Participants: Pr. John Carter
Series Code: CR
Program Code: CR001304
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00:08 From Arcadia, California, the Carter Report Presents
00:11 "The Living Word" around the world. 00:34 Holy, holy, holy! 00:41 Lord God Almighty! 00:47 Early in the morning 00:54 our song shall rise to thee 01:02 Holy, holy, holy! 01:09 Merciful and mighty 01:15 God in three persons, 01:21 blessed Trinity! 01:28 Holy, holy, holy 01:34 is the Lord of hosts 01:41 Holy, holy, holy 01:47 is the Lord of hosts 01:53 The whole earth is full of His glory 01:59 The whole earth is full of His glory 02:05 The whole earth is full of His glory 02:12 Holy is the Lord 02:28 Holy, holy, holy! 02:35 All the saints adore thee 02:41 Casting down their golden crowns 02:47 around the glassy sea 02:53 Cherubim and seraphim 03:00 falling down before thee 03:06 Which wert, and art, 03:11 and evermore shalt be 03:21 Holy, holy, holy! 03:29 Merciful and mighty 03:36 God in three persons, 03:43 blessed Trinity! 03:54 Hallelujah. 03:57 There was a farmer who lived in the tropics 04:02 and in the tropics in some parts of the world, 04:05 you don't have little alligators you have big crocodiles. 04:13 And he was having a problem 04:15 because the crocodiles were taking his cattle. 04:19 Now, in Australia 04:21 in the North right up in the tropics, 04:24 in the Northern Territory, North Queensland, 04:27 there are real crocodiles. 04:29 They are called Salties. Saltwater crocs. 04:33 Probably the most vicious animal on the face of the earth. 04:37 The average size of a Saltie is 17 feet 04:42 and a thousand pounds, 04:43 but they can and often grow to 23 feet 04:47 and weigh a ton, 2,200 pounds. 04:55 A man just a few days ago, weekend 04:57 so go went swimming outside Darwin 05:01 and I think it's called a Mary River. 05:04 He had to be drunk 05:06 because the sign said don't go in the water. 05:11 But he went in the water and a Saltie came 05:14 and seized him in its jaws 05:18 and the last they saw of him 05:20 was the Saltie swimming up the river 05:23 with this man in its jaws. 05:27 So these creatures are dangerous. 05:31 They are predators. 05:34 And so there was a farmer who lived up in tropics 05:38 and he had a large swamp and it was full of crocodiles. 05:44 You know what he did? 05:46 He went around with a gun bang, 05:49 bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, 05:55 but he couldn't keep up with the crocodiles. 05:58 They produced faster than he could kill them. 06:03 And one day a wise man saw him out 06:06 with his gun going bang, bang, bang, bang 06:10 and said can I make a suggestion to you? 06:13 He said yes that will be great. 06:17 He said, I can tell you how to get rid of the crocodiles. 06:19 He said tell me how? More guns? 06:21 He said no. Drain the swamp. 06:28 Drain the swamp 06:30 and when you drain the swamp 06:33 there will be no crocodiles. 06:36 Now in many churches and I have gone to them, 06:39 I went to churches like this as a boy in Australia 06:42 the preacher would take potshots at the congregation. 06:47 Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, 06:49 every Sabbath the cogeneration were shot. 06:57 But let me tell you folks, something, 06:59 get the main thing right and everything else is right. 07:04 And so sometimes we have a sermon 07:07 preached by an enthusiastic minister 07:09 against for instance lipstick, bang, jewelry 07:15 it's mainly the problem is with the woman you'll notice. 07:19 Jewelry, eating, gossip, 07:23 not much on pride, 07:25 gluttony not much on gluttony, 07:27 laziness, the length of dresses, the length of hair. 07:34 In the early days of this church, 07:36 the Adventists church if you wanted to ordained, 07:42 you had to have a beard. 07:45 Couldn't get ordained in the days of James White 07:48 unless you had a great beard, 07:51 but then this time went by in America 07:54 if you had a beard you couldn't get ordained 07:57 because you were too worldly. 08:00 And there was a time 08:01 when if your hair was too short it was bad, 08:06 and when it is too long it's was worldly. 08:11 And so preachers went around hitting 08:14 what they preserved as all the sins the church, 08:17 bang, bang, bang, bang, when there is a solution. 08:23 You know what it is? Drain the swamp. 08:28 If you drain the swamp you get rid of the crocodiles. 08:34 And how do we drain the swamp in the church? 08:38 Let me tell you. 08:39 Would you come over here to 1 Corinthians 1:20-25 08:46 for our start. 08:47 Dear friends and gentle people, 08:52 1 Corinthians Chapter 1 and verse 20 and onwards 08:58 and please notice it in the Bible the word of God. 09:03 1 Corinthians Chapter 1 verse 20 and onwards, 09:06 "Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? 