Participants: Pr. John Carter
Series Code: CR
Program Code: CR001214
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00:07 From Arcadia, California, the Carter Report presents
00:11 'The Living Word' around the world. 00:18 I just want to give you a warm welcome today, 00:21 because this is an extraordinary program. 00:25 I am going to talk about a person 00:27 who was unlike any other person 00:31 on the face of the entire planet. 00:34 So please join us today 00:36 for this very special program of the Carter Report. 00:41 But right now it is my privilege 00:44 and my joy to introduce to you, 00:47 two very fine young people who are going to come 00:50 and bring us some beautiful Christian music. 00:54 Would you please welcome today Joel, 00:57 who's gonna be playing 01:00 and the person is going to be singing is Christia. 01:05 So would you please welcome today 01:07 from Los Angles, Christia and Joel. 01:30 Even in a world 01:36 when nothing stays the same 01:43 There is still a truth, 01:49 a truth that still remains 01:53 Forever you will always be 02:00 Our God of heaven, the Lord in me 02:06 The King of hope, the Lord of love 02:13 The Prince of Peace, 02:16 the Lamb of God 02:22 Even though the heart 02:28 It always seems to change 02:35 There is still a love 02:41 A love that will remain 02:45 Forever you will always be 02:51 A God of heaven, the Lord in me 02:58 The King of hope, the Lord of love 03:04 The Prince of Peace, the Lamb of God 03:11 Lord, You will always be exalted 03:18 King of Kings, and Holy Father 03:25 You will always be exalted 03:31 King of Kings 03:33 You're always forever you 03:40 Will always be a God of High 03:46 The Lord in me 03:50 The king of hope, the Lord of love 03:56 The Prince of Peace, the Lamb of God 04:02 Forever you will always be 04:09 A God of heaven, the Lord in me 04:15 The King of hope, the Lord of love 04:21 The Prince of Peace, the Lamb of God 04:48 The topic today is "Incomparable". 04:53 Would you say it? Incomparable. 04:56 When I was a young preacher, I used to say incomparable. 05:04 That's fine because it means 05:07 quite simply nothing can be compared, 05:12 'Incomparable,' nothing can be compared. 05:18 Because the word means, beyond compare. 05:26 You can't compare anyone 05:29 or anything to that which you're speaking of, 05:32 beyond compare, matchless, 05:37 this is a good one, second to none. 05:41 Today we're gonna talk about somebody 05:43 who is second to none. 05:46 Surpassing, over and beyond, surpassing. 05:52 Transcendent, beyond anything that you and I 05:57 can comprehend or understand, 05:59 unequalled, without peer. 06:05 So I've called to talk today 06:10 by this word, 'Incomparable.' 06:13 And the theme text is found here 06:15 in John Chapter 8 and verse 12. 06:18 And I'd like you to turn in you Bibles 06:21 please to the Gospel according to John Chapter 8:12. 06:28 I want you to think of these extraordinary statements, 06:33 John Chapter 8:12, "When Jesus spoke again to the people, 06:38 he said, "I am the light of the world. 06:42 Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, 06:45 but will have the light of life.'" 06:49 What is the light of the world physically? 06:52 It's a sun. Jesus was saying, 06:56 "I am the sun, if you follow me, 06:59 you'll never walk in darkness, 07:01 but you'll have the light of life." 07:05 Either Jesus therefore was every thing He said He was, 07:10 everything He claimed to be or else He was a raving lunatic. 07:18 Some people say he was a good man and we will admit that. 07:22 My friend, do not dare patronize Him. 07:27 He is either what He claimed to be the light of the world, 07:32 or else He was a stark raving lunatic, a mad man. 07:38 Imagine if any preacher would have come here today, 07:41 imagine if I were to say to you, 07:44 "I am the light of the world. 07:47 If you follow me, you will never walk in darkness, 07:51 but you will have the light of life." 07:54 You would say, he is absolutely bonkers. 08:01 He is crazy. 08:04 Nothing compares on our planet to the sun. 08:07 Jesus is 'Incomparable.' 08:12 Nothing can compare to Him. 08:16 I want you to come over now to John 14:6. 08:23 John 14:6, please. And I want you to please turn 08:31 to the text and those of you watching at home 08:34 may be go get a Bible and turn to the text, 08:38 "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. 08:43 No one comes to the Father except through Me.'" 08:46 I would suggest you today that the vast majority of people 08:51 who professed to be Christians haven't got a clue 08:56 what that text is saying. What about you? 09:00 Jesus is the way, the truth and the life 09:04 and you can't be saved in any other way 09:07 through a personal experience with Christ. 