Participants:
Series Code: CR
Program Code: CR002114S
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00:01 As the world lurches from one disaster to another,
00:05 politicians seemed frozen 00:06 in a state of impotency and confusion. 00:10 Some even questioned 00:11 the very existence of the church, 00:13 while others ask, is there a word from the Lord? 00:17 Is there a solution to the problems 00:19 that are tearing society apart? 00:22 Today, John Carter will answer those questions 00:25 but first, we must begin by asking 00:27 the most important question of all, 00:30 what matters most. 00:38 "You put a lot of emphasis on the Gospel of Christ 00:42 and the preaching of that gospel. 00:44 Can you tell us about Sydney's new Anglican Archbishop? 00:48 What does he have to say?" 00:51 Wayne, thank you. Yes, I can. 00:54 But before I do so, I want to back up a little bit 00:58 because this new Anglican Archbishop 01:01 is in a long line of great Protestant preachers. 01:07 Now, what makes a Protestant, a Protestant? 01:09 Well, a Protestant believes in Sola Christus, 01:13 only Christ, Sola Scriptura. 01:16 This is the authority not the church, 01:19 but the living Word of God. 01:24 So you've got preachers like Martin Luther, 01:27 John Wesley, John Newton, 01:31 and I could go on and on and on. 01:33 And these were the men who went out 01:35 and they preached with fire in their bellies, 01:39 and their preaching changed the world 01:42 and gave us the Protestant Reformation 01:45 that gave us the great democracies. 01:47 Listen to me, if there had been no Martin Luther, 01:50 if there had been no Protestant Reformation, 01:53 there would have been no United States of America. 01:59 Listen, liberty, 02:03 individual initiative, honesty, 02:07 benevolence, et cetera. 02:10 These great qualities 02:12 are the fruitage not so much of... 02:15 No, they're not at all from politics. 02:18 They are from the very Gospel of Christ. 02:24 That's why what matters most is the Gospel of Christ, 02:27 which this new archbishop is saying so. 02:32 Okay, Wayne, 02:33 I didn't get to it straight away, 02:35 but I'm getting to it now, my old friend. 02:38 The first words 02:40 of the newly invested Archbishop 02:41 of Sydney. 02:44 What matters most for this Archbishop? 02:48 What matters most for the life 02:49 and ministry of the Sydney Anglican Church? 02:54 It's a Protestant church. 02:55 What matters most when we think about 02:57 Christian life and mission? 03:00 You might think of some great and pressing issues 03:02 of the day. 03:04 Perhaps homelessness and housing affordability? 03:08 Women and children escaping family violence? 03:11 Older Australians? 03:15 Indigenous Australians? 03:18 Perhaps in this reconciliation 03:20 between Sorry Day and Mabo Day... 03:24 You would say that healing, treaty, reconciliation, 03:28 first nations people is the thing that matters most? 03:33 When I turn on television in Australia 03:35 which is so liberal, 03:37 so left-wing, 03:39 this is what you hear all the time. 03:41 They tell you, this is what matters most. 03:44 I don't believe it. 03:46 Then he goes on to say, "Or perhaps 03:49 it is youth mental health issues 03:51 making our most empowered generation 03:53 the most anxious. 03:55 Did you know that young people in Australia now 03:59 have got a tremendous problem? 04:01 Many of them have got mental issues 04:06 because people are giving up on God. 04:09 Only 49% of people in this great land 04:12 that was based on the Protestant Reformation. 04:15 Only 49% of Australians believe in God. 04:19 I asked the question, 04:21 is the nation better off or is it worse off? 04:25 Any person who's honest with himself will say, 04:29 the country is worse off because when you kill God, 04:32 you also kill human beings. 04:35 The death of God always leads to the death of man. 04:39 Sorry, Archbishop, I'm gonna continue. 04:42 He says, "Well, perhaps what matters most 04:45 is the great commandment, 04:47 perhaps the Great Commission, 04:50 or perhaps that summary in Micah to love justice, 04:52 to do mercy and walk humbly. 04:56 All these things are to be true of Christian disciples. 05:01 But they are all the outcome of something more fundamental, 05:04 more basic and essential." 05:07 There's the Archbishop. 05:09 "What matters most is not anything we do, 05:13 but what God has done." 05:18 Hey, are you listening? 