09:11 Where is the philosopher of this age? 09:13 Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 09:18 For since in the wisdom of God 09:20 the world through its wisdom did not know him, 09:25 God was pleased through the foolishness 09:27 of what was preached to save those who believe. 09:32 Jews demand miraculous signs 09:35 and Greeks look for wisdom, 09:38 but we preach Christ crucified, 09:42 a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 09:49 but to those whom God has called, 09:51 both Jews and Greeks, 09:54 Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 09:59 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, 10:03 and the weakness of God is stronger 10:05 than man's strength." 10:08 If we preach the cross of Christ 10:12 you will drain the swamp of sin. 10:16 We preach Christ crucified. 10:20 Look at chapter 2 would you please, 10:22 chapter 2 and verse 2 10:25 and the notice the words of the greatest preacher 10:28 the greatest evangelist the world has every seen 10:31 apart from our Lord. 10:33 Look at 1 Corinthians 2:2. 10:36 For I resolved Paul said "I resolved to know nothing 10:41 while I was with you except Jesus Christ 10:46 and him crucified." Look at me. 10:52 Let me tell you the truth of gospel. 10:55 You get one thing right and everything else is right. 11:02 If you get the Gospel of Jesus Christ right, 11:07 everything else will be right 11:09 but you can preach a million sermons 11:11 and unless those sermons are full of Christ crucified 11:16 nothing will be right in the church or in the world. 11:21 Therefore our aim today is to drain the swamp. 11:28 I want to give you now 11:30 a mighty illustration of the true gospel. 11:35 I have said this to you on many occasions. 11:39 Have you heard it? 11:42 There are many gospels's 11:44 the Book of Galatians talks about different Gospel's 11:48 but there is only one true gospel. 11:52 Just talking about Jesus is not the gospel. 11:58 Because even the Muslim's talk about Jesus 12:02 and even the Hindus talk about Jesus 12:07 and nobody probably talks more about Jesus than the Jesuits. 12:13 That why they are called Jesuits. 12:18 Not everything that is called gospel is gospel 12:26 and the false gospel will breed crocodiles. 12:32 It is the preaching of the true gospel of Christ 12:36 that drains the swamp of sin. 12:40 Let me show you 12:42 a powerful and wonderful illustration. 12:44 Would you please come to Matthew 26, 12:48 Matthew 26 and verses 17 and onwards. 12:55 My dear friends, Matthew 26 12:59 and verse 17 and onwards 13:04 and we are privileged in this church to have a man 13:11 whom I appreciate, respect and love. 13:19 He is Jewish like our blessed Lord. 13:25 And since coming to this church 13:28 he is now a Jewish Christian but still Jewish. 13:34 And I have asked him to come and read the text 13:38 which describes his Lord, 13:44 his Lord and our Lord. 13:47 Blake, we are glad to have you here 13:49 my, dear friend. Thank you, pastor. 13:50 Matthew 26, verse 17 and onwards slowly 13:54 so the words can sync down 13:56 into the molecules of our minds. 13:59 Matthew 26. The Lord's Supper. 14:02 "On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, 14:06 the disciples came to Jesus and asked, 14:09 'Where do you want us to make preparations 14:10 for you to eat the Passover?' 14:13 He replied, 14:14 'Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, 14:17 'The Teacher says, My appointed time is near. 14:21 I am going to celebrate the Passover 14:22 with my disciples at your house.' 14:25 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them 14:28 and prepared the Passover. 14:31 When evening came, 14:32 Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. 14:35 And while they were eating, 14:37 He said, 'I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.' 14:42 They were very sad 14:43 and began to say to him one after the other, 14:46 'Surely not I, Lord?' 14:48 Jesus replied, 14:50 'The one who has dipped his hand 14:52 into the bowl with me will betray me. 14:55 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. 14:59 But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! 15:01 It would be better for him if he had not been born.' 15:05 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, 15:09 'Surely not I, Rabbi?' 15:11 Jesus answered, 'Yes, it is you.' 15:15 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, 15:18 gave thanks and broke it, 15:20 and gave it to his disciples, saying, 15:23 'Take and eat, this is my body.' 15:27 Then he took the cup, gave thanks 15:29 and offered it to them, saying, 15:31 'Drink from it, all of you. 15:33 This is my blood of the covenant, 15:35 which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 15:38 I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine 15:41 from now on until that day 15:43 when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom.' 15:47 When they had sung a hymn, 15:50 they went out to the Mount of Olives. 