Participants: Pr. John Carter
Series Code: CR
Program Code: CR100009
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00:01 The following presentation was made by John Carter
00:03 to a crowd of more than 100,000 souls. 00:06 This message is one of a truth filled series 00:09 that was delivered in the power of God's Holy Spirit 00:12 at the Sir John Guise Stadium, 00:14 Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. 00:17 One night as the evangelist spoke about the Holy Spirit, 00:20 a giant white bird flew low over the vast audience. 00:24 And the people rejoiced that God had visited His people. 00:28 Crowd surged forward to accept Christ as Lord and Savior. 00:32 A few days later thousands were baptized 00:35 in the sea at Ela Beach. 00:37 All who attended these Holy Spirit anointed meetings 00:40 were convinced that God's word is true 00:43 and His gospel is still the power of God 00:46 for the salvation of all who believe. 00:48 The message you're about to hear and see 00:51 will not leave you the same person. 00:54 Welcome to the Carter Report at the Sir John Guise Stadium, 00:57 Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. 01:02 The topic tonight is, "Is It Necessary 01:06 To Be Baptized To Be Saved." 01:10 I plan tonight, God helping me, 01:11 to answer some of these questions and some more. 01:16 Listen, will unbaptized babies go to hell 01:22 or some place other than heaven? 01:25 Do unbaptized babies go to a place 01:27 called purgatory or limbo? 01:33 Now we all love little babies. 01:38 What an awful idea to think that our little baby 01:43 might be shut out of the kingdom of God 01:45 because the parents did not put some water on the baby's head. 01:50 Isn't that a cute baby on the screen? 01:54 Wow, that's a cutie. 01:56 Listen, my friend, what will be the fate of those 02:02 who are unbaptized and how should a person be baptized? 02:08 Millions of people believe in baptism by sprinkling, 02:13 by putting a few drops of water on their head 02:18 as you can see on the screen. 02:20 But what does the Bible talk about when it says baptism? 02:25 Is it sprinkling water or is it baptism by immersion? 02:31 Should we put people right under the water? 02:33 And the next important question is this, listening? 02:38 Should we even baptize babies? 02:43 Were babies baptized in the days of Christ 02:47 and the days of the Bible prophets? 02:51 Who should be baptized? 02:55 Why was Jesus baptized? 02:58 Where was Jesus baptized because He was the son of God? 03:04 Tell me somebody why was Jesus baptized? 03:07 Is it necessary? Here is the question, 03:11 is it necessary to be baptized to be saved? 03:16 I want to be saved, don't you? 03:20 Hey, do you want to be saved? 03:22 Well, if you want to be saved, my friend, 03:25 you better find out the answer to this question. 03:27 Is it necessary for you and for me to be baptized to be saved? 03:35 We're going to notice some great truths about baptism. 03:38 Number one, here it comes. 03:41 I'm just so glad to be here tonight. 03:43 I'm feeling so good. 03:45 I'm feeling so much at peace with God 03:48 and the world and I can sense 03:51 that the Holy Spirit of the Holy God is in this place. 03:55 And I know tonight that I'm talking to an audience 03:57 maybe more than a 100,000 people. 04:01 What a tremendous audience. 04:03 But I want you to know the greatest presence 04:05 we have here tonight is not the presence of people, 04:09 it is the presence of Jesus by the Holy Spirit. 04:15 Now here is the great truth. 04:17 Number one, number of truths. 04:19 Jesus was baptized not as a baby 04:23 but as an adult in the Jordan River. 04:28 Let me say it again. 04:29 Jesus was not christened. 04:32 Jesus was not baptized as a baby. 04:36 Jesus when he was a grown adult was baptized 04:40 by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. 04:44 I'm going to take my Bible, my New International Version 04:48 and I'm going to turn in my Bible to Matthew 3:1-6. 04:56 And what we're going to do for you convenience 04:58 as I read the texts out of the Bible, 05:01 you can follow along on the giant screens. 05:04 Matthew 3:1-6. Are you, folks, ready to read? 05:09 Here we go. 05:11 "In those days John the Baptist came, 05:15 preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, 05:20 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.'" Or it hand. 05:25 "This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, 05:30 'A voice of one calling in the desert, 05:33 prepare the way for the Lord, 05:36 make straight paths for him.'" 05:39 John the Baptist was the prophet of God. 05:41 He was the man of God. 05:44 Verse 4, "John's clothes were made of camel's hair, 05:49 and he had a leather belt around his waist. 05:53 His food was locusts and wild honey. 05:57 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea 06:02 and the whole region of the Jordan. 06:05 Confessing their sins, they were baptized 06:08 by him in the River Jordan." 06:12 It says there in the Jordan River. 06:16 John the Baptist was a firebrand 06:20 in the hand of Almighty God. 06:25 He was a voice crying in the wilderness. 06:27 He was sent by God to preach to the people. 06:32 And he was sent by God to prepare the people 06:35 for the coming of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. 