Participants: John Carter
Series Code: CR
Program Code: CR001708A
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00:01 The Carter Report presents "Living Victoriously"
00:06 Secrets of success 00:07 from Prime Minister Daniel of Babylon City 00:10 with your host John Carter. 00:25 Welcome back to "Living Victoriously" 00:27 part 4, 00:29 we're talking about the great dream of Daniel 4. 00:34 We talked about that in the last segment. 00:36 Here is this terrific tree with the birds and all of this. 00:39 And the tree we discovered was a representative of who? 00:45 Nebuchadnezzar. 00:47 So the Bible says that God gave this dream to the king. 00:52 But I want to point this out 00:54 so that we don't get this sort of mixed up. 00:56 Almost all dreams 00:59 are the result of the subconscious mind. 01:05 God does not usually communicate 01:08 with you and me with dreams. 01:11 No, He doesn't. 01:13 But this was a warning from God to the King. 01:15 How does God warn people today? 01:19 Well, maybe the words of a friend, 01:20 you got a really good friend, 01:22 and the friend says, "Don't do this." 01:23 Well, maybe you shouldn't do it. 01:25 Especially the words of the Bible, 01:27 you're reading the Bible, 01:28 and the Spirit of God talks to you deep down inside. 01:33 God also leads us through the voice of conscience. 01:36 Martin Luther said, 01:37 "It's not safe to go against conscience." 01:40 So if your conscience says, don't do it, then don't it. 01:43 The Holy Spirit speaking to the heart and that is... 01:47 You got to be little carefully there 01:49 because some people get the Holy Spirit mixed up 01:52 with what they just want to do anyhow. 01:55 He sometimes works through a Christian therapist 01:59 not an unbelieving, not an atheistic therapist, 02:02 but a Christian therapist. 02:04 He works through circumstances, 02:06 He opens doors, He closes doors, 02:09 He says, you can go through this door. 02:11 And sometimes you're trying to get through it, 02:13 and the door keeps closing, then don't go through it. 02:16 You know, we got this building here 02:20 by the providence of God. 02:22 We wondered what we were going to do. 02:24 We wondered where we were going to go. 02:26 And we came out here, 02:28 David and I, 02:29 by the grace of God we found this building. 02:31 And as we were looking at the building, 02:34 we came to the front door, 02:36 and a lady came out and she said, 02:38 "Don't you come in here, 02:39 you don't want to buy this place." 02:41 You know, why? 02:43 Her boss was planning to buy it. 02:45 They were planning to buy. 02:47 But then we made an appointment with the bank, 02:49 the bank on this place, 02:51 and when we told the bank 02:52 what we wanted to do with this building, 02:54 you know, what the man said? 02:56 He said, "Even though your offer 02:58 is lower than the opposition, 03:01 the bank is going to give this to you 03:04 at a tremendous discount because they like you." 03:09 The bank? The bank likes you? 03:13 And there was another reason too. 03:15 They said, "We know, you're going to pay for it." 03:19 So God opens doors, God closes doors. 03:23 And you can see how God leads us, 03:25 and how God blesses us. 03:27 But God gave Nebuchadnezzar a dream, 03:29 that was a rare occurrence. 03:31 And we're going to look at verse 17 03:33 again on this chapter. 03:35 Daniel 4:17, 03:38 it's sort of the heart of that text, it says, 03:41 "The most high rules in the kingdom of men." 03:45 Don't forget that. 03:47 God is still in charge of Washington, 03:51 and the White House, and the Kremlin, and the world. 03:55 You don't need to be scared of any person, my friend, 03:59 you don't need to be scared of that miserable attorney, 04:03 who is trying to get your house off you, 04:05 or that government official, who is giving you a hard time, 04:09 or that employer of yours, 04:12 who's threatening you with firing, 04:14 you don't need to be afraid of the person 04:16 who wants your job. 04:18 God is in charge of your future, not people. 04:22 The Bible says, 04:23 "God is in charge of your future." 04:26 Because the Lord God rules in the kingdom of men. 04:31 Some years ago I was in Baghdad, 04:34 I was there, this was quite a while ago 04:35 when Saddam Hussein was there. 04:38 I did something, which was quite innocuous, 04:40 I put a movie camera up 04:42 on the 20th floor of this building, 04:45 and we were taking video tape, 04:48 and all of a sudden the room was filled with soldiers. 04:52 I was placed under arrest. 04:55 And they said, "You can't leave the country, 04:58 until you pass over everything you've got, 05:01 your cameras, and everything, and your video. 