Participants: Pr. John Carter
Series Code: CR
Program Code: CR001118
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00:08 From Arcadia, California, the Carter report presents
00:11 "The Living Word" around the world. 00:18 We are just so glad to have you with us today 00:21 because this is a great meeting. 00:24 The topic is "The Boat That Would Not Burn" 00:30 and bolts and nuts forming jewelry. 00:34 This is a story from the Solomon Islands. 00:37 It is an amazing story that shows 00:41 the tremendous power of God. 00:45 But right now we have a special guest, 00:47 a person whom I appreciate 00:48 and respect tremendous amount. 00:51 Pastor Willie G. is going to come and sing for us. 00:54 Would you folks please welcome today, 00:57 Pastor Willie Garcia. 01:01 Thank you. Thank you my brother, thank you. 01:36 Through the valley of the shadow 01:41 To the mountains of His faith 01:45 The shepherd boy 01:48 of Judah loved to sing 01:54 In his words of adoration 01:59 And his simple songs of praise 02:04 He glorified Jehovah as his King 02:14 A giant slayer, 02:18 a psalm sayer 02:22 For the God of Jacob set apart 02:32 A joy bringer, 02:36 a psalm singer 02:40 A man after God's own heart 02:53 The boy became a ruler 02:58 Anointed for the throne 03:02 And though he sinned 03:04 He never turned away 03:11 The Lord forgave his servant 03:15 He smiled upon his own 03:21 For the God of David 03:23 is a God of grace 03:30 To the giant slayer, 03:35 the psalm sayer 03:39 For the God of Jacob set apart 03:46 Oh, Lord a joy bringer, 03:53 a psalm singer 03:56 God called him a man 03:58 after His own heart 04:09 And from his seed would come a Savior 04:14 A light unto the nations He would be 04:22 And from his land would come a ruler 04:27 The King of our salvation 04:32 Jesus Christ is He 04:44 Make me 04:47 a giant slayer, 04:52 a psalm sayer 04:57 For the God of Jacob 05:00 set apart to Jesus 05:06 A joy bringer, 05:10 a psalm singer 05:14 Lord make me a man 05:16 after your own heart 05:22 Lord make me a man 05:26 after your own heart 05:32 A man 05:35 after your own, own heart 05:47 Amen. Amen. 05:54 I am going to tell you the story today 05:57 of "The Boat That Would Not Burn." 06:01 They couldn't get it to burn. 06:04 It happened at the beginning of the Second World War. 06:07 And the place was in the Solomon Islands. 06:11 There were a bunch of Australian missionaries there 06:14 and also allied personal. 06:18 And as the Japanese came down like a wolf on the fold 06:24 because the odds of their supremacy 06:28 were quite overwhelming, 06:31 the allies retreated back to Australia. 06:36 But the last allied officer 06:39 said to Pastor Kata Rangaso, 06:44 "We can't use it, 06:46 we've got to destroy everything we've got." 06:48 That includes the mission vessels. 06:51 At that time in the South Pacific 06:53 our church had 20 mission ships. 06:59 And so the natives didn't want to do this. 07:03 But as the allies sailed away 07:05 the last order they gave away to Pastor Kata Rangaso was, 07:09 you got to destroy the boats. 07:12 What a face, folks, what a face. 07:15 What a face. 07:16 They call him out there 07:17 and they still do a prince among men. 07:22 This man who came from the stock of headhunters, 07:25 his father was a headhunter and a cannibal. 07:30 And when they go out in the jungle today, 07:32 they still find the altars 07:34 where they used to carry out 07:36 human sacrifices on those altars. 07:40 Don't tell me every religion is as good as the other. 07:43 Their religion was a religion of the devil. 07:46 They worshiped the devil 07:48 and they worshipped their ancestors. 07:51 And so we had a mission vessel there 07:55 whose name was The Portal. 07:57 And firstly they covered The Portal with coconut fiber 08:02 which burns like crazy. 08:04 And then they doused the coconut fiber 08:07 with methylated spirits. 08:09 You know what that is, don't you? 08:11 Methylated spirits, 08:12 when it burns it burns with an intense heat, 08:15 it's a blue flame and they stood back 08:18 and they threw a torch, 08:21 a flaming torch on to The Portal. 08:24 And the ship, the boat went up in a roar. 08:28 And the allies have just gone around the bank. 08:30 They just gone round the coast line. 08:34 They are out of sight. 08:35 And then all of the sudden 08:38 after the ship had caught on fire 08:40 and it was blazing the fire completely went out. 08:44 Kata Rangaso said, this is providence of God. 08:48 So they got the ship or the boat, 08:50 the mission vessel, The Portal from Australia 08:53 and they towed it up into one of the little rivers there 08:57 and they covered it up 08:59 with everything they could find, 09:01 vegetation, so nobody, 09:03 so the Japanese would not find it. 09:07 And then they had this big diesel engine, 09:09 you know what they did, they took it apart-- 09:14 they took it apart 09:16 and they gave the parts to the women. 09:20 And the women put the nuts 09:22 and the bolts around their necks 09:24 so that when the Japanese saw them 09:26 they would not think they were carrying 09:28 around their necks a diesel engine. 