15:53 Then Jesus told them, 15:55 'This very night you will all fall away on account of me, 15:59 for it is written, I will strike the shepherd, 16:02 and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'" 16:08 Thank you. Thanks. 16:09 May the Lord had His blessing to the reading of His word. 16:13 I want you to notice this over here. 16:17 This is the most powerful of all illustrations. 16:23 Jesus took the bread it was unleavened bread 16:27 that was their custom. 16:30 The bread is made by wheat 16:35 and the wheat has to be ground 16:39 and it is ground with some force. 16:45 The Bible tells me, 16:48 that for Jesus to become the bread of life 16:53 He had to be ground 16:57 by the wrath of the almighty God. 17:01 We cannot believe in the foolish doctrine 17:06 that says that Jesus was merely our example. 17:10 We cannot accept the monstrous doctrine 17:14 that teaches that Jesus just came 17:17 as the more influenced theologian say 17:21 and happen to get himself killed. 17:24 Jesus was grounder 17:27 by the wrath of almighty God on the cross, 17:31 The wheat of His life, 17:33 the wheat of His life became the bread of life 17:37 through pain and through suffering 17:40 and if you want to be a Christian 17:42 and be free of pain then my friend, 17:44 you will never be a Christian. 17:49 And then there was the great Jews 17:52 that represented the blood of Christ 17:56 and the grapes are taken and thrown into the vinery 18:01 and they're trampled down. 18:02 He said I have trampled the winepress alone 18:07 and there was nobody with me on the cross. 18:12 Bearing the sin of the world 18:16 and the justice of almighty God, 18:21 He made a atoning sacrifice for our sins. 18:25 I would remind you of this and you must not forget this. 18:29 The Christ was not a matter 18:33 the world has been filled with matters 18:35 He was not a matter. 18:37 This doctrine our Muslim friends say 18:40 we cannot believe because the Quran says 18:46 no one shall bare another man's sins. 18:49 But this whole idea here 18:52 is at that one even God bares the sins of the world. 18:58 And so we believe in the substitutionary death 19:03 of the Son of God. 19:05 And people talk about grace being cheap. 19:08 It was not cheap, my friend, 19:10 being ground up by the wrath of God 19:15 and your life squeezed out of you is never cheap. 19:20 And it is failure to accept the atoning sacrifice of Christ 19:23 that has bred so many weak superficial Christians. 19:27 I want to read to you here 19:30 from John Stott book The Cross of Christ. 19:34 I have given it to many church leaders over the years. 19:39 "Crucifixion seems to have been invented by 'barbarians' 19:43 on the edge of the known world, 19:46 and taken over from them by both Greeks and Romans. 19:52 It is probably the most cruel method 19:54 of execution ever practiced." 19:56 The million times worse than waterboarding 19:58 or anything that men have come up with. 20:02 But remember this torture is the invention of Satan 20:07 and if you believe in those inventions 20:09 and my friend, you are not far from Satan. 20:15 "It is probably the most cruel method 20:17 of execution ever practiced, 20:19 for it deliberately delayed death 20:21 until the maximum torture had been inflicted. 20:27 The victim could suffer for days before dying. 20:32 When the Romans adopted it, 20:34 they reserved it for criminals convicted of murder, 20:36 rebellion or armed robbery, 20:39 provided that they were also slaves, 20:40 foreigners or other non-persons." 20:46 You crucified a non-person. 20:50 "The Jews were therefore outraged 20:52 when the Roman general Varus crucified 20:56 2,000 of their compatriots in 4 BC, 21:00 and when during the siege of Jerusalem 21:02 the general Titus crucified so many fugitives from the city 21:08 that neither space for the crosses, 21:09 nor crosses for the bodies could be found. 21:14 Roman citizens were exempt from crucifixion, 21:18 except in extreme cases of treason. 21:22 Cicero in one of his speeches condemned it 21:25 as 'a most cruel and disgusting punishment'. 21:30 A little later he declared, 21:31 'To bind a Roman citizen is a crime, 21:33 to flog him is an abomination, 21:36 to kill him is almost an act of murder, 21:39 to crucify him is-- What? 21:41 There is no fitting word 21:45 that can possibly describe so horrible a deed." 21:49 And then when the early Christian's described that 21:53 God in the person of Christ was crucified, 21:56 the Romans founded impossible to believe it. 22:01 Listen to this, 22:03 As Trypho the Jew put it to Justin 22:06 the Christian apologist, who engaged him in dialogue, 22:10 "I am exceedingly incredulous on this point." 