06:41 And so John the Baptist went down 06:43 to the banks of the Jordan River 06:46 and there he started to preach the good news of the kingdom. 06:51 And when people came, he led them down the muddy banks 06:55 into the water and then he baptized them. 06:58 We're going to read on in the passage 07:00 and I want you to follow along verses 13 and onwards. 07:06 "Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan 07:10 to be baptized by John. 07:14 But John tried to deter him, saying, 07:16 'I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?' 07:22 Jesus replied, 'Let it be so now. 07:25 It is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.'" 07:31 Then the Bible goes on to say, "Then John consented." 07:35 Verse 16, "As soon as Jesus was baptized, 07:40 he went up out of the water." 07:42 I'm reading here in the Bible. 07:44 "At that moment heaven was opened, 07:47 and He saw the Spirit of God 07:49 descending like a dove and lighting on him." 07:53 And the Bible tells us that a voice came from heaven 07:57 which was the voice of Almighty God. 08:00 And the voice said, "This is my Son, 08:05 with whom I am well pleased." 08:08 Listen to me, friend, I want you-- 08:12 want you to use your imagination. 08:15 We go back around 2,000 years, 08:19 the prophesies of the Bible tell us, 08:22 that Jesus was about to come into the world 08:25 and the world was not interested and the world was not ready. 08:31 And the church seemed to be utterly indifferent, 08:35 the Pharisees and the priests were going 08:39 through their meaningless rituals in Jerusalem. 08:44 And John, the Baptist, came with a message 08:48 hot from the heart of God and I want you to notice 08:53 his message because we're going to put it on the screen. 08:56 He preached, The Kingdom of Heaven Is At Hand. 09:04 I want to say to you here tonight in this great audience 09:08 that we preach the same message in these meetings. 09:11 We believe with all our hearts. 09:14 It is a fire burning in my soul here tonight. 09:18 I want you to know this. I'm not paid to say this. 09:22 Why did I come from America with this message hot in my soul 09:27 which is bursting forth from these limbs of clay? 09:31 It is because I believe 09:33 the Kingdom of Heaven Is At Hand. 09:37 I believe that the signs of the times tell us, 09:40 my beloved friends, that Jesus is going to come soon 09:45 in great power and great glory and I want us to get ready 09:50 to go home with Jesus to the Kingdom of God. 09:53 Can you say, amen, Hallelujah? 09:58 Can you say, amen, hallelujah? Amen. 10:01 You're not saying the hallelujah. 10:03 Come on, amen, hallelujah. Amen, hallelujah. 10:07 Because Jesus is coming and John, the Baptist, 10:11 preached the message repent 10:13 for the Kingdom of Heaven Is At Hand. 10:17 That's the message we're talking about today, Jesus is coming. 10:23 The Bible tells us in John 3:23, 10:29 that "Jesus was baptized in a place 10:33 where there was plenty of water." 10:35 Want you to notice the text. 10:37 I'm going to take it right off the screen 10:40 straight out of the Bible. 10:41 "Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim." 10:47 You notice what the Bible says? 10:49 You notice what it says, 10:50 "Because there was plenty of water, 10:53 and people were constantly coming to be baptized." 10:59 It is apparent. It is obvious. 11:01 There's no doubt about it that John, the Baptist, 11:04 was not a preacher who was sprinkling babies. 11:08 Now you say but that's the tradition of the church. 11:11 My friend, I would rather follow the word of God 11:14 than the tradition of any church. 11:18 We're not here tonight to talk 11:19 about the tradition of the church. 11:21 We respect the churches. 11:23 But tonight we are not talking the tradition of the church, 11:27 we are talking the living word of the living God. 11:30 Are you listening to me? 11:35 The Bible says he was baptizing at Aenon. 11:41 Jesus walked down the muddy banks 11:45 and went into the Jordan River and John the Baptist 11:50 placed our blessed Lord under the water 11:56 and it was good enough for Jesus. 11:58 It's good enough for me, my friend. 12:01 I want to do what Jesus did, don't you? 12:04 The Bible says, He went down the banks into the water 12:10 and John, the Baptist, baptized Him. 12:13 And as He came up out of the water, 12:15 the Spirit of God came down upon him like a dove 12:19 and a voice from the throne of God said, 12:22 "This is my beloved Son." 12:28 I want you to know this tonight, if you will truly-- 12:32 if you and I will truly believe in Jesus, 12:36 and if we will be baptized as Jesus was baptized, 12:42 as we come up out of the water, the Spirit of God will say, 12:46 "This is my beloved son, my beloved daughter, 12:52 I'm pleased with you." 12:57 So seems absolutely apparent, 13:02 it is absolutely clear 13:05 that Jesus was not baptized as a baby. 13:09 Jesus was baptized by total immersion. 13:14 I want you to do something. This is not hard to do. 13:19 If you can see tonight 13:22 that Jesus was baptized not as a baby but as an adult 13:30 and He was baptized in plenty of water by immersion, 13:36 I want you to raise your hand and wave it at me. 13:42 Would you put up your hand? 13:44 If you can see tonight that Jesus 13:49 was baptized as an adult and He was baptized 13:55 down in a river by total immersion, 13:57 I want you to raise up your hand and I want you to say, 14:02 "Lord, you've made it very, very plain to me tonight, 14:06 Jesus, my Lord, was baptized by total immersion 14:12 when He had grown up and He'd come to the age 14:16 when He knew what He was doing." 