Participants: Pr. John Carter
Series Code: CR
Program Code: CR001603A
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00:13 We're just so glad to see you folks here today.
00:17 In our new television studio, 00:20 in beautiful Mall Park 00:22 just down the hill from Ronald Reagan's Library. 00:26 So, you know, we're just keeping 00:27 the very best company, aren't we? 00:30 That's why we've got you folks here today. 00:32 Because we consider you folks to be a part of our team, 00:36 and we just want to give you the warmest welcome. 00:39 My topic today, it's sort of a bombshell. 00:43 I'm gonna talk for a little bit about political correctness 00:47 that I sort of don't like. 00:49 But then I'm going to talk about, 00:52 The Fate of the Heathen. 00:54 But firstly, we're glad to welcome 00:56 the pastor, the senior pastor of the Thousand Oaks Church, 01:01 Pastor Larry Meager. 01:03 And he is going to come out 01:04 and he is going to say the prayer. 01:09 Our Father, 01:12 when we stop and just think about those two words, 01:15 it brings us indescribable joy. 01:18 Our Father, a Father who sits on His throne in heaven 01:23 and sits in our hearts. 01:26 And we thank You for that 01:29 from the bottom of our hearts. 01:31 This is made possible 01:33 through Jesus Christ, 01:36 Jesus Christ our older brother 01:39 who came as one of us, 01:42 who gave His life 01:44 and on the third day 01:45 was resurrected again and is in heaven. 01:50 But He didn't leave before He promised 01:52 that He would come again. 01:54 That He would not abandon us. 01:56 That He would give us the Holy Spirit 01:58 to speak to our hearts and to our minds. 02:01 And so, for this wonderful gift, 02:04 our Father, we give you thanks in the name of Jesus Christ, 02:10 the father, the Holy Spirit. 02:14 This in his name, we do pray, amen. 02:17 Amen. Amen. 02:20 The topic today, is "The Fate of the Heathen." 02:23 What is going to be the fate of those people 02:25 who don't hear the gospel? 02:28 Firstly today, 02:29 I want to talk just a little bit 02:31 about political correctness. 02:37 I seem to think that political correctness 02:39 is not only the curse of America, 02:43 but it can be the curse of the Christian church. 02:46 Political correctness says, 02:49 "You can't say anything 02:50 that may somehow offend anybody." 02:54 Now, I want you to know we should never set out 02:57 and start out to offend any person. 03:01 We should never ever say anything 03:04 that is going to offend somebody 03:07 just because we are careless. 03:10 But the Bible tells us that most importantly 03:13 we need to be able to teach and to preach the truth, 03:19 because the preaching of the gospel of Christ 03:23 is going to offend some people. 03:26 Even here in the United States of America, 03:29 where people are losing their religious freedoms. 03:33 I want you to take your Bile today, 03:34 and we're going to come over here to a text. 03:36 And I'm using the new KJV. 03:39 I'm turning over here to John 8:32, 03:44 John 8:32, my friend, 03:51 John 8:32. 03:54 I want you to notice it in the word of God. 03:57 And we put this up here on this giant screen 04:00 also but I want you to see it in the Bible 04:02 because Jesus said these words, 04:05 "And you shall know the truth, 04:08 and the truth shall make you..." 04:10 what? Free. 04:12 "Truth shall make you free." 04:16 We need freedom. 04:18 Here in America, 04:19 we believe that freedom is a very precious word. 04:23 I believe today, we're in danger of our freedoms 04:26 being taken from us. 04:28 Even Dr. Billy Graham, patron saint 04:34 of the Christian church in America said, 04:38 "Christians in North America are going to be persecuted 04:46 by their government." 04:50 And so the teaching of truth is tremendously important. 04:55 And today, we need to take a stand 04:57 and say that whatever it costs, 05:00 we're going to be preachers of the truth of God, 05:04 so help us God. 05:07 Now today's topic is The Gospel and The Fate of the Heathen. 05:12 What happens to people who don't hear the gospel? 05:16 The first truth, I want to talk about today is this. 05:19 Number one. 05:20 Here it is. 05:23 Jesus alone is the way 05:27 to everlasting life. 05:31 That's politically incorrect 05:34 because it's going to offend a lot of people. 