Participants:
Series Code: CR
Program Code: CR002016S
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00:01 How long does it take to be saved?
00:02 John Carter was going to give the answers 00:04 to this powerful question at the Manila programs. 00:07 Now, because of a global pandemic, 00:10 John Carter now teaches from his studio in Los Angeles. 00:13 This important presentation is about the three prodigals, 00:17 the Pharisees, and how and why God loves bad people. 00:21 Here is John Carter. 00:24 Hi, friend. I'm John Carter. 00:26 Welcome back to the second part of the program, 00:29 "How long does it take to be saved?" 00:32 Do you want to be saved? This program is for you. 00:35 A special greeting today 00:37 to our great friends in the city of Manila. 00:41 Now, we should have been in Manila right now, 00:45 but it came along this virus COVID-19, 00:51 and so in lieu of that 00:53 we're going to send you this message with our blessings 00:56 and our best wishes, 00:58 all of our friends in the great city of Manila. 01:01 So the topic is part two, 01:04 "How long does it take to be saved?" 01:07 And then we're going to talk today 01:09 about the three prodigals. 01:11 Three prodigals? Absolutely. 01:14 What does the word prodigal mean? 01:16 Would you like to know what it means? 01:18 A prodigal is a person who is extravagant, abundant, 01:23 generous over and beyond. 01:27 And today, we're going to tell you 01:28 that there are not just, 01:29 well, there's not just one prodigal, 01:31 but the Bible tells me really, 01:34 there are three prodigals, that is the topic today. 01:38 We're going to pick it up from the first segment. 01:40 We're going to repeat a little bit. 01:42 Going to come now to Luke Chapter 15 and verse... 01:46 Let me see verse, verse 11. 01:50 Here it is, "A certain man 01:53 had two sons." 01:57 One of those boys 01:59 is the traditional prodigal son, 02:03 and then the next verse, I think it is. 02:05 Let me see verse... 02:07 Where it is? 02:08 Verse 12, here it is, verse 12. 02:11 Luke 15:12, "The younger of them," 02:14 we call him the prodigal, 02:16 "younger of them said to his father, 02:18 'Father, give me.'" 02:20 Hey, that's the cry of the lost soul. 02:24 Give me, hey, I want more. 02:27 I need more. 02:29 What do you want? More. 02:31 Give me, "'Give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' 02:35 So he divided to them his livelihood.'" 02:39 This young guy is such a prodigal 02:44 that he can't wait until the old man is dead. 02:48 But he wants his share 02:50 of the inheritance and he wants it, 02:52 you know when? I want it now. 02:54 Give me and give me now. 02:57 He is a prodigal. 03:00 And then if you notice, 03:01 please, verses 13 and 14. 03:07 It says, "Not many days after, 03:10 the younger son gathered all together, 03:13 journeyed to a far country." 03:17 And, my friend, I got news for you, 03:18 when you get away from God, you go to a far country. 03:23 You may think it's going to be great, 03:25 but it's not. 03:26 It's a far country." 03:28 And there wasted 03:29 his possessions with prodigal living." 03:32 What's this word prodigal mean? 03:34 You listening to me? 03:35 It means extravagant, abundant over and beyond. 03:40 So he just spends and spends and spends. 03:45 Verse 14, I think 03:47 is the next verse I'm supposed to be reading. 03:50 "But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine 03:55 in that land, he began to be in want." 03:59 What a silly boy! 04:02 Starts with, give me, give me, give me. 04:05 And after a while he leaves everything, 04:08 he goes, goes away from the father. 04:10 He's a nodal boy. He knows everything. 04:15 He thinks his father is just an old fool. 04:17 But with the old man with the white hair, no. 04:20 And so, he just leaves the father's house, 04:23 the warmth and the security 04:26 and he goes into a distant place, 04:29 and it's not as good as he thought 04:32 it was going to be. 04:34 But for a while, it is super good. 04:37 And if you can believe the words of the elder brother, 04:41 he wasted his money, not only on food and wine, 04:45 but he spent it on prostitutes and harlots. 04:49 So you don't have to have a lot of sympathy for this boy 04:52 because he is a waster. 04:56 But the good news of the gospel is this man receives sinners. 05:02 God loves the prodigal son. 05:04 He loves you. And He loves me. 05:09 Because God's love toward us 05:11 isn't based on our righteousness, 05:14 it is based upon His grace, 05:17 His goodness, His mercy. 