Participants:
Series Code: CR
Program Code: CR001953S
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00:02 I'm John Carter in Moscow.
00:04 In Havana, Cuba. 00:07 Now in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. 00:10 I'm John Carter in Petra. 00:13 Right here in Communist China. 00:16 Reporting from India. 00:18 Hi, I'm John Carter in the Solomon Islands. 00:21 I'm John Carter in Soweto. 00:24 From El Salvador. 00:26 I'm John Carter in Sydney, Australia. 00:29 Join us with questions and answers 00:32 with Pastor John Carter. 00:37 Welcome today to the Carter Report. 00:38 We're dealing with questions and answers today. 00:43 I'm John Carter. 00:44 Thank you for sending me your questions. 00:47 And by the grace of God, 00:48 I hope I can give you a good answer. 00:52 Please write to me. 00:53 The addresses are on the screen in the United States, 00:56 P.O. Box 1900, Thousand Oaks, that's where I live, 00:59 Thousand Oaks, California 91358. 01:02 In Australia, it's at a beautiful, 01:06 beautiful place next to the ocean 01:08 called Terrigal, New South Wales. 01:10 Write to me there. 01:12 Okay, we're going to go through 01:13 with the questions, questions and answers continued 01:18 because I've already had a couple of sessions. 01:21 Okay, here's the first one what we've done, 01:23 we've taken the questions 01:25 off the cards and off the emails 01:27 and stuff that have been sent to us, 01:29 and we put them into the computer 01:30 so we can put them up on the screen. 01:33 The person starts by quoting 01:35 Mark 7:15, 18, and 19 01:41 and it's talking about eating anything and everything. 01:45 Come over here to this text, Matthew... 01:48 Mark Chapter 7, this is the question 01:54 that my friend has sent to me. 01:56 Mark 7:15, 02:01 Jesus said, 02:04 "There is nothing that enters a man from outside 02:06 which can defile him, 02:09 but the things which come out of him, 02:13 these are the things that defile a man." 02:16 Now look at verse 18 and 19, "So He said to them, 02:20 'Are you thus without understanding also? 02:23 Do you not perceive and understand 02:26 that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, 02:32 because it does not enter his heart, 02:34 but his stomach, and is eliminated," 02:39 notice these words, "thus purifying all foods?'" 02:44 And many people say, 02:46 "Therefore, eat, drink, and be merry." 02:52 And it is true because tomorrow you will die. 02:55 Let me read on. 02:56 So there's the text that's quoted. 02:58 It says that Jesus purified all foods. 03:01 It says, the questioner. 03:04 Therefore, we can eat as we wish. 03:09 Why did you recently 03:10 do a series with Dr. John Westerdahl 03:14 about following a certain lifestyle and diet, 03:17 because under the Christian dispensation, 03:21 you can eat what you will. 03:25 And God will bless you because Jesus said so. 03:29 Did He? 03:30 I want you to notice Mark 7:22, 23. 03:38 Mark 7:22, 23, 03:42 "And He said, 'What comes out of a man, 03:45 that defiles a man. 03:47 For from within, out of the heart of men, 03:49 proceed evil thoughts, 03:51 adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, 03:55 covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, 03:59 and evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 04:04 All these evil things come from within and defile a man.'" 04:09 Listen carefully. 04:11 Jesus is not talking about healthful living. 04:16 Jesus is talking about moral defilement. 04:21 And Jesus said, "From the heart of man 04:25 comes all the sins of the world, 04:29 and they defile a man." 04:31 But He's not talking about eating and drinking 04:34 because if you look at Mark 7:5, 04:38 this is in the context of the Jewish ceremonial law. 04:43 Mark 7:5. 04:46 "Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, 04:48 'Why do Your disciples not walk according 04:51 to the tradition of the elders, 04:54 but eat bread with unwashed hands?'" 04:56 Does anybody here do the same thing? 