05:38 But the Bible teaches 05:39 that Jesus is the way to everlasting life. 05:42 Would you come over here to Acts 4:11 and 12, 05:47 Acts 4:11 and 12 05:53 the Bible says, 05:55 "This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, 06:01 which has become the chief cornerstone.' 06:04 Nor is there salvation in any other, 06:07 for there is no other name under heaven given among men 06:11 by which we must be saved." 06:14 Listen to me. 06:16 We do not seek to be judgmental. 06:21 God is the judge, 06:24 but the judge has already told us the truth. 06:26 The Bible says, "Jesus said, 06:28 there is no other name under heaven 06:33 given among men, whereby we must be saved." 06:36 So Christ is the way. 06:38 Can I say this to you? 06:39 Can I say it softly? 06:40 Not Muhammad. 06:44 People say no, no, no, no, no, all roads lead to heaven. 06:48 As long as you are sincere, you're going to be saved. 06:51 What you're gonna to do with this text in the Bible. 06:54 There is no other name, not Muhammad, 06:57 not Moses, 07:00 the great lawgiver of the Old Testament. 07:02 We're not saved through Moses and the law. 07:06 Not St. Paul, 07:08 who gave us the Book of Romans 07:10 that talks about grace and faith. 07:12 Not St. Paul, not, certainly not Buddha, 07:17 certainly not Kali, 07:21 one of the great gods of the Hindus. 07:23 The Bible says, 07:24 "Jesus is the only way to eternal life." 07:29 Now respect is different to acceptance. 07:33 We respect you as a person made in the image of God. 07:39 But we may not accept your belief system 07:42 or your lifestyle. 07:44 So when people come to me and they say, 07:46 "But I have a certain lifestyle, 07:48 and you don't believe in it, 07:50 but you got to do so 07:51 and so because this is my lifestyle." 07:54 I say, "I will not." 07:58 Because I have freedom. 08:00 I respect your freedom. 08:02 I ask you to respect mine. 08:06 And there's no other name under heaven. 08:08 Not all ideas are of equal value. 08:14 And that's completely politically incorrect. 08:18 We live in a society that says, "All ideas are of equal value." 08:22 No, they're not. 08:25 I've been to Russia now 44 times. 08:29 People said, "Why have you gone to Russia so many times? 08:32 Do you like it there?" 08:33 Not, not especially. 08:36 When I was there in Moscow, minus 25 degrees at Red Square. 08:42 No, I go there because of the gospel. 08:44 And what I saw in Russia 08:47 is a wake-up call for America today. 08:54 You know what atheism did in Russia? 08:57 Most people don't know. 08:59 Most young people haven't got any idea 09:02 about history today. 09:04 They have no idea, they haven't got a clue. 09:08 The atheists in Russia over a period of 70 years 09:12 put to death as a minimum 50 million innocent people. 09:17 You're going to tell me, all ideas are the same. 09:20 When I went to Russia, 09:22 I had to tell the people you are not an animal. 09:25 You're not a machine. 09:27 You're a child of God. 09:28 There's a God that loves you. 09:31 So don't tell me all ideas are the same, I won't buy it. 09:35 "Jesus is the only way because He is Almighty God, 09:39 the Creator in human flesh." 09:45 Now, Muhammad ever claimed to be that? 09:47 He is a prophet of God, you know. 09:50 We don't criticize him and we respect him. 09:53 And we respect the great faith of Islam. 09:57 But Jesus is the only one 09:59 because He claimed to be Almighty God in human flesh. 10:03 So would you take your Bible and turn over here 10:05 to John 8:54 and 59. 10:08 John 8:54 to 59, 10:12 John 8:54 to 59, 10:18 "Jesus answered, 10:20 "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. 10:25 It is My Father who honors Me, 10:27 of whom you say that He is your God. 10:31 Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. 10:37 And if I say, "I do not know Him, 10:39 ' I shall be a liar like you, 10:43 but I do know Him and keep His word." 10:47 And then he said these words. 10:50 Just, just look at this on the screen for a moment. 10:54 You got it open in the Bible which is great 10:56 because it is written, 10:57 "Man shall not live by bread alone." 10:59 But look at this. 11:01 "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, 11:04 and he saw it and was glad." 11:06 Then the Jews said to Him, 11:07 "You are not yet fifty years old 11:10 and have You seen Abraham?" 