Carter Report, The

The Baby That Never Grew Up - The Christian's Dilemma

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Pr. John Carter

Home

Series Code: CR

Program Code: CR001202


00:08 From Arcadia, California, the Carter report presents
00:11 "The Living Word" around the world.
00:18 Hello friends, do you ever wonder
00:20 what's going to happen next.
00:22 How can we ever get the images of the Japan out of our minds?
00:26 Think of this tremendous tsunami.
00:28 I've never seen anything like it.
00:29 I believe with all my heart
00:32 that God is sending a wake up call
00:35 to the nations of this world.
00:37 That message is get ready
00:39 because Christ is coming soon.
00:41 I believe that Christ is also sending
00:43 a wake up call to the church.
00:46 I want you to know today
00:48 this cannot be business today as usual.
00:52 We have a work to do.
00:53 And the Bible tells me,
00:55 we're called to go into all the world
00:57 and to preach the everlasting gospel,
01:00 the good news of Jesus Christ, the Lord.
01:03 I want you to join me my friend
01:05 in the great nations of the world,
01:08 in world evangelism.
01:10 We're working in China, join us.
01:13 I want you to join us in India.
01:15 We've got a television program in India.
01:17 It is a land of more than a billion souls.
01:21 Join us in India.
01:22 I want you to join us in Russia and Ukraine
01:26 and here in the United States of America,
01:28 in Australia, all around the world
01:30 where people need to hear the good news of Jesus Christ.
01:36 I say this because I've got to find my soul.
01:41 Jesus is coming soon
01:44 and you and I have got a work to do.
01:47 Please write to me today,
01:48 John Carter, PO Box 1900,
01:52 Thousand Oaks, California, 91358.
01:56 In the South Pacific write to me at beautiful Terrigal.
02:01 The address is now appearing on the screen.
02:04 Listen my friend, Jesus is coming soon.
02:09 We must work while it is day because the night is coming.
02:19 The topic today is the Christian's dilemma.
02:23 We're going to talk about the baby that never grew up.
02:29 Stay with us for this great presentation today
02:32 and this great message.
02:34 But now let me introduce to you, David Castanon.
02:38 Would you please welcome him today.
02:59 Water You turned into wine
03:07 Opened the eyes of the blind
03:12 There's no one like You
03:20 There's none like You
03:30 Into the darkness You shine
03:38 Out of the ashes we rise
03:43 There's no one like You
03:50 There's none like You
04:00 Our God is greater Our God is stronger
04:08 God You are higher than any other
04:15 Our God is Healer Awesome in power
04:22 Our God
04:26 Our God
04:30 Water You turned into wine
04:38 Opened the eyes of the blind
04:43 There's no one like You
04:51 There's none like You
05:01 Into the darkness you shine
05:08 Out of the ashes we rise
05:14 There's no one like You
05:21 There's none like You.
05:31 Our God is greater Our God is stronger
05:38 God You are higher than any other
05:46 Our God is Healer Awesome in power
05:52 Our God
05:55 Our God
06:01 And if our God is for us
06:05 Then who could ever stop us
06:08 And if our God is with us
06:12 Then what could stand against
06:16 And if our God is for us
06:19 Then who could ever stop us
06:23 And if our God is with us
06:27 Then what could stand against
06:30 Our God is greater Our God is stronger
06:37 God You are higher than any other
06:45 Our God is Healer Awesome in power
06:52 Our God
06:56 Our God
07:09 I'm going to talk today about,
07:11 "the baby that never grew up."
07:15 But firstly I want to share you
07:18 some pictures of a little baby that is growing up. All right.
07:23 Now you got to admit,
07:27 you know I just got away with her, she just loves me.
07:31 You see that can't you?
07:34 Now just all say ah! Ah!
07:37 Let's hear it.
07:38 Yeah, that's right. Now isn't she cutie?
07:40 Ah! Ah!
07:42 Oh, I tell you. You think she looks like me.
07:44 Okay, okay. Yeah, thank you Ron.
07:47 Double indulgence for you today, Ron.
07:49 Now it's great when they are like this, isn't it?
07:54 Isn't it beautiful?
07:56 But it will be a tragedy, if they never grew up
08:02 and this little girl Amelie is starting to grow up.
08:08 She's 6 months and 18 days old.
08:14 And Julie tells me she's walking,
08:17 of course she is not.
08:20 But she's doing some high steps by the looks.
08:22 Folks, God gave us babies,
08:27 but babies need to grow up.
08:32 Today I'm gonna talk to you about the Christian's dilemma.
08:38 Now what's a dilemma?
08:40 Well, a dilemma is a thing
08:42 you know it's a conflict and ego problems in you.
08:47 Sometimes you don't' know what to do,
08:49 you say, it's a dilemma.
08:51 We're going to talk about the Christian's dilemma.
08:54 Something which is sometimes confusing
08:58 and a conflicting situation and you need to understand this,
09:03 because if you don't understand this,
09:05 maybe it's because you don't understand
09:09 the truth of the Bible on the gospel.
