Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. Our desire is for the Word of God to be spread throughout the world.
so that all may know Christ. Join us now for a portion of one of our services here at Kerwin Baptist Church. Located in Kernersville, North Carolina. Praying. for the unsaved.
Let me just say this: if you have family or friends, as the song mentioned tonight, that are unsaved. Just calling their name out to God in prayer is more than some do. And Thank you for being faithful to do that. I have some family that I have I've prayed for my entire life. And um You know, I don't know.
That they'll get saved. I don't know. Maybe there's been a time that they did. I just don't know about it. but some I've been praying for since I was a child.
I've been living long enough now that some family that I prayed for since I was a child have since passed away. And I don't know if they ever did or didn't. But I have found in my prayer life And I'm no expert. But as I'm trying to grow and trying to mature in prayer, in a special uh effort to do that I have found that God blesses not just prayers, but specific prayers. And I have tried to implement in the past year or two especially the Bible into my prayers.
Um praying God's word back to him. applying it to your life. in a correct context, by the way. Not like, Lord, I want a Lamborghini, and you said, Whatever I'd ask for, you'd give it, you know, kind of a thing. Not that kind of context, but.
So in the past couple weeks, you know some of the resources we've given you. Get your resource out tonight, your paper. And I put everything on there.
So it is somewhat self-explanatory, but I want us to go through it. Because I believe that um If we as a church Got a hold of this and really started praying for the unsaved. And what's going to have to happen is that you're going to have to start sharing in your Sunday school. I hope you're in a Sunday school class. You're going to have to really start sharing those requests.
You can put those requests through the church office Wednesday nights. We have a prayer list that our people pray from. But you're going to have to start sharing requests to pray for so-and-so to get saved. It's okay to do that. It's okay to say, listen, I got a cousin that needs saved.
I got a brother that needs saved. Keep praying, keep praying, keep praying. And um I am not saying that what we're talking about tonight are the only things you can pray for. That's not that at all. I'm just saying.
that sometimes if you have maybe a new plan of attack, maybe a fresh way to go about this. that maybe it'll encourage you to Pray in a different way for the unsaved. What we're doing, a couple things. I told you that as we kind of go through this series, we're going to be having. I'm near the end here, a resource table with The handouts that we've handed out so that you can get all those things.
We're also in the process of. Creating a section on our website, Brother David's helping us with this. That's going to be ministry. resource Page, and you can click onto that and get all of these prayer lists that we're handing out.
So that you can take them, maybe put them on a document. I have a prayer book a certain size. And you know, here I get a big sheet that I'm handing out, but I get the information, put it on a smaller piece of paper. And what you do is you have your list of unsaved that you're praying for, put this with it. And this is how I know how to pray for them.
The things that the day you pray for your wife, get our list of how to pray for your wife. Hopefully that you're praying for your wife, your husband every day. And like ladies, the calendar that we gave you, just add it every day. Pray for an area of your husband's life. And we gave you a handout for praying for your children.
Many other things you could pray for your children. And we might give you some additional things of how to pray for your children. But I just, we're going to make that ministry resource page on there on our website.
So anything we hand out resource-wise, we're going to try to put that on there so that you can have access to it. 2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 9. Brief tonight, but I want to just get right to the point. The Lord is not slack. concerning his promise.
as some men count slackness. but is long-suffering to us would. Not willing that any should perish. But that all should come. to repentance.
Before we pray, first thing I want you to understand is you've got to get a hold of the fact. That God wants to save whoever you're praying for. God wants to save them even more than you want them to be saved. God is not willing that any should perish. God wants all.
to come to repentance.
So, you have to understand as you begin to pray for the unsaved, God's on your side. God was wants to save them. And he wants them to be saved, and he wants you to pray for them. And God wants you, as you have opportunity, to not just pray. But if the opportunity comes to lovingly Witness to them, be a testimony to them.
Be an example to them. Anything that could open the door to the gospel in their life.