14:20 Now when I read my Bible and I read this book every day 14:24 because it is the word of God. 14:29 I just want to tell, you folks, something, 14:31 I read my Bible every day because I want the power 14:36 that comes out of the word of God. 14:41 I am a sinner. I am weak. 14:44 I don't have any power inside me but the power 14:49 comes down from God through the Holy Spirit 14:53 and God works through the word of God 14:57 as I read the word of God. 15:00 The power comes out of the word of God 15:03 and the power of God comes into my life 15:07 and I can feel His power. 15:09 I can feel His mighty grace. He's here tonight. 15:16 My friend, I want you to get this power tonight. 15:22 I want you to know that God wants to come and live in you. 15:27 I want you to know that the Spirit of God wants to come 15:31 and live in you tonight 15:32 and he wants to make you a child of God. 15:39 Listen to me, when the apostles went out 15:43 to preach the word of God because they thought, 15:47 you see that on the screen, 15:48 Jesus was baptized as an adult in the Jordan River. 15:55 When the disciples went out to preach the gospel 15:58 around the world, they followed Jesus 16:02 and they baptized by total immersion. 16:06 The disciples followed the example of Jesus Christ. 16:13 No, I don't want to offend anybody. 16:15 Please don't misunderstand me. 16:19 I love everybody. I respect the great churches. 16:24 I love the clergyman. I love everybody. 16:28 But I want you to notice something, 16:30 I don't want to follow the tradition of the church 16:33 when the tradition of the church goes contrary to the word of God 16:38 I want to follow the word of God, you see. 16:43 And so when I turned to the Book of Acts 16:46 I'm told exactly how the apostles baptized 16:52 and I'm going to turn over here in the Holy Bible 16:55 and I'm going to come to the Book of Acts 8:28-39. 17:03 Are you ready? Acts 8:28-39. 17:10 We're gonna put this up on the screen. 17:14 I mean, we've such a vast audience here 17:18 that the only way you can read the Bible tonight 17:21 is by reading it off the screen. Here it is. 17:25 This is talking about an Ethiopian. 17:28 He was an Ethiopian who was a man of great power 17:33 and he'd been up to Jerusalem to worship God. 17:37 The Ethiopians are black people. 17:42 This is the story about a black man who came from Ethiopia 17:48 and he'd been up to Jerusalem 17:50 to worship Christ, to worship God. 17:54 Now you read the story. 17:57 "...and he was on his way home" back to Ethiopia. 18:01 He "was sitting in his chariot 18:03 reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 18:07 The Spirit told Philip," who was an evangelist, 18:10 "'Go to that chariot and stay near it.' 18:14 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man 18:17 reading Isaiah the prophet." 18:20 Yeah, hey, "'Do you understand what you are reading?' 18:24 Philip asked." So here's a man 18:27 reading the Bible and he doesn't understand it. 18:29 "'How can I,' he said, 'unless someone explains it to me?' 18:34 So he invited Philip," hey, "come up" here 18:36 come up "and sit with him." The Bible says. 18:40 "The eunuch," this is this Ethiopian man 18:42 of great authority. 18:45 "The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture, 18:48 'He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, 18:51 and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, 18:54 so he did not open his mouth. 18:57 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. 19:02 Who can speak of his descendants? 19:05 For his life was taken from the earth.' 19:09 The eunuch asked Philip, 'Tell me, please, 19:13 who is the prophet talking about, 19:14 himself or someone else?'" 19:18 And sometimes you need someone to explain to you 19:20 the meaning of the word of God. 19:23 "Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture 19:28 and told him the good news about Jesus." 19:33 We're just gonna pause here for a moment. 19:36 Want you to think about this. 19:38 Here is this black man, this man of great intelligence, 19:44 this man of great authority, 19:48 this man who's got a heart for God 19:53 and he's been up to Jerusalem to worship 19:56 but he can't understand too much and so Philip goes and sits 20:01 with him in the chariot and he starts 20:03 to tell him the good news about God. 20:07 Now we're going to keep reading the text 20:09 and then I'm going to tell you the good news he told him. 20:13 "As they traveled along the road, 20:16 they came to some water." It must've been a pool of water. 20:20 Because it's pretty dry in that part of the world 20:22 but there are lots of little springs and tiny little lagoons. 20:27 "As they traveled along the road, 20:29 they came to some water and the eunuch said," 20:33 hey, "'Look, here is water. 20:36 Why shouldn't I be baptized?'" Hey, that's a great question. 20:40 If you haven't been baptized as Jesus was baptized, 20:44 my friend, you haven't been baptized. 20:47 You know, I was baptized as a baby. 20:49 Hey, friend, that's not baptism as far as God is concerned. 