Participants: Danny Shelton (Host), John Carter
Series Code: 15HC
Program Code: 15HC000002A
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00:51 Welcome back to 3ABN Fall Camp Meeting.
00:54 We're glad that you all are here. Our crowd is growing. 00:57 Have you noticed that? 00:58 And I see they know Elder John Carter is our speaker 01:02 for the hour. I'll talk just a moment about him 01:05 but we have some music in just a moment. 01:07 Any of you ever hear of Reggie and Ladye Love Smith? 01:10 You ever hear? Oh look at all the hands going up. 01:12 Wow! What a ministry they have. 01:14 But I want to talk first a moment about Elder John Carter. 01:17 I've known John... He was one of the first people 01:20 ever to go on 3ABN. When he came to America from Australia - 01:24 I think he says Ameriker or something like that - 01:26 but he's been... even though he's been here a long time... 01:28 but I accept it. It's all right. 01:30 So Americans... You know what's good about us? 01:32 We can teach the rest of the world how to speak English, 01:34 can't we? 'Cause you know how we are. 01:37 I tell people: "Don't worry about how your accent is. 01:39 When you get to heaven you'll get to talk just like me. " 01:42 Right? And they usually do what you do: they laugh! 01:45 All right. Well, Elder John Carter is an incredible man. 01:48 He asked us in '92 to go to Russia. 01:52 It's life changing. Had no idea what would happen 01:56 in Russia. We saw thousands coming to Jesus. 01:59 2,532 Russians baptized in a city where no one had 02:04 been able to go to - no one from the free world - 02:07 in seventy-some years. And God opened up Nizhny Novgorod. 02:12 Julia Outkina and some of our 3ABN Russian crew 02:14 is here, and Sabbath we'll be sharing with Julia and 02:18 Pastor John Carter and reminiscing a little bit. 02:21 But John has a gift, and he literally has been evangelizing 02:25 around the world. Hundreds of thousands of people 02:28 have come to know Jesus Christ through the ministry and joined 02:31 this church through the ministry of Elder John Carter. 02:34 I don't know anyone I respect any more 02:37 as a speaker and as an individual. 02:39 One of my best friends. And if I ever need anything - 02:43 whether I need counsel, I need advice, 02:46 whatever it is - I can call Pastor Carter. 02:48 He'll take the time and pray for me; 02:51 walk me through whatever it is. 02:53 Incredible man of God. I want you all to know that. 02:56 I'm not up here just saying that. 02:58 I'm not as they say "tooting his horn" 03:00 but I'm uplifting the Jesus in him. 03:02 That's why crowds... I've seen thousands - 03:05 sometimes a hundred thousand people or more 03:08 like in New Guinea - a night were attending his services. 03:11 It's amazing. God has given him an anointing 03:14 that's absolutely amazing. 03:16 Speaking of anointing, right after our music: 03:20 Reggie and Ladye Love Smith. We did a project recently 03:24 Hallelujah! We're Home At Last. 03:26 I want Reggie and Ladye to come on out. 03:28 And are you guys gonna do We Shall Behold Him? 03:31 Oh, all right. Praise the Lord! 03:33 For those of you that have heard this it's incredible. 03:36 Dottie Rambo song is it? Hey, how ya'll doing? 03:38 You just rushed in here while ago. We didn't get 03:40 to hug. We're "huggy" people. We're huggers. 03:43 And Reggie and Ladye Love are the "funnest" people on earth. 03:46 I've traveled with them around the world. 03:48 I'm going to tell the honest truth: 03:51 they're not on anything they shouldn't be. But you 03:53 will think they are 'cause they have more energy 03:57 and they have more sunshine coming out of them 03:59 than anybody I've ever seen. They'll talk to anybody 04:02 anywhere, minister to people anywhere. 04:05 And I tell you what: you cannot be a discouraged Christian 04:09 when you're around Reggie and Ladye Love. Thank you so much 04:11 for what you do. And also some of the most incredible singers 04:15 I believe on planet earth. I'm not just telling you that 04:18 either. No, you really are. 04:19 And again, we're not uplifting them. 04:21 But I'm glad God has people - right? - that love Him enough 04:24 to use these talents. You think they couldn't be 04:26 in the world if they wanted to? 04:28 They're not looking to the world; they're looking to Jesus. 04:30 They're looking... They know that they're strangers here 04:33 and that they're looking for a better place. 04:36 So I'm so thankful that you all are here tonight. 04:38 And right after you sing we're going to be blessed by 04:42 Pastor... He's actually an author. John has so many 04:47 I guess if I start puttin' all the... what do they call that 04:50 behind their names? The doctors and the PhDs and all of that. 04:53 I'd be here too long to list them all, but we are blessed. 