Participants: John Carter
Series Code: 12HC
Program Code: 12HC000015
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00:47 All good things must come to a close.
00:51 We've had one of the most spiritual times we've ever had 00:55 here at a Camp Meeting. 00:57 Over and over people have told me "these messages have 00:59 touched our hearts and they have challenged us 01:04 to reach out and to share the gospel 01:06 and we have really been blessed this weekend. " 01:11 And so many good things... And tonight 01:15 I believe God is going to bless us one more time. 01:18 We have, I feel, an evangelistic team 01:23 in John Carter and Danny Shelton. 01:26 When they were in Russia at Nizhny Novgorod... 01:30 and I usually, probably messed that up 01:32 but I do the best I can with it... 01:35 it was originally or during the Communist days called 01:40 Gorky. That's a lot easier for me to say! 01:42 But often Danny would sing 01:48 the song Mending Broken People. 01:52 Now that's the theme of 3ABN. 01:56 The world is broken. 01:58 Lost. 01:59 And when we bring Jesus to the world 02:03 it mends broken people. 02:07 It's the only mending that's eternal and that lasts. 02:11 And so tonight, before Pastor John Carter comes, 02:16 we're going to hear once again 02:19 Danny is going to sing Mending Broken People. 02:40 When I see 02:43 my brother stumble 02:46 and all his dreams crumble 02:51 let me be there 02:55 for I, too, fail. 03:01 And when I see 03:04 his heart breaking 03:08 from a wrong turn he's taking 03:14 let me be there 03:17 for I remember well. 03:22 I want to spend my life 03:29 mending broken people. 03:33 I want to spend 03:36 my whole life 03:40 removing pain. 03:44 Lord, let my words 03:51 heal a heart that hurts. 03:56 I want to spend my life 04:02 mending broken people. 04:15 When I see a life that's broken 04:21 Lord, give me words that should be spoken 04:27 for I 04:30 well remember the pain. 04:36 And when I see teardrops falling, Lord, 04:42 remind me of my calling. 04:48 Help me restore their faith 04:54 in You. 04:57 I want to spend my life 05:03 mending broken people. 05:08 I want to spend 05:11 my whole life 05:15 removing pain. 05:19 Lord, let my words 05:25 heal a heart that hurts. 05:30 I want to spend my life 05:36 mending broken people. 05:41 I want to spend my life 05:47 mending broken people. 05:58 I'll never forget what it was like to be in Russia and see 06:02 20,000 people every night 06:05 when Elder John Carter would come out 06:08 and to see the changes in the thousands of people 06:11 accepting Jesus and seeing the thousands of people who then 06:15 later joined the Seventh-day Adventist church 06:18 through baptism. And tonight we kind of wanted to go back. 06:21 And it's very hard for me to sing this song. 06:24 I have to try to not concentrate because I'll never forget 06:28 the impact in the lives and the souls that are going to be 06:32 in the kingdom because of the ministry of John and Beverley 06:35 Carter. And so it's a great privilege tonight 06:38 to be able to work with them. And it's an honor once again 06:41 have John be, as Jim mentioned, our last sermon for the 06:46 Camp Meeting. But this is a man of God 06:49 and he has said so much about supporting 3ABN. 06:53 And I encourage those of you as the Holy Spirit is impressing 06:55 you to remember The Carter Report because they're doing 06:59 an incredible work around the world. 07:01 And as the Lord is impressing not only to pray for them 07:04 but to support them financially. 07:06 It's been a great honor - one of the greatest honors 07:09 of my life - to be able to work and be a part of the team 07:11 of The Carter Report because I see a man 07:14 and a woman - John and Beverley - who have spent their 07:17 life mending broken people. 07:25 Good evening my friends. Good evening. 07:28 How are you this evening? Well. 07:30 Everybody is looking good and I am... 07:33 Have you had a good day today? Amen! 07:35 I've had a sort of super day. 07:37 And what beautiful weather here in southern Illinois. 07:40 You know, I want to say to my friends back in California 07:44 "You ought to move here because the weather's 07:46 a lot better. " 07:50 Only problem is now I can't go back. 07:54 But it's been a real privilege to be here with my... 07:56 some of my team, and we really love you people. 08:00 And I want you to know that I just love Danny. 08:04 Danny has been a brother to me down through the years. 08:07 And I have supported Danny Shelton for these reasons: 08:11 I believe that God gave to Danny when he was a young man 08:15 a vision... a vision to take Christ to the world. 08:19 When everybody said "it can't be done" 08:22 Danny said "by the grace of God we're going to do it. " 08:25 And I brought some folks here with me from California 08:29 and they have been impressed. 