05:04 I said, "Not gonna do it, not gonna do it. 05:06 No." 05:07 So one night came 12 o'clock at night 05:10 one on the morning, knock on the door, 05:12 we weren't allowed out of the building, 05:14 out of the room. 05:15 We were taken out, hustled into a car, 05:18 and driven through the back streets of Baghdad. 05:22 Taken to government officers, not beat up, 05:25 treated quite well, but interrogated. 05:29 In the end, these people came to the place 05:33 where they respected us and believed in us. 05:36 And we were delivered by the grace of God. 05:39 I want you to know, God is greater than man, 05:45 God is greater than any person, you don't need to be afraid. 05:48 Then there was that powerful leader 05:50 of the state church in Ukraine. 05:53 I've told you, little bit of the story. 05:55 This man who said, 05:56 "You're not going to come into the city, 05:58 you will come here..." 05:59 He said, "Over my dead body." 06:05 You can go to Kiev and outside the cathedral. 06:08 You can see this tomb on the sidewalk. 06:13 It's a huge, it's an amazing story. 06:16 But we decided by the grace of God 06:18 we will go 06:20 because Christ is on His throne. 06:23 And just before we got to the city of Kiev, 06:27 this man who said, 06:29 "You will come here over my dead body," 06:33 dropped dead. 06:34 There was fighting on the streets, 06:36 there was bloodshed on the streets, 06:38 the meetings opened to the glory of God, 06:40 and we saw 3,500 precious souls baptized. 06:45 Glory, glory, glory, be to God. 06:47 So I want you to know, 06:49 you don't need to be afraid of people. 06:53 Romans 8:31 says, 06:56 Romans 8:31. 06:58 "What then shall we say to these things? 07:01 If God is for us, 07:04 who can be are against us?" 07:10 We were in Irkutsk in Siberia. 07:13 Beverley was speaking to the people. 07:15 Beverley is a very good speaker. 07:17 So Beverley is talking to this big crowd of people 07:20 and I was going to come on after Beverley 07:22 for the evangelistic series. 07:23 Beverley is talking to the women 07:25 of Russia there. 07:27 Man comes on the stage with a loaded gun. 07:32 He came to get me. 07:35 He came down one night, 07:36 he didn't like what we were doing, 07:38 he belonged to their secret service. 07:42 Some of the most intelligent people 07:45 on the face of the earth, 07:47 who know how to use guns. 07:49 And so all of a sudden 07:51 the stage was covered by our team, 07:54 and there was a little bit of scuffling, 07:56 and they took the gun off him. 07:59 The next day the leader of their security forces 08:01 came to see me, 08:03 he said, "Pastor Carter, 08:05 we're going to throw this man in jail 08:07 and we're going to throw away the key." 08:09 I knew this would be his death sentence. 08:12 So I said to the leader of the Russian security, 08:14 may I make a suggestion? 08:16 He said, "Sure, you're the person 08:18 that he tried to kill." 08:20 I said, "Why don't we just decide to forgive him." 08:23 "Forgive him?" 08:25 I said, "We believe in a God of grace." 08:27 So I said, "Please, accept from us, 08:31 we forgive this young man, 08:33 and we're going to ask the Russian government 08:35 to forgive him too." 08:36 They said, "We've never heard the like." 08:39 They forgave him, they sent this young man, 08:42 and he came back, he became my bodyguard. 08:48 And when I made an appeal for people to come to Christ 08:52 in Siberia 08:53 he was, glory be to God, the first on his feet. 08:57 Can't you hear what I'm saying today, 09:00 if God is for you, who can be against you? 09:07 So remember, man without God is simply animated mud 09:11 on the way to dust, 09:13 so should we fear animated mud? 09:17 Now look at Daniel 4:19-27. 09:21 Daniel 4. 09:23 "Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, 09:25 was astonished for a time, 09:27 and his thoughts troubled him. 09:29 So the king spoke, and said, 09:30 'Belteshazzar, do not let the dream 09:33 or its interpretation trouble you.' 09:36 Belteshazzar answered and said, 09:37 'My lord, may the dream concern those 09:40 who hate you, 09:41 and its interpretation concern your enemies! 09:44 The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong, 09:48 whose height reached to the heavens 09:50 and which could be seen by all the earth, 09:52 whose leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant, 09:54 in which was food for all, 09:56 under which the beasts of the field dwelt, 09:59 and in whose branches 10:01 the birds of the heaven had their home, 10:03 it is you, O king, 10:06 who have grown and become strong, 10:08 for your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, 10:12 and your dominion to the end of the earth. 