Participants: Pr. John Carter
Series Code: CR
Program Code: CR001212
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00:08 From Arcadia, California, the Carter report presents
00:11 "The Living Word" around the world. 00:18 This Newsweek magazine inspired today's talk. 00:22 Take a close look, 00:24 it says "forget the church, follow Jesus." 00:29 Now should we forget the church? 00:33 I'm going to talk about that in the talk today. 00:36 Forget the church, it says follow Jesus. 00:41 This is not a religious magazine, 00:44 this is a secular unbelieving as they come. 00:51 But I'm going to quote from it today, 00:52 but firstly it is my privilege to introduce a beautiful 00:57 and charming and gracious and lovely young lady. 01:04 I love her to death. 01:06 She's got the voice and the disposition of an angel. 01:11 Her name is, Sharon Verde. 01:13 Would you please welcome Sharon today? 01:17 God bless you. 01:40 I was taken just a young child 01:47 Bound and marked for slavery 01:55 So forsaken stripped of all life 02:03 Could this be my destiny? 02:09 But Lord 02:13 You send someone to find me 02:17 And though I leave that place behind me 02:25 These scars 02:29 Remind me of the love You have for me 02:36 Were it not for you where would I be? 02:43 For these scars 02:47 They point me to the cross of Calvary 02:54 I bear them in your name 02:58 And I won't be ashamed of these scars 03:09 What can man do, but take the body? 03:17 Death has lost its grip on me 03:24 With your blood you claimed and bought me 03:31 You have set my spirit free 03:37 And Lord 03:41 With every pain I'm yearning to know 03:48 The suffering of Your journey 03:52 These scars 03:56 Remind me of the love You have for me 04:02 Were it not for you where would I be? 04:09 For these scars 04:13 They point me to the cross of Calvary 04:19 I bear them in your name 04:23 And I won't be ashamed 04:27 Let these marks 04:30 I tell them more than loss 04:37 Point them to Your cross Lord 04:41 I will boldly wear 04:48 These marks that tell the world 04:51 Jesus I am Yours 04:58 These scars 05:02 Remind me of the love You have for me 05:09 Were it not for You where would I be? 05:15 Oh, for these scars 05:19 They point me to the cross of Calvary 05:26 I bear them in Your name 05:30 And I won't be ashamed of these scars 05:38 Oh, these scars 05:45 Oooooo. 06:02 According today from Newsweek, 06:05 a secular, secular magazine. 06:09 Famous in North America, famous around the world. 06:14 Look at it, Newsweek. 06:18 It says, forget the church, follow Jesus. 06:24 What you think about that? 06:26 Well, we're gonna talk about that, 06:28 should we forget the church? 06:30 What should we forget? 06:32 Inside, well, there's a picture of our Lord's hand. 06:37 Amazing isn't it? 06:39 The world can't get rid of Him. 06:42 You know, they can say He doesn't exist, 06:44 but He just goes on existing. 06:46 That's the problem. 06:48 The bishop of Sydney 06:50 I heard him getting interviewed in Sydney. 06:52 He's an evangelical, great man of God. 06:55 And Peter Jensen said-- they said to him, 06:57 don't you know Bishop Jensen, 07:00 Archbishop that the atheists 07:02 are having a big convention in Sydney. 07:04 Oh, he said, that's wonderful. 07:05 I'm glad they are coming. 07:07 They talk about God all the time. 07:11 He said, I noticed Christians don't talk about Him 07:14 but Richard Dawkins can't talk for two minutes 07:17 before he start talking about God 07:20 who doesn't exist, you know. 07:23 Now look at this though, The Forgotten Jesus. 07:27 Now he's writing to Christian America... 07:31 The Forgotten Jesus. 07:33 Christianity has been destroyed by politics, priests 07:40 and get rich evangelists ignore them. 07:48 Writes Andrew Sullivan "and embrace Him." 07:56 You're going to notice as we go through today 08:00 that this is sort of a theme that runs through the talk. 08:04 If you live by your feelings 08:08 you're gonna be up and down all the time. 08:13 If you live according to your feelings and your emotions, 08:18 you'll be unstable in all your relationships. 08:24 Your marriage is not going to last. 08:27 You'll have bad relationships with your children. 08:31 And you'll always be late to church. 08:33 That is if you feel you should even go. 08:41 And so this magazine talks about the problem in the church. 08:47 Let me read to you just a bit of it. 08:51 "Organize religion is in decline. 08:56 Organized religion itself is in trouble. 08:59 The Catholic Church-- this is written by a Catholic. 09:04 "The Catholic Church's hierarchy lost much of its authority 09:08 over the American flock 09:10 with the unilateral prohibition of the pill 09:14 in 1968 by Pope Paul VI. 09:20 But in the last decade, 09:22 whatever shred of moral authority 09:26 that remained has evaporated. 