11:12 Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, 11:16 before Abraham was, I AM." 11:20 And the next text tells us, 11:23 "Then they took up stones to throw at Him." 11:25 You know why they took up stone? 11:26 Because they knew, 11:28 He was claiming to be Almighty God. 11:31 No other man, no human being can say things like that. 11:35 He said, "I am, the great I am." 11:39 These are the words that belong to Yahweh Elohim, 11:45 the Almighty God. 11:47 So, this religion of Jesus 11:50 is not just like any other religion. 11:52 So don't give me the stuff that says 11:55 all religions are the same. 12:00 They've been brainwashed with this political correctness 12:03 that says all religions are the same. 12:05 It's not true. 12:07 Come over here to Exodus Chapter 3. 12:09 Exodus Chapter 3. 12:11 This is a story of Moses and the burning bush. 12:15 When Moses, was confronted by God in the burning bush. 12:21 Exodus 3:13 12:27 to 15. 12:28 Exodus Chapter 3, "Moses said to God, 12:34 "Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel 12:36 and say to them, 12:37 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you 12:39 and they say to me, 'What is His name?' 12:41 What shall I say to them?" 12:43 And God said to Moses "I AM WHO I AM." 12:46 And He said, 'Thus shall you say to the children of Israel, 12:49 I AM has sent me to you." 12:51 ' Moreover God said to Moses, 12:53 "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 12:55 'The God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, 12:58 the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, 13:00 has sent me to you. 13:01 This is My name forever 13:02 and this is My memorial to all generations." 13:05 I want you to think about this. 13:08 You've all heard of C.S. Lewis, haven't you? 13:10 He was a Great Oxford Don. 13:14 A member of the old church of my father's and my mother's, 13:19 the Church of England. 13:21 He said... 13:23 He was one of the greatest minds in the world. 13:28 He said, "When people come to me and I say, 13:31 I don't accept the divinity of Christ but I do believe 13:34 that Christ Jesus, Jesus was a good man, 13:40 a great teacher." 13:41 C.S. Lewis, said, "Don't dare patronize him. 13:48 He claimed to be God." 13:50 He said, "What would you do with a man 13:53 who comes to you and says that he is a poached egg." 13:58 You must think about it. 14:00 You say, "He's crazy." 14:02 He's not a great man, he's crazy. 14:06 Jesus made claims that nobody 14:09 in the history of the world ever claimed. 14:11 He said, "I am the Almighty." 14:15 So he said, "Either he is a madman 14:19 or the godman. 14:23 And if he's the mad man, he is not a good man, 14:25 he is a deluder. 14:27 And he is deluded and he is deceived." 14:32 And so the claims of Christ extraordinary 14:36 and they cannot be just brushed aside. 14:39 Come to John 14:6. 14:44 John 14:6. 14:50 These words were read yesterday at Mrs. Reagan's funeral 14:54 just up the road here. 14:57 In Simi Valley, up on top of the mountain, 15:01 beautiful place. 15:02 Jesus said to him, 15:05 "I am the way, the truth, and the life. 15:09 No one comes to the Father except through Me." 15:13 You can't get to God except through Jesus. 15:17 So, you know, I don't want to be-- 15:19 I don't want to sound judgmental, 15:21 I don't want to sound narrow-minded. 15:23 But I want to say, Jesus is the way. 15:29 And I don't, I don't care about all this foolishness 15:32 and this political correctness that says, 15:35 "Every road leads to heaven. 15:37 All you got to do is 15:40 get in touch with your inner self, 15:44 the God who is within you." 15:47 There is no good in me. 15:50 My goodness comes down from God. 15:54 You see, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. 15:58 Jesus is the Christ of God, it's the next great truth. 16:02 "Jesus is the Christ of God 16:04 and paid for our sins when He died our death 16:07 on the cross." 16:10 But you say, well, of course 16:12 I believe our Muslim friends believe this. 16:15 No, no, no, they do not believe that Jesus died on the cross. 16:21 They say, "They accept him as a mighty prophet of God." 16:25 God bless them. 16:28 But they say, 16:31 "The Christ of God could not die on a cross." 16:37 Gandhi, the leader of the Hindus said, 16:40 "I love your Christ 16:42 but I cannot believe in this idea 16:45 of one person dying for another." 16:49 Said I repudiate that entirely. 