09:34 It's an amazing story. 09:36 They still call the boat out there, 09:39 the boat that would not burn. 09:44 When the Japanese were defeated 09:46 and driven out of the Solomon Islands 09:48 and the battle there was horrendous. 09:53 We went out and we saw 09:54 some of the down Japanese and American planes. 10:00 We ran the campaign next to a place 10:02 that was called Iron Bottom Bay. 10:06 You know why? 10:08 Because there is so much iron at the bottom of the bay. 10:10 The Americans lost a vast number of warships. 10:14 The Australians lost their biggest warship, 10:16 the HMAS Canberra ship went down to the bottom. 10:21 The Japanese eventually lost their ships too. 10:26 The Japanese in the Battle for Guadalcanal 10:29 lost 35,000 soldiers, 35,000 soldiers. 10:35 The Americans lost 5,000 soldiers 10:39 and another 5,000 with tropical diseases like malaria. 10:44 But after the Solomon Islands were liberated 10:47 from the cruel hands of the oppressor, 10:51 our missionaries went back at the end of 1945. 10:55 And Kata Rangaso was waiting for them on the beach 10:58 and he said, "I have a surprise for you." 11:01 And he took them to one of the rivers there 11:04 and there was the Portal. 11:06 They kept the Portal for five years. 11:10 And then they sounded the drums. 11:13 And as they sounded the drums, 11:15 the women from all over the island of Guadalcanal came 11:20 and they came carrying the diesel engine. 11:25 Not every part was around their necks, 11:27 there are some big heavy parts. 11:29 But they put it together and they worked on it, 11:33 they turned on the ignition, engine started up. 11:39 It's an amazing story 11:43 and it tells you that God is greater 11:46 than the hand of the enemy. 11:51 This tells you the truth that God is real 11:56 and He will take care of you. 11:58 Now let me tell you folks something 12:00 because I am talking 12:01 to a sophisticated American audience. 12:05 Let me tell you folks something. 12:09 We are not always as smart 12:11 as some of the natives in the islands. 12:15 These natives, who came from a background of devil worship 12:20 know the reality of the devil. 12:23 Did you know the devil on occasions 12:25 would actually materialize and talk to people? 12:29 I can tell you a story and nobody in America 12:31 would probably believe this story 12:35 but the chiefs like Kata Rangaso's father, 12:38 he would go down to the beach 12:40 and they would-- the natives, 12:43 the witch doctors, they would bang the water 12:47 and they would call out the names of their gods. 12:50 And the crocodiles out on the lagoon would hear 12:53 and they swim over and the sharks would come, 12:57 and down from the mountains would come the great snakes 13:01 and they would worship the devil. 13:04 Now I know this is pretty hard for you to believe. 13:09 But one of the witch doctors 13:10 went down with one of our missionaries 13:13 and he beat the water 13:14 and they saw this 25 foot shark out there, way out there. 13:20 Half a mile out on the reef 13:22 and the shark started to swim back and forth 13:25 and came towards them. 13:27 And then the shark came up on the shore, 13:30 or the-- I am sorry, the crocodile, 13:32 not a shark but a crocodile. 13:35 This vast, vast hideous creature, 13:38 he came up on the beach. 13:41 The missionary saw this 13:44 and then the witch doctor raised his hand 13:46 and cried out to his God, crocodile exploded. 13:51 Exploded, and out came 12 warriors 13:55 with bows and arrows and spears, evil spirits. 14:01 And so when you go out there, 14:03 people, you don't have to prove to them that there's a God. 14:06 They know there's a God 14:07 because they know there's a devil. 14:10 Over here because of our pseudo intellectualism 14:14 and pseudo belief system, 14:18 we find it hard to believe in God. 14:23 And many people of course want to believe in God 14:26 because God takes them to heaven 14:27 but they don't want to believe in the devil. 14:31 But the natives out in the islands 14:32 believe in the reality of God 14:34 and they believe in the reality of the devil. 14:39 And the story of "the ship that would not burn" 14:42 tells us about the reality of God 14:45 and a God who has promised to take care of His people. 14:49 I want you to take your Bible please 14:51 and come with me to Isaiah 43:1-2, 14:58 And remember, I told you last week. 15:01 When I announced that I was going to speak on spiritism, 15:03 I told you this last weak. 15:06 That as soon as I announced the topic 15:08 there came a tremendous gust of wind 15:11 that almost blew me off of the stage 15:13 and then there came a tremendous storm. 15:17 I believe that this was an attack by the devil. 15:21 And the couple of the nights later 15:22 when I was going to preach on the Mark on he beast. 15:25 As I was preaching, 15:26 I felt on the shoulder right here 15:29 a hand, firm, pushing me. 15:36 And I turned around and there was no one there, 15:39 well, at least no one I could see. 15:42 And so today, I want you tot know 15:45 that the Bible teach us 15:46 there is a real God and there is a real devil. 