The Master‘s Class, LifeChange Church Wichita

FINDING SALVATION AT THE FEET OF THE SAVIOR (Acts 8;30-9:8)

FINDING SALVATION AT THE FEET OF THE SAVIOR (Acts 8:30-9:8)

For it is at the feet of the Savior, Jesus Christ, that everyone’s salvation takes place.  It is by no other name in heaven above, or on the earth, or below the earth, that salvation can occur.  It is only by the blood of Jesus Christ that our salvation can be purchased. 

In today’s message we will see that in every conversion there are three ingredients that are brought to bear to create that conversion.

First, there is the work of the Holy Spirit: The Spirit of God goes ahead to prepare the heart of the lost person, and also to prepare the messenger.  This leading of the Spirit of God is absolutely essential.  Unfortunately, in many cases, we get ahead of the Holy Spirit and barge forward before He has set the stage for us.  We ought to make it a matter of definite prayer before we talk to anyone. We should talk to the Lord about that person, before, we talk to them about the Lord. It is not simply that we need the Holy Spirit to lead us. What we need is for the Spirit of God to go ahead of us and prepare the way, then to call us up to where He is. 

The second ingredient that is brought to bear is The Word of God:  The Word of God is absolutely essential. The Holy Spirit will take the things of Christ and will reveal them to an individual. It is the Spirit of God, using the Word of God, that brings the knowledge of God, and the faith in God.  For it is in the Word of God that the very basis of our faith is found.  Without the promises of the Word of God, our faith is empty and without merit.  

The third ingredient is the man of God:  When God gets ready to save somebody, He uses human instrumentality. God doesn’t reach out of Heaven and simply convict, convert, and save a person without human instrumentality being involved someway. That is the plan of God.  The ministry of the Holy Spirit of God is primarily a ministry of cooperation. He will not do it without you, and you cannot do it without Him.  Now, it doesn’t have to be a preacher, or a missionary, it could simply be a friend or a stranger, that brings to that person the Word of God.  It could be by how they live their lives that causes them to ask questions, or by direct witness.  I believe that the Spirit of God, uses the man of God, who delivers the Word of God, to produce a son of God, one who is born again. 

Click on the link below to hear a message on how salvation can be found at the feet of the Savior, Jesus Christ.

This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS.

Amen.

BELIEVERS BAPTISM (Acts 8:35-39)

BELIEVER’S BAPTISM (Acts 8:35-39)

In today’s message I want to show you what the Bible has to say about Believer’s Baptism. I want you to understand the importance of the ordinance of Believer’s Baptism, because we dare not minimize it. Baptism has a message in it, and it speaks primarily of three things.  

First, it speaks of our past redemption. What I mean by that is, baptism is a portrayal of the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  

Second, it pictures my present regeneration. Because, I have died to the old way, and I have been raised to walk in a new life. I died with Him. I was buried with Him. I rose with Him. I am now living in the power of His resurrection.

Third, it pictures my prospective resurrection.  One day I will die, and they’ll carry my dead, empty, body out to some cemetery, and they will put me beneath the ground.  And one of these days, our Lord Jesus is going to “[come] in the glory of [the] Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:38) And, there will come “the voice of the archangel, and … the trump of God: and the dead in Christ [will] rise first.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16) And, just as I came up out of that water when I was baptized, I am going to come up out of this ground. I am going to be raised with the Lord Jesus in a glorified body, and that glorified body is going to meet up with my spirit and soul to be with Jesus forever and ever. That is what baptism is all about.

Baptism pictures the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Baptism is a liquid tomb. And, when a person is baptized and he is put beneath the water, that symbolizes a burial. When he comes up out of the water, that symbolizes a resurrection. Now, it symbolizes primarily the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  And every time a person is baptized, he is preaching that he believes what literally happened is that Jesus died, that Jesus was buried, and that Jesus rose again.

