Gospel Light Minute X with Daniel Whyte III

Look and Live

GLMX #133: The Meteorite that Shook the World

Mike Singletary says Having Jesus in his Life Helps him to be the Man, Husband, and Father that he Should Be (Gospel Light Minute #86)

Praying Through the Bible #25 | with Daniel Whyte III TEXT: 2 Kings 19:1-8 We are in a series of messages titled "Praying Through the Bible: A Series on Every Passage and Verse Regarding Prayer in the Bible". The purpose of this series is to encourage and motivate you to pray to the God of the Bible. We highlighted each of these over 500 verses and passages in the new Prayer Motivator Devotional Bible. So far, we have done 24 messages in this series. This is message #25 titled "What to Do When You Receive Bad News." Hezekiah was the sixteenth king of Judah. He reigned during the time of the divided kingdom, when Israel had her own king and Judah had her own king. Hezekiah was a good king who led the nation in the proper worship of God. He destroyed the idols and pagan altars that previous wicked kings had set up. He renewed the celebration of the Passover. He also presided over the building of the now famous Siloam Tunnel which allowed water from the Pool of Siloam to be carried into the city of Jerusalem which was especially important when the city was under attack. Part of this construction is still visible in the Old City of Jerusalem today. The Bible says that Hezekiah "did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father did...He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. For he clave to the Lord, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses." Hezekiah was a good king who ruled his kingdom well. However, one day Hezekiah received some bad news. 1. Notice the bad news Hezekiah received. If we flip back to Second Kings 18, we find that the King of Assyria was on a war campaign in the middle east. He had fought against and conquered many other small nations, and now he had turned his attention to Judah. While he was engaged in warfare in the south of Judah, he sent "a great host" under the command of three of his leaders -- "Tartan", the commander in chief; "Rab-sa-ris", the chief eunuch; and "Rab-sha-keh", the chief cupbearer. These leaders and their army laid seige to the city of Jerusalem. 2. Secondly, notice Hezekiah's reaction to the bad news. We have seen already that Hezekiah tore his clothes and covered himself in sackcloth. But the Bible tells us that Hezekiah did two other things. First, he "went into the house of the Lord." The second thing Hezekiah does is he requests the prayers of the prophet Isaiah. 3. Thirdly, notice God's answer to the bad news. After Hezekiah's officials share the problem with Isaiah, Isaiah says, "Thus saith the Lord, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land."

What to Do When You Receive Bad News

Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message #95 TEXT: Exodus 12:1-13 For hundreds of years, the children of Israel were enslaved in the land of Egypt. They served the Pharaohs as farmers, sheep-herders, and construction workers. Perhaps many of the pyramids and other ancient structures which are still standing in Egypt today were built by Hebrew hands. However, one day, God raised up Moses to command Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go and to lead the children of Israel to the Promised Land. Of course, we know that Pharaoh refused to let the children of Israel go free. However, while Moses was being used by God to speak His words to Pharaoh, Moses was also being used by God to prepare the Hebrews to leave the land of Egypt. One of the ways in which God told Moses to prepare the Hebrews for the exodus was by implementing the Passover ritual. The passage which we have just read describes God's command to the children of Israel regarding what they should do for the Passover. While the Passover is now a Jewish holiday of remembrance, it is also a holiday that is full of meaning for us today. Morris Joseph, a rabbi from New York in the late 1800s said that the "Passover has a message for the conscience and the heart of all mankind. It commemorates the deliverance of a people from degrading slavery, from most foul and cruel tyranny. And so, it is God's protest against unrighteousness, whether individual or national." Not only is the Passover a image of the national salvation of a people, it is also an image of the personal salvation which would be provided many years later through the blood of the Lamb of God, Lord Jesus Christ. In this, the beginning of the Passover tradition, we see three significant aspects of being under the blood of the lamb. 1. We see the precious and painful sacrifice. Our passage states, "In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house...And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening." 2. Secondly, in this passage, we see the partaking of the sacrifice. After the lamb was killed, the family was to "eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it...And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning." 3. The third thing we see from this passage is the protection that came from the sacrifice. The Bible states that "they shall take of the blood of the lamb, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it...For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment...And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you." + Plus, listen to Cece and Bebe Winans singing "The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power" and Hillsong singing "Nothing But the Blood of Jesus"