05:20 And God doesn't say give me, God is the God of giving. 05:26 And so off He goes. 05:29 There he goes, he wastes all his money 05:32 and the elder brother said he spent a bit 05:35 of that money also on prostitutes. 05:38 Verse 15, let me see, verse 15, 05:44 then he went, 05:45 joined himself to citizen of that country. 05:51 This is not too good for him, 05:53 and he sent him into his fields. 05:55 You'll see why it's not too good 05:57 to feed swine. 05:59 And he would gladly fill his stomach with the pods 06:02 that the swine ate. 06:03 But no one gave him anything. 06:06 Hey, it's not so good, is it? 06:08 When you get away from the father's house, 06:10 my brother, my sister, it's not so good. 06:13 The stomach is empty, and the soul is empty. 06:17 So here is a young guy, he's the prodigal boy. 06:21 He takes his father's money, and he goes into a far land, 06:26 and he spends his money. 06:28 So, you know, there's nothing to stop him. 06:33 He has no reservations, he has no restrictions. 06:38 So he spends and he spends, 06:40 and he spends, like you and like me 06:42 on many occasions. 06:44 When we get away from the father's house, 06:45 we think we're smart. 06:48 So this boy spends all his money, 06:51 and then he's got nothing left and he's very empty inside. 06:56 Hear what I'm saying. 06:58 When you get away from the father's house, 07:00 you can be very hungry in your belly, 07:02 and you can be very hungry in your soul. 07:06 And this boy is hungry in his soul. 07:10 And he goes, and he joins himself to a man 07:12 who sends him out into the field. 07:15 And the man says to this Jewish boy, 07:18 "Get out there, boy, and feed the pigs." 07:24 What humiliation for a Jewish boy 07:27 out in the field and he's feeding the pigs. 07:32 He gets so hungry 07:35 that he wants to eat the pig feed, 07:38 the swill and the garbage, 07:41 but nobody gives to this boy anything 07:45 because he doesn't deserve it. 07:49 But who does deserve it? 07:51 Look at verse... Can I see if I can find it? 07:54 Verse 17, here it is. 07:56 Verse 17, "But when he came to himself, 08:02 he said, 'How many of my father's 08:04 hired servants have bread enough 08:06 and to spare, 08:08 and I perish with hunger!'" 08:13 When he came to himself, you know what that is called? 08:17 That is, my friend, the Great Awakening. 08:22 There is a Holy Spirit. 08:25 You listening to me. 08:27 And the Holy Spirit comes 08:28 and talks to the boy down in the pigpen. 08:32 And the boy comes to himself, 08:35 you and I will never be saved 08:37 and get back to the father's house 08:40 until we have our spiritual awakening 08:44 and we come to ourselves. 08:47 I want to ask you today, have you come to yourself? 08:51 Because, my friend, 08:53 if you haven't come to yourself, 08:54 you're never going to get back to the father's house. 08:57 And perhaps you don't even realize that 08:59 you're down in the pigpen. 09:01 But when we're down in the pigpen, 09:03 and things look as bad as they can be, 09:06 I've got good news for every one of us. 09:09 When we are down in the pigpen, 09:11 we have a father, and that father loves us 09:15 in spite of our stupidity. 09:18 Now I'm going to read on a little bit further, 09:21 verses 18 and 19, verses 18 and 19. 09:25 He says, "I will arise and go to my father," 09:29 hey, that's the best decision you can make. 09:33 "I will arise and go to my father 09:34 and will say to him, 09:36 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 09:39 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. 09:42 Make me like one of your hired servants.'" 09:45 You know what? You know what that's called? 09:48 That's called repentance. 09:50 Now, repentance doesn't come easy 09:52 to our sinful human hearts. 09:56 And sometimes before we repent, 09:58 we've got to get down into the pigpen. 10:01 And when we're down in the pigpen, 10:05 and we realize how far down we've come, 10:07 and we realize 10:09 how good the father's house is and was. 10:14 Then if we open our hearts to the Spirit of God, 10:17 we come to ourselves. 10:20 That's the hardest thing that can ever happen to us 10:23 is to come to ourselves. 10:26 And so, okay, he says, "I'm going to go back." 10:31 And then you come to verse 20. 10:34 Verse 20, want you to notice, 10:36 verse 20, because this is amazing. 10:40 "And he arose," from pigpen, 10:43 "and came to his father. 