05:19 Did you get that? 05:21 Did you hear what the new Archbishop 05:23 of Sydney said? 05:25 He said it's none of these things. 05:26 These things are not what matters most 05:30 is what God has done. 05:32 "The heart of the Christian faith, 05:33 he says, is the person of Jesus Christ, 05:37 who God sent into the world. 05:40 And at the heart of the ministry 05:41 of Jesus is the cross 05:43 on which He died and His resurrection, 05:47 the demonstration of the potency of the cross. 05:53 What matters most?" 05:58 And so this new Archbishop 06:01 of the Anglican Church in Sydney, 06:04 the man who came from Sri Lanka, 06:08 who was a Buddhist, who was converted, 06:11 because somebody gave him the Gospel of John 06:16 says what matters most 06:18 is none of these social issues. 06:23 It is Christ in the gospel. 06:27 It is Christ and His cross. 06:30 It is Christ 06:32 and His resurrection. 06:36 Now, I'm going to tell you a story 06:39 to illustrate what matters most 06:41 and I hope that 06:43 you and I will finally get it sorted out 06:45 what matters most 06:47 and we will stop playing the game 06:49 that is sometimes called church. 06:51 Some people play church. 06:54 We're not called to play church. 06:57 We're called to follow Christ 07:01 like Pedro in Cuba. 07:05 We met Pedro when we went to Cuba 07:07 to run an evangelistic campaign. 07:09 You say, "People are not allowed 07:11 to run evangelistic campaigns in Cuba?" 07:14 Yes, they are. 07:17 And Pedro is a preacher of the Gospel of Christ. 07:23 He stays completely out of politics. 07:26 And I think that's one reason God blesses him. 07:29 He has nothing at all to do 07:32 with politics. 07:36 Pedro, by preaching the Gospel of Christ 07:40 is helping to bless 07:42 the Cuban nation. 07:46 Now, it was years ago, 07:47 I was a night speaker at the General Conference 07:50 in the great city 07:51 of as they call it over there, 07:53 New Orleans. 07:57 A man by the name of NC Wilson, 08:00 who is the president of the church 08:01 gave a great speech on the church and politics. 08:05 He said, "As a church 08:07 we do not hold up any political party. 08:12 We do not endorse any political party." 08:16 That's what NC Wilson said. 08:19 He said, "We tell people, 08:21 whatever country you're in to support your government 08:25 and to be a loyal citizen." 08:28 People say no, no, no, that's not it, no. 08:33 We're talking about the truth here. 08:36 And Pedro who is a loyal citizen of Cuba. 08:42 And Pedro is one young preacher who's got it worked out. 08:46 He's got it sorted out, and he's right. 08:50 He believes what matters most is Christ. 08:54 What matters most is the Bible. 08:56 What matters most is the Gospel of Jesus. 09:00 What matters most is the cross of Christ. 09:02 What matters most is the resurrection of Christ. 09:06 What matters most 09:07 is that Christ is my high priest today. 09:09 No, no ordinary human being but Christ. 09:13 What matters most is that Jesus is coming back 09:16 to save us and take us home to glory. 09:18 That's what matters most. 09:21 Pedro has got it worked out. 09:24 And I think the Archbishop 09:26 if he knew Pedro would want to give him a job. 09:31 Because Pedro understands 09:35 the gospel matters most. 09:37 Listen, our advice to preachers is plain and simple. 09:41 Now, preachers 09:42 if you're listening to me still, 09:44 and listen up a little bit more, 09:46 brother or sister, I say today, listen. 09:51 God never called you 09:52 to promote the Republican Party. 09:55 He never called you to promote the Democratic Party. 09:59 He never told you to go around and preach politics. 10:05 He called you to preach the Gospel of Christ 10:07 and if you do that, 10:10 you will see save souls, minds enlightened, 10:16 racism start to disappear, 10:21 domestic violence become a thing of the past. 10:25 We need a reformation again 10:28 and the reformation starts in the heart. 10:30 The gospel is what matters most. 10:36 "You've preached in Cuba. 10:38 How did the communist government treat you?" 10:43 Well, actually, they treated me very well. 10:45 Thank you very much. 10:47 You see, the Cuban government knew 10:50 that I wasn't in Cuba to cause trouble. 10:54 I wasn't there to get involved in politics. 10:58 I was there to preach the Gospel of Christ. 11:01 And the Carter Report sponsored 11:02 all of these great evangelistic campaigns 11:04 up and down and across the Cuban nation. 11:08 We saw wonderful crowds of people. 