04:59 Do you wash your hands before you eat? 05:03 Well, I do. 05:04 I eat. 05:06 And I wash my hands before I eat. 05:09 But the Pharisees had made this a moral issue 05:13 and a matter of life and death. 05:16 And Jesus said, 05:18 "These ceremonial laws don't matter at all. 05:22 What really matters is what comes 05:24 from within the heart of man." 05:26 That's what defiles a man. 05:29 But other parts of the scriptures tell me that 05:31 the body is the temple of God. 05:33 And if you defile the temple of God, 05:35 God is going to destroy you. 05:37 Paul said that in the Book of Corinthians. 05:39 Just very recently, I was taken by my wife 05:42 to the emergency room. 05:44 Oh! Boy. 05:48 When you go there, 05:49 that's an inducement to be very careful 05:51 what you eat and what you drink, 05:52 because there you see so much sickness, 05:55 so much awful disease. 05:57 Do you know what SAD stands for, SAD? 06:01 It stands for the Standard American Diet. 06:05 And because the Standard American Diet 06:08 consists of so much poison, 06:11 the great health care system in the United States of America 06:15 is breaking down 06:16 so that it has become one of the worst systems 06:19 in the world. 06:21 That is because Christians do not understand this text. 06:24 This text is talking not about what you should eat 06:27 or what you should drink, 06:29 but it's talking about moral development 06:32 and moral development doesn't come from 06:34 what you put in your mouth. 06:36 It comes from what comes out of the heart. 06:39 Next question. 06:41 I hope that answers that question. 06:43 I was brought up to believe that 06:44 I must be perfect to be ready when Jesus returns? 06:51 I sometimes feel hopeless and depressed, 06:55 sometimes very angry. Please help me. 06:59 I empathize, I sympathize. 07:02 I was brought up in a home in Australia, 07:05 where I was taught that unless I became perfect, 07:08 I would go to hell. 07:11 Unless I became absolutely sinless 07:14 as Jesus was sinless, 07:16 I could not be saved. 07:19 And I know people in Australia 07:21 who have committed suicide because of this idea. 07:26 This idea has arisen because quite frankly, 07:29 my beloved friends, people do not understand 07:32 the teachings of Christ and the teachings 07:35 of the blessed Gospel of Christ. 07:37 Would you come over here to Romans 3:20 and 23, 07:43 dear hearts and gentle people, 07:44 Romans Chapter 3, 07:46 let me give you a little summary of the gospel. 07:48 Romans 3:20, "Therefore by the deeds of the law, 07:53 no flesh will be declared 07:55 righteous justified in His sight, 07:57 for by the law is the knowledge of sin." 07:59 You'll never be saved by trying to keep the commandments. 08:03 The law of God was not given so that we might be saved. 08:06 The law of God was given 08:08 so that we might see ourselves 08:09 as sinners and go to the Savior, 08:12 the Lord Jesus Christ. 08:13 We are saved by Christ. 08:16 Verse 23, look at this text. 08:18 Lot of folks have no idea what this text means. 08:20 I want you to get it. 08:21 Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned," 08:24 that's every one of us. 08:26 This is past tense. 08:27 "All have sinned," but the text says 08:29 "and fall short of the glory of God." 08:31 This is perfect, present continuous. 08:35 The Bible says "We've all sinned in the past, 08:38 but every one of us continue 08:40 to fall short of the glory of God." 08:42 There are no sinless people. No sinless people. 08:46 I haven't met any sinless people. 08:48 I've met some people who think they're sinless. 08:51 But the Bible says, 08:52 "We fall short of the glory of God. 08:55 Why don't we believe the Bible? 08:57 Look at Romans 3:23 and 24. 09:02 23, 24 "For all have sinned 09:04 and fall short of the glory of God," 09:05 we're all imperfect, "being justified freely 09:09 by His grace through the redemption 09:11 that is in Christ Jesus." 09:12 Listen to me, I don't have enough time. 09:15 The Bible says that we are justified 09:18 by the grace of God 09:20 because of what Christ did for us on the cross. 