08:31 As they have driven around and looked at what has happened here 08:35 we can say: "Surely the presence of the Lord 08:39 is in this place. " Amen! 08:41 And so I want to encourage every person here to continue 08:44 to support Danny Shelton, Pastor Jim Gilley, 08:48 and the team of 3ABN as we work together 08:52 in the preaching of the everlasting gospel. 08:54 There were a group of men in Australia at a hotel 08:57 at a bar or as they call it in Australia at a pub. 09:01 And they were discussing - of all subjects - 09:05 what good wives they had. 09:08 What are you folks laughing about there? 09:10 They were talking about what good wives they had. 09:12 I know they were a little drunk 09:14 but as they got drunker and drunker one man made apparently 09:17 some outlandish claims. He said: 09:20 "You know, fellows, it doesn't matter what time of the night 09:23 I arrive home I can tell my wife to get out of bed 09:27 and she gets me anything I want. 09:29 She'll get for me a tremendous meal. " 09:32 The other men knew what would happen to them 09:35 and so they said: "We just don't believe it, John, 09:38 this is just a crazy story. " 09:40 And so because he was tipsy he said: "Well come on. 09:44 We'll get a taxi and I want you to come to my house now. 09:48 And I'm going to get my wife to get out of bed 09:51 and get us a big meal. " They said: "No, no. " 09:53 Well he said: "You told me it doesn't happen. " 09:56 "Well... " they said. They were all drunk. So they went out 09:59 and got a taxi. Went to John's house. 10:02 When John came through the door he called out and he said: 10:05 "Mary, I'm home and I've got my friends with me 10:09 and we're starving. " 10:10 Have you noticed that drunks are always starving? 10:14 He said: "We're starving and we want a big meal. " 10:18 And she put on her dressing gown and she came out 10:21 and she said: "John, what would you like? " 10:24 He said: "Mary, I've got my mates here 10:28 and we're starving and we want a good meal. " 10:32 And she said: "If you gentlemen would just go into the kitchen 10:36 or rather into the table there... 10:40 into the living room, and I'll get something for you. 10:44 Give me just a little bit of time. " 10:46 And after a while she got them a really good meal. 10:49 And she brought it in and she served it to them. 10:53 And the men were by this time - except the husband - 10:55 very embarrassed. And they said: "John, we feel bad about this. 11:00 We feel bad that Mary's had to get out of bed 11:03 and get this meal for us. She looks tired. " 11:06 John said: "No, you sit down here and you eat the meal. " 11:09 And so they sat down and had a great meal 11:12 and then she brought them out some dessert. 11:14 And after they were filled up 11:17 they said: "John and Mary, 11:20 we just want to say thank you but we've got to go now. 11:23 We've got to go home now and face our wives. " 11:28 And when they had gone through the door 11:31 John was sitting at the table. 11:32 By this time he had sobered up somewhat. 11:36 And Mary was sitting at the other end of the table 11:39 and he said to her: "Mary, 11:43 I want to ask you a question. " 11:45 "Yes? " "Why do you do it? " 11:51 "Why is it I can come home any hour of the day or the night? 11:56 I can come home drunk and you'll get up and get me 12:01 anything that I ask for? " 12:05 And she said: "Do you really want to know why? " 12:09 "Yes, " he said, "I've always wondered why? " 12:12 She said: "John, because this is the only life you're ever 12:17 going to have 12:21 and I want to make it as good for you as I can 12:25 because you're going to know nothing else. " 12:32 Then she said: "John, why do I do it? 12:35 It's because I believe in Christ 12:38 and I believe in heaven. 12:43 I believe that one day I will be with Christ 12:47 in paradise, and that keeps me going 12:53 and I have hope. But I know, John, that 12:56 you've got no hope and you've got nothing. 13:01 And I want to give you heaven now as much as I can 13:04 because it's the only heaven you're ever going to know. " 13:09 But she said: "John, I can take a lot of things 13:14 from you and I can have a lot of struggles 13:17 and I can have a lot of pain and I can endure it all 13:21 because I have the hope of heaven at last. " 13:26 Listen to me. 13:28 Tonight we're going to talk about going home 13:32 but I want you dear folks to know this: 13:34 if you've got the hope of eternity 13:37 and the hope of heaven in your heart, 13:40 you can go through almost hell in this world 13:44 and you can carry on because you will have 13:47 a marvelous and a wonderful peace. 13:51 And tonight I want to share with you 13:54 the peace that I have found in my own soul 14:00 in knowing that heaven is an absolute reality 14:04 and one day we are going home! 14:08 I want you to take your Bibles, my friends, 14:10 and turn with me to the writing of Saint Paul 14:13 in II Corinthians chapter 4. 