11:13 They came because they are hungry for God, 11:15 you say. 11:16 Saint Augustine had arrived when he said, 11:18 "Our souls were made for God, 11:20 they cannot rest until they rest in Him." 11:23 And if you get away from God, 11:24 you're going to find life is not too good. 11:27 You're going to find that you're dead, 11:29 and you're empty inside. 11:32 God has put this thing inside us 11:34 and unless it's filled up with God, 11:36 it's going to be pretty anxious and unhappy. 11:41 So we went to Cuba, and we joined with Pedro. 11:45 Pedro sang for me, has fantastic voice. 11:49 Now he's running his own evangelistic campaigns 11:52 and pastoring his own church. 11:54 Some of the finest pastors I've met anywhere in the world 11:58 were Cuban pastors. 12:00 They weren't playing around with politics, thank God. 12:05 They were focused on the Bible, they were focused on Christ. 12:10 They'd gotten it sorted out, you see. 12:13 I think it's a great tragedy 12:14 when pastors all they can talk about is politics, 12:17 and I belong to this party, 12:19 I belong to that party, 12:20 and I'm for this and I'm for that. 12:22 Hey, they may earn 12:25 their salaries a lot better 12:29 if they went out into all the world, 12:32 went to Cuba, went to Russia, 12:36 went to Ukraine, went to Africa, 12:40 and preach the pure Gospel of Christ 12:43 because the Gospel of Christ 12:46 is the greatest rejuvenator, 12:49 regenerator, uplifter 12:52 of the human race. 12:55 And because the gospel is the most potent force 12:59 in the world, 13:01 it's what matters most. 13:02 And I agree with the Anglican Archbishop 13:05 of Sydney. 13:10 "What is so important about the cross of Christ? 13:13 And what is the difference in all of these isms? 13:17 Humanism, atheism?" 13:22 Well, let me tell you. 13:26 Firstly, I should tell you a little bit about 13:27 the Anglican Church. 13:30 It's a Protestant Church. 13:31 It's the church that came out of the Roman Catholic Church. 13:35 In the days of that terrible man, 13:37 King Henry, you know about him, don't you? 13:41 What a rogue he was, 13:44 but the Protestant Reformation came 13:46 to Great Britain through the preaching 13:48 of the Protestant reformers. 13:51 And the Anglican Church, 13:52 at least the low wing of the Anglican Church 13:56 is evangelical and free and believes 14:00 in the supremacy of Christ. 14:03 So it's a Protestant Church, and I'm a Protestant. 14:08 I tell people this, I'm firstly I'm a Christian, 14:10 then I'm a Protestant, and I'm an Adventist. 14:13 I'm an Adventist because I believe 14:16 in the commandments of God, 14:17 and I believe in the soon coming of Christ. 14:22 I believe the gospel matters most. 14:26 What does the gospel teach? 14:29 The gospel teaches that I'm a child of God, 14:31 you're a child of God. 14:35 It says, "In the beginning, 14:36 God created the heavens and the earth." 14:39 So we came from God. 14:41 John Chapter 1 says, "In the beginning was the Word, 14:44 the Word was with God, 14:45 and the Word was God, and the Word became flesh, 14:50 and dwelt among us." 14:51 It teaches that the eternal word 14:54 Yahweh Elohim 14:57 became a human being. 15:00 It completely dismisses 15:03 the absurd idea of humanism 15:07 and the equally absurd idea of atheism. 15:12 You see, humanism teaches there is no God. 15:15 It doesn't say that human beings 15:18 are good or anything like this. 15:20 Humanism believes that 15:21 man is the center of the universe, 15:24 and man is everything that ever was or ever will be. 15:29 I'm not a humanist. 15:31 I believe in Almighty God, I believe in Jesus Christ. 15:34 I believe that Jesus Christ was God in human flesh. 15:39 This is what I believe matters most. 15:43 I believe He came to show us what God is like. 15:48 People had no idea really what God was like, 15:50 or if they had they'd forgotten all about it. 15:53 So Jesus became a man, 15:57 Almighty God, the second person of the Godhead 16:01 became a man 16:03 and He came to save us from our sins. 16:07 I'm going to turn over here to the writings 16:10 of the great Apostle Paul in Chapter 3. 16:15 I earnestly recommend that you read this book. 16:19 You may find it hard to understand, 16:21 but if you persevere, 16:23 you're going to get the greatest blessing, you see. 16:27 Romans 3:10, says, 16:29 "As it is written: 'There is none righteous, 16:31 no, not one." 16:33 Before you're going to understand the good news, 16:35 you got to understand the bad news. 16:38 And the bad news is that there are no righteous people, 16:41 we are all sinners, and we all need a Savior, 16:46 but the good news is that 16:48 Jesus is the Savior. 