09:12 He is matchless, He is unequal, He is second to none. 09:18 He is not in the same category as any other person. 09:22 He is surpassing transcendent. Without peer, He is unequalled. 09:29 He is the way, the truth and the life. 09:32 I've had the privilege to study the lives 09:35 and deeds of great men of history 09:38 who helped to make this world a better and a safer place. 09:43 Men like Abraham Lincoln, 09:48 the great liberator. 09:52 This man who trusted in God was the man 09:57 who broke the chains on the slaves here 10:01 in the United States of America and then Winston Churchill, 10:07 I read about Churchill for years. 10:09 My admiration grows as time goes by. 10:12 He was the man who said, "Never, never, never give up." 10:20 And when England was facing the hordes of the Nazis' 10:28 and when London was burning at night 10:31 and when Hitler was glutting over 10:34 the demise of Great Britain, 10:37 he said, "I've nothing to offer but blood, sweat and tears. 10:43 We will go on." What is that our aim? 10:48 Victory, total victory at any cost, 10:54 the great man. 10:57 And then of course there was a man who gave us liberty, 11:02 gave the Jewish people Israel, liberty, Moses. 11:07 Then there was Gandhi, the man who through not fighting, 11:14 but through peaceful means liberated the nation of India. 11:20 Martin Luther, the great protestant reformer who said, 11:26 as he stood before the great of the earth, 11:29 "I will not recant 11:33 here I stand." Great man. 11:37 Another man, an American, almost took his name, 11:43 Martin Luther King, you remember 11:45 he was the great civil rights activist here 11:49 in the United States of America 11:51 who fought against the terrible racism 11:55 that had plagued this country for hundreds of years 11:58 and we remember his speech, "I have a dream, 12:03 I climbed the mountain and I've seen the promise land." 12:10 Then if you go back many years to the days 12:13 of the Spanish armada, when the church of Rome said, 12:18 "we're going to crush this power." 12:22 There was Queen Elizabeth 12:27 and then later still there was the man 12:30 who saved Britain from a bloody French Revolution, 12:34 my hero, John Wesley. 12:40 And within our lifetime, 12:43 a Russian, Mikhail Gorbachev, 12:48 who allowed the masses to go free 12:51 from the slavery of communism. 12:55 Almost all of these man looked to Christ for inspiration. 13:00 But the more you study, 13:03 besides their great deeds are many glaring imperfections. 13:09 But the more you study the life of Christ, 13:11 I say to the skeptic and the critic, be honest. 13:16 The better he gets, like a rare jewel of exquisite worth 13:23 and unblemished and dazzling splendor is Christ, 13:28 He is Incomparable. In spite of his followers and detractors, 13:35 He had done more good than the rest of humanity combined. 13:43 And today, I want you to notice 13:46 with me here in this beautiful church. 13:51 I want you to notice six stories from the life of Jesus. 13:58 The first story is called Jesus, 14:03 the defender of women. 14:07 The text is found in Mark Chapter 14, 14:10 Matthew Mark, Mark 14 14:13 and this is dedicated to the women in our church. 14:19 Mark Chapter 14:3 to 9, "While he was in Bethany, 14:26 reclining at the table in the home of a man 14:29 known as Simon the leper, 14:32 a woman came with an alabaster jar 14:35 of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard." 14:40 Worth tens of thousands of dollars. 14:44 "She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. 14:49 Some of those present were saying 14:52 indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? 14:56 It could have been sold for more than a year's wages 15:00 and the money given to the poor." 15:04 And they rebuked her harshly. 15:08 'Leave her alone,' said Jesus. 15:13 'Why are you bothering her? 15:17 She has done a beautiful thing to me. 15:19 The poor you will always have with you, 15:22 and you can help them any time you want. 15:25 But you will not always have me. 15:27 She did what she could. 15:29 She poured perfume on my body 15:32 beforehand to prepare me for my burial. 15:36 I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached 15:40 throughout the world, 15:41 what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.'" 15:49 Jesus said to the critics, 15:53 leave her alone, 15:57 He liberated her then and He is liberating women today. 16:03 He's the defender of women. 16:06 And if you doubt this I say to all of the women's libbers, 16:12 God bless you and everybody else. 16:16 If you think Jesus is not responsible for you liberty, 16:21 go to those countries, where Jesus is not worshiped 16:25 and there women are nothing. 16:32 It is Christ who restored women. 16:36 Would you come over here to Luke 8:1 to 3. 