09:12 I want you to take your Bibles down
09:14 and turn with me firstly today to the Book of Romans,
09:18 Romans and I want you to come over here to Chapter 8:1.
09:24 Romans 8:1.
09:29 And I want you to notice these texts,
09:31 because theses texts are so positive
09:34 and up beaten, so uplifting.
09:36 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation
09:39 to those who are in Christ Jesus,
09:41 because through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life
09:45 set me free from the law of sin and death."
09:47 There is no condemnation, if you're in Christ.
09:50 Now come to verses 12 to 14.
09:52 "Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation--
09:55 but it is not to the sinful nature,
09:57 to live according to it.
09:59 For if you live according to the sinful nature,
10:02 it says, you will die."
10:03 So what, what was all these about assurance?
10:06 The Bible says, if you don't do something
10:09 or if you do-do something,
10:10 the Bible says you're going to die.
10:12 "But if by the Spirit you put to death
10:15 the misdeeds of the body, you will live,
10:17 because those who are led by the Spirit of God
10:21 are the sons of God."
10:23 So the Bible talks here about
10:24 people who are lead by the Spirit of God,
10:27 they are the sons of God.
10:28 But the Bible says, if you live according to the sinful nature,
10:32 the Bible says you're going to die.
10:34 Now come to verse 22 and 23.
10:38 The Bible says, we know
10:39 that the whole creation has been groaning
10:42 as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
10:47 Not only so, but we ourselves,
10:49 who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly
10:54 as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons,
10:58 the redemption of the body."
10:59 The Bible says until our bodies are redeemed,
11:02 there's going to be some groaning,
11:04 I wonder why? This is the dilemma.
11:07 And if you look at verse 28, verse 28 will be fine.
11:12 "And we know that in all things
11:15 God works for the good of those who love him,
11:17 who have been called according to his purpose."
11:22 Come back if you don't mind please to verse 26.
11:26 "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses.
11:31 We do not know what we ought to pray for."
11:34 Hey, I thought we were saved and redeemed
11:37 and we don't know what we ought to even pray for.
11:39 "But the Spirit himself intercedes for us
11:42 with groans that words cannot express."
11:45 This is serious matter.
11:47 "And he who searches our hearts
11:49 knows the mind of the Spirit,
11:51 because the Spirit intercedes for the saints
11:53 in accordance with the will of God."
11:57 So the Bible tells me
11:59 that I can know that I'm right with God.
12:03 I can have an assurance
12:06 that I can sing blessed assurance,
12:08 Jesus is mine.
12:09 I can know that I'm redeemed and I'm going to heaven.
12:14 But the Bible says, while I'm doing this
12:19 and I live according to the sinful nature.
12:21 The Bible says, you're going to die
12:24 and that is the Christian's dilemma.
12:28 Let me tell you folks this now.
12:30 This is something that it's not actually popular theology.
12:36 It is easy to become a Christian.
12:42 The steps are very simple, believe on the Lord Jesus
12:46 and you're going to be saved.
12:47 It's easy to become a Christian.
12:49 But I want to tell you folks something,
12:52 it's not easy to stay a Christian.
12:56 It's easy to become a Christian,
12:59 but, it's not easy to stay a Christian.
13:05 Some years ago when we were in Glendale,
13:07 I run a campaign in Glendale as you may remember
13:09 and it's about 14 or 15 years ago,
13:12 we baptized the lady and I have tried to baptize her.
13:16 She told me she has been married eight times
13:20 and she was a Hollywood star.
13:23 She was quite a famous person.
13:24 She had been married eight times.
13:28 It's easy to get married,
13:30 but it's not always easy to stay married.
13:33 I asked this lady
13:35 and I said what happened to your husbands?
13:36 She said they all died.
13:39 And I met her husband number eight,
13:42 I said, how are you?
13:43 He said I'm not feeling too good.
13:53 It makes you think, doesn't it?
13:54 But I want you folks to know something,
13:56 it's little bit like becoming a Christian.
14:00 It's not that hard to come onto a church
14:03 and raise your hand
14:04 and to make a profession of Christ.
14:07 But it's hard to stay a Christian.
14:11 I want you to let this sink down into your minds.
14:14 What you believe makes you what you are.
14:19 And that is something that most people
14:21 haven't even thought about.
14:23 What you believe makes you what you are.
14:30 Whether you're an Adventist
14:32 or a Baptist or a Pentecostal
14:35 or a Roman Catholic or a Muslim,
14:38 what you believe makes you what you are.
14:44 Everybody says to me.
14:46 Well, the gospel is the gospel, is the gospel, is the gospel.
14:50 The Apostle Paul said there were different gospels
14:53 but only one true gospel.
14:55 You all heard of that great person
14:57 that we have looked up to
14:59 and highly esteemed for so many years
15:01 Mother Theresa, who worked with the lepers
15:05 in Calcutta and other places.