04:56 Right now we're going to be blessed by Reggie and Ladye 04:59 Love and then Elder John Carter. 05:35 The sky shall 05:38 unfold 05:44 preparing 05:46 His entrance. 05:52 The stars shall 05:55 applaud Him 06:01 with thunders 06:04 of praise. 06:10 The sweet light in His eyes 06:17 shall... 06:19 shall enhance those 06:22 awaiting 06:28 and we shall 06:31 behold Him 06:37 then face to face. 06:43 Oh, we shall 06:48 behold Him - we shall behold Him. 06:55 Yes, we shall 06:57 behold Him 07:04 face to face 07:08 in all of His glory. 07:17 Oh, we shall 07:20 behold Him - we shall behold Him. 07:26 Yes, we shall 07:29 behold Him 07:35 face to face 07:43 our Savior 07:47 and Lord. 07:58 The angels 08:01 shall sound 08:06 the shout of His coming. 08:15 And the sleeping 08:17 shall rise from 08:24 their slumbering place. 08:33 And those who 08:36 remain... they shall... 08:41 shall be changed in 08:44 a moment 08:50 and we shall 08:54 behold Him 09:00 then face to face. 09:09 We shall behold 09:14 Him - we shall behold Him. 09:18 Yes, we shall behold 09:24 Him 09:27 face to face 09:31 in all of His 09:34 glory - in all of His glory. 09:40 We shall behold 09:45 Him! 09:48 Oh yes, 09:49 we shall 09:51 behold Him 09:58 face to face 10:06 our Savior 10:09 and Lord - our Savior 10:14 and Lord... 10:16 We shall 10:18 behold Him 10:24 our Savior 10:28 and Lord - 10:31 our Savior and Lord... 10:38 Savior and 10:41 Lord! 10:49 Amen! 10:59 Reggie and Ladye Love: you blessed us tonight! 11:02 Amen! What a tremendous song 11:06 and sung so marvelously! 11:09 I'm so glad to see you folks here tonight. 11:11 Are you glad to be here tonight? 11:12 Amen! I'm glad to be here tonight. 11:14 I tell my folks: "At my stage of life 11:18 I'm glad to be anywhere. " 11:20 But I'm glad to be especially at 3ABN. 11:23 And I want to thank my old friend and colleague 11:27 and buddy and partner Danny Shelton 11:31 for the privilege of being here tonight 11:33 at 3ABN... that I love with all my heart and soul. 11:37 The topic... there's a little correction, folks. 11:40 Here it is: are you ready for the topic? 11:42 The topic is: 11:44 The Hour of His Power. 11:51 Because tonight, we are living, dear friend, 11:56 in the hour of God's power. 12:01 Amen! 12:03 Let me tell you an amazing story. 12:05 I've told this to some folks. 12:08 They find it almost too hard to believe. 12:11 But my team and I were visiting London some time back. 12:14 Just 2 or 3 years ago. 12:17 We'd been running a campaign in Russia. 12:19 We came through London because the folks had asked us 12:23 to go to London. But you folks didn't know 12:26 that we were in London. 12:28 Nobody in Australia knew we were in London. 12:31 Nobody in America knew we were visiting London. 12:35 They were having the anniversary of Princess Di. 12:41 Gotta think about the details. 12:43 My wife just loved Princess Di 12:47 and she said to me: "They have a celebration 12:50 or a memorial going down at Kensington Palace. " 12:56 I've seen enough palaces to last a lifetime. 13:01 So as an obedient and dutiful husband 13:07 I went down to Kensington Palace. 13:13 Susie and Javier - who are here tonight - 13:15 they were with us. And so the three of them 13:19 went into the palace because I said: "I don't want to 13:22 go into the palace. I've been preaching and it's been hard 13:28 and I don't want to talk to anybody. 13:30 I don't want to see anybody. " 13:32 So I went around the back of Kensington Palace. 13:35 Not in a sulk... 13:39 but in that sort of mood. And I found a seat 13:44 under a tree at the back of Kensington Palace. 13:48 Bless you. 13:52 Bless you forever. 13:55 Have you got any more in there? No. All right. 13:58 Somebody said if you've got a Hallelujah! inside you 14:02 you'd better let it out because if you keep it in 14:04 it's going to hurt you. 14:06 If she'd kept that it it would have hurt her. 14:09 So I was around the back of Kensington Palace 14:12 by myself... meditating. 14:16 My family - my wife and the Piraino's - inside the palace. 14:21 And then I heard a voice: 14:23 "Pastor Carter. " 14:28 And so I looked up and there was a man and his wife. 14:33 And they said: "It was revealed... " 14:36 This is God's truth. 14:38 "It was revealed to us that we would find you here. " 14:45 I said: "You live in London? " 14:46 They said: "We live outside London 14:48 but we came in today because we had an impression 14:53 from God that you would be in London at this time 14:57 of the year. " I hadn't told anybody. 15:01 I said: "Why are you here? " 15:03 "Because... " Now this is a story I've told my friend 15:05 Danny. He said: "We were praying that God... " 15:10 Well he said: "We weren't even praying but we were... 15:12 we searching for truth 15:14 and we turned on our television. 