16:40 It is incredible that a woman should ever criticize Christ. 16:44 Very few do. Luke Chapter 8:1 to 3, 16:49 "After this, Jesus traveled about from one town 16:53 and village to another, proclaiming 16:56 the good news of the kingdom of God. 16:59 The Twelve were with him, and also some women 17:04 who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. 17:07 Mary, called Magdalene from whom seven demons had come out. 17:14 Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod's 17:18 household, Susanna, and many others. 17:21 These women were helping to support him 17:24 out of their own means." 17:26 My friends can you get the picture? 17:29 When Jesus came to town, His entourage, 17:35 when Jesus came to town, there were the disciples 17:39 and a great number of women there were with Him 17:44 because He loved them. 17:48 They loved Him, because He loved them and set them free 17:52 from the suppression of man made laws. 17:58 Wherever Jesus goes women are elevated 18:03 and only in those countries where Christ is Lord. 18:07 No women should be against Jesus. 18:09 Thus He is the incomparable emancipator. 18:16 There's no one like Him for women. 18:19 Notice the second story, Jesus, The Teacher. 18:24 No one like Him, come over here 18:26 to Matthew Chapter 5:38 and onwards, 18:31 Matthew 5:38 and onwards. 18:36 Notice a sample of his extraordinary teachings. 18:43 Matthew 5:38, "You have heard that it was said, 18:48 according to Mosses, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' 18:52 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. 18:55 If someone strikes you on the right cheek, 18:58 turn to him the other also. 19:00 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your tunic, 19:04 let him have your cloak as well. 19:06 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 19:11 Give to the one who asks you, 19:14 and do not turn away from the one 19:16 who wants to borrow from you. 19:19 You have heard that it was said, 19:22 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 19:26 But I tell you, love your enemies 19:30 and pray for those who persecute you, 19:32 that you may be the sons of your Father in heaven. 19:36 He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, 19:40 and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." 19:46 Those of you, who trust in armies and in swords 19:50 and atom bombs and all of those things here in America, 19:56 let me tell you something, 19:59 Jesus never lost a battle. 20:04 Our armies have, frequently. 20:11 The nation that relies upon its armies 20:14 is doomed to self destruct. 20:19 There is something bigger than armies, than tanks, 20:22 and aircraft carriers and Hydrogen bombs. 20:26 When the disciples went out to confront the Roman Empire, 20:31 they did not go with swords, 20:33 they went with the teachings of the Christ. 20:36 And the teachings of Christ are greater than any army 20:42 including the Marines and the Air core 20:47 and anybody else you should dare mention. 20:51 Today, mightier than swords, arrows, guns, tanks, 20:59 fighter jets, aircraft carriers 21:02 and bombs, are His teachings, 21:08 therefore He is the teacher without compare, 21:16 He is the incomparable teacher. 21:23 The third story, so what is my argument today? 21:26 My argument is this, unless you're His disciples, 21:33 you are a person most of epithet. 21:37 We should never scorn the atheist. 21:40 We should pray for the atheist, 21:41 because he is spiritually a pauper. 21:47 But with Christ, the poorest man is rich, 21:50 but without Christ the richest man is poor. 21:55 Notice the third story, Jesus and a condemned woman 22:01 caught in the act by the rat pack. 22:06 Would you please notice this, John 8:1 to 11. 22:12 The story of a condemned woman 22:16 caught in the act by the rat pack. 22:21 John Chapter 8:1 down to 11, 22:26 "But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 22:29 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, 22:32 where all the people gathered around him, 22:34 and he sat down to teach them. 22:37 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees 22:39 brought in a woman caught in adultery." 22:42 How did they do it, I wonder? 22:45 Because they have device the whole thing. 22:51 They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, 22:54 "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 23:00 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. 23:04 Now what do you say?" 23:06 They were asking this question as a trap, 23:08 in order to have a basis for accusing him. 23:12 But Jesus bent down and started to write 23:14 on the ground with his finger. 