15:07 But after she died it was discovered
15:10 from her letters that were published
15:12 and Mother Theresa had never known
15:15 one single hour of peace.
15:21 She believed a gospel but not the gospel of the Bible.
15:26 And Mother Theresa spent her life
15:29 in deep depression, suicidal
15:33 and even contemplated on occasions
15:35 becoming an atheist.
15:40 So don't tell me,
15:42 it doesn't matter what you believe,
15:46 because what you believe makes you what you are.
15:52 And today I want you to get to understand
15:55 by the grace of God the truth about the gospel.
16:00 Now back to the Christian's dilemma.
16:03 I want you to come over here to Matthew 11:28 and onwards.
16:07 Matthew 11:28 and onwards.
16:15 Matthew 11:28 and onwards,
16:17 I just love these words of Jesus.
16:20 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,
16:24 and I will give you rest."
16:26 That's absolutely beautiful.
16:28 Christ says, "I will give you rest.
16:31 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
16:34 for I am gentle and humble in heart,
16:37 and you will find rest for your souls.
16:40 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
16:46 Now I'm gonna tell you the dilemma.
16:50 When you become a Christian
16:53 and you accept His rest, you have peace.
16:59 His yoke is easy and His burden is light
17:05 and if that is so,
17:08 then why is there so much struggle.
17:12 And you say I don't have any struggle.
17:16 Well, then you've got a problem
17:19 because the saints of God
17:22 in the Bible like St. Paul had a struggle.
17:28 The dilemma here it is,
17:31 the challenge of following Christ
17:34 and His teachings and the consequent struggle.
17:40 When I get through the day
17:42 you'll understand why people don't read their Bibles.
17:46 I'm going to show you today what a true Christian is.
17:53 What it takes to be a disciple of Christ.
17:59 Now when Jesus came,
18:02 He said the kingdom of heaven is at hand
18:04 and everybody was glad and shouting hallelujah.
18:09 And then Jesus went up on a mountain
18:11 near the Sea of Galilee,
18:13 the northern area and He sat down.
18:17 A mountain in the Bible is symbolic of the kingdom.
18:22 The city of Babylon was called a mountain.
18:24 The great stone of Daniel 2 becomes a mountain
18:28 because the mountain symbolizes the kingdom.
18:31 And when Jesus went up on the mountain
18:34 and gave the sermon on the Mount,
18:37 He was talking about the laws and the principles
18:42 not of the United States of America or of Great Britain
18:47 but He was talking about the laws and the great truths
18:54 that are the foundation of His kingdom.
18:58 What it takes to be a real Christian.
19:03 Now what we're going to notice now
19:05 is the description of a true Christian,
19:09 a follower of Christ.
19:10 Now you may say to me is,
19:12 do you think this is that important.
19:17 I want to tell you from my heart,
19:21 this is a matter of life and death.
19:26 What a tragedy if you should follow a certain teaching
19:31 and have absolute confidence that you are saved
19:35 and when you come up in the resurrection,
19:38 it's the resurrection of the lost.
19:40 Will that be a tragedy?
19:45 And therefore I want to show you today
19:48 what Jesus said is a true Christian.
19:54 And He gave it in Matthew 5 on the mountain.
19:58 Remember the mountain symbolizes the kingdom.
20:01 And so now He's giving the laws about the kingdom of God.
20:08 Matthew 5:1 and onwards.
20:12 "Now when he saw the crowds,
20:14 he went up on a mountainside and sat down.
20:18 His disciples came to him,
20:20 and he began to teach them, saying--
20:24 "Now I'm going to share many texts with you today
20:27 but because of the brevity of time we spend here,
20:31 I'm going to go through some of these things quickly.
20:34 Verse 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit."
20:39 The people who are saved are spiritually poor.
20:44 The next verse, verse 4.
20:46 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."
20:50 The people who are His disciples are mourners.
20:54 They mourn because of their inadequacies and their sins.
21:00 Verse 5, "Blessed are the meek,
21:03 for they will inherit the earth."
21:05 A true disciple is a meek person.
21:08 Verse 6, "Blessed are those who hunger
21:11 and thirst for righteousness."
21:14 A true disciple is hungry
21:17 and thirsty for God all the time.
21:21 Verse 7, "Blessed are the merciful,
21:26 for they will be shown mercy."
21:28 A disciple of Christ is merciful.
21:32 Verse 8, "Blessed are the pure in heart,
21:35 for they will see God."
21:36 A disciple of Christ is pure.
21:40 He doesn't look at pornography,
21:43 anything like that.
21:45 Verse 9, "Blessed are the peacemakers,
21:48 for they will be called sons of God."
21:50 A disciple of Christ praise and works for peace.
21:56 Verse 10, "Blessed are those who are persecuted
22:00 because of righteousness,
22:02 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
22:05 A true disciple of Christ will experience
22:09 a times in His life, the fire of persecution
22:13 and if you never experience it perhaps you should doubt,
22:16 whether you're a disciple.