09:22 The word justify does not mean to make us righteous. 09:27 It declares that by the grace of God 09:29 because of Christ, we are declared righteous. 09:33 This is what justification by faith is all about. 09:35 If I come in penitence to Christ, 09:39 and if I fall at His cross, 09:42 and if I believe in Christ as my Savior, 09:46 I am declared righteous and I am ready for heaven. 09:50 I'm ready for the second coming, 09:53 I am ready for the judgment. 09:56 You know what it's called? 09:57 It's called the gospel. 09:59 You know what the gospel means? 10:01 It means good news. 10:04 This is the best news you're ever going to hear 10:06 that it doesn't depend upon my works. 10:08 It depends upon His works. 10:11 Look at Romans Chapter 4, I just want you to get this. 10:14 People who teach this idea of sinless perfectionism 10:18 and hold it over people's heads do it, 10:20 because they do not understand 10:22 the teachings of the Bible. 10:23 Romans 4:5 and 6, "But to him 10:26 who does not work for salvation, 10:29 but believes on Him who justifies who," 10:32 come on, come on. 10:34 He justifies... 10:36 Who's ungodly here? 10:38 We all are ungodly, none of us are like God. 10:42 "Justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted 10:46 for righteousness, 10:48 just as David also describes the blessedness 10:50 of the man to whom God imputes righteousness 10:53 apart from works." 10:55 And therefore, the truth is that justify 10:58 means to declare righteous. 11:02 When I discovered this truth, 11:04 I felt so invigorated, so free, 11:06 so wonderfully happy, I could jump over the moon. 11:11 Because God says, 11:13 "It is My perfection that counts." 11:16 I went to Avondale College 11:18 as a boy to study for the ministry. 11:20 I was only 16 when I went there, 11:22 but I went there as a complete legalist 11:24 because I'd been brought up in a legalistic home. 11:27 And I had, I was filled with despair, 11:30 but I discovered this truth that God does something else. 11:33 Look at Romans 6:14, this tells you 11:38 what follows on 11:41 when you understand the truth of the gospel. 11:44 "For sin shall not have dominion over you, 11:47 for you are not under law but under grace." 11:50 God's going to put a new power in your life. 11:54 We're never going to get home to glory 11:56 by climbing up the quaking sides 11:59 of Mount Sinai, my friends. 12:02 We get home to glory through the cross of Christ, 12:05 Mount Calvary. 12:08 And so to say I say to my friend 12:10 who sent in this that, you know, 12:12 you're just so depressed 12:13 and you feel so discouraged that 12:15 you're never going to make it. 12:17 I want you to know this. 12:19 By the grace of God, Jesus made it for you. 12:23 Now, I've written a little book on this, 12:24 just a little booklet. 12:26 It's called "The Big Issues of the Gospel." 12:30 I also have a series of talks on the Book of Romans. 12:35 If you write to me, we want you to have it. 12:38 This little book is an exposition 12:41 of the great teachings of the Bible. 12:45 I preached these sermons many years ago 12:47 in the great Wahroonga Church in Sydney, Australia. 12:49 Because there are hundreds of young people there 12:52 who were getting poisoned by the doctrine of legalism 12:56 and salvation by works, good works. 12:59 And so I felt called by God to preach these sermons 13:02 that save the lives of hundreds of young Australians. 13:07 And I wrote down those sermons. 13:09 It's called The Big issues of the Gospel. 13:12 It is not like reading. 13:15 It is Bible study. 13:17 But if you are serious, you'll wade through it 13:21 because you're going to find 13:24 that your eyes are going to be open. 13:26 Here's the next question. 13:29 You've been a pastor for many years. 13:30 Amen to that. 13:32 Only beaten by Methuselah. 13:34 You've been a pastor for many years. 13:36 Here is something that 13:37 troubles me as a parent, me too. 13:40 Why do so many young people leave the church? 