15:50 Please notice Isaiah 43:1-2, 15:55 "But now, this is what the Lord says, 15:58 'he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel. 16:04 Fear not, for I have redeemed you, 16:06 I have summoned you by name, you are mine. 16:10 When you pass through the waters, 16:12 I will be with you, 16:17 and when you pass through the rivers, 16:20 they will not sweep over you. 16:23 When you walk through the fire, 16:27 you will not be burned, 16:29 the flames will not set you ablaze.'" 16:32 The Bible tells me 16:34 that God would take care of His people. 16:38 And we need to have faith, 16:40 personal faith in a living God. 16:43 I want you to notice these verses, 16:45 verses 10-13 of the same chapter. 16:48 "You are my witnesses," declares the Lord, 16:51 'and my servant whom I have chosen, 16:53 so that you may know 16:54 and believe Me and understand that I am he. 16:59 Before me no God was formed, 17:01 nor will there be one after me. 17:03 I, even I, am the Lord, 17:05 and apart from me there is no savior. 17:09 I have revealed and saved and proclaimed-- 17:13 I, and not some foreign god among you. 17:16 You are my witnesses,' 17:18 declares the Lord, 'that I am God. 17:22 Yes, and from ancient times I am He. 17:26 No one can deliver out of my hand. 17:29 When I act, who can reverse it?"' 17:31 So look at me. 17:34 The Bible teaches the reality of a God 17:38 who has promised to take care of His people. 17:43 And even though in America, other parts of the world, 17:47 we are going through tough times. 17:51 Tough times do not change the character 17:56 and the power of God. 17:59 And He still loves us and He's still with us. 18:01 I want you to come to Matthew 6 to the words of Jesus. 18:06 Matthew 6, to the word of our Lord. 18:12 Matthew 6:25-34, 18:17 Matthew 6:25-34. 18:20 Now Jesus says, "Therefore I tell you, 18:23 do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, 18:28 or about your body, what you will wear. 18:31 Is not life more important than food, 18:34 and the body more important than clothes? 18:38 Look at the birds in the air, 18:39 they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, 18:43 and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. 18:47 Are you not much more valuable than they? 18:51 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 18:56 And why do you worry about clothes? 18:59 And the next one made these. 19:01 Why do you worry about clothes. 19:04 See how the lillies of the field grow. 19:06 They do not labor or spin. 19:08 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor 19:12 was dressed like one of these. 19:15 If that is how God clothes 19:16 the grass of the field, which is here today 19:19 and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, 19:22 will he not much more cloth you, 19:24 O you of little faith? 19:27 So do not worry saying, 'What shall we eat?' 19:31 or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 19:37 For the pagans run after these things 19:40 and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 19:43 But seek first His kingdom and his righteousness, 19:47 and all these things will be given to you as well.' 19:50 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, 19:53 for tomorrow will worry about itself. 19:56 Each day has enough trouble of its own." 19:59 The Bible tells us we should cease from the sin of worrying 20:05 because of the reality of God 20:07 who cares for His people. Amen. 20:10 Would you come over here to Philippians, please? 20:13 This is one of my favorite text, 20:15 one of the fat texts of the Bible. 20:18 Philippians 4:19, 20:23 now I know that some of you 20:25 are going through tough times with your work 20:28 but the Bible tells me God will take care of us. 20:32 Philippians 4:19, 20:35 Paul says-- Have you got it? 20:38 "But my God will meet all your needs 20:42 according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." 20:47 Therefore look at me and listen to me, 20:51 I tell you this, it doesn't matter 20:53 what the enemy does, God can keep your boat afloat. 21:00 Amen. I believe this. 21:04 The boat will not catch on fire if God needs the boat. 21:14 So the Bible tells me, Jesus tells me, don't worry. 21:20 We should talk faith. 21:22 It is good being in the presence of some people 21:25 because they lift you up, because they talk faith. 21:30 It is not good being in the presence of some people 21:34 because they drag you down, 21:37 because they are full of negativity. 21:41 They can tell you a thousand reasons 21:43 why it cannot be done. 21:47 But we do not need too many people 21:49 like those in our lives 21:51 because they are bad for our health. 21:55 The Bible tells us we should believe 21:58 and we should talk faith. 22:02 One of the most oppressive places 22:05 I've ever been to is the great city of Calcutta 22:09 with its poverty, its hunger and its filth. 22:15 And in Calcutta there's a little church, 22:17 I went and worshiped in that little church. 