Participants:
Series Code: CR
Program Code: CR001803A
|
00:01 The Carter Report presents, Mission and Message.
00:05 A new look at the church and its future. 00:08 Is the church an endangered species 00:11 or is a time of explosive growth just ahead? 00:16 Now, here is John Carter. 00:21 Glad to see you today 00:23 and I give you the warmest welcome. 00:25 Listen to this, "It's very difficult" 00:27 some would say, "It's almost impossible 00:32 to get someone to see a truth 00:36 or an idea when his salary depends upon 00:40 him not seeing it." 00:42 What do you think of that? 00:44 Almost impossible to get someone to see an idea 00:48 when his financial income 00:51 depends upon not seeing it. 00:55 This, of course, would include people in the oil industry. 01:02 Also it would include lots of people in the church, 01:06 especially those who are employed by churches 01:11 to teach certain ideas. 01:15 And if their salary depends upon their not seeing an idea, 01:21 it's very, very hard to get them to see this idea. 01:27 Now, last week we spoke about, 01:30 the last meeting was on the mission, 01:34 the mission of the Christian church, 01:37 what is the mission of the church? 01:42 Or is it just to build institutions 01:45 and big, build big offices, 01:50 what's the mission of the church? 01:54 And today we're going to take that further, 01:56 and we're going to talk about the message, 02:00 because the mission of the church 02:03 is to teach and to preach the message. 02:08 So that's the topic today, my friend. 02:10 Last week was the mission, today is the message. 02:15 Not a message, but the message. 02:18 Now, we're not talking today about fake news, 02:22 or political news, or religious news, 02:27 or reports of current events, trivia news, 02:31 entertainment news from Hollywood, 02:34 you can get all of that on television. 02:37 We're talking about something which is over and beyond, 02:42 that which people think is essential. 02:45 We're talking about a message 02:47 that one day will turn this world upside-down. 02:52 A message of startling truth 02:56 that will decide the fate of millions of people, 03:02 almost too hard to believe. 03:04 This message is bigger than the White House. 03:08 Most people seem to be obsessed with the White House, 03:12 bigger than America, bigger than Wall Street, 03:17 bigger than the pope, 03:21 and bigger than any church in the world. 03:24 One day it will assume global importance. 03:28 It is above politics and religions. 03:31 Now, I want to warn you of one thing. 03:34 Not only is this great message of paramount importance, 03:40 but it is almost dangerous to teach it. 03:47 Almost dangerous to teach it. 03:51 One day, people will be killed 03:53 because they teach this message. 03:56 And this message is found in the last book in the Bible, 04:00 Revelation 14. 04:03 And I want you to take your Bible, 04:05 all of you watching in our Carter Report studio 04:08 and come with me to Revelation, the last book. 04:12 Revelation 14:6, 7, 04:18 dear hearts and gentle people. 04:19 Revelation 14:6, 7, 04:26 "And I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, 04:31 having the everlasting gospel 04:34 to preach to those who dwell on the earth, 04:36 to every nation, tribe, language, and people, 04:40 saying with a loud voice, 04:42 'Fear God and give glory to Him, 04:44 for the hour of His judgment has come, 04:46 and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, 04:50 the sea and the springs of water.'" 04:55 We are going to see that this tremendous message 05:00 takes place just a little while 05:03 before the return of Christ. 05:08 In fact, it is called in the scriptures, 05:10 try to get this down 05:11 into the molecules of your minds. 05:13 It is called the message of the three angels. 05:18 We just read the first angel's message. 05:22 Now, we're going to notice the second angel's message. 05:25 Revelation 14:8, Revelation 14:8, 05:30 "And another angel followed, saying, 05:33 'Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, 05:37 because she has made all nations drink of the wine 05:41 of the wrath of her fornication.'" 