So you need to understand what we're talking about here is something that we already know is God's will for your life, is for you to pray for unsaved people. That is God's will for your life. You don't have to say, you know, I wonder if God's leading me to pray for. Yes, He is. Because he said to, all right?
And so God's on your side on this, he wants this. even more than you do. And this is a biblical thing. And I believe if our church got a hold of this, that we should have a church. we could really start seeing people saved.
In the year 2023. Let's pray and let me give you these things. Just go through them and we'll let you go tonight. Lord, we love you. Thank you for all that you've done.
Thank you for our people being faithful. And Lord, I pray that you'd bless the fort for those watching online tonight. Lord, we're so sorry we had technical difficulty this morning and couldn't broadcast, but thank you, Lord, that. Um but They're watching. And I pray you'd help them at home.
I pray that they'll stay safe. And Lord, even through the medium of a computer, a phone, or a TV, I pray, Lord, that. They would be motivated. in a new way to start praying for unsaved. Family.
Friends. and acquaintances. Lord, may we get a burden to start praying for the unsaved that are friends of other people here at church. Lord, I think that we need to bear each other's burden, and it is a burden when you have an unsaved family member.
So, Lord, I pray you'd help us in Jesus' name. Amen. Number one, just an easy plan for you to say, how do I pray for the unsaved?
Now, some of you have a child, some of you might have a grandchild, you might have uncle, aunt, family, mom, dad. And some of you also have close friends, but may I say a hotbed of where this occurs is at your job. If you're working a job, Odds are you're around somebody that is unsaved. I know I am at my job all the time. The people in my office, especially, I have been praying for and fasting.
I'm not fasting a lot, obviously, but you know what I'm saying. And um but where you work. Probably there are a number of unsafe people, and this is what I encourage you. You're not a child. I'm not here to, I'm just encouraging, you know what?
As you get to know people at work, put their name down. And start praying this for them. Number one, is pray for God to open their eyes. Pray for God to open their eyes. Um Matthew 9, 28, notice this.
And Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? You know, you and I have to have faith that God can do this. He really can. They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then he touched their eyes, saying, according to your faith.
be it unto you. By faith we ought to pray, God. Open the eyes. Of this individual that I'm praying for. Notice he says in their eyes.
were opened. Luke 2.30 for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation. What are we talking about?
Well, tonight on your handout, I gave you... You don't have to, I'm not telling you what prayers to pray or But I am saying that like a model to go by, notice this. Heavenly Father, please open their eyes. You know why we have to pray this? He's like, oh, you're just, you're just, you know.
Come up with something fancy and say, no, we pray this because the Bible says... that Satan blinds. people spiritually.
So They are literally blinded. They can't see. Not only their own sin, But they can't see what Jesus has done for them. And when you can't see your own sin, then you can't see the need for salvation. Everybody with me?
You got to realize you're a sinner before you know you need to be saved. What good is it to know how to be saved if you don't think you need to be saved? And you won't think you need to be saved if you can't see your own sin.
So notice this. Um and and I have become you know The Bible says God bears our burden. Notice this: I come before you bearing the burden of the sin. I'm my loved ones. You know, you need to tell God this is a burden on you.
God, I'm begging.
Now I know God wants to, and listen, they've got to cooperate. God's not going to force himself on anyone, but. But this is a burden, and if it's not a burden to you, it should be.
Okay, notice this deliver them from the power of Satan who has blinded them from seeing the light. of the gospel. And that's exactly what Satan does. He blinds them because Once you see the light, Then now you can see what's around you. You can see you, you can see your state, you can see your condition.
Notice this, open their eyes to see their sin. and to see your salvation. Help them to see your goodness and grace. God opened their eyes. to see the love you have for them.
You know what's interesting? There's a lot of people in this world. They just, they don't even know if they believe in God. And and very few beyond church people, they're confused. They don't even know if they believe in God.
So look at me.
