The Master‘s Class, LifeChange Church Wichita

A FAMILY OF LIES AND LIARS (Genesis 27:1-46)

Today’s message is about the family of Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, and Jacob.  From the birth of these two children, neither the parents, nor the children were obedient to God’s will.  Each member of this family knew of God’s proclamation that Jacob was to be the one that the covenant blessing was to be passed to, and each person set about either attempting to by-pass this proclamation, or to obtain it through lies and deceit. Each member of this family was controlled by the carnal nature that existed within them and which demanded that they solve their problems under their own strength and limited wisdom.  As a result, each of these people suffered the consequences of their decision to be disobedient to God.  

Chapter 27 is a sad chapter, because everyone in it is doing the wrong thing, especially Isaac.  As the head of the family, Isaac was a spiritually weak man, controlled by his carnal desires.  He was a liar, and he was disobedient to God.  His family followed his lead, they were a Family of Lies and Liars.  This chapter has as its theme, Jacob and Rebekah conniving to get the blessing of Isaac for Jacob, which Isaac had every intention of giving to Esau, in spite of God’s revealed will. 

Jacob wanted the blessing of his father. He knew that God had promised his mother that the elder would serve the younger, so the blessing was already his.  All he had to do was wait on God.  However, he did not trust God to handle this. Rebekah, certainly did not trust God. And evidently Isaac didn’t trust God either, or he would never have attempted to bypass Jacob and give the blessing to Esau. He followed his own feelings and appetite in contradiction to the distinct Word of God.

Now, something I want to make very clear, the method Jacob used in obtaining the birthright cannot be supported on any grounds whatsoever. He used fraud and deceit. His conduct was absolutely despicable. God did not condone this any more than He condoned the conduct of Sarah and Abraham in the matter of Hagar and Ishmael. Do not say that God gave this blessing to Jacob because of what he did, for God could not, and would not, use the trickery and cleverness of Jacob.  Jacob received this blessing is spite of his actions, because God had covenanted to do so.  

As we shall see over the next few weeks, God deals with Jacob in a very definite way for his actions. Jacob had to pay for his sin in the same manner in which he sinned.  Jacob was deceived and lied to by an even greater liar than he was.  He met Laban, who was the dean of the college of liars.  

Click on the link below to hear a message on what happens when a follower of Christ fails to trust God to do what He says He will do.  

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

Amen.

ISAAC'S STRUGGLE WITH FAITH (Genesis 26:1-35)

Genesis, chapter 26, is the only chapter in the Bible devoted solely to Isaac.  In this chapter we get a look at the actions of Isaac, and we see that he will repeat many of the same sins that Abraham did.  Isaac was not a spiritually strong man.  He was a man easily molded by the circumstances around him.  He was willing to let them bend and shape him rather than seizing them and shaping them to his will.  He was a man who had reached his spiritual peak on Mount Moriah, and then he spent the rest of his days stumbling and somehow kept going for God.

So, what is the lesson that we can find in this chapter?  Well, one of them is patience.  Patience to wait on God to work things out as He has promised.  This is a message that many of us need, including myself.  The second part of the message from this chapter, that goes along with the patience to wait on God, is to trust God to fulfill all of His promises to us.  Both of these lessons go hand-in-hand.  In order to be patient to wait on God, we have to trust that God will do what He has promised he will do.  Isaac, and actually his whole family, were neither patient, nor did they trust God to do as He promised.  

Isaac’s problem isn’t that he is dishonest, although he is.  His problem is that he is not willing to rely on God.  It is this lack of trust in the Almighty God that leads Isaac, and all of us, to take matters into our own hands to resolve.  It is this lack of trust in God that leads us into a good share of the problems we face.  It is this lack of trust in God that leads to many of the heartaches and pain that we encounter in this life.  

Click on the link below to hear a message on how a lack of trust in God, takes us away from Him, and leads us into the world; away from our new nature, and toward our carnal nature; and away from performing God’s will, to performing the will of Satan.  It is also about a loving and merciful God that will bless us in spite of our failings.  None of us deserve the blessings that we receive from God.  Yet, we receive them.  None of us deserve salvation, yet God has provided it for us.  