10:14 And inasmuch as the king saw a watcher, 10:17 a holy one, coming down from heaven 10:18 and saying, Chop down the tree, destroy it, 10:23 but leave its stump and roots in the earth, 10:25 bound with a band of iron and bronze 10:29 in the tender grass of the field, 10:32 let it be wet with the dew of heaven, 10:35 and let him graze with the beasts of the field, 10:37 till seven times pass over him, 10:40 this is the interpretation, O king, 10:43 and this is the decree of the Most High, 10:45 which has come upon my lord the king: 10:47 They shall drive you from men, 10:49 your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, 10:52 and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. 10:55 They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, 10:58 and seven times shall pass over you, 11:00 till you know that the Most High rules 11:04 in the kingdom of men, 11:06 and gives it to whomever He chooses. 11:09 And inasmuch as they gave the command 11:11 to leave the stump and roots of the tree, 11:13 your kingdom shall be assured to you, 11:15 after you come to know that Heaven rules. 11:18 Therefore... 11:20 O king, let my advice be acceptable to you, 11:24 break off your sins by being righteous, 11:28 and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. 11:33 Perhaps there may be 11:35 a lengthening of your prosperity 11:39 or tranquility." 11:41 As it says in the King James Version. 11:44 I want you to notice, God was watching. 11:49 God is watching you. 11:52 God is watching me. 11:55 He slumbers not nor sleeps. 11:59 There was an awful judgment pronounced. 12:03 But because of the grace of God, 12:06 it was not set in stone. 12:09 Look at verse 26 and 27. 12:14 "And inasmuch as they gave the command 12:16 to leave the stump and roots of the tree, 12:19 your kingdom shall be assured to you, 12:22 after you come to know that Heaven rules. 12:25 Therefore... 12:26 O king, let my advice be acceptable to you, 12:30 break off your sins by being righteous, 12:34 and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. 12:39 Perhaps there may be a lengthening 12:43 of your prosperity." 12:44 So it wasn't predestined, 12:48 it wasn't set in stone, it was conditional. 12:52 Therefore... 12:54 it is not too late for any one of us. 12:59 Even though God says, "Judgment is coming", 13:03 it's not set in stone 13:05 because God is a God of grace and mercy. 13:08 Now, we're going to look again to the Bible, verse 28-30, 13:14 28-30. 13:17 "All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 13:20 At the end of the 12 months 13:22 he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. 13:27 The king spoke, saying, 'Is not this great Babylon, 13:31 that I have built for a royal dwelling 13:34 by my mighty power 13:36 and for the honor of my majesty?'" 13:44 You know what the greatest of sin is? 13:46 The greatest of sins? 13:49 It is pride, it is called, 13:50 'The never-failing vice of fools.' 13:54 Pride. 13:56 Nebuchadnezzar was a boaster, 14:01 a bragger, and a blasphemer. 14:07 And God was watching. 14:09 We should never forget. 14:12 God is watching us. 14:14 It's not what people know about me, 14:16 it is what does God know about me. 14:19 God is watching. 14:21 The great purpose of Nebuchadnezzar's life 14:24 was not to glorify God, 14:28 but to make Babylon the greatest, 14:30 the richest, the most powerful. 14:33 And the Bible says, 14:36 "He forgot all about the poor." 14:42 There was no thought of repentance 14:45 or helping the poor. 14:47 Nebuchadnezzar said, 14:49 "I never repent or confess my sins 14:53 because I don't need to." 14:57 He was the chief of fools. 15:04 We all need to repent of our sins. 15:08 Never thought of repentance or helping the poor. 15:13 We saw it recently something was missing 15:16 in the Carter Report ministry. 15:18 Running great campaigns so important, 15:22 the primary work 15:24 that's what God has called us to do. 15:26 It's a most important work. 15:28 People say, "No, it's only just one part of the church." 15:30 No, that's why the church exists. 15:34 And where the church doesn't do it, 15:36 the church dies 15:38 a long slow miserable death. 15:43 The church dies 15:44 because people say, "It can't be done." 15:50 Because they serve not the most high 15:53 but a little god, 15:56 some little god. 16:00 But we serve the Most High, 16:01 but we thought something was missing. 16:06 God put it into our hearts to help the poor, 16:08 so now we have a work in India that David is in charge of. 16:13 And we're sending some untouchable little girls 16:16 to school, 16:18 to save them 16:19 from most terrible, damnable cast system. 