So I can almost guarantee you They don't even know if they believe in God. Definitely they don't know that God loves them. Because they don't even know if there's a God. But if they knew how much he loved them, They're searching for that love. And their eyes have to be open.
Pray for God. to open their eyes.
Now, do you have children? and especially young children. that might at this point have not accepted Christ yet. And we've always encouraged our parents. We try to, like in our children's ministry, if children want to be saved, we like mom and dad to be there.
We'll try to find them and deal with them in that kind of a way. We want to assist you in that. We don't want to just easy believe ism here with our children and run them through the mill. Hey, they said they're saved, you know, kind of a thing. We take it very serious here.
We really do. I appreciate Brother David. I told him my heart on that. Is I don't want, hey, you know, say Jesus, raise your hand, you're saved. I don't want that stuff.
And um But listen to me, if you have children that are still young, This is how you need to pray for them. Because this isn't just about praying for your child. This is praying for an unsaved person. which could be your child.
So to pray, God, as they grow older, open. their eyes. Open their eyes. and help them to see you. to see God's word, to see salvation, to see their sin.
And usually sometimes parents will bring children to me, and like they said they want to be saved, are they ready to be saved? And this thing of sin and repentance, that's kind of one of the biggies. When you really talk to kids to understand that if they don't understand that they need to repent, that there is sin. and different things and so we want to pray for their eyes to be open. Notice number two.
And I can go on, you understand it. Number two, pray for God to open their minds. This unsaved person prayed for God to open their minds. 2 Corinthians 3.14. But their minds were blinded.
For until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament, which veil is done away in Christ. When Jesus died, look at me now. The veil of the temple was rent in two. The moment he died, And understand what this means is that now we don't have to go through a priest to God. We go straight to God.
He got that?
Okay.
So what he is saying here is that Satan literally can put a veil. You know, really, literally, spiritually speaking, a veil between. the truth and the unsaved person. He can cover it up. Their minds can be up.
can literally, if you'll notice this, be blinded. not just their eyes blinded, but but their mind is blinded. And so we want to pray for God to open their minds. Because Satan wants to keep it blind. And notice 2 Corinthians 11:3.
And there's other, by the way, trust me. Good word study for you. Especially if you wanna really help witness to people later on. Every one of these things that I give you, find other verses. Go home.
There are tons. I had to just pick two or three, try to get it on one piece of paper that I could give you as a resource. There are a bunch, but look up in your Bible, get a concordance, look up eyes, look up mind. And the other things we mentioned, you'd be surprised at how much the Bible has to say about this. And this is literally a pattern for us to pray.
God opened their minds. I know Satan has blinded their mind, opened their eyes, opened their mind. 2 Corinthians 11.3, but I fear. lest by any means As the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity. That is in Christ.
Did you hear that? Do you know that really salvation is simple? In fact, that's why we call it God's simple plan of salvation. God made salvation.
So a child could understand. Or children couldn't be saved. But at the age of accountability, if a child comes to the age of accountability, And they know right from wrong and they're aware of that and all those things. God made salvation so complicated that they couldn't understand it until they were an adult. What happens when that child dies?
So God made salvation where even a child could understand it.
So the simplicity is the gospel. that Jesus loves us that you and I are sinners, we couldn't save ourselves. He loved us enough that he came, he died, he rose again. That's simple. But Satan, this verse says, Satan's job.
is to blind you. from the simplicity of Christ.
So you and I've got to pray for unsaved. That God opens their minds because Satan is trying to confuse them. He's trying to blind them from how simple the truth is. And that's why you see throngs of people running to some religions like Scientology. I've never heard a more nutcased job in my life.
this Scientology stuff, people believe that more, then they'll believe this. Because Satan's not blinding their minds from that. He wants them to believe that. He's blinding their minds from this. And this is simple.
compared to that mess. But Satan's at work, so you and I have to pray for God to open their minds. See, how would I say that, preacher? Heavenly Father, please open their minds to understand your truth. You know what the Bible says?
