Gospel Light Minute X with Daniel Whyte III

In Search of the Meaning of Life (Part 2)

How to Pray for a Nation (Part 1)

100 Days of Preaching the Gospel #38 | with Daniel Whyte III TEXT -- Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 There are so many people who go through life searching for satisfaction, fulfillment, happiness, and contentment. People pursue more money, more success, more education, and better relationships, all in an attempt to fill an emptiness that they feel inside their hearts and souls. These people are searching for meaning and purpose in life. Almost three thousand years ago, a man who we often refer to as 'the wisest man who ever lived', struggled with this same pursuit. His name is King Solomon, and he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes in which he documents his search for meaning in life. Some people have said that the Book of Ecclesiastes is a very pessimistic book. But we must understand that Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes from the perspective of someone who was living under the sun, S-U-N. Anybody who lives only for this life will come to the same conclusions as Solomon did. However, if you live above the sun, S-U-N, in the Son, S-O-N (that is Jesus Christ), then you will come to the conclusion that life is very much worthwhile. In fact, Solomon gives us a glimpse of this kind of life at the end of his book when he states the following: "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." Chuck Swindoll said, "Ecclesiastes presents us a naturalistic vision of life—one that sees life through distinctively human eyes—but ultimately recognizes the rule and reign of God in the world. This more humanistic quality has made the book especially popular among younger audiences today, men and women who have seen more than their fair share of pain and instability in life but who still cling to their hope in God." The passage we just read is a summary of the various ways in which King Solomon attempted to find that meaning in life. From this and other passages in the Bible, we can identify six paths which Solomon pursued to find what he was searching for. After searching out all of these various paths, Solomon came to the same conclusion repeatedly -- they all were "vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun." The word "vanity" is a very interesting word. The original Hebrew word is "hebel" and it means "vapour or breath". Therefore, something that is a vanity is something that is passing or short lived. Today, let's look at three of the ways Solomon searched for meaning in life, and how each of these ways failed to provide what he was searching for. Many people today search for meaning in the things we will discuss as well, and sadly find that these things do not provide meaning at all. 1. First of all, Solomon found that pleasure does not bring meaning or satisfaction in life and people today find the same. 2. Secondly, Solomon found that much accomplishments and achievements did not bring meaning or satisfaction in life without God, and people today find the same. 3. Third, Solomon found that wealth and material possessions did not bring meaning or satisfaction in life and people today find the same. + Plus, listen to the Walter Hawkins and Family singing "Jesus Christ is the Way" and Deitrick Haddon singing "Sinner's Prayer"

In Search of the Meaning of Life (Part 1)

100 Days of Preaching the Gospel #37 | with Daniel Whyte III TEXT -- I Corinthians 15:1-4: "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 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." During our last time together, we began looking at the Gospel and why it is good news. We saw that: (1) The Gospel is good news because it brings with it the defeat of Death. (2) The Gospel is good news because it brings deliverance from Sin. (3) The Gospel is good news because it dissolves the matter of Judgment. Today, we are going to look at three more reasons why the Gospel is good news. Why was the birth of Jesus Christ good tidings of great joy? Why is the Gospel good news? Allow me to share with you three reasons why the Gospel is good news. 1. First, the Gospel is good news because it tells us that salvation is a free gift of God. 2. Second, the Gospel is good news because it tells us that salvation is for everybody. 3. Third, the Gospel is good news because it tells us that we can be reconciled to God. + Plus, listen to the Mississippi Mass Choir singing "Jesus Paid It All" and Deitrick Haddon singing "Sinner's Prayer"

Why the Gospel is Good News (Part 2)

100 Days of Preaching the Gospel #36 | with Daniel Whyte III TEXT -- I Corinthians 15:1-4: "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 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." A word that is heard often when speaking about Christianity is the word "gospel". But what is the gospel? What does that word mean? The word gospel literally means "good tidings", "glad tidings", or "good news". When a choir of angels appeared on a hillside in Bethlehem to announce the birth of Jesus Christ, they said, "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." Why was the birth of Jesus Christ good tidings of great joy? Why is the Gospel good news? Allow me to share with you three reasons why the Gospel is good news. 1. The Gospel is good news because it brings with it the defeat of Death. 2. The second reason why the Gospel is good news is because it brings deliverance from Sin. 3. The third reason why the Gospel is good news is because it dissolves the matter of Judgment. + Plus, listen to Forever Jones singing "Heaven" and Deitrick Haddon singing "Sinner's Prayer"

Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message #76 Scripture: Hosea 10:9-13 Based on a list of sins which the great evangelist Charles G. Finney gave in his classic sermon titled "Break Up Your Fallow Ground: It is Time to Seek the Lord", we began pinpointing some of the sins which we as the church need to confess and repent of. This week, we are continuing this series by addressing the next three sins on our list. I. The first sin we will address today is the sin of loving money too much. II. The second sin we will address today is the sin of unforgiveness. III. The third sin we will address today is the sin of disrespecting and dishonouring God and Jesus Christ or blasphemy. + Plus, listen to Mighty Clouds of Joy as they sing "Order My Steps" and James Cleveland and the Charles Fold Singers singing "Revive Us Again".