10:46 But when he was still a great way off, 10:48 his father saw him." 10:50 Hey, the father's looking down the road. 10:53 "His father saw him, had compassion 10:55 and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him." 10:59 In the Middle East that's one thing 11:01 all men don't do. 11:03 They're too dignified to want to run. 11:07 They walk slowly. 11:12 And they walk with dignity. 11:17 But this old man so loves his son, 11:21 he puts aside his dignity. 11:24 He's been looking down the road for that boy 11:27 and he's been looking down the road 11:29 for a long, long time. 11:31 God's been looking down the road for you, 11:33 brother, and sister. 11:36 You may be down in the pigpen, you may have turned to go back, 11:40 and God is looking down the road. 11:42 Because the Pharisee was right when he said, 11:45 "This man receives sinners." 11:47 This is why Jesus is telling this story 11:50 to show that the Pharisees on this one occasion 11:53 had finally got it right. 11:55 This man receives sinners. 11:58 This is called the gospel. 12:03 The God doesn't treat us as we deserve, 12:07 because God is gracious and God is merciful. 12:13 So the father is looking down the road. 12:17 And you look at now verse, what do we got up to, verse 21? 12:22 "And the son said to him, 12:25 'Father, I have sinned 12:26 against heaven and in your sight, 12:29 and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'" 12:35 The father doesn't let him finish the speech. 12:38 Verse 22-24, 12:42 it's almost too hard to believe, 12:45 verses 22 to 24. 12:48 "But the father said to his servants, 12:52 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, 12:55 put a ring on his hand," a ring, yes, 12:59 "and sandals on his feet. 13:01 And bring the fatted calf and kill it. 13:04 And let us eat and be merry, for this my son was dead 13:08 and is alive again, he was lost and is found. 13:11 'And they began to be merry.'" 13:13 Listen, I told you there are three prodigals. 13:17 You want to know who the second prodigal is? 13:20 You get it? 13:22 What does the word prodigal mean? 13:23 Extravagant, abundant, generous over and beyond. 13:31 Well, the second prodigal is the father 13:35 who represents God. 13:38 Over and beyond, he is extravagant. 13:42 He goes over and over 13:44 and over and over again. 13:49 So the father doesn't let this young guy 13:52 get through this speech. 13:54 But he says, Welcome home, my boy. 13:58 He gets a robe and he puts it on him 14:00 and the robe covers up the filth. 14:04 That's God's gift to forgiveness 14:06 and grace, righteousness. 14:08 It's a gift we can't earn it. 14:10 That's where the Pharisees got it wrong. 14:12 The Pharisees thought they could make up the robe, 14:14 you can't make it up. 14:18 So he puts his robe on him. 14:20 He puts a ring on his finger. 14:27 The father is not a Pharisee, 14:30 and so the father puts a ring on his finger. 14:35 The ring of sonship, are you getting this? 14:40 Pharisees couldn't get this 14:41 because their hearts were too cold. 14:44 And the Pharisees 14:45 were the super religionist always, 14:47 always, always putting it on, 14:51 always going to the house of worship, 14:54 but they never had it in their hearts. 14:56 They were as cold as an iceberg. 15:00 And sandals on his feet. 15:02 Then he says, "We're going to have a party." 15:06 Amazing thing Jesus spoke so often about parties. 15:09 People say, "No, no, we don't like these parties. 15:12 You got to be terribly solemn all the time. 15:14 True religion and true Christianity 15:16 is being solemn, 15:17 and looking as though you're in pain all the time. 15:21 But the word gospel simply means good news. 15:25 It is the good news that even though 15:27 I have been down in the pigpen, 15:31 there's a father 15:33 who's the greatest prodigal of them all. 15:37 And he puts on a party 15:39 and they are singing and there's music 15:42 and they're joyful 15:44 which is the symbol of the gospel. 15:48 The Pharisee could never get the gospel. 15:50 He always was such a long faced, sour person. 15:55 Always quoting tradition, 15:57 the defender of orthodoxy, 16:02 a spiritual pain in the neck. 16:06 And so glad to be here 16:09 because he thought the more sour he was, 16:11 the more he was acceptable to God 16:14 because he thought God was like he was, 16:16 but God is not like the Pharisee. 16:19 God is the father who is warm, 16:22 and sunny, and loving, and forgiving. 16:30 Number of great truths we've got to learn. 16:33 Man is far worse than he ever feared to think, 16:41 but God is far better than He ever did to hope. 16:49 Because God is the prodigal. 