05:45 So you've got one angel, then you have another angel. 05:49 This angel, talks about a system of a religion 05:56 that has called Babylon the Great, 05:59 the mother of harlots, the abominations of the earth. 06:03 And then if you notice verse, 06:06 please, 9 and 10 of the same chapter, 06:10 "Then the third angel followed them, 06:11 saying with a loud voice, 06:13 'If anyone worships the beast and his image, 06:17 and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 06:23 he himself shall also drink of the wine 06:28 of the wrath of God," goodness me, 06:32 "which is poured out full strength 06:34 into the cup of His indignation. 06:38 He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone 06:41 in the presence of the holy angels 06:44 and in the presence of the Lamb." 06:47 Now, please look carefully. 06:51 The Bible says that before the return of Jesus Christ 06:57 and before the great Judgment Day, 06:59 the Bible says there is a tremendous 07:05 earth-shaking message 07:07 that goes to the world, 07:09 and it is symbolized by three angels 07:13 flying in the midst of heaven. 07:17 That message that is full of truth, 07:19 and pathos, and the love of God 07:22 is also filled with controversy. 07:29 The devil hates it. 07:30 It is that message that prepares men and women 07:34 for the harvest for the end of the world. 07:37 Notice now Revelation 14:11, 12, 07:41 because this gives us the context, 07:44 and a text without a context is a pretext. 07:48 Revelation 14:11, 12, 07:50 "And the smoke of their torment ascends 07:53 forever and ever," strong stuff, 07:56 "they have no rest day or night, 07:58 who worship the beast and his image, 08:02 whoever receives the mark of his name." 08:09 It's very strong, verse 12 says, 08:11 "Here is the patience of the saints, 08:14 here are those who keep the commandments of God 08:18 and the faith of Jesus." 08:25 This message produces... 08:29 living saints. 08:33 If you are not a living saint, 08:35 you sure are not going to be a dead saint. 08:38 Now what is a saint? 08:40 Or who is a saint? 08:42 A mummified being that is somehow made into a saint 08:46 by an ecclesiastical leader. 08:48 No, a saint is a normal human being 08:52 who keeps the commandments of God 08:54 and has the faith of Jesus. 08:57 And so here is a tremendous worldwide message 09:02 that shakes up the world. 09:06 It is seen flying in the midst of heaven 09:08 because that is symbolic of a worldwide 09:12 shattering proclamation. 09:15 It is the message, the context, now we come to the context. 09:20 Revelation 14:14-16, 09:24 here is the context, 09:27 "Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, 09:29 and on the cloud One sat like the Son of Man, 09:32 having on His head a golden crown, 09:35 in His hand a sharp sickle. 09:38 And another angel came out of the temple, 09:40 crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, 09:44 'Thrust in Your sickle and reap, 09:47 for the time has come for You to reap, 09:50 for the harvest of the earth is ripe.' 09:54 So He who sat on the cloud 09:56 thrust in His sickle on the earth, 10:00 and the earth was reaped.'" 10:07 Listen to me, the Bible teaches, 10:10 you can see it over here, this great video wall, 10:14 there is a great message that goes to the world. 10:19 It is a message that talks about the gospel, 10:21 Babylon, the beast, image of the beast, 10:25 the mark of the beast, 10:27 and it calls men and women 10:29 to keep the commandments of God. 10:32 And it produces people that the Bible calls saints. 10:37 And a saint is a normal ordinary person, 10:39 like you and me who loves Christ 10:43 and keeps the commandments. 10:45 And the Bible says that this tremendous message 10:49 is given to prepare men and women 10:52 for the final Day of Judgment. 10:59 So the Bible teaches there is a judgment day. 11:04 This may seem terribly quaint for some people. 11:09 But the Bible teaches, there is a Day of Judgment. 11:15 And because there is a Day of Judgment, 11:19 there is also or there are also some other truths. 