14:15 Are you glad to be here in church tonight? Amen! 14:18 I'm glad to be here in church tonight. It's Saturday night 14:21 and I guess people would think we're crazy to be in church 14:24 on Saturday night. But I want to tell you folks 14:26 we're in church on Saturday night because soon 14:29 we are going home to glory. Amen! 14:32 II Corinthians chapter 4 and verses 16 14:36 down to 18. Have you folks got it? 14:39 I'm reading to you tonight from the NIV. 14:42 "Therefore we do not lose heart... " Do you sometimes 14:45 feel like losing heart? 14:47 Do you sometimes feel that the battle is so bad 14:50 that you've been knocked down? 14:51 I sometimes feel that the battle is so strong 14:54 that I'm knocked down and I wonder how am I going to get up. 14:59 I'm not alone. As we travel through this life 15:03 sometimes we are knocked down. 15:05 But we get up because we've got the hope of glory 15:08 in our hearts. Keep reading with me, my friend. 15:11 "Therefore we do not lose heart though outwardly we are wasting 15:16 away yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. " 15:22 The body may be wearing out but the spirit gets stronger. 15:27 Verse 17: "For our light and momentary troubles 15:32 are achieving for us 15:36 an eternal glory... " 15:39 King James version: "An eternal weight of glory. " 15:44 "that far outweighs them all. 15:48 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen 15:52 but on what is unseen. 15:54 For what is seen is temporary but what is unseen 15:58 is... is eternal. " 16:03 And so tonight for a little while - 16:06 last meeting of this great Camp Meeting - 16:08 I want to talk about an eternal glory. 16:12 Going home. 16:15 I want you to come over here to another text 16:17 to the book of Romans, which I think is my favorite book. 16:20 Well, sometimes I think John is my favorite book. 16:24 And sometimes I think Isaiah is my favorite book. 16:28 But right now it's the book of Romans. 16:30 Romans chapter 8 and verse 17 and onwards. 16:35 Romans chapter 8 and verse 17 and onwards: 16:40 "Now if we are children then we are heirs... 16:44 heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ 16:47 if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we 16:52 may also share in... " What? "in His glory. " 16:56 My friend, there is no crown... there is no crown 17:01 of glory without the cross of suffering. 17:06 And then he says: "I consider that our present sufferings 17:09 are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed 17:15 in us. The creation waits in eager expectation 17:21 for the sons of God to be revealed. 17:25 For the creation was subjected to frustration 17:28 not by its own choice but by the will of the one who 17:32 subjected it in hope that the creation itself 17:36 will be liberated from its bondage to decay 17:40 and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. 17:45 We know that the whole creation has been groaning 17:50 as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 17:55 Not only so, but we ourselves 18:00 who have the firstfruits of the Spirit groan inwardly 18:05 as we wait. As we wait we groan inwardly 18:10 as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, 18:14 the redemption of our bodies. " 18:18 One day, my friends, listen to me 18:21 the groaning is going to be over. 18:24 I see with so many of my friends 18:28 whom I love I can feel their pain. 18:32 As I talk to them they tell me of the pain 18:36 that wracks their bodies. 18:38 One day I say to them tonight in the name of the Lord 18:42 the groaning is going to be over 18:45 and we are going to go home to glory. Amen! 18:50 And it is this glory that keeps us moving. 18:53 And it is this glory that keeps us... keeps us 18:58 motivated to fight on. 19:05 I was a little boy growing up in Brisbane 19:09 which is the capital of Queensland 19:13 which is a state of Australia Down Under. 19:20 I was a little boy, and my mother took me to the 19:24 Brisbane City Hall. 19:26 I went back there some months ago 19:29 and I gazed at the Brisbane City Hall. 19:33 I send my greetings to my friends in the city of Brisbane. 19:37 They are renewing the Brisbane City Hall 19:40 costing hundreds of millions because the people say 19:44 "It is so historic we don't want it knocked down. " 19:48 When I was a little boy growing up in Australia 19:52 after the second World War my mother with a tremendous 19:58 longing in her soul for something better, went along 20:02 to what we called in those days a "mission. " 20:06 Today we call it an evangelistic campaign. 20:10 And I can remember the great pipe organ in the Brisbane 20:16 City Hall and I can remember the roar of the pipe organ 20:22 and the great choir. 20:25 And then a man came out and started to talk. 20:32 He had come from the United States of America 20:38 and his name was Pastor Clifford Reeves. 20:43 And he preached the Word of God and my mother 20:48 found hope in Christ and became an Adventist Christian. 