15:16 We live just outside the great city of London. 15:19 And we turned on our television 15:22 and the only channel that we could get 15:25 because it was broken down was... " Glory! "3ABN. " 15:30 Um-hmm. And they said: "We were searching for truth 15:34 but we were atheists. 15:37 We were unbelievers. " 15:40 And they said: "We caught 3ABN 15:43 and we caught you preaching the Word of God 15:47 and we wanted to meet you. " 15:50 And they said: "We've given our hearts to Christ 15:53 and we have been baptized into Christ 15:56 and we have become Adventist Christians. " 16:01 I said: "Why did you come to Kensington Palace? 16:04 London is a huge city. " 16:06 And they said: "We had an impression after praying 16:09 that we would find you here this morning at 11 o'clock 16:14 at Kensington Palace. " 16:16 In the whole of Europe how would this happen 16:19 my friend? I want to tell you folks something: 16:22 God has got a time and a place for everything. Amen! 16:27 I want you to know this. 16:29 God has got a time and a place for everything. 16:32 Nothing happens by chance. 16:34 God has an appointment with each one of us. 16:37 God has an appointment with the nations, with the world, 16:42 with the church. 16:43 And I want you to take your Bibles and turn to my theme 16:46 text which is Mark chapter 1 and verses 14 and 15. 16:50 And tonight I'm talking about The Hour of His Power. 16:56 Mark chapter 1 16:58 and verses 14 and 15. 17:03 "After John was put in prison Jesus went into Galilee 17:07 proclaiming the good news of God. 17:10 'The time has come, ' He said. 'The kingdom of God is near. 17:15 Repent and believe the good news. ' " 17:19 Listen: there was a time and Christ came on time. 17:27 Let us think for a moment 17:29 about this special, significant hour. 17:35 It is my conviction tonight 17:38 and I say this with all my soul: 17:41 we live in the hour when God is about to finish 17:47 His work. Hallelujah! Praise God! Amen! 17:50 I want to point out tonight that Jesus Christ is 17:55 the Sovereign Lord. Christ is in charge. 18:00 Not America... not Mr. Obama. 18:04 Not the Pope... not the White House. 18:08 Not the Russians and certainly not the Chinese. 18:15 We live in the hour of God's power. 18:18 Come over here with me to Romans chapter 9 and verse 28. 18:22 Romans chapter 9 and verse 28 dear hearts and gentle people. 18:28 Everybody turn to the texts. 18:30 I'm just an old-fashioned Christian, and I believe 18:33 that the Bible is the Word of God. Amen! Romans 9:28. 18:38 The Bible says: "For the Lord will carry out 18:42 His sentence on earth with speed and finality" 18:46 it says in the NIV. 18:49 In the King James version that I love so much it says 18:52 "He will finish His work 18:55 and cut it short in righteousness" 18:59 because God has an hour for His power. 19:03 I want you to know tonight 19:05 that Jesus Christ is the Lord of history. 19:10 He's the Lord of the nations. 19:12 He's the Lord of the church. 19:14 He is the Lord of the final consummation. 19:18 We are not in charge. 19:22 God had an hour when Christ came as a baby. 19:27 It was revealed to Israel 19:31 through the prophet Daniel 19:34 that Christ the Lord would come 19:38 483 years after the decree 19:42 of the Persian emperor. 19:45 And that brought you through as you to know to the year 27 AD. 19:51 And when the clock of heaven struck, Jesus 19:55 walked down the banks into the river Jordan 19:58 and said: "The time is fulfilled. 20:01 The kingdom of heaven is at hand. " 20:04 The Bible says in the book of Galatians 20:07 that Jesus Christ our Lord came in the fullness of time. 20:12 He was born on time. 20:15 He was baptized on time. 20:18 He preached on time 20:20 and - Hallelujah! - He died on time. 20:23 On occasions they tried to kill our blessed Lord 20:28 but they could not because the Bible says 20:31 "His hour had not yet come. " 20:35 Did you know that you are immortal 20:39 until your work for God is completed? 20:43 Did you know this? Nothing can touch you; 20:47 nothing can hurt you. I'm planning on going back 20:50 to Russia for my 43rd time. Amen! 20:54 And folks have told me it has become very, very dangerous. 20:58 I want you to know nothing can hurt me 21:01 while I'm in the will of God. Amen! 21:04 Did you know that the will of God will never take you 21:07 where the grace of God cannot keep you? Amen! 21:10 Hallelujah and praise the Lord! 21:16 Later on Jesus said: "The hour has come. " 21:19 That's what He said. 21:21 The hour had come, and He went to the cross for our sins. 21:26 There is an hour appointed by Almighty God 21:32 through His sovereign grace when God in Christ 21:36 will finish His work. 21:38 Would you come over here to the Apocalypse: 21:40 Revelation 14 and verses 6 and 7. 