22:19 Now we're going to notice some of the laws
22:22 that are so specific.
22:24 Look at verse, verse 13, verse 13.
22:32 "You are the salt of the earth.
22:36 But if the salt loses its saltiness,
22:39 how can it be made salty again?"
22:42 Jesus says be genuine, be salty.
22:48 Verse 14, "You are the light of the world."
22:51 Jesus said be a light.
22:55 Verse 18 and 19, verse 18 and 19,
23:00 Jesus said, "I tell you the truth,
23:03 until heaven and earth disappear,
23:05 not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen,
23:09 will by any means disappear from the Law
23:12 until everything is accomplished.
23:15 Anyone who breaks
23:16 one of the least of these commandments
23:18 and teaches others to do the same
23:21 will be called least in the kingdom of heaven,
23:24 but whoever practices and teaches these commands
23:27 will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."
23:31 People who don't read their Bible say,
23:36 the Old Testament is the book
23:38 that is full of laws and commands. It is.
23:44 They say thank God that we have the New Testament,
23:50 they obviously haven't read it.
23:55 And these are the words of Jesus
23:58 who would today be accused of the sin of legalism
24:05 because he's saying, do, do and be.
24:09 Look at verse 20, don't get angry with me.
24:12 Jesus said, "For I tell you
24:15 that unless your righteousness surpasses
24:19 that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law,
24:22 you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven."
24:25 Jesus said, if you're going to be my disciple,
24:30 you will be better than the most
24:33 religious people in the world.
24:39 The Pharisees were the most religious people in the world.
24:43 Jesus said, the Pharisees come to church
24:47 at 9 o'clock you come at 8:30.
24:54 You ought to be better and higher
24:59 than all the people in the world.
25:02 Matthew 5:21-22.
25:06 "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago,
25:08 'Do not murder."
25:10 Verse 22, "But I tell you that anyone
25:12 who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment."
25:15 Jesus says, be not angry,
25:20 not a case of not murdering, Jesus said don't even get angry.
25:25 Verse 23 and 24,
25:27 "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar
25:30 and there remember that your brother
25:32 has something against you,
25:34 leave your gift there in front of the altar.
25:36 First go and be reconciled to your brother,
25:39 then come and offer your gift."
25:41 Jesus is saying be consolatory.
25:46 Don't sue people. Verse 27-28.
25:53 "You have heard that it was said,
25:54 'Do not commit adultery.'
25:57 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman
26:00 lustfully has already committed adultery
26:04 with her in his heart."
26:09 So Jesus says, be pure inside.
26:17 You say what sort of religion is this.
26:20 This is not like the religion of my church.
26:24 This is the religion of Christ.
26:27 He's talking about those who are the citizens of His kingdom.
26:34 Verse 31, "It has been said,
26:36 'Anyone who divorces his wife
26:37 must give her a certificate of divorce.''
26:40 But I tell you, He says
26:42 be a one marriage person He says.
26:45 I wonder if Jesus would fit into our churches
26:48 or would He be this fellowshipped.
26:50 Verse 33 to 37.
26:52 "Again, you have heard that
26:53 it was said to the people long ago,
26:55 'Do not break your oath,
26:56 but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.'
26:58 But I tell you, Do not swear at all,
27:01 either by heaven, for it is God's throne or by the earth."
27:05 Verse 37, "Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,'
27:08 and your 'No,' 'No'."
27:11 Jesus would say today,
27:13 how can you inherit the kingdom of God
27:16 when you blaspheme and say, oh my God.
27:24 Such will be thrown into utter darkness,
27:28 where they will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
27:31 Jesus said, don't swear.
27:35 Say yes and no.
27:39 And then He said, be gracious.
27:43 Look at verse 38 and onwards.
27:45 "You have heard that it was said,
27:47 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'
27:49 But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person.
27:52 If someone strikes you on the right cheek,
27:54 turn to him the other also.
27:56 And if someone wants to sue you
27:58 and take your tunic,
28:00 let him have your cloak as well.
28:01 If someone forces you to go one mile,
28:04 go with him two miles."
28:07 You know what Jesus is referring to, don't you?
28:10 The Romans who were the occupying power.
28:16 Think my Americans friends,
28:18 if America were occupied by the Russians.
28:26 And Jesus says, he said to His disciple,
28:30 if the occupier come along and says, carry my bag.
28:35 The law said he had to do it for a mile.
28:40 And if a Pharisee was asked he would carry for a mile
28:44 and look for a puddle of mud and drop it in.
28:50 Jesus said, your righteousness
28:54 must be better than that carry it two miles.
29:02 Who is this man?
29:05 He brought to the world
29:07 the most revolutionary teachings,
29:10 but most of those who claim his name
29:14 have never read them.
29:15 You see, the Bible talks about the Lord Jesus Christ.
29:21 Christ is the Messiah. Everybody wants Jesus.
29:25 Everybody loves Jesus.