22:14 I cannot believe he said, 22:16 I cannot believe that the Messiah, 22:20 the Christ, the Son of God 22:23 should be ground up in the wrath of God. 22:28 That the blood should be squeezed out of His veins, 22:33 and there is something you must realize 22:35 and you must not forget this, 22:37 so that we don't become a bunch of sentimental people. 22:42 If you and I do not truly believe in Christ, 22:49 this is in vain for me 22:51 but I must go through the same on judgment day. 22:55 So people say I can walk away and I can be free. 22:58 No, you can't be free. 23:00 Either He bears it or you bear it alone. 23:07 It is a preaching of the cross, 23:11 that drains the swamp nothing else. 23:14 Not philosophy, not psychology, 23:17 nothing, nothing not even theology. 23:21 And my friend, when you read the gospel's 23:25 you find that for the first 30 years 23:28 there is a chapter or two 23:32 then for three and half years, 23:33 the time of His ministry there are many chapters 23:36 but proportionately 23:40 most scripture is devoted to His last days 23:44 and hours then to the rest of His life. 23:50 It seems all out of balance, why? 23:55 Because the most important part of His life 24:00 was not His ministry 24:02 or the time He was a carpenter 24:05 it was His cross, His sufferings, His atonement 24:10 and then His resurrection. 24:14 And who was this man? 24:17 You just read out of Matthew 26 24:19 come to Matthew 25:31-34 24:24 and before the Son of Man went to the cross, 24:27 He said these words. 24:31 Everywhere in scripture he calls himself the Son of Man, 24:34 but now He calls himself something else. 24:39 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, 24:42 and all the angels with him, 24:43 he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 24:47 All the nations will be gathered before him, 24:49 and he will separate the people one from another 24:52 as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 24:56 He will put the sheep on his right 24:58 and the goats on his left. 25:01 Then the King will say to those on his right, 25:07 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father.'" 25:09 The king will say. 25:13 Just before He goes to the cross, 25:16 He says the king will say. 25:19 Look over here my friend, 25:23 who was hanging on the cross? The king. 25:30 Whose body and soul was being grounder 25:35 by the wrath of God almighty? 25:39 It was the king. 25:44 The king of the world, 25:48 the king of the universe, 25:50 the king of time and eternity. 25:57 What sort of manner is this? 26:00 In Isaiah you know the text, 26:02 you don't need to it turn to it right now. 26:03 "He is called wonderful counselor, 26:06 mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of peace." 26:12 Now, we comeback then and press the question, 26:18 how does the preaching of the cross 26:21 slay the crocodiles of sin? 26:27 The saying is true, 26:29 too much lower and they go off the door. 26:37 If as a preacher I continually go around with a gun bang, 26:43 bang, bang, bang, bang 26:45 I am not going to drain the swamp 26:47 and there will be more crocodiles. 26:50 But how does the preaching of the broken body, 26:58 how does the preaching 27:01 of the spilt blood defeat sin? 27:10 This has been a mystery understood by few. 27:16 Number one, 27:20 if for a little bit you can escape Los Angeles 27:24 and the world and I would say to you my friend, 27:29 if you live in Los Angeles 27:30 you find it very difficult to be a Christian. 27:33 In fact if you live in America 27:35 you will find it very difficult to be a Christian 27:37 because the culture is so antichristian. 27:42 It is easier I have discovered to be a Christian in Russia 27:46 that it is in America or Australia, 27:49 because our culture 27:51 is so ungodly and so trivial. 27:57 But how does the preaching of the cross 28:00 slay the crocodiles? 28:02 Firstly it shows how great is His love to you. 28:12 Two weeks ago we had a surprise visit 28:14 from San Francisco 28:18 when my daughter and her solider husband came to visit. 28:25 We were glad to see them but that was okay, 28:29 we were very glad to see the little girl Emily 28:35 and when she came to see me, 28:36 because I had been training her. 28:38 She said hello grandpapa. 28:42 Oh I said what do you want now you have any thing, 28:44 you want the house, you want my new car? 28:47 You can take it. 28:50 When Judy put her down in the bassinet 28:52 to go to sleep that night, 28:55 she said nobody go in the room. 28:57 This is how we do it. She sings to herself. 