Participants: Pr. John Carter
Series Code: CR
Program Code: CR001405
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00:08 From Arcadia, California the Carter Report Presents,
00:11 the Living Word around the world. 00:18 We've been talking about the "Worth of a Soul." 00:22 We told you that soul is was more important, 00:26 is more important than anything in the universe 00:29 because the soul is made in the image of God. 00:33 But let me talk now about the individual person 00:37 and the nation or an institution 00:42 or even our church organization. 00:45 I want you to come over here to the words of our Lord. 00:47 I'm glad you've joined us today. 00:49 Come over here at John Chapter 11 00:52 and this is a church that is based upon the Word, 00:55 this why we've got to have Bibles here today. 00:58 That's why we turn to the text, 01:00 that's why we don't just gaze at the screen 01:02 and read the words off the screen. 01:04 We get it out of the Bible. 01:06 Come over here to John 11: 45. 01:10 The practical Jesus it's called. 01:13 "Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, 01:16 and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in Him. 01:19 But some of them to the Pharisees 01:21 and told them what Jesus had done. 01:23 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees 01:25 called a meeting of the Sanhedrin." 01:27 That's the big, that's the big committee. 01:32 "'What are we accomplishing?' 01:33 they asked. 01:34 'Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. 01:37 If we let Him go on like this, everyone will believe Him, 01:41 and then the Romans will come and take away 01:44 both our place and our nation.' 01:47 Then one of them, named Caiaphas, 01:51 who was high priest that year, 01:53 " the big man in the church, "spoke up, 01:56 'You know nothing at all! 01:59 You do not realize that it is better for you 02:02 that one man die for the people 02:05 than that the whole nation perish.'" 02:08 He said this, you gonna have the big picture. 02:13 The church is more important than one person. 02:20 He said we've got a great marvelous organization. 02:25 We are the people of God. 02:28 We're the people of Bible prophecy. 02:32 We keep the Commandments of God. 02:35 We pay our tithe and we go along 02:39 to a meeting place on the Sabbath. 02:42 We're looking forward to the coming of the Messiah. 02:47 Its better that one person dies, 02:49 then that all of this to get messed up. 02:53 I'm going to quote you, from a man 02:55 who is the pastor of the Glendale City Church 02:59 many years ago Dr. Beitz. 03:03 Listen, "It was religious institutionalism 03:07 that crucified Christ. 03:10 It was religious institutionalism 03:13 versus a personal Christ. 03:18 It was in effect organizational religionism 03:21 versus the gospel. 03:24 It was religious heritage against God. 03:29 earthen vessel had become more the object of devotion 03:33 than the treasure within the vessel. 03:36 Here's the age-old tendency towards idolatry 03:41 for man is basically religious 03:43 and wishes to make himself secure 03:46 within religious institutions, and, therefore, 03:50 hides himself from the very presence of God." 03:54 I'm hiding in the church 03:58 and its better that one man die, 04:00 then I lose all this stuff. 04:02 Dr. MacKay is quoted by Dr. Beitz. 04:07 One of our serious troubles in the church today is that 04:09 it has become legitimate to be institutional. 04:14 The moment the church becomes 04:15 completely programmed and depersonalized, 04:18 it becomes a monument to God's memory 04:21 and not an instrument of divine power. 04:24 You see, when men build institutions 04:27 they become their ultimate end 04:29 instead of just the means to an end. 04:32 That is an idolatry. 04:34 Men build and build, 04:36 and they forget the purpose of the building. 04:42 Institutions become more important than people. 04:46 There are no shepherds in the institution any longer, 04:49 only people trying to prevent the ship from rocking. 04:53 Then it is that truth suffers and good men are crucified. 04:59 Then it is that the Spirit departs. 05:02 The glory has departed." 05:05 Dr. Beitz goes on, 05:06 "Caiaphas thought he must save the church 05:09 therefore, Christ must die. 05:11 But Christ had come to save the church. 05:15 Where would we have stood had we been there that day?" 05:18 He asks. 05:21 "The issue before Caiaphas is everlastingly present. 