20:54 Amen. 20:56 And I can remember the choir singing. 20:59 Here I am... I'm just a little boy. 21:03 And the war is over, but people are hurting in Australia 21:08 because Australia has fought almost to a standstill 21:13 to keep the enemy at bay. 21:16 Just a little nation. And then the choir sang 21:20 in the Brisbane Town Hall 21:21 "When all my labors and trials are o'er, 21:24 and I am safe on that beautiful shore... " 21:29 I can see it! 21:32 "Just to be near the dear Lord I adore 21:36 will through the ages be glory for me. " 21:41 "When by the gift of His infinite grace 21:45 I am accorded in heaven a place, 21:49 just to be there and to look on His face 21:53 will through the ages be glory for me. " 21:57 "Friends will be there I have loved long ago, 22:01 joy like a river around me will flow, 22:04 Yet just a smile from my Savior I know 22:09 will through the ages be glory for me. " 22:13 "O that will be glory for me, 22:20 glory for me, glory for me. 22:23 When by His grace I shall look on His face 22:28 that will be glory... be glory for me. " 22:34 That was written by Charles Gabriel of Chicago. 22:40 Inspired by an expression of Ed Card, the Superintendent 22:44 of The Sunshine Rescue Mission. 22:48 The Sunshine Rescue Mission. 22:50 Isn't that beautiful? The Sunshine Rescue Mission. 22:55 He usually ended his prayers with: 22:58 "And that will be glory for me. " 23:03 It was born here in Illinois. 23:06 O that will be glory! 23:10 My mother was battling the odds. 23:13 My father was a total unbeliever. 23:17 Days were tough. 23:21 We still had coupons for food. 23:26 Coupons for petrol or gas. 23:31 Four gallons a week or a month. 23:35 Coupons for sugar, for bread. 23:44 We didn't have a house. 23:50 We had just moved down from summers at Denham. 23:53 I was born in the little town of Esk. 23:58 Hi to Esk. If you blink you miss it. 24:03 It's true! 24:05 My folks had moved down from the summers at Denham 24:09 a war project, to Brisbane. 24:12 My mother walked the streets of Brisbane 24:17 knocking on doors saying: 24:21 "Have you got a place to rent? " 24:28 And eventually she found a place to rent. 24:35 The times were tough. 24:38 When I was a little boy I had no shoes. 24:42 I went to school... I had no shoes. 24:46 Neither did the other children. 24:49 Everything for shoes had gone into the war effort 24:53 to beat the enemy. 24:57 The people were searching for hope. 25:01 My mother found hope, and she passed it on to me. 25:07 I thank God for the prayers of my mother. 25:13 Every morning before I went to school 25:16 she would take me aside 25:18 and she would put her arm around me 25:20 and she'd say: "Now we pray. " 25:24 And so she'd say a prayer for me. 25:27 I remember my mother's prayers. 25:31 When my mother became a Seventh-day Adventist Christian 25:36 when she was baptized my father gave her hell! 25:42 And I can remember the hell in the house. 25:49 But my mother said: "Nothing will drive me from Christ 25:53 and my faith. " 25:59 Inside my soul when I was a boy, 26:02 a little boy, there came a vision of a man 26:08 standing up the front preaching the Word of God 26:11 in the Brisbane Town Hall. 26:14 And God said: "I want you to be like him. " 26:19 When I was a tiny baby 26:23 22 inches long, 8 pounds six ounces, 26:28 my mother - who did not go to church 26:32 and had not joined the church... 26:34 Obviously in those days my mother got down on her 26:37 knees and she dedicated me to God and to the work 26:42 of the ministry. 26:47 Thank God for mothers. 26:49 And because of my mother's witness my father came to 26:54 one of my meetings at a great Camp Meeting 26:58 in North New South Wales 27:01 and I preached the sermon pretty much the sermon 27:04 that I preached last night on the gospel on amazing grace. 27:09 And I made an altar call 27:12 and my father responded. Amen! 27:17 And he was baptized and he learned to sing 27:22 "O that will be glory for me! " 27:25 My mother died when she was 97 a few years ago. 27:30 My father preceded her by 20 years. 27:33 I took my mother's funeral in Australia. 27:37 But I told the people at my father's funeral 27:41 and I told them at my mother's funeral 27:43 that one day we will see them again because one day 27:49 this earth is going to pass away and we're going to go home! 27:53 Amen! 27:56 I believe in heaven. 27:59 What will the glory land be like? 28:04 I tried to find it on the Internet. 28:08 I've finally been forced 28:11 into the 20th century. 28:15 You say the 21st? No, the 20th. 28:21 But I tried to look up the song that I heard in the 28:25 Brisbane Town Hall with a song leader dressed 28:30 all in white and the great choir singing Up in the glory land 28:36 there's a place prepared for you. Couldn't find it. 28:40 Up In The Glory Land. 28:43 What will it be like in the glory land? 28:48 Would you turn please to Hebrews chapter 11? 28:52 Hebrews chapter 11. 