Call

“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved…for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”  Romans 10:9-10, 13

Call on God.  Basically, it is a simple process.  To call on God is to talk to Him just like you would talk to anyone.  He is your very best friend.  He knows your needs.  He knows your struggles.  He knows your hearts.  He stands ready to open up the resources of heaven.  It all begins by you talking to him.

Confess with your mouth

Confess "Jesus is Lord"

As you talk to God, begin by confessing with your mouth and your voice that Jesus is Lord.  Acknowledge that He is the ruler of the universe and that you welcome Him as the boss of your life.

Lordship sounds so easy but sometimes it can be a hard thing to do.  God wants to be in the driver's seat.

Saved

The verses that you see above in Romans 10 also say that you call on God through Christ to be saved.  You must call on Him as the Lord of your life but you must also confess and acknowledge that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave for you.  He is your personal Savior.

Believe in your heart

Now saying all this is not enough.  These verses also say that you must believe in your heart.  The heart is the very core of your being.  It is the depth of your emotion.  The good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ is certainly based on fact, but it all begins in the heart.  In your inner being, you must believe.

Believe that God raised Christ from the dead

First, you must believe that God raised Jesus from the dead.  If Jesus is not alive and in heaven with the Father, then where would the hope be?  There is no hope without the resurrection of Christ.  Some have tried to explain it away but the fact remains that Jesus did live on this earth and did die for your sins and did rise from the dead.  People saw Him and even touched Him after the resurrection.  The Scriptures are clear and do not contradict historical evidence.  Jesus is alive and your faith is based on it.

Justified

After you believe that Jesus is with the Father in heaven, you need to understand justification.  It means, "just as if I'd never sinned".  To justify is to declare just or to declare righteous.  You can never be good enough and cannot be just in yourself.  You are condemned but with Christ; you are reconciled to God.  You access this reconciliation by faith and can therefore have hope.  Because Jesus was raised from the dead, you can now stand before God as if you were Christ, because Christ stood before God as if He were you.  That is a profound thought, that He actually took your place on the cross. 

He was delivered over to death for your sins and was raised to life for your justification.  Romans 4:25

For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:18

Have you ever been in a relationship that has gone bad?  Maybe it was a family member or a spouse or even a boyfriend or a friend.  Something happened and your relationship was hurt by it.  Then, later, the relationship was restored.  Often, it is just not the same again.  Oh, it may seem okay on the outside but on the inside you know it will never really be the same again.  The trust and openness is just not there.  Without Jesus’ death on the cross, your relationship with God is severed and broken.  However, with His death and resurrection comes justification.  Not only is the relationship made whole, but it is just as if you had never sinned.  It is better than it ever could be.

There are many who think that they have a relationship with God.  They talk to Him and even confide in Him.  They pray when they have a need and are aware of His provision and protection in their lives.  Yet, if they don't come to God through the cross, then they never experience the life-changing relationship with Christ that they could have.   If you don't come to God through Jesus, then you are only fooling yourself.  You just know about God and don't know Him in an intimate and personal way.

Call on the Lord

Call on Jesus by name

Remember at the beginning of Session One when you looked at Jeremiah 29:11-13?  Let's look at it again:

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  Jeremiah 29:11-13

When you call upon Jesus as Lord, then you know that He will listen to you.  Many call upon God but not as Lord.  God hears you when you come to Him in total submission to Him as Lord and Savior.  That's when you can know and understand what He tells you and what He has planned for you.  When you call upon His personal name, Jesus, then you can know that you will find Him when you seek Him with all of your heart.

Confess and believe Jesus is Lord

Look at Romans 10:9-10, 13 again.

“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved…for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”  Romans 10:9-10, 13

These verses are a promise that if you confess or say that Jesus is Lord, and if you believe it in your heart, you will be saved.  It is true for everyone.

Salvation by faith

When you accept Christ as Lord and Savior, you do it on faith.  Faith is an act of the heart, the mind, and the will.  You are saved by believing in your heart, knowing it in your mind, and acting on it with your will.  Salvation is not earned.  Salvation is by faith alone.

Holy Spirit makes a new heart!

Dear friends, since God so loved you, you also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; but if you love one another, God lives in you and his love is made complete in you.  You know that you live in him and he in you, because he has given you of his Spirit.  And you have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.  If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.  And so you know and rely on the love God has for you. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.  1 John 4:11-16

God gives you the Holy Spirit

You would have a hard time trying to live up to God’s standard alone.  That’s why He gives you the Holy Spirit.  When you invite Christ to come into your life, He sends the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit lives inside you and helps you understand scripture and what God is trying to say to you.  The Holy Spirit wants all glory to be given to the Father God.  He becomes your Counselor and teaches you.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. John 14:16-17

To know that the Holy Spirit is there for you is wonderful news!

The Holy Spirit will teach you

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:26-27

Not only does the Holy Spirit become your Counselor, but the Holy Spirit teaches you and reminds you of what the Scriptures say.  He is your ever-present guide.  You do not need to be troubled or afraid because He is the constant companion who is always there for you.

LOOK:

You have looked at what it means to hope, believe, turn, and call on Christ.  Review the prayer below.  If you have not yet prayed the prayer and meant it, now would be a great time to commit your life to Christ. 

                        Dear God,

Hope:             I know You have great plans for me and I want to

place my hope in You.

            Believe:         I believe You love me and sent Jesus to die on the

                                    cross for me.

            Turn:              Please forgive me and help me turn from my

                                    wrongdoings.

            Call:                I want You to lead my life.

                                    Amen.

If you have just prayed this prayer, congratulations!  You have a new heart!  If you are still thinking about it, ask God to make Himself known to you.  He will!