09:29 The hierarchy was exposed 09:32 as enabling, and then covering up 09:37 an international conspiracy of abuse and rape 09:44 countless youths and children. 09:49 I don't know what greater 09:51 indictment of a church's authority 09:54 there can be except the refusal, 09:57 even now, of the entire leadership 10:00 to face their responsibility and resign." 10:04 He says, the whole system from the pope down 10:08 the whole hierarchy are to resign... 10:12 amen, in repentance 10:16 for the terrible sin against children. 10:21 "Instead, they obsess about others sex lives, 10:27 about who is entitled to civil marriage, 10:30 and about who pays for birth control in health insurance. 10:34 Inequality, poverty, even the torture 10:41 institutionalized by the government 10:45 after 9/11 these issues attract 10:48 far less of their public attention. 10:55 For their part, the mainline Protestant churches, 10:59 which long promoted religious moderation, 11:02 have rapidly declined in the past 50 years. 11:08 Evangelical Protestantism has stepped into the vacuum, 11:13 but it has serious defects of its own." 11:18 And he talks about Bad Religion. 11:21 How We Became a Nation of Heretics, 11:28 The Forgotten Jesus. 11:30 Listen to this. I'm ashamed to say this. 11:34 I want to say this to all the evangelicals like me. 11:39 I'm an evangelical Christian. 11:41 Evangelical means you believe in the gospel. 11:47 Now it's the most abuse term, 11:48 but the word evangelical in itself is good, 11:53 but not what it represents. 11:56 Listen to this. 11:57 "And what group of Americans have pollsters found 12:01 to be most supportive of torturing terror suspects? 12:09 Evangelical Christians." 12:14 The Christian shout amen, torture him some more. 12:19 Something has gone very wrong. 12:24 The crisis of our time, 12:26 you think this man was preaching. 12:29 I wish he could preach 12:30 in a thousand of our Christian churches 12:35 that have forgotten Jesus. 12:39 "All of which is to say something 12:41 so obvious is almost taboo. 12:44 Christianity is in crisis. 12:48 It seems no accident to me that so many Christians 12:50 now embrace materialistic self-help than self-denial, 12:57 or that most Catholics, even regular churchgoers 13:01 have tuned out the hierarchy in embarrassment or disgust. 13:08 Given this crisis, it is no surprise 13:11 that the fastest-growing segment of belief 13:15 among the young people is atheism, 13:23 which has leapt in popularity in the new millennium. 13:27 Nor is it a shock that so many have turned away 13:30 from organized Christianity 13:32 and toward 'spirituality, meditation, yoga.' 13:41 "The thirst for God he says is still there. 13:45 How could it not be, 13:47 why does the universe exist rather than nothing?" 13:50 That's why I interviewed Hugh Ross. 13:52 These are the great questions, 13:55 that most Christians are afraid to think about. 13:59 "How did humanity come to be on this 14:01 remote blue speck of a planet? 14:05 What happens to us after death? 14:08 Remain as pressing and mysterious 14:12 as they've always been?" 14:14 Now then he quotes religion. 14:24 A famous evangelical author and television evangelist. 14:30 "God wants to increase you financially, 14:34 by giving you promotions, 14:37 fresh ideas, creativity, think big. 14:41 Think increase. Think abundance. 14:43 Think more than enough." 14:47 When a Bible is never opened on the pulpit 14:52 and people will sit and gaze and say, boy, that's great. 14:57 You know why? 15:00 They are living by their feelings 15:04 and not by faith in God, 15:06 in Christ, or is in the word of God. 15:11 He talks about the forgotten Jesus. 15:16 It is now a fact that most Christians do not know Him. 15:24 I want you to come to a theme text John 14:5-6. 15:30 Please turn in your Bible to the text. 15:33 This is not a feely, touchy, good church. 15:39 We want to be in touch with God. John 14:5-6. 15:44 "Thomas said to Him, 'Lord, we don't know 15:46 where You are going, so how can we know the way?' 15:50 Jesus answered, 15:52 'I am the way and the truth and the life. 16:00 No one comes to the Father except through Me." 16:06 But most Christians do not know Him. 16:09 I want to remind every person watching the telecast today, 16:14 it is time of political excitement 16:18 Jesus was not involved in politics. 16:24 Well, He lived in the days of the Roman Empire, 16:26 some people would have said, 16:27 well, Jesus run for the senate. 16:34 Jesus of course was a Jew 16:40 and the ruling body over the Jews 16:42 was a group of religious politicians 16:45 called that's Sanhedrin. 