20:53 "And he gave orders to stop the chariot. 20:55 Then both Philip and the eunuch 20:58 went down into the water and Philip baptized him." 21:03 He put him right down under the water 21:06 as Jesus was baptized. 21:08 "When they came up out of the water, 21:10 the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, 21:13 and the eunuch did not see him again, 21:16 but went on his way rejoicing" 21:20 and praising God because he'd been baptized and he was saved. 21:30 This is a great story. 21:32 This story is for you and as for me. 21:35 You know, what it tells me? 21:37 God loves white people, He loves Jewish people, 21:43 and on this occasion, He especially loved this black man, 21:51 special man, a special man, a man of God, 21:58 a man of great intelligence, a man of great authority, 22:04 and a man with a heart for God. 22:13 When he discovered the truth of the gospel and the good news, 22:21 he said, stop the chariot and he went down into the water 22:27 with Philip and Philip baptized him 22:31 and he became a child of the king, 22:35 a child of God and he was passed from death and to life. 22:40 And I say tonight praise the Lord, hallelujah. 22:45 Won't you? Wouldn't you like to have that experience tonight? 22:51 Now the Bible says, Philip preached under him 22:55 the good news about Jesus. 22:57 I want you to know something tonight, 22:58 my friends, here in this vast auditorium. 23:01 I want to say to the 100,000 people here tonight. 23:05 I want to tell you this, 23:06 we are here tonight not with bad news, 23:10 we are here tonight with good news. 23:14 It is the good news about Jesus Christ. 23:19 It is the news that He loves you. 23:22 It is the news that He cares for you. 23:24 It is the news that He died for you. 23:27 It is the news that He's going to come back again. 23:30 It is the news God became a man. 23:36 You know, what amazing news this is. 23:41 I think I've got a picture here somewhere of Mary 23:44 with a little baby. There she is. 23:50 And so Philip told this man, 23:52 "Hey, the news is so astounding God became a man. 23:59 Can you believe this? It's true, God became a man. 24:04 The creator of the universe saw us lost and lonely 24:08 and beaten up and sick and despairing and God said, 24:13 "I'm going to go down and I'm going to save them." 24:20 So God became a little baby. 24:27 That's the good news. 24:29 God became a little baby. 24:32 And Jesus lived among us. 24:38 He walked around and He did good. 24:43 You would've liked him. 24:46 He was the kindest person who ever lived. 24:52 He was the most compassionate people. 24:55 He loved the little babies. 24:57 He loved the children. 25:00 And the Bible tells me 25:02 He is the sinner's friend. 25:09 If you feel tonight that nobody loves you, 25:14 if you feel tonight that nobody cares about you, 25:18 I'm here to tell you tonight, somebody cares about you. 25:22 Jesus loves you. Jesus loves you. 25:26 Jesus cares for you. Jesus knows all about you. 25:30 That is the good news, my friend. 25:33 Philip preaching from the Bible, 25:36 he told him the good news about Jesus 25:39 and then he told him Mr. Ethiopian, 25:44 not only did He become a man, 25:46 not only did He heal the sick, 25:49 not only did He praise the world in love 25:53 but He went to the cross, went to the cross. 26:00 Ethiopian, the black man, the man of influence, 26:06 the man of power, God's man. 26:12 He said to Philip, "What do you mean?" 26:17 Philip said, "He went to the cross 26:20 to redeem you because He loves all people." 26:24 Christ is for everybody. 26:29 Christ is for the American. 26:33 He is for the Russian. He is for the Australian. 26:37 He is for the Englishman. 26:40 He is for the world of the Hispanics. 26:44 And, my friend, 26:46 Christ is for Papua New Guinea. 26:54 He is your Christ. 26:57 You belong to Him. He belongs to you. 27:01 He came down to show you how much He loves you. 27:05 He went to the cross. 27:07 We talked about this two nights ago. 27:10 I think it was the greatest meeting I've ever been in. 27:15 When we talked about how Christ went to the cross 27:19 and was nailed to a cross and went through hell and terror 27:26 and suffering to pay for our sins. 27:33 He could've gone back to glory. 27:35 He could've gone back to His father. 27:37 He could've gone home. 27:39 He could've said, "It's too hard, it's too hard." 27:44 They don't--He could've said, "It's not worth it." 27:48 The devil said to Him, 27:50 "Many of them are going to reject You." 27:53 And He could've said, "I'm going to go back." 27:57 But, you know, what He did? 27:59 He took whole of the Roman nails 28:03 and He held on until His heart broke in two for you. 28:14 That's the good news. 28:15 That's why you and I ought to get baptized by immersion. 28:24 And then as Philip went on telling him the good news, 28:26 he said, because the eunuch must have said, 28:29 "Hey, then He's dead, He's dead." 28:32 He said, "No, no, He's alive." 28:35 Jesus is alive. Jesus came up out of the tomb. 28:39 They'd locked him in the tomb. 28:41 They sealed up the tomb but they couldn't keep Him 28:44 in the tomb because Jesus is alive. 28:47 He came out of the tomb. He's alive. 28:50 And then he said, "Mr. Ethiopian, 28:54 He's going to come back. 28:57 He's going to come back in power. 29:01 He's going to come back in glory. 