Just a few days ago, I was listening to a song from the 1990s titled "The River of Dreams". It was written and sung by American composer Billy Joel. Billy Joel's song is a reflection of the heart cry of every human being. Listen to these lyrics: In the middle of the night I go walking in my sleep From the mountains of faith To the river so deep I must be lookin' for something Something sacred I lost But the river is wide And it's too hard to cross I've been searching for something Taken out of my soul Something I'd never lose Something somebody stole I don't know why I go walking at night But now I'm tired and I don't want to walk anymore I hope it doesn't take the rest of my life Until I find what it is I've been looking for Billy Joel's song expresses a desire that many people have testified to. Many people go through life feeling as though something in their life is missing -- that something that should be there is gone. Like Joel, these people go through life searching for what is missing in their life. Have you ever felt this way -- as though there is something missing in your life? Have you ever felt as though there were a hole in your soul? The French philosopher Blaise Pascal said that "There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus." The thing that Billy Joel said he was missing in his life, and the thing that many people feel as though they are missing in their lives is a relationship with God. Long ago, in the Garden of Eden, this relationship with God was broken because of the sin of Adam and Eve, the first humans. Adam and Eve had the privilege and blessing of a direct, wonderful, peaceful relationship with God. Everything they ever needed or wanted was supplied, and they lived a life of perfect bliss. However, when they were tempted by Satan, they decided to disobey God, and because of their disobedience, their relationship with God was severed. Because of Adam and Eve's sin, all of us, their descendants, are born into this world with a figurative hole in our hearts. That hole is representative of the relationship that we should have with God. However, because all of us are born sinners, we are born in a state of enmity with God. There is a dividing wall between us and God because God is holy and we are sinful. Thus, we go throughout our lives searching for the unity with God that we so desire. Billy Joel writes in his song, "I'm tired and I don't want to walk anymore. I hope it doesn't take the rest of my life until I find what it is I've been looking for." My friend, you don't have to keep on searching for what you have lost. You don't have to spend the rest of your life searching for a real relationship with God. You can have one today.

She was a bright, bubbly, beautiful and loving 15-year-old girl who worked hard in school and pushed her friends to succeed. She had her whole life in front of her and was full of purpose, promise, and potential. She had a smile that lit up every room she walked into. She was the type of child every parent would want, the type of student every teacher would love to have in their classroom, and the type of church member every pastor would desire to have in their pews. She was described as real, genuine, authentic, 'more precious than rubies,' and a 'walking angel.' She was energetic and loved music, the arts, and life. And she had an "inner light" that shined in her relationships with her friends and brightened the lives of so many others. She was an honor student and a majorette in prep school and her goal was to go to Harvard University to study pharmacology and journalism. In the sixth grade, she made a public service announcement denouncing gang violence. She took part in basketball, volleyball, mentoring programs, and cheerleading. She loved visiting new places, and after traveling to Washington D.C., she had her eyes set on Paris, France. However, just eight days after she marched in the inaugural parade in front of President Obama, she was shot dead while talking with friends at a park in Chicago. According to her biography printed in the funeral program, she "accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as her personal saviour at Christian Covenant Baptist Church, where Reverend Silas is the pastor. As her family was guided by God's divine providence they joined the Greater Deliverance Temple Church of Christ where Rev. Courtney Maxwell is the pastor, in October 2007. Furthermore, she gave her stewardship to ministry by being a member of the youth and teen ministry. She was involved in Greater Deliverance Temple Teen Praise Dance, worked in the church nursery, and brought her friends to church with her. Her mother said, "I'm not worried about where she's going. I know who has her...I'm not worried about her soul. I know where she is." As one pastor put it, "There is a new name written in glory." Her name is Hadiya Pendleton and she will always be remembered as a "beautiful gift" to those who know and love her. This is the "Chief of Sinners," Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International. The "inner light" that made Hadiya the happy, loving girl that she was is the Light of the World, Jesus Christ. Hadiya now rests in Heaven in the arms of her Saviour. I do not feel sorry for her; I envy her. If you have not given your life to Jesus Christ, if you are not sure that you will go to Heaven when you die, may I encourage you to accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour today.

Hadiya Pendleton's "Inner Light" Was the Light of the World -- Jesus Christ (Gospel Light Minute #85)

Will You Be Passed Over?