13:44 This is a subject we don't like to talk about but we need to. 13:49 Ninety five percent 13:51 of young people from Christian homes 13:53 who go to secular universities, 13:56 give up on Christ and they leave the church 14:00 because Christianity is mocked and ridiculed 14:05 through the vigorous teaching of atheism and Neo-Darwinism. 14:11 These places are the breeding fields of atheism, 14:14 communism, lawlessness, and despair. 14:18 And unless young people have been prepared, 14:21 they're going to be shaken to their foundations. 14:25 They need to know the truth. 14:27 That's one reason. 14:29 Another reason why so many young people 14:30 leave the church, 14:31 we don't like to talk about this. 14:33 It's because of legalism in the church. 14:35 I can think of a fine young man in Sydney, Australia, 14:39 who was accosted by a person who was super religious. 14:43 He said, "You got to be perfect. 14:45 You got to be this 14:46 or else you're gonna go to hell. 14:47 You got to be perfect before you can go to heaven." 14:51 The young man said, "If everybody is in heaven, 14:54 who is in heaven is like you, I don't want to go there." 14:59 We can freeze people out of the church through coldness. 15:04 What is needed, 15:05 listen to me the word of an old pastor, 15:07 what is needed my friend in the church is more love, 15:14 and more grace, and more forgiveness. 15:18 Jesus said, 15:20 "The Son of Man has come to seek 15:22 and to save that which was lost." 15:26 Here's the next question. 15:27 I've always wondered what is the Mark of the Beast? 15:30 The chapter on the Mark of the Beast 15:32 is Revelation 13:16 and 17 and turn over here. 15:36 This is going to surprise you what I'm going to say 15:39 because this may even shock some of you. 15:42 Revelation 13:16 and 17. 15:45 "He causes all, everybody, both small and great, 15:50 rich and poor, free and slave", 15:53 Republicans and Democrats, 15:55 independents, everybody, 16:00 "to receive a mark on their right hand 16:02 or on their foreheads," 16:03 the hand symbolizes work 16:06 and the forehead symbolizes the mind 16:08 where you make decisions, 16:10 "and that no one may buy or sell 16:12 except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, 16:17 or the number of his name." 16:19 In the last days, 16:20 people are going to be forced into conformity. 16:26 We live today in the age of conformity. 16:31 Americans have been famous 16:34 for their independence of spirit 16:38 that we will do what we think we are to do 16:42 and we're not going to be a slave to any man. 16:46 Hey, that's changing. 16:48 Hey, that's changed. 16:50 We now live in an age 16:52 where people are polarized into camps, 16:54 and they have all become conformists. 16:58 And so it's not what is right, what is wrong. 17:01 It is what, what... 17:03 What my church says, what my party says. 17:06 That's Mark of the Beast thinking. 17:08 I've had some folks say to me, 17:10 "Don't you know that's offensive?" 17:12 I've said to them, "Well, 17:13 I really want to see you in the kingdom of God. 17:18 I don't want to see you getting the Mark of the Beast. 17:22 And if you continue on in that present course, 17:25 I'm afraid you will get the Mark of the Beast, 17:27 whatever your religion." 17:29 I'll tell you what the Mark of the Beast is. 17:31 It is an act of conscious conformity 17:36 to a corrupt church and a corrupt state. 17:42 That is the Mark of the Beast. 17:44 I preached a sermon sometime back 17:46 and I quoted the great Russian author, 17:50 one of my favorite authors, Dostoevsky. 17:54 He's got a wonderful section 17:57 and one of his books on the Grand Inquisitor. 18:01 Christ comes back to Spain 18:04 when the Inquisition is running, 18:07 and the old... 18:09 And Jesus does healings and people are falling down 18:12 and they're kissing His feet, you think of it. 18:14 Christ comes to Spain, kissing His feet. 18:19 But then the Grand Inquisitor turns up 18:22 and they turn from Christ and they fall down before him. 18:24 "Whatever you say, it's the judge." 