16:49 I want to remind every person here today 16:52 Jesus never held political office 16:57 and what is more, He never held any church office. 17:03 You say better goes against him, oh, well, I'm sorry. 17:05 If it goes against what is wrong. 17:11 Jesus was the un-politician. 17:14 Come to John 18:36. John 18:36. 17:20 Jesus said to Pilate, 17:24 "My kingdom is not of this world. 17:27 If it were, My servants would fight 17:29 to prevent my arrest by the Jews. 17:33 But now My kingdom is from another place." 17:38 Christ followed a higher path. 17:43 Jesus unlike the television evangelist 17:47 have brought this grace to the name of Christ 17:50 did not seek worldly power influence or riches. 17:56 Jesus was a poor man. 17:59 Come over here to Philippians 2:5-8. 18:02 Philippians 2:5-8. 18:06 It says, "Your attitude should be the same 18:10 as that of Christ Jesus, 18:14 Who, being in very nature God, 18:16 did not consider equality with God 18:19 something to be grasped, 18:21 but made himself nothing, 18:23 taking the very nature of a servant, 18:26 being made in human nature or the likeness of a man. 18:32 And being found in appearance as a man, 18:35 he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- 18:40 even death on a cross." 18:45 I said again, Jesus did not seek worldly power, 18:50 influence, or riches. 18:54 I say it to every person 18:55 watching who is deluded by the prosperity gospel. 18:59 The prosperity gospel 19:02 is the very antithesis of the teachings of Christ. 19:08 It appeals to man's carnal heart 19:11 and is far removed from our blessed Lord. 19:14 Could you imagine Jesus saying, 19:17 instead of saying, blessed are the meek, 19:21 blessed are the pure in heart, blessed are those that mourn. 19:26 Jesus would say God wants to increase you 19:30 financially by giving you promotions, 19:34 fresh ideas, creativity, think big. 19:39 Think increase. Think abundance. 19:43 Think more than enough. 19:48 The unknown Jesus. 19:53 You know why most Christians in this country 19:58 of the United States do not know him? 20:01 Would you like to know why? 20:05 Because they don't open their Bibles. 20:08 They go to churches where the preacher 20:10 doesn't quote the Bible 20:12 or he may say a text to make people feel good. 20:16 As Larry King sits in time back, 20:18 talking to a prosperity gospel preacher 20:21 who had great success 20:22 and a great congregation in size. 20:26 He said, why don't you quote the Bible? 20:29 All he said, I'm not. 20:32 It is because people live according to their feelings 20:38 and that is why we have so much instability 20:42 that is why even in this church 20:45 people come to church at 12 o' clock 20:48 because when they woke up they were feeling, 20:51 that they didn't feel like going to church today. 20:57 Has anybody here ever heard of the word, duty? 21:01 Oh, somebody said to me that's an awful word. 21:05 It's not an awful word for soldiers. 21:08 Honor, duty, guard, country. 21:14 I've been--I don't say this self-righteously, 21:16 because I've got no reason to be righteous about anything. 21:20 But I got up early every Sabbath morning 21:22 and driven for the last 25 years, 21:25 60 miles to this church 21:28 and I've done it year after year, day after day, 21:32 not because I am motivated by feeling, 21:36 because sometimes I feel like giving it all away. 21:41 But I look to Christ 21:45 not feeling but faith. 21:51 That's the reason some of you are in so many problems. 21:54 I know when you come into church, 21:56 you can't help yourself. 21:57 You got to be playing with your cell phone 22:01 or else you got to be playing with your iPad. 22:05 If you even invite people over to your house, 22:07 you can't even have a conversation. 22:11 You got to be texting. What's wrong with you? 22:14 It is--don't laugh, it is a sickness. 22:18 It is a psychological disease. 22:22 Did you know, they've discovered that people 22:23 who are all the time 22:28 are suffering a decrease in their IQ? 22:33 They are dumbing down. 22:40 The greatest antidote to the dumbing down 22:42 on this foolishness is a systemic study 22:45 of the word of God and getting out of bed early 22:48 and going to church and doing your religious duty, 22:53 add a motivation for Christ, because you love Him. 22:57 You do your duty, because you love Him. 23:00 People say, why haven't you retired 23:02 enjoying the rest to sit on the beach? 23:04 Because I have a duty to Christ, that is why. 23:10 By the grace of God 23:11 I will not be a namby-pamby wimp 23:17 that is guided by how I feel. 23:26 I say this to you, come over here to Matthew 19, Matthew 19. 23:34 Now I got a lot of text 23:36 so you better go pretty fast, 23, 24. 23:45 Matthew 19:23-24. 