23:16 When they kept on questioning him, 23:19 he straightened up and said to them, 23:20 "If any one of you is without sin, 23:23 let him be the first to throw a stone at her.' 23:27 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 23:32 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, 23:38 the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, 23:42 with the woman still standing there. 23:44 Jesus straightened up and asked her, 23:48 "Woman, where are they? 23:51 Has no one condemned you? No one, sir," she said. 23:58 "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. 24:03 "Go now and leave your life of sin.'" 24:09 Would you please for a moment imagine the scene 24:16 and the drama of the events. 24:19 Here is a nameless woman, 24:25 and the people who've caught her 24:27 are the super religious, the Pharisees. 24:35 The leaders of the so called church. 24:41 It was obvious that one of their number was the man 24:46 who was committing the adultery, 24:48 but why is it that they didn't bring 24:52 the man and throw him down? 24:56 It reminds one of the stories in a Middle Eastern custom 25:01 where if a woman commits adultery, 25:04 she is buried in the desert sand up to her nose 25:08 and the man is buried up to his ankles. 25:13 Why? Because people do not worship this man 25:19 who was beyond compare, 25:21 who was second to none, that is why. 25:26 And those of you who live in a country like America 25:32 or Australia, or Canada, or Britain 25:37 that is been influenced by Christ in the Bible, 25:41 you ought to thank God, 25:45 or else you too may be buried up to your neck, 25:48 up to your nose in the sand. 25:53 The women of the story 25:55 was a victim of religious pretenders. 26:00 Jesus gave to this nameless woman hope. 26:05 He restored her self-respect. 26:07 He forgave her sins 26:11 and drove off the rat pack. 26:16 He's been doing it ever since. 26:19 You know the story of the old skeptic, 26:21 and the little girl's new Bible. 26:24 The daddy went along to see the old skeptic who was dying. 26:30 Dying without God, without Christ. 26:33 And the young man said, let me give you my Bible 26:38 and may be you'll start to read my Bible and you'll find hope. 26:43 He said, get out of here 26:45 and take your old Bible with you. 26:50 Young man went home and told to his wife 26:53 with the little girl listening. 26:56 And he said, "The old man said get out of here, 27:00 I don't want your old Bible." 27:03 And the little girl thought to herself, 27:06 maybe, maybe. 27:11 So she went and saw the old man, 27:15 the old skeptic who was dying and she said, 27:18 "Daddy told me you don't want his old Bible, 27:24 but mommy and daddy gave me a new Bible for my birthday. 27:28 May be I can give you my new Bible, 27:33 and she left it and ran. 27:38 Before he dies, the old harden sinner wrote the poem. 27:46 I've tried in vain a thousand ways 27:49 My fears to quell, my hopes to raise, 27:52 But what I need, the Bible says, 27:56 Is ever, only Jesus. 27:59 My soul is night, my heart is steel 28:03 I cannot see, I cannot feel, 28:06 For light, for life I must appeal 28:10 In simple faith to Jesus. 28:14 He died, He lives, He reigns, He pleads, 28:18 There's love in all His words and deeds, 28:21 There's all a guilty sinner needs 28:25 forevermore in Jesus. 28:30 Though some will mock, and some will blame, 28:35 I'll go with all my sin and shame, 28:39 I'll go to Him because His name 28:43 above all names, is Jesus. 28:48 Have you gone to Him, friend? 28:50 As you're watching on television, 28:52 have you gone to Him? 28:55 He is the incomparable redeemer. 29:00 He is the redeemer without compare, 29:05 without comparison. The fourth story is, 29:09 Jesus at a funeral. 29:12 The funeral of a man, 29:15 he'd been dead for some days. 29:17 You turn over the pages in John, 29:19 you come to John 11:38 and onwards. 29:22 This man's name was Lazarus. 29:25 He died, was dead for four days 29:27 and Jesus comes apparently too late. 29:33 John 11:38 and onwards, Jesus gets there, 29:37 I am sorry after the funeral, too late. 29:40 "Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb." 29:45 Now before I go any further, 29:47 please look at me for a moment. 29:49 You wonder why I read the Bible. 29:53 I read the Bible because I need the Bible. 29:56 I need the Bible because I am a sinner, 29:58 because I am weak. And without the word of God, 30:03 I am completely nothing at all. 30:06 I know there are people in this congregation, 30:08 you're so proud and you're so self sufficient, 30:11 may be not proud but it is a form of pride. 30:14 But you are so self sufficient that you don't read your Bible, 30:17 I know that. How do I know? 30:20 I can tell it by the lives you live. 30:23 I can tell it by your indifference, 30:25 your lack of zeal for God, your lack of love for the lost. 30:33 And in this church we turn to the Bible, 30:36 because in this church our authority is not the church. 