21:44 Everybody turn in the Bible. 21:46 Revelation chapter 14 and verses 6 and 7. 21:53 And the Bible says: "Then I saw another angel 21:57 flying in mid air, and he had the eternal gospel 22:01 to proclaim to those who live on the earth, 22:04 to every nation, tribe, language, and people. 22:08 He said in a loud voice: 22:10 'Fear God and give Him glory 22:13 because... ' What does it say? 22:16 'the hour of His judgment has come. ' " 22:19 I believe tonight it is my contention, 22:24 it is my conviction, 22:27 it is my overwhelming... 22:33 overwhelming belief 22:37 that we are living in the hour of God's power 22:42 when Christ will finish His work 22:45 and cut it short in righteousness. Amen! 22:48 And tonight for a start... Now this sermon falls into 22:52 two clauses. Number one: the hour. 22:56 And number two: His power. 23:01 Now the first section - here it comes: 23:04 five great signs why we are living in the hour 23:10 of His power. Get ready for them 23:13 because they are strong. 23:15 Number one: the first great sign. 23:20 One of five... listen up. 23:24 The moral fall of the United States of America: 23:30 a nation raised up by God as a bastion of truth 23:36 and liberty. A nation raised up by God 23:42 to defend the Bible and the preaching of the gospel. 23:48 If you don't believe that, my friend, then you don't know 23:51 what America is all about. 23:53 I would remind you of the sacred calling 23:58 of the Pilgrim fathers. 24:01 The Supreme Court by five to four 24:07 overthrew thousands of years of God-ordained 24:12 custom and morality 24:20 and looking God in the face in disdain 24:24 endorsed same-sex relationships. 24:29 I did not say same-sex marriage 24:32 because that is an oxymoron. 24:35 It doesn't exist. That's right! 24:38 I don't care what the president says. 24:40 There is no such thing. Amen! 24:45 Tonight in this great land 24:49 that was based on the Protestant Bible 24:53 there is not one Protestant on the Supreme Court. 24:58 And after that historic and shameful decision 25:05 the president of the United States 25:10 lit the White House up in the colors of the gay activist 25:15 movement and by so doing 25:19 opened the floodgates of iniquity upon the nation 25:24 and upon the world. I say SHAME! 25:28 Amen! 25:30 But I want you to know something: it is a sign that we 25:34 have come to the hour of God's power, and the Bible says 25:38 "The hour of His judgment has come. " 25:41 So be wary, my friend. 25:47 God will not be mocked. 25:51 When you read in the book of Jude you read how the cities 25:55 of Sodom and Gomorrah giving themselves over to 25:59 sexual perversion suffered the judgment of eternal fire. 26:06 Who do we think we are? 26:11 Karl Barth, the greatest theologian of the 20th century 26:17 quoted these words: "When the holy day becomes 26:22 the day of man, society and humanity 26:26 wither away and the demons rule. " 26:29 I want to tell you something: 26:31 the demons are ruling tonight! 26:36 I heard a man whom we appreciate... I'm not talking 26:40 politics. This has got nothing to do with politics. 26:42 This has got to do with God and His Word. 26:45 It's got to do with the soul of America. 26:48 It's got to do with our children. 26:52 This man said... At a prayer breakfast 26:57 he said: "We are going the way of the Roman Empire. " 27:05 War after war after war. 27:08 We send our boys off to war. 27:13 And we are deeply in debt. 27:17 And this man said: "We are drowning in a sea 27:22 of immorality. " He said it to the face of the president. 27:27 And it is the truth of God. 27:31 Every blue-blooded American ought to stand up for America 27:37 and the flag and what America stands for. 27:44 Jesus said in Luke 22: "This is your hour 27:49 and the hour of darkness. " 27:51 But remember this: man may have his hour 27:54 but God will have His day. 27:56 Never forget it. 27:59 Sign number two... Is this too strong for you? 28:01 Because I'm only building up. 28:06 I'm taking it easy to carry you folks along with me. 28:10 Number two... number two: 28:12 the growing power of the papacy 28:15 and the apparent collapse of the Reformation. 28:21 Most folks 28:24 are in ignorance and darkness. 28:28 Sorry. 28:31 Do I like Pope Francis as a person? 28:34 I think he's charming. I love the little Fiat car he drives. 28:40 I do! 28:41 I like his smile; I even like his white coat. 28:45 Thought of getting one myself. 28:48 But listen: do you know what a Jesuit is? 28:52 The Jesuits... have you ever heard of Ignatius of Loyola? 