28:55 I want to tell you folks I'm longing for the glory land. 28:59 Hebrews 11 verse 13 and onwards. 29:03 Hebrews 11... which is the chapter of faith. 29:08 "All these people were still living by faith when they died. 29:14 They did not receive the things promised, 29:17 they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance 29:21 and they admitted that they were aliens and strangers 29:26 on earth. People who say such things show that they are 29:30 looking for a country of their own. 29:34 If they had been thinking of the country they had left 29:38 they would have had opportunity to return. 29:40 Instead they were longing for a better country... 29:47 a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed 29:52 to be called their God for He has prepared a city for them. " 29:58 The glory land, my beloved friend, is described 30:02 as a country. 30:04 And the Bible says it's a better country. 30:08 I want you folks to know something tonight: 30:11 I love the United States of America. 30:16 I have dual citizenship. 30:20 I have two passports. 30:23 You say: "Which one do you use? " 30:25 Depends on how I'm being received in that country. 30:29 I can bring out either one. 30:31 I have Australian citizenship 30:35 and I'm proud to be an American. 30:39 I live in America and I'm proud to be an American. 30:44 And I'm proud of America. 30:48 I think it is a wonderful country 30:51 but the Bible says "a better country. " 30:54 Better than the United States of America. 30:58 Can you say Amen? Amen! 31:01 Because people are still dying in the United States of America. 31:06 It is better than America. It is better than Australia. 31:12 In England they sing: "Land of hope and glory, 31:17 Mother of the free. " 31:19 But this country, my friend, the heavenly country, 31:22 is better than England. 31:25 It is better than Sweden. 31:27 The wealthiest country in the world I believe is Switzerland 31:34 but it is better than Switzerland. 31:36 It is better than New Zealand. 31:39 It is better than Canada 31:44 because it is a heavenly country. 31:51 It's better. Let me tell you why it's better. 31:53 It's better because there is no death. 31:59 People are not going to die. 32:03 Now you might think this is trite 32:06 but people will not be shooting animals either. 32:11 Animals are not going to die! 32:13 You know, we do things in this lifetime... I know people say: 32:17 "It's our culture. " But it's a culture of sin. 32:22 It's a better country because there won't be any funerals 32:28 and there's going to be no hunger. 32:31 It's a better country because there is no crime. 32:36 It is a better country because there is no pain. 32:40 It is better because everyone is healthy, 32:44 happy, and wealthy. 32:48 Did you know this? 32:50 You say: "Pie in the sky in the sweet bye and bye? 32:54 Give us some pie tonight. " 32:56 Listen to me: 32:59 as you stand beside the open grave 33:04 and you lower into the mouth of the earth 33:09 the dearest on earth - your loved one - I ask you: 33:13 "Where is your heaven on earth? " 33:16 You can't have heaven on earth until Jesus comes. 33:21 I was talking to a precious friend today 33:25 and she told me that she is going through suffering. 33:30 She has... she's fought... she's fought 33:35 and she continues to fight but she is suffering. 33:39 I want her to know tonight if she's watching the telecast: 33:42 no more death; no more pain; 33:46 no more suffering; no more cancer; no more diabetes. 33:50 None of those things "for the former things 33:53 are passed away" the Bible says. 33:57 I want you to turn over here to the last book of the Bible. 34:00 Revelation chapter 21 verses 1 down to 5. 34:06 I want these verses to sink down into your souls. 34:10 I want you to feel warm in your heart tonight. 34:15 Revelation 21 verses 1 down to 5. 34:19 "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth 34:24 for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away 34:28 and there was no longer any sea. 34:31 I saw the Holy City - the New Jerusalem - 34:34 coming down out of heaven from God 34:37 prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 34:41 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: 34:45 'Now the dwelling of God is with men 34:48 and He will live with them. 34:50 They will be His people and God Himself will be with them 34:54 and be their God. ' 34:57 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. 35:00 There'll be no more death or mourning or crying 35:04 or pain for the old order of things has passed away. " 35:09 Hallelujah! Thanks be to God. 35:12 "He who is seated on the throne said: 35:15 'I am making everything new. ' 35:18 Then He said: 'Write this down 35:21 for these words are trustworthy and true. ' " 35:26 So everybody is going to be healthy. 35:30 Everybody is going to be happy. 35:33 There'll be no depression. 35:40 One of the great problems of our society 35:46 is depression. 