22:20 And as I walked through the door 22:22 of that little church, over the portal were the words, 22:27 "attempt great things for God, expect great things from God." 22:33 That ought to be the theme 22:35 of every church in every conference 22:38 and every preacher and every lay person 22:41 of every elder and every person 22:44 who calls himself a Christian. 22:47 "Attempt great things for God, expect great things from God" 22:53 because He is real. Amen. 22:57 Remember this. 22:58 God can keep your boat afloat 23:01 and God can put out the fire 23:04 but there was another mission boat. 23:09 I do not know how to say the name, 23:12 I think it is a New Zealand name, 23:15 Finadery Tokke, I think it is. 23:20 Another boat, same size as the Portal. 23:23 When they set the fire to that boat, 23:26 the boat burned to the water line. 23:31 And somebody will say to me, 23:33 then explain that for the loving God. 23:35 I don't need to explain it. That is why I have faith. 23:40 We don't need, we are not called to be smart, 23:43 we are called to trust. 23:46 On the reality the evidence of God is given to us. 23:51 But I can tell you this, if God lets your boat burn, 23:56 it's because He's got a better plan for you. Amen. 24:01 Now look at Romans 8:28. 24:05 Romans 8, some people, my friend loose their faith 24:09 when trouble comes but we should be strong 24:13 in the midst of adversity like Kata Rangaso. 24:18 Romans 8:28, Paul says, 24:22 "And we know," it's good to know. 24:25 "And we know that in all things 24:28 God works for the good of those who love him, 24:31 who have been called according to his purpose." 24:34 The Bible tells me this that in spite of circumstances, 24:40 God has a plan for every life. 24:44 God is real. God is omnipresent. 24:48 God cares for people and remember this, 24:51 God can keep your boat afloat 24:54 and if He chooses that boat to burn, 24:57 it's because He's got a better boat for you. 25:03 Somebody says, "I've lost my job, what shall I do?" 25:06 Well, God has a better job for you. 25:08 Amen. You see. 25:11 People say, "I am going to loose my home." 25:13 My friend, you got a better home in glory. Amen. 25:19 Because of the reality of God. 25:25 The courage of the Solomon Island 25:27 is during those dark days of the Second World War 25:31 when the Japanese were planning to use Guadalcanal 25:35 as a launching pad to come down and attack Australia. 25:43 But those Solomon Island had showed 25:45 a tremendous courage and they still do. 25:51 There was a boy who was a new convert from heathenism. 25:55 My fiend, we here have no idea of the degradation 25:59 and the evil of heathenism. 26:04 Where people would go where the chief-- 26:06 Kata Rangaso's father was the chief of chiefs 26:10 and when he died Kata Rangaso 26:12 who became an ordain minister of the gospel of our church, 26:16 he became the chief of chiefs. 26:20 But his father captured a young Solomon Islander boy 26:24 for one purpose and that was 26:28 to offer him up as a human sacrifice 26:31 and then to eat him. 26:34 You say, not in our own day, no. 26:36 this goes back before the Second World War 26:40 when the Australian missionaries went there in the early 1900, 26:45 they came upon people 26:46 who were cannibals and headhunters. 26:49 That is why the British government said, 26:52 don't go because we cannot guarantee your safety. 26:56 But there was a young Solomon islander boy 26:59 and this boy had been converted from heathenism. 27:03 And he had become a born again Christian 27:07 who relied upon the Word of God. 27:11 When the Japanese overran Guadalcanal 27:14 and the rest of the Solomon Islands 27:17 they rounded up many of the mission boys 27:21 and they said, "Tell us, 27:23 where the white people are hiding?" 27:26 Because the allies had representatives 27:31 hiding up in the mountains 27:33 so they could plot the activities of the enemy. 27:38 And when they asked some of the boys from some missions, 27:42 "Where are the white people?" 27:44 The boys replied, "Me no savvy." 27:48 Which means, I do not know, it's Pidgin English. 27:52 Me no savvy. 27:53 But when they came to this seventh day boy 27:55 and remember this, this boy had been taught the Bible 27:59 and he had been taught the Ten Commandments. 28:03 And the Ten Commandments tell us that it is a sin to lie. 28:11 When a person is converted to Christ, 28:14 he will not be a liar, never forget it. 28:21 The Bible says outside the gates of the city are all liars. 28:31 And this boy had been taught, it was wrong to lie 28:34 and when the Japanese officer said, 28:36 "Tell us where the white men are." 28:39 He didn't say, me no savvy." 28:40 He said I will not tell you 28:44 because I've been taught not to lie. 28:48 They flogged him with a whip, 28:52 they took the meat off his back 28:57 and then they pulled out all his finger nails 29:00 and all his toe nails. 29:06 And He said, "I will not tell you." 29:09 And so after beating him to a state of unconsciousness, 29:13 they threw this Solomon islander boy into prison, 29:19 planning to shoot him. 29:23 By the grace of God, he was able to escape 29:28 and lived to tell the tale. 29:31 I asked the question, 29:33 what gave to this boy out of heathenism such courage 29:39 because most of us wouldn't have it today. 