28:58 That Spaniard who set out to destroy the preaching 29:03 of the Bible. Well now 29:07 the first Jesuit is a pope. 29:11 What has happened to America - 29:14 the land of freedom, the land of bravery - 29:18 where our legislators invite in the leader of Catholicism... 29:25 who lectures them. 29:28 Who lectures them 29:30 on morality and immigration. 29:35 Does anybody say the reason they are leaving those countries 29:39 down south is because what your church did to the nations? 29:45 Does nobody know this? 29:47 I am a student of history and a student of Bible prophecy. 29:53 And I believe that we should pray for the Pope and we should 29:57 love the Pope and we should love the great Roman Catholic 30:01 church. I say this... Amen! 30:07 But I'm also a student of the prophecies of the Bible. 30:12 I believe - listen to this... 30:16 then you'll think I'm a scholar: 30:19 the Profestant reformers went out with this battle cry. 30:24 Listen to it. Sola Christus. 30:26 What does that mean? Only Christ. 30:28 Only Christ. 30:31 This great nation was raised up because the people wanted 30:36 a state without a king and a church without a pope. 30:42 But we've got one now 30:44 and he lectures the leaders of America. 30:48 Have they ever heard of the Puritan fathers? 30:50 Have they ever read the Bible? 30:53 Do they know the Constitution? 30:56 So the Protestant reformers: Sola Christus, and then 31:00 sola scriptura. 31:03 You know what that means? Only scripture. 31:07 Only scripture. 31:09 Not the teachings of the church. 31:11 Only scripture. 31:13 Sola Christus. And I don't care about any committee that goes 31:18 against scripture. I go against that committee. 31:21 And I don't care where that committee is. 31:25 You hear me? You see, when people come to me 31:30 as they have on occasions and they say to me 31:34 "What is your religion? " 31:36 I say: "By the grace of God I'm a Christian. " 31:39 Number one I follow Christ. 31:43 Number two I say: "I'm a Protestant. " 31:48 I've got Protestantism in my bones. 31:53 I believe in freedom. 31:58 So, firstly I'm a Christian. 32:03 Secondly I'm a Protestant. Thirdly I'm glad to be 32:07 a Seventh-day Adventist. 32:10 And if you get it round the wrong way 32:13 you won't be a Christian and you won't be a Protestant 32:16 and you won't be a Seventh-day Adventist. 32:19 So number one: sola Christus. 32:23 Sola scriptura. Sola gratia... only grace. 32:28 Sola fide... only faith. 32:34 And this nation was founded by people who believed in 32:37 those things. 32:42 But we see today the growing power of the papacy 32:50 and the collapse - the apparent collapse - 32:55 of the Reformation. 32:59 Number three... and none of these points are meant to be 33:01 contentious. But my mother when I was a little boy 33:05 taught me me this. She said: "John, always tell the truth. 33:10 Tell the truth; never tell lies. " 33:15 I was sent to a school in Australia, and in those days 33:20 it was so good. I went to a state school 33:24 but you know how they started the day? 33:27 By a text of scripture... by reading the Bible. 33:32 Well today they read everything else, don't they? 33:37 It's OK if you read from the Hindus and the Buddhists. 33:41 So we started the day with a text and a prayer... 33:46 and often the Lord's Prayer. 33:49 And if any of us was caught lying we were taken down to 33:54 where the taps were, and they had these big water 33:59 containers where you could come and get a drink. 34:02 And if you were caught lying 34:04 the headmaster would take you there and open your mouth 34:07 and wash out your mouth with soap. 34:11 Now some of you are aghast and amazed. 34:16 We don't do it today because so many people today 34:21 are so politically correct 34:25 they don't know what they believe; they don't know 34:27 what's up and they don't know what's down. 34:31 But I want to tell you folks today: we need to stand up 34:34 for Jesus and we need to stand up for the Bible 34:38 and we need to stand up for America. 34:41 Hear what I'm saying? 34:43 Number three: the groanings of the earth. 34:48 Not only is the earth groaning under a pile and a sea 34:52 of stinking filthy moral garbage 34:59 but the earth is running a fever. 35:04 The earth in protest is running a fever 35:09 and it's going to get worse. 35:11 The Bible says the earth is waxing old like a garment. 35:16 Now sign number four that reinforces my contention 35:20 that we have come to the hour: 35:22 the coming financial collapse. 35:29 How can you believe 35:33 that this nation that has got leaders who've got heads 35:36 we would like to think with something inside 35:41 can allow this nation to get a debt of more than 35:46 18 thousand billion. 35:49 Not a billion... 18 trillion. 