35:50 The people are subjected to so many stresses. 35:55 There are so many hurts, so many pains, 36:00 and people sometimes slip into depression. 36:05 The greatest of the saints get depressed. 36:08 You read about depressed saints in the Bible. 36:13 But they day is going to come when everybody 36:16 is going to be lighthearted and full of joy 36:21 and everybody is going to feel eternal youth. 36:26 Every person when he starts his day's activity 36:30 will feel the freshness of the morning. 36:35 You know why it's a better country? 36:39 It's a better country because it has a King... 36:46 the Lord Jesus Christ. 36:48 Would you look at Revelation 22 verses 1 down to 5? 36:53 Revelation 22 36:58 and verses 1 down to 5. 37:02 "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life 37:05 as clear as crystal 37:08 flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 37:11 down the middle of the great street of the city. 37:14 On each side of the river stood the Tree of Life 37:17 bearing 12 crops of fruit, 37:19 yielding its fruit every month. 37:21 And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 37:25 No longer will there be any curse. 37:29 The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city 37:33 and His servants will serve Him. 37:36 They will see His face. " 37:39 I want you to think about this. 37:42 We will see the face of Christ. 37:45 "They will see His face, 37:47 and His name will be on their foreheads. 37:50 There will be no more night. 37:52 They will not need the light of a lamp or the light 37:56 of the sun for the Lord God will give them light. 38:00 And they will reign forever and ever. " 38:05 What will heaven be like? 38:10 More amazing, more wonderful 38:14 than we can comprehend or realize. 38:22 Many years ago the little church in Abyssinia 38:26 got some delegates from their conference and sent them 38:30 to the General Conference in the United States of America. 38:35 Those people from Abyssinia 38:38 had never been out of Abyssinia 38:44 and when they got home what a story they had to tell. 38:50 That church put on a big Saturday night 38:54 and they had the delegates come and tell their story - 38:58 this was a long time ago - 39:00 what they saw in the United States of America. 39:03 Now the first delegate got up and said 39:06 "Brothers and sisters, the Americans don't do things 39:10 like us. They don't just put one hut by itself 39:16 but they put one hut next to a hut 39:20 next to a hut next to a hut. Rooms. " 39:25 Oh, the elder of the church got up and he said: 39:28 "No, that is not so. 39:30 The Americans wouldn't do that. They're smart. 39:33 They wouldn't do that because if one hut caught on fire 39:36 the rest would catch on fire. 39:38 Therefore we don't believe that. " 39:41 Well another delegate got up and he said: 39:44 "They do more than that. Not only do they put one hut 39:47 up against another hut 39:49 they put one hut on top of another hut. 39:51 And another hut and another hut 39:54 and another hut and another hut. " 39:56 Well that just about broke the meeting up completely. 40:00 Then another elder got up and he said: 40:04 "We can't believe this... we can't believe this 40:07 because how would you get from the bottom hut 40:11 into the top hut? " 40:13 And one of the delegates who'd been to America got up 40:16 and he said: "Well, they've got a little hut that runs up 40:20 and down and takes you there. " 40:26 Now, the Seventh-day Adventist church 40:30 in Abyssinia passed a motion - 40:34 moved and seconded - 40:37 that the next time they sent delegates to the 40:41 General Conference they would choose people 40:43 who didn't tell lies. 40:51 What did they know about it? 40:54 They could not believe what they had not already experienced. 40:59 I want you to know the glory land is going to be so wonderful 41:05 that right now we can't take it in. 41:09 When Ellen White would have a vision, you know, 41:12 the first word she cried as she'd go into a vision 41:16 she'd cry out "glory! glory! " 41:21 And then when she came back she would say: 41:24 "The earth seems so dark. " 41:28 I want you to know that the glory of heaven 41:31 makes the best palace on earth look like a garbage dump. 41:40 And heaven is near. 41:42 Let me tell you why it's near. 41:46 I want you to come over here to Philippians chapter 1 41:48 and we're going to look at this text in a different way tonight, 41:53 even though you will believe what I'm going to tell you. 41:56 We're going to come to the book of Philippians 42:00 chapter 1 and verse 21 and onwards 42:04 dear hearts and gentle people. 42:05 Philippians chapter 1 verse 21 and onwards. 