Participants: Pr. John Carter
Series Code: CR
Program Code: CR001608A
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00:14 My American friends, what's this?
00:17 That's a dime. 00:18 How far does it go? 00:21 You know, okay. 00:26 When I first discovered this, I didn't believe it. 00:28 I said to one of the world's greatest astronomers, 00:30 "No, I don't believe that." 00:32 That's why he said to me, 00:34 "Well, every educated person does." 00:37 See this dime. 00:39 Very small, isn't it? 00:41 Yeah. 00:44 You know how big this world is, don't you? 00:46 It's got a lot of mass, hasn't it? 00:49 Our Milky Way system made up of 200 million stars. 00:52 Got a lot of mass, hasn't it? 00:54 And there's another 200 billion stars... 00:57 galaxies. 00:59 Okay. 01:00 If the universe were increased or decreased 01:03 by the mass of a dime, 01:06 there'd be no life on the planet. 01:12 The universe were... 01:14 If the total mass of the universe 01:16 were increased or decreased by the mass of a dime, 01:19 there would be no life on the planet. 01:21 There would be no planet. 01:27 So I say to my atheistic friends, 01:30 would you please consider the evidence. 01:34 It's called by scholars the anthropic principle. 01:37 It means that every thing in the universe 01:39 was designed for human life 01:44 which makes you think, which makes you think. 01:46 Now, this is an illustration I've used over and over again. 01:50 Some scientists, atheists, dismiss it, 01:54 but they have no reason to dismiss it. 01:56 I want you to think of the greatest airplane 01:58 in my humble opinion 02:00 that has ever been made and that is a 747. 02:06 That I say we're advancing 02:08 because we've got these new planes 02:10 which are smaller, and slower, 02:15 and less comfortable but make more money for the airlines, 02:18 you see. 02:19 But I want you to think of this. 02:22 This great plane, 747-400 02:26 made up of millions parts. 02:30 I want you to think of this great 747. 02:33 No, not this great 747 but all the parts for the 747. 02:37 There are millions of different parts. 02:39 They're being stored in a shed, all of these parts. 02:43 And all of a sudden, 02:44 there comes a tremendous tornado 02:47 and it picks up all of those millions of parts 02:50 and when the parts come down, 02:53 it's a 747 functioning, 02:59 you see. 03:00 Now, just think about this. 03:03 If it walks like a duck. 03:06 It quacks like a duck. 03:08 Yeah, yeah. 03:09 Yeah, yeah. 03:11 So I'm forced by the evidence 03:13 to believe in a God who made us. 03:15 I want you to come in the Bible, 03:17 come in the Bible to Psalm 33:6 and onwards please. 03:22 Psalm 33:6 and onwards. 03:28 Psalm 33:6 and 9, the Bible says, 03:31 "By the word of the Lord the heavens made, 03:34 and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth." 03:37 Verse 9 says, "For He spoke, and it was done, 03:40 and He commanded, and it stood fast." 03:43 We now know, we now know 03:46 that matter can be converted into energy. 03:50 And it is a scientific fact 03:52 that energy can be converted into matter, 03:57 and so, this all mighty God, 04:00 He spoke and the universe appeared. 04:06 What sort of God is this? 04:09 How big is this God? 04:11 And now, what is this God like? 04:12 The Bible tells me, 04:15 He is a God of love of awesome power, 04:21 of mercy. 04:23 He is our sustainer. 04:24 He looks after us. 04:26 He takes care of us. 04:27 And He is our provider. 04:30 I want you now to share with me 04:32 some amazing insights into what this God is like. 04:36 Would you come over here to Isaiah 40, 04:39 the Book of Isaiah Chapter 40 04:44 and we're going to come to verse 25, 26, 04:49 Isaiah 40:25, 26. 04:52 "To whom then will you liken Me, 04:54 Or to whom shall I be equal?" 04:55 says the Lord, the Holy One. 04:58 Lift up your eyes on high, 05:00 And see who created these things, 05:02 Who brings out their host by number, 05:04 He calls them all by name, 05:06 By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power, 05:10 Not one is missing." 05:12 And if you come now to verse 28 and onwards, it says, 05:15 "Have you not known? 05:16 Have you not heard? 05:18 The everlasting God, the Lord, 05:19 The Creator of the ends of the earth, 05:21 Neither faints nor is weary. 