How long does it take to be saved? 00:00:01.36\00:00:02.70 John Carter was going to give the answers 00:00:02.73\00:00:04.10 to this powerful question at the Manila programs. 00:00:04.13\00:00:07.50 Now, because of a global pandemic, 00:00:07.54\00:00:10.21 John Carter now teaches from his studio in Los Angeles. 00:00:10.24\00:00:13.68 This important presentation is about the three prodigals, 00:00:13.71\00:00:17.21 the Pharisees, and how and why God loves bad people. 00:00:17.25\00:00:21.25 Here is John Carter. 00:00:21.28\00:00:25.15 Without a doubt, 00:00:25.19\00:00:27.19 one of the greatest cities in the world is St. Petersburg. 00:00:27.22\00:00:30.79 Just a marvelous place. 00:00:30.83\00:00:32.16 I've been there on number of occasions. 00:00:32.19\00:00:34.86 On one occasion, we went there 00:00:34.90\00:00:36.33 to run a great evangelistic campaign 00:00:36.36\00:00:38.73 in this vast palace of sport. 00:00:38.77\00:00:41.94 The people in St. Petersburg are very special people. 00:00:41.97\00:00:47.08 Inside the city of St. Petersburg 00:00:47.11\00:00:49.78 is the Winter Palace, 00:00:49.81\00:00:51.71 the fabulous palace of the Tsars, 00:00:51.75\00:00:56.48 and a part of the great Winter Palace 00:00:56.52\00:00:59.59 is the hermitage. 00:00:59.62\00:01:01.92 Now, that's some place. 00:01:01.96\00:01:05.73 I just love the Hermitage, 00:01:05.76\00:01:08.23 all the Hermitage 00:01:08.26\00:01:10.93 as it is called by some people. 00:01:10.97\00:01:15.14 I love it because it's the place 00:01:15.17\00:01:18.01 where they have this 00:01:18.04\00:01:19.57 magnificent painting by Rembrandt. 00:01:19.61\00:01:24.05 Beverley and I was shown through this 00:01:24.08\00:01:26.05 tremendous place, Hermitage, by the curator, 00:01:26.08\00:01:29.88 that's when we are running 00:01:29.92\00:01:31.25 these meetings in St. Petersburg, 00:01:31.29\00:01:33.32 in the palace of sport. 00:01:33.36\00:01:35.92 I'm just amazed by this painting. 00:01:35.96\00:01:38.76 Every time I look at it, I sort of get goosebumps, 00:01:38.79\00:01:41.60 this great painting by Rembrandt. 00:01:41.63\00:01:45.57 I think if my memory is working well today, 00:01:45.60\00:01:49.94 I think it was Kenneth Clark, 00:01:49.97\00:01:54.21 the great art critic who said it was probably... 00:01:54.24\00:01:57.28 Let me read you 00:01:57.31\00:01:58.65 what Kenneth Clark said about it. 00:01:58.68\00:02:01.02 Here, Kenneth Clark, "A picture 00:02:01.05\00:02:03.79 which those who have seen the original in St. Petersburg 00:02:03.82\00:02:08.66 may be forgiven for claiming 00:02:08.69\00:02:11.13 as the greatest picture ever painted." 00:02:11.16\00:02:16.30 Did you hear that? That seems extreme, doesn't it? 00:02:16.33\00:02:21.10 The greatest picture ever painted, 00:02:21.14\00:02:25.11 because it is about the greatest subject. 00:02:25.14\00:02:29.24 I just want you to have a look at this painting, please. 00:02:29.28\00:02:31.88 It's, because it is magnificent painting. 00:02:31.91\00:02:37.55 The painting is the return of the prodigal son. 00:02:37.59\00:02:41.02 And here is the old father. 00:02:41.06\00:02:43.12 And the father represents God 00:02:43.16\00:02:45.63 who takes the prodigal back into his household. 00:02:45.66\00:02:49.06 It's amazing because if you look at the hands 00:02:49.10\00:02:51.80 of the old father, one is the hand of a man 00:02:51.83\00:02:55.00 and the other is the hand of a woman. 00:02:55.04\00:02:58.91 It represents strongness and the tenderness of God. 00:02:58.94\00:03:04.81 It's just an amazing painting. 00:03:04.85\00:03:07.48 And then if you look over here... 00:03:07.52\00:03:08.85 Oh, there's Rembrandt himself, 00:03:08.88\00:03:10.69 somehow he got into the painting. 00:03:10.72\00:03:12.79 How did he get into it? 00:03:12.82\00:03:14.16 I guess he put himself there. 