Participants: Pr. John Carter
Series Code: CR
Program Code: CR001632A
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00:14 This is a special welcome to you,
00:17 our great television audience, 00:18 you're in our television studio, 00:21 in Moorpark, in southern California. 00:23 Just on the outskirts of the great city of Los Angeles. 00:27 I'm just so glad that you've joined us today. 00:30 And I want you to know that 00:32 we so much appreciate every one of you. 00:35 The topic today is huge topic. 00:40 Shall we, shall we Protestants, now return to Rome? 00:45 Shall we go back to the Roman Catholic churches? 00:49 Many people say, yes. 00:52 The Protestant churches left 00:54 to the great Roman Catholic Church, 00:57 just on 500 years ago. 01:00 The great issue was the authority of scripture, 01:05 the truths of the gospel. 01:09 Just on 500 years ago Martin Luther, 01:12 who was a Roman Catholic Priest, 01:15 nailed up the 99 theses to the door 01:20 of the village church 01:22 and he started a movement 01:23 which is still reverberating around the world today. 01:27 But the question is, 01:29 is it time to go home to the mother church? 01:33 Is the Protestant revolt over? 01:39 To understand why Martin Luther did what he did, 01:43 you've got to get an idea of 01:45 what was going on inside the Catholic Church. 01:49 Catholic historians and other historians tell us 01:52 that the church of Rome at this time in history, 01:56 was almost totally corrupt. 01:59 One of the popes in the days of Martin Luther, 02:02 when he was young man was a man 02:05 by the name of Pope Alexander. 02:10 Goodness me he had so many different lady friends, 02:14 mistresses. 02:16 He fathered at least seven children. 02:21 He was one of the famous Borgia family, 02:24 that you've seen on television. 02:26 The Borgia's came from Spain. 02:29 The story of the papacy in these days was a story 02:33 of incense and incest. 02:39 It was a story of lying, murder, 02:42 simony, nepotism, 02:44 and sex orgies in the Vatican. 02:50 But most of them say, and you can check this online, 02:54 go and read about the Borgia's. 02:56 But most say those days are over, 02:59 and therefore Protestantism is over too, 03:02 and as the time come 03:04 when we should return 03:05 to the great Roman Catholic Church. 03:07 Millions of people think so, 03:10 including thousands and thousands 03:13 of Protestant ministers. 03:17 And I will give you these reasons, 03:20 they said, "Let's face it. 03:22 We're surrounded with perils on every side. 03:26 We have terrorism at home and abroad. 03:29 We have Muslim extremism, 03:32 which seems to be taking over Europe. 03:35 We have collapsing morality, 03:39 a sense of meaninglessness 03:42 among millions and millions of people. 03:46 A lots of purpose 03:48 and also we have our rising menace in the form of China, 03:52 the Russia, North Korea with the bomb, 03:56 and Iran." 03:58 Is it not time my friends tell me, 04:01 is it not time to unite under the Pope 04:05 who seems like a prince of peace 04:08 and a defender of morality. 04:13 And what is more, 04:14 my friends tell me isn't he such a nice guy? 04:20 Bless you had anybody who can drive a little Fiat 04:24 instead of some great big Limo he's got to be a nice guy, 04:31 so people say 04:32 he is the greatest spiritual leader in the world. 04:36 I want to start with a text out of the Bible, 04:38 would you come with me to 2 Timothy 4 04:41 and verses 1 down to 4, 04:43 2 Timothy 4:1 down to 4, 04:48 the Bible says, Paul says, 04:50 "I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, 04:53 who will judge the living and the dead at his appearing 04:56 and his kingdom: Preach the word! 04:59 Be ready in season and out of season. 05:01 Convince, rebuke, exhort, 05:04 with all longsuffering and teaching. 05:07 For the time will come 05:08 when they will not endure sound doctrine, 05:10 but according to their own desires, 05:13 because they have itching ears, 05:16 they will heap up for themselves teachers, 05:19 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, 05:22 and be turned aside to fables. 05:25 And listen carefully to this. 05:27 I say this to my Protestant, 05:30 my Adventist and my catholic friends. 05:33 Listen to this, 05:35 truth has never been popular. 