GLMX #132: Billy Joel, the River of Dreams, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Praying Through the Bible #24 | with Daniel Whyte III TEXT: 2 Kings 6:8-23 We are in a series of messages titled "Praying Through the Bible: A Series on Every Passage and Verse Regarding Prayer in the Bible". The purpose of this series is to encourage and motivate you to pray to the God of the Bible. We highlighted each of these over 500 verses and passages in the new Prayer Motivator Devotional Bible. So far, we have done 23 messages in this series. This is message #24 titled "Pray and See Like You've Never Seen Before." Last week, we looked at an example of prayer in the life of the prophet Elijah. Today, we are going to look at an example of prayer in the life of Elijah's protege -- Elisha. According to the Jewish Virtual Library, Elisha was likely in his twenties when he was called to follow Elijah and he likely came from a well-to-do land-owning family. When he accepted God's call into ministry, he dramatically severed his ties with his old life by slaughtering the pair of oxen he was plowing with, cooking the meat, and serving it to his friends and family. For the next four years, we do not know much else about Elisha, but we know that he was under the tutelage of Elijah. Just before Elijah is taken up into heaven, Elisha asks for a double portion of Elijah's spirit to rest on him. This request is granted and Elisha succeeds Elijah in the prophetic office. In our passage today, we also see that Elisha, like Elijah, was a man of great prayer. Through prayer, Elisha was able to see the spiritual reality of the situations that he faced. He did not just see people and situations with human eyesight. He saw them with spiritual eyesight. And just as God revealed spiritual realities to Elisha hundreds of years ago, he can and will do the same for us if we go to him in prayer and allow Him to open our spiritual eyes. Today, I want to show you three things that God can do for you if your spiritual eyes are open.

Pray and See Like You've Never Seen Before

In the last Pirates of the Caribbean movie, "On Stranger Tides", a young missionary by the name of Philip Swift is taken captive aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge. The Queen Anne's Revenge was the ship of the legendary and fearsome pirate Edward Teach, more commonly known as Blackbeard. Even though he was tortured and harassed by Blackbeard, Philip maintained his belief that every soul could be saved -- even Blackbeard's. Once, when Blackbeard is about to kill a sailor on his ship, Philip intervenes and tells him that his problem is that he "dare not walk the path of righteousness, the way of the light." However, Blackbeard turns and says, "No, sir, the truth of it be much simpler than all that. I am a bad man." Blackbeard's simple admission is not only true for him, but for all of us. We are all bad men and bad women because we do bad things. The bad things that we do are what the Bible calls sin. And the Bible says that "all have sinned." Yet, just as Philip believed, it is also true that every soul can be saved from eternal punishment. No matter how many bad things you have done, you can be saved. The Bible tells us in 1 Timothy 2:4 that God would "have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." No sin is too great for God to forgive, and no soul is too wicked for God to save. + Plus, listen to Casting Crowns singing "Glorious Day"

Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message #94 TEXT: Genesis 22:1-14 Today, we are looking at the well-known story of God's test of Abraham. It is a story that is potent with symbolism and pulsating with significance because it is a reflection of the greatest story ever told -- and that is the story of Jesus Christ's great love and sacrifice for us. As we examine this story today, I hope that you will see how much God loves you, and how much He has given to save your soul. 1. Notice with me the loving father. God tells Abraham, "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest..." This is the first time that love is mentioned in the Bible. It is interesting to me that in Scripture, the first kind of love mentioned is not romantic love between a man and a woman but the love that a parent has for a child. Abraham loved Isaac. Isaac was his only child, a child of promise, the child of Abraham's old age. But now, God asks Abraham to sacrifice his only son whom he loved very dearly. 2. Now, notice the willing son. Verse 6 tells us that "Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together." Isaac willingly goes with his father even though he does not understand what is going on. As they set out, he did not know that Abraham planned to sacrifice him. Nonetheless, he went willingly. 3. Finally, I want you to notice the provided lamb. Abraham and Isaac are at the top of Mount Moriah. The altar has been set up. The wood has been laid on top of the altar. Isaac has been bound and laid on top of the wood. The knife is ready. Abraham is about to offer up Isaac as a burnt offering to the Lord. The Bible then tells us that "Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son." + Plus, listen to the West Angeles Mass Choir sing "We Bring The Sacrifice of Praise" and Keith and Kristyn Getty singing "Behold The Lamb"