29:03 He's going to come back with all the angels. 29:06 He's going to come back and when He comes back, 29:09 He's going to take us home to glory 29:13 and we're never going to get sick. 29:14 We're never going to die. 29:16 We're going to live forever in His kingdom." 29:19 I say to you tonight here it comes, hallelujah. 29:24 I say to you tonight, hallelujah. Praise the Lord. 29:27 He's alive and He's coming back again. 29:33 And after he preached to the Ethiopian, 29:36 a Jewish man preaching to a Ethiopian, 29:42 Philip said, "Come on." 29:45 Ethiopian said, "Why shouldn't I be baptized?" 29:49 That's what you ought to say. 29:51 Somebody sitting here tonight you say, 29:53 "Well, I was baptized as a baby." 29:55 No you weren't because you can't baptize babies. 29:58 They don't do it in the Bible. 30:01 That's the invention of the church. 30:03 Somebody says, "But you don't understand, 30:05 I was sprinkled." I'm sorry, my friend. 30:08 I don't want to offend you 30:09 but I'm here to tell you the truth. 30:11 Jesus said, "You know the truth 30:13 and the truth will make you free." 30:14 And I promise you, I'll never lie to you, 30:16 my beloved friends. 30:18 I want you to know this. 30:19 If you haven't been baptized as Jesus was baptized, 30:23 then you haven't been baptized. 30:25 And so that Ethiopian went down into the water 30:28 and Philip went down with the Ethiopian 30:31 and Philip put him under the water 30:33 and he baptized him in the name of the Father 30:36 and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 30:39 And when that man came up out of the water, 30:42 he was a new child of God. 30:45 His face was shining with the glory of God 30:48 and the Bible says he went on his way rejoicing. 30:59 Now over there in the great city of New York, 31:01 there's a great park, it's called Central Park, 31:04 one of the great parks of the world. 31:07 Many years ago, there was a pastor 31:09 going through that park, a man with the heart of a God 31:13 and a heart for people 31:14 and a heart for God's little preachers. 31:16 And he came upon some gang members, 31:19 just young guys, really just boys. 31:23 And those boys were crowded around a cage 31:26 and they had some little birds, little sparrows in that cage. 31:30 The minister came up to those boys and said, 31:32 "Boys, what are you doing there?" 31:34 And the boys said, "Oh, we've got some birds here. 31:37 And we're playing with them." "You're playing with them? 31:40 And what are you going to do with those birds 31:42 when you get through playing with them?" 31:43 "Well," the boys said, "you wouldn't care, preacher, 31:47 we're gonna kill those little birds. 31:50 We're gonna torture them a bit 31:51 and then when we finish playing with them, 31:54 we're going to kill them." 31:55 Well, the pastor said to those boys, 31:57 "Boys, won't you sell them to me?" 31:59 And the boys said, "Oh, you don't want them, 32:02 preacher, they're worth nothing. 32:03 They're just little old sparrows. 32:05 They're not worth anything. 32:07 You don't want those little things." 32:09 But the preacher said, "I want them, 32:11 please sell them to me." 32:13 And so they did a deal. 32:14 And the preacher bought the cage 32:16 and he bought the birds. 32:18 And then he walked down the road and boys had gone 32:21 and he walked out to a clearing in this great Central Park 32:25 and he tapped down the side of the cage 32:27 and he opened up the door and the little birds 32:31 winged their way up into God's blue sky. 32:34 And as they went up into the God's blue sky, 32:36 the little birds were singing 32:39 "Redeemed, redeemed, redeemed." 32:43 They were saved. 32:45 They were saved because they had been redeemed. 32:51 Listen, thousands and thousands of years ago, 32:58 Jesus was traveling through the universe 33:02 and He came up on a world, a planet earth, 33:07 it was in a cage and Satan was 33:11 playing with the people in the cage. 33:14 And Jesus said, "Satan, what have you got there?" 33:17 He said, "You wouldn't care, Christ. 33:19 They're just sinners. They're not worth anything. 33:24 Those people, they're not worth anything." 33:27 Jesus said, "What are you going to do with them?" 33:28 And Satan said, "I'm going to play with them, Jesus. 33:33 And I'm going to torture them. 33:35 I'm going to play with them. I'm going to give them drugs. 33:40 I'm going to give them illicit sex. 33:42 I'm going to play with them." 33:44 And Jesus said, "When you're through playing with them, 33:47 what are you going to do with them?" 33:49 And Satan said, "I'm going to kill them." 33:55 Jesus said, "Lucifer, will you sell them to me?" 34:03 And Lucifer said, "They're not worth anything." 34:07 But Jesus said, "I want them." 34:12 "You don't want them." "I want them." Jesus said. 34:17 Satan said, "How much?" 34:20 Jesus said, "Lucifer, name your price?" 34:25 He said, "Listen, Christ, 34:29 I'll sell them to you 34:32 but I don't want the silver in the world. 34:36 I don't want the gold in the world. 34:38 It's not enough!" 34:41 He said, "What do you want then, Satan?" 34:43 He said, "I want the silver of your tears 34:48 and I want the gold of your blood." 34:56 And the years rolled by. God sent the prophets. 35:00 He sent preachers. 35:02 He gave the world the Ten Commandments. 