35:54 But did you know this? Some of the world's greatest 35:57 economists and Americans 36:00 who are consulted by the Senators 36:04 they say the debt is not 18 trillion 36:10 but most likely 170 trillion 36:15 which is more than all the money in the world. 36:22 The clock is ticking. 36:30 This is going to bring about a time of trouble 36:33 such as never was since there was a nation 36:38 I tell you my friends. 36:41 Did you know that the bankers have been told where to go? 36:48 Where to hide. 36:51 Did you know that the leaders of the country 36:54 have got places prepared? 36:57 I'm not a sensationalist. 37:00 Did you know they've got places 37:05 made for them with food and water 37:09 and lots of guns 37:12 where the elite of society will go 37:16 after they have destroyed America? 37:19 Did you know that? 37:22 It's true. 37:24 Go and "Google" it. 37:25 Notice what happened after 9/11. 37:28 The leaders - all of them - were taken off to these places 37:32 while you were left in your house. 37:36 The coming financial collapse. But number five: 37:41 the triumph of the gospel. 37:46 I'm going to tell you some stories tonight and 37:49 through the weekend and they're going to bless you. 37:55 Some time back we were asked to run a school of evangelism 38:00 in China, and the pastors who came 38:05 were the pastors from Mainland China. 38:11 Listen to me: there's love in this room here tonight. 38:14 I can sense it. 38:17 There's love with 3ABN... I can sense it. 38:20 When I went to Russia back in 1991 and 1992 38:26 I felt love there that I'd never felt in Australia. 38:31 That I'd never felt in America. 38:37 I felt the love of oppressed people 38:42 who were coming to the light. 38:46 When I went to China recently I felt that love again. 38:52 And did you know this, my friends? 38:55 The people who are holding the church together 38:59 in China are ladies. 39:04 Ladies! What's gone wrong? 39:11 The ladies. I spoke to one beautiful young Chinese woman. 39:17 I said: "How many in your church? " 39:20 "How many people are you looking after? " 39:23 She said: "Twenty thousand. " 39:26 "Twenty thousand. " 39:29 These women are ordained by the church in China 39:36 and it's recognized by the Chinese government 39:40 but more importantly it is recognized by God. Amen! 39:44 It is recognized by God! 39:49 They told me a story. When Mao Tse-Tung came 39:57 Communist soldiers came into the great city. 40:01 We as a church... now maybe you're not supposed to know 40:04 this. This may get you a little upset. 40:08 But as a church we sort of messed up in China. 40:12 You know why? We didn't do a lot of evangelism. 40:17 You know what we did? We built buildings 40:20 and we built hospitals and we built institutions. 40:25 "Look how strong we are; look at what we've got. " 40:30 And when the Communist soldiers came in the front door 40:33 of our hospitals our church members went out the back door 40:38 and most of them became Communists. 40:42 About 95% of our church members 40:46 gave up Christ and became unbelievers. 40:53 I spoke to one pastor. He was told: "You'll never 40:56 preach again. " He said: 40:58 "I'm going to preach next Sabbath. " 41:00 They put him in prison and tortured him for 10 years. 41:05 He slept not on a bed but he slept on a piece 41:09 of concrete. They would beat him every day. 41:13 You think it's hard? We really don't know what it's all about. 41:20 Ten years he was beaten into a pulp. 41:24 After ten years they let him out 41:27 and then they put him in an indoctrination center 41:31 for atheism. He said: "I thought I'd be free 41:35 but the beatings intensified. " 41:40 I said: "What happened? " He said: "I remained true to 41:42 Christ. " Amen! He said: "I'd memorized my Bible. 41:47 I read the Bible in my mind. " 41:55 When he got out we had no churches, no Adventist churches. 42:00 All gone. 42:03 Everybody from the West was kicked out. 42:07 All the Americans were kicked out. 42:10 The Australians were kicked out. 42:12 Everybody was kicked out! 42:17 Then he said to me: "We saw a little light. 42:21 It was over here. " People said: "What's that? " 42:23 "It's a little light. " A few people got together 42:27 and they were reading the Bible 42:30 and reading - Hallelujah! - Great Controversy. 42:35 And then they got another little light over here. 42:38 And then there was another little light over there. 42:41 And a light here, and the light started to become a fire! 42:46 Did you know there are more Christians in China 42:51 keeping the Sabbath because they love Jesus 42:55 than in the history of China? 42:58 Did you know that China is on track to become 43:03 the greatest Christian country in the world 43:07 and it's going to pass America for the number of Christians? 43:15 My friend, you can't kill it. 43:18 You can't kill the holy seed. 43:21 You can't get rid of the church. 