16:54 How long does it take to be saved? 16:57 When you come to yourself and you return to the father, 17:01 and the robe covers your sins, you can be saved now. 17:05 You say, "No, I don't believe any of this." 17:06 But John Carter's preaching, 17:08 just don't believe any of this stuff, 17:09 it's all here. 17:11 Well, it's what Jesus taught. 17:12 This is what the Pharisees hated. 17:15 Don't believe the doctrine of the Pharisee, 17:17 don't be a Pharisee. 17:20 So you can be saved now. 17:22 You can have the robe on you now. 17:25 You can be forgiven now. 17:27 You can be justified now. 17:30 And you can rejoice now, 17:32 and you can praise the Lord, and you can do it now. 17:36 How long does it take to be saved? 17:38 As long as it takes to come to yourself 17:41 and to come back to the father's house. 17:47 Okay, let me say it again, 17:50 prodigal, prodigal. 17:52 What does it mean? 17:54 Well, it means extravagant. 17:58 And I told you, there's a third prodigal, 18:00 didn't I tell you that? 18:02 Let me bring him forth. 18:03 Now he's not a very nice character 18:05 but we got to look at him 18:07 because some of us have to live, 18:08 you know, around people like this. 18:10 Luke 15:25-28, 18:16 "Now his older brother was in the field. 18:22 As he came and drew near to the house, 18:24 he heard music and dancing." 18:27 Our scoundrel. 18:30 "So he called one of the servants 18:31 and asked what these things meant. 18:33 And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, 18:36 and because he has received him safe 18:38 and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.' 18:43 But he was angry and would not go in. 18:47 Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.'" 18:53 There's the third prodigal, that's the Pharisee. 18:57 Prodigal, yeah. 19:00 He's extravagant in his self-righteousness, 19:03 in his meanness, 19:04 in his legalism, in his criticism. 19:09 There are some people 19:10 who think the more critical they are, 19:12 the more pious they are. 19:13 I've got news for you. 19:16 The more critical people get the further 19:18 they get from God. 19:22 But here is this guy and he's standing out there. 19:27 He's got a long face. 19:30 And he's full of criticism because the prodigal son, 19:35 his brother has come home. 19:39 And you know, the elder brother 19:42 represents the Pharisees. 19:45 People who are always down on other people, 19:47 the super religious. 19:49 And the Pharisees are not dead, 19:51 there are plenty of Pharisees 19:52 alive today in the church. 19:58 But a Pharisee cannot be saved, until he comes to himself, 20:04 and knows that he's been in a pigpen too. 20:10 He needs to know that the father loves him also. 20:14 Now verses 29 and onwards. 20:17 29 and onwards. 20:20 "So he answered and said to his father," 20:25 that's the elder brother, 'Lo, these many years 20:29 I have been serving you,' 20:31 the Greeks say slaving, 20:34 'I never transgressed your commandments at any time,' 20:37 I believe in sinless perfectionism, 20:39 'and yet you never gave me a young goat, 20:43 that I might make merry with my friends. 20:47 But as soon as this son of yours,' 20:50 not my brother's come, 20:52 'who has devoured your livelihood with harlots."' 20:55 I don't know if it's true 20:56 because the Pharisees were big liars. 21:00 Okay he says this boy devoured your livelihood with harlot, 21:04 "'You killed the fatted calf for him.' 21:07 And he said to him, 'Son, 21:09 you are always with me, 21:12 all that I have is yours.'" 21:18 We don't know 21:19 whether the elder brother ever repented. 21:24 He had some real spiritual problems. 21:26 And, of course, he was very blind. 21:28 He was spiritually blind. 21:31 He said, all these years, I've been working for you. 21:37 All these years, I've been slaving for you. 21:39 I've never broken any of your commandments. 21:42 I am a righteous man 21:44 because I keep your commandments. 21:47 And my standing with you depends upon the fact 21:51 that I have earned your respect, 21:53 because I have obtained by your grace to perfection. 21:58 I've always kept your commandments. 22:00 But when the son of yours comes. 22:05 So the elder brother is the third prodigal. 22:10 Cold, heartless, loveless, 22:12 judgmental, graceless, unforgiving. 22:16 Have you ever met people like that? 22:19 I ask you. 22:24 Then I think 22:26 there's another couple of verses 22:27 we ought to look at, verses 31 and 32, 22:32 "He said to him, 'Son, you are always with me,' 22:35 how kind, 'all that I have is yours,' 22:38 Mr. Pharisee, 'it was right that we should make merry 22:41 and be glad for your brother was dead 22:45 and is alive again, and was lost and is found.'" 