30:40 In this church our authority is not a committee. 30:45 In this church our authority is not a conference. 30:48 Our authority is the Bible, the word of God. 30:53 We believe in the great protestant principle. 30:56 People have been writing me letters and they say, 30:59 you know, we're supposed to believe in this, 31:01 but when you go to many churches. 31:03 People don't know their Bibles, they don't read their Bibles, 31:06 they don't quote from the Bible 31:08 and the preacher doesn't even preach from it, 31:12 because he's a clergyman. 31:16 So we read the Bible, we believe in Sola Christus, 31:19 only Christ, Sola scriptura, Sola gratia, Sola fide. 31:24 Only Christ, only scripture, only grace, only faith. 31:32 And you need the Holy Spirit to get this into your mind. 31:35 A preacher can be a great preacher 31:37 and you can preach hard to people, 31:39 but because of their indifference 31:41 and they think they know it all. 31:44 Let me tell you this, you get rid of that notion. 31:48 You're ready for this? 31:49 This is one of the dumbest 31:51 of all civilizations in the history of the world. 31:56 People know trivia, but they don't know 31:58 the most important things. They don't know how to live. 32:04 And if they don't think they need the scriptures. 32:06 Did you know they discovered now there is a new addiction 32:11 which is as bad as taking drugs, 32:14 you know what it is? Addiction to the internet. 32:18 Playing these crazy games. 32:21 In South Korea alone there're two million young men 32:26 who are complete addicts to the internet. 32:30 Just want to be surfing the internet, playing games. 32:33 I've got people who come-- I know them in the church, 32:37 they can't wait till they get home, 32:39 here they go again, they're addicted. 32:42 And you know what it does? It destroys them. 32:45 It decrease their mental abilities, 32:48 and their social skills. You can't talk to them, 32:51 because they don't know what to say, 32:53 they're dumb, they're dumb 32:56 and they're sick and they need the word of God. Amen. 33:00 You know what I'm saying? 33:03 So in this church, we try to be faithful to God 33:07 and we try to be faithful to the congregation. 33:11 So let's read the text, 33:14 "Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. 33:18 It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 33:20 'Take away the stone,' he said. 33:22 'But, Lord,' said Martha, the sister of the dead man, 33:25 'by this time there is a bad odor, 33:27 for he has been there four days.' 33:29 Jesus said, 'Did I not tell you that if you believed, 33:32 you will see the glory of God?'" 33:36 People would say, seeing is believing. 33:38 The Bible says, believing is seeing. 33:41 Now there's most people says well, 33:43 I won't believe until I see it. 33:45 Well, you never gonna see it. 33:47 People say seeing is believing, no believing is seeing. 33:53 "'Did I not tell you that if you believed, you will see.' 33:57 So they took away the stone. 33:58 Then Jesus looked up and said, 'Father, 34:00 I thank you that you have heard me. 34:02 I knew that you always hear me, 34:05 but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, 34:09 that they may believe that you sent me.' 34:11 When he had said this, Jesus called out in a loud voice, 34:15 'Lazarus, come out!' The dead man came out, 34:19 his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, 34:23 and a cloth around his face. 34:25 Jesus said to them, 'Take off 34:26 the grave clothes and let him go.'" 34:33 I don't know anybody has ever done that. 34:37 Here in the United States we hear faith healers 34:40 who are interested in your money doing great miracles, 34:46 but we have no reliable evidence 34:47 of resurrection taking place today. 34:49 People say no, no they do take place. Where? 34:52 Well on places where nobody goes. 34:54 So you can't check outline. 34:57 And it would never gets on television 34:58 and where there's no decent doctor who's gonna check 35:01 that they are really dead in the first place. 35:05 There's only one person does the resurrections. 35:08 Scientists are working on getting creating 35:11 life in a laboratory, but my friend 35:14 all they're doing is taking the stuff 35:16 that God has given them 35:18 and trying to put it together again. 35:20 That's what they are doing, Imagine the raising of Lazarus, 35:23 a man who's been dead for four days, 35:26 he walks out of the tomb and he's alive. 35:29 You believe this? 35:32 Lot of you don't even believe this, do you? 35:35 A lot of you folks watching, you don't believe this. 35:37 You heard a sermon but you don't believe it. 35:39 If you believed it, you would be a different person, 35:42 you would have faith. 