05:41 And it cannot be swept aside because it is inconvenient. 05:48 We believe with all our hearts in the right to discuss, 05:53 we believe in the right to discuss, issues, 05:56 debate issues without fear. 05:58 We believe in the right to respectfully disagree 06:03 while refusing to engage in hate speech. 06:08 But we believe we have the right to be heard. 06:12 In America here we have thank God, 06:14 the First Amendment 06:16 that guarantees freedom of speech 06:20 which we no longer have on the great campuses 06:23 of the great American Universities. 06:26 We refuse to be intimidated by the thought police, 06:32 the guardians of political correctness 06:37 from the far left and the far right. 06:41 Let me point out as a Protestant, 06:45 God has many children in the Roman Catholic Church 06:48 as in the other churches. 06:50 In the book of Revelation you read a text that says, 06:53 "Come out of her, my people", 06:58 and so the vast majority of God's people 07:01 are in the Roman Catholic Church 07:03 and in some other churches. 07:06 I have great respect for the Roman Catholics 07:10 they have produced some notable saints. 07:13 All of my father's family were Roman Catholics from Ireland, 07:18 would you believe? 07:20 I have warm affection to all of them 07:23 especially my Aunt Madge 07:27 and her priest father Tom. 07:34 Listen to this we have many things in common 07:36 with the Roman Catholic Church, 07:41 the Bible. 07:43 The Roman Catholic Church venerates the Bible. 07:47 the Roman Catholic Church preserves the Bible 07:50 in her monasteries for hundreds of years. 07:53 The Roman Catholic Church believes in the tirnity, 07:56 in the father, the son and the Holy Spirit. 07:59 I'm Trinitarian. 08:03 I believe in the trinity like the Catholic Church. 08:06 The Catholic Church for claims the divinity of Christ 08:09 that he is not only the son of man, 08:12 but he is the son of God, 08:14 and they're right. 08:15 The Catholic Church teaches 08:17 the resurrection of Christ from the dead. 08:20 I believe in the resurrection of Christ. 08:23 The Roman Catholic Church teaches 08:25 that Christ died for the sins of the world. 08:31 Greatest of all truths. 08:34 The Roman Catholic Church up holds 08:36 the 10 commandments of God unlike 08:38 many other Protestant churches. 08:41 I believe in the 10 commandments, 08:43 the Catholic Church teaches that Christ will come again 08:47 to judge the quick and the dead. 08:48 They believe in the second coming, 08:50 so I do to. 08:52 The Roman Catholic Church unlike 08:54 so many Protestant ministers teaches 09:00 that marriage is between a man and a woman. 09:08 And the Pope stands like a bulwark 09:11 against the erosion of family values. 09:19 I also believe in helping people through schools, 09:22 I have this great Christian network of schools, 09:25 and a vast array of hospitals, 09:27 and so do we to a lesser extent. 09:32 We have the largest Protestant school system in the world 09:35 and one of the largest church hospital systems in the world. 09:41 And so, we have some things in common never forget it. 09:47 But please notice this 09:49 we believe in the authority of Holy Scripture 09:54 above the church including my own church. 09:59 Some folks won't like that, they say, 10:00 "No, no we believe in the authority of scripture 10:03 except when it pertains to our church." 10:05 No, no, no. 10:07 we believe in the authority of scripture above the church, 10:11 every church. 10:13 And come over here to John 8: 32, John 8. 10:18 Now that has got me in trouble 10:19 with some members of my own church, 10:22 can you believe it? 10:24 Because I believe in the authority of scripture. 10:28 John 8: 32, Jesus said, 10:32 "And you shall know the truth, 10:35 and the truth shall make you free." 10:40 Now come over here to John 17: 17 10:44 and it tells you, where you find the truth. 10:48 John 17: 17, Jesus said, 10:51 "Sanctify them by your truth." 10:54 What did he say? 10:55 You word tell me, 10:57 your word, your word is the truth. 11:02 Therefore listen to this, 11:04 when the papacy differs with the scriptures 11:07 we will differ with the papacy. 11:11 And that's all right, 11:15 that's what Protestantism stands for. 11:18 We will not compromise 11:20 so as to look good. 11:25 Now the papacy with the help of the Protestants 11:28 especially in the United States of America is growing 11:32 in prestige and power. 