And, while baptism does not bring salvation, it is an answer of obedience to our Lord. And, when you obey our Lord, that is when the joy begins. If you are having trouble, difficulty, in your Christian life and you are not growing—you are saying, “What’s wrong with me?”—then why don’t you go back and do a check up—not just with the command to be baptized, but any command in the Word of God. And when you begin to obey, God begins to manifest Himself to you.

Click on the link below to hear a message on the meaning of Believer’s Baptism and why it is important to you.

This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS.

Amen.

THE PERSON OF PENTECOST (Acts 2:1-5, 12-19, 38)

THE PERSON OF PENTECOST (Acts 2:1-5, 12-19, 38)

The title of the today’s lesson is “The Person of Pentecost.”  And of course, that person of Pentecost is the Holy Spirit of God.  I said it that way because it is important that we understand that the Holy Spirit is a person. Never, ever, speak of the Holy Spirit as a thing, as an influence—a mere influence—an “it.” Some people speak of the Holy Spirit with the impersonal pronoun “it.”  That would be inappropriate to do so for any person, let alone the Person of God.   

If someone were to leave here today and try to describe my appearance to someone, I hope that they wouldn’t say something like, “It wore a dark polo-shirt and jeans today.” I hope they would at least give me enough deference to use a personal pronoun when they refer to me, because I am not merely a thing, an influence; I am a person. And, God the Holy Spirit is a person; 

And, having said that, I want you to notice with me four things about the Person of Pentecost, and I pray God that He will use Himself, the Holy Spirit, to etch and to burn this message into your heart and help you to live in that Pentecostal power that God wants us all to have.

The first thing is that “The Person of Pentecost is a Possession to Be Received.” That is, God is going to give you the Holy Spirit. The gift is the Spirit Himself. When you repent, when you receive Christ Jesus as your personal Savior, when you are saved, when you are born again, you receive God’s gift, which is the Spirit Himself. And that happens immediately when a person is saved.

The second thing is that “The Person of Pentecost is a Power to Be Released.” These verses speak of the power that is going to rest upon those who have received the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is the purpose of the Holy Spirit: to give power to people who do not have power.

The third thing is that “The Person of Pentecost is a Presence to Be Revealed.” People come to see a fire.  You let a church get on fire for God; you let us get right with God, and I’ll tell you that the Holy Spirit of God is going to attract the people.

The fourth thing is that “The Person of Pentecost is a Person to Be Recognized.” The Holy Spirit will continue to bless to the degree that we continue to say that God is responsible for the power in our lives, that the Holy Spirit is the business of transforming weak, stammering, people into His people doing His work.  

Click on the play button to hear a message on the Person of Pentecost.

This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS.

Amen.

KEEPING YOUR SPIRITUAL FIRE BURNING, PART I (Acts 2:1-4)

KEEPING YOUR SPIRITUAL FIRE BURNING, PART I (Acts 2:1-4)

We are going to be teaching today on this subject: “Keeping Your Spiritual Fire Burning.” And this is so important in this day, and in this age.  It seems to me that the world is searching for an answer to the questions they have about the meaning of life, and the truths about right and wrong.  Some are looking to the government for handouts to make them happy.  Some are looking to the educational institutions to make them happy.  Some are looking to their friends to make them happy.  Some are looking to religion for happiness.  But they will not find it in any of those places.  They will not find true happiness and fulfillment, until they find the Lord Jesus Christ and make Him their Lord and Savior.  

On The Day of Pentecost, God created the church, the body of true believers to share His gospel message of truth and eternal life.  It is through this church that the Holy Spirit has all the answers that people are looking for.  We are that church, the church of the living God.

Click on the play button to hear a message on how The Holy Spirit is the empowering fire of God. Fire gives power. Do you know what’s wrong with so many churches? There is no fire. And because there is no fire, there is no power. 