35:05 He gave us the Bible and then lastly, 35:08 Jesus came down to this planet. 35:16 One night, He was praying in the garden of Gethsemane 35:21 and He had a terrible burden on His soul 35:25 and He was praying and all of a sudden, 35:28 He felt a hard, cold hand on his shoulder 35:35 and He looked up into the face of Lucifer. 35:39 And Lucifer said, "I've come for the price." 35:46 Jesus said, "Not now." He said, "I've come now." 35:54 The next day on the Roman cross 36:01 beneath the Roman lash on the cross, 36:06 He paid the price with the silver of His tears 36:10 and the gold of His blood. 36:13 Will you not believe in Him tonight, I ask you? 36:21 What more could He do on the cross? 36:28 The silver of His tears, the gold of His blood, 36:33 so that I can win my way to glory singing 36:38 "Redeemed, redeemed, redeemed, 36:41 redeemed by the blood of the lamb." 36:45 You see, my friend, when this man, the Ethiopian, 36:51 heard that good news, he went down into the water 36:56 and he was baptized as Jesus was baptized. 37:00 Now look at me please. 37:02 Let me look in your eyes. 37:07 If you and I haven't been baptized 37:09 as Jesus was baptized by total immersion, 37:13 as adults, we haven't been baptized. 37:16 Church tradition in this matter does not count. 37:21 The Bible teaches that we ought to follow Christ 37:25 and to be baptized. 37:27 And listen, listen to this. 37:34 Here it is. Who should be baptized? 37:40 Here we've got a vast audience 37:42 in this great nation, we ask the question, 37:44 "Who should be baptized?" 37:47 And the text is Mark 16:15, 16. 37:51 We give you much scripture in these meetings 37:53 because it is written, 37:55 "Man shall not live by bread alone 37:57 but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." 38:01 Now look at Mark 16:15, 16. 38:05 Jesus said, "He said to them, 38:08 'Go into all the world and preach the good news 38:11 to all creation. 38:13 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, 38:18 but whoever does not believe will be condemned.' 38:21 "The first condition-- and I'm coming over here 38:24 to these blackboards. 38:25 Jesus told me the first condition. 38:27 Jesus said, "You've got to believe." 38:32 You can believe tonight, my friend. 38:37 It is in you tonight to believe. 38:40 God is putting faith in your heart. 38:43 You say, "I can't believe." 38:45 That's what the devil would tell you. 38:47 You can believe tonight 38:50 and if you believe with all your heart, 38:53 you ought to be rushing to be baptized. 38:56 Now listen, can a baby believe? No. 39:00 A little tiny, itsy bitsy baby, 39:03 this long should not be baptized 39:06 because the baby cannot believe. 39:10 The only person who can believe is a person 39:13 who is old enough to understand the good news of Christ. 39:19 Therefore, a baby will not be lost 39:26 because it was not baptized 39:30 or sprinkled by a minister or by a priest. 39:36 Condition number two, Acts 2:38. 39:43 You see we give you the word of God in these meetings. 39:46 "Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, 39:52 every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ 39:55 for the forgiveness of your sins. 39:57 And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.' 40:02 "The Bible says condition number two. 40:05 I'm coming back here to these giant blackboards 40:09 and I'm going to put up the very words of God. 40:12 The Bible says "Repent." 40:16 Now a baby cannot repent. 40:22 Therefore, God does not hold a baby responsible. 40:29 A baby cannot repent but you and I can. 40:36 And what does it mean to repent? 40:39 You just watch me for a moment. 40:41 Watching here, well, here I am 40:46 walking in the path of sin. 40:50 I am breaking the commandments of God. 40:55 Then all of a sudden, I start to read the Bible 40:59 or I go to a meeting like this, 41:00 I'm walking in sin and God touches me 41:04 and I turn around and I'm sorry for my sin 41:10 and I turn away from my sin. 41:12 I believe and I repent. 41:15 Repentance means to feel sorry for my sins 41:20 and to turn to God for mercy and forgiveness. 41:26 Now, ladies and gentlemen, some years ago, 41:31 I was in the city of Manila. 41:34 Tonight, we have his Excellency, 41:36 the ambassador from the Philippines. 41:40 I had the privilege of going into a great prison in Manila. 41:45 I went on death row. 41:49 And I preached my heart out on the good news of Christ 41:54 and those young men who were going to be put to death, 41:57 raised their hands and believed in Christ 42:01 and I had the privilege of baptizing them 42:04 in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 42:11 Now there's someone sitting here tonight, you say, 42:14 "I'm not good enough to be saved." 42:16 My friend, you don't need to be good enough, 42:18 you need to repent. 42:21 Repentance is the gift of the Holy Spirit. 42:25 There are people sitting here tonight 42:27 and the Holy Spirit is talking to your heart. 42:32 You didn't come to this meeting tonight by accident. 42:35 There are people out there in their motorcars. 42:38 There are thousands of people outside this great stadium 42:42 and you are listening tonight 42:45 because this is your moment of destiny. 42:49 You have now an appointment with God. 42:54 And God is talking to you and God is talking to you 42:58 because He wants you to be saved 43:01 and I'm calling upon you tonight to believe the gospel 43:05 and to repent and then be baptized. 