11:35 The Pope, no, Protestant leader, 11:37 the Pope is now 11:39 the acknowledged spiritual leader of the world 11:43 as when he goes to the United Nations. 11:47 As when he went and spoke 11:49 to the Americans in the congress, 11:54 and received an audience befitting a great Pope. 12:01 They called him the vicar of the son of God, 12:03 the Holy Father. 12:06 Sitting behind him we have two distinguished 12:09 and wonderful Roman Catholics. 12:12 On the left we have the vice president 12:14 of the United States of America 12:16 who unlike the Pope promotes same sex marriage. 12:21 But then you also have the speaker 12:23 who is totally opposed to abortion 12:25 and same sex marriage, 12:26 and so within the Roman Catholic Church in America, 12:33 there are many different view points, 12:36 and Roman Catholics feel free to disagree with the Pope 12:42 when they think so. 12:47 They called him, they called him 12:53 and he went to speak to congress, 12:56 the Holy Father, our Holy Father is here. 12:59 I want you to come to a text here in John 17: 11 my friends, 13:04 John 17: 11 13:07 and this is the great prayer of our blessed Lord. 13:11 John 17: 11 he says, 13:13 "Now I am no longer in the world, 13:16 but these are in the world, and I come to you." 13:19 He is talking to almighty God. 13:21 "Holy Father, keep through your name those you have given me, 13:25 that they may be one." 13:27 We want to be one with every church in the world, 13:33 but that oneness can only come through the Holy Father 13:36 who is in heaven, not a man in Rome. 13:41 And so the term Holy Father 13:42 in scripture is never given to a mortal sinner 13:48 as the Pope confesses himself to be, 13:51 he says, "Who am I to judge I am a sinner." 13:58 Many say it's time to unite under the Pope of Rome. 14:02 And to answer that challenge 14:05 we need to look at the great teachings 14:06 and traditions of the Roman Catholic Church 14:10 and compare them to the Holy Bible 14:12 in love and sincerity. 14:15 I would point out to you 14:16 that we live in an age of great light 14:19 and great darkness. 14:23 And the light comes from scripture 14:25 and today we shall turn to scripture. 14:29 The first truth, of the first idea 14:31 that we are going to consider today is this number one, 14:34 the Pope, Peter, 14:36 the keys, and the rock, 14:38 and the question of authority. 14:41 Because the Pope will tell you 14:43 he is the successor of Saint Peter 14:46 and that the church is founded upon Saint Peter, 14:50 the rock. 14:54 I want you to notice in the Bible a great text, 14:57 this is great text, text on authority. 15:00 Matthew 16: 13-19, 15:03 Matthew 16: 13 and onwards, 15:08 Matthew 16: 13 15:12 and onwards it says, 15:15 we got at Matthew 16 and here it is it says, 15:19 "When Jesus came into the region 15:21 of Caesarea Philippi, 15:23 He asked His disciples, saying, 15:25 "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" 15:29 So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, 15:34 and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15:37 He said to them, 15:39 "But who do you say that I am?" 15:41 Simon Peter answered and said," 15:42 Here it is the great confession, 15:44 the mighty confession. 15:46 You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 15:49 Jesus answered and said to him, 15:51 "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, 15:53 for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, 15:55 but my Father who is in heaven. 15:59 And I also say to you that you are Peter, 16:01 and on this rock I will build my church, 16:04 and the gates of hell or Hades shall not prevail against it. 16:09 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, 16:13 and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, 16:16 and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." 16:20 " This is the great text 16:21 that has been used with such power by the Pope, 16:25 the Pontiffs, and the clergy 16:27 of the Roman Catholic Church. 16:28 The question is who or what is the rock? 16:31 The Pope says it is Saint Peter. 16:37 In the Greek language 16:38 in which the New Testament is written, 16:41 the word Peter is a Greek word Petros, 16:44 and it means a stone, 16:46 even a big stone, even a rock, a boulder. 