05:23 There is no searching of His understanding. 05:25 He gives power to the weak, 05:26 And to those who have no might He increases strength. 05:30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, 05:32 And the young men shall utterly fall, 05:35 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength, 05:38 They shall mount up with wings like eagles, 05:40 They shall run and not be weary, 05:43 They shall walk and not be faint." 05:45 What is this God like? 05:48 You know, you say to me, 05:50 it's over, my life is overwhelming. 05:53 I have so many problems. 05:55 I don't know how I'm going to pay my bills. 05:58 I don't know how I'm going to pay 06:00 for these television cameras here today. 06:02 I want to tell you, the Almighty God 06:05 who made the stars can do a few things 06:08 that you and I can't understand. 06:09 Amen. 06:11 He is an awesome. 06:14 Now come over here. 06:16 Hey, you folks, 06:17 what's happening to you, you're coming alive. 06:18 Come over here. 06:20 Come over, this is really good. 06:21 Come over here to Book of Job, Job Chapter 26, some say, 06:25 this is the oldest book that was written in the Bible. 06:29 It's Job 26:7 says, 06:33 "He stretches out the north over empty space, 06:37 He hangs the earth on nothing." 06:41 Look at this picture. 06:42 Thousands of years ago, 06:44 the Bible spoke about an Almighty God 06:47 who flung the stars in space and hung the earth on nothing. 06:54 Come to Job 38:4-7, Job 38:4-7, 07:00 "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? 07:03 Tell Me, if you have understanding. 07:06 Who determined its measurements? 07:07 Surely you know! 07:09 Or who stretched the line upon it? 07:12 To what were its foundations fastened? 07:14 Who laid its cornerstone." 07:17 Now this is the verse. 07:18 "When the morning stars sang together, 07:21 And all the sons of God shouted for joy?" 07:24 Listen to this. 07:29 Before creation there was no time. 07:34 The Bible actually says before time began, 07:37 did you know that. 07:38 There was no space and there was no matter, 07:41 but there was God. 07:46 And the sons of God... 07:51 beings from beyond time and space. 07:56 And when the universe was made, 07:59 they were there and rejoiced 08:02 at the power of the Almighty God. 08:05 Would you come over here to the Book of Nehemiah 9:6. 08:10 Nehemiah 9:6. 08:15 It says, "You alone are the Lord, 08:18 You have made heaven, The heaven of heavens, 08:21 with all their host..." 08:24 Notice the heaven of heavens, beyond our heavens. 08:28 "The earth and all things on it, 08:30 The seas and all that is in them, 08:32 And You preserve them all. 08:34 The host of heaven worships You." 08:40 There are many things I don't understand, 08:44 but beyond time and space. 08:46 The Bible spoke about the Father's house. 08:51 The Father's house is not on Mars 08:54 or Venus or Andromeda. 09:00 It existed before the universe came into being. 09:07 And when the universe came into being, these beings, 09:12 beings that we do not comprehend 09:14 a bit like dark matter, 09:18 they sang and rejoiced. 09:22 So the Bible teaches 09:24 that we humans on this planet are not alone. 09:30 You hear this. 09:31 We are not alone. 09:33 In fact, the Bible teaches that 09:36 some of them have come down to this planet. 09:38 Would you come over here to Matthew 28:3-5, 09:43 Matthew 28:3-5, in the New Testament, 09:49 Matthew 28:3-5. 09:53 "His countenance was like lightning, 09:57 and his clothes as white as snow. 10:00 And the guards shook for fear of him, 10:01 and became like dead men. 10:03 But the angel..." 10:05 The Greek word means the messenger, 10:08 the messenger, the messenger, 10:10 "And said to the women, "Do not be afraid, 10:13 for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 10:16 He has been raised from the dead." 10:19 Now, I want to say something to the skeptics. 10:22 And I meet them all the time. 10:26 They say, "I could never believe in Christ 10:29 being raised from the dead." 10:31 Are you kidding me? 10:33 You kidding me? 10:35 If you can't believe in that, then believe in this, the dime. 10:42 Believe in the great forces of dark matter. 