The importance of lifting up the name of Jesus
Jesus' promise to draw all men unto him
The need to trust in Jesus as our hope and salvation
The dangers of trusting in anything else except Jesus
dot com. This is Reverend Fred Proctor Sr., the pastor. I want to take this opportunity to welcome you to brighterdaybaptistchurch.com. I'm going to take just a few minutes to give you something from the Word of God. This will not be long. It doesn't have to be a lengthy something. But I want to read one verse from the book of St. John, chapter 12, verse 32. Jesus is speaking, and he's speaking of himself. St. John chapter 12, verse 32. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, I thank you for this day. Thank you for all of your many, many wonderful blessings of life. all your daily benefits, which you tell us in the book of Psalms, that you daily load us up with all your benefits. Thank you. Thank you, O God, and I pray that you will take this short message and use it through the power of Almighty God, the Holy Spirit, to lift up the name of Jesus to draw people unto you and that they might look unto you in the time of their trouble, their trial, or in the time when they're not a born-again Christian. And I pray they will make that move and accept you as Jesus Christ, as their Savior, and we will give you all the honor and the glory, for it's in your name that I humbly pray and ask it. Amen and amen. Jesus said, if I be lifted up. Now, I know this has a twofold meaning. It's lifted up on the cross. And it certainly means that but it also means to lift him up We lift him up We don lift up some religion or some creed or anyone else except Jesus Jesus said, and I'll read this verse again, And I, him, not me, not you, not anyone else, but Jesus and I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. and that's why I'm here for these few minutes to lift up the Lord Jesus Christ to point you to him that he cares about you he cares about your situation he cares about your troubles he cares about your trials and he certainly cares about your soul and when I say he cares that does not mean that he sits and worries about it, but he was moved so much that he went to the cross for us. He didn't sit around and worry about it. He done something about it because he was the only one that could do anything about it and change our life, change our outcome, change the way we live life and change where our destination where we're going to wind up at so he we need uh let me ask you this is he in control of your life uh i'm going to share a little story that i read a long time ago and actually I had forgotten about it and then I saw it again and I want to I think this story has great meaning and certainly we're in a time in America that is I've never seen anything like it in my lifetime I'm not here to dwell on that but I'm here to say to you I'll just say this about America repent or that it it over repent America turn to Jesus Christ or it over Now this story was about a train that was traveling through the night in a violent storm The lightning flashed. The rain splattered in windy gusts against the windows. The water was rising along the tracks and the passengers were seized with terror. They were thinking the water is going to wash the tracks out. This train is going to jump. Time of excitement amazed the passengers. Finally, one man asked, how is it that you can be so calm but all the rest of us are so worried and I really love this answer it just touched me well both times that I read this story so how is it that you can be so calm when all the rest of us are so worried she smiled sweetly and said my father is the engineer praise God for that my father my Lord my Savior is the engineer he is in control and nothing's gonna jump the tracks as long as he is in charge so I just want to lift up to you the Lord Jesus Christ oh listen the greatest I guess one of greatest not the earth but us us you see that was lost in the Garden of Eden that innocence was lost never trust a snake never ever trust a snake it was lost and that snake represents the devil never trust Satan he will lead you down a path as the old saying it will take you farther than you want to go it'll keep you longer than you want to stay and it'll cost you more than you want to pay so I lift up to you the Lord Jesus Christ he is your hope and whatever you're searching for you will never find it if you searching for peace from all of your troubles and trials and everything that you tried comes up empty Well it always will because the only thing that satisfies is the Lord Jesus Christ. He, if you will invite him in, if you will ask him to come in and say, oh Lord Jesus, save my life. I don't want to die and go to hell. Yes. Yes. There is a hell. Jesus preached more about it when he was in his earthly ministry than he did about heaven. Because he didn't want anybody going to hell. It's such a terrible place. And you don't have to go. If you go, you choose to go. But I'm here lifting up Jesus Christ. and saying to you, he is the answer to all of your problems, all of your worry. Worry accomplishes nothing except it brings about, it breaks us down. It never accomplishes anything good. So people are saying maybe, what is the answer? It is Jesus. Jesus Christ and I if I be lifted up from the earth will draw all men unto me I point you to him I ask you to call upon him you tried everything else and nothing work try him I guarantee you it will work I pray that you will Heavenly Father, I pray you will take these few scattered remarks. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, touch the hearts and lives of many people. And I pray that they will make this decision to accept you as their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I lift you up, O Lord, to all men. Thank you for ever blessing of life. Thank you for dying for us, for being buried, and for coming forth again on the third day. We serve a risen Savior. Thank you, sir. In Jesus' name I humbly pray and ask it. Amen and amen.
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