43:24 You can't get rid of God's people! 43:30 Jesus said: "The gospel's going to be preached 43:34 and the end is going to come. " 43:36 Therefore... every good sermon should have a therefore... 43:41 here it comes: 43:44 THEREFORE in the light of all these things 43:49 the hour of our destiny is at hand. 43:53 When London was being bombed by the Nazis 43:57 Winston Churchill said: 44:00 "These are not dark days. 44:03 These are great days... the greatest days in the history 44:08 of our nation. " I want to say to you: 44:12 when you see the abominations that are going on in America 44:16 with the White House lit up with the colors of the gay activists; 44:21 when you see the Pope speaking to our leaders 44:25 who are bowing down I want to say to you 44:28 these are not dark days. These are great days... 44:34 the greatest days in the history of the church. 44:40 So... we've come to the day of proclamation, 44:44 the day of deliverance, the day of salvation. 44:50 And I would remind everybody here tonight 44:54 this great truth: the hour demands the power. 44:59 An extraordinary hour 45:02 demands an extraordinary response. 45:09 I want you to look at something 45:13 maybe perhaps in a little different way to how you've 45:15 looked at it before. I want you to take your dear old Bible 45:20 and turn with me to Revelation chapter 14 verses 6 and 7 again. 45:28 Want you to notice this text again. 45:32 Want you to think about it. 45:35 "Then I saw another angel flying in mid air. 45:40 He had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those 45:43 who live on the earth: to every nation, tribe, 45:46 language, and people. He said in a loud voice: 45:49 'Fear God and give Him glory 45:51 because the hour of His judgment has come. 45:55 Worship Him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea 45:58 and the springs of water. ' " 46:01 Look at me. It says this: 46:08 the angels that preach this great get-ready 46:13 message are not down with the cabbages. 46:19 They're not down with the turnips. 46:22 They're not even down with the kangaroos and the rabbits. 46:27 I say it reverently. 46:29 Some people think that's where they ought to be. 46:32 The angels are flying in the midst of heaven. 46:37 I'm going to say this to you slowly 46:41 by way of emphasis. Listen: 46:46 the picture of the angels flying in the midst of heaven 46:51 represents a world-wide 46:56 tremendous proclamation that will come to the attention 47:02 of every person on the planet. 47:07 This is not a thing of small significance. 47:12 This becomes, my friend, the biggest thing in the world. 47:21 The preaching of the message of God in the last days 47:27 becomes the biggest thing. 47:29 This has motivated me for more than 50 years. 47:33 I have been actively involved - I say glory be to Jesus 47:38 and thank you, Jesus - 47:40 I've been involved in preaching this message now 47:44 for 53 years. Amen! Um-hmm. 47:52 And I'm involved in this because I believe the Bible. 47:57 I believe that the proclamation of the gospel message 48:01 and the three angels' messages, 48:04 the proclamation... that great proclamation 48:08 is to be the most important thing and the biggest thing 48:13 in the world. Bigger than the US government! 48:22 Listen to this: it talks about the gospel... 48:29 the everlasting gospel. 48:31 What is the gospel? Look at me. I want to... 48:35 I want to open up my heart to you. 48:37 Listen to this: the word gospel 48:41 does not mean good advice. 48:44 In spite of a million sermons to the contrary 48:47 the gospel is not good advice. 48:51 Advice is about what you ought to do. 48:55 The gospel is not about you though it concerns you. 49:00 The gospel is not about you... the gospel is about God. 49:06 News is about what somebody has already done, 49:10 past tense. Are you listening to me? 49:14 News is about something that has already taken place 49:20 in time and in history. 49:24 What is the gospel? 49:26 The gospel is not what you ought to do 49:29 or what you ought to be. 49:32 The gospel is the good news that God Almighty - 49:37 the Creator of the universe - became a man. 49:43 Born as a baby. 49:47 That He was affected by our sins 49:51 but not infected with our sins. 49:56 And on the cross... 49:59 on the cross your sin and mine was placed upon Him. 50:06 And on the cross He made a perfect atoning sacrifice 50:12 for my sins. He did it! 50:17 I did not do it; I had no part in it. 50:22 It happened before I was born. 50:26 And the good news of the gospel is this: 50:30 that even though you are a sinner... And we are! 50:34 We are born in a state of sin. 50:40 Even though we are sinners 50:44 if we come to Christ 50:46 and believe in Him with all our hearts 50:52 He will accept us and forgive us 50:58 and declare that we are righteous in His sight. 