11:23 Number one, God made us. 11:27 And because God made me in His own image, 11:31 I am accountable to God, 11:33 and one day, I'm going to meet God. 11:38 I meet people who said, when I die, 11:39 that's the end of me, 11:41 I go six feet under and it's all over. 11:43 No, no, it's not. 11:45 It's all just starting. 11:48 The Bible says that there is a Day of Judgment 11:51 because I'm accountable to God, 11:55 because God made me 12:01 in His own image. 12:03 Therefore, we are accountable to Him. 12:07 We are not sons of the slime, 12:10 I'm not the bizarre product 12:12 of time plus matter plus chance. 12:16 Don't believe that nonsense. 12:17 I don't believe that nonsense. 12:19 I believe, it's the most unscientific idea 12:22 that has ever come upon people around the world, 12:26 and especially in the universities 12:28 that we are simply the bizarre accident of what, 12:31 cosmic accident. 12:33 No, I believe there is evidence 12:35 that proves that we were made by God, 12:38 by a great intelligent designer. 12:41 Therefore, we are accountable to Him, 12:44 and our choices and our lifestyles 12:47 do make a difference. 12:49 And this makes me, 12:52 and it makes you different to the communists, 12:58 different to the secularists, the humanists, 13:02 the atheists, and the agnostics. 13:07 This overwhelming truth 13:10 that I was made in the image of God 13:13 and because I was made by God, 13:16 one day I will meet God. 13:23 I will stand before God. 13:25 I can fool lots of people so can you. 13:28 We can all fool lots of people, we can fool our spouses, 13:32 we can fool our bosses, we can fool the government, 13:35 we can fool the tax people, 13:38 but we can't fool the Creator who made us, 13:43 who knows everything there is to know about us. 13:51 And every one of us one day will stand in the judgment. 13:57 Now, these three angels 14:01 flying in the midst of heaven 14:04 that are seen prior to the Judgment Day, 14:08 these three angels must not be taken literally. 14:13 The Book of Revelation 14:16 is a book of symbols. 14:21 And the three angels represent 14:25 a great supernatural, 14:29 spiritual awakening that happens around the world 14:36 in the last days. 14:38 The three angels represent 14:41 a great spiritual movement of destiny 14:48 that prepares the world for the harvest 14:51 or the Judgment Day of the Second Coming of Christ. 14:57 That, of course, follow off from last week, 15:01 that is the mission of the church. 15:05 Now church can do lots of wonderful, wonderful things, 15:08 and those things are important. 15:12 But the great mission of the church 15:14 is the preaching of the message of God 15:18 that prepares men and women 15:22 for the coming of Christ and the Judgment Day. 15:26 I want you to think about that. 15:30 Because some people would say that the Christian church, 15:34 not even in a subtle way but in a very blatant way 15:38 has been sidetracked from the mission. 15:44 The church does lots and lots of good things 15:47 that are largely irrelevant. 15:52 But the mission of the church 15:55 is the proclamation of God's message to the world 15:59 so that men and women, like you and me 16:04 can be prepared for the Judgment Day. 16:09 I want you to notice Revelation 14:6 again. 16:12 Notice it in the Bible. 16:15 See this is the Word of God. 16:17 Jesus said, it is written, 16:19 "Man shall not live by bread alone, 16:21 but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." 16:25 If you go to a church and you're not hearing this, 16:27 then you're going to the wrong church. 16:30 This is the Word of God, 16:32 and it is through the Word of God 16:33 that we are prepared for the Judgment Day. 16:36 Revelation 14:6 says, "Then I saw another angel," 16:41 word Angelos means messenger, 16:43 "flying in the midst of heaven," 16:45 a worldwide proclamation, huge, big, tremendous, 16:50 "having the everlasting gospel," 16:52 I like these next two words, 16:54 "to preach, to preach, to preach to those 16:57 who dwell on the earth, to every nation, 16:59 tribe, tongue, and people." 