The truth is in high-demand nowadays. Everybody seems to want it. Parents instruct their children to "tell the truth." Husbands and wives want honesty in their marriages. People from every walk of life want to know the truth about God and spirituality. Scientists are obsessed with finding the truth about the universe. The late singer Johnny Cash wrote a song titled "What is Truth?" in which he talked about young people searching for truth in the world. The United States is in the midst of a presidential campaign season and everyone from news reporters to voters wants to know the truth about the candidates, about what they believe, and how they will govern. Nearly 2,000 years ago, a man named Jesus Christ was unjustly put on trial. Pilate, who was the governor of that region and who was presiding over the trial, asked a question that so many people have asked since. The Bible tells us in John 18 that Pilate simply said, "What is truth?", and then he left the Judgment Hall and went to address the crowd that had gathered to see the proceedings. The philosopher, Francis Bacon, said that Pilate's mistake was that he "would not stay for an answer" to his question. But did you know that even before his trial, Jesus Christ had already answered that question? In John 14:6, Jesus Christ said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God, declared Himself to be the ultimate truth. Not only that, He also declared himself to be the only way to God and the only way to true eternal life. Since that time, generations of people -- young and old, rich and poor -- from every country, race and language, have found truth in Jesus Christ. They have found purpose and meaning in life through Jesus Christ. And most importantly, they have found that Jesus Christ is indeed the way to God and the way to eternal life. If you want to rest assured that you know the Source of all truth, and that you have eternal life and a relationship with God, allow me to share with you the simple steps that you need to take. + Plus, listen to Kathryn Scott singing "At the Foot of the Cross"

He is a former American professional basketball player. Standing 6 feet, 10 inches tall, he played for the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets of the NBA. He was selected by the Phoenix Suns in the first round as the 21st pick of the 1990 NBA Draft. He was traded to the New Jersey Nets for conditional draft choices in 1992. While with the Nets, he only earned 12 starts in his first three seasons with the team before finally earning a full-time starting position in the 1996–97 NBA season. In the following season, he had a career year, leading the league in offensive rebounds and offensive rebound percentage while also finishing the season in the top five in total rebounds, rebounds per game, total rebound percentage and offensive rating. He also received his first and only All-Star game selection, playing in the 1998 NBA All-Star Game. After becoming a superstar basketball player and making millions of dollars in contracts and endorsements, his life took a drastic turn for the worst in 2002. He was charged with the shooting death of a chauffeur and in 2010, he pled guilty and served an 18 month prison sentence. Between that time, his wife filed for divorce. His best friend, his father, died. And he became involved with drugs and alcohol, which only made matters worse. It wasn't until he walked into his cell at Mid-State Correctional Facility when he quickly began to realize his need for Jesus Christ and he accepted Jesus Christ into his heart. Though he grew up in a Catholic family and he always went to church twice on Sundays, a personal relationship with God never entered his mind until he walked into his cell for the first time and saw the Bible turned to Proverbs 30:8-9 - “Remove falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches—feed me with the food allotted to me; lest I be full and deny You, and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God.” He said, "I always knew the Lord, and he tried to deal with me so many times privately. wouldn’t listen, so he had to deal with me publicly. That bought me 26 months of isolation time with just me and Jesus Christ. That changed my life forever. After reading Proverbs 30:8-9, I knew exactly what it meant. My daddy used to say, ‘Jay, hold onto the railing of the stairs when you’re going up them.’ In life, when you’re walking up the stairs, you very rarely hold the rail, the rail being God. My dad told me, ‘You’ve got money, you’ve got gifts, you’ve got fame and you’re not holding on to God.’ Any time I thought I was doing something that was not God-like, I would just donate a lot of money to some charity or some cause, depending on how bad the sin was. It came to me while I was in prison that it wasn’t my money anyway. It was God’s money. I saw what God was trying to tell me. I told Him, ‘Don’t give me riches because I will deny you are Lord. Don’t give me poverty because I will steal and desecrate your holy name.’ That’s how I live now. When I wake up in the morning, I go wherever God leads me." His name is Jayson Williams.

GLMX #115: Who Has the Truth?

Jayson Williams: How he Learned What it Means to Hold On to God (Gospel Light Minute #69)

Why the Gospel is Good News (Part 1)

Break Up Your Fallow Ground: It is Time to Seek the Lord (Part 13)

100 Days of Preaching the Gospel #35 | with Daniel Whyte III TEXT -- Matthew 25:1-12: "Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not." In our passage today, Jesus Christ uses a traditional Jewish wedding feast to depict the kingdom of Heaven and show us that just as five of the virgins were not prepared to go into the marriage feast, there will be some people who will not go to Heaven. Many people who think they are going to Heaven are going to be severely disappointed. All of the ten virgins who went out to meet the bridegroom thought they were ready but only five were really ready. The other five, whom the Bible calls foolish virgins, were shut out of the feast. It would be very sad if you were to get shut out of Heaven. So, today, allow me to share with you four foolish ways to try to get to Heaven and then the one true way that is guaranteed to get you to Heaven. 1. It is foolish to try to get to Heaven through good works. 2. It is foolish to try to get to Heaven by living a good life. 3. It is foolish to try to get to Heaven by church membership and religious rituals. 4. It is foolish to try to get to Heaven by depending on somebody else. + Plus, listen to Kathryn Scott singing "Heaven is Our Home" and Deitrick Haddon singing "Sinner's Prayer"