16:23 And we've just started sending 37 little boys and girls 16:28 to school in El Salvador. 16:31 Then we saw pictures of these little children, 16:34 could break your heart. 16:35 Their parents were too poor to send their children 16:38 to our own Adventist school, 16:41 so we got 37 of these cute little kids 16:45 from El Salvador. 16:48 And then they sent us pictures 16:50 of these little kids going to school, 16:52 and they've got new shoes, and they got school uniforms. 16:56 And we were talking about and we said, 16:59 "How did they get those?" 17:01 Well, they said, "The parents were told, 17:03 unless they get shoes and uniforms, they can't go." 17:08 That would have cost them a month's wage. 17:12 So we decided we would send the cost of the shoes 17:16 and the clothes to their parents. 17:22 And we felt good, helping the poor. 17:27 Look at Proverbs 14:34, 17:30 there's no greatness without moral excellence. 17:32 Proverbs 14:34 says, 17:35 "Righteousness exalts a nation..." 17:41 Everybody listen to me, 17:42 especially my great American audience 17:44 whom I love. 17:47 There is a lot of talk about making America great again, 17:52 that's great. 17:54 But there's no greatness without goodness. 17:59 There is no greatness without moral excellence, 18:05 don't you believe this? 18:07 People say, "Oh, no, we're just gonna be great." 18:09 No, you're not. 18:11 No, you're not, 18:13 you might have some more atom bombs 18:14 to blow yourselves up with, 18:17 but righteousness 18:19 exalts a nation. 18:25 George Washington said this, 18:27 "I revere the founding fathers 18:32 of the United States of America." 18:35 Washington said, 18:36 "It is impossible to rightly govern a nation 18:41 without God and the Bible." 18:44 You won't hear that on television. 18:47 "It's impossible to rightly govern a nation 18:50 without God and the Bible." 18:53 If you want to make America great again, 18:55 you must make America righteous again 19:00 with God and the Bible. 19:03 Today America is walking in the footsteps 19:06 of the Roman Empire, 19:08 immorality, love of wealth, the sins of Sodom, 19:12 and indifference to the poor in our midst. 19:21 Look at Daniel 4:31-33. 19:24 Remember, God is watching us. 19:27 Daniel 4:31-33. 19:29 "While the word was still in the king's mouth." 19:32 You know, I'm a great millionaire, 19:34 look at me. 19:35 "A voice fell from heaven: 19:36 'King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken, 19:39 the kingdom has departed from you. 19:42 And they shall drive you from men, 19:44 and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. 19:47 They shall make you eat grass like oxen, 19:49 and seven times shall pass over you, 19:52 until you know that the Most High rules 19:55 in the kingdom of men, 19:57 and gives it to whomever He chooses.' 20:00 That very hour the word was fulfilled 20:05 concerning Nebuchadnezzar, 20:07 he was driven from men 20:09 and ate grass like oxen, 20:12 his body was wet with the dew of heaven 20:15 till his hair had grown like eagles' feathers 20:20 and his nails like birds' claws." 20:28 He went insane because sin is insanity. 20:34 Some insanity is, of course, my chemical imbalances. 20:39 And for those people, 20:40 there needs to be special therapies. 20:44 We should have great sympathy for people 20:47 who have chemical imbalances, 20:49 but many insanities are caused by sin. 20:54 The world is going mad and is often ruled by madmen, 21:00 who are controlled by terrible sins, 21:03 and the worst sin is pride. 21:06 Sin is insanity. 21:09 We should cry out. 21:12 Make America righteous again. 21:15 Daniel 4:33 please, 21:18 Daniel 4:33. 21:21 "That very hour the word was fulfilled 21:23 concerning Nebuchadnezzar, 21:25 he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen, 21:27 his body was wet with the dew of heaven 21:30 till his hair had grown like eagles' feathers 21:33 and his nails like birds' claws." 21:38 Seven years, total humiliation, 21:44 total humiliation. 21:46 He became the laughingstock of the Babylonians. 21:52 Look at mighty Nebuchadnezzar now... 21:59 the crazy man. 22:03 But God is merciful, 22:07 just as well for us. 22:10 Look at verse 34, 22:13 verse 34, 22:16 "At the end of the time 22:18 I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, 22:20 my understanding returned to me, 22:22 and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him 22:25 who lives forever: 22:26 For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, 22:29 and His kingdom is from generation to generation." 