35:47 And the person raised, Lazarus is coming back. 35:52 One day He himself came back from the dead 35:56 and He promises to resurrect all those who have faith in Him. 36:01 And come over here to John Chapter 6, 36:02 "Then why are you so many of you scared of die?" 36:06 John Chapter 6:39, I had a friend 36:09 who's always talking religion to me, always talking faith. 36:13 Always talking, talking, talking, talking, 36:15 but he was scared to get on a plane. 36:19 Terrified to flying, I said why don't you fly. 36:23 Well he said, my wife and I was scared. 36:26 I said I thought you were a super Christian. 36:29 I thought you had super-- no he said, I am scared. 36:33 You know why? He was scared of dying, 36:37 because he didn't have faith at all 36:40 Didn't have faith in Jesus. 36:42 John Chapter 6:39. "And this is the will of him 36:47 who sent me, that I shall lose 36:49 none of all that he has given me, 36:51 but raise them up at the last day. 36:53 For my Father's will is that everyone 36:55 who looks to the Son and believes in him 36:58 shall have eternal life, 36:59 and I will raise him up at the last day." 37:02 But you better have the Son 37:04 or else you come out in the wrong resurrection. 37:07 Look at John Chapter 5:24-25. 37:10 I am told in America, when I look at television 37:13 and I look at preachers 37:15 and all of these religious stuff, 37:17 I am assured that everybody is going to go to heaven. 37:23 That's what all the preachers speak, 37:24 that's what the politicians speak. 37:27 That's what the president say, and for everybody say it, 37:30 there's only one problem with it. It's not true. 37:35 Jesus said, few there be, that find it. 37:39 That's what Jesus said. 37:42 And therefore you got to have faith, 37:45 and you got to have a relationship 37:47 with the incomparable person. 37:50 The person who was beyond compare, 37:54 matchless, second to none. 37:55 And you got to know Him as your Lord and your Savoir. 38:04 Look at John Chapter 5:24 and 25, 38:09 John Chapter 5:24, 25, "I tell you the truth, 38:13 whoever hears my word and believes him 38:16 who sent me has eternal life." 38:18 You got to believe in the Father too. 38:20 "And will not be condemned, 38:21 he has crossed over from death to life. 38:23 I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come 38:27 when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God 38:29 and those who hear will live." Astounding. 38:36 He is the incomparable life giver, 38:42 the life giver without comparison. 38:46 Now the fifth story, Jesus and a friend who messed up. 38:56 Most of us are very fickle. 39:02 Jesus was not fickle, He was faithful, 39:08 no one like Him. 39:09 Look at Luke Chapter 22:31 and onwards. 39:12 You know, whom I am speaking of, that's Peter, 39:16 the big fisherman, Luke 22:31. 39:23 "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 39:27 But I have prayed for you, Simon, 39:30 that your faith may not fail. 39:32 But when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." 39:35 See he replied, "Lord, I am ready 39:38 to go with you to prison and to death." 39:41 Jesus answered, 'I tell you, Peter, 39:44 before the rooster crows today, 39:46 you will deny three times that you know me.''' 39:51 That He said to Peter. 39:53 Peter was full of self confidence 39:56 and who is this Peter? Oh Peter, fortunately, 40:04 was not a clergyman, Peter was a fisherman. 40:11 And if you are in the company of Peter, 40:15 you are in the company of fish 40:19 and water and nets. 40:27 And Peter was a good person. 40:33 We would have liked Peter. 40:37 And if you come over to Mark Chapter 11:27 and onwards, 40:43 Mark 14:27 and onwards, 40:48 Jesus said "'You will all fall away,' 40:51 Jesus told them, 'for it is written, 40:52 I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. 40:56 But after I have risen, 40:57 I will go ahead of you into Galilee.' 41:00 Peter declared, 'Even if all fall away, 41:04 I will not' 'I tell you the truth,' Jesus answered, 41:09 'today-yes, tonight-before the rooster crows twice 41:13 you yourself will disown me three times. 41:17 'But Peter insisted emphatically, 41:20 'Even if I have to die with you, 41:22 I will never disown you.' 41:26 And all the others said the same." 41:30 And you know the story, don't you. 41:34 When Jesus needed a friend, 41:36 when Jesus needed a rock to lean on, 41:41 a few girls said to Peter, "You all with him" 41:45 and the Bible said Peter began to curse and swear 41:51 and he said, "I know not the Man." 41:55 And somebody said, when Peter said, 41:59 "I know not the Man, 42:03 it was the lie that told the truth." 