Can you imagine a factory where everything in this factory is perfect? I mean, all of the machinery is in place, there are mighty wheels, and great pistons, and conveyor belts, and chains and hoists, and everything is there in the factory, but the factory is cold and dead, and nothing is happening. Somebody says, “Well, maybe we need to put some stained glass windows in the factory. Maybe we need to put a steeple on top of the factory. Maybe we need to put a big sign out in front of the factory. Maybe we need some robed choirs in the factory.” Then somebody says, “Wait a minute. There’s no fire in the boiler. That is what we need, is a fire in the boiler. That fire is where the power comes from.” And so many churches today, they have everything except fire. Fire is power. Jesus said, “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.”  You see rationalism, and ritualism, and traditionalism, and formalism, will not do it. It is not form. It is not facts. It is not fashion. It is fire. The Holy Spirit is the empowering fire of God.

This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS.

Amen.

JESUS IS ANOINTED AND TESTED (Mark 1:9-13)

Why would Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, need to be baptized?  Did He need to repent of anything?  Did He need to turn from religion to faith?  For that matter, why would Jesus Christ, the Creator of all things, need to be tempted by one His own creations, Satan?  Did Jesus, the last Adam, fall in this temptation, just as the first Adam did in the Garden of Eden?  These are compelling questions with significant answers to all those who call Jesus, Lord and Master.  Listen to this podcast and learn what the Word of God says about these questions that are the foundation of our faith in Jesus Christ.

JOHN'S MESSAGE (Mark 1:4-8)

Our world is in need of repentance.  It needs to turn away from religion and turn towards Jesus Christ.  This is the message that John the Baptist had for the Jews of his day.  They needed to repent and turn away from the rituals of Judaism and return to the God-given faith of their fathers.  Their baptism was a symbol of this repentance.      Mark tells us of John's baptism of repentance, and then he tells of the coming of the One who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.   Listen and rejoice as we learn of the difference between John's baptism and the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

TO BE RECONCILED (2 Cor. 5:17-21)

Do you hate God?  The answer to this question is yes for many people in this world.  When sin entered the world a state of enmity was created between man and God.  But all of the hatred is on the side of man, not God.  God does not hate you, He loves you.    Listen and rejoice to the description of three great Biblical truths: 

1) How God reconciled the world to Him by sending His Son to die for the world's sin. 

2) How you can become a new creation in Christ 

3) How the baptism of the Holy Spirit changes the new believer forever.

THE MEANING OF THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD (Easter)

Today, believers all over the world are celebrating Easter Sunday.  If you are a believer, if Jesus Christ is your Lord and Master, then Easter should be every bit as important to you as the celebration of the birth of our Savior on Christmas.  This is because on Easter, we are celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus.  

One of the great Biblical truths for all of us as believers is that the arch of the gospel rests upon two great pillars: 

1) The death of Christ.  Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was crucified on the cross for our sins.  He physically died on that cross.  He didn’t just fall into a coma or a deep sleep.  Jesus Christ died on that cross, and it is the precious blood of Jesus that was shed on the Cross that makes our salvation possible.

2) The resurrection of Christ.  Christ rose bodily from the dead.  He is not in the grave, for He arose and walked on this earth, talked to people, ate with them, and then ascended into heaven.  Both events are absolutely essential to my salvation and to yours.  The resurrection of Jesus means that we have:

a) A master to confess: It provides us with a living Jesus Christ sitting on the right hand of God the Father.  He is sitting because He has accomplished all that God has asked Him to do.  

b) A message to convey: The resurrection of Jesus Christ provides us with a message to tell others:

• About Eternal life.
• About Power over sin in our lives.  
• About The hand of the One who will bring us into the presence of God when we enter Heaven’s Gate.  Where we can stand clothed in the robe of righteousness purchased with His Holy blood.  

c) A mandate to complete:  Jesus has commanded us to go out into the world and preach the gospel of His death, burial, and resurrection, baptizing them in the name of the Lord.  

Praise God that Jesus was willing to be obedient to God’s will, and Praise God that from the foundations of time, the triune God has had our salvation in mind.  God sent His Son that we might have everlasting life, and the power of God raised Him from the grave so that we might walk as a new creation in the newness of life.  This is why this Easter holiday is so important to us as believers.  Jesus Christ is alive and we are going to be with Him for all of eternity.