29:01 But I am the master of my own house, 29:05 and Judy is my daughter she doesn't tell me 29:08 what to do, I tell her what to do. 29:10 So I went in quietly I said anybody there? 29:15 Of course she got up straight away. 29:17 She said, I grandpapa. 29:23 Come on what do you want? 29:25 Judy came in, she said she is got a very little figure 29:28 but she's got it around you. 29:32 Yeah, love is the greatest of all gifts. 29:39 It is the greatest of all emotions. 29:43 If you go to the cross 29:46 and see the king hanging on the cross 29:49 and know in your own soul 29:51 the king is there because of you. 29:55 It tells you that He loves you and there will be times 30:01 when you will doubt the love of God. 30:04 That is human. 30:06 There will be times when you will feel so depressed 30:09 and the things of the world will be so overwhelming 30:15 that you will feel isolated and alone but you are not. 30:21 He loves you whether you can feel His love or not. 30:26 The love of God, you know the old hymn, 30:28 is greater far than tongue of man can ever tell. 30:32 It goes beyond the highest star, 30:36 and reaches to the lowest hell. 30:41 At as the cross drain the swamp kill the crocodile. 30:48 How can you love sin that put Him on the cross? 30:54 How can you love sin, if we put Him on the cross? 31:00 I know that some Christians who are superficial 31:03 and we certainly don't say this to condemn them 31:07 but they give to God the least. 31:11 They got it worked out 31:12 but they can't give to God a day 31:15 but may be they will give to God an hour. 31:18 Sometimes they will make it half an hour. 31:25 But how can you be so tight and mean 31:32 and frugal with God who loves you. 31:40 Looking at the cross 31:43 something happens inside the soul 31:46 and you come to the place 31:47 where you hate the sin that put Him there. 31:52 Would you turn in the Holy Scripture to 1 John 4:10, 31:58 1 John 4:10, 32:06 1 John 4:10 32:16 this is a profoundly important text, 32:21 "This is love, not that we loved God, 32:25 but that he loved us and sent his Son 32:29 as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." 32:36 As I mentioned before, 32:38 I want you to have a clear understanding today. 32:43 What I'm preaching today is poison to the Muslim world, 32:50 it is poison to the Hindu's. 32:53 We all appreciate Mahatma Gandhi 32:58 and when in still in India 33:01 a Christian explains to him about Christ 33:04 and the cross at the cross was something 33:08 that was completely distinct and unique 33:11 at that on the cross, 33:12 He made an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 33:14 Gandhi said, I could never believe that. 33:18 He said, I could never, never, never be a Christian 33:22 because every person must be responsible for his own guilt. 33:29 And if you read the Quran it says very plainly 33:34 no man can bear another man's burden. 33:39 Nietzsche the great German atheist God hater said, 33:47 the idea that someone would come 33:51 and die on the cross for the sins of the world, 33:55 he said that is the greatest lie 34:01 the greatest abomination 34:02 that is the greatest weakness that he spoke about. 34:08 The God of the Spider. 34:12 In his book the antichrist he spoke about 34:15 that would use strong and mighty 34:18 and getting rid of the wicked he said. 34:20 I despise Christ and Christianity 34:24 because Christ and Christianity they want to help the weak. 34:29 He said that is antichrist, that is evil. 34:36 So what we are reading this today is 34:37 the most controversial issue in the world 34:41 that hanging on the cross was God in human flesh 34:46 and He was not dying a normal death. 34:50 Jesus didn't die with the peace of a Christian. 34:57 I preach this some people say no, no, no, no, no, no. 35:01 He died with the peace of a Christian, 35:03 He is our example and no my friend 35:05 I must not die his death, 35:08 because he bore the sin of the world. 35:15 It is his doctrine that reviles sin. 35:20 Come to Romans 3, 35:22 I wish you would memorize it by heart. 35:25 If you are not reading the scriptures daily 35:27 that is the reason 35:29 why you have no passion in your life 35:32 and you have no fire in your belly 35:34 and why you are inconsistent and flaky. 35:37 You have no power inside. 35:40 Romans 3: 25-26 35:44 "God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement," 35:48 we believe in the blood atonement on the cross. 35:51 Adventists believe in the blood atonement 35:53 let the world know. 35:56 "Through faith in his blood. 