You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you what? Free.
So God helped him. Open their minds to your truth. Deliver them from the control that this culture and their sin has had on their thinking. Why are we praying for God to open up the minds of an unsafe person? because they they have the wrong way of thinking.
Their minds have been corrupted from culture. Satan has blinded their minds from the truth, so they're thinking wrong. And you know why sometimes it's so hard to win a person to Christ? Because they got to change their whole thinking.
So God has to do that. God opened their mind. Notice this: God, may your word have entrance. into their minds. and may their mind be radically enlightened by the truth.
We're saying, God, would you open up their minds so that they'll hear it? and believe it. The Lord, please change their mind. Change their direction. and save them by your grace.
All right, Lord open their eyes. Lord, open their minds. Number three. Pray for God to open their ears. Their ears.
You see, do I gotta print that specifically? Yeah. Matthew 11, 15, he that hath ears to hear. Let him hear. It we're not praying that they have hearing.
We're praying that they hear his word. Do you know every Sunday here I preach. There are people sitting in front of me that have perfect hearing. But they're not hearing anything I'm saying. You understand it?
You understand what I'm saying?
So we're saying God opened their ears. Help them to hear. Not just a sound, but to hear it. Notice this, look at Acts 28, 27. For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing.
and their eyes have they closed. lest they should see with their eyes. and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and should be confirmed. Yeah. There it is.
What does the Bible say? They have ears to hear, but they're not listening. They have eyes to see, but they're not seen.
So what do we pray, God? Open their eyes. Open their mind. Open their ears. Open their ears to hear your word.
God opened their ears to hear the gospel. God opened their ears to hear the truth. Let your word make them realize what is wrong in their lives, correct them where they're wrong. and teach them to do what is right. And here's a biggie.
God Please may they hear what you you are trying to say. Do you get this? Listen, I want you to get this. Even those of us that are saved, sometimes we don't hear what God's trying to tell us.
So we're praying for an unsaved person that they'll open their ears so that they can just hear what. God has to say to them. The Holy Spirit, we believe. Does the convicting? And the Holy Spirit draws them and we want them to hear.
The truth. I want you to notice number four. Pray for God to open their hearts. A very simple pattern here. God opened their eyes.
God opened their minds. God opened their ears. And God opened their hearts. What did we just say in the verse we read in Acts 28? He says this, they see with their eyes, they hear with their ears.
and they understand with their heart. Yeah. Notice this: pray for God to open their hearts.
Now, I put a number of verses here. Because the Bible does say out of the heart, are the issues of life. This is the big step. Look at me. Why is the heart important here?
Why is it important to pray for the heart?
Well, we pray for the eyes for them that you know they've been blinded. to kind of see God's salvation, to see their sin. We pray for their minds so that their minds are open. Satan's tried to confuse them and blind their minds from the simplicity that's in Christ.
So once their eyes are open and they can finally see, and once their mind is open, that they can finally gather the information. Once their ears are open, that they can finally hear. Look at me. Now they have knowledge.
Now they have truth. but head knowledge is different than heart. A lot of people know about Christ, but they don't trust Christ. And even the demons of hell believe in Jesus. But they're not saved.
This is where it goes from your head. to your heart.
Now if he was still alive. My dad would tell you about dating my mother. And it's probably best he's not alive, to tell you all that. because he got graphics sometime. But anyway.
My mom and dad were in college and He would tell you that he would wax his... 55 Chevy. Got it all clean and had those vinyl seats up front, kind of one whole front bench seat. And he would tell you that, he said, I get I'd get wax, I'd really just get those seats nice and slippery. And he would take her up to Lookout Mountain there in college, and he said, I got the seats real slippery so I could get a turn in my favor.
And mom won't. Slip over and go ahead. Hey, what was that? I don't know. Sorry about that.