23:51 "Then Jesus said to his disciples, 23:53 'I tell you the truth, 23:54 it is hard for a rich man 23:56 to enter the kingdom of heaven.'" 23:58 Have you ever heard of prosperity 23:59 gospel preacher talk about this? 24:03 "Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel 24:05 to go through the eye of a needle 24:07 than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 24:09 So much for this nonsense of prosperity gospel. 24:13 Would you come to Luke 12, Luke 12:15 and onwards. 24:19 "Then he said, 'Watch out. 24:21 Be on your guard against all kinds of greed, 24:25 a man's life does not consist 24:27 in the abundance of his possessions.' 24:30 And he told them this parable, 24:31 'The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.'" 24:35 We're talking now about Wall Street and the bankers. 24:38 "He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? 24:40 I have no place to store my crops. 24:42 Then he said, this is what I'll do. 24:44 I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, 24:46 and there I will store all my grain and my goods." 24:50 And I'll get more stuff going on the stock exchange. 24:54 "And I'll say to myself, 24:56 you have plenty of good things laid up for many years. 24:58 Take life easy, eat, drink and be merry.' 25:02 'But God said to him, you fool. 25:05 This very night your life will be demanded from you. 25:10 Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself? 25:13 This is how it will be with anyone 25:16 who stores up things for himself 25:19 but is not rich toward God.'" 25:22 One magazine article said 25:24 recently that most Christians people have called themselves 25:28 Christians are monumentally ignorant. 25:33 I've been telling you for years 25:36 and I've been pouring out my heart. 25:38 I've been saying don't go by your feelings, 25:41 but go by the word of God. 25:42 And I know that some of you have obeyed 25:46 and you have believed and you done it 25:48 and you been blessed 25:49 and I know that some of you have said, 25:51 he's not gonna tell me what to do. 25:54 Nobody tells me what to do. 25:56 I do what I want to do and I will always do 26:00 what I want to do, my friend. 26:03 Play not the fool. 26:06 Play not the fool. 26:09 Listen, we need to be weary of churches 26:15 where preachers call themselves life coaches. 26:20 What do you do? I'm a life coach. 26:23 Who do not preach from the Bible 26:26 where the congregation is composed of lost souls 26:32 who come to hear pleasing things 26:34 and who do not know the forgotten Jesus. 26:37 You tell me this is Christianity. 26:41 This is not the Christianity of the Bible. 26:45 And there no place my friend, 26:49 where people are more controlled 26:52 by their feelings than in tinsel town. 26:58 Los Angeles, 27:02 that has polluted the wells of the world 27:07 with their liberalism in everything else. 27:12 And you and I are now a part of this culture. 27:17 You and I will need to fight a little bit harder 27:20 to escape the mud around us. 27:26 Come to 2 Timothy 4:1-5, 2 Timothy 4:1-5. 27:33 I'm just getting ready to go folks. 27:36 2 Timothy 4:1-5 I'm just warming up you see. 27:42 2 Timothy 4:1-5. If I catch anybody not with the Bible 27:46 I'll come down and grab you. 27:50 Yeah, I'll do that. 27:51 I did it once in church over in the other church. 27:56 The lady never ever took her eyes off the Bible again. 28:01 I think she's still sitting reading a Bible. 28:03 2 Timothy 4:1-5, 28:04 "In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, 28:07 who will judge the living and the dead, 28:09 and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, 28:11 I give you this charge, Preach the Word." 28:15 You see, preach the word. 28:19 "Preach the word, be prepared in season, 28:21 out of season, correct, rebuke and encourage-- 28:24 with great patience and careful instruction. 28:26 For the time will come 28:28 when men will not put up with sound doctrine. 28:30 Instead, to suit their own desires, 28:33 they will gather around them 28:35 a great number of teachers to say 28:37 what their itching ears want to hear. 28:40 They will turn their ears away from the truth 28:44 and turn aside to myths. 28:47 But you, keep your head 28:49 in all situations, endure hardship, 28:51 do the work of an evangelist, 28:54 discharge all the duties of your ministry." 29:00 So I want to give you a little counsel today. 29:03 My beloved friends, watching in Australia, 29:08 I want to give you a little counsel 29:11 that is based on the word of God 29:13 and my friends, in this great church. 29:16 Number one, here it is, sync for yourself. 29:21 Number two, be suspicious of authority figures 29:28 in the world and in the church. 