00:03:14.19\00:03:15.82 Here you've got 00:03:15.86\00:03:17.96 the original Rembrandt and there, 00:03:17.99\00:03:20.40 you've got the Rembrandt 00:03:20.43\00:03:21.76 who puts himself but also too, 00:03:21.80\00:03:24.20 you're going to see as we go along today, 00:03:24.23\00:03:26.23 you've got the elder brother, 00:03:26.27\00:03:28.20 who represents the harsh, severe religionist. 00:03:28.24\00:03:33.14 Just an amazing painting. 00:03:33.17\00:03:36.85 I'm going to read a text to you. 00:03:36.88\00:03:38.21 Today, the topic is, 00:03:38.25\00:03:39.58 "How long does it take to be saved?" 00:03:39.61\00:03:41.02 And who wants to go to heaven? 00:03:41.05\00:03:42.38 I hope we all want to go to heaven, 00:03:42.42\00:03:44.45 but who wants to go to heaven? 00:03:44.49\00:03:46.65 And how do you get to heaven? 00:03:46.69\00:03:48.32 I'm going to turn over here to a text 00:03:48.36\00:03:49.69 in the Bible to Luke 15:1, 2, 00:03:49.72\00:03:54.60 dear hearts and gentle people. 00:03:54.63\00:03:57.87 Luke 15:1, 2, 00:03:57.90\00:04:03.74 and this is a tremendous text. 00:04:03.77\00:04:07.64 "Then all the text collectors 00:04:07.68\00:04:09.14 and the sinners drew near to him, 00:04:09.18\00:04:11.95 they hear him." 00:04:11.98\00:04:13.31 These are the baddies. 00:04:13.35\00:04:15.55 And the Pharisees, they're the goodies. 00:04:15.58\00:04:18.89 They are the super religious people. 00:04:18.92\00:04:21.69 "The Pharisees and the scribes complain saying, 00:04:21.72\00:04:24.99 'This man receives sinners and eats with them.'" 00:04:25.03\00:04:30.77 And Jesus say, "You're dead right. 00:04:30.80\00:04:34.37 This man does receive sinners, and He does eat with them." 00:04:34.40\00:04:39.94 Now let's talk a bit shall we, about the Pharisees? 00:04:39.97\00:04:43.68 Because they were Christ's bitterest enemies, 00:04:43.71\00:04:46.95 the Pharisees, the super, super religious people. 00:04:46.98\00:04:50.65 They were an elite, 00:04:50.69\00:04:54.76 powerful group of religious leaders. 00:04:54.79\00:04:58.59 They were the strict defenders of tradition and orthodoxy. 00:04:58.63\00:05:03.43 They were the most pious people 00:05:03.47\00:05:06.13 that you'd ever meet in all your life. 00:05:06.17\00:05:08.67 They taught that salvation came by keeping the law of God. 00:05:08.70\00:05:13.04 It sounds good, doesn't it? 00:05:13.07\00:05:16.14 And therefore they invented hundreds of manmade laws, 00:05:16.18\00:05:20.05 and they despised the ordinary people. 00:05:20.08\00:05:24.62 And they became Christ's bitterest enemies. 00:05:24.65\00:05:28.66 They hated him. 00:05:28.69\00:05:30.03 And they said, "This man receives sinners 00:05:30.06\00:05:33.36 and goes to eat with them." 00:05:33.40\00:05:34.73 Jesus said, "Absolutely." 00:05:34.76\00:05:37.47 Let me give you just a little bit of history. 00:05:37.50\00:05:40.47 Many, many years before Christ, 00:05:40.50\00:05:41.97 a couple of hundred years before Christ, 00:05:42.00\00:05:43.67 there was a man 00:05:43.71\00:05:45.04 by the name of Antiochus Epiphanes. 00:05:45.07\00:05:49.38 And he tried to Hellenize the Jews. 00:05:49.41\00:05:52.18 What am I talking about? 00:05:52.21\00:05:53.55 He tried to force a Greek customs 00:05:53.58\00:05:57.52 upon the Jewish people 00:05:57.55\00:06:00.69 and get rid of their Jewish religion. 00:06:00.72\00:06:04.43 So he tried to abolish the Sabbath. 00:06:04.46\00:06:08.00 He invaded Jerusalem 00:06:08.03\00:06:10.10 and made war against the Jews and killed thousands of Jews. 00:06:10.13\00:06:16.00 He abolished the Sabbath circumcision. 00:06:16.04\00:06:19.11 And some say that he even set up an altar, 00:06:19.14\00:06:23.11 one of these pagan altars in the temple of Jehovah. 00:06:23.14\00:06:28.42 Some say he went even further, 00:06:28.45\00:06:30.75 and he sacrificed a pig 00:06:30.79\00:06:34.36 on the altar in the temple 00:06:34.39\00:06:37.66 in Jerusalem. 00:06:37.69\00:06:41.03 But the Jews are fighters, they came out fighting. 