16:50 Then there is another word and that word is Petra, 16:54 and that is a great immovable rock or a Rock of Gibraltor. 17:01 Remember Peter's confession, 17:03 you are the Christ 17:05 the son of the living God. 17:10 The true church is built upon Christ, 17:14 the son of the living God. 17:17 It is not built upon Peter, because Peter was a stone 17:23 and Peter was a rolling stone and Peter is dead. 17:27 Now I will prove it to you from scripture. 17:29 Would you come over here 17:31 to 1 Corinthians 10 and verse 4, 17:34 1 Corinthians 10:4 the Bible says, 17:37 "And all drank of the same spiritual drink. 17:41 For they drank of that spiritual Rock that 17:43 followed them, and that rock was Christ." 17:47 The Bible tells me, 17:48 my friend this is not the voice of the theologian 17:51 the Bible says the rock is Christ, not Peter. 17:57 Now would you to come to another text 17:58 come back here to the book of Psalms, 18:01 Psalm 18: 31, 18:05 this is taught all the way through Holy Scripture. 18:08 The Bible says, "And who is God, 18:11 except the Lord? 18:13 And who is a rock, except our God?" 18:19 God in Christ is the rock 18:24 upon which Christ built his church. 18:29 Would you come to another text 1 Corinthians 3:11, 18:33 1 Corinthians my friend, 18:36 this is a great and almighty truth. 18:39 1 Corinthians 3:11 18:44 this is the word of the living God, 18:48 1 Corinthians 3:11 the Bible says, 18:52 "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that 18:56 which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." 19:00 The foundation of the church is not Peter, 19:06 it is Christ. 19:09 The true church is built upon a living rock, a living Christ. 19:14 The counterfeit church is built upon a man. 19:19 Years ago I think it was 1991 I was in the Kremlin. 19:26 Communism was falling down. 19:30 I went into the place 19:33 where Lenin was placed there he is. 19:36 Was that Lenin? We think so. 19:40 Communism my friend failed. 19:44 Listen to this, communism failed 19:46 because it was not built upon a living man, 19:50 but was built upon a dead man, 19:54 so it failed. 19:56 The church in Russia was bitterly persecuted 19:59 but the church in Russia prevailed. 20:02 Why did it prevail? 20:04 Why did communism fail in the Soviet Union? 20:07 It failed because it was built upon a dead man 20:10 but the true church is built upon this man, 20:13 a living Christ, you see. 20:17 So the Pope's great ideal is that 20:19 he is the successor of Saint Peter. 20:24 No, no, no, 20:27 the true church is not built upon Peter, 20:29 it is built upon Christ. 20:33 And what about the keys? 20:36 Jesus said to the disciples, 20:38 "I'm gonna give you the keys of the kingdom." 20:41 We'll turn to Matthew 16: 19, 20:44 Matthew 16: 19 my friends, 20:49 and remember this 20:51 we love our beloved 20:52 Roman Catholic brothers and sisters, 20:54 but we say to them read the scriptures 20:57 because we're all going to be judged by the word of God. 21:01 Jesus said, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom." 21:06 And what are the keys? 21:07 Come over now to Luke 11:52, 21:10 Luke 11:52 21:15 the Bible explains itself, 21:18 "Woe to you lawyers" He was talking to the people, 21:21 who studied the law of God in his day. 21:24 "For you have taken away the key of knowledge, 21:27 the key of knowledge. 21:29 You did not enter in yourselves, 21:31 and those who were entering in you hindered." 21:37 What are the keys? 21:38 The knowledge of the kingdom of God, 21:41 listen to this, 21:44 the Pope believes and teaches, 21:47 that Christ gave to Saint Peter and hints to him 21:51 as Peter's successor the keys of the kingdom, 21:55 what power. 21:57 The apostolic authority of the church to open 22:00 or shut the doors to paradise. 22:04 That's if you are excommunicated 22:06 by the Roman Catholic Church, you go straight to hell, 22:10 and during the dark ages 22:11 when the papacy ruled Europe 22:13 people trembled at the prospect of offending the Pope 22:16 and spending eternity in hell. 22:21 So Jesus said, 22:23 I'm going to give you the keys of the kingdom 22:27 I will open the doors of hell, 22:30 and I will open the doors of paradise. 