17:02 Now, talks about this a little bit last week. 17:09 The Bible tells us, God has put a lot of gifts in the church. 17:14 We know this. 17:15 But the Bible tells us that the most important gift 17:19 that you can have, 17:21 whether you are employed by the church 17:23 or whether you are not employed by the church, 17:25 the most important gift you can have 17:28 is to be a communicator of the goodness 17:32 and the grace of God. 17:35 And that is called preaching. 17:37 Now would you come over here to 1 Corinthians 12:28. 17:42 Now, we talked about this last week, 17:44 we talked about this at length. 17:46 In fact, this was almost the theme 17:48 of the talk last week. 17:50 1 Corinthians 12:28, this is the most misunderstood, 17:56 the most ignored passage in the whole of the Bible 18:01 as far as most churches are concerned. 18:06 12:28, "And God has appointed these in the church: 18:11 first apostles..." 18:16 What does that mean? 18:18 A modern translation is a missionary, 18:20 a person on a mission to preach the gospel 18:24 and to save the lost. 18:26 "First, apostles, second prophets..." 18:31 A prophet here is a, 18:33 is an explainer of the Word of God. 18:37 "The second prophets, third teachers, after that, 18:42 after that miracles, then gifts of healings, 18:46 helps, administrations, varieties of tongues." 18:55 Listen to this. 19:00 The most important thing 19:02 that a person can do is to lead people to Christ 19:08 so that person can be saved in the kingdom. 19:13 Anything else doesn't really matter a great deal. 19:18 First apostles, why don't we talk about this? 19:23 Why don't we emphasize this? 19:27 Well, one thing is the devil hates it. 19:31 And when it says there are three angels 19:33 flying in the midst of heaven 19:34 having this great message to preach, 19:37 it is talking about a proclamation 19:40 that goes to the ends of the earth 19:42 and it goes, wait, for this, it goes through human lips. 19:53 It is a divine anointing 19:58 upon a human instrumentality, 20:02 where the Spirit of God comes upon a person, 20:06 and he is super charged by God 20:11 to give a divine utterance 20:14 which is taught here in this book. 20:20 Do I need to remind you of this that Jesus was a preacher? 20:26 He went around preaching. 20:28 John the Baptist was a preacher. 20:31 He was a firebrand of a preacher. 20:35 Peter, the big fisherman was a preacher. 20:39 None of these people thought of, 20:40 I'm saying it, got to say this very softly, 20:45 none of these people were sitting in offices, 20:50 calling themselves administrators. 20:54 Now that's important, not putting that down, 20:57 that's important. 20:59 But there are some things that are important, 21:02 and there are other things that are essential. 21:07 So Jesus was a preacher. 21:11 The Bible tells me, John was a preacher, 21:13 John came preaching. 21:16 Peter was a preacher. 21:18 John who wrote the Book of Revelation was a preacher. 21:22 Martin Luther, Paul, 21:24 Paul the greatest preacher since our Lord. 21:28 Martin Luther was a preacher. 21:32 That's why they caused so much trouble 21:36 and did so much good. 21:39 Martin Luther, John Wesley, 42,000 sermons in a lifetime, 21:45 360,000 miles on the back of a horse. 21:48 Where are the men today? 21:52 No namby-pamby. 21:54 John Wesley, Charles Spurgeon, 21:58 the prince of preachers they say. 22:01 Billy Graham in our own day and age, 22:04 and some people whom I know will say 22:07 "Why would you ever talk, 22:09 why would you ever talk about this man?" 22:16 I believe that since his great preaching 22:20 has been silenced, 22:24 mainly through old age, 22:27 America has lost... 22:29 her moral bearings. 22:34 They called him the conscience of America. 22:37 We would not be discussing certain issues today 22:41 if the preaching of the Word of God 22:44 was standing out in vast campaigns across America. 22:50 America was like a light shining 22:54 in a dark place... 22:58 through preaching. 23:00 H.M.S Richards, who was a member of my church. 