10:45 Believe it. 10:46 Believe in the four great forces 10:48 that came into being electromagnetism, 10:52 gravity, strong nuclear, the weak nuclear, 10:54 believe that 'cause we know that it's true. 10:58 And don't tell me that the God who made the stars can't do it, 11:02 you see. 11:04 Don't tell me that, please. 11:06 Now, come over here to Matthew 25:31. 11:10 Now, what we're dealing with today. 11:11 What we're doing today. 11:13 We're giving you some hard, 11:15 solid evidence why people can believe in God. 11:18 Matthew 25:31, 11:21 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, 11:24 and all the holy angels with Him, 11:26 then He will sit on the throne of His glory." 11:29 The bible teaches us. 11:30 Now this a remarkable concept 11:33 but it should not be so remarkable for people 11:36 who believe in space 11:38 and who have seen the glory out there, 11:41 this inconceivable universe. 11:46 I hope you got that. 11:48 When you look at through the Hubble Telescope, 11:51 when you can see what they can show us today, 11:54 this 200 billion galaxies, 11:57 plus 10 times more smaller galaxies. 12:03 Just remember this. 12:06 We are seeing less than half of 1 percent 12:11 because the rest you can't see. 12:14 And so, just get it into your mind. 12:16 It's not because it's not there 12:19 and because the telescope is not working. 12:22 No, it's because it's composed of material 12:25 that nobody at present understands. 12:29 It has force. 12:32 It can be measured 12:34 this drivingly expansion of the universe. 12:37 We've never lived in the time 12:39 when there has been so much evidence 12:41 to believe in God. 12:44 Never been such a time. 12:46 So the Bible says, 12:49 the man who made it all came to this earth, 12:53 is put to death, He came back to life again. 12:56 And it says, "He is going to come 12:59 and He is going to come back with beings from outer space." 13:03 They will be visitors 13:05 as we call them from other worlds. 13:07 Would you come to John please, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, 13:11 this is a superlative text, John 14: 1:3, 13:18 dear hearts and general people. 13:21 John 14:1-3, 13:26 John 14:1-3, 13:31 you got it. 13:34 "Let not your heart be troubled, 13:37 you believe in God, believe also in the Me..." 13:39 You should not worry 13:40 when you know that the Almighty God 13:43 who made the universe is our friend. 13:48 When I'm as a poor boy going through Avondale College, 13:52 I came to my last year 13:53 and I've been there for six years. 13:57 I was as poor as a church mass. 14:00 And a church mass is poor. 14:05 I had one shirt left. 14:07 Beverly will tell you this. 14:09 I couldn't take my coat off. 14:11 You know why? 14:12 I only had one coat, couldn't take my coat off. 14:15 No, I had a shirt but I had no sleeves, 14:18 sleeves have fallen out. 14:20 No, I'm okay now. 14:22 You don't have to feel sorry for it. 14:23 It's a long time ago. 14:25 I was so skinny. 14:28 We had a club at Avondale College, 14:30 we call it the Bones Club, 14:32 because you can count all of our bones. 14:36 I was poor till we have toothpaste. 14:38 No, we couldn't. 14:41 We didn't have soap, except if our girlfriends 14:45 would give us a little bit of soap, 14:47 something like that. 14:48 We say put on occasions so we'd be more bearable. 14:51 But listen, let me tell you. 14:55 I had no idea how I was going to pay all my fees. 14:58 Accountants generally have no grace and no mercy. 15:02 God bless all the accountants. 15:04 We love the accountants. 15:06 But you know that's not a profession 15:08 that encourages grace or mercy, you know. 15:13 But I remember one night going out under the stars 15:16 on the Avondale campus, 15:19 a black, black night and looking up at the stars. 15:24 No streets lights. 15:26 Sky is black as ink. 15:29 And all of the stars shining so brightly. 15:33 It came into my mind like a revelation 15:36 from beyond the stars. 15:39 Is there anything too hard for the God 15:42 who made all of this, 15:44 you see. 15:46 So when you got problems out, you know, 15:49 we've been talking science, we've been giving you evidence, 15:52 but now let's have it therefore. 15:54 If what I've told you today is true, 15:57 all of these stars, 16:00 the vast numbers, the galaxies. 16:03 We haven't talked about the black holes. 16:06 We know there are black holes. 16:10 Inconceivable power. 