29:42 And let me tell you folks something 29:44 and here it is to my friends in Los Angeles, 29:48 we live not in a Christian culture 29:52 but in a pagan heathen culture. 29:58 Most of the television programs are pagan to the core. 30:04 They are based on the worship of the creature. 30:10 They even call people idols 30:13 and Christian say, "But this is fine." 30:15 Not if you plan to be saved. 30:19 So we live in a pagan, heathen culture 30:22 and unless you walk with God, 30:25 you will become paganized and turned 30:28 into that which is even worse than a pagan, a heathen. 30:35 But what gave this boy 30:37 fresh out of heathenism such courage? 30:43 I want you to turn to 1 John 2:12-17. 30:48 1 John 2:12 and onwards, 30:55 the words of Saint John. 30:58 1 John 2:12, "I write to you, dear children," 31:02 over towards the Book of Revelation, 31:04 I will give you a moment to find it. 31:06 But this is a Bible reading, 31:08 Bible preaching church. Amen. 31:11 "I write to you, dear children, 31:13 because your sins have been forgiven 31:16 on account of his name. 31:19 I write to you, fathers, 31:21 because you have known him who is from the beginning. 31:26 I write to you, young men, 31:28 because you have overcome the evil one. 31:32 I write to you, dear children, 31:35 because you have known the Father. 31:38 I write to you, fathers, 31:40 because you have known him who is from the beginning. 31:44 I write to you, young men, 31:49 because you are strong, 31:53 and the words of God lives in you, 31:56 and you have overcome the evil one." 31:59 Look at the blackboard. 32:02 The word of God lives in you 32:06 and you are strong, and you are strong 32:11 because the Word of God dwells in you. 32:19 Now, I've been a pastor for many years, 32:21 many people say to me, "But I just can't do it." 32:26 Change the can't and say I won't do it, 32:29 'cause that's the truth. 32:31 We should change the can't into won't 32:36 because I can do all things through Christ 32:39 and when Word of God is inside a man or a woman, 32:44 that person becomes strong. 32:50 Weak in himself but strong in Christ. 32:55 I want you to know this. 32:57 The Word of God lives in you and you are strong. 33:00 I quote this book here by Minirth Meier, 33:04 Happiness is a Choice. 33:08 These Christian physiatrists say 33:11 most of our problems come about 33:14 because we are too lazy to read the word. 33:20 And when people say, "I cannot be happy," 33:23 he tells them, "you must say, I will not be happy." 33:26 Admit, it is your reason. 33:30 You are the reason why you are not happy. 33:33 He says this, "The renewing of the mind 33:37 is a gradual process that begins 33:39 at the time of acceptance of Christ, 33:42 The time of the new birth 33:44 and of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. 33:46 This renewing of the mind 33:48 is not a once for all phenomenon, 33:51 it begins at the time of the new birth 33:53 and continues throughout life. 33:56 If the mind has a substantial amount of bad programming 34:00 during the early years, 34:01 it may take many years to reprogram it 34:06 in a more healthy direction. 34:07 However, it can be reprogrammed." 34:11 First of all the mind can be reprogrammed 34:15 by using the Word of God. 34:18 And then he gives many texts, 34:20 "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth. 34:23 It shall not return to me void, 34:26 but shall accomplish that which I please 34:28 and it shall prosper in the thing 34:30 where unto I send it." 34:35 He writes pages on this and he says to his patients, 34:40 if you want to be happy 34:43 and if you want to overcome your weakness 34:47 and if you want to overcome your depression, 34:51 read and study everyday 34:56 in a systematic way the Bible, 35:01 the Word of God, the Word of God. 35:05 I am here to tell you this. 35:07 Makes weak people strong, 35:10 it imparts endurance, courage, 35:13 fortitude, stability, love and life. 35:19 Today and rightly so, there is much talk 35:24 about the future of the United States of America. 35:29 But before we even contemplate that question, 35:32 we should go to an early question 35:34 which is more important. 35:35 What made America great? America-- 35:41 we must never, never forget, 35:44 America was founded 35:48 by the puritans and the Pilgrim Fathers, 35:55 but people who believed 35:58 in the authority of the Word of God. 36:02 The Pilgrim Fathers, a persecuted people 36:06 came to America to get away from the beast. 36:11 They believed in the centrality of the Holy Word of God. 36:17 What was it like going to church on Sunday? 36:20 That they believed was the Sabbath 36:21 in the days of the Pilgrim Fathers, 36:24 it's hard to believe it. 36:27 They would go early in the morning 36:30 and the sermon would last several hours. 