Tonight I want to share a story from the Book of Genesis. In this story, you will see the phrase "Call upon the Name of the Lord." This is the focus right now, Call Upon the Name of the Lord. This phrase is scattered throughout the entire Bible. From the early chapters of Genesis--- all the way through the letters of Paul. I want to share the history of this statement and how it still impacts lives today.

Join me by standing and reading Genesis 12:1-8, and let's follow Abram and see his experience of Calling upon the Name of the Lord. -------- Please be seated while we pray.

Why has this phrase lasted through the centuries? What has led people to Call upon the Lord in different times, cultures, and situations? What does it truly mean to Call upon the Name of the Lord?

Why do people return to moments and experience calling upon the Name of the Lord at different times in their life?

Before we look at Abram's Motive for this statement, I want to share Ch. 11 with you. The Tower of Babel event just happened and God separated everyone all over the earth by their language because they were building a tower to "make a name for themself." Next, we get a family tree of Shem's descendants. This family tree shows the order from Shem, all the way to Abram and Lot. Chapter 11 finishes with a group of Abram's family headed to land of Canaan. They came to the city Haran, and Abram's father died. Now we are back to the chapter we just read, which is often referred to as the Abrahamic Covenant. It is God's Covenant with Abram, I believe is the motive to him calling upon the name of the Lord.

1. The Motive to call upon the name of the Lord (12:1-3)

• How did Abram get to this moment? We find in vs 1-3 that God gave a command to Abram and then promised him four things

◦ make a great nation

◦ bless him

◦ make his name great

◦ be a blessing to others

• Then in verse 7 we see a fifth promise to Abram. God promised the land of Canaan to his descendants. This is the Abrahamic Covenant. A special, unconditional promise to Abram.

• So why did Abram Call upon the name of the Lord? Because God had just made one of the most divine promises or divine covenants in history with Abram. A promise that came with blessing right then and blessings in the future. The future of your bloodline is set. So, Abram called upon the Name of the Lord in celebration and thanksgiving

• I want to make one point clear. I am not comparing the Abrahamic Covenant to us, the NT church. That was a covenant made with Israel. Not America. I simply want to point out and compare responsive actions.

Just like God made promises with Abram, he has made promises with us. Just like God was working in Abram's life. He is either doing a work in your life or He wants to do a work in your life. In comparing responsive actions, I believe it is appropriate for us to Call upon the Name of the Lord.

God has fulfilled promises to the NT church and He has done magnificent things in His church. What better response than to Call upon the Name of the Lord? There is no one else to praise. There is no one else to thank. Christ is the One who does these great things.

Our motive to Call upon the Name of Lord is to reflect on what Christ has done in your life. If you need help thinking of a motive to Call upon the Name of the Lord, listen to this.

‣ You are sitting in a free country, with the freedom to worship, the freedom to have a Bible, the freedom to gather with other believers.

‣ There are so many motives to Call Upon the Name of the Lord. Next I want to study the phrase "Call upon the Name of the Lord" and study the meaning of the phrase.

2. The Meaning to call upon the name of the Lord (12:8)

• To 'call' upon the name of Lord is publicly proclaiming. Often times this phrase is referring to a worship service. The first time you find this phrase in Scripture is Genesis 4:26 - "To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord." The world was becoming very wicked at this time. Seth and his descendants sought to folllow God and they called upon His name. They stood and publicly worshipped Christ.

• This word CALL is to proclaim, shout, utter a loud sound. The Bible says that when they called upon the Lord, it was a shout. I believe this 'call' this 'shout' has more to do with passion than actual volume. When Abram called upon the name of the Lord, when Seth and his family called upon the name of the Lord, they were passionate in their praise.

◦ There was no fear of man. There was no shame. There was no worry. There was -- there is only Christ.

◦ We make our passionate, shouting call because of Christ.

• The last part of the phrase 'name of the Lord' shows that this is a personal, there is a familiarity, there is a connection. LORD here is Yahweh. This is the God they know. This is the proper name of the God of Israel.

• There was no doubt. There was no question. There was no hesitation. They were calling upon the Creator of the universe, the God of everything. Yahweh the God of Israel.

• The meaning of this phrase has traveled through history, even till this day. People passionately

proclaim Jesus.

◦ Psalmist writes in 116 "I shall call upon Him as long as I live

◦ Ps 50:15 says that we can call upon Christ in trouble, He will rescue us

◦ Romans 10:13 says that whoever calls upon the name Lord will be saved

◦ Romans gets this promise from Joel 2:32 "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be delivered"

◦ Acts 2:21 confirms that "everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved."

• Some moments of calling upon the Lord are worship, some are seeking help in times of trouble, and others salvation.

◦ If you need to Call upon the Lord for salvation, don't miss the opportunity. The Bible promise that Christ will save you.

◦ If you need to Call upon the Lord for help, don't hesitate. The Bible says that He will rescue you.

◦ If you are Calling upon the Lord for worship - passionately proclaim Christ.

• In understanding the meaning, lastly I want to look at the Memory of this phrase.

3. The Memory to call upon the name of the Lord (13:4)

• Join me in chapter 13:4 as we finish reading. After Abram's adventure to go Egypt, he returns to the place between Bethel and Ai, where his tent was. The same site he built an alter. And Abram called upon the Name of the Lord.

• Abram took a journey to Egypt and messed up. His fear caused him to lie and betray his wife. We see that Abram recognized his mistake and he he came back to the same place and Call upon the Name of the Lord. God was working in Abram's life here again. Abram had the memory. He returned to where God told him to go and He Called upon the Name of the Lord.

• How many of you remember the times you called upon the name of the Lord?

◦ The other day I was about to leave my house, and as I was leaving I stopped by the bookshelf by my door and pulled out my first notebook I got after salvation. It was full of sermon notes. Thoughts from my quiet time. As I was reading through this, the memory of Christ worked in my life then and how I see how Christ has formed to the person I am today. It makes me want to Call Upon the Name of the Lord.

◦ Reflecting on how Christ crafted my life, makes me to Call Upon Him today.

◦ The memory of this call has been around since Genesis 4 when Seth's son was born and it is still with us today. It is a lasting phrase and a lasting memory. Not only is this memory still lasting, but it is still life changing and impactful.

• The only motive we have to Call upon the Name of the Lord is because Christ made the first move for us. He desires to have a relationship with you.

Has there ever been a time you called upon Christ for salvation? The Bible says that anyone who calls upon the name of Lord will be saved. Come and call upon His name. Surrender your life to Christ and spend eternity with Jesus.

Maybe you are in similar situation like Abram, where you turned from God out of fear. It is time to come back to the place where you first Called upon the Lord. Just like the day you got saved, it's time to come back with a repentant heart.

• Will you Call upon the Name of the Lord? Whether it is salvation or passionately proclaiming the name of Jesus in worship. Call Upon the Name of the Lord.