22:34 What are these keys? 22:36 Jesus told us, 22:37 you don't have to think twice he said it's the knowledge, 22:42 it's the knowledge of the kingdom of God. 22:44 Would you come over here with me 22:46 to Matthew 13: 11 dear friends, 22:52 Mathew 13:11, 22:55 "He answered and said to them, 22:57 "Because it has been given to you 23:01 to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, 23:04 but to them it has not been given." 23:08 " Now look at me, not everybody has the key, 23:12 Jesus said that. 23:13 He said it's been given to you to know 23:16 the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. 23:21 What is the key? 23:24 The key is the knowledge of the gospel 23:29 of the blood of Christ. 23:33 We have the keys of this blood, 23:37 the knowledge of the mysteries, 23:40 I can give you other text, I don't have time. 23:44 It is the knowledge of the mysteries of the gospel. 23:48 What is the gospel? 23:49 Listen carefully. 23:51 God in Jesus became a man. 23:56 He died on the cross for our sins, 24:00 forgiveness is free. 24:02 You can come into the very presence of God 24:05 without an earthly priest. 24:08 Christ will live in you and transform you 24:11 and you can have a mansion in glory. 24:14 When that true gospel is preached 24:18 the doors of paradise are flung open. 24:22 When the true gospel is rejected, 24:25 the doors of heaven are closed, 24:27 by keeping the true gospel from the people 24:30 the Protestant said that 24:31 Rome had taken away like the Jewish leaders 24:35 the key of knowledge. 24:37 Now I say this humbly to the glory of God. 24:41 When I preached in Russia, Ukraine, El Salvador, 24:46 the Sydney opera house, around the world, 24:51 I talk to people 24:52 who did not have the knowledge of the kingdom. 24:55 As people listen, believed 24:56 and accepted the key was given to the church, 25:00 that key that was given to the church 25:02 opened the doors of paradise. 25:07 When Protestants took that knowledge to the people, 25:11 there was a transformation of society. 25:15 The most prosperous countries were the ones, 25:18 who accepted the Protestant reformation. 25:25 Yeah, so what are the keys? 25:31 The keys, the great truths of the gospel. 25:41 When the gospel is preached 25:45 and received people are saved, 25:51 and I come to have a personal experience in Christ 25:56 and they are delivered. 26:00 Now, more amazing truths 26:05 about return to Rome, 26:09 just moments away, stay with us. 26:24 Hi, there I'm John Carter in Havana, Cuba, 26:27 this communist fortress. 26:29 We're here to preach the gospel of Christ 26:31 to the public, 26:32 but more than this 26:34 we are running a school of evangelism 26:36 and Biblical studies for the Cuban pastors. 26:41 One hundred and forty pastors 26:43 coming right across this wonderful island, 26:47 and they're coming to join with us 26:48 to study how best 26:50 we can meet the needs of the Cuban people. 26:54 The Cuban people are just the most wonderful people, 26:57 they're warm, friendly, 26:59 and I'm amazed that in the meetings 27:01 every night that we're taking, 27:03 that I think most of the people there are young people. 27:08 Now, of course when I say young people 27:09 I mean people up to say, 27:11 35 years of age, they are young to me. 27:15 But they're so warm. 27:17 And they're so receptive. 27:19 And when they come forward night by night to accept Jesus, 27:22 they come with tremendous sincerity. 27:25 So what a privilege it is to be here 27:27 in the land of Cuba. 27:29 But remember to pray for the pastors, 27:33 140 pastors are coming from Guantanamo Bay 27:37 and other places, 27:39 right across this island nation. 27:41 They're coming to join forces with us, 27:44 think of this they're coming from Guantanamo Bay 27:47 and everywhere. 27:49 We're going to meet with them study with them 27:51 pray with them 27:52 to device the best means are reaching this nation 27:57 for the Lord Jesus Christ. 27:59 And thank you for being my special partner. 28:26 For a copy of today's program, 28:28 please contact us at P.O. Box 1900, 28:31 Thousand Oaks, California, 91358 28:36 or in Australia contact us at P.O. Box 861, 28:41 Terrigal, New South Wales 2260. 28:45 This program is made possible 28:47 through the generous support of viewers like you. 28:50 We thank you for your continued support. 28:53 May God richly bless you. |
Revised 2016-11-14