51:02 Not because we are but because He is. 51:07 This is the gospel. 51:10 The gospel tells me that if I come to Christ 51:16 just as I am as a filthy leper 51:23 I do not stay just as I am 51:26 because coming to Christ... the very act of coming to Christ 51:31 changes me. 51:34 And that is, my friend, the fruitage of the gospel. 51:41 So you can see why it is called good news. 51:45 You and I would never have thought of it. 51:48 Many of us have an idea 51:51 because I was brought up with a lot of legalism 51:54 and given quite a few as we call them "beltings. " 52:01 You know what a belting is? 52:03 Yes, I think you folks would know what a belting is. 52:10 I was brought up to believe in a doctrine of do, do, do, 52:15 do, do... cock-a-doodle do! 52:18 Do, do, do! But the gospel tells me 52:22 He did it for me. Amen! Um-hmm; um-hmm. 52:27 The gospels tells me that I am saved by good works. 52:32 Hallelujah! His works... not mine. 52:37 "For the guilt of my sin the nails drew in 52:41 when Him they crucified. " 52:44 That is the gospel. 52:46 The gospel says: "This Man receives sinners. " 52:51 You know who said that? Jesus never said that. 52:53 The Pharisees said that. 52:55 That was a criticism of the Pharisees. 52:57 They said: "This Man receives sinners... 53:00 goes to eat with them. " Jesus said: "You're right... 53:03 I do. That's why I came. " 53:05 "This Man receives sinners. " 53:08 That is the gospel. Believe the gospel. 53:12 If you believe the gospel, you will be accepted by God, 53:18 you will be saved by Christ tonight... tonight. 53:23 You say: "I can't know that I'm saved. " 53:24 Don't you have faith? 53:27 What about the man who had leprosy? 53:29 Did he know that he'd been saved? Yes he did! 53:36 The hour of His power. 53:41 The power is not in the preacher. 53:44 The power is in the gospel because Paul said: 53:49 "I am not ashamed of the gospel. 53:52 It is the power of God for the salvation 53:57 of everyone who believes. " 54:00 Do you believe? 54:02 If you believe, then you are declared right with God 54:08 right now! Extraordinary, isn't it? 54:13 And it is the preaching of this gospel 54:17 that changes the world. 54:20 Now I know what I'm talking about. 54:21 I'm not an arm-chair theologian... thank God! 54:27 I've seen the power of God. 54:31 I've seen the hand of God; I've felt the hand of God. 54:38 Yes, even literally. When I was preaching in the 54:43 Solomon Islands to a crowd as far as the eye could see 54:47 very recently... Pastor Harold Harker 54:51 who used to be the Union president in Australia 54:54 was standing at the back there. And I thought he'd come out 54:58 to warn me about something. 54:59 But as I was preaching... I was preaching that night 55:03 on spiritism. That is a place where you have spiritism. 55:09 And as I was preaching sometimes there'd be lightning 55:12 all around the stage. Sometimes I'd be drenched 55:16 through. But as I went out to preach 55:20 there came a mighty burst of wind 55:23 that almost blew me off the stage. 55:26 And then I felt a strong hand on my shoulder. 55:31 I turned around. I thought: "It must be Harold. " 55:35 Well it wasn't Harold. 55:37 My friend, I have seen the power. 55:43 And the power is not in man; the power is in Christ! 55:48 It is not in committees; it is in Christ! 55:51 It is in the Living God. I have seen the power. 55:57 Just a few months ago I saw the power 56:00 in El Salvador. They said: "Don't go there... 56:03 you'll get killed. " I said: "I can't get killed 56:05 if I'm in God's hands. " 56:07 Um-hmm. The police didn't think this. 56:10 They took us to the meetings with armed guards 56:13 in front, armed guards behind. Machine guns. 56:17 They took us to the stadium. You know how the Latinos 56:20 are mad on football? Central America. 56:24 The biggest crowd, my friend, did not come to see their 56:27 great football matches. They came to hear the gospel. 56:31 The biggest crowd in the history of the nation. 56:34 I'll tell you more about it. 56:35 765 busses to bring the people. 56:40 Glory be to God! 56:43 Um-hmm. So there it is. 56:48 The hour of His power. More in the morning; 56:53 more during the meetings. I want to pray with you. 56:56 Bow your heads please. 56:58 Our Father, we thank you for the infallibility 57:02 of the Word of God. 57:03 We thank you that the Word of God describes 57:07 the hour, and we've come to the hour. 57:10 We pray earnestly tonight for President Obama, 57:14 all these people, and for America... 57:17 but we thank you for Christ. 57:19 And we accept Him tonight as our Lord and our Savior 57:24 and we say this in Jesus' name, 57:28 Amen and amen. |
Revised 2024-09-11