18:31 And the Grand Inquisitor has Jesus locked up. 18:37 And that night he comes to Christ in prison, 18:40 awaiting to be burned at the stake the next day. 18:44 He says this. 18:46 Christ, "The people who today kissed Your feet 18:52 will tomorrow heap up 18:54 the embers of Your fire." 18:58 People today falling down kissing the feet of Christ, 19:04 and the next day, they're burning Him. 19:11 And the Grand Inquisitor said something else. 19:13 He said, "The people who today kiss Your feet." 19:18 This is the expression I left out the first time. 19:21 He says, "The people who today kissed Your feet 19:23 will have the slightest sign for me." 19:27 Hey, I represent the church. 19:32 The slightest sign for me,. 19:33 they're all going to 19:36 not kiss the feet of Christ any longer 19:38 You know what they're gonna do? 19:40 They're gonna burn Him. 19:43 So the Grand Inquisitor in Seville, 19:45 Spain says to Christ, 19:47 "Why did You come back and cause us so much trouble? 19:50 We were doing very well without You. 19:53 We've been correcting Your errors. 19:56 You gave to the people freedom of choice. 19:59 They don't want freedom of choice. 20:01 They can't handle it. 20:03 They want to be told what to do." 20:07 That is true today in Russia. 20:13 It's true today in Europe, 20:16 it's true today in Latin America. 20:19 It is true today 20:21 in the United States of America, 20:26 where people on the whole stopped thinking 20:29 and studying scripture, 20:35 and are conforming. 20:37 Listen to this. 20:38 Conformity to the state or the church, 20:43 instead of conformity to God 20:46 is the Mark of the Beast. 20:51 And my friend Danny Shelton of 3ABN has written 20:54 a very excellent book, Spiritual Vigilantes. 20:58 He talks about some of these things 21:00 where the law of God has been set aside 21:04 and everybody has fallen on his face to worship, 21:10 because the Supreme Court said so. 21:15 So active conformity 21:18 to the church out of the state 21:22 instead of active conformity to the Word of God, 21:27 that is the Mark of the Beast. 21:31 Therefore, you and I ought to ask ourselves the question, 21:37 "Do I follow scripture 21:39 or am I a conformist?" 21:45 What we need today desperately, 21:47 and I don't see too many of them. 21:50 What we need today are a few more Martin Luthers. 21:55 Now I mean, lots and lots 21:58 and lots of people who are big talkers. 22:03 Ah, goodness, 22:04 after all you think to yourself, 22:06 "Oh, don't have to listen to this stuff anymore." 22:08 We're gonna do the talk, talk, talk. 22:11 As my mother says, 22:12 "They could talk the leg off an iron pot. 22:15 In a talk, you use that expression, 22:18 talking the leg off an iron pot, 22:21 that takes a bit of talking. 22:23 And the religious talkers are the worst of the lot. 22:26 Talk, talk, oh, save me from the talkers. 22:29 We need people who are not just talkers, 22:33 but doers like Martin Luther, 22:35 who can look to pope in the eye, 22:38 and the holy Roman Emperor, 22:40 and all the cardinals, and all the bishops, 22:43 and all the priests and say, 22:45 "Unless I'm convinced and convicted 22:50 by the plain words of the Bible, 22:54 and reason, I cannot 22:56 and I will not recant here I stand." 23:02 And God's going to have people 23:03 in the last days like Martin Luther, 23:06 who will be non-conformists, not crackpots, 23:11 not wackos, not fanatics, 23:14 but people with fire in their bellies 23:18 and who've got conviction. 23:21 And there are some, but not, doesn't seem to me that... 23:24 Doesn't seem to be a huge number. 23:28 So the Mark of the Beast is willful conformity. 23:32 Why do you strongly... 23:33 Here's the next question, question five. 23:35 Why do you strongly believe in the Bible? 23:38 Well, I wasn't brought up in the United States of America 23:41 and I love America. 23:43 I was brought up in Australia, and Australia and America 23:46 are very similar in some ways. 23:48 They're both very wealthy countries. 23:51 But Australians are not too much into religion. 