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

Amen.

THE MEANING OF THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD

Today we are celebrating Easter Sunday.  This is a holiday that most of the western world has celebrated for centuries.  However, for most people the day is simply another holiday, it has no real meaning other than the Easter bunny, egg hunts, and candy for the kids.  

To some, it is a time to go to church for a religious ceremony of some type.  Many of us have memories of attending Easter services in crowded churches, with everyone dressed in new Easter, Sunday-go-to-meeting, clothes.  The women were dressed in hats and gloves, and the men in suits and ties.  The church was crowded with people attending for the one and only time all year that they came to church.  Yet, if you were to ask most of them why they came, why the day was important, many of them could not tell you.  

Why is Easter Sunday an important holiday to celebrate?  It is because on Easter, we are celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus.  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.  

The resurrection of Jesus Christ means that we have 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.  

It also means that we have 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.  Christ wields absolute authority and power in Heaven and on Earth.  Angels and Cherubim of heaven, and Principalities and rulers of this world’s darkness, wicked spirits, demons, and Satan himself are held in check by the power and authority of our Lord Jesus Christ.  No kingdom, empire, or nation exists outside of the Lord’s permissive will.  The message of the resurrection is that Jesus is on the throne, wielding all power and authority on earth as in heaven.  This is the message we are to convey.

It also means that we have 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.

Click on the link below to hear a message on 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.

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

Amen.

THE BATTLE WITHIN PART II (Genesis 25:1-27)

There is a battle that rages within every believer.  It is a battle between doing the will of God in our lives, and following the desires of the world.  It is a daily battle, and it is one that we will have until the day we join Christ in heaven.  Paul describes this battle that raged within his own heart.

Rom 7:18-20
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
KJV

The carnal nature is the one that we are born with, and its focus is on the desires of the world.  The new nature is the one that we receive once we are reborn in Christ, and its focus is on doing the will of God in our lives.  It is a battle that is only fought within the heart of a believer, for a lost person only has one nature, his carnal, or fleshly nature.  He has no choice but to serve Satan as his master, so there is no need for a battle.  It is when we become saved that we must then choose between our two natures, and it is then that the battle for supremacy within our heart rages.  

Every believer has three enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil.  The world is that value system that’s out there. We call that the external foe. The flesh is that old Adamic nature. We call that the internal foe. The devil and he is the infernal foe.  These are the three enemies that are warring against us. 

Every one of us, when we come to the place where we want to be fruitful for God, after the Lord intercedes for us as He does, and it looks like we’re about to be fruitful, suddenly we find within us a battle going on. There is a struggle. It is an inner, spiritual, battle.  It is important to note that it is those, whose lives are the most fruitful for God, who are the most aware of the struggle between the two natures within themselves.  

However, this is something that all believers will experience when they choose to turn away from the world and begin their journey of spiritual growth.  As long as we are content to live carnal, worldly, lives, we have no problem, but once we are determined to meet the conditions that lead to spiritual fruitfulness, the battle begins.  

Click on the link below to hear a message about how we can have victory over the old, fleshly, carnal, nature through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  

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

Amen.

THE BIRTH OF ISAAC (Genesis 20:1 to 21:34)

Today’s message is about spiritual highs and lows.  If you have been a Christ follower for very long, then the mountain top experiences when you feel so close to God, are right there alongside the deep valley experiences when you feel so far from God.  The Bible describes Abraham as a hero of the faith, and I certainly agree with that description.  Some of the things that we have seen Abraham do in our study of the book of Genesis, and some of the things that he will yet do in this book, are truly remarkable examples of a man who is filled with the Spirit of an all-powerful God.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I never like to see my heroes stumble.  I mean, the Lone Ranger never told a lie, he was never mean to people, and he always rescued the girl, and defeated the bad guys.  That is just the way it works, our heroes are not supposed to do the same kind of foolish things that we do, especially twice.