16:56 The most controversial truth 16:59 is that God in Christ 17:04 came down from glory 17:07 and on the cross died for our sins. 17:12 Would you come over here to John 3:14 and onwards, 17:15 John 3:14 and onwards in the word of God. 17:21 Jesus said, 17:22 "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, 17:25 even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 17:28 that whoever believes in Him should not perish 17:31 but have eternal life. 17:32 For God so loved the world 17:33 that He gave his only begotten Son, 17:35 that whoever believes in Him should not perish 17:38 but have everlasting life." 17:42 Last night I was reading a little bit about Shackleton. 17:48 Shackleton was the great British explorer. 17:51 He was an Irishman as well as being an Englishman. 17:56 And he went down to the Antarctica. 18:00 And his ship got caught up in the ice 18:03 and crushed to death. 18:06 He had to leave some of his men, 18:08 most of his men behind. 18:11 And he and some of his companions 18:13 got into this little boat 18:16 that was about 20 feet long 18:18 and sailed across to tempestuous seas 18:22 and they came to a place where there were human beings. 18:27 And with the help of the Chilean government, 18:31 they got a boat 18:33 and he traveled back to save his men. 18:36 Shackleton had a heart condition. 18:39 He passed out several times on the journey. 18:43 And when he came back and found his men 18:45 who were starving to death and half crazed with the cold. 18:51 They said to him, 18:53 "We knew you would come, brother. 18:57 We knew you would come." 19:00 And so Christ, God in Christ 19:03 comes cross the space 19:07 of a billion galaxies. 19:11 And God the eternal Spirit 19:13 becomes 19:15 God the Man. 19:23 This is the most controversial truth 19:25 in the world today. 19:26 The most politically 19:29 incorrect truth that God becomes a man, 19:31 and he is the only way to salvation. 19:39 Now, the amazing thing is, 19:42 that cradled in the womb of the Virgin Mary 19:44 for nine months was God. 19:49 Who can understand it, 19:50 it's an incomprehensible mystery. 19:53 And when he was hung on the cross, what happened? 19:56 Jesus said, "As a snake or as the serpent 20:00 was lifted up in the wilderness, 20:03 even so must the Son of Man be lifted up." 20:06 Now, the serpent was full of poison. 20:10 And under the curse of God, 20:13 how could this have any relationship 20:16 to the sinless Christ, 20:19 God in human flesh, 20:21 it's an incomprehensible mystery. 20:24 Except when we come to understand as 20:26 Paul pointed out, 20:28 out in the Epistle to the Corinthians, 20:32 that the poison of sin was laid upon him. 20:38 The sin of the world. 20:41 And he was treated as though he were the worst of sinners. 20:45 And endured the wrath 20:49 of an unspeakably righteous God. 20:57 No other religion believes this. 21:00 The message of the gospel is God loves you, 21:05 because God sees you and He loves you 21:08 whoever you are. 21:11 And salvation is found in no one else. 21:14 And now I come to the most politically incorrect statement 21:19 I've ever made. 21:21 And I've taken a talk like this before. 21:23 And this talk you will be amazed, 21:26 you may not be amazed. 21:27 But I will tell you, 21:29 this is the talk that gets people more upset 21:33 than any other talk I've ever given. 21:38 And I will get phone calls and I will get letters. 21:41 And I'm talking from believers and they will say, 21:45 "This was the worst thing I've ever heard." 21:49 Because we do not believe it, 21:50 we believe that people are going to be saved 21:56 by their righteous deeds, 21:59 and they're going to be saved because they're in ignorance. 22:04 And because they are in ignorance, 22:06 they will be saved. 22:09 But what I'm saying is that it's not true. 22:13 People without Christ are lost. 22:19 I just want you to think about this for a moment. 22:22 You may find it totally unacceptable. 22:25 You may say, "I can accept so many other things, 22:28 but I cannot accept the idea 22:30 that people without Christ are lost." 22:33 Who do we think we are? 22:40 But it is the teaching of the Bible. 22:42 Would you come over here to Ephesians 2:1 and 2? 22:47 And as you know we live today 22:49 in an intellectually and spiritually barren race. 22:53 People no longer read Holy Scripture. 22:56 Would you come over here to Ephesians 2:1 and 2? 