16:53 And then I come over here 16:54 to Romans 6:23, it says, 16:59 "For the wages of sin is death." 17:03 If we continue on in our course of activity, 17:06 we are going to die. 17:09 We are going to be lost, 17:11 there is a heaven and there is a hell. 17:16 Then the text goes on to say, "For the wages of sin is death, 17:20 but the gift of God is eternal life 17:23 in Christ Jesus, 17:25 our Lord." 17:27 It teaches that Jesus Christ on the cross 17:32 paid the price for my sins. 17:35 God was in Christ reconciling the world 17:37 to Himself in 2 Corinthians 5, 17:40 God made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, 17:43 so that in Him we might become 17:45 the righteousness of God in Him. 17:47 This is the teaching 17:49 of the great Protestant Reformation. 17:50 This is the teaching that elevates 17:52 and saves the soul. 17:57 It's the most important truth, it's the most wonderful truth, 18:01 and when this truth has been taught around the world, 18:04 it has an amazing capacity 18:08 to change human lives. 18:13 Better than what Congress can do 18:14 and the Senate can do. 18:16 Well, of course, they're not doing too good, 18:17 are they? 18:19 They think sometimes that by passing bills, 18:24 and by having legislation, 18:26 they can change the hearts of men. 18:28 You can't change the hearts of men with legislation. 18:31 Legislator, Congressman, Senator, Parliamentarian, 18:36 it is only the Gospel of Christ that can change the heart. 18:40 I've seen it happen, thousands of people, 18:42 tens of thousands. 18:45 Sergei, Russia, a mafia leader, 18:49 became a Christian came to the meetings, 18:51 heard the gospel. 18:52 Ildar, a mafia captain with 400 soldiers, 18:57 all with machine guns come to Christ. 19:02 Well, the Duma in Russia, 19:05 whatever it's called their parliament 19:06 can legislate and talk and talk and talk 19:10 until the cows come home to get milked, 19:14 but they're not going to change the hearts of people 19:16 like Ildar and Sergei, 19:19 and I could talk about thousands of others. 19:22 And what about Mary Magdalene, 19:25 a woman who was demon-possessed, 19:29 but became a mighty child of God, 19:33 she became the apostle to the apostles we're told. 19:37 Now listen. 19:39 Don't forget this. 19:42 It is the truth of the gospel that changes the world. 19:45 That's why evangelism is so important. 19:47 What's wrong? 19:48 Why don't we do evangelism? 19:51 Maybe we better listen to the Anglican Archbishop. 19:56 The church in many places has become a social club, 20:00 a political organization 20:02 that exists to maintain the status quo, 20:06 you know it's true. 20:08 You may find what I'm saying very uncomfortable 20:13 but you can't say it's wrong. 20:16 Can you now 20:18 because the gospel matters most. 20:22 In some churches, it's getting elected 20:26 to be some highfalutin job. 20:30 What matters most? 20:32 How very sad. 20:34 I say today, think of Wesley. 20:38 Up at four in the morning preaching to the miners. 20:41 Think of Whitfield, the disciple of Wesley, 20:44 coming over to America, 20:47 planting the seed of truth and righteousness in America. 20:53 Think of the Pilgrim Fathers, for crying out loud. 20:56 Think of the Pilgrim Fathers. 20:59 Many Americans don't even know today, 21:01 who they were. 21:03 They were people who believe that Christ matters most 21:09 and closer to our day, think of Billy Graham. 21:13 Think of HMS Richards of the Voice of Prophecy. 21:17 Hey, they had it right. 21:20 They got it worked out 21:22 because they let the Holy Spirit 21:24 speak to their hearts. 21:25 What matters most? 21:28 Christ in the gospel. 21:30 Archbishop got it right. 21:36 "You're passionate about how manmade religion 21:39 sometimes creates barriers to the true gospel. 21:41 You mentioned John Wesley. 21:43 Can you tell us more about him?" 21:49 Well, John Wesley was a member of the state church. 21:55 That was the Anglican Church 21:57 that had become dreadfully formalized. 22:01 Churches have got a terrible tendency 22:04 to go down the hill, 22:05 and become dreadfully formalized 22:09 and to lose the power of the Spirit. 22:12 So John Wesley went to Oxford and a great scholar. 