29:30 Jesus means Savior.
29:32 People want to be saved
29:36 but they do not want Him as Lord and Lord his Master.
29:44 And here Jesus is giving the lordship teachings
29:49 of the kingdom of God.
29:52 Describing those who are going to be saved,
29:56 is this too hard for you?
29:58 My friends these words will judge
30:01 you and me in the last days.
30:04 Verse 43 and 44,
30:06 "You have heard that it was said,
30:07 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
30:10 But I tell you, Love your enemies
30:12 and pray for those who persecute you."
30:18 If this was so,
30:20 all of the attorneys would be out of jobs.
30:26 Do not deceive yourselves into thinking
30:30 that you're a Christian if you're not.
30:34 Jesus said, you're called to love
30:37 the person who's suing you.
30:40 The mean person, the person that you do not like
30:45 because nobody can like him.
30:48 The narrow minded religious humbug
30:52 who comes into church and flouts her spirituality
30:57 but knows nothing of God's love.
30:59 Jesus said, love that person.
31:02 He said, don't just love your friends,
31:05 but love your enemies.
31:08 Chapter 6 verse 1
31:09 "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness'
31:12 before men, be humble."
31:15 Verse 4 "So that your giving may be in secret."
31:18 Be secretive of your good deeds.
31:22 Do not be like the person
31:24 who went to a great religious convention
31:26 and gave a million dollars on condition
31:30 that the television cameras were there
31:33 and they took pictures of the check
31:36 that reached across the stage.
31:41 Such a religion is humbug.
31:46 The disciple of Christ will not let
31:49 his left hand know what his right hand is doing.
31:53 Verse 7, verse 7, "When you pray,
31:57 do not keep on babbling like pagans,
32:02 for they think they will be heard
32:03 because of their many words."
32:05 Jesus said don't be verbose, get to the point.
32:09 When you're talking to God, you want to impress Him.
32:13 Verse 9, "This, then, is how you should pray,
32:16 'Our Father in heaven..."' This is a sample prayer.
32:19 Be personal with God, call Him Father.
32:23 Verse 12, "Forgive us our debts,
32:27 as we also have forgiven our debtors."
32:29 Be forgiving.
32:31 Verse 13, "And lead us not into temptation,
32:35 but deliver us from the evil one.'''
32:36 Be smart.
32:40 If you have got an alcohol problem
32:43 do not walk past the bar,
32:46 do not walk past the hotel.
32:50 So Jesus said a Christian will be as wise as a serpent.
33:00 Be smart.
33:01 Verse 16 and 17, "When you fast,
33:04 do not look somber as the hypocrites do..."
33:08 Verse 17, "But when you fast,
33:10 put oil on your head and wash your face..."
33:14 So Jesus said do not have a long face,
33:18 Jesus said be joyful, even when you fast.
33:23 No wonder they put him on a cross.
33:26 And verse 19 to 21,
33:28 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
33:31 where moth and rust destroy,
33:33 and where thieves break in and steal.
33:35 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven."
33:38 Verse 21, "For where your treasure is,
33:41 there your heart will be also."
33:43 Be generous with God, pay your tithes
33:47 and pay your offerings maybe pay a double tithe,
33:51 but be generous to God.
33:55 Verse 22, he says,
33:58 "The eye is the lamp of the body.
34:00 If your eyes are good,
34:01 your whole body will be full of light.
34:03 But if your eyes are bad,
34:05 your whole body will be full of darkness."
34:10 He says, do not be spiritually blind.
34:14 When Jesus is talking here about the eye and the light,
34:19 He's talking about spiritual perceptions,
34:23 be able to have the gift of discernment
34:28 and see what is right and what is wrong.
34:33 These are His disciples.
34:36 Now I'm going to summarize
34:38 the rest of Christ sermons without going through the texts.
34:45 He goes on to say
34:46 and this was point 29 actually in my notes.
34:50 I have gone through 28 points. Here's point 29.
34:53 Be totally devoted to God.
34:56 You can't love God and money, he says.
34:59 Be totally devoted. Number 30 point.
35:03 Don't love money.
35:04 He says, if you love money you're not my disciples
35:08 but you'll be lost. Now that's a tough one.
35:13 Because we live proudly in a capitalistic society,
35:17 where many people are taught
35:20 that the wealthier you are the better you are,
35:23 that is not true. Jesus was a poor man.
35:27 And not that we advocate that people be poor people
35:31 and live off other people. We're not talking about that.
35:37 But our Lord taught us that His truth goes into the soul.
35:43 Don't love money.
35:45 Then He said, don't worry, don't be a worrier.
35:49 Don't worry He said.
35:51 Look at the birds, they don't worry.
35:54 And then He said, give God your best,
35:57 seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
36:00 God must be first.
36:02 Now He's talking about His disciples.
36:04 Was Jesus the supreme legalist,
36:07 who was teaching us that we're saved by our works?
36:12 Point number 3. He said, don't condemn people.
