Gospel Light Minute X with Daniel Whyte III

The football season is underway all across America. Fresh out of training camp, the thirty-two teams of the National Football League, are now engaged in a grand competition to see who will reach the playoffs and then go on to the Super Bowl. Each week, thousands of excited fans pack stadiums to eagerly cheer on their favorite team. Sometimes a football game is won by a wide margin, with one team dominating the other throughout the hour-long competition. But sometimes, the game is tight down to the very last minute -- often even tied. When this happens, and there is only a few minutes left in the game, the team that has the ball often hustles to get into position for a field goal. This team may be down by one point, two points, three points, or may be tied with their opponents. But they know that if they can get a field goal, they can change the outcome of the game -- they can either win the game in regulation or at least push it into overtime giving them more opportunities to score. When the team reach the field goal position, the stadium is finally quiet. The fans wait with great anticipation as the field goal kicker carefully places the ball. When the ball is aligned perfectly, he backs up and then kicks the ball with all his might. The ball sails upward and toward the goal. Sometimes the field goal is successful and the ball goes directly between the goal posts. Other times, however, the ball falls short or veers widely to the right or the left missing the goal altogether. When the ball misses the goal, a team often has to accept defeat. Our lives are a lot like a missed field goal attempt. We give life our best shot, but we often miss the goal we aimed for. Many of us aim to live a good and upright life, but we fail because of what the Bible calls "sin" -- that is the bad things that we do, such as lying, hating others, adultery, or stealing. In the Bible, the word "sin" literally means 'missing the mark' or 'missing the goal'. And the Bible says all of us have sinned. Romans 3:23 says, "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Because of our sins -- because we missed the mark -- we do not have a chance of going to Heaven or spending eternity with God on our own. The Bible says in Romans 6:23 that the "wages of sin is death..." This means that because of our sins, we must suffer punishment -- physical punishment in Hell and spiritual punishment by being separated from God for eternity. Just like a football team who misses a last minute field goal loses out on victory, our sins cause us to lose out on God's blessings such as eternal life, a home in Heaven, and fellowship with God. However, because God loves us, He does not want us to miss out on these blessings. That is why He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins -- taking the punishment that we deserve. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” + Plus, listen to Natalie Grant singing "Perfect People"

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Why Jesus Had to Die

GLMX #118: The Tragedy of Missing the Goal

100 Days of Preaching the Gospel #56 | with Daniel Whyte III SCRIPTURE -- Revelation 20:11-15: "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Today, I want to address a very serious question that many people have. That question is: will a loving God send people to a burning Hell? Many people have raised this question down through the years because, to some, the idea of God sending people to Hell is inconsistent with His character. They cannot imagine the loving, gracious Creator allowing any of His creation to end up in such a horrible place. Well, allow me to share with you three points that show that even though people go to Hell, God does not send them there. 1. First of all, God is indeed all loving, but He is also all righteous, all holy, and all just. 2. Secondly, we must realize that God never intended for people to go to Hell in the first place. 3. The only reason why people end up in Hell is because of their choices. + Plus, listen to Linwood Dillard and the Voices of Citadel singing "The Old Account Was Settled" and Deitrick Haddon singing "Sinner's Prayer"

Will a Loving God Send People to Hell?

100 Days of Preaching the Gospel #55 | with Daniel Whyte III SCRIPTURE -- I Corinthians 15:1-9: "...For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." Today, we are going to look another set of evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In fact, we are going to look at the most convincing type of evidence there is, and that is eyewitness testimony. Josh McDowell wrote that, "When studying an event in history, it is important to know whether enough people who were participants or eyewitnesses to the event were alive when the facts about the event were published. If the number of eyewitnesses is substantial, the event can be regarded as fairly well established." As we will see today, there is an abundance of eyewitness testimony for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 1. The disciples' testimony is evidence for the resurrection. 2. Jesus' multiple recorded appearances is proof for the resurrection 3. Third, today, the changed life of James is strong evidence for the resurrection. 4. Fourthly, and finally, Paul's conversion is evidence for the resurrection. + Plus, listen to Ron Kenoly "Jesus is Alive" and Deitrick Haddon singing "Sinner's Prayer"

