Calling on the name of the Lord.

Introduction:

I. This world is full of people who are lost, who don’t want anything to do with Jesus, and those who maybe haven’t heard about Christ.

II. In the tenth chapter of the book of Romans, Paul writes about preaching to unbelieving people.

III. Whether you are a preacher or a member of the church, lost or found, believing or doubting we all need to understand how one comes to have faith.

Body:

I. One must hear the word of God. (Rom. 10:17)

A. When should one hear the word of God?

1. If someone has not heard the gospel then they need to be told as soon as possible

2. We know that all have sinned, and that sin brings a spiritual death to us. (Rom. 3:23; 6:23)

3. This sin separates us from God. (Isa 59:2)

4. Christ is our only way back to the father. (Jn. 14:6)

B. Why do we need to hear the word of God?

1. There is one God who has made himself self-evident in the world around us. (Rom. 1:19-20)

2. Since God exists, he has given us his will for us. (2 Tim. 3:16-17)

3. Our souls are in danger outside of Christ, and God wants us to come to him. (2 Pet. 3:9)

C. How do we hear the word of God?

1. You can hear the word of God from a Preacher. (Rom. 10:14)

a. You must be careful just accepting what a preacher says because they might be teaching false doctrine. (1 Tim. 6:3-4)

b. There is another more reliable way to hear the gospel

2. From reading and studying the word of God. (Acts 17:10-11)

II. One must believe in what God has said. (Rom. 10:14)

A. What does God’s word tell us?

1. God created the universe and everything in it. (Gen. 1)

2. That God created both you and me. (Jer. 1:5)

3. That we are separated from him when we sin. (Isa. 59:2)

4. God sent his son to die on the cross for our sins. (Rom. 3:23-26)

B. Who is Jesus?

1. He is a part of the God head. (Jn. 1:1-3)

2. Jesus is a man, and the only begotten son of the father. (Jn. 1:14)

3. He came to save those that are lost. (1 Tim. 1:15)

4. He healed the sick and the blind to prove his words. (Acts. 2:22)

5. Then for our sakes he was slain that we might be saved. (Acts 2:23)

6. He was raised from the dead so that we could have victory over sin if we believe in him. (1 Cor. 15:54-57)

C. If we believe the truth of the gospel, we take a massive step toward being saved.

1. Sometimes as humans it can be difficult to believe in something we can’t see.

2. Weather we believe in Christ or not we know that the Lord exists because he made it obvious to us. (Rom. 1:19-20)

3. If we seek out the creator, we will ultimately wing up believing in the Son. (Mt. 7:7-8)

III. If we hear and believe in the word of God and in his Son, we will call upon his name.

A. What does it mean to call on the name of the Lord?

1. We see in Acts chapter two that Peter as he was preaching on the day of Pentecost helped to explain it. (Acts 2:31-34)

2. “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:38)

3. To call on his name is to obey his will. (Jn. 14:15)

B. Just because we hear and believe does not equal obedience. (Rom. 10:16)

1. Obeying Christ’s will and the will of God is not easy. (Mt. 16:24)

2. We must choose to put God’s will before our own.

3. We must walk after Christ. (1 Jn. 1:5-7)

C. If one desires to obey the word of the lord there is only one avenue.

1. One must hear the gospel. (Rom. 10:14)

2. We must believe the gospel. (Rom. 10:14)

3. One must repent of their sins. (Acts 2:38)

4. They must be baptized for the remission of sins. (Acts 2:38)

5. They must rise from those baptism waters to walk in a new life. (Rom. 6:11-12)

Conclusion:

I. The Lord have given us his words that we might hear, believe, and obey him.

II. God does not want us to be lost. (2 Pet. 3:9)

III. If you need to obey the gospel don’t wait because we are not promised tomorrow. (Acts 8:36-39)