29:32 Because the president says, that doesn't make it so. 29:38 Be suspicious of authority figures 29:43 be a student of God's word. 29:47 Now few years ago I ran a big campaign in Harare, Zimbabwe. 29:52 Doesn't it sound good? 29:53 Harare, Zimbabwe, Salisbury, Rhodesia. 29:59 And I preach the word 30:01 and I put up all the great prophecies on the blackboard 30:05 because that is what I do 30:08 and that is what I was ordained to do. 30:13 And a girl on television had read in all the newspapers, 30:17 it was a national sensation 30:23 and it appeared as though at one stage some people told me, 30:27 hey, the government may close down your meetings 30:33 in the Harare International Conference Center 30:36 because of our success that God gave to us. 30:42 The devil never wants to close down 30:44 something that's doing nothing. 30:48 And they sent along a cabinet member 30:51 and he gave a great talk. 30:53 And the people said, 30:54 well, he's gonna toss you out of the country. 30:58 Oh, ye of little faith. 31:03 The brethren were terrified. 31:06 What's gonna happen to it? 31:07 He came along and I stood here 31:10 and the cabinet member he gave a great speech. 31:15 And then he talked about 31:17 how the missionaries came to Africa, Livingston and others. 31:23 And then he turned to me, 31:26 a minister, a cabinet member in the government 31:30 and he turned to me and he made the sign of the cross 31:34 and he said, In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit 31:38 I charge you, John Carter, preach the word, 31:44 preach the word, preach the word. 31:50 Now this great congregation 31:52 and the brethren were so relieved. 31:55 And everybody got up and cheered, 31:59 but whether they cheer or not, 32:01 we are called to preach the word. 32:08 Jesus taught the importance of the individual 32:11 that every soul is important. 32:14 Jesus was a gospel preacher. 32:17 Look at Luke 15:1,2. 32:22 "Now the tax collectors and 'sinners'" 32:26 they were the harlots and the prostitutes 32:28 and all other bad people in society 32:31 "Were all gathering around to hear him. 32:33 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, 32:38 'This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.'" 32:41 And Jesus said, you're right. I'm guilty. 32:47 He cared for the outcast of society 32:51 especially women, Mary Magdalene. 32:56 The Bible says, she had seven demons. 33:00 The woman caught in adultery with the Pharisee. 33:06 He said to her, neither do I condemn you, 33:08 go, and sin no more. 33:11 I'm going to say something 33:12 and I don't want you to misunderstand it. 33:16 The Christian church needs to stand against sin. 33:20 We need to stand against those things 33:22 that undermine the Bible and our Christian faith, 33:27 that undermine the church and that destroy the nation. 33:31 The church needs to speak against him, 33:35 but we ought to love the sinner. 33:39 I read in an article some time ago 33:41 about a gay parade in one of our great cities. 33:48 And as the homosexuals in this great gay parade 33:52 were marching down the streets of an American city 33:56 some of them held up banners that said, 33:59 Jesus loves me this I know. For the Bible tells me so. 34:05 Well, some of you are shaking your heads. 34:07 I've got news for you. He does love them. 34:11 You better believe it. You say, oh, no Jesus. 34:14 Yes, He does. Jesus died for them. 34:18 If Jesus was here today they would come and hear Him preach. 34:24 They wouldn't go and listen to these charlatans. 34:30 But as this parade went down the street, 34:32 a group of "Christians" 34:37 on the other side of this street 34:38 held up signs that said "burn faggot burn." 34:45 You are going to burn for eternity in hell. 34:53 Jesus hated sin, but He loved the sinner. 34:58 And the sinners loved him. 35:01 I want any person who is watching the telecast, 35:04 if you are a gay person I want you to know 35:09 while we do not agree with the gay lifestyle, 35:13 we love you and you're welcome in this church. 35:18 You're welcome in this church. 35:20 His greatest teaching was the love of God. 35:23 John 3:16, "For God so loved the world 35:28 that he gave His only Son, 35:33 so that whoever believes in Him 35:37 shall not perish but have everlasting life." 35:42 He told us to love our enemies. 35:44 That's a bit hard, isn't it? 35:46 Would you come over here to Matthew 5:43 and onwards? 35:51 Matthew 5, 35:54 the favorite topic of His discourses 35:56 was the paternal love of God, that God loved us. 36:01 John 5:43 and onwards. 36:04 "You have heard that it was said, 36:06 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 36:10 But I tell you, love your enemies 36:12 and pray for those who persecute you." 36:15 Now here's the punch line 36:17 "That you may be the sons of your Father in heaven." 