36:16 Number 34.
36:17 Look at your own faults, not at your brothers.
36:21 He said, don't tell your brother
36:22 that you're going to take the mode out his eye,
36:24 when there is a piece of 4/2 in your own eye.
36:29 So He said, don't be critical of human frailty.
36:35 Number 35. Be discerning.
36:39 36, be believing.
36:41 Full of faith, that was 37.
36:45 And 38 is the toughest one of the whole lot
36:47 which really distinguishes
36:49 a child of God from a child of devil.
36:53 Look at Matthew 7.
36:54 This is the same sermon verse 12.
37:00 Verse 12 Matthew 7,
37:02 this distinguishes a Christian from a pagan.
37:06 "So in everything, do to others
37:08 what you would have them do to you,
37:11 for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."
37:15 Are disciple of Christ will do to others
37:19 what he would like others to do to him.
37:23 Did you see this week
37:26 when a presidential candidate had the temerity to say
37:30 to a large crowd of people,
37:32 maybe it's time that we practice the golden rule
37:37 and did to others
37:38 what we would like them to do onto us.
37:41 He was booed.
37:43 The hall was filled with people,
37:46 who were booing because my friend,
37:48 they do not understand this gospel.
37:52 This gospel is not Americanism or British Israelitism
38:00 or Australianism or any other ism,
38:03 it is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
38:08 and it sets a high standard.
38:11 So it's easy to become a Christian.
38:14 Jesus said, be narrow.
38:17 Verse 13 and 14, "Enter through the narrow gate.
38:21 For wide is the gate and broad is the road
38:24 that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
38:28 But small is the gate and narrow the road
38:31 that leads to life, and only a few find it."
38:35 In comparison to the multitudes in the world,
38:39 Jesus said as far as truth is concerned,
38:43 you need to walk, the narrow road.
38:47 Not the wide road, that goes down to hell.
38:53 Point number 40, He said,
38:54 be wise and keep your eyes open.
38:57 Number 41, He said, be obedient, be listening.
39:02 And number 42, He said, be a disciple.
39:10 Now listen carefully,
39:11 because if this is making you uncomfortable here today,
39:16 maybe you need to be uncomfortable.
39:21 But Jesus did not come to make people comfortable,
39:26 Jesus came to set up a kingdom and to call out disciples.
39:33 Jesus in not giving merely good advice,
39:36 He's describing the citizens of the kingdom.
39:40 No wonder, now listen to this,
39:43 no wonder straight after Jesus gave the sermon,
39:48 the Bible tells the story of the healing of the leper.
39:55 No wonder, look at Matthew 8,
39:57 straight after the sermon.
40:00 "When he came down from the mountainside,
40:02 large crowds followed him.
40:04 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said,
40:07 'Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.'
40:10 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.
40:12 'I am willing,' he said.
40:15 'Be clean!' Immediately he was cured of his leprosy."
40:21 You know why that story is there.
40:24 You think it's by luck or by chance.
40:29 That story is there
40:31 because after you and I have read
40:35 the principles of the kingdom of God,
40:39 we discover, we're what? We're lepers.
40:44 Every one of us is a leper
40:47 in constant need of the grace of God.
40:51 Why should human flesh
40:54 be proud or boast of anything,
40:59 when we're lepers...
41:05 and indeed of the touch of Christ.
41:11 The Christian dilemma, what is the solution?
41:16 Can you now see why I asked the question
41:20 about babies that don't grow up, is that good?
41:24 It is because we do not study the teachings of Christ
41:29 and by the grace of God practice them
41:31 that we have so many babies.
41:36 Babies in church, yes.
41:40 Maybe somebody comes around the church
41:42 and somebody is sitting in her seat
41:44 and she says well, I'm not going to go there anymore.
41:47 She's a baby.
41:49 Never grown up and then other people say,
41:53 well, it's raining today and they pull the covers up.
41:57 I guess the best place for babies to be is in bed.
42:03 But it is a tragedy,
42:05 when a little baby doesn't grow up.
42:08 It is a tragedy when a Christian stays
42:11 in the same spiritual condition year after year.
42:16 And remember this is not an option
42:20 that we're talking about, we're talking about salvation.
42:24 The Christians dilemma, what is the solution?
42:31 There are two words that I've tried to teach you.
42:35 And most people don't get it.
42:39 One is standing and one at state.
42:44 Say with me, standing. Standing.
42:46 Say it loud.
42:47 Standing. Standing.
42:48 What's the next word?
42:49 State. Standing and state.
42:53 I have written it over here on the blackboard,
42:56 standing and state.
42:59 And I want to tell you how we can be His disciples.
43:05 When I come to Christ, I come as a penitent sinner
43:12 and when I come to Christ
43:14 and He justifies me by His blood.
43:19 Instantaneously I have a perfect standing with God.
43:24 Amen. Better say amen to that.
43:26 Amen. Especially if you're a leper.
43:29 And come over here to Romans 5:1.