35:58 He did this to demonstrate his justice," 36:00 who understands that? 36:03 I thought the cross demonstrated his love, 36:06 yes it does, but it demonstrates "His Justice, 36:11 because in his forbearance 36:12 he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished, 36:15 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, 36:21 so as to be just and the one who justifies 36:25 those who have faith in Jesus." 36:27 You understand that? 36:29 We have a tendency to be so superficial 36:31 we only read the Psalms because it's easy. 36:35 But he you have the atonement taught 36:37 and it says that the cross 36:39 was a demonstration of the justice of God. 36:44 What does that mean? Do you know? 36:47 The justice of God, you know that, 36:49 the justice of God. 36:52 The justice of God says that sin must be punished, 36:57 sin and sinners must be ground, 37:02 the blood of sinners must be spelt 37:07 with horror and suffering 37:10 and damnation and blood 37:13 and sweat and tears 37:15 so that it forces from the twisted lips 37:20 that cry my God my God why. 37:25 Have you ever said that? I hope not. 37:29 Because that cry is the cry of a damn soul. 37:33 Christ was treated with Justice in my place. 37:40 So if I truly believe in Him 37:43 God can justify me and forgive me 37:46 and its not a-- a conjuring trick. 37:54 It is justice. 38:02 Not only love but justice. 38:05 Would you come over here to Ezekiel 23 and look at a text 38:09 which is one of the horrific text in the Bible. 38:13 Ezekiel 23 speaks about Jesus in the New Testament 38:17 drinking the cup where is it come from? 38:19 It comes from here Ezekiel 23 when He drank the cup. 38:26 Ezekiel 23 verse 32 and onwards. 38:29 Ezekiel and because of their sins 38:33 the children of Israel were being punished. 38:36 Verse 32, "This is what the Sovereign Lord says 38:39 'You will drink your sister's cup, 38:43 a cup large and deep 38:45 it will bring scorn and derision, 38:48 for it holds so much. 38:50 You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, 38:53 the cup of ruin and desolation, 38:58 the cup of your sister Samaria. 39:01 You will drink it and drain it dry, 39:05 you will dash it to pieces.'" 39:08 Christ on the cross took a cup. 39:15 The Bible says it is a cup that makes a man stagger 39:20 and so He is drunk on the cross He staggered. 39:28 The cup of the vision, the cup of shame, 39:32 the cup of unspeakable pain, 39:37 this Christianity is not a wiping thing 39:41 many Christians today are wimpy people. 39:46 But this is not the religion 39:48 that Nietzsche criticizes being weak 39:51 and effeminate the God as a spider, 39:54 this is a religion of blood, 40:00 religion of a broken body 40:07 had gratefully sin. 40:10 One of my favorite preachers 40:15 has been a Roman Catholic preacher 40:18 not Martin Luther, though he was a Roman Catholic 40:20 started as a Roman Catholic. 40:22 But, I referred to the great 40:24 American ecclesiastic bishop Fulton Sheen. 40:30 I think Fulton Sheen had a way of preaching on the cross 40:34 that would touch hearts everywhere. 40:37 Fulton Sheen was a person 40:39 who was prosecuted by his own church, 40:41 persecuted by his cardinal, persecuted wherever he went 40:46 because Bishop Fulton Sheen believed 40:50 that salvation could only come 40:52 through the blood of Christ 40:53 not by our attainment but by His atonement. 41:02 He told a story, I heard him tell it, 41:05 one of the few preachers 41:07 I would want to go to hear preach. 41:10 He spoke about an old atheist 41:13 dieing of cancer he was full of cancer, 41:17 and when Bishop Fulton Sheen in his robes 41:22 clanking as he went, went into see him. 41:27 He said, I have come to talk to you about Christ. 41:30 He spoke with an Irish accent, 41:33 a wonderful accent to be sure. 41:37 And when he came in the man dying of cancer 41:40 blessing him in the name of God 41:42 and said get out priest, get out priest. 41:45 So he said, I will come tomorrow. 41:48 He came the next day and next day and the next day 41:52 and the old dying atheist said 41:55 get out priest I don't want your Jesus. 42:01 And he said to him, I will get out, 42:03 I will respect you 42:06 but I want you simply to say Jesus have mercy. 42:13 Jesus have mercy. 42:15 You tell me this is a religion of weakness? 42:18 Where have you been? Jesus have mercy. 42:23 It is a delight of God to reach down 42:26 and pluck from the fires of hell a dying sinner. 42:33 No other religion can do that. 42:39 And the day before he died, 42:40 the day he died Fulton Sheen came in 42:43 and he said will you please say, 42:47 Jesus have mercy. 42:49 He said get out XYZ please. 42:53 I don't want your Christ 42:58 and Fulton Sheen prayed for him there, 43:01 and he came the next day and the bed was empty 43:05 and he said to the nurse what happened to the old man? 43:11 He said after you left, hours before he died 43:16 he didn't seize to say Jesus have mercy, 43:22 Jesus have mercy. 