22:34 Sanity returned 22:36 when he lifted his eyes to heaven. 22:40 In today's language we would say, 22:43 Nebuchadnezzar turned to Christ, 22:46 he repented of his sins, 22:49 he gave up his alcohol, his booze, 22:53 his drugs, his porn, 22:55 he read his Bible, 22:59 and he went to church. 23:01 Jesus said, "You must be born again." 23:05 And he was. 23:07 Look at versus 34-36. 23:10 34-36 "At the end of the time 23:13 I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, 23:15 my understanding returned to me, 23:17 and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him 23:20 who lives forever and ever: 23:22 For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, 23:25 and His kingdom is from generation to generation. 23:29 All the inhabitants of the earth 23:31 are reputed as nothing, 23:33 He does according to His will 23:35 in the army of heaven, 23:37 and among the inhabitants of the earth, 23:39 no one can restrain His hand 23:41 or say to Him, 'What have You done?' 23:45 At the same time my reason returned to me, 23:47 and for the glory of my kingdom, 23:49 my honor and splendor returned to me. 23:52 My counselors and nobles resorted to me, 23:55 I was restored to my kingdom, 23:59 and excellent majesty was to me." 24:06 God restored him from humiliation, 24:08 insanity, and financial disaster 24:11 because He's the God of the first chance, 24:13 the second chance, the third chance, 24:15 and the fourth chance, 24:17 He's the God of grace. 24:21 And if you gonna hear his voice, 24:24 my friend, it's not too late for you. 24:27 Here is a clear case 24:31 of grace revealed, 24:34 where sin did abound, 24:37 grace did much more abound. 24:39 And look at verse 37, 24:44 "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, 24:47 praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, 24:50 all of whose works are truth, 24:53 and His ways justice. 24:56 And those who walk in pride 24:58 He is able to put down." 25:02 Isn't that the truth? 25:04 Is this the most amazing verse in the Bible? 25:09 This man who is an enemy of God, 25:13 praises the God of heaven, 25:16 he gives glory to God. 25:21 He is born again. 25:24 Isn't this the most amazing verse in the Bible, 25:30 because it indicates that one day 25:34 when he is promoted to glory, 25:38 when you and I are promoted to glory, 25:41 you'll see walking down the streets of gold 25:44 two young men, 25:47 Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar 25:50 saved by grace. 25:54 If God can do it for Nebuchadnezzar, 25:58 He can do it for anybody, 26:01 because where sin did abound, 26:04 grace did much more abound. 26:09 Amen. 26:10 And all the people say it, amen 26:14 and amen. 26:18 Hope for everyone. 26:23 Today, we are starting the Washington DC Project. 26:28 We are going by the grace of God 26:31 to buy time on Washington television, 26:34 and we're going to have messages 26:36 for our people in the White House 26:39 and on Capitol Hill. 26:41 There is a reason why we are doing this. 26:44 And Time Magazine has been the reason 26:47 that we've thought of doing this. 26:49 Notice this Time Magazine, 26:51 it says, "Is truth dead?" 26:56 Apparently many people in Washington would say 26:59 "Yes, truth is dead." 27:02 And we can say anything we like 27:05 because truth is dead. 27:08 That's why we have so much fake news 27:11 today in Washington. 27:14 We're going to be talking truth to power. 27:17 We're going to be talking about the great truths 27:19 that founded this great country. 27:21 We're going to be talking 27:23 about the great undergirding realities 27:27 that were the foundation stones of the great American Republic. 27:32 And we want you to support this project. 27:34 If you believe that we should bring a message 27:36 to the leadership in Washington, 27:39 please support us. 27:40 We have no money to do this at this moment. 27:44 We are asking you to send your offerings 27:47 and your money to the Washington Project. 27:51 Write to me please, 27:53 John Carter, PO Box 1900, 27:55 Thousand Oaks, California 91358. 27:58 In Australia, you can write to us 28:01 at the address on the screen. 28:03 When you write to us, 28:04 for everybody who gives $100 or more, 28:07 we're going to give you America's original Bible, 28:12 the Patriot's Bible, the Geneva Bible. 28:16 Please write to me today. 28:25 For a copy of today's program, 28:27 please contact us at PO Box 1900, 28:30 Thousand Oaks, California 91358, 28:34 or in Australia, contact us at PO Box 861, 28:39 Terrigal, New South Wales 2260. 28:44 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Revised 2017-05-22