Transcript: Rev Fred Proctor - Brighter Day Baptist Church Prayer Meeting

I want to take this opportunity to welcome you to BrighterDayBaptistChurch.com on this Wednesday night prayer meeting. This is Reverend Fred Proctor, Sr., the pastor, and we are so glad and happy that you are here with us on BrighterDayBaptistChurch.com. As I said, this is a prayer meeting, and I want to welcome you to enter right into the service and be a part of it. And we will give out some names that's on our prayer list. And if you need prayer or you know of someone who needs prayer and they would like to have their name put on their prayer list and we could call it out, you can get in touch with us. I think it's brighterdaybaptistchurch.com at gmail.com. Brighterdaybaptistchurch.com at gmail.com. So you get in touch with us. Now, on our prayer list, we have a special prayer request tonight for Miss Agnes Kent. She is, I think, she is 98 or approaching 98. and she is going down pretty fast she's in a nursing facility and this is a very very godly woman I've known her since I was about the age of 12 her and her husband Mr. Bill Kent they have touched the lives of thousands of people because they were very active in my home church West Court Street Baptist Church and they both sang in a quartet for many years they were heard on quite a few radio stations for many years and Brother Bill her husband Brother Bill Kent was a Sunday school teacher and everyone wanted to be in his class because he just was blessed and of course he because he studied and he knew the word but these people their family have been a blessing to so many people so I want you to remember Agnes Kent pray for her as I said she is the report that I received today was that she's thinking pretty fast pray for her and her family or one of her sons Randy Kent and his wife Shane Randy had a stroke about three or four months ago and he is a pray for him he is doing much better but it affected his present memory anything that happened before the stroke he he knows about it but from the time that he had the stroke up until now he does remember it but pray for Randy Kent he is a real blessing kind of takes after his daddy I guess he was a choir director music director down where he is He is also a deacon. I think it's at Inman, South Carolina at a Baptist church. And so pray for Randy Kent and his wife, Shane Kent. Also for Sammy Kent. That's their son. That's Agnes, Bill and Agnes, his son. And he lives up in northern Virginia. works for the State Department but he's a godly man pray for him because he has been calling me and keeping me up to date what's going on with his mother so just remember these folks also special prayer request for Mr. Melvin Johnson he's a very godly man he's just I think maybe 80 or 81 and he's having some real problems with his legs and they haven't figured out what's causing it so I'd ask that you really pray for Melvin Johnson and his family also or my brother Travis Proctor he was having some problems with his heart and I haven't heard the latest but I think he got maybe a pretty good report he's always been active always hiking he has a hiking club lives up in the high country of northern North Carolina and always they're always hiking in the in the mountains and but You know, and he's very conscious about his health, looks out for it. But sometimes things happen. So please remember Travis Proctor. We have many people that are sick. Many people that need prayer. and so I'm asking you again or I'll mention this to you again if you have a prayer request and would like your name to be put out to all all of the people and I'll just tell you in something like the last seven weeks we've had all together on all of our channels I think we've had something over 7 million visitors we go out all over the world through the internet and God has blessed and prospered this ministry I mean there are so many free channels free that's free that you can get on and you can preach the gospel that's what we do we preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ also want to mention our son Eric he is the webmaster he builds the websites keeps everything going but he He preaches a lot on our, excuse me, he preaches a lot on all these channels and on these church sites. And he sings. But he's asked me to tell everybody, sorry, he couldn't be here. He has to work tonight. But he's got you in his prayers. So remember him and his family. They live up in the state of Pennsylvania. And also, thanks for all of our family. Our firstborn son, Fred Jr., he has helped and keeps things going. And our grandson, Davey Butts, he's an assistant engineer. He's worked over here and done a whole lot and helped a whole lot. And so many and all of our family. They back this ministry. And I will just say very quickly, I served as pastor for eight Southern Baptist churches in 60 years. And God has blessed me and helped me and given me the strength. and we are a conservative Southern Baptist Church and I know that some people say well the Southern Baptist have some problems right now well everybody got problems and we have problems because we deal with people we're in the people business we're it's not anything else we deal with people and there was problems on this earth when there was only two human beings, Adam and Eve. So, every denomination has their problems. But I have been and I am and as far as I know I continue to be I call myself a conservative Southern Baptist minister. And I'm