36:35 The prayer alone would be an hour. 36:39 Then they will be given a break to go home 36:41 and get something to eat 36:43 and they will be back to church to study the Word of God. 36:46 We say, crazy people. No, the best. 36:52 And that brought forth America, the Word of God 36:56 and people who have the Word of God inside them. 36:59 The Bible made those early Americans a strong, 37:05 industrious, honest, uncomplaining, 37:09 patient independent people. 37:14 The soul of America that was forged in the files 37:19 of a friction was packed full of-- listen to it, 37:26 Soul of America, courage, independence, 37:32 I will stand alone if need be. Creativity. 37:37 Self reliance, I will trust in God 37:42 and in my own hands. 37:44 Honesty, a prodigious knowledge of scripture 37:49 and-- as somebody said on meet the press last Sunday 37:55 and they were discussing 37:56 the state of United States of America, 37:59 they said, America was founded on 38:03 the protestant work ethic. 38:08 That means under God, 38:12 I will be what God has called me to be. 38:15 And America became a light on a hill, 38:19 an example to the nations of the world 38:23 and a nation to be wondered at. 38:28 I quote from this famous book, 38:30 The Great Controversy 38:32 and I understand that Elder Ted Wilson, 38:37 the president of the General Conference 38:39 is going to print these by the hundreds of the thousands 38:43 and the millions and give them out 38:45 and I say, God bless you Elder Wilson, do it. 38:51 Listen to what Ellen White said about America, 38:56 "The Bible was held as a foundation of faith, 39:00 the source of wisdom, and the charter of liberty. 39:06 Its principles were diligently taught in the home, 39:09 in the school, and in the church, 39:11 and its fruits were manifest in thrift, 39:14 intelligence, purity, and temperance. 39:19 One might be for years a dweller in the Puritan settlements, 39:24 and not see a drunkard, 39:26 or hear an oath, or meet a beggar." 39:30 And today, you turn on television 39:33 and every second word is a word of blasphemy. 39:35 Oh my God, you hear the name of Christ blasphemed 39:40 but you never hear the name of Mohammed mentioned 39:43 because they are afraid. 39:47 "It was demonstrated that the principles of the Bible 39:51 are the surest safeguards of national greatness. 39:55 The feeble and isolated colonies grew 39:58 to a confederation of powerful states, 40:03 and the world marked with wonder 40:05 the peace and prosperity of "a church 40:08 without a pope, and a state without a king." 40:12 That's the greatness of America. 40:14 Give that up and you are finished. 40:19 "But continually increasing numbers 40:21 were attracted to the shores of America, 40:23 actuated by motives 40:25 widely different from those of the first Pilgrims. 40:30 Though the primitive faith and purity exerted 40:33 a widespread and molding power, 40:37 yet its influence became less and less 40:40 as the numbers increased of those 40:42 who sought only worldly advantage." 40:47 Listen to me. 40:51 The greatness of America was founded not in her armies 40:58 and not in her political institutions 41:02 but in the Bible and in God. Amen. 41:09 I'll light on, here an example to the nations. 41:14 The president of the United States, 41:16 President Obama recently commenting 41:20 on great changes taking place in the USA, 41:24 China and the rest of the world said, 41:28 we have become a little soft. 41:31 Immediately some took offence and said, 41:35 "He is insulting us, we are strong." 41:44 We are only as strong 41:48 as the Word of God is within us. 41:53 Are you listening to me my American friends? 41:57 We are only as strong as the Word of God is in us. 42:01 Look at this. 42:02 The Word of God lives in you, the Bible says. 42:06 The Word of God lives in you, 42:08 young men and you are strong 42:11 but if the Word of God does not live in you, 42:15 then you are weak 42:18 and we have become a little soft. 42:24 And I think he was being kind. 42:28 Somebody put this on my desk some time ago. 42:33 It's from one of the local newspapers here 42:36 in Arcadia in this district, 42:38 "Picking what you like from religion-- 42:41 "let me read it to you. 42:43 Compare this with the faith of our fathers. 42:48 A study by Life Way Research has found 42:50 that many Americans are moving away 42:52 from clearly define denominations 42:55 towards tailoring their beliefs to suit 42:57 their own personal preferences. 43:00 How nice. It's true in Australia too. 43:04 Also and in Europe. 43:06 Also a new survey of 900 US Protestant pastors finds 43:11 62 predict the importance of being identified 43:15 with the denomination 43:16 will diminish over the next 10 years. 43:19 The findings are supported by a new book, 43:22 Futurecast written by religious statistics expert George Barna. 43:29 Tracking statistics from 1991 to 2011. 43:34 He found that all major trends of religious belief 43:38 were diminishing except two. 43:42 More people have accepted Jesus 43:44 and believe they will go to heaven 43:47 and fewer people are attending church 43:50 except for weddings and funerals. 