16:13 Just a week or so ago, 16:15 astronomer saw explosion of a tremendous star. 16:21 They're seeing at as it happened so long ago, 16:26 the brilliance of that exploding star was greater 16:30 than the brilliance of the whole Milky Way system. 16:33 Where there is 200 billion stars. 16:39 What sort of God is this God? 16:42 That's why C.S. Lewis, 16:44 the great Oxford scholar said, "Your God is too small." 16:49 He is talking to Christians. 16:53 No faith, no trust, 16:56 no belief, little thinking. 17:00 When the God who made us is the God who become a man. 17:05 The Bible says the word became flesh 17:08 dwelled amongst us. 17:10 And it says He created all things. 17:13 And it says, He spoke. 17:16 We read the words, He spoke. 17:18 You think God was there, what is He like? 17:24 What a person? 17:26 He is a person and He says, 17:29 I'm going to have me a universe of billions of galaxies 17:33 and I'll have black holes and then after a bit, 17:37 I'm going to have a planet 17:39 and it's going to be as the Bible says, 17:41 'the apple of my eye'. 17:43 It's going to be my chief treasure. 17:47 So he said, I'm going to dwell all these things 17:50 and I'm going to have 17:52 these full big forces working together. 17:56 I'm going to have it so that even it were increased 18:00 by the size of an American dime, 18:05 it's going to whack. 18:07 I'm going to use all the forces, 18:10 the billions of galaxies 18:12 so that people today can do this. 18:18 You say, I don't believe it. 18:20 It's true. 18:23 I have mixed with some of the world's 18:25 greatest scientists, it is true. 18:28 It's true. 18:30 So what is this God like? 18:33 Well, the amazing thing about this God, 18:36 He is going to come again. 18:38 Let me read the text, John 14:1-3. 18:39 Now have a look at it, please John 14:1-3. 18:42 "Let not your heart be troubled, 18:43 you believe in God, believe also in Me. 18:46 In My Father's house are many mansions, many rooms, 18:50 if it were not so, I would have told you. 18:53 I go to prepare a place for you. 18:55 And if I go and prepare a place for you, 18:58 I will come again and receive you to Myself, 19:03 that where I am, there you may be also. 19:07 Listen, 19:10 Christ... 19:14 He is not just the smart guy. 19:19 You should never patronize Him. 19:23 Unbelievers have a tendency to say, 19:25 "Oh, we accept He was a great teacher." 19:28 Oh, that's nonsense, because He claimed to be God. 19:32 He claimed to be God. He said, "I am that I am." 19:35 He said, "I'm God." 19:38 If He wasn't whom He said He was, 19:40 then He was a fool and a liar and a cheat and a charlatan, 19:45 so don't patronize Him, don't give me that stuff. 19:49 He was what He was so, Oh, He was the greatest liar, 19:53 fraud and cheat. 19:57 But he said, one who made it all 19:59 from the stars in the space, 20:01 He said, "I will come again." 20:06 I'm going to come again. 20:07 Now, okay. 20:10 Let's hold with me now. 20:11 Okay. 20:12 We're just going to keep this picture up here. 20:15 I want to talk about this. 20:19 Last week in that series we took you to Babylon. 20:22 You know why I've got strong confidence 20:26 in what I'm telling you 20:27 because I'm not an armchair theologian. 20:31 I had been to those places. 20:33 I've been to Babylon, 20:34 of course, I have, heaps of time. 20:37 Been locked up by Saddam Hussein, 20:40 put under house arrest by Saddam Hussein, 20:43 taken through the streets of Baghdad at night, 20:46 interrogated. 20:48 The survived okay, 20:49 they're all right, they've lasted. 20:52 No, I've been there, I have seen it. 20:55 I've been to Nebuchadnezzar's palace. 20:57 I've been to the place 20:58 where the great prophecy was given. 21:02 Into Babylon, been to Persia 21:05 and all around Persia, called it Iran, 21:10 old ancient remarkable civilization. 21:13 Most of us done nothing about Iran. 21:15 Great civilization. 21:17 Been to Greece, been to all of those places. 21:19 Been to the islands, 21:21 landed on Patmos with a helicopter. 21:24 Seen these thing. 21:26 Been to Rome, all around Rome, been there. 21:30 Been through the Vatican. 21:31 Been into the room where they elect the popes. 21:34 Seen all of this. 21:36 Gone through the prophecies. 21:37 And last week we talked about the coming of the stone 21:42 that strikes the metal man. 21:47 And that is a space age invasion led by the God 21:54 who made the stars. 