42:09 And Paul is writing. He says: 42:12 "For to me to live is Christ 42:15 and to die is gain. 42:19 If I am to go on living in the body 42:22 this will mean fruitful labor for me. 42:24 Yet what shall I choose I do not know. 42:28 I am torn between the two. I desire to depart 42:33 and be with Christ which is better by far. 42:38 But it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. " 42:44 Paul said: "I have a desire 42:49 to depart and to be with Christ. " 42:54 He said: "I want to be with Christ. It will be better. " 43:04 Those who don't understand the truth on the state of the dead 43:10 believe that this text teaches 43:13 that as soon as you die you go straight to heaven. 43:20 If this were the only text in the Bible 43:23 on the state of the dead 43:25 we all might be excused for believing this. 43:28 But there are many, many, many, many, many other texts. 43:31 But I want you to think about this. 43:37 Some little while ago I had a medical procedure. 43:42 Not life threatening... it was just sort of a check-up thing. 43:47 The doctor said to me as he put the needle in my hand... 43:51 he said: "Count to ten. " 43:55 So I started: "One, two... " and I was gone. 44:00 And after a little while... No! 44:05 after a second I woke up. 44:11 I said: "How long have I been out for? " 44:16 He said: "You have been out for three hours. " 44:21 I said: "I just had the greatest sleep 44:24 I've ever had in my life. Where do you get that stuff? " 44:29 Now he said: "No no no no no no no no no no no. 44:33 That's what Michael Jackson did. No no no" he said. 44:36 "Can't get any of that stuff. " 44:39 But I was not conscious of the passing of time. 44:44 If I should die tonight, 44:47 the next thing I will know will be the coming of the Lord 44:51 in power and great glory 44:54 and I will be with the Lord forever. Amen! 44:57 So my friend, the worst that the devil can do 45:02 to you and to me is to put us to sleep for a little while. 45:06 And then it will be glory... glory, glory, glory, 45:11 glory hallelujah! 45:14 And heaven is near for another reason. Heaven is near 45:18 because the Lord is coming. And the coming of the Lord 45:23 is at hand. I say it to you in the name of the Lord. 45:27 Now my friend, look over here. Revelation 11. 45:30 Heaven is near because the coming of the Lord is at hand. 45:36 This burns in my soul. 45:39 Revelation 11 verse 15: "The seventh angel sounded his 45:43 trumpet and there were loud voices in heaven which said 45:46 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms 45:49 of our Lord and of His Christ. 45:52 And He will reign forever and ever. ' 45:55 And the twenty-four elders who were seated on the thrones 45:58 before God fell on their faces and worshiped God saying: 46:01 'We give thanks to You Lord God Almighty - 46:04 the One who is and who was - 46:07 because You have taken Your great power and have begun 46:10 to reign. ' The nations were angry. " 46:14 They're angry tonight, my friend. 46:16 "And Your wrath has come. The time has come for judging 46:19 the dead and for rewarding Your servants the prophets 46:23 and Your saints and those who reverence Your name 46:26 both small and great and for destroying those 46:29 who destroy the earth. Then God's temple in heaven 46:33 was opened. " Listen: before Jesus comes 46:40 the nations are going to be in a frenzy of hatred 46:46 destroying the earth. 46:50 We are living tonight I assure you 46:54 in the age of the apocalypse. 46:57 I have had people say to me 46:59 "No... we've heard this story so often we are not going to 47:04 believe it any more. " 47:06 If you do not take it from my lips then read Time Magazine 47:11 or Newsweek or The Economist. 47:15 And turn on television and then look at the prophecies 47:18 of the Bible. We are living at the very end of time 47:23 and heaven is around the corner. Amen! 47:26 Jesus is coming soon. 47:28 Heaven is near. 47:32 And there's some good news. 47:33 Heaven is for everyone. 47:36 This is the good thing. 47:38 Come over here to Revelation 21 verse 16. 47:41 It is for everyone. 47:44 Revelation 21 verse 16 in the Bible: 47:48 "The city was laid out like a square. " 47:50 This is the New Jerusalem. 47:53 "As long as it was wide. He measured the city with 47:56 the rod and found it to be twelve thousand stadia... " 47:59 That is 1,400 miles. 48:02 "in length and as wide and as high as it is long. " 48:07 Do we take these figures literally? I don't know. 48:09 But I will tell you this: God is trying to tell us 48:12 it is so big there's room for everyone. 48:16 Did you hear this? 48:18 There's room for everyone irrespective of your color, 48:22 your nationality, your society. 48:25 I have preached to thousands of white Australians. 48:29 In PNG I preached every night to around 130,000 48:34 black brothers and sisters every night. 48:36 In Africa I have preached to the Zulus. 48:40 In Africa I have also spoken to the Dutch and the English. 48:44 In China I have preached to the Chinese people. 48:47 In Manila to the Filipinos. 48:49 In Los Angeles to everybody. 48:52 But I want you to know this: there is room for everybody. 48:57 And it doesn't matter, my friend, your nationality. 