43:32 Now if you get this, it's going to change your life.
43:36 It's going to make you a better person,
43:37 going to make you a happier person.
43:40 If you're a miserable person, it's gonna change you.
43:43 Romans 5:1, Therefore, since we have been justified
43:47 or declared righteous through faith,
43:50 we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
43:54 Listen my friend,
43:56 when I'm justified by the blood of Jesus,
44:03 I get a perfect standing,
44:06 100% standing,
44:09 I stand in the sight of a Holy God
44:13 as though I have never sinned, just like Jesus.
44:17 It's a perfect standing.
44:20 But what some people don't understand is this.
44:24 They don't have a perfect state.
44:32 When I was back in Brisbane sometime back
44:34 when my father went to work at the Cairncross Dry Dock.
44:39 I remember how ships would come into that dock.
44:43 American worships, blown almost to pieces.
44:47 When they were dragged up the Brisbane river,
44:50 they got into the home of a ally, hallelujah.
44:54 They are out of the enemy's grasp.
44:57 And when they got into the Cairncross Dry Dock,
44:59 they had a perfect standing.
45:04 They were safe but they weren't sound.
45:10 They needed a lot of work, that's like us.
45:16 We may have got into the dry dock
45:19 but we need if you're like me, a lot of work.
45:24 What we need a mighty infusion of grace,
45:29 love and an attitude of gratitude
45:33 that's called holiness and sanctification.
45:39 Now as the pastor
45:41 and I pastored the biggest churches and the smallest.
45:44 It is wonderful to baptize people
45:47 but that's not enough.
45:49 They have got to grow in grace.
45:52 It's wonderful to see babies grow up
45:55 but it's a tragedy after 30 years.
45:58 Some people are no more mature.
46:02 They're still going home because somebody said boo.
46:07 They're still inhospitable.
46:10 They're still the frozen chosen but they haven't been chosen.
46:17 They're not the children of God.
46:20 They need-- we need a mighty infusion of grace, love
46:26 and an attitude of gratitude to work on the state.
46:33 It's easy to become a Christian.
46:35 It's not easy to stay a Christian.
46:39 Now I'm going to contrast this,
46:41 I'm going to put it up on one screen
46:44 and then I'm going to put
46:45 the other side on the other screen.
46:47 If you understand this, it's going to help you.
46:51 We're going to put up on one screen.
46:53 Let's have it, we're gonna put up.
46:55 Here it is, over here we're gonna put up
46:57 sanctification and we're gonna put up--
47:01 where is justification going to go?
47:03 Here we got to have justification.
47:06 Now justification my friend gives me
47:10 a perfect standing with God.
47:13 Justification--now I'm gonna give you little theology,
47:17 but what I'm telling you is the truth,
47:20 even though most folks don't seem to get it,
47:23 but you can get it.
47:24 If I can get it, anybody can get it.
47:27 Justification in the center there is a declaration.
47:33 It is a declaration that the sinner is righteous,
47:37 it is a judicial statement.
47:41 And it changes my standing from being lost to being saved.
47:47 But sanctification my friend is a making of holiness,
47:54 it is our work in the life
47:57 and that's what Jesus was talking about.
48:01 He's talking about the work in the life.
48:05 Justification, number two here it is, number two.
48:11 Christ for me, He died for me.
48:16 I'm saved not because of my works
48:20 but because He died for me, you see.
48:23 And therefore I will have an attitude of gratitude.
48:26 You cannot be a miserable Christian.
48:31 That's an oxymoron.
48:34 But sanctification is Christ in me
48:38 which is the fruitage of Christ for me.
48:44 Somebody is saying, well, what's that matter.
48:46 Well, it better matter if you want to be saved.
48:49 Point number three, justification is 100% complete.
48:54 You can't add to it.
48:55 If you have the perfect righteousness of God,
48:58 you can't make that any better.
49:01 You're gonna have that as a gift.
49:05 It's 100% complete but if you're a disciple,
49:09 the Spirit of God will come into you
49:11 and start to work upon all that nastiness's there.
49:17 And it's incomplete.
49:18 You could never come to the place
49:20 where you can say, I'm perfect, look at me.
49:26 Point number four.
49:27 The Bible says, in Christ there is no condemnation.
49:33 I can go to bed knowing that I'm going home to glory,
49:37 there's no condemnation.
49:39 But my friend in sanctification
49:43 I have a sense of my sinfulness.
49:46 You say, no, no, I don't go.
49:47 Well, you go and read Romans 7
49:49 and there you have got one of the greatest Christians
49:51 who ever lived and he says, "Oh, wretched man that I'm."
49:57 If you're a true Christian, you'll be crying out every day,
50:01 Lord have mercy on this wretched man.
50:05 And he won't be talking about somebody else.
50:10 Point number five.
50:13 Justification, a perfect standing,
50:17 sanctification, an imperfect state.
50:20 Point number six.