7 Proofs That the Resurrection of Jesus Christ Really Happened (Part 2)

100 Days of Preaching the Gospel #54 | with Daniel Whyte III SCRIPTURE -- Matthew 28:1-9: "...And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you..." Peter Larson once said, "The life of Jesus is bracketed by two impossibilities: 'a virgin's womb and an empty tomb.' Jesus entered our world through a door marked, 'No Entrance' and left through a door marked 'No Exit.'" On yesterday, we looked at the reality of the virgin birth and saw how that it was essential for our salvation and for God's plan of redemption. The virgin birth was indeed a miraculous event. And the event that we will talk about today is equally miraculous. We are talking about the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The resurrection is also one of the foundation stones of Christianity. Without the resurrection, as Christians, we have no real hope of life after death. If Jesus is not alive, then He is not preparing a home for us in Heaven. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:19: "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." What Paul is saying is that if we only benefit from the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in this life, and have no hope beyond the grave, then we are just as good as dead. If Jesus was not resurrected, then we have no hope of being resurrected after death ourselves. So, for each of us, the stakes are high when it comes to the resurrection -- eternity rests on whether or not the resurrection really happened. I believe that God knew there would be many people who would refuse to believe that the resurrection happened, and that is why God left so much evidence behind to show that the resurrection of Jesus Christ did indeed take place. In fact, there is so much evidence surrounding the resurrection that we will not be able to cover all of it in this message, so we will deal with three evidences for the resurrection today and then look at more evidence on tomorrow. 1. The evidence of the empty tomb. 2. The evidence that the Bible records women as the first ones to learn that Jesus had been resurrected and the newsbearers of that fact. 3. The radical change in the lives of Jesus' disciples is proof that Jesus rose from the dead + Plus, listen to Fred Hammond singing "Celebrate (He Lives)" and Deitrick Haddon singing "Sinner's Prayer"

7 Proofs that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ Really Happened (Part 1)

100 Days of Preaching the Gospel #53 | with Daniel Whyte III SCRIPTURE -- Isaiah 7:14: "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Larry King was once asked who he would most want to interview if he could choose any person from all of history. He said that person would be Jesus Christ. The questioner said, 'If you could interview Jesus Christ, what would you like to ask Him?' Larry King replied, "I would like to ask Him if He was indeed virgin-born. The answer to that question would define history for me." Followers of Jesus Christ believe that Jesus Christ was in fact virgin-born. This is one of the foundation stones of the Christian faith. A great deal rests on the fact of Jesus being born of the virgin Mary without the aid of a human father. Without this essential part of God's redemption process, our salvation would rest on a very shaky foundation. What is it about the virgin birth that makes it so essential? Why is it so crucial to the redemptive plan of God? Today, allow me to share with you three reasons why we cannot do without the virgin birth if we are to have salvation from sin and eternal life with God in heaven. 1. The virgin birth is essential because without it, Jesus would not have been sinless. 2. The virgin birth is essential because without it, prophecy would not have been fulfilled. 3. The virgin birth is essential because without it, Jesus could not have been the Son of God. + Plus, listen to Ron Kenoly singing "Jesus is Alive" and Deitrick Haddon singing "Sinner's Prayer"

TEXT -- Daniel 9:1-8 Tonight, I want us to take a broad overview of the rest of Daniel's prayer and see the three main parts of his request on behalf of his people. 1. As we read Daniel's prayer, we notice, first of all, that he confessed sins completely and specifically. 2. The second thing we notice is that Daniel was not praying for himself but for God's glory 3. The third thing we notice is that Daniel pleads not based upon his righteousness but upon God's righteousness and mercy.

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Why the Virgin Birth is Essential

100 Days of Preaching the Gospel #52 | with Daniel Whyte III SCRIPTURE -- John 8:51-59 Most people agree that Jesus Christ was a historical figure. Most people agree that Jesus Christ was a good, moral man. Most people agree that Jesus was a great religious teacher. And most people even agree that if you follow Jesus' teachings, you will live a better, happier life. But that is about where most people stop. Many people are not willing to say that Jesus Christ is God. They are not willing to say that Jesus Christ is divine. Josh McDowell said, "Why don’t the names of Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius offend people? The reason is that these others didn't claim to be God, but Jesus did." Today, I want to show you that, not only was Jesus a great teacher, not only did Jesus teach us about God, but Jesus Himself claimed to be God. For that is where the rubber meets the road. If Jesus Christ is not God, then He is of no more consequence than other religious, moral, or philosophical teachers. He would rank no higher than Buddha, Confucius, Socrates, Muhammad, Gandhi, or the Dalai Lama. But if Jesus is who He says He is then that is a situation that we all must deal with. 1. First of all, I want us to look at Jesus' claims of divinity. 2. The second thing I want you to notice is that Jesus acted in the stead of God. 3. The third thing I want us to notice is that the testimony of other Bible writers back up Jesus' claims that He is God. + Plus, listen to CeCe Winans singing "Come Fill My Heart" and Deitrick Haddon singing "Sinner's Prayer"