So, when you have the type of expectations that I do for my heroes, chapter 20 of the book of Genesis is a chapter that you would like to just skip over.  That is because Abraham does all of the things we just talked about.  He lies, and he is mean to Hagar and Ishmael.  Worse, he repeats the same sin that he committed when he went down into the land of Egypt and lied concerning Sarah, saying, “She is my sister.” It is the same story, all over again. But in the end, Abraham defeats the bad guy, or the sin that has been in his life, he obeys God’s commands, and he gets the only girl God has wanted for him from the beginning, which is Sarah.

Yet, this story tells the truth about all of us as Christians.  No matter how great we think we are, each time we try to solve our problems using the world’s methods, using our own strength, instead of depending on God, we will fail.  And there is nothing more miserable than a Christian who has failed because he did not depend on God.  The lost see this person as the hypocrite they are, and they want nothing to do with that kind of shallow belief.  

Click on the link below to hear a message on how our faith and trust in God is the foundation for living a victorious Christian life.

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

Amen.

GOD'S JUDGEMENT OF PERVASIVE SIN (Genesis 19:1-29)

There are those who believe that you can become a child of God and continue on in sin. God says that is impossible.  You cannot do that. Paul asks the question, 

Romans 6:1-2
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
KJV

The idea that you can be a Christian and go on living in sin, or support and condone the sin of those around you, is a tremendous mistake.  Don’t tell me that the book of Genesis describes a primitive view of God, and that we have a better, more enlightened one today. Don’t argue that, after all, Jesus received sinners.  That is absolutely true, He certainly did, but when He got through with them, He had changed them.  The harlot who came to Him was no longer in that business. When she came to God, she changed.  A tax collector named Matthew came to Jesus, and he gave up that which was crooked when he came to the Lord. If you have come to Christ, you will be changed. 

Many people try to explain that we are living in a new day and that we need to wake up. That is true, we are living in a new day, but it just happens to be the same old sin.  Today, it is the same for us as Christians.  The world has a lot of attractions.  Many people want to have one foot in the world and the other living in God’s will.  But it doesn’t work that way.  In order to become saved, we are commanded to repent of our sins.  The word repent is an expression that always has been given to God’s people as a challenge to turn around, to stop what they are doing.  The word repent can be defined as walking down the road in one direction, stopping, and turning back to go in the opposite direction, never looking or going back the way you were going. This word is much more than just saying you are sorry, it is agreeing with God that what you did was wrong and committing not to do it again.  

Click on the link below to hear a message on how God will bring judgement on pervasive sin. As Christians, our love cannot be of the things of this world.  Our home is no longer here on this earth.  We are pilgrims on this earth.  We are here for one purpose only, to bring others to a saving knowledge of Christ.  

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

Amen.

THE LAUGH OF FAITH

Have you ever thought of laughter as a part of your faith?  To be honest, I think it is easy for us to forget that our faith is supposed to bring happiness into our lives.  God is truly a wonderful and gracious God, and He blesses us with so much that we don’t deserve.  But from the way most of us walk around, you would think that we have the weight of the world on our shoulders, when instead our problems are supposed to be on God’s shoulders, not ours.  One of my life verses is:

Ps 55:22
22 Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
KJV

When I really apply this verse to my life, it simply changes my entire outlook on life.  For, I have to ask myself, what burden do I have that God cannot handle?  Is there anything too hard for God? And if God is handling it, then why not be happy about it?  Why not have the joy of the Holy Spirit in my heart and on my face for the world to see?  

Click on the link below to hear a message on how God has worked in Abraham’s life.  How God has told Abraham on multiple occasions that he will have a son named Isaac, and that he will be the father of many nations.  In this message we get a chance to see the joy of having a God that loves us and fulfills all of His promises to us.  

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

Amen.