23:02 And remember, not all opinions are the same. 23:06 The most important opinion is the opinion of scripture. 23:12 Ephesians 2:1 and 2, "And you He made alive, 23:16 who were dead in trespasses and sins..." 23:19 The Bible says without Christ we are as dead as can be. 23:24 "In which you once walked 23:25 according to the course of this world, 23:27 according to the prince of the power of the air, 23:29 the spirit who now is at work in the sons of disobedience." 23:33 The Bible says 23:35 that before I come to Christ, I am dead. 23:40 It doesn't say I am saved. 23:43 "And you He made alive, 23:45 who were dead in trespasses and sins, 23:48 in which you once walked." 23:50 So a person without Christ is dead. 23:56 And that is why we preach the gospel, 23:59 because the preaching of the gospel 24:02 is a resurrection for the dead. 24:05 Would you come over here to Ephesians 2:12? 24:09 This is perhaps the most politically 24:12 incorrect text in the Bible. 24:15 He says, "That at that time you were without Christ, 24:20 being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel 24:23 and strangers from the covenants of promise." 24:27 Oh dear, 24:30 "Having no hope and without God in the world." 24:38 I don't know what you think about this. 24:41 But the Bible says, 24:45 "At that time you were without Christ, 24:48 being aliens 24:50 from the commonwealth of Israel, 24:52 the people of God, and strangers 24:54 from the covenants of promise, 24:56 having no hope, no hope, 25:01 and without God in the world." 25:06 One of my colleagues came to me and he said, 25:09 "You say these things because, you are an evangelist." 25:15 He said, "You say these things because of what you are." 25:21 I said, "No, I am what I am." 25:24 Because of these truths, it's the other way around. 25:29 I do this work 25:31 because I believe that Christ is the way 25:33 the truth and the life. 25:36 And people are lost without Christ. 25:39 I've spoken to millions and millions of lost souls. 25:45 And I've seen vast numbers find salvation. 25:50 Let me mention some commonly believed myths. 25:56 Number one. 25:57 People are saved if they don't know better, 26:00 if they are ignorant. 26:03 Well, keep them in ignorance then 26:05 because then they're saved. 26:07 Don't tell them. 26:08 People are saved if they are in darkness. 26:12 If that is true, keep them in darkness. 26:14 People are saved until they actually reject. 26:20 Well, don't give them the opportunity of rejecting. 26:23 Sounds as some churches operate. 26:26 People are born saved is one of the greatest heresies, 26:30 totally unbiblical. 26:31 People are saved by their good works. 26:37 I don't believe any of this. 26:39 Come over here to Romans 2:12. 26:43 Romans 2, I need to have a theology 26:49 that is not based upon what I want to believe, 26:53 but what is based upon the word of God. 26:55 Romans 2:12 says, 27:01 "For as many as have sinned without law 27:03 will also perish without law..." 27:05 There's the answer. 27:07 "People who sin without a knowledge of God 27:11 will perish without a knowledge of God. 27:14 But as many as have sinned in the law 27:17 will be judged by the law." 27:21 And then the text goes on to say. 27:24 "For not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, 27:27 but the doors of the law will be justified, 27:30 for when Gentiles, who do not to have the law, 27:33 by nature do the things in the law, 27:36 these, although not having the law, 27:38 are in law to themselves, 27:40 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, 27:43 their conscience also bearing witness, 27:48 and between themselves their thoughts accusing 27:51 or else excusing them." 27:54 Some people say, "Well, that text proves 27:56 that people are going to be saved 27:59 by their obedience to the law on the heart, 28:01 the text does not say that. 28:05 The text says 28:07 that their thoughts are accuse or excuse them. 28:11 It doesn't say they are saved. 28:22 For a copy of today's program, 28:24 please contact us at P.O. Box 1900, 28:28 Thousand Oaks, California 91358. 28:32 Or in Australia, contact us 28:35 at P.O. Box 861, Terrigal, New South Wales 2260. 28:41 This program is made possible 28:43 through the generous support of viewers like you. 28:46 We thank you for your continued support. 28:49 May God richly bless you. |
Revised 2016-05-02