Calling upon the name of the LORD

January 28, 2024

Hello, world.

I. INTRO

A. ACTIVITY (using a dodgeball or using a basketball with bounce passes)

• One person has the ball, and their eyes are open
  Everybody else closes their eyes
  The person with the ball passes it to someone
  If the ball comes to you, open your eyes and pass it to someone; then close your eyes
  Continue

• One person has the ball, and their eyes are open
  Everybody else closes their eyes
  When you have the ball, call on someone to open their eyes and pass the ball to them; then closes your eyes
  Continue

B. EXPLANATION

• Ask, why did nobody catch the ball in the first round? Why did it work in round two?

• When you call, you get the person of that name.
  https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/1086

II. THE NAME OF THE LORD

A. What is the name of the LORD?

• YHWH (Yahweh/Jehovah)
  around 7000 times in the OT
  Why is the name, YHWH, translated as LORD?

• Jesus (Heb. Joshua - YHWH is salvation)

B. What is the difference between calling upon LORD and calling upon YHWH?

• 1 Kings 18

III. CALLING ON THE NAME OF THE LORD

A. EXAMPLES

• ChatGPT-generated list

  Genesis

  • Genesis 4:26 - Refers to people in general beginning to call on the name of the Lord.
  • Genesis 12:8, Genesis 13:4 - Abram (Abraham) calls on the name of the Lord.
  • Genesis 21:33 - Abraham plants a tree and calls on the name of the Lord.
  • Genesis 26:25 - Isaac builds an altar and calls on the name of the Lord.

  1 Kings

  • 1 Kings 18:24 - Elijah proposes a test to the prophets of Baal, involving calling on the name of God.

  1 Chronicles

  • 1 Chronicles 16:8 - Part of a song of thanksgiving attributed to David.

  Psalms

  • Various Psalms (e.g., Psalm 105:1, Psalm 116:13, Psalm 145:18, etc.) - Prayers, songs, or poems attributed to King David and other psalmists.

  Isaiah

  • Isaiah 12:4 - Isaiah speaks of giving thanks and calling on the Lord's name.
  • Isaiah 64:7 - Isaiah laments that no one calls on the Lord's name.

  Jeremiah

  • Jeremiah 29:12 - God speaks through Jeremiah, inviting people to call upon Him.
  • Jeremiah 33:3 - God speaks to Jeremiah, promising an answer when called upon.

  Lamentations

  • Lamentations 3:55, 3:57 - Jeremiah speaks about calling on the Lord's name.

  Joel

  • Joel 2:32 - God speaks through Joel, promising deliverance to those who call on His name.

  Zephaniah

  • Zephaniah 3:9 - God speaks through Zephaniah about restoring a pure language to call on His name.

  Zechariah

  • Zechariah 13:9 - God speaks about refining His people, who will call on His name.

  Acts

  • Acts 2:21 - Peter, quoting Joel, speaks about salvation for those calling on the Lord's name.
  • Acts 9:14, 21 - Refers to Saul (Paul) persecuting those calling on the Lord's name.
  • Acts 22:16 - Ananias speaks to Saul (Paul) about calling on the name of the Lord.

  Romans

  • Romans 10:13 - Paul cites Joel about calling on the Lord's name for salvation.

  1 Corinthians

  • 1 Corinthians 1:2 - Paul addresses the church at Corinth, referring to all who call on the name of Jesus Christ.

  2 Timothy

  • 2 Timothy 2:22 - Paul advises Timothy to pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord.

• Acts 4
  consider: the situation, the petition, the answer

B. READ Romans 10:8-15 and Acts 2:21; 9:13-14, 21; 22:16

C. What type of person calls upon the name of the LORD? When is a good time to call?

• compare: 9-1-1 vs. father

IV. THE RESULT

A. Salvation

• Deliverance

• hymn "How sweet the name of Jesus sounds" https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/66

• orthopractic, not salvific
  order: believe, be baptized INTO THE NAME, call UPON THE NAME

B. God's promise to always answer

• "He will call upon Me, and I will answer" (Psa. 91:15)
  c.f. Isa. 65:24, Zech. 13:9

• "whatever you ask [the Father] in My name"
  John 14:13, 15:16, 16:23

C. When should I call?

D. DISCUSS: your experience

• Yahweh has promised to answer when we call upon his name. Has there ever been a time when you called and he did not answer? Share your experience and discuss. Consider: Upon whom did you call? What was your petition? Did you have any false assumptions about who the Lord is or how you expected the Lord to answer?

V. SING

Scripture song: "Therefore with joy shall ye draw water" (Isaiah 12)