36:23 If you don't do that He says you're son of the devil. 36:28 "That you may be the sons of your Father in heaven. 36:31 He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, 36:36 and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." 36:42 I want to ask everybody watching the telecast, 36:45 I'm said that this is even controversial. 36:50 Jesus said, if you don't love your enemies, 36:54 you're not one of His disciples. 36:56 That's what He said. 36:58 I want to ask everybody watching the telecast, 37:01 can you imagine Jesus waterboarding somebody. 37:10 Because it appears to this country 37:11 the majority of Christians believe it. 37:17 He said, love your enemies. 37:22 That is why this man in Newsweek says, 37:26 he is the forgotten Jesus. 37:30 Did you know that waterboarding 37:32 comes from the Spanish inquisition? 37:37 How tragic that so many Christians in the USA 37:41 perhaps the majority believe in torture and offended. 37:52 One of the blackest chapters 37:54 in the history of this great nation, 37:58 one was slavery 38:01 and one was torture. 38:05 And if you want to see 38:07 America survive and thrive 38:13 do not condemn those practices that will destroy her. 38:24 How can you be a Christian 38:27 and condemn those things? 38:30 How tragic there are so many Christians are the ones 38:33 who seem to want wars and who loved violence. 38:38 Am I getting close to you? 38:41 The forgotten Jesus, do you know Him? 38:44 Do you even know about Him? 38:46 Would you come over here to 2 Timothy 3:1-5. 38:52 2 Timothy 3:1-5, "But mark this, 38:56 there will be terrible times in the last days. 38:59 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, 39:03 boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, 39:06 ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, 39:12 slanderous, without self-control, brutal, 39:15 not lovers of the good, treacherous, 39:18 rash, conceited, 39:20 lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- 39:25 having a form of godliness but denying its power. 39:32 Have nothing to do with them." 39:35 I humbly ask every person 39:37 watching the telecast this question 39:40 and you sitting in the church 39:41 particularly those of you dosing in the back. 39:45 Is it not time to return 39:47 to the Jesus of the Bible and to follow Him? 39:50 Is it not time for you and for me 39:53 to break with the pack, 39:56 the pack and become true disciples. 40:01 Jesus taught nonviolence, 40:06 loving our enemies, 40:09 and seeking first the Kingdom of God. 40:13 He also taught forgiveness to the wayward 40:16 the erring profligate who turn homeward. 40:20 Would you come over here to Luke 15? 40:23 This is a chapter that should give every struggling sinner 40:27 who is watching this telecast a bit of hope 40:31 and that's what I want to give you. 40:33 Luke 15:11, you know it well. 40:36 "Jesus continued, 'There was a man who had two sons. 40:40 The younger one said to his father, Father, give me' 40:44 it's a cry of this generation. 40:46 "Give me my share of the estate. 40:50 So he divided his property between them. 40:52 Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, 40:56 set off for a distant country 40:58 and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 41:02 After he had spent everything, 41:04 there was a severe famine in that whole country, 41:06 and he began to be in need. 41:08 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, 41:11 who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 41:16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods 41:18 that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 41:23 When he came to his senses, 41:25 he said, how many of my father's hired men have food to spare, 41:29 and here I am starving to death! 41:33 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him, 41:36 Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 41:41 I am no longer worthy to be called your son, 41:44 make me like one of your hired men. 41:46 So he got up and went to his father. 41:50 But while he was still a long way off, 41:53 his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him, 41:57 he ran to his son, 41:59 threw his arms around him and kissed him. 42:05 The son said to him, 42:06 Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 42:09 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. 42:11 But the father said to his servants, Quick! 42:13 Bring the best robe and put it on him. 42:15 Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 42:19 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. 42:21 Let's have a feast and celebrate. 42:26 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again, 42:32 he was lost and is found." 