05:26 We have to choose continually between tradition and scripture, 05:31 between the institution and the individual, 05:34 between what is popular and accepted 05:37 and what is true. 05:38 There is no need to crucify Christ 05:40 that the institution may be saved. 05:43 Unless Christ lives, the institution 05:47 is already dead!" 05:51 Now I want to say to you folks, here today 05:52 you better listen up and you better listen good 05:56 because there's lots of us 05:58 who are trusting in the church organization 06:02 to get us home to glory. 06:04 That is the sin of Caiaphas who put Christ on the cross. 06:13 When the Spirit of God departs 06:19 there is nothing there. 06:22 What counts one soul, you know the text, 06:28 don't need to turn to this one. 06:29 Let you off for this text. 06:32 John 3:16. 06:36 Say it "For God so loved the world" come on, 06:40 "that He gave His only son 06:43 so that whoever believes in Him 06:45 shall not perish but have everlasting life." 06:49 The reason Jesus came was not to build a building 06:54 though we need to have buildings. 06:59 Reason Jesus came was to save the world. 07:03 Not talking about our cars or our things, 07:07 Jesus is talking about a world of souls 07:11 made in the image of God. 07:15 So the world is of tremendous value. 07:20 But I want you to come to another text 07:22 now this is pretty hard to believe I know, 07:25 one should come over here to the Book of Galatians 2:20, 07:32 this is almost too hard to believe. 07:34 He says this, "I have been crucified with Christ." 07:38 You see Christ died for me. 07:40 When Christ died legally I was in Christ. 07:44 "I have been crucified with Christ 07:45 and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. 07:49 The life I live in the body, 07:51 I live by faith in the Son of God, 07:53 who loved me and gave himself for me." 07:57 He loves the world the Bible says. 08:00 Another text says, He died for the church, 08:02 but this text brings it in closer 08:04 the Bible says Paul says He died for me. 08:11 You may find this incomprehensible, 08:14 it may be a challenge too much for the human mind 08:20 but if you had been the one lost soul, 08:24 there would have been a cross. 08:27 Can you believe that? 08:29 If I had been the one lost soul there will be no cross, 08:36 and got on the cross. 08:40 How much are you worth? 08:42 Therefore we come again to the question, 08:44 what is the worth of a soul? 08:46 One person, one poor of woman in Calcutta, 08:51 one beggar in Johannesburg, 08:54 one gang member in Los Angeles, 08:57 one rebellious teenager, 08:59 one old man in the retirement center. 09:03 One person how much worth more than the world? 09:09 The value of a soul, think about this, 09:14 well, next you tempted to put somebody down, 09:21 or to tear them down think of it 09:25 a person its worth so much. 09:30 It can only be estimated by the price paid. 09:34 The blood of Christ the Son of God, 09:38 if you want to know what a person is worth 09:40 go to the cross, not buildings, 09:46 I don't care about buildings. 09:50 Therefore, if the soul is more valuable than 09:54 all the gold in the world, 09:57 all the diamonds and the precious stones, 10:00 if a soul of person is so valuable, 10:02 that God in Christ would redeem that soul 10:05 with His blood. 10:10 What is the most important thing I can do with my life? 10:16 Shakespeare said, he is the rub. 10:19 Are you ready for this? 10:21 Can you bear this? 10:26 I'm going to quote from 10:28 one of the greatest people whoever lived 10:32 that was Paul, a Jewish scholar, 10:36 a theologian, a preacher, a traveler, 10:40 an evangelist. 10:42 I want you to come over here to Philippians 2:14-16. 10:48 Philippians 2:14-16. 10:55 Listen to the words of the greatest scholar 10:58 apart from our Lord in the history of the Christian church. 11:02 He was not I will say to my friends 11:05 who are theologians, 11:06 he was not and anti-theologian like you. 11:10 He was out on the road. 11:13 Is that uncomfortable? 11:15 I hope so. 11:16 Verse 14 and onwards, 11:18 "Do everything without complaining 11:20 or argument or arguing, 11:23 so that you may become blameless and pure, 11:26 children of God without fault in a crooked 11:29 and depraved generation amen, 11:32 in which you shine like stars in the universe 11:35 as you hold out the word of life." 11:40 The church is called to shine like stars in the universe 11:46 and to hold out the word of life to a dying world 11:52 and if the church is only interested in 11:58 meet, greet and eat, 12:03 it is a grand of relevancy in the sight of God. 12:08 Even though they sing hymns and say platitudes. 