glad to be a part of it. So, we need to pray for our nation. I'm going to pray in just a minute, but I want to get this said. We need to pray and ask for a revival. I don't watch the news much. I used to watch it all the time, but I don't watch it. It gets me fed up, mad, aggravated. So I just kind of keep up with the headlines, but I know there's a big problem. I saw this on the headline news that in the United States of America, that's where we're at. And I say that because we go to all the world, the life expectancy in the USA has dropped for the past two years because of fentanyl, a drug that one pill will kill you if you take it. and the Chinese communists, they, along with the drug cartels of Mexico, are bringing this fentanyl in. It's killed thousands of people, young people, especially young people, because, and then they showed this. Now they're making fentanyl in different colors to make it look like candy for little children. And listen, some of this fentanyl, if you just touch it with your finger, it'll kill you. So, I mean, I think maybe last year we had in the United States of America, fentanyl killed about 150,000 people. And it's more than that this year. And this year is not even over yet. So we need a revival amongst Christians and take a stand and say, hey, we will not allow this stuff to be brought in anymore. My goodness. Just walk right in and bring it. And thank God for the drug enforcement agents and all those that are working to stop it. but we need a revival. Pray for America. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I bow before you this night to thank you for every blessing of life. Oh God, how great that you are. How wonderful that you are. For you are the Lord God Almighty and there is none else beside you. And we pray to you in Jesus' name. father we bring all these objects of prayer before you and humbly pray and ask according to your perfect will as we pray for these that are sick that I have mentioned and given out in your hearing we pray for every one of these individuals and their families we pray for America oh God that we will wake up And turn back to you. Help us oh God. Help us oh God. To stand. And to proclaim the gospel. Of our wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father I pray that you will bless. Brighterdaybaptistchurch.com and .org. And all the others. Tell them the word. Tell them the story. Lord you know that we're on. Somewhere I think. between 50 and 100 channels going out all over the world. And I pray, Almighty God, the Holy Spirit, that you will take these words and touch the hearts of people and convict them of their sin and help them to know that they know that they are born again. Oh God, get honor and glory out of this service. For that's why we're here to lift up your name. In the holy name of Jesus, we do humbly pray and ask it. Amen and amen. Amen. Now, this term, I am. I am. Let me just say this. Visit the church, roderdaybaptistchurch.com. Please take the time to visit that and then check the menu. And when you're there, you go all the way over to the right and you will see a tab which says more M-O-R-E click on that and it's a drop-down menu and you will see a whole bunch of stuff but click on pastor helps pastor study helps it will take you to four or five different well the one that I use is the blue letter Bible I don't know if you ever heard of it but I highly recommend it you can type in a word or like I did these two words I am and it'll it'll bring them up and it'll also tell you how many times it occurs in the Bible and I use the King James Version you Whatever you use, that's up to you. But I typed in, and in the caps, capital I and capital A-M, I am, and it brought this up, that this term, I am, occurs 2,295 times in the King James Version of the Bible. and it occurs 698 times in the exact I am as it pertains to God. You know, Moses was out tending sheep and he saw a bush that was burning and it didn't burn up, was not consumed. and he turned to see said I'll turn aside and I'll go see this see that what are what is this I know there's some liberals that said well you know there's a lot of there's a lot of bushes and I've seen them it's called a burning bush they are red and they say well Moses didn't actually see a bush is burning it was a burning bush well how stupid do you think that Moses was he was raised in the palace of Pharaoh he knew what it was and God was in the in the bush in the fire and he told Moses I want you to go down or you're going to go down and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt I've heard to cry and he said you're going to go down and and actually when Moses approached the bush God said take your shoes off your feet for the ground that you're standing on is holy ground so God told him you're going to go down and lead them out and then God showed him some some miracles but then And Moses said, well, who am I going to say sent me? Because they will ask me, who sent you down here? And God made this statement. You tell the people that I am that I am has sent you. I am that I am has sent you. Moses went down. God used him and his brother Aaron and led the children of Israel out I am that I am now I just printed out some scriptures I'm going to read quite a few verses of scripture there's nothing wrong with that but in the book of Saint John there's quite a few I am in the in the book of St John This would be our text verse John, St. John, chapter 14, verse 6. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. no man cometh unto the Father but by me by what a profound truth I am the way, the truth, the life no man comes to the Father except through me but by me how many people how many religious people how many denominations are saying, well, you just have to be a good person. You just need to live a good life, you know, and not get out here and get in trouble and all this and that and carousing around and whatever and just live a good life and you'll get in. No, you won't. You will not. Cain tried that right after not long just a few years after Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden. Eve gave birth to she had two sons not at the same time not twins but Cain and Abel and they they knew they were told they were told and taught. when you bring a sacrifice it has to be with the blood it has to be with the blood without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins our salvation that Jesus is talking about he said I'm the way the truth and the life no man cometh to the father but by me it is through the blood of Jesus Christ that's the reason he went to the cross He had to shed his blood. His blood was perfect. No other person, no other person that's ever lived or ever will live can say that and be truthful. Because when Adam and Eve committed the sin in the Garden of Eden, then that became a part of them sin and we inherited every human being that's ever lived or ever will live except Jesus Christ inherited the sin nature we're born with the same nature yes Jesus covers and takes care of the children that don't know right from wrong and I don't know what age it is. I don't know. I do not know. I just know that if they don't know right from wrong, the blood of Jesus takes care of them, covers them. But it's through the blood. It's through the blood. We as Baptists have been talked about and said, well, you know, those Baptists, all they want to talk, All they believe is they believe in the blood. I don't like to hear about blood. Well, I'm going to tell you something. Without Jesus shedding his blood, every one of us would be in hell or headed to hell because there's no other way. And then there are those that say, and I've run into so many of these people down through the years. You've got to do the good deeds. There's nothing wrong with doing good deeds. We ought to do good deeds. We're told to bear ye one another's burdens, to help people, help one another. There's nothing wrong with that. But when you go out to do good deeds, and this is what they believe. There are many millions, probably hundreds of millions of people, maybe more than that in the world, that believe if you do enough good deeds and you stand before God and the good deeds outweigh the bad deeds, he's going to say, well done, come on in. No, that's not it. The Bible said there's none good. I don't care how much good you do because when you start out as a sinner, you're born a sinner. you don't have to go out and sin to become a sinner you're already a sinner when you're born because you have that I'll call it the DNA in you that was in Adam and Eve once they committed sin and we all inherited that from our first family that's Adam and Eve so it's not too good deed It's not to, well, you know, help the widows, help the orphans, and help the needy, and help the poor. Yes, that's fine. We ought to do that. We're told to do that. But not for salvation. Absolutely not for salvation, because there is no other way. You must first bow before Jesus. and pray a prayer like this. Lord Jesus, I'm lost. I'm a sinner. Please come into my life and save my soul so I won't have to die and go to hell. And Lord, I'll serve you. I will serve you. You pray a prayer or something like that. you don't have to be exactly like that it's it's a prayer from your heart because you understand that if you don't accept Jesus Christ there's a place called hell you know in in the earthly ministry of Jesus which was well he was about 33 and a half years I think when he died on the cross So he had about three and a half years of earthly ministry. He preached more about hell than he did heaven. Because he knew. He knew. He knows. He knew how terrible hell is. And that once you go to hell, there's never, you never get out. You never get out. And people are screaming and hollering and saying, somebody come down here and get me out. Well, it's too late. You're not going to get out. and I can just about hear some people saying you're scaring me well folks if hell does not scare you you got a real problem you have a real problem hell is terrible it's never out you're never you never get out of it and then there are those who say, well, I truly believe what you're preaching, but not today. I will next time. The Bible said, behold, today is the day of salvation. You do not know. And the Bible says, It's appointed unto man once to die. And after this, the judgment. We're all going to die or be changed if you're born again Christian when the rapture takes place and we're snatched out. But even then you'll be changed and your old body will stay here. So we're going to die. People die all the time. if you don't believe it just just if you have a computer go online and type in the name of some funeral home that you know and and it says obituaries and it's it'll shock you over and over and over and over every funeral home people are dying people are dying people are dying because it's appointed unto man wants to die and when that appointment comes