43:10 And here's another condition. 43:13 Number one, "Believe." Number two, "Repent." 43:18 Number three, "Obey the word of God." 43:23 And I'm going to turn over here to Matthew 28:19, 20. 43:29 Matthew 28:19, 20. 43:35 And these are the words of Jesus Christ, 43:40 your Savior and mine. 43:42 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, 43:47 baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son 43:53 and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey 43:58 everything I have commanded you. 44:01 And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age." 44:07 Number one, "Believe." Number two, "Repent." 44:12 And the Bible says a person needs to be taught 44:20 all the great truths that Jesus taught, 44:23 the great fundamentals, not everything because 44:26 nobody would live long enough to understand 44:29 everything Jesus taught. 44:32 But Jesus said, "Go and teach them 44:34 the great truths that I've given to the world." 44:38 A baby cannot do these things. A baby cannot believe. 44:42 A baby cannot repent. 44:44 A baby cannot obey God's word. 44:47 Therefore, a baby will not be lost 44:50 because it was not baptized, listen. 44:56 Years ago, when I lived in Australia, 45:00 a minister of a great church 45:02 told a young couple whose baby had died. 45:06 He said "Was your baby christened?" 45:11 The parents said, "No. We didn't have time." 45:14 Then he said, "Your baby will go to hell." 45:23 I tell you, my friend, what a dreadful doctrine 45:27 that a baby will go to a hell, a purgatory, a limbo, 45:32 because it was not christened 45:35 and christening is not taught in the word of God. 45:40 I want you to think of Jesus. 45:44 I want you to think of how the mothers 45:47 brought their little babies to Jesus. 45:52 And I want you to notice the words of Matthew 19:13, 14. 46:00 We got all these mothers who would come 46:03 and they'd bring their little babies 46:06 and their children to Jesus. 46:08 I want the mothers to know here tonight, 46:10 Jesus loves you and He loves your children 46:13 and He loves the little babies. 46:16 Look at the text. 46:17 "Then little children were brought to Jesus 46:19 for him to place his hands on them 46:22 and pray for them... Jesus said, 46:25 'Let the little come to me, and do not hinder them, 46:29 for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.' 46:34 When he had placed his hands on them, 46:36 he went on from there." 46:40 I want you to just look at me. 46:45 God is a loving God. God cares the people. 46:53 He knows your hurts. He knows your pains. 46:57 Mothers, He knows how you worry about your little children. 47:03 If you give your heart to Jesus, 47:05 you and your little children 47:07 are going to be with Christ in paradise 47:11 and you're never going to be separated from your loved ones. 47:14 But you're going to live forever and ever. 47:17 The Christ that I'm preaching tonight 47:20 is the Christ who loves the little babies. 47:30 Now people have asked me this question, 47:34 "I once was baptized but something happened, 47:38 and I wandered away from God and I--" 47:42 These people will come and they'll say 47:44 these words because they're worried and they're concerned. 47:47 They'll say, "I once believed but I wandered away from God. 47:51 Should I be re-baptized? 47:54 Should I be baptized again because 47:57 I once knew God but I turned my back on him?" 48:02 I'm going to turn over here 48:03 to Acts 19: 1-5 in this great Bible. 48:07 I'm reading the New International version. 48:09 Acts 19: 1-5. 48:13 And I'm going to put the text up on the screen. 48:16 And this is for those who wonder 48:17 whether they're going to be baptized again. 48:20 "While Apollos was at Corinth, 48:21 Paul took the road through the interior 48:23 and arrived at Ephesus. 48:25 There he found some disciples and asked them, 48:28 'Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?' 48:31 They answered, 'No, we have not even heard 48:34 that there is a Holy Spirit.' 48:36 So Paul asked, 'Then what baptism did you receive?' 48:39 'John's baptism,' they replied. 48:41 Paul said, 'John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. 48:45 He told the people to believe 48:47 in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.' 48:50 On hearing this, they were baptized 48:53 into the name of the Lord Jesus." 48:57 And so here were people who were baptized twice. 49:00 And when they were baptized the second time, 49:03 it is because they were baptized into Jesus. 49:07 They had received Jesus, a new experience 49:12 that Christ had come into their hearts 49:15 like this beautiful lady here on the screen 49:19 and she's being baptized because God has touched her 49:24 and she has become a new creation. 49:28 And that is why you and I are to seek, my friend, 49:32 to be baptized as Jesus was. 49:39 Now is it necessary-- 49:45 how necessary is it to be baptized? 49:50 Is baptism really necessary? 49:56 Here are three powerful reasons. 49:59 Because of the cross and because of the resurrection of Christ. 50:07 Romans 6: 3-5. Look at it on the screen. 50:14 Paul says, "Or don't you know that all of us 50:18 who were baptized into Christ Jesus 50:21 were baptized into his death? 