22:00 So the God who made the stars and who made the planet 22:04 has not forgotten us. 22:06 He says, "I will come again." 22:10 You hear what I'm telling you. 22:13 And on that great metal man, 22:15 we're not up in the head or the chest, 22:17 not down on the belly fortunately. 22:19 But we're not even in the legs 22:22 but we're in the toes of time. 22:30 There was a young American solider 22:33 in the Second World War 22:34 he had been brought up in some place 22:36 where they taught him there was no God. 22:39 And the next day he was going to go into battle. 22:43 Let me remind you something as a minister. 22:46 There are not too many dying atheists. 22:52 There are not many atheists who die atheists. 22:57 Believe me. 23:00 I haven't seen any. 23:02 But they found this poem on his body the next day. 23:05 Look, God, I have never spoken to You. 23:09 But now I want to say, "how do you do." 23:12 You see, God, they told me You didn't exist. 23:15 And like a fool I believed all of this. 23:18 Last night from a shell-hole I saw Your sky 23:21 I figured right then, they had told me a lie. 23:25 Had I taken time to see the things You made, 23:29 I'd known they weren't calling a spade a spade. 23:33 I wonder, God, if You'd take my hand. 23:36 Somehow I feel that You will understand. 23:39 Funny, I had to come to this hellish place, 23:42 Before I had the time to see Your Face. 23:47 Well, I guess there isn't much more to say. 23:51 But I'm sure glad, God, 23:54 I met You today. 23:58 I guess "zero hour" will soon be here. 24:03 But I'm not afraid since I know You're near. 24:09 The signal! 24:12 Well, God, I'll have to go. 24:17 I like You lots, I want You to know. 24:20 Look, now this will be a horrible fight. 24:24 Who knows I may come to Your house tonight. 24:30 Though I wasn't friendly to You before 24:32 I wonder, God if You'd wait at Your Door. 24:38 Look I'm crying! 24:41 Me! Shedding tears! 24:46 I wish I'd known You all these years. 24:51 Well, I have to go now, God. 24:56 Goodbye. 24:59 Strange now since I met You, 25:04 I'm not afraid to die. 25:08 Neither will you be. 25:12 When you get to know... 25:17 the God of the universe, the God who made the stars. 25:21 You will be afraid of nothing. 25:24 And remember, 25:26 this same great God 25:30 who made this universe, 25:36 He said, "I will come again." 25:49 I have just come from Russia via Switzerland 25:53 and I'm now in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. 25:57 This place has got huge memories for me 26:01 because back in '95 we ran a campaign in the city 26:05 and in spite of terrific opposition, 26:08 by the grace of God we baptized 26:10 3,530 precious souls in the Dneiper River. 26:17 I'm back here today because I believe 26:20 that we need to take care of the people 26:22 we baptized. 26:24 I don't believe it's right to baptize people 26:28 and then to walk away 26:29 and to leave them literally in the cold. 26:33 When I read my Bible, 26:35 I find where the Apostle Paul went back time after time 26:39 to visit the people that he had baptized. 26:43 And so I'm back here today for the 43rd time 26:48 in Russia and Ukraine together to visit the people. 26:53 I'm back here to preach the gospel of Christ. 26:56 I'm back here to explain the Word of God 26:58 and let these people know that they are not forgotten 27:02 and never will be forgotten. 27:06 We believe that there is a tremendous opportunity 27:10 for the preaching of the gospel of Christ 27:13 in this part of the world. 27:15 The soul hunger still exists 27:19 and the Carter Report has got a goal 27:23 to take the gospel of Christ to the people of Russia 27:27 and the people of Ukraine. 27:29 I just want to say to you, dear friend, 27:31 my heart is overwhelmed with thankfulness 27:35 for your magnificent support. 27:37 Thank you in Jesus' name. 27:51 For a copy of today's program, 27:53 please contact us at P.O. Box 1900, 27:57 Thousand Oaks California 91358. 28:01 Or in Australia, contact us at P.O. Box 861 Terrigal, 28:07 New South Wales 2260. 28:10 This program is made possible 28:12 through the generous support of viewers like you. 28:15 We thank you for your continued support. 28:18 May God richly bless you. |
Revised 2016-05-23