00:06:41.06\00:06:45.67 And they were led by a zealot 00:06:45.70\00:06:48.07 whose name was Judas Maccabeus. 00:06:48.10\00:06:51.81 Try to put that down in the molecules of your mind, 00:06:51.84\00:06:55.84 brother, sister. 00:06:55.88\00:06:57.35 Judas Maccabeus, he was a tremendous fighter. 00:06:57.38\00:07:02.85 And after a number of years with some other Jewish people, 00:07:02.88\00:07:07.12 thousands of them, 00:07:07.16\00:07:08.79 they drove out the hated Antiochus Epiphanes. 00:07:08.82\00:07:14.73 Now the Jews said this. 00:07:14.76\00:07:17.37 This is what they thought. 00:07:17.40\00:07:19.27 And you can understand their thinking. 00:07:19.30\00:07:21.94 "Bad things happen when we broke the law." 00:07:21.97\00:07:25.97 That's why Antiochus Epiphanes came 00:07:26.01\00:07:28.54 and ravaged the temple. 00:07:28.58\00:07:30.05 "Bad things happen when we broke the law, 00:07:30.08\00:07:33.08 therefore good things happen 00:07:33.11\00:07:36.02 when we keep the law." 00:07:36.05\00:07:40.89 The Pharisees said, "Well, if we keep the law of God, 00:07:40.92\00:07:44.99 and if we're super pious, and we follow the scriptures, 00:07:45.03\00:07:49.16 and if we have all these rules 00:07:49.20\00:07:51.50 to make sure that we keep the scriptures, 00:07:51.53\00:07:54.27 God is going to bless us." 00:07:54.30\00:07:57.77 The Pharisees were the separatists. 00:07:57.81\00:08:00.01 They stayed away from ordinary people. 00:08:00.04\00:08:03.78 And they hated Jesus because Jesus said, 00:08:03.81\00:08:08.02 "This man receives sinners." 00:08:08.05\00:08:10.79 Well, they actually said it, but Jesus said, "You're right. 00:08:10.82\00:08:13.76 It's true." 00:08:13.79\00:08:15.12 This man, the Christ, He receives sinners, 00:08:15.16\00:08:19.39 and He goes to eat with them. 00:08:19.43\00:08:23.26 And therefore, the leaders of the Jewish religion, 00:08:23.30\00:08:28.44 the defenders of Orthodoxy, 00:08:28.47\00:08:30.81 the most pious people in the land, 00:08:30.84\00:08:33.41 they hated Christ, 00:08:33.44\00:08:35.68 because He received sinners. 00:08:35.71\00:08:39.81 And to show that the Pharisees on this occasion 00:08:39.85\00:08:44.35 were absolutely right, Jesus told three stories. 00:08:44.39\00:08:49.56 And one of those stories was about the three prodigals 00:08:49.59\00:08:55.06 that features the prodigal son. 00:08:55.10\00:08:59.33 Now, the first story that Jesus told which explained 00:08:59.37\00:09:03.30 his relationship to lost men 00:09:03.34\00:09:05.97 and women is the story of the lost sheep. 00:09:06.01\00:09:10.65 And you can read it 00:09:10.68\00:09:12.01 in the Bible in Luke 00:09:12.05\00:09:15.58 15:3, 4. 00:09:15.62\00:09:21.19 And I want you to notice it today. 00:09:21.22\00:09:25.39 "So he spoke this parable to them, saying: 00:09:25.43\00:09:29.86 'What man of you, having hundred sheep, 00:09:29.90\00:09:33.70 if he loses one of them, 00:09:33.74\00:09:35.80 does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, 00:09:35.84\00:09:39.71 and go after the one 00:09:39.74\00:09:41.41 which is lost until he finds it?'" 00:09:41.44\00:09:45.21 So Jesus is talking here about a silly sheep 00:09:45.25\00:09:48.42 that through its own fault wanders away 00:09:48.45\00:09:51.32 from the fold 00:09:51.35\00:09:52.72 and goes out into the wilderness 00:09:52.75\00:09:54.72 and its life is in jeopardy 00:09:54.76\00:09:58.19 and sheep can be my friend, 00:09:58.23\00:10:00.73 silly creatures, I know it because 00:10:00.76\00:10:03.60 I have worked on sheep farms in Australia. 00:10:03.63\00:10:07.74 Sheep are not as smart as the goats. 00:10:07.77\00:10:10.94 Goats seem to be far more intelligent, 00:10:10.97\00:10:13.54 but sheep are silly creatures. 00:10:13.58\00:10:16.88 And God uses sheep 00:10:16.91\00:10:18.48 as an illustration to represent you and me. 00:10:18.51\00:10:23.42 And so this is a silly sheep 00:10:23.45\00:10:25.89 and he wanders away 00:10:25.92\00:10:27.32 from the father's house or from the shepherd. 