49:01 It doesn't matter about the accident of your birth. 49:05 It matters whether you believe in Christ or not. Amen. 49:10 Heaven is for everybody. 49:14 And how good it will be to get home. 49:19 When I've been traveling for months 49:21 strange countries with dangers. 49:25 In Iraq... I've spent a lot of time in Iraq. 49:27 Africa. Sometimes sick. 49:31 Hard to get food; hard to get water; lonely. 49:36 Can I tell you: the best sight, the very best sight 49:41 that I've ever seen when I'm traveling overseas 49:44 the best sight is the plane back home. 49:49 And the best sight for the people of God 49:52 will be the coming of Christ in power and great glory. 49:57 Amen! 49:59 I would remind you of this: heaven is not for the proud, 50:04 the self-sufficient, but for those who feel 50:11 their need. 50:16 Some time ago I visited the battlefield of Gettysburg. 50:23 I had read about it. I went there and I spent 50:27 a fair bit of time walking and thinking. 50:32 The battle took place in 1863... 50:36 the climax of the American Civil War. 50:39 Brother against brother. 50:42 General Meade against General Robert E. Lee. 50:46 During the battle there were between 46,000 50:50 and 51,000 casualties. 50:54 During those three days... few days... 50:57 over 7,000 young Americans died. 51:08 On the third day of the battle of Gettysburg 51:12 the South made their bid for the mastery. 51:16 12,500 Southerners... brave men. 51:21 It's called Pickett's Charge. 51:24 They charged up Cemetery Ridge 51:27 and they were met with withering fire from the North. 51:34 And that night a pale moon looked down 51:40 upon a scene of awful 51:45 and dreadful carnage. 51:48 Tens of thousands of young men groaning, 51:52 some with their legs off. 51:56 More than 7,000 young men dead 52:01 and so many injured and crying... crying. 52:07 Don't glamorize war. It's of the devil. 52:14 Sometimes we've got a tendency to think it's a great thing. 52:21 Not the people who go. 52:24 The blood, the horror, the fear, 52:28 the agony. 52:33 This is true. That night an old Quaker farmer 52:38 came looking for his son. You know the story. 52:42 The old Quaker farmer came carrying a lantern 52:47 and he'd hold the lantern high. 52:50 And he'd stop and then he'd put down the lantern 52:54 and he'd cry out: 52:56 "John Hartman, thy father seeketh thee. " 53:03 And then he'd go on a little further 53:06 where the men were groaning and crying 53:09 "Lord, Lord, " and others were crying "Oh, mother, 53:14 mother, I wish I had my mother. " 53:19 And he'd lift up the lantern and shine it in the faces 53:23 of Southern boys and Northern boys. 53:28 And he'd cry out: "John Hartman, 53:33 thy father seeketh thee. " 53:37 And then the soldiers took up the cry 53:40 "John Hartman... your father's here, John. 53:44 Where are you, John? " 53:46 And across the field of Gettysburg there rose 53:50 a cry from the dying: "John Hartman, your daddy's here 53:56 and he's seeking for you. " 53:58 The old father went on, stooped, holding the lantern, 54:04 gazing: "John Hartman, thy father seeketh thee. " 54:09 And then finally one poor broken boy 54:14 got himself up on the elbows and he cried out: 54:18 "Here, Father. " 54:21 "Here, Father. " 54:24 The father couldn't hear. 54:26 And the other soldier boys cried out: 54:28 "He's over here. 54:31 I wish to God that were my father seeking me. " 54:36 And the old Quaker farmer went over 54:40 and put down the lantern 54:44 and got down and picked up his boy 54:50 and he carried him home. 54:57 Tonight you may feel as weak 55:03 as that poor soldier boy. 55:08 But I want you to know tonight 55:12 your Father is seeking you. Amen. 55:16 And He's come a long way, my friend. 55:20 He's walked a long way and His feet are bleeding. 55:26 And He comes across the field of earth 55:30 and He holds high a lantern and He says: 55:33 "Mary, 55:36 John, 55:39 Bill, 55:44 your Father is seeking you. " 55:49 I want you to know tonight 55:52 you may feel as weak 55:57 as that poor American soldier boy 56:03 but if you look up into His face tonight 56:07 and say: "Yes, Father... " He'll stoop down. 56:13 He'll put His arms around you. 56:16 It doesn't depend upon your strength. 56:19 He'll lift you up and He'll take you home 56:24 to glory. Amen. 56:30 I want you to bow your heads. 56:33 Our Father, we thank you tonight that across 56:38 the bloody battlefield there comes a Man with hands 56:42 that are scarred. And He cries out and says: 56:46 "John Hartman, thy Father seeketh thee. " 56:48 "Mary, I've been looking for you. " 56:52 "Julie, I've been looking for you. " 56:55 "Tom, I've been looking for you. " 57:00 And tonight as we're praying here 57:04 how many will raise a hand and say 57:08 "Oh my Father, I am weak 57:11 but I want You to stoop down and lift me up 57:16 and take me home. " Can you raise your hand tonight 57:20 if that is your prayer? |
Revised 2014-12-17