12:15 One of my favorite characters is Bishop Fulton Sheen, 12:21 a prince to the Roman Catholic Church, 12:23 he's been dead for number of years. 12:25 He had a television program called, 12:27 "Life is Worth Living" 12:29 and obviously from my Protestant background, 12:32 I did not agree with many of the things that he believed, 12:36 but I didn't believe some things. 12:39 And he believed that the only thing that was worth 12:42 anything in the world was a human soul 12:45 that's what he taught. 12:47 And on one occasion the Bishop 12:51 went to a hospital where an atheist was dying of cancer 12:56 and he came in and he said, 12:58 I've come can I pray for you. 13:00 He said get out, priest. 13:02 Get out priest, I hate you. 13:06 But Bishop Fulton Sheen came back the next day 13:10 and the next day and each time he was told by the man, 13:14 get out I hate you, priest. 13:18 And Bishop Fulton Sheen tells the story 13:21 or told the story, 13:23 that he knelt down and he prayed to the Lord 13:26 and he said, Lord, 13:27 if you gonna help me to save this lost soul 13:30 because he was, I will build a church, 13:33 I think somewhere in Africa, he said that will be my vow. 13:39 Help me he said, help me, help me to save this lost soul 13:45 and I will dedicate a church to You. 13:47 I will raise the money. 13:49 When this man was almost dead he came in the last time 13:52 and he said I want to pray for your soul, 13:56 the man said get out, priest. 14:00 He said to him let me say this before I go, 14:05 just say these words, Jesus, have mercy. 14:08 He said, I'll never say it. 14:09 He said say, Jesus, have mercy. 14:15 And the archbishop came to the hospital 14:17 the next day he was met by a nurse and she said bishop, 14:21 the old man with cancer finally died, 14:25 but you'll be interested in knowing 14:27 he was saying some words. 14:29 The Bishop said, what was he saying? 14:32 Jesus, have mercy. Jesus, have mercy. 14:35 Jesus, have mercy. 14:39 The most important thing my friend, 14:42 in the mind of the bishop was the salvation of a soul. 14:47 Would you come over here to the 2 Corinthians Chapter 2, 14:51 2 Corinthians Chapter 2. 14:56 Second Corinthians 2:12- 16. 15:00 And who is the lost soul? 15:02 Any person my friend, outside the kingdom of God 15:05 is a lost soul the Bible teaches. 15:08 We are saved only through Christ. 15:11 Second Corinthians 2:14 and onwards, 15:16 "But thanks be to God, 15:18 who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ 15:22 and through us spreads everywhere 15:23 the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. 15:26 For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those 15:29 who are being saved and those who are perishing. 15:33 To the one we are the smell of death, 15:36 to the other, the fragrance of life. 15:42 And who is equal to such a task?" 15:46 The most important think is to save a soul. 15:51 I want to say a few words to those 15:53 who are watching the television program 15:56 who believe that they're called to be ministers. 15:59 Make sure that God has called you. 16:03 In the days of John Wesley 16:05 he spoke about taking holy orders 16:08 and so we do today. 16:11 He of course was a priest in the Great Anglican Church 16:16 and raised up the Methodist Church 16:19 and he said if you take holy orders 16:21 make sure God has called you. 16:23 Come with me fast 16:25 to 1 Corinthians 12: 27 and onwards. 16:30 In the light on what I've said 16:31 you can understand now this text. 16:34 "Now you are the body of Christ, 16:36 and each one of you is a part of it. 16:38 And in the church 16:39 God has appointed first of all apostles." 16:42 That's a person who goes and preaches the gospel. 16:45 Apostolos one who is sent. 16:47 "Second prophets," that is a person 16:49 who preaches the divine word, 16:51 "third teachers, then workers of miracles, 16:54 also those having gifts of healing, 16:55 those able to help others, 16:57 those with gifts of administration, 16:59 and those who speak in tongues listen in the name of God." 17:03 If you are priding to be our minister, 17:07 some say my aim is to be administrator 17:11 and get behind the desk, 17:13 Jesus was never behind the desk, 17:16 neither was the Apostle Paul. 17:21 The most important gift 17:24 is to go into the world and saves souls, 17:31 because one's soul is worth more than a whole wide world. 17:37 Jesus said I give you the keys of the kingdom, 17:41 He said to His disciples. 