23:57 They think that most people 23:58 who seem to be into religion 24:00 are not really sincere, and they say, 24:03 "It doesn't seem to make any difference 24:04 in their lives." 24:07 And because I was brought up in a secular country, 24:12 I was forced to search for reasons to believe. 24:20 And so I studied archaeology. 24:25 And I saw that tremendous evidence 24:27 why a thinking person can believe. 24:29 I don't believe because I just want to believe. 24:33 I believe that faith must rest on evidence. 24:36 If it doesn't rest on evidence, it's fantasy and silliness. 24:41 So I studied archaeology. 24:43 And then in more recent times, I've studied astronomy. 24:47 And I've discovered that the universe 24:49 is marvelously fine tuned for life. 24:53 Amazing ever. 24:54 I'm going to present this in the Philippines. 24:57 It's called the anthropic principle, 24:59 they would never have heard it before. 25:01 Most Christians in this part of the world 25:03 have never heard it either. 25:05 But any great scientist will tell you this, 25:08 even if he doesn't believe in God. 25:09 There is marvelous evidence 25:12 to believe in God from astronomy. 25:15 Then from prophecy, 25:16 I believe that the Bible is a book of prophecy. 25:20 It has been my privilege to preach the prophecies 25:23 before even millions of atheists 25:27 and unbelievers and see them come to Christ. 25:29 Prophecy shows that the Bible is true. 25:34 The greatest evidence 25:36 for the Bible is Christ Himself. 25:40 He's so great, and He's so good 25:43 that nobody could have sought Him out. 25:46 The greatest evidence 25:47 for Christianity is not prophecy 25:49 or archeology or astronomy, it's the person of Christ. 25:53 He's so good. 25:54 And then, there is, of course, and this is somewhat 25:57 subjective, so we put it in last. 25:59 It is personal experience. 26:03 When you come to know God, 26:05 you can have a personal experience with God. 26:08 Somebody said to Billy Graham, Dr. Graham, 26:10 don't you know that God is dead? 26:12 And Dr. Graham said, "He can't be 26:14 because I spoke to Him this morning." 26:17 Now we're not talking. 26:18 He's not talking about a loud voice 26:20 hitting him in the air. 26:22 But those who are believers know what I'm talking about, 26:25 personal experience. 26:27 If you want to know what an apple tastes like, 26:30 don't go and read a book about the apple, 26:32 bite the apple. 26:34 You see. Now, here's the next question. 26:36 Question six. 26:39 What does it mean that the Bible is inspired? 26:44 This is a question of controversy 26:45 in many circles 26:47 in the evangelical movement in America. 26:52 I believe this. 26:53 God moved upon the hearts and the minds of the prophets. 26:58 He did not tell them the words to say, 27:02 He wrote down the revelation of God, 27:05 in their own words. 27:08 Therefore, inspiration is the Word of God, 27:14 in the words of men. 27:17 And I am absolutely convinced that 27:20 this is the truthful Word of God. 27:24 People say word translation. 27:25 I say to them, "I don't care, just start reading." 27:30 Read it. 27:32 Read the Bible for 30 minutes a day, 27:34 and preferably, read it out loud. 27:37 And if you will do this, 27:42 a wonderful miracle is going to 27:44 happen in your life, 27:46 the miracle of regeneration and rebirth, 27:50 where you will become a brand new person, 27:54 going home to the kingdom of God. 27:56 Now, we'll be back very soon 27:59 and we will pick up where we left off, 28:01 and we will answer your questions 28:04 from the Word of God. 28:05 Thank you for tuning our way today. 28:07 And may God bless you. 28:22 For a copy of today's program, please contact us at 28:25 P.O. Box 1900, Thousand Oaks, 28:28 California 91358. 28:32 Or in Australia, contact us at 28:34 P.O. Box 861, Terrigal, New South Wales 2260. 28:41 This program is made possible through 28:43 the generous support of viewers like you. 28:46 We thank you for your continued support. 28:49 May God richly bless you. |
Revised 2020-04-14