HOW TO MEND A BROKEN FAITH-PART II (Gensis 12:1 to 13:4)

I want you to imagine yourself being in the Biblical school of faith, and that’s a wonderful school, and if the truth were told, many of us have been in that school for a very long time.  The fact is that we often have to go back for some remedial training.  There are also times when God has decided to hold us back for a grade or two.  In fact, I am not too sure that I will ever officially graduate from the school of faith.  Amen?

Now, why is that?  It is because sometimes we don’t make very good grades. And I want to talk to you today about “How to Mend a Broken Faith,” because there are just times that we don’t do all that good in God’s school of faith.  Yet, this faith is so important for us to have in order to be successful in living the victorious Christian life.  

Ask yourself, did you once walk with God, but now you wonder why you’re even in church on Sunday morning because you’re so far away from God? Do you remember how it was when God was real to you? 

Ask yourself another question.  Was there ever a time where God was nearer, dearer, and sweeter, to you than He is right now? If so, you’re backslidden. Just remember what it was like, how sweet it was, when you walked with the Lord. Let God bring you back to His house. You say, “Bro. Keith, how can I get right with God? Where can I find God?” You’ll find him right where you left Him.  You don’t have to guess at it. You get on your knees, on your face, and God will show you. Go back to your first love.

Click on the link below to hear a message on how to mend your broken faith.  First, there must be repentance, then remembrance, and then restoration.  If you want to mend your faith, just gave it all back to Jesus, and the Lord will cleanse you and restore your faith.

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

Amen.

ABRAHAM CHOOSES (Genesis 12:9 to 13_8)

One of the great Biblical themes that is taught over and over in Scripture is the effect of the choices that we, as Christians, make between choosing to follow the will of God in our lives and the things of this world.  The fact that the believer even has a choice to follow the will of God is an often misunderstood blessing of our salvation. 

You see, the lost person has no such choice to make.  He is a slave to Satan, and he must follow the will of his master.  His only choice is between heaven and hell.  Between making Christ his Lord and Savior, or keeping Satan as his master.  Once the decision is made to accept Christ’s offer of salvation, the person is freed from the bonds of slavery to Satan and sin.  They now have a daily choice between serving God or serving Satan.  They have the blessing of being able to daily choose God’s will for their lives, instead of Satan’s will.

Click on the link below to hear a message on the effect that Abraham’s choices had on his life, and that of his family.  We will get to see the negative and the positive.  God withholding His blessing from Abram, and God outpouring His blessings on a faithful servant.

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

Amen.

NEW WORLD, SAME OLD SIN (Genesis 9:18 to 10:10)

NEW WORLD, SAME OLD SIN (Genesis 9:18 to 10:10)

When the Flood was completed, eight people came out of that ark.  All the people who had turned away from God had now been destroyed by the judgment waters of God.  The earth was fresh and new.  Noah had been given a new covenant relationship with God.  Noah had sanctified the earth with a burnt offering in gratitude to God, for providing salvation to himself and his family.  So, now everything should be perfect, there should be no sin, and everybody should live happily ever after.  Right?  Well, what is obvious from this portion of Scripture is that even though this is a new beginning in a new world, it is the same old sin that is still there.

Click on the link below to hear a message on how we are to deal with sin that occurs in our brothers and sisters in Christ.  It is important to understand that hatred, discontent, and anger in a church will destroy the effectiveness of the Spirit of God in that church.  Self-righteous pride about the failing of another brother will quench the Spirit of God in that church.  You cannot be in the will of God and be harboring hatred or disdain toward one another.  

No matter what this Christian has done, if we want this church to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit, we cannot harbor discontent, hatred, or anger, toward someone within our own church, or to another Christian. We are instead to have a fervent charity, or an agape love for one another.  The word fervent means that it is to be at full strength.  We are to have a biblical agape love, at full strength, for our brothers and sisters in Christ.  

Why should we have this fervent charity? Peter tells us, “for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.” The purpose of this fervent love is to build a spirit of unity within the church.  When we love one another, we look past each other’s faults.  

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

Amen.