00:10:27.36\00:10:31.33 And Jesus goes on, and He explains the story. 00:10:31.36\00:10:36.00 Verses 5 to 7. 00:10:36.03\00:10:39.13 Luke 15:5-7. 00:10:39.17\00:10:42.84 Listen. 00:10:42.87\00:10:45.27 "And when he has found it, 00:10:45.31\00:10:47.58 he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 00:10:47.61\00:10:51.05 And when he comes home, 00:10:51.08\00:10:52.41 he calls together his friends 00:10:52.45\00:10:54.22 and neighbors saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, 00:10:54.25\00:10:56.75 I have found my sheep that was lost.'" 00:10:56.79\00:11:00.89 Then verse 7, "I say to you, 00:11:00.92\00:11:04.76 that likewise 00:11:04.79\00:11:06.13 there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner 00:11:06.16\00:11:10.10 who repents than over ninety-nine 00:11:10.13\00:11:13.03 just persons who need no repentance." 00:11:13.07\00:11:16.64 Now, what is the story? 00:11:16.67\00:11:18.81 Just listen to the story. 00:11:18.84\00:11:21.48 Here is a sheep. The sheep represents you. 00:11:21.51\00:11:24.55 The sheep represents me in my lostness. 00:11:24.58\00:11:28.78 We wander away from God. 00:11:28.82\00:11:30.39 Now what does God do? 00:11:30.42\00:11:32.29 What does the shepherd do? 00:11:32.32\00:11:33.82 The Bible tells us, 00:11:33.86\00:11:35.19 the shepherd goes and looks for the sheep. 00:11:35.22\00:11:37.66 And when he finds it, he doesn't kick it. 00:11:37.69\00:11:41.70 No, the shepherd picks it up and holds it in his arms 00:11:41.73\00:11:45.27 and he kisses it 00:11:45.30\00:11:46.63 and he carries it home, and the sheep is saved. 00:11:46.67\00:11:51.77 And Jesus says, 00:11:51.81\00:11:53.84 "There is joy in the presence of God 00:11:53.88\00:11:56.04 over this one lost sinner, 00:11:56.08\00:11:58.28 this one lost sheep than over the 99 just persons 00:11:58.31\00:12:02.88 who don't need any repentance." 00:12:02.92\00:12:04.82 Who are the 99 just persons? 00:12:04.85\00:12:07.36 Would somebody tell me? 00:12:07.39\00:12:09.26 Well, they're the Pharisees. 00:12:09.29\00:12:13.73 They're the Pharisees. 00:12:13.76\00:12:16.16 Did they need repentance? Absolutely. 00:12:16.20\00:12:18.37 Did they think they need repentance? 00:12:18.40\00:12:19.97 No, absolutely. 00:12:20.00\00:12:21.34 They had nothing of which to repent, 00:12:21.37\00:12:24.04 and therefore they were cold and austere, 00:12:24.07\00:12:28.38 and self righteous, 00:12:28.41\00:12:30.11 and unbearably 00:12:30.15\00:12:34.48 frigid and cold. 00:12:34.52\00:12:36.82 But Jesus here is talking about 00:12:39.99\00:12:41.86 the one lost sheep lost through its own fault, 00:12:41.89\00:12:45.39 a silly sheep that has wandered far from the fold. 00:12:45.43\00:12:49.56 And that represents every one of us. 00:12:49.60\00:12:52.17 That's the first story 00:12:52.20\00:12:54.20 that Jesus told this man receives sinners 00:12:54.24\00:12:58.64 because this man the Messiah loves you 00:12:58.67\00:13:02.34 and He loves me. 00:13:02.38\00:13:03.85 This is the good news of the gospel. 00:13:03.88\00:13:07.75 Now, the second story is the story of the lost coin. 00:13:07.78\00:13:11.82 And here it is in Luke 00:13:11.85\00:13:13.49 15:8-10. 00:13:13.52\00:13:18.79 "Or what woman, having ten silver coins, 00:13:18.83\00:13:23.53 if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, 00:13:23.57\00:13:27.17 sweep the house 00:13:27.20\00:13:29.07 and search carefully until she finds it? 00:13:29.10\00:13:32.67 And when she is found it, 00:13:32.71\00:13:34.61 she calls her friends and neighbors together, 00:13:34.64\00:13:37.31 saying, 'Rejoice with me, 00:13:37.35\00:13:40.55 I found the piece which I lost.' 00:13:40.58\00:13:43.72 Likewise, I say to you, 00:13:43.75\00:13:46.62 there is joy in the presence of the angels of God 00:13:46.65\00:13:50.13 over one sinner who repents.'" 