42:40 The forgotten Jesus, 42:44 taught forgiveness to the wayward. 42:49 Jesus had a lot of successful people 42:54 but not much success 42:57 with self-righteous religious people. 43:01 But He had a lot of success 43:04 with prodigals like you and me. 43:08 So there's hope for the despairing. 43:12 There are two sayings 43:13 that I wish I could write up on the blackboard 43:15 but I don't have room. 43:17 I've told you this before some of you have taken it in, 43:21 others of you have dismissed it. 43:24 Number one, Man is far worse than he ever feared to think. 43:30 Man in himself is fallen. 43:34 Man is a sinner. 43:37 Man has a depraved nature, 43:39 that is why even Christians don't even go to church, 43:45 to keep His commandments. 43:46 That is why they come to church 43:49 and they can't stop playing with their cell phones 43:54 or taking phone calls or wanting to get out quickly. 43:58 Oh, my stomach, I've got to fill it. 44:01 That is because of their depravity. 44:05 And depravity causes spiritual blindness 44:09 that is why they don't read their Bibles. 44:11 That is why they say nobody tells me what to do. 44:16 Because this thing that is called sin 44:20 has made us blind to our own falls, 44:24 but not blind to the falls of earth. 44:27 That's why we're critical. 44:31 But that is why we move by our feelings 44:37 and you hear people say it all the time, 44:38 well, I feel its right. 44:40 Some people say, I make my decisions from the gut. 44:44 Goodness. 44:46 I feel that it's right. 44:48 I have a gut feeling. 44:52 That is a sign of out of depravity. 44:55 That is why the Bible says, Jesus said, 44:58 "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word." 45:02 And thus if we live according to our feelings 45:05 we are unstable and some of us here are... 45:11 unstable. 45:13 In all of our relationships unstable without families, 45:17 unstable without church, unstable in society, 45:22 unstable at our work, 45:27 because of feelings. 45:30 And so the first truth is this, 45:32 man is far worse than he ever feared to think. 45:36 The second truth is, 45:39 God is far better than he ever dared to hope. 45:44 In spite of our sin and our depravity 45:48 God loves us just the same. 45:53 Yes, He loves the homosexual in the gay parade 45:57 and wishes to touch Him. 46:03 He loves the self-righteous Pharisee in the church 46:07 and longs to touch him. 46:12 Now religion. This man says, forget the church. 46:20 Well, there's two types of religion. 46:24 It's good and bad religion. 46:27 Most religion is bad. Oops. 46:32 Richard Dawkins the world's most famous atheist has a point. 46:36 He says, religion has started most of the wars. 46:40 Religion today is responsible for covering up 46:43 the abuse of thousands, tens of thousands of children. 46:48 Look at the scandals in the Roman Catholic Church, he says. 46:55 So most religion I believe is bad. 47:00 How does God regard bad religion? 47:02 Come over here to Revelation 17:1-6. 47:05 How does God regard bad religion? 47:08 Well, He doesn't like it. 47:10 Revelation 17, 47:13 oh come to verse, 47:17 oh, verse 1. 47:18 "One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said 47:21 'Come, I will show you the punishment 47:22 of the great prostitute," 47:24 that stands for the church, the prostitute church. 47:26 "With whom the kings of the earth committed adultery." 47:31 The church is embed with the state here. 47:34 "Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. 47:37 There I saw a woman." 47:39 And if you come to verse 4 47:41 "The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, 47:43 was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls." 47:46 She was a part of the prosperity gospel. 47:48 "She held a golden cup in her hand, 47:50 filled with abominable things 47:52 and the filth of her adulteries." 47:53 That's the antichrist. 47:55 God doesn't like it. 47:57 Look at Revelation 18:11. 48:01 This talks about the overthrow of the system 48:03 that is called Babylon. 48:05 The merchants of the "'Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon.'" 48:11 Verse 11, "'The merchants of the earth 48:12 will weep and mourn over her 48:15 because no one buys their cargoes any more-- 48:17 cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones 48:20 and pearls, fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth, 48:23 every sort of citron wood, 48:25 and articles of every kind made of ivory, 48:29 costly wood, bronze, iron and marble.'" 48:32 It's like Wall Street 48:33 "'Cargoes of cinnamon and spice, 48:36 of incense, myrrh and frankincense, 48:40 of wine and olive oil, 48:42 of fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, 48:45 horses and carriages, and bodies and souls of men.'" 48:53 You see what this religion is. 48:56 Things first, people last. 49:00 That's false religion. 