43:25 Fulton Sheen said I will see him the kingdom of God 43:32 and he was right, 43:34 this means there is mercy for the worst sinner. 43:40 But don't presume on the mercy of God 43:42 and some of you do presume, 43:45 some of you or some of us are so self sufficient 43:49 and so proud and so lazy 43:51 we do not even read Holy Scripture. 43:55 We know all the new movies every thing 43:57 that is because we have been brain washed 44:00 by this evil culture in which we find ourselves. 44:07 Little wonder that Dr. Ben Carson 44:10 said to the president at the prayer breakfast 44:13 we are walking in the footsteps of the Roman Empire. 44:18 Then he spoke about all the things 44:20 that happened in the Roman Empire 44:22 and then our brother Christian Ben Carson said 44:28 because of decadence and corruption. 44:35 But there is only one thing 44:39 that will get rid of the decadence 44:40 and the corruption in your life and the laziness 44:47 and that is the cross of Christ. 44:49 Jesus have mercy. 44:53 Looking at the cross sin looses its power. 44:59 Would you come over here to Romans 6:14 45:05 Romans 6:14 dear hearts and gentle people, 45:09 Romans 6 that's a book, 45:11 that you first eight chapters you all try to commit to memory, 45:15 Romans 6:14 "The sin shall not be your master, 45:22 because you are not under law, but under grace." 45:25 When a person somehow is immersed in the grace of God, 45:33 when a person is some how immersed in the grace of God 45:37 the blood of the cross 45:40 sin is longer his master, 45:46 he is no longer under law, 45:48 no master but under grace. 45:56 That is why the strongest Christians 45:58 read their bibles everyday 46:00 particularly the chapters that talk about the cross. 46:06 The gospel proclaims listen, 46:09 you are rich even though you are poor. 46:15 They were two very poor Australians in 1869. 46:22 They were looking for gold and finding none. 46:26 They had run out of money. 46:29 The store would not even lend them credit, 46:31 give them credit for food. 46:35 And these men went out one day 46:39 and almost in nonchalance one cared a sharp pick 46:44 and struck the ground near a tree. 46:47 It immediately sounded hard. 46:53 He thought I have stuck a root of the tree, 46:56 so he pulled it back and then he saw 47:02 the glitter of gold. 47:08 He had found a nugget 47:10 that weighed 3,123 ounce. 47:17 Biggest in the history of the world, 47:20 a 160 pounds 72 kilo grams 47:24 and he said Welcome Stranger. 47:30 It is called Welcome Stranger. 47:34 My friend, they were instantly rich, 47:40 poor man instantly rich. 47:43 You come to Christ you are instantly rich 47:46 I tell you, you don't need anything else. 47:49 Turn to 1 Corinthians 1:30, 31. 47:53 1 Corinthians 1:30, 31. 47:57 Now I want you to see 48:00 the theological implications, 30 and 31. 48:04 "It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, 48:07 who has become for us wisdom from God-- 48:09 that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 48:14 Therefore, as it is written, 48:15 'Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.'" 48:19 When you come to Christ, 48:21 when you accept Christ you accept the Trinity. 48:24 When you come to Christ 48:27 you are filled with the Holy Spirit. 48:30 When you come to Christ 48:32 He becomes yours righteousness, 48:35 He becomes your sanctification, 48:37 everything that you need He gives you. 48:44 I was at Wahroonga Church 48:46 some young people when I was a pastor there 48:48 some needy young people came around to see me one night 48:51 and they said we brought so and so along 48:53 because he is devil possessed. 48:55 They got this nonsense from some preachers 48:58 actually from this country, 49:00 that Christians get devil possessed. 49:02 This young guy fell on the floor and started to rise. 49:04 I said, are you truly a Christians? He said yes. 49:06 You really believe in Jesus? Yes. 49:08 I said then get up. 49:11 He said, no, no, I got a demon. 49:12 I said well lets leave him there, 49:14 we just have little prayer meeting 49:15 we will leave him there. 49:16 After about half an hour he got up and he was fine. 49:19 My friend, the devil doesn't share the Temple of God, 49:26 the devil can't share 49:27 the Temple of God with Christ, you see. 49:31 If you have Christ you can be buffeted by the devil 49:36 but the devil cannot share the sanctuary. 49:41 I want you to know this, 49:42 when you come to Christ you have everything in need. 49:47 You have redemption. You have righteousness. 49:52 You have holiness. You have the Holy Spirit. 