22:16 He was an Oxford Don. 22:18 He was ordained as a priest in the Church of England, 22:21 then he went across to America 22:23 to convert the American Indians, 22:26 but he made a terrible mess of things. 22:29 People have got a tendency to make a mess of things 22:33 when they don't make Christ center in their lives, 22:37 but then he came back to London, 22:40 and one cold night, 22:42 he went down to Aldersgate lane, I think, 22:46 and he heard an unlettered layman 22:48 read Martin Luther's preface to the Book of Romans, 22:52 where Martin Luther describes 22:54 what I've been talking about today 22:56 the Gospel of Christ. 22:59 Wesley is very, very sad. 23:03 He's failed in his life's calling. 23:06 But then he starts to hear a message 23:09 from the Bible. 23:12 And then he stands up and he says, 23:13 stop the meeting, stop the meeting 23:16 and he says, as the brother read 23:19 Martin Luther's preface to the Book of Romans, 23:22 that describes the work of the Holy Spirit 23:25 in the heart, 23:26 he said, I felt my heart 23:30 strangely warmed. 23:34 He said, I felt that I did indeed trust in Christ 23:38 and an assurance was given me 23:40 that Christ had taken away my sin 23:43 and saved me from the law of sin and death. 23:51 Wesley had found the gospel, 23:54 he discovered what matters most. 23:57 And then Wesley went out and started to preach. 24:00 He was the same person. 24:01 No, he wasn't the same person. 24:03 He was a new John Wesley. 24:05 He had a fire in his belly. 24:06 He had Christ in his heart. 24:10 His preaching brought about 24:11 the reformation of British society. 24:15 Hundreds of thousands came to Christ. 24:18 Drunkenness was overcome. 24:20 Child slavery was abolished. 24:24 And the preaching of John Wesley 24:25 led to people like Martin Luther King. 24:30 This is the force, my friend, 24:32 that actually changes the world. 24:35 Then one of his associates, 24:37 George Whitfield caught the vision. 24:40 He came across to America. 24:41 He started preaching, the fire spread to America. 24:45 John Wesley came across to America. 24:47 Vast crowds of Americans listened 24:49 in wonder and amazement, 24:51 and their lives were changed by the power of God. 24:54 Society was transformed, elevated. 24:59 So we come to the question again, 25:01 what matters most? 25:03 John Wesley discovered what matters most. 25:06 It's not political activity, 25:08 it is the preaching of the Gospel of Christ. 25:12 That is the great uplifter of humanity. 25:15 We've seen it in the preaching of Whitfield, 25:19 George Whitfield over in America, 25:22 in the preaching of the Protestant reformers, 25:25 in the preaching of the Puritans. 25:30 This is why the countries that accepted this great gospel 25:33 became the greatest countries in the world. 25:35 That's why people are lining up 25:38 still today to get into those countries. 25:41 What matters most? 25:43 Christ, His cross, 25:48 His resurrection, His priesthood, 25:52 He's coming again. 25:56 That's what matters most. 26:03 Jesus said, "All authority has been given to Me 26:07 in heaven and on earth. 26:09 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, 26:13 baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, 26:17 and of the Holy Spirit." 26:21 John Carter reports, 26:23 "We have seen God's power as the Gospel of Christ 26:26 has been proclaimed in Africa, 26:30 India, Russia, 26:35 Ukraine, Cuba, 26:41 El Salvador, and many other places. 26:45 We invite you to partner with us 26:48 in proclaiming Jesus Christ." 26:53 To God be the glory, great things He has done. 27:01 Write today to the Carter Report, 27:04 P.O. Box 1900, 27:07 Thousand Oaks, California 91358. 27:11 That's the Carter Report, 27:14 P.O. Box 1900, 27:16 Thousand Oaks, California 91358. 27:21 In Australia, write to the Carter Report, 27:25 P.O. Box 861, 27:27 Terrigal, New South Wales 2260. 27:31 That's the Carter Report, 27:34 P.O. Box 861, 27:36 Terrigal, New South Wales 2260. 27:41 Thank you for your generous support. 27:43 We look forward to hearing from you soon. 27:45 May God richly bless you. 28:04 For a copy of today's program, 28:06 please contact us at P.O. Box 1900, 28:10 Thousand Oaks, California 91358 28:14 or in Australia, contact us at P.O. Box 861, 28:19 Terrigal, New South Wales 2260. 28:23 This program is made possible 28:25 through the generous support of viewers like you. 28:28 We thank you for your continued support. 28:31 May God richly bless you. |
Revised 2022-01-13