43:56 Barna blames pastors for these thing. 43:59 People end up bored, burned out and empty. 44:07 They look at church and wonder, Jesus died for this? 44:12 And I'd people say, I believe in God, 44:15 I believe the Bible is a good book 44:18 and then I believe whatever I want. 44:24 Judaism is also facing a similar issue. 44:27 Let me tell you, when people say, 44:32 I will believe what suits me 44:35 and I will cherry pick, 44:39 the angel of death is at the door. 44:47 And it's not just the pastors. 44:52 And I am sure pastors have got to share the blame 44:59 but if congregations and pastors 45:03 who want an easy way home to heaven 45:05 when Jesus said, "Narrow is the gate 45:09 and few there will be to find it." 45:11 That's what Jesus said. 45:19 I enjoy visiting my doctors. 45:22 They are both Jewish doctors 45:25 and they are sort of my good friends, 45:27 Dr Jack Gindi, Dr. Andre Yusafia. 45:32 We do very little medicine, 45:33 we do a lot of discussing on theology. 45:37 We discuss prophecy, Israel and Bible prophecy. 45:41 What about Jesus the Messiah? 45:43 These guys are very kind to me. 45:46 I probably put up their blood pressure 45:48 more than they put up mine 45:50 but when I go to heaven, test with my Jewish doctors 45:53 whom I love and appreciate 45:55 and respect, I wouldn't go to others. 45:59 They take my blood pressure 46:03 and I pump it up 46:04 and I am trying to think peaceful thoughts. 46:07 And then they take a blood test to see how my cholesterol is, 46:11 how my HDL is and my LDL. 46:14 So the bad is down and the good is up. 46:18 And then they test all of my bones 46:22 and prod at me and they look at me 46:25 and tell me how I am doing. 46:31 I want to be a physician for a moment. 46:34 And when I went to see one of my doctors, 46:36 Dr. Yusafia, he was having a hard time. 46:40 He is so caring for people. 46:42 These are the most caring doctors 46:43 I've met anywhere. 46:46 And I said to him when I went to see him 46:48 because he was having a hard time. 46:50 I said, "Now, can I be your doctor for 10 minutes?" 46:53 He said, "I wish you would." 46:54 So I was his doctor for 10 minutes. 46:56 I tell him that, "What are you eating? 46:58 You know you shouldn't be eating that. 47:00 You tell me not to eat that 47:01 and why you are eating that? 47:02 How much exercise--" 47:03 "You know, I know I am not doing a lot-- 47:05 "I said, "You ought to be ashamed of yourself. 47:07 Here you are, you're not exercising. 47:11 I want you around 47:12 and the way you are going doctor, 47:13 you are going to be dead. I will be taking your funeral." 47:16 So let me be your doctor, okay. 47:21 Here's a spiritual check up, 47:22 Do you study your Bible on a regular basis, 47:25 on a daily basis? 47:26 Don't answer loud, but answer yourself. 47:29 Be honest. 47:30 How many hours a day do you watch TV? 47:33 Is Christ the center of your life 47:35 or is He like your appendix? 47:38 Do you care for people? 47:40 Do you love your neighbor as yourself 47:42 or do you live for yourself? 47:45 Do you have a personal experience with Christ? 47:48 You know, you have a personal experience with God. 47:51 Do you often say, I am sorry, I am sorry? 47:54 Or do you say, no, I don't say that 47:56 because if a person doesn't say 47:57 he's sorry, he is not a Christian? 47:59 Do you keep the Lord's day 48:02 or do you go shopping on the Lord's day, 48:04 watching TV, politics and sports? 48:07 Are you ruled by your emotions? 48:10 Now, folks, I want you to know this. 48:13 It is not easy to be a Christian. 48:17 People say, no, no, it is. 48:18 No, no it's not. 48:20 Would you come over here Matthew 10 48:22 and I want you to notice a verse or two here. 48:26 Matthew 10, look at verse 21. 48:31 We are going to leave out a few passages. 48:34 "Brother will betray brother to death, 48:35 and a father his child, 48:37 children will rebel against their parents 48:39 and have them put to death. 48:40 All men will hate you because of me, 48:43 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." 48:45 That doesn't sound easy to me. 48:49 If you come down to verse 34 48:51 "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. 48:54 I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 48:58 For I have come to turn a man against his father..:"' 49:00 And then He goes on. 49:01 Verse 37, "Anyone who loves his father or mother 49:04 more than me is not worthy of me." 49:07 And verse 38, "Anyone who does not take his cross 49:10 and follow me is not worthy of me." 49:12 Folks, it's not easy. 49:19 Now there are four valuable truths 49:26 that I learned again in the Solomons. 49:29 Number one. God is absolutely real. 49:35 I felt the presence of God. I felt the mantle of power. 49:40 I felt also the force of evil spirits. 49:43 I believe in a real God and a real devil. 49:47 Number two. 49:48 The Word of God has power to change lives. 49:51 I know it is so. 49:55 No man can get a crowd out like we got out there. 49:59 Politicians can't do this 50:00 while the politicians came to our meetings. 