00:13:50.16\00:13:54.10 Now, the coin, of course, obviously, 00:13:54.13\00:13:58.33 is different to the sheep. 00:13:58.37\00:14:01.14 The sheep was lost because of its own foolishness, 00:14:01.17\00:14:05.37 its own individual choice. 00:14:05.41\00:14:08.51 But a coin is lost not because 00:14:08.54\00:14:11.01 of its own individual fault, 00:14:11.05\00:14:13.21 but because of the fault of the person in the house. 00:14:13.25\00:14:19.12 And the coin represents the sinner 00:14:19.15\00:14:22.02 who is lost in the house of God, 00:14:22.06\00:14:24.69 may be lost in the church. 00:14:24.73\00:14:28.76 It's no fault of the coin, 00:14:28.80\00:14:30.37 but the coin is of tremendous value to God. 00:14:30.40\00:14:34.87 And Jesus tells a story where the woman goes out 00:14:34.90\00:14:38.64 and she searches 00:14:38.67\00:14:40.11 and she looks and she looks until she finds the lost coin. 00:14:40.14\00:14:44.85 And when she finds the lost coin, 00:14:44.88\00:14:47.42 the house is filled with joy. 00:14:47.45\00:14:49.68 And Jesus said, that's how it is with God. 00:14:49.72\00:14:55.22 "There's rejoicing in the presence 00:14:55.26\00:14:57.26 of the angels of God 00:14:57.29\00:14:59.19 over one sinner who repents." 00:14:59.23\00:15:03.67 God... Listen, listen to me. 00:15:03.70\00:15:07.34 Jesus said, the Pharisees, "Yes, you're right." 00:15:07.37\00:15:11.34 The Pharisees are right 00:15:11.37\00:15:12.71 for the first time in their lives, 00:15:12.74\00:15:14.08 this man receives sinners. 00:15:14.11\00:15:15.58 That's what the Pharisees said. 00:15:15.61\00:15:16.95 Jesus said, yes. 00:15:16.98\00:15:18.61 And I'm going to prove that the Pharisees are right. 00:15:18.65\00:15:21.15 He tells the story of the lost sheep. 00:15:21.18\00:15:23.52 You and I are the lost sheep. 00:15:23.55\00:15:25.39 Then he tells the story of the lost coin, 00:15:25.42\00:15:27.56 you and I are the lost coin. 00:15:27.59\00:15:30.09 And the message is that God loves you. 00:15:30.13\00:15:34.93 God cares for you. 00:15:34.96\00:15:38.03 It doesn't matter what you've done. 00:15:38.07\00:15:40.34 Nothing you have done 00:15:40.37\00:15:41.70 in the past can ever change 00:15:41.74\00:15:43.91 God's attitude towards you, because God loves you. 00:15:43.94\00:15:49.41 This man receives sinners. 00:15:49.44\00:15:53.21 But now we come to the third story. 00:15:53.25\00:15:56.85 And this is the greatest story 00:15:56.89\00:15:58.72 I believe that has ever been told. 00:15:58.75\00:16:02.76 Luke 15:11. 00:16:02.79\00:16:08.50 This is the story of the three prodigals. 00:16:08.53\00:16:12.63 You say, "No, there's only one prodigal." 00:16:12.67\00:16:14.00 No, no, no, no, no. 00:16:14.04\00:16:15.80 You gotta follow me through on this. 00:16:15.84\00:16:17.84 The Bible tells me there are three prodigals. 00:16:17.87\00:16:22.84 "Then he said: 00:16:22.88\00:16:24.48 'A certain man had two sons.'" 00:16:24.51\00:16:29.55 The certain man is an old man. 00:16:29.58\00:16:31.92 He's a wealthy old man. 00:16:31.95\00:16:34.36 And he's got two sons. 00:16:34.39\00:16:37.09 And verse 12, the next verse tells me this. 00:16:37.13\00:16:41.56 Now Jesus is telling this story. 00:16:41.60\00:16:44.87 Verse 12, "And the younger of them said to his father, 00:16:44.90\00:16:49.14 'Father, give me..." 00:16:49.17\00:16:52.47 Hey, that's the cry of the human heart. 00:16:52.51\00:16:55.61 Give me, give me, give me more. 00:16:55.64\00:16:57.25 Give me more. 00:16:57.28\00:16:59.38 "'Give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' 00:16:59.41\00:17:02.08 So he divided them his livelihood.'" 00:17:02.12\00:17:05.25 This young scoundrel because he is a scoundrel, 00:17:05.29\00:17:10.03 can't wait until his father is dead. 00:17:10.06\00:17:14.10 But he is saying, 00:17:14.13\00:17:15.46 give me, give me, give me, give me, 00:17:15.50\00:17:18.17 that is the cry of the lost sinful heart. 