22:52 Almost too hard to believe 22:55 but the father loves the Pharisee. 22:59 So let's have a recap. 23:00 There are three prodigals. 23:01 Remember the word means extravagant. 23:05 The youngest son is a prodigal, he's a prodigal in sin. 23:10 Number two, the older brother 23:11 is a prodigal in coldness and self-righteousness. 23:16 And the old father 23:19 is a prodigal in grace and love. 23:24 What a wonderful, wonderful story, 23:26 the story of the old father. 23:30 There's a great text in the Book 23:31 of Romans Chapter 3. 23:34 Oh, let me look at this. Here it is. 23:36 Here's the great painting by Rembrandt. 23:39 The Return of the Prodigal, 23:40 here is the old father who represents God behold it. 23:45 Here is the elder brother, 23:49 the supercilious, hardhearted Pharisee, 23:52 the legalist, but the great text, 23:57 what is it? There it is." 23:59 Where sin did abound, grace did much more abound." 24:05 The good news, my friend, is this 24:06 and it's from my heart to your heart. 24:11 If you come to the father, turn to the father, 24:14 the father will run down the road to meet you. 24:18 I learned this when I was a boy 24:20 growing up in Brisbane. 24:22 "Sinners, Jesus will receive, 24:26 sound this word of grace to all, 24:30 who the heavenly pathway leave, 24:33 all who linger, all who fall, 24:38 sing it o'er and o'er again, 24:40 Christ receiveth sinful men, 24:44 make the message clear and plain, 24:46 Christ receiveth sinful men." 24:49 He will receive you today. 24:55 Like the man who came to the meetings in Manila. 24:58 He came with a knife, seeking out a man 25:00 who was coming to my meetings, 25:02 and he was going to stab that man 25:04 and kill him in the meeting. 25:06 But as he heard this sermon being preached, 25:10 the Spirit of God reached out to that man 25:12 in the Filipino International Convention Center, 25:15 and he came to himself. 25:18 He came to Christ, he was saved. 25:24 So how long does it take to be saved? 25:28 How long does it take to come to yourself? 25:30 How long does it come? 25:32 How long does it take to turn around 25:36 and come to the father's house? 25:39 So the message today is this. 25:42 Jesus loves you. 25:48 Jesus died for you. 25:50 And there is a father 25:53 looking down the road waiting, 25:57 my brother, my sister, to welcome you home. 26:03 That old father 26:07 represents God. 26:10 And he is the greatest 26:13 prodigal of them all, 26:17 where sin did abound, 26:20 grace did much more abound. 26:25 Time, it takes only a minute to have eternal life. 26:30 How can you get saved in a minute? 26:31 It's simple. 26:33 First, believe that Jesus was the Son of God. 26:35 Second, accept His free gift of eternal life, 26:38 and then you're saved. 26:40 It's not hard. It doesn't take any time. 26:43 You can be saved in a minute right now. 26:46 Pray with me, Lord God, I realize that I am a sinner. 26:50 My sin has separated me from You. 26:53 I accept that Your Son Jesus Christ died for me. 26:56 I ask Jesus into my heart. 26:58 If you prayed this prayer, you are saved. 27:01 The next thing to do is tell someone, 27:03 fellowship with other followers of Jesus. 27:06 Get baptized. Read your Bible and pray. 27:10 Choices, we make them every day, all day. 27:13 The most important choice you will make in your life 27:16 is whether to choose eternal life 27:18 or let it pass you by. 27:20 If you'd like more information about your new life, 27:22 call the number and visit our website. 27:27 God has blessed us all. 27:30 Those blessings can be passed down 27:32 to our families and to the family of Christ. 27:36 A monetary gift from your state 27:38 can be given to support 27:40 the tremendous work of the Carter Report. 27:43 Your gift delivers hope to those waiting to hear 27:47 the Word of God 27:48 and changes lives all over the world. 27:53 Vehicles of all kinds, boats and property 27:58 can be transformed to support the schools, 28:01 orphanages, churches, 28:03 and television programs of the Carter Report. 28:07 If this is your wish, 28:09 or if you have questions, please contact us. 28:13 You can call the number on the screen or write to us. 28:17 Thank you for making us a part of your legacy. 28:30 For a copy of today's program, 28:32 please contact us at P.O. 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Revised 2020-07-30