there is no getting out. There's no getting out. My high importance. And that's why we preach the gospel We always preach the gospel We always lift up Jesus Christ because he said if i be lifted up i will draw all men unto me and we strive and do our best to lift up and magnify the name of jesus high and mighty above every other name for it's it's through him i'm going to give you our text verse again john chapter 14, verse 6, Jesus saith unto him, I am, I am, I am. The way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me. You know, it is so important. It is so very important I'm going to give an illustration and then I'll close this sermon out given the invitation but I want to give an illustration I've used it several times on brighter day Baptist Church maybe you've heard it but it won't hurt you to hear it again. I went to Bible college and then later on I went for eight years online to two or three different Bible colleges and seminaries because I wanted to learn. But I remember a professor, one of my professors, this was online. He said that it come time for him to take a vacation. And he went to New Mexico to visit the Carlsbad Caverns. most everybody's heard of the Carlsbad Caverns. In western North Carolina, in McDowell County, they have Linville Caverns. You go back in a mountain, but Carlsbad Caverns is so much larger than that. Anyhow, this professor said that he went to Carlsbad Caverns. There was apparently a lot of people. I've been in New Mexico, but I haven't been to the Carlsbad Caverns. But there was a group and they went down 750 feet down into the earth. I don't know how they went. I guess it was had an elevator of some sort, but they went down 750 feet. and they were walking along in this group and had a had a guide and he told them said now everybody back away of course they had he said they had it fenced in where you couldn't just plunge off but back away put you back against this rock you know it's just rock limestone and he said because we're going to turn the lights out in Carlsbad Caverns. And said, they will only be off for two or three minutes. He got everybody back and said, all right. So they turned the lights off. And this professor said that probably five seconds hadn't gone by until people started screaming. Turn them on! Turn the lights on! Oh, turn the lights back on. So they turned the lights back on. People had panicked. And the guide told the group, he said, we know this. We know this for a fact. That if you bring an adult, not a child, but a grown person down here and leave them, turn the lights off and leave them. In seven days, they'll be totally insane. Crazy. I remember saying, it wouldn't take seven days for me to go crazy. I don't like being in a dark place like that. I don't like it. I like the light. See, now listen. That was a controlled situation. All they'd done was just turn the lights off. And then they turned them back on. But listen. In the Bible, we're told about people that stand before God and they'll be judged. And they will say, oh, we've done this. We've done that. We even cast demons out in your name. And the Bible said there at that judgment, there were books. And then there was a book. another book which is the book of life and you know God's got a book on every one of us yes absolutely he knows and then is his name her name in the book the book of life hope and the Bible said God will say I never knew you bind him bind her fire up time up cast them into outer darkness and folks I cannot understand this matter of fact it chokes me up when I even talk about it but the Bible said that in hell there's fire and brimstone brimstone is sulfur and it gives off a smoke and it gets right here you know right here in your chest and your lungs and you can't breathe and it's dark. And of course, you're cut off from God. You're cut off from everybody except all those others that are in hell. Yet it's total darkness. Think about that. Think about that. Oh, my. I cannot comprehend eternity. that you never, never get out. I'm shouting this because I won't hit the sink way down deep inside of you. And if you have never asked Jesus to come into your life and save your soul, you better do it. You better do it because if you don't, hell is going to be where you're going to be at forever. oh God why the question is why will you die when you can live Jesus said I'm the way just call upon him recognize him as the Lord and Savior and say oh God I'm a sinner please don't let me die and go to hell come into my life and save my soul Oh, people, listen. There is nothing, nothing, nothing more important than that you get this taken care of. That you become a born-again child of God. And it's a free gift. For God so loved the world. And that's you and you, whosoever. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life. And that whosoever is you. Anywhere in the world. Anywhere in the world. You believe on him. You accept him. You know, when you see it, you know how to cry out. Oh, Jesus, please save me. Come into my life. Forgive me of my sins. And he will do it. Folks, my prayer is that you, if you're a born again child of God, share it with someone. Share it with someone. Tell people. Let people know that you're a child of God. And if you're not, my prayer is, oh God, please accept him right now. Thank you, God. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen and amen. join us again for Sunday morning and Sunday night roderdaybaptistchurch.com thank you for being here