00:17:18.20\00:17:22.07 Give me, give me, give me, give me. 00:17:22.10\00:17:24.91 And so the old father who represents God gives him 00:17:24.94\00:17:30.61 what he would have got when he had died. 00:17:30.65\00:17:34.15 Now listen carefully. 00:17:34.18\00:17:35.78 Got to get this. You got to get this. 00:17:35.82\00:17:39.15 The word prodigal means extravagant, 00:17:39.19\00:17:43.86 abundant, and generous. 00:17:43.89\00:17:47.60 Just remember this. 00:17:47.63\00:17:49.03 Extravagant, wasteful even, wasteful even. 00:17:49.06\00:17:54.50 And this boy we're going to discover is the prodigal 00:17:54.54\00:18:00.04 because he is so wasteful. 00:18:00.08\00:18:04.25 This boy who says, give me, give me, give me, 00:18:04.28\00:18:08.35 that's the cry of a lost soul. 00:18:08.38\00:18:12.35 Now, verses 13 and 14. 00:18:12.39\00:18:16.99 In the scriptures, it says, 00:18:17.03\00:18:19.83 "Not many days after this, 00:18:19.86\00:18:23.63 the younger son gathered all together 00:18:23.67\00:18:27.74 journeyed to a far country." 00:18:27.77\00:18:30.21 Don't forget that, friend. 00:18:30.24\00:18:32.24 You listening to me? 00:18:32.27\00:18:34.61 He journeyed to the far country. 00:18:34.64\00:18:36.38 When you get away from God, you're going to a far country, 00:18:36.41\00:18:40.42 and it's not going to be good for you. 00:18:40.45\00:18:42.78 He goes to the far country. 00:18:42.82\00:18:45.09 "And there wasted 00:18:45.12\00:18:46.45 his possessions with prodigal living." 00:18:46.49\00:18:49.42 Extravagant, abundant, wasteful, prodigal living. 00:18:49.46\00:18:54.53 "But when he had spent all, 00:18:54.56\00:18:58.50 there arose a severe famine in that land. 00:18:58.53\00:19:02.54 He began to be in want." 00:19:02.57\00:19:07.98 Listen to me. 00:19:08.01\00:19:11.01 When you get away from the father's house 00:19:11.05\00:19:15.72 is not really good. 00:19:15.75\00:19:18.42 When you get away from the father's house, 00:19:18.45\00:19:21.62 you end up in a far, far country. 00:19:21.66\00:19:25.79 It's a lonely place. 00:19:25.83\00:19:28.66 And this young guy is extravagant 00:19:28.70\00:19:32.07 with his father's money, 00:19:32.10\00:19:37.01 and he spends it. 00:19:37.04\00:19:38.97 And if you can believe 00:19:39.01\00:19:40.34 the report of the elder brother, 00:19:40.38\00:19:42.21 he spends it on prostitutes and harlots. 00:19:42.24\00:19:47.62 So he spends, and he spends, and he spends. 00:19:47.65\00:19:51.05 This is a picture of you and me 00:19:51.09\00:19:54.36 when we get away from God. 00:19:54.39\00:19:57.86 And I'm talking to every person today. 00:19:57.89\00:20:00.10 I'm talking to every person who's watching this program. 00:20:00.13\00:20:02.66 We're broadcasting here from Los Angeles. 00:20:02.70\00:20:06.60 But I'm talking to every one of you. 00:20:06.63\00:20:08.34 When we get away from the father's house, 00:20:08.37\00:20:12.14 and we get into that far country, 00:20:12.17\00:20:14.01 it's not good. 00:20:14.04\00:20:15.84 It's a place of loneliness. 00:20:15.88\00:20:18.85 It's a place of wantonness. 00:20:18.88\00:20:20.98 It's a place of immorality. 00:20:21.02\00:20:23.52 And eventually, it is a place of hunger. 00:20:23.55\00:20:26.82 And it is a place of shame. 00:20:26.86\00:20:31.63 And we're going to talk about that now. 00:20:31.66\00:20:33.60 We're going to look at verse 15 and 16, 00:20:33.63\00:20:38.17 15 and 16 of Luke Chapter 00:20:38.20\00:20:42.00 15:15, 16. 00:20:42.04\00:20:46.94 So this boy, this waster, 00:20:46.98\00:20:49.01 this prodigal has wasted everything. 00:20:49.04\00:20:51.81 Verse 15 and 16. 00:20:51.85\00:20:53.28 So, "Then he went and joined himself 00:20:53.31\00:20:56.05 to a citizen of that country. 00:20:56.08\00:20:58.92 He sent him into his fields to feed swine." 