17:43 People don't understand that, the keys of the kingdom. 17:46 You open the doors to Paradise I tell you, 17:50 however does open to paradise 17:53 through the preaching of the gospel. 17:57 I say to the young men 17:58 and the young women in this church, 18:00 why throw your lives away on that 18:03 which is relatively unimportant. 18:07 The most important work is to preach the gospel. 18:11 Why have we gone to Russia and Africa and China 18:16 and we're going back to India, 18:18 why do we do this? 18:20 Because we will not pray church, 18:24 because we are driven on by the word of the Lord. 18:30 Our faith is built upon scripture 18:33 not the institution. 18:38 I'm going to read you something. 18:42 You know what gonna meet you again. 18:47 "Twas battered and scarred," but like me. 18:52 "And the auctioneer thought it hardly worth 18:54 his while to waste time on the old violin, 18:58 but he held it up with a smile. 19:00 "What am I bid, good people", he cried, 19:03 "Who starts the bidding for me? 19:05 One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two? 19:08 Two dollars, who makes it three? 19:10 Three dollars once, three dollars 19:12 twice, going for three. 19:17 But, no, from the room far back a gray bearded man 19:22 came forward and picked up the bow, 19:26 then wiping the dust from the old violin 19:29 and tightening up the strings, 19:32 he played a melody, 19:33 pure and sweet as sweet as the angel sings. 19:36 The music ceased and the auctioneer 19:38 with a voice that was quiet and low, said 19:42 'What now am I bid for this old violin?' 19:46 And he held it up with the bow. 19:49 One thousand, one thousand. 19:52 Do I hear two? 19:53 Two thousand, who makes it three? 19:55 Three thousand once, three thousand twice, 19:59 going and gone," said he. 20:02 The people cheered, some of them cried. 20:06 We just don't understand what changed its' worth? 20:11 The man replied, 'The Touch of the Masters Hand.' 20:18 And many a man with life out of tune 20:20 and battered and bruised with sin 20:22 is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd 20:24 much like that old violin. 20:27 A mess of pottage, a glass of wine, 20:29 a game and he travels on. 20:31 He is going once, he is going twice, 20:33 he is going and almost gone. 20:37 But the Master comes, 20:41 and the foolish crowd never can quite understand, 20:46 the worth of a soul 20:49 and the change that is wrought 20:53 by the Touch of the Masters' Hand. 20:58 We're privileged to have with us today, 21:01 violinist Jing Zhou, 21:03 she's going to come and play for us 21:07 the great British hymn, 21:11 written by the great evangelist and preacher 21:17 who led well before us to Christ. 21:19 The hymn is called "Amazing Grace." 21:23 Would you please come? You're welcome here. 25:53 Hello, friend, I'm John Carter in Columbia. 25:57 Behind me is the great city of Bogota 26:00 the capital of this amazing country. 26:04 This city is a city of more than eight million souls. 26:11 It's up more than eight thousand feet in the Andes 26:16 and we've come here today with one purpose in mind, 26:19 to preach the everlasting gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 26:24 We're here because we have a commission from God. 26:28 Jesus said " Go into all the world 26:32 and preach the everlasting gospel, 26:35 baptizing them in the name of the Father 26:37 and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." 26:40 The people here need the gospel of Christ. 26:45 And I'm asking you today come with us 26:47 if not body but come with us in spirit. 26:51 This is been a very, very dangerous city. 26:54 A very dangerous part of the world 26:57 but we believe that we are safe 26:59 when we are in the hands of God. 27:02 Therefore, I'm beseeching you in the name of Christ 27:06 and in the names of these eight million 27:09 plus inhabitants in the city of Bogota 27:13 to come and help us to preach the Word of God. 27:17 Please, support the preaching of the Word of God in Columbia. 27:21 Please write to me John Carter, Post Office Box 1900, 27:26 Thousand Oaks, California 91358. 27:29 In Australia write to me at the address Terrigal, 27:33 New South Wales, Australia. 27:36 Jesus said "Work while it is day 27:40 the night is coming when no man can work." 27:43 Please write to me today. 27:45 Thank you and God bless you. 28:09 And I'm the one to blame 28:18 I caused all the pain 28:26 He gave Himself, the day He wore my crown 28:55 Amen. Amen. |
Revised 2014-12-17