   |
    |
|
|
|
Called by His NameBy: Joseph H. Murray“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2Chron. 7:14). “He sent redemption unto His people: He hath commanded His covenant for ever: Holy and Reverend is His name” (Ps. 111:9). “For thus saith the high and the lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isa. 57:15). Now that we know what God’s name is, we should be desirous to know who are His people and who are called by His name. “And they shall call them, The Holy People, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken” (Isa. 62:12). Have you ever heard the name Holy Roller? Do you know anyone called by that name? They are God’s people, according to the scripture, “and they shall call them the Holy People.” Holy Roller – One of a religious sect in the United States, the members of which, when under influence of religious fervor, give way to exciting emotions, jump up and down, and at times, roll themselves on the floor (Webster) We who understand what God’s name is, are not ashamed to be called Holy Roller or any other name that is synonymous with the name prescribed for or given to His people, “The Holy People.” The Lord has not only said that His people were to be called holy, but also that they should be holy. “Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be Holy: for I the LORD your God am Holy” (Lev. 19:2). “Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God” (Lev. 20:7). God has also prepared a way for His people and named it. “And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon; it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there” (Isa. 35:8–9). Remember, “The Holy People,” “The Redeemed of the Lord,” these are going to walk in this way of holiness. It is only those who are partakers of His holiness that are worthy to be called “The Holy People.” “Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: by whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for His name: among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ” (Rom. 1:3–6). We are made holy by the Spirit of Holiness in the same way God’s Son Jesus Christ was made holy. We are declared Sons of God by and with power. This Sonship power is partaken of through the baptism of the Holy Ghost. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you,” or, “ye shall have the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon you” (Acts 1:8), was one of the Lord’s last promises made to His followers. This promise was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4). After all, it is the people of God who have the promise of being saved from their sins. “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21), not in their sins, but from them, for every sin that is committed has to be forgiven and all sense of guilt blotted out. Therefore, if we continue to sin every day, as some say we must, we are not being saved from them. We begin being saved from our sins the very instant we stop committing them. Do we not? “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His” (Rom. 8:8–9). If all the “Holy People” will humble themselves, pray, and seek God’s face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will He hear from heaven, and forgive our sins, and will heal our land. Unless you have been called “The Holy People” or some other name such as “Holy Roller” that will class you with “The Holy People,” you are not in the called by His name group. You may be friendly towards God’s people and say that you believe in holiness, but there is a difference in being a believer and a receiver of it. Your believing must be confirmed by your receiving what you claim to have believed. There is a record of an example of this in the 19th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. “And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, he said unto them: Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on Him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. And all the men were about twelve” (Acts 19:1–7). There are multitudes today who have believed what they have been taught, which might be good and true, but the trouble is that they have not been taught these truths. The truth of the matter is that you should believe on Christ Jesus the one who came after John. The one who taught you may know of only John’s baptism, having not received any other himself, but let me, as a servant of God, remind you that John said, “There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I indeed have baptized you with water: but He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost” (Mark 1:7–8). If you didn’t hear about Jesus and His baptism when you were baptized in water, you haven’t had a genuine John’s baptism. Finally I say to you again, believe on Him that came after John, that is, Christ Jesus, and He will baptize you with the Holy Ghost and fire, the baptism that saves you and puts you in the select group of “The Holy People.” “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit; By which also He went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure (the ark, not water) whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1Pet. 3:18–21). It’s the baptism that puts us in the ark of safety that saves us. “But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you” (Rom. 8:11). “He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him. He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked” (1John 2:4–6). “That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be Holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:27). “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” (Mark 16:17–18). Dear Reader, are the signs following you? or are you following the signs? Remember we are saved from the sins we don’t commit and forgiven of the ones we do commit, and this by the operation of the Holy Spirit of God. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Rom. 8:14). |
 |
|
|