00:20:58.95\00:21:03.02 It's pretty bad for a Jewish boy. 00:21:03.06\00:21:05.69 Because Jewish people 00:21:05.73\00:21:07.06 don't like pigs, don't eat pigs. 00:21:07.10\00:21:09.36 But here is a Jewish boy 00:21:09.40\00:21:11.10 and now he's down in the big pan. 00:21:11.13\00:21:13.47 So he went down, down, down, down, down. 00:21:13.50\00:21:17.04 "And he would gladly have filled his stomach 00:21:17.07\00:21:19.07 with the pods that the swine ate, 00:21:19.11\00:21:22.54 no one gave him anything." 00:21:22.58\00:21:24.91 Hey, no one gave him anything. 00:21:24.95\00:21:28.18 This is a boy, a long way from home. 00:21:28.22\00:21:31.82 He's hungry. He's dirty. 00:21:31.85\00:21:34.42 He's filthy. 00:21:34.46\00:21:36.86 He's a prodigal boy. 00:21:36.89\00:21:38.23 He's wasted everything. 00:21:38.26\00:21:39.93 Here is this boy who came from a great household. 00:21:39.96\00:21:43.33 He had a great father, 00:21:43.37\00:21:45.70 had a great family, had lots of servants. 00:21:45.73\00:21:50.31 He was riding high. 00:21:50.34\00:21:53.27 And now because of his foolishness, 00:21:53.31\00:21:57.91 he's down low in the far country. 00:21:57.95\00:22:01.58 Now remember the story of the lost sheep. 00:22:01.62\00:22:04.69 Silly sheep that wanders away. 00:22:04.72\00:22:07.26 Jesus goes and finds the sheep. 00:22:07.29\00:22:09.16 Then there's the lost coin, 00:22:09.19\00:22:11.56 it's lost because of the foolishness of others. 00:22:11.59\00:22:14.70 But here is a boy who is lost 00:22:14.73\00:22:17.30 and a long, long, long, long way away 00:22:17.33\00:22:20.60 from the father's house by his own choice, 00:22:20.64\00:22:24.81 and through, mark these words, 00:22:24.84\00:22:27.31 through the perversity 00:22:27.34\00:22:30.01 of his own nature. 00:22:30.05\00:22:33.92 This is a picture 00:22:33.95\00:22:35.78 of depraved human nature. 00:22:35.82\00:22:40.76 Listen to me, 00:22:40.79\00:22:42.12 I got a strong word for you today. 00:22:42.16\00:22:45.53 We're not born innocent. 00:22:45.56\00:22:48.16 We're not born sinless. 00:22:48.20\00:22:50.43 We're not born pure, 00:22:50.47\00:22:52.03 but we're born with the blood of Adam coursing 00:22:52.07\00:22:57.91 through our veins 00:22:57.94\00:22:59.67 and this blood has depraved everything we have ever done. 00:22:59.71\00:23:05.01 You read about it in Genesis Chapter 3, 00:23:05.05\00:23:07.82 we don't have time to talk about it today. 00:23:07.85\00:23:11.55 But I want you to know this, 00:23:11.59\00:23:13.49 that even though this boy is down in the big pan, 00:23:13.52\00:23:16.52 and he's gone about as low as he can go, 00:23:16.56\00:23:19.63 there's an old father in the picture. 00:23:19.66\00:23:23.93 That's the amazing thing. 00:23:23.97\00:23:26.40 I've got a word for every person 00:23:26.43\00:23:27.84 watching the telecast today. 00:23:27.87\00:23:29.34 Doesn't matter how far away you are, 00:23:29.37\00:23:33.48 there's always hope to come home. 00:23:33.51\00:23:36.08 Did you hear this? 00:23:36.11\00:23:37.45 Doesn't matter how far you are away from God. 00:23:37.48\00:23:40.18 And some of us have got 00:23:40.22\00:23:41.55 a long, long, long way from God. 00:23:41.58\00:23:43.79 Listen to me, my friend. 00:23:43.82\00:23:45.69 There's always hope. 00:23:45.72\00:23:47.06 And we can always go home because there's a father. 00:23:47.09\00:23:51.26 There is a good shepherd. 00:23:51.29\00:23:53.16 And Jesus said, "This man..." 00:23:53.19\00:23:55.63 No, the Pharisees said it, "This man receives sinners." 00:23:55.66\00:24:00.70 Jesus said, "Yeah, dead right." 00:24:00.74\00:24:04.74 This man receives sinner. 00:24:04.77\00:24:06.51 Jesus put up his hand and said, "Guilty. 00:24:06.54\00:24:08.71 Yes, I do." 00:24:08.74\00:24:10.95 Do you know why the text says this man receives sinners? 00:24:10.98\00:24:13.82 I will tell you. 00:24:13.85\00:24:16.35 Because God loves sinners. 00:24:16.38\00:24:20.62 God loves sinners. 