23:05 The dean of Adventist preachers. 23:08 He refers in his book Feed My Sheep 23:10 to the time in the Dark Ages when... 23:15 They said in so many words 23:17 up with candles, down with preaching. 23:22 Lots of ceremonies, lots of religious gunk, 23:29 lots of candles, lots of fire attitudes, 23:34 lots of talking, lots of vestments, 23:37 lots of robes... 23:43 so that men got dressed up like ladies. 23:46 True, H.M.S Richards says in his book, 23:51 "Up with candles, down with preaching." 23:58 Now, you're going to see it, my friend, 24:01 whether you participate in it or not is another matter. 24:05 But before the end of this world, 24:08 the greatest preachers are going to arise, 24:12 and they are going to stand for the message, 24:16 to save the lost for Christ. 24:19 You see, if you are not in Christ, 24:22 the Bible says that you are lost. 24:25 And a message goes forth in the last days 24:28 to save the lost for Christ. 24:32 Now, the first part of that message. 24:39 The Bible says, it's the everlasting gospel. 24:44 There is nothing new about the gospel. 24:47 Some people have folks in the Old Testament 24:51 being saved in a certain way, 24:53 and folks in the New Testament being saved in a certain way. 24:57 Other folks said people just in the last days 25:01 being saved in a certain way, it's not true. 25:06 It goes against the Word of God. 25:09 It's everlasting. 25:11 There's only one gospel, 25:13 the only way whereby people can be saved 25:17 is by the sheer mercy 25:20 and the grace of God 25:21 demonstrated through the life and the death of Jesus Christ. 25:26 So it's the everlasting gospel. 25:29 And I'm going to talk, after this little break, 25:32 I'll be back, we'll all be back, 25:33 we're going to have applause in a moment. 25:36 But then I'm going to talk 25:37 about the message of the gospel. 25:41 Let me tell you this. 25:44 You don't just discover the gospel by reading about it, 25:49 it is a divine revelation that will hit you 25:53 like a bolt of lightning, 25:56 and I hope that happens to you today. 25:58 We'll be back after this break. 26:02 We're talking about the message. 26:18 In this series, John Carter will provide 26:20 the answers to life's most interesting questions. 26:22 Seven great signs of the apocalypse. 26:26 If the dead are unconscious, 26:28 who are the beings that pretend to be the dead? 26:33 This is such a person as the devil. 26:40 What is the essence of antichrist? 26:47 What is the root cause of this deadly malaise? 26:52 America was founded by people 26:55 who were opposed to the union of church and state. 27:00 But if there's a God who loves us, 27:02 then the future is bright was promised. 27:06 For a gift of $100 US or $140 Australian, 27:10 this 13 DVD series, Prophecy Speaks will be yours. 27:14 Call the number or visit our website. 27:21 Do you sometimes get lost in the crowd? 27:23 Do you feel there is just no love in the room, 27:26 like everybody is against you? 27:27 You're all alone with no one to lean on. 27:29 Do you need a word of encouragement? 27:31 Do you know God? 27:33 Have you tried prayer? 27:34 Pastor Carter would like to pray for you now. 27:37 Let us pray. 27:38 Call 1-800-526-9777. 27:42 Nothing to buy, the call is free. 27:45 Call 1-800-526-9777. 27:52 1.3 billion people live in India. 27:56 Two hundred million of these are Dalits, 27:58 formerly called untouchables. 28:01 One hundred percent of your gift 28:03 will go to fund projects for Dalit girls 28:06 as an alternative. 28:07 Your gift of $600 28:09 will educate, cloth, and feed one Dalit girl 28:13 between 5 and 15 years of age for one full year. 28:18 Go to cartereport.org 28:19 or to the address on the screen. 28:24 For a copy of today's program, 28:26 please contact us at P.O. Box 1900, 28:30 Thousand Oaks, California 91358. 28:34 Or in Australia, contact us at P.O. Box 861, 28:39 Terrigal, New South Wales 2260. 28:43 This program is made possible 28:45 through the generous support of viewers like you. 28:48 We thank you for your continued support. 28:51 May God richly bless you. |
Revised 2018-04-16