50:25 We were therefore buried with him 50:27 through baptism into death in order that, 50:29 just as Christ was raised from the dead 50:33 through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 50:39 If we have been united with him like this in his death, 50:43 we will certainly also be united with him 50:45 in his resurrection." 50:49 Now look at me. 50:52 When a person is baptized, he goes under the water. 50:57 That represents how Christ died for us 51:01 and was placed down into the tomb 51:05 and when a person comes up out of the water, 51:09 it represents the resurrection of Christ 51:13 and his own resurrection to be a new person in Christ Jesus. 51:20 Listen, my friend, 51:24 if you truly believe in Christ, 51:30 if you believe that He died for you, 51:33 if you believe He rose from the dead for you, 51:37 if you believe He's coming again, 51:40 then, my friend, you ought to be baptized, 51:46 this is the word of the Lord. 51:50 There's a second reason. 51:54 Because of the new birth. 51:56 When a person becomes a new person 52:01 by the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit. 52:05 John 3:5. 52:11 Notice the words. 52:13 Jesus was talking to a Jewish theologian. 52:20 "Jesus answered, 'I tell you the truth.'" 52:24 Oh, thank God that Jesus tells us the truth. 52:27 There are many people in this world not like you people, 52:30 but there are many people in this world 52:33 who do not want to know the truth. 52:37 But you do. 52:38 Jesus said you will know the truth 52:42 and the truth will make you free. 52:46 "Jesus answered, 'I tell you the truth, 52:49 no one can enter the kingdom of God 52:51 unless he is born of water and the Spirit.'" 52:57 Water is baptism, the Spirit is the power 53:02 of the Holy Spirit when he comes into our hearts 53:06 and we become born-again 53:09 and we become new creations in Christ. 53:16 I just want to open my heart to you. 53:20 We're talking tonight about something that is supernatural. 53:26 We're talking about something that is bigger than churches. 53:30 We're talking about something that is bigger than religion. 53:34 We are talking about the almighty creator God 53:38 and when this great creator God comes down into our hearts 53:43 as we accept Jesus Christ we become born-again Christians 53:50 and our sins are washed away 53:54 and we become brand new people 53:59 as Willie G told us last night, 54:02 we are not talking about a modification, 54:07 we are talking about a supernatural transformation. 54:18 Now, my beloved friends, here in Port Moresby, 54:23 not merely my friends, my brothers and my sisters, 54:30 my family, 54:35 is it not time that we should go to Jesus and be made clean? 54:41 Is it not time that we go to Jesus 54:44 and be cured of the leprosy of sin? 54:48 Is it not time that we fall down at His feet and say, 54:52 "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean?" 54:56 And I promise you and assure you of one great truth, 55:01 He will look you in the eye and He will say, "I will. 55:08 Be clean." 55:13 Paul, the evangelist, says in the Bible 55:16 that God will finish His work 55:17 and cut it short in righteousness. 55:20 The prophet Joe says God will pour out His Spirit 55:22 in the last days, and signs and wonders will follow. 55:26 "The Carter Report" believes that we are now 55:28 in the end times and His Spirit is moving mightily. 55:32 During the Port Moresby campaign, 55:35 we testified that we saw the power of God revealed. 55:38 God-hungry souls 55:41 could not get enough of the word of the Lord 55:44 as at creation the Spirit of God 55:47 moved upon the face of the waters. 55:49 And God brought cosmos out of chaos. 55:53 Souls were recreated in the image of the Creator. 55:56 Instead of hate, there was love. 55:58 Instead of despair, there was hope. 56:00 Instead of sorrow, there was joy. 56:03 And in the place of death, God gave life. 56:06 One night, as John Carter preached on the person and 56:09 work of the Holy Spirit, 56:10 the image of a white bird was flashed on the screens. 56:14 At that moment, a great white bird 56:16 flew low over the astonished congregation. 56:20 Cries of joy filled the air as the audience recognized 56:23 that God has visited his people. 56:25 A mighty surge of Pentecostal power 56:28 swept the audience of 120,000 souls 56:32 and everyone present felt the warm, 56:34 comforting presence of God. 56:36 "The Carter Report" team invites you, my dear viewer, 56:39 to be a partner in this work. 56:42 Soldiers of the cross are wanted. 56:44 Faith partners are needed. 56:47 Write to us now here at The Carter Report, 56:50 PO box 1900, 56:52 Thousand Oaks, California 91358. 56:55 Or in Australia at PO box 861, Terrigal, NSW 2260. 57:03 You may also contact us online at cartereport.org 57:07 or email us at info@cartereport.org 57:14 Thank you for joining us today. 57:16 To become a faith partner with Pastor John Carter 57:19 and to receive our monthly newsletter, 57:21 write to us here at The Carter Report. 57:23 PO box 1900, Thousand Oaks, California 91358. 57:30 Or in Australia at PO box 861, Terrigal, NSW 2260. 57:38 That address again is PO box 1900, 57:41 Thousand Oaks, California 91358. 57:46 Or in Australia at PO box 861, Terrigal, NSW 2260. 57:53 Remember Jesus said you will know the truth 57:56 and the truth will set you free. |
Revised 2014-12-17