49:03 Money first and people last. 49:08 So listen to what I say. 49:11 Beware of power hungry clerics 49:17 who are wolves in sheep's clothing. 49:21 Beware of churches that are political 49:25 and they proclaim that candy coated gospel of cheap grace. 49:30 Beware, beware of hierarchies 49:35 that demand obedience country descriptor and reason. 49:41 Beware of yourself 49:44 and your carnal inclinations to neglect Bible study 49:49 and attendance on time after preaching of the word. 49:57 Should we forget religion, bad religion? 50:02 Amen. 50:06 But there is a religion 50:10 that comes from God and I would embrace that. 50:14 Would you come over here to Hebrews 12? 50:18 I would embrace the religion that comes from God 50:23 and I may have to look a bit before I find it. 50:28 Hebrews 12:22-24. 50:36 Describing the church it says, the true church. 50:40 The people of God they elect, 50:46 "But you have come to Mount Zion, 50:49 to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. 50:53 You have come to thousands 50:55 upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 51:01 to the church of the firstborn, 51:03 whose names are written in heaven. 51:09 You have come to God, the judge of all men, 51:11 to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, 51:16 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, 51:20 and to the sprinkled blood 51:22 that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel." 51:28 So listen to this. 51:31 Find a church, 51:33 so this to the congregation out there in television land. 51:37 Find a church big or small 51:42 where Jesus is the Lord, 51:46 where the one true holy gospel is proclaimed, 51:49 where the people beliefs say it with me. 51:52 Sola Christus, only Christ. 51:56 Sola Scriptura, only scripture. 51:59 Sola Gratia, only grace. 52:02 Sola Fide, only faith. 52:06 The battle cry of the reformation. 52:11 And where people keep the commandments of God 52:14 rather than the traditions of men. 52:19 Jesus said, 52:22 "I am the way, 52:26 the truth and the life." 52:31 So let it be written. 52:36 So let it be done. 52:40 Amen and amen. 52:45 Hello friend, I am John Carter. 52:47 I am here today to tell you the most amazing news. 52:51 I want to thank you firstly in Jesus name 52:54 for your magnificent support. 52:56 We are on our way to Port Moresby, 53:00 the capital of Papua New Guinea. 53:03 We are going to see the amazing power of God. 53:06 We are going there to preach the everlasting gospel. 53:10 I will be preaching every night outdoors 53:13 in the national stadium. 53:15 The locals tell us we will have over 100,000 people a night, 53:21 some say 150,000 people. 53:24 A few have said, maybe 200,000 53:28 but I want you to know this. 53:29 We go in the name of Christ 53:31 to preach the gospel and to save souls. 53:36 And I am saying today, I can't do this without your help. 53:40 I have got to raise 53:46 for this great campaign 53:48 that is going to shake an entire nation for God. 53:53 Please be my partner. 53:55 Write to me, John Carter, Post office box 1900, 54:00 Thousand Oaks, California, 91358. 54:03 In Australia, my Aussie friends, please write to Terrigal. 54:08 The address is now appearing on the screen. 54:11 Please stand with me in this tremendous outreach 54:16 to the people of Papua New Guinea. 54:19 We used to talk about mission impossible. 54:24 All of a sudden it has become mission possible. 54:29 This is an opportunity to reach 54:32 an entire nation for the Lord Jesus Christ. 54:35 Please write to me today 54:38 and I want to say to you from my heart to yours, 54:41 thank you, in Jesus name. 54:45 The sick and lame 54:49 To set the captive free 54:53 To break the prisoners chain 54:57 I'd still be in the dark 55:02 Grappling for the door 55:06 Longing for some way, somehow 55:12 Love came for me 55:16 Love rescued me 55:21 Love called my name 55:26 Love took my place 55:30 Sweet Lamb of God 55:34 I'm bowing down 55:39 My eyes have seen 55:44 I'm finally free 55:48 Love came for me 55:58 If You had not come 56:03 Willing, spotless Lamb 56:07 My sin would be too much 56:11 For You to take me as I am 56:15 But, oh, the blood of Christ 56:20 That washes over me 56:25 Flowing from your hands, your feet 56:32 I don't have to worry where I'd be 56:39 'Cause Love came for me 56:44 Love rescued me 56:49 Love called my name 56:53 Love took my place 56:56 Sweet Lamb of God 57:00 I'm bowing down 57:05 My eyes have seen 57:09 That I'm finally free 57:13 Love came for me 57:22 This baby King 57:28 My everything 57:32 Love came for me 57:44 Jesus came for you and me |
Revised 2014-12-17