42:07 He told a lie, but he told the truth 42:10 because he didn't know the man. 42:14 He knew about the Man, he knew His miracles, 42:19 he loved Him, but he never knew the Man. 42:25 Therefore he denied the Lord with cursing and swearing 42:30 when Jesus was desperate for a friend, 42:34 Peter should have been there, 42:36 but Peter let him down, pretty sad. 42:41 What about you? 42:43 Look at Mark Chapter 16:7. 42:45 We thank God for friends who stay by in good times 42:50 and in bad times who are faithful. 42:55 Look at Mark Chapter 16:7. 43:01 Now Jesus send a message after the resurrection, 43:03 because Peter was pretty discouraged. 43:06 He was a broken man, he denied the Lord, runaway, 43:12 "But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 43:19 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. 43:21 There you will see him, just as he told you and Peter.'" 43:28 That should encourage every person in this church, 43:32 because we've all messed up. 43:35 We've all done dumb things. 43:37 We've all done bad things. 43:43 We've all denied the Lord with cursing and swearing. 43:47 How many of us are known 43:51 in our workplace as followers of Christ. 43:55 Or are we like the church member who said, 43:58 I keep my faith to myself and nobody in the office 44:02 would guess that I'm a Christian, because he's not. 44:07 No such thing as a secret Christian. 44:12 But the message to every person is, 44:15 go tell my disciples, and Peter, and Mary, 44:20 and Suzie, and Harvey, 44:23 and David and Ron, I will see them. 44:31 At a great religious convention here 44:34 in the United States of America was a church leader 44:38 whom I was proud to call friend. 44:43 A good man, and wherever 44:46 he went at this great convention 44:50 the people swarmed around him like a hive of bees, 44:56 can you imagine it? Wherever he walked, 45:00 a great crowed went with him. 45:04 Can we just talk to him, he's our great leader. 45:11 But he lost his job, 45:17 possibly he didn't deserve to lose it, 45:20 because he was such a good man trying to do the best. 45:25 There are no perfect people. 45:29 But the next year he went to the great conference, 45:33 he walked alone. 45:41 How fickle. 45:46 Where was the Christianity? 45:54 Jesus is a lot better than his professing followers. 46:02 He never gives up. 46:06 Jesus is a friend 46:09 without compare, incomparable. 46:14 The sixth story is Jesus and the Jewish leaders. 46:18 Jesus the Jew, and the leaders of the Jewish nation. 46:24 Would you come over here to John Chapter 8. 46:26 A Christian should never ever be antisemitic, 46:30 because our Lord is a Jew. 46:33 He is still a Jew today, in glory. 46:38 Blake, there is a Jew today at the right hand of God, 46:43 there's a Jew there, his name is Jesus. 46:46 I've had people write to me and said, 46:48 Jesus wasn't a Jew, goodness. 46:51 I mean talk about dumbness. 46:53 John Chapter 8, I am telling you John Chapter 8, 46:57 "The Jews answered him, "Aren't we right in saying 46:59 that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?" 47:01 so they were really attacking Him. 47:03 Verse 52, "At this the Jew exclaimed, 47:06 'Now we know that you are demon-possessed! 47:09 Abraham died and so did the prophets" 47:12 Verse 54, "Jesus replied, 47:15 'If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. 47:17 My Father, whom you claim as your God, 47:19 is the one who glorifies me. 47:21 Though you do not know him, I know him. 47:23 If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, 47:29 but I do know him and obey his word. 47:31 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day, 47:34 he saw it and was glad.' 47:37 'You're not yet fifty years old,' 47:39 the Jewish said to him, 'and you have seen Abraham!' 47:42 I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, 47:45 'before Abraham was born, 47:49 I am!' 47:53 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, 47:56 but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds." 48:01 He was the only person he said the expression 48:05 which is tantamount to saying I am Yahweh Elohim, 48:09 I am Jehovah, I am El Shaddai. 48:12 Expression, I am is expression 48:16 that can only be used by all mighty God. 48:19 If I were to say that today, 48:22 I would deserve to be struck by bolt of lightning. 48:28 He's the only person who ever lived to claim to be God 48:32 and was considered insane and in total control of Himself, 48:36 ask God to expand your mind. 48:39 He claim to be the prime mover, 48:41 the one who made the universe. 48:43 If scientists were right when they say the universe 48:45 is 13.72 billion years old, then Jesus was saying, 48:50 He existed in a place outside our universe, 48:54 more than 13 billion years ago and beyond. 48:57 He existed before time and space. 49:01 He made time and space. 