49:55 You see, Jesus is a part of the Trinity 49:59 and so when you accept Jesus you accept the Holy Spirit. 50:06 So when you have Jesus you got everything, 50:12 you see it's like Cinderella 50:17 the poor girl. 50:21 When she married the prince she was instantly wealthy, 50:26 not because she really was. 50:28 So when you marry Christ 50:31 everything He has is yours by faith. 50:39 Get the main thing right and everything is right. 50:43 Drain the swamp, believe the gospel. 50:49 There are no second class Christian 50:51 some saying well you know I am somehow superior, 50:56 because I can talk in tongues proves I have got. 50:59 No, everybody is first class, 51:06 because of Jesus. 51:09 On Sunday in Bogota, 51:12 even though there is a little bit of rain, 51:14 we went to presidential palace in Colombia. 51:17 There were lots of soldiers marching. 51:19 I love to see soldiers marching. 51:22 They had the changing of the guard. 51:24 I like it when they swing their arms 51:25 when the band plays. 51:27 Then I had the presentation of the flag, 51:29 then I had-- this went on for long time 51:31 I was quite impressed I got caught up in, 51:33 then I they had their national anthem 51:36 and I said through my translator 51:39 tell me what are they singing. 51:40 They are all these soldiers lined up behind us 51:44 and all of these soldiers 51:45 in front of the presidential palace 51:48 and they started to sing with lusty voices. 51:51 I said what are they singing? 51:54 He said, they are singing we are here 51:58 because of the blood of the cross. 52:03 The national anthem, I don't know 52:07 whether they understand but they are singing. 52:10 But I want you to know something 52:14 we are here because of the blood of the cross. 52:23 Get this right and everything is right 52:31 in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 52:35 Amen. Please kneel. 52:45 We are here 52:47 because of the blood of the cross, 52:54 saying the Colombian soldiers. 52:58 I want you to know something today 53:01 any way you and I can get home, 53:04 its not up to quaking sides of Mount Sinai, 53:10 not through bad news of do, do, do, cock a doodle do 53:15 we get home by Mount Calvary. 53:20 Let us pray, our Father. 53:23 We thank you for our Christ. 53:26 We know who He is. He is the king. 53:30 When the King came in, oh, yes, He is the king. 53:36 So when they put Him on the cross 53:39 they were crucifying the king. 53:44 Shall I crucifying your king they said. 53:48 All have said we have no king but Caesar. 53:52 We thank you today we have no king but Jesus. 53:57 We thank you that everything that God requires 54:02 for time and eternity is given to us in Christ. 54:09 It's not a case of striving, its is a case of submitting, 54:15 it is a case of gazing 54:18 and looking as it says in the Old Testament, 54:23 "Look unto me, and be saved, all ye ends of the earth." 54:28 Help us Father to wake up to ourselves 54:31 and stop looking at all the garbage in television 54:33 and to look to Christ. 54:36 Help us to stop looking at the false in the church, 54:39 and to look to Christ. 54:40 Help us to stop looking at our own sins 54:45 and look to Christ 54:48 because it is Christ alone who can drain the swamp. 54:54 Drain the swamp in our lives today, 54:56 our Father, bless these dear sweet people who I love. 55:02 Watch you over them, protect them, as Pastor 55:05 and Mr. Phenagus and their family. 55:08 Bless us all we worship You this day. 55:11 How many will raise their hand today 55:13 and say I will look to Christ. 55:15 I will hold on to my Christ. 55:18 Please raise your hands if you can say that today. 55:20 Repeat what I am saying, I am going to hold on to Christ, 55:24 I am going to be a Christ cross centered person. 55:29 Dear Father, takes these up raised hands 55:31 and these upraised hearts. 55:33 It's been good to be in church today. 55:35 Bless these precious people 55:37 watch over them preserve them comfort them, sustain them 55:42 and I'll ask you father when the king comes save us, 55:48 because you saved us now. 55:51 We thank You, we bless You, 55:53 we praise You, we give You glory 55:55 in the Jesus name, Amen. 56:00 And amen and amen. Praise the Lord, hallelujah. 56:21 Jesus, Your name is power 56:28 Jesus, your name is might 56:35 Jesus, Your name will break ev'ry stronghold 56:42 Jesus, your name is life 56:50 Jesus, Your name is power 56:57 Jesus, your name is might 57:04 Jesus, Your name will break ev'ry stronghold 57:11 Jesus, your name is life 57:18 Jesus, Your name is healing 57:25 Jesus, Your name gives sight 57:33 Jesus, Your name will free ev'ry captive 57:40 Jesus, Your name is life 57:47 Jesus, Your name is holy 57:54 Jesus, Your name brings light |
Revised 2014-12-17