50:03 You know where the power is, it' in here. 50:05 It's in the Word of God. 50:07 The Bible can change lives 50:09 but it can't change your life if you don't read it. 50:13 Number three. God will take care of us. 50:15 He can keep our boat afloat. 50:18 The Thursday night before we started, 50:21 we had a dress rehearsal, turned on our big PA system, 50:25 the great spotlights. 50:28 Turn on the four projectors everything was great. 50:31 Sharon was about to sing and then the power went out. 50:34 We blew the power. 50:36 Our guys had to run around at the last moment 50:39 and they had to find a-- 50:41 fancy shopping in the Solomons for a big heavy electric cable. 50:47 Harold Hawkins said to me, I don't even know, 50:50 he said, whether we are going to have a meeting 50:54 because it didn't look so we are going to get a public garden 50:57 because God will take care of us. 51:01 And number four. 51:03 We are called to be disciples 51:07 and that includes enduring hardness as good soldiers. 51:12 We are called to be disciples. 51:15 That includes enduring hardness 51:17 as good soldiers of Jesus Christ. 51:20 It is not always easy, it is usually hard. 51:26 Kata Rangaso was saved from heathenism 51:30 and devil worship 51:32 and the brutal act of an army officer 51:36 who was later given a dishonorable discharge. 51:40 I went out to his tomb, 51:42 a man whose father had been a cannibal 51:46 and a devil worshipper. 51:49 And you say it doesn't work. It works. 51:55 If we will do as God has told us to do 51:59 and open up the Word of God 52:02 and come to church 52:03 and shake ourselves from the paganism 52:07 that is taking over our society. 52:12 One day this man, who put his hand on my head 52:18 when I was five years of age. 52:20 And encourage me to be a missionary, 52:22 which I am because I have a mission. 52:28 This man who is buried out on the campus of Betikama, 52:33 out there in a shaded little glam, 52:35 called, they call him a prince among men. 52:41 That man is going to be with Jesus 52:47 in the resurrection. 52:51 Christ is going to come and Kata Rangaso 52:55 and the saints of God of all the ages, 52:57 even from a place as pagan as Los Angeles. 53:01 There will be saints saved even in Los Angeles. 53:05 Amen. And in New York. 53:07 You say, even. Yes, even. 53:09 Because it's 1,000 times easy to win souls 53:13 among the pagans in the islands 53:15 than it is to preach the gospel in pagan Los Angeles. 53:19 The God is going to have, I believe a wonderful, 53:24 wonderful company of souls saved from Los Angeles 53:30 and Sydney and Melbourne and Brisbane 53:34 and New York and Chicago 53:36 and London and the islands of the seas. 53:42 Remember about the boat that would not burn. 53:49 The Carter report is a self supporting ministry 53:52 with a global mission. 53:54 We believe that the most important thing 53:56 that we can do in this tremendous hour 53:59 is to tell people about the Lord Jesus Christ 54:02 because Jesus said, "I am the way, 54:05 the truth and the life." 54:07 We do not believe that this is a business as usual. 54:11 We believe that we are living in the closing hours 54:14 in the history of this world. 54:16 Bless your heart, friends. 54:17 Look at the signs that are being fulfilled almost every day. 54:21 The signs of the times are shouting at us 54:24 and they are saying Jesus is coming soon. 54:28 I want you to be my partner in global mission. 54:31 I want you to be my partner 54:33 in helping to tell the world about the coming of Jesus. 54:37 I want you to be my partner in the preaching 54:40 of the distinctive truths of the Three Angel' Messages. 54:45 Please check us out 54:47 at the new Carter Report website, catereport.org. 54:52 We have a special section whereby you can ask questions 54:56 and I will give you the answers 54:58 from the living Word of the living God, 55:02 that is the cartereport.org. 55:07 My friend, we want you to join us 55:09 in the mission to preach the gospel in China, 55:14 in India, in Australia, in Africa, 55:18 in United States of America wherever people are lost 55:22 and wherever people need to hear the good news that Jesus saves. 55:28 Please check us out, 55:29 the new carter report website, cartereport.org. 55:34 I want to hear from you today. 55:50 For I know that you alone are worthy 55:57 And it's You who placed this longing in my soul 56:05 My soul desire is to be used 56:12 An empty vessel longing to be filled by You 56:20 My soul desire is to serve You Lord 56:27 To do your perfect will 56:31 To work each day and build 56:35 Your Kingdom, this is my soul desire. 56:45 I besiege you therefore brethren by the mercies of God, 56:49 that you present your body, a living sacrifice, 56:54 holy and acceptable one to God 56:57 which is your reasonable service. 57:00 My soul desire is to be used 57:07 An empty vessel longing to be filled by You 57:14 My soul desire is to serve You Lord 57:22 To do your perfect will 57:26 To work each day and build 57:30 Your Kingdom, 57:32 this is my soul desire, 57:38 Jesus. 57:40 This is my soul desire |
Revised 2014-12-17