49:05 This places Him in a completely 49:07 different category to you and to me, 49:10 because He has limitless power, limitless knowledge, 49:15 limitless wisdom, limitless presence, 49:19 limitless authority, limitless love, limitless grace, 49:26 thus he is indeed the incomparable God. 49:33 All other Gods are puny, 49:36 silly and non consensual. 49:41 Listen to these words, 49:43 Christianity is not a set of rule, so we have rules. 49:47 I could easily have been a Methodist 49:49 if I lived in the days of John Wesley 49:52 because I like methods. 49:56 I like being organized. 49:58 I am not very tolerant with people who are disorganized. 50:06 Christianity is not a set of rule, 50:08 it is not about being a vegan. 50:15 Or what you wear or more importantly what you don't wear, 50:19 or how much money you have. 50:21 Some of those things may be of inconsequence. 50:25 But that is not Christianity. 50:28 They may flow from certain aspects of Christianity, 50:31 but Christianity is all about Jesus, the light of the world. 50:38 If you don't belong to a church with Christ is the Lord 50:42 and where His word is preached, find another church. 50:53 And He would very much like to be your emancipator, 50:59 your teacher, your redeemer, 51:03 your life giver, your friend, your God. 51:10 He's a total gentleman, doesn't push His way 51:13 in where He is not wanted, in Revelation it says, 51:17 Revelation 3, "I stand at the door, 51:21 and knock, if any anyone will open the door," 51:27 what a paradox, the all mighty God 51:31 and He can't open the door himself." 51:35 He's a total gentleman. 51:38 He knocks, but its up to each one of us to open the door 51:42 to the one who is matchless without peer, second to none. 51:55 That's the thing, doesn't push His way anywhere. 52:00 You can sit here in church, you can be a nominal Christian, 52:03 you can hard in your heart, you can listen it all. 52:07 You can go through the motions, 52:08 because you think that's Christianity, you are deluded. 52:15 It is knowing Christ, as your Lord and as your Savior. 52:20 Everybody in America wants Jesus, the Savior. 52:26 But He is the Lord Jesus Christ, 52:30 and the Lord means, the Master. 52:38 Listen to this poem, I love it. 52:42 I see his blood upon the rose 52:45 And in the stars the glory of his eyes, 52:50 His body gleams amid eternal snows, 52:54 His tears fall from the skies. 52:59 I see his face in every flower, 53:04 The thunder and the singing of the birds are but his voice. 53:16 And carved by his power 53:18 the rocks are his written words. 53:24 All pathways by his feet are worn, 53:29 His strong heart stirs 53:34 the ever-beating sea, 53:38 His crown of thorns is twined with every thorn, 53:46 His cross is every tree. 53:54 I present to you today, I give to you today 54:00 the incomparable Christ. Amen. 54:05 Second to none, 54:08 without compare, amen. 54:14 Hello friend, I am John Carter. 54:16 I am here today to tell you the most amazing news. 54:20 I want to thank you firstly in Jesus name 54:23 for your magnificent support. 54:25 We are on our way to Port Moresby, 54:29 the capital of Papua New Guinea. 54:32 We are going to see the amazing power of God. 54:35 We are going there to preach the everlasting gospel. 54:39 I'll be preaching every night 54:41 outdoors in the national stadium. 54:44 The locals tell us we will have over 100,000 people a night, 54:50 some say, 150,000 people. 54:53 A few have said may be 200,000, 54:57 but I want you to know this, 54:58 we go in the name of Christ to preach 55:01 the gospel and to save souls. 55:04 And I am saying today, I can't do this without your help. 55:09 I've got to raise right now $500,000 for this great campaign 55:17 that is going to shake an entire nation for God, 55:22 please be my partner. 55:24 Write to me John Carter P.O. Box 1900 55:28 Thousands Oaks, California, 91358. 55:32 In Australia my Aussie friends, please write to Terrigal. 55:37 The address is now appearing on the screen. 55:40 Please stand with me in this tremendous outreach 55:45 to the people of the Papua New Guinea. 55:48 We used to talk about "Mission Impossible." 55:53 All of a sudden it has become "Mission Possible." 55:58 This is an opportunity to reach 56:01 an entire nation for the Lord Jesus Christ. 56:04 Please write to me today 56:07 and I want to say to you from my heart to yours, 56:10 thank you in Jesus name. 56:19 When Christ shall come, 56:24 with shouts of acclamation 56:29 And take me home, 56:33 what joy shall fill my heart 56:39 Then I shall bow 56:44 in humble adoration 56:49 And there proclaim, 56:52 "My God, how great You are!" 56:58 Then sings my soul, 57:02 my Savior God, to Thee 57:08 How great Thou art 57:13 How great Thou art 57:18 Then sings my soul, 57:21 my Savior God, to Thee 57:27 How great Thou art 57:32 How great Thou art 57:37 How great Thou art 57:41 How great Thou art |
Revised 2014-12-17