He said I would take My soon-to-be wife did not know at that point out for dates, and he said, I just I had this thing, just everything about her, and I could just... He said, I felt like I loved her, just wasn't sure. Man, you know, she was just beautiful and all these things. My dad said, you know, I'd take her out and he'd go, Pat, and she'd go, yes. My dad said, Pat?
She goes, yes. And he would say, Is it going to rain tomorrow? He said, I just couldn't take that. And he said, I'll never forget that one night we were going up lookup mountain and we were just spending time together. And I saw her and all of a sudden he said, Pat, she said, yes.
And he said, I love you. It went from the head. to the heart. And what we're praying. for an unsafe person.
Odds are at some point because you've been praying, they're going to hear the truth. They're at some point, listen, you're never going to know it probably. They'll be in a car. and something will come on that radio and somebody will put the gospel in. And they'll turn it, and they'll go somewhere, there'll be a billboard with the gospel on it.
They'll go somewhere and there'll be a track sitting in the bathroom on top of the toilet. And they'll see that God's simple plan of salvation, or do you know for sure you're going to heaven? Just all kinds of things might flood their minds, and at some point, God might open their ears and their minds and their eyes. Yeah. involves the heart.
May I remind you tonight? Just because you have all the knowledge. Do you know you're saved? It's a heart thing. It's not a head thing.
It's more than just knowing the verses. It's more than just knowing exactly the story and knowing what you've been taught your whole life. It's about: has it hit your heart yet? What are we praying? Luke if you would act.
28, 27, for the heart of this people. is waxed Gross. What does this mean? It's hardened. It's hardened.
Notice Proverbs 2.9. Then shalt thou understand righteousness and judgment and equity. Yea, every good path. when wisdom entereth into thine heart. and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul.
Proverbs 3.5. Trust in the Lord. with all thine Heart. Proverbs 4, 23. Keep thy heart with all diligence.
Proud of it. Are the issues of life? Do you think salvation is an issue of life?
So salvation isn't out of the mind. He said, out of the heart. are the issues of life. Notice this, Romans 6:17. But God be thanked.
That ye were the servants of sin. But ye have obeyed from the heart. That form of doctrine. which was delivered unto you. Lord.
My heart is broken. for my loved ones. They are entangled by sin and their heart is hardened. Lord, soften their hearts. to understand you paid the full price for their sins.
By sacrificing Your only Son. Lord, open their hearts. to know you, to trust you. and to believe on you. And listen to this.
May the gospel not just change their mind. But may it change the heart. Isn't that interesting? I wanna Challenge you tonight, Crow and Baptist Church. We get through with this series, we're going to implement some things.
to make it a little simpler for us to pray for each other. But I want to ask you tonight to Commit yourself this year. to pray for the unsaved. And go a little further then. Lord, you know I got a cousin John.
Lord, I pray he'll get saved. The greatest news that anyone can receive is the news of the free gift of salvation found in Jesus Christ. It is our desire for you to know him personally. Would you take a moment to hear this today? Every man is born with the sin nature.
Romans 3.23 says, For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. No matter how hard we try, We're not good enough to obtain God's glory. or to get to heaven. Because of that, sin carries the penalty of death. Romans 6.23 says, For the wages of sin is death.
But the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. The wages of our sin, or the payment of our sin, only equals death and separation from God. But it's only through God's gift salvation through Jesus Christ that we can accept him as our Saviour. Jesus Christ paid for your sin debt. The Bible says in Romans 5:8, But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
All you have to do is receive Christ. by faith as your Saviour. Romans ten nine says That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Verse 13 continues, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. It's as simple as admitting that you're a sinner believing that Jesus is the only way.
and calling upon his name. Bible says whosoever, that's any one. can call upon the name of the Lord to be saved. Have you accepted Christ as your personal Savior? There is no greater day than today to take care of this.
Would you accept Christ as your Savior? If you have any questions, please give us a call at 336-993-5192 or visit our website at Curlin Baptist Church. Dot com. or visits that person at one of our three service times. We hope you have a great rest of your day.
God bless you. Mm-hmm.