00:24:20.66\00:24:21.99 He loves you just as you are. 00:24:22.02\00:24:24.39 He cares for you. 00:24:24.43\00:24:26.23 He thinks about you. 00:24:26.26\00:24:28.53 The Bible tells me the astounding good news 00:24:28.56\00:24:31.03 that Christ went to the cross 00:24:31.07\00:24:33.94 because this man receives sinners. 00:24:33.97\00:24:38.67 So you may be feeling pretty bad 00:24:38.71\00:24:41.04 about yourself today. 00:24:41.08\00:24:44.01 But I've got good news for you today. 00:24:44.05\00:24:48.45 God loves you. 00:24:48.48\00:24:51.75 Jesus died for you. 00:24:51.79\00:24:54.96 And there's a father looking down the road for you. 00:24:54.99\00:24:59.66 We're gonna talk about that 00:24:59.69\00:25:01.13 in the next segment of our program. 00:25:01.16\00:25:04.93 Remember the text, 00:25:04.97\00:25:07.54 "This man receives sinners 00:25:07.57\00:25:11.34 and goes to eat with them." 00:25:11.37\00:25:16.21 This is the good news of the gospel. 00:25:16.24\00:25:19.55 The good news of Christ. 00:25:19.58\00:25:21.22 Good news for you and me. 00:25:21.25\00:25:25.55 And I'll be back soon. 00:25:25.59\00:25:29.42 The Carter Report 00:25:42.60\00:25:43.94 is now streaming on demand for you. 00:25:43.97\00:25:46.88 Now you can have the teachings of John Carter anytime, 00:25:46.91\00:25:50.15 day or night. 00:25:50.18\00:25:51.95 By streaming the Carter Report, 00:25:51.98\00:25:54.48 there is more content for you to choose from, and it's easy. 00:25:54.52\00:25:59.55 If you are new to streaming, 00:25:59.59\00:26:01.19 all you need to do is purchase a streaming device. 00:26:01.22\00:26:04.23 It doesn't really matter which one, you can buy a Roku, 00:26:04.26\00:26:07.93 Amazon Fire or Apple TV from any major retailer. 00:26:07.96\00:26:12.60 You or a family member can plug the device 00:26:12.63\00:26:16.17 into your TV and sign in to your internet connection. 00:26:16.20\00:26:19.94 Do a search for the Carter Report 00:26:19.97\00:26:21.88 and download the app to your device. 00:26:21.91\00:26:24.55 From then on, your device 00:26:24.58\00:26:26.75 and the Carter Report app can provide you 00:26:26.78\00:26:28.82 with hundreds of on demand programs. 00:26:28.85\00:26:32.15 You can also take the Carter Report with you 00:26:32.19\00:26:34.49 wherever you go. 00:26:34.52\00:26:36.09 The official free Carter Report mobile app 00:26:36.12\00:26:38.39 can be downloaded to your phone or tablet. 00:26:38.43\00:26:41.70 Go to the App Store or Google Play Store 00:26:41.73\00:26:44.30 and download the app. 00:26:44.33\00:26:46.70 Additionally, you can find Carter Report programs 00:26:46.74\00:26:49.70 on your favorite podcast. 00:26:49.74\00:26:51.91 You can also watch us on Vimeo or YouTube. 00:26:51.94\00:26:56.18 Type the Carter Report in the search box. 00:26:56.21\00:27:00.55 You can watch hundreds of uninterrupted 00:27:00.58\00:27:02.58 John Carter teachings whenever you want, 00:27:02.62\00:27:05.75 for as many hours as you want. 00:27:05.79\00:27:08.16 Travel with John Carter 00:27:08.19\00:27:09.52 as he circles the globe to bring the gospel 00:27:09.56\00:27:11.66 to millions of people. 00:27:11.69\00:27:13.50 Watch the Carter Classics from over 50 years of ministry 00:27:13.53\00:27:17.27 and gain knowledge from stimulating interviews 00:27:17.30\00:27:19.43 with Christian leaders. 00:27:19.47\00:27:22.34 You now have multiple ways to watch the Carter Report. 00:27:22.37\00:27:25.61 And once you start streaming, you'll find comfort in having 00:27:25.64\00:27:28.38 these teachings readily available to you 00:27:28.41\00:27:30.88 whenever and wherever you want for free. 00:27:30.91\00:27:35.68 Welcome to the inspirational world 00:27:35.72\00:27:38.29 of John Carter. 00:27:38.32\00:27:40.56 For a copy of today's program, 00:27:45.16\00:27:47.10 please contact us at P.O. 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