50:22 My standing is through the blood of Christ,
50:25 I'm redeemed through the blood
50:28 but I'm sanctified or made Holy
50:32 in the life through the Spirit of God.
50:35 And if He doesn't come into your life,
50:37 it's because you haven't come to Christ.
50:40 This standing justification happens in a moment of time,
50:43 my friend some of you don't know that.
50:46 Some of you got a real problem.
50:48 You got so much religion in you, bad religion
50:51 that you don't even understand what I'm saying
50:53 and maybe some of you are on the verge
50:56 of committing the unpardonable sin
50:57 because you've been hardening your heart.
50:59 You better think about that.
51:03 You know why I'm telling you this
51:04 because I want you to be saved.
51:08 I get a perfect standing in a moment.
51:11 But changing my state is a life time.
51:15 In Christ I have a perfect peace
51:20 but as the Spirit of God works on me,
51:22 there's a struggle in my life, what about you?
51:25 Point number nine.
51:27 On the cross, the battle was won and finished.
51:32 When I come to Christ, He accepts me as I'm
51:37 because His battle was finished on the cross
51:39 but the battle goes on in my life.
51:43 Look at the blackboard.
51:45 Justification is a declaration.
51:48 Say--it's not a making, this is sanctification,
51:52 the declaration Christ forming sanctification is Christ in me.
51:57 This is a 100% it's through the blood,
52:00 this is through the spirit.
52:05 So you see it's easy to become a Christian,
52:11 it's not easy to stay one.
52:12 Point number 10.
52:16 This doctrine of a perfect standing
52:19 is Biblical Protestant and Adventist.
52:24 And the doctrine of God's changing this state
52:29 my bad old nature,
52:31 that's Biblical Protestant, an Adventist.
52:37 There is such a thing as having a false security.
52:44 You can only have a security,
52:50 if the fruits of the life show
52:54 that you have been redeemed.
52:56 That is why on the judgment,
52:58 we're judged not by faith but by works,
53:04 because the works show what I'm?
53:08 How do you fell about that?
53:11 That Jesus have the last word, shall we?
53:16 Mathew 7 and this is the conclusion to His sermon.
53:21 That certainly amazed them.
53:24 Mathew 7:21 and onwards He has the last word.
53:31 Therefore-- while He said all these things
53:34 you need to do this, you need to do that,
53:36 you need to do someone else.
53:39 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine,"
53:43 what does it say?
53:45 Come on, put some, what does it say?
53:49 Guy, I want you to talk to me what does it say?
53:53 Put some into what?
53:55 "Puts them into practice is like a wise man
53:58 who built his house on the rock.
54:01 The rain came down the streams rose,
54:03 and the winds blew and beat against that house,
54:06 yet it did not fall,
54:07 because it had its foundation on the rock.
54:11 But everyone who hears these words of mine
54:14 and does not put them into practice
54:18 is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
54:23 The rain came down, the streams rose,
54:26 and the winds blew and beat against that house,
54:29 and it fell with a great crash."
54:34 When Jesus had finished saying these things,
54:37 the crowds were amazed at his teaching,
54:40 because he taught as one who had authority,
54:44 and not as their teachers of the law."
54:48 Jesus on another occasion said,
54:53 listen to it, He said,
54:56 "He who has ears to hear,
55:02 let him hear, amen. Amen.
55:08 The Carter Report is a self supporting ministry
55:11 with a global mission.
55:13 We believe that the most important thing
55:15 that we can do in this tremendous hour
55:18 is to tell people about the Lord Jesus Christ.
55:21 Because Jesus said,
55:23 "I am the way, the truth and the life."
55:26 We do not believe that this is business as usual.
55:30 We believe that we are living in the closing hours
55:33 in the history of this world.
55:35 Bless your heart, friend.
55:36 Look at the signs that are being fulfilled almost everyday.
55:40 The signs of the times are shouting at us.
55:43 And they're saying, "Jesus is coming soon."
55:47 I want you to be my partner in global mission.
55:50 I want you to be my partner
55:52 in helping to tell the world about the coming of Jesus.
55:56 I want you to be my partner in the preaching
55:59 of the distinctive truths of the Three Angels' Messages.
56:04 Please, check us out
56:06 at the new "Carter Report" website, cartereport.org.
56:11 We have a special section whereby you can ask questions
56:16 and I will give you the answers
56:17 from the living world of the living God.
56:21 That is the cartereport.org.
56:26 My friend, we want you to join us
56:29 in the mission to preach the gospel in China,
56:33 in India, in Australia, in Africa,
56:37 in the United States of America,
56:39 wherever people are lost
56:41 and wherever people need to hear
56:43 the good news that Jesus saves.
56:47 Please, check us out.
56:49 The new "Carter Report" website, cartereport.org.
56:54 I want to hear from you today.
57:09 I can hear the rush of angel's wings
57:15 I see glory
57:18 on each face
57:24 For surely
57:27 the presence
57:32 of the Lord
57:37 is in this place


Home

Revised 2014-12-17