The Master‘s Class, LifeChange Church Wichita

THE KINGDOM REVEALED (Genesis 46:26 to 47:26)

THE KINGDOM REVEALED (Genesis 46:26 to 47:26)

Our lessons over the last several weeks have used the story of Joseph and his brothers to present the picture of Christ and His relationship with the people of Israel.  

We have seen that with the rejection of Joseph by his brothers, It has described the Jews rejection of Jesus as their Messiah.  

Then, with the suffering and persecution of Joseph and his ultimate placement at the right hand of the throne of Pharaoh, It has described the suffering of Jesus, His resurrection, and His placement at the right hand of God,  

We have also seen that the very same Joseph that the brothers had sold into the slow death of slavery now stood before them in all glory and power. This illustrates the very same Jesus, that the Jews had the Gentiles crucify, will stand before them in all glory and power.  

With the brothers’ confession of their sin against Joseph, This has described the Jewish people’s confession of their sin when Christ returns to set up His Kingdom. 

Through the grace of forgiveness that Joseph bestowed on His brothers when they recognized him as their brother, It has described the grace of forgiveness that will be bestowed on the Jews when they see Christ and instantly recognize Him as Lord and Master. 

And in today’s lesson, as we describe the kingdom that Joseph establishes, and the role that the Hebrews will play in that kingdom, it will describe the Kingdom and rule of Jesus that will be established when Christ returns and the role of the Jews in that Kingdom.  

This whole dramatic and beautiful story of Joseph is a story about the grace of God.  It is a story about Jesus.  It is also a synopsis of the rest of the Bible as it also tells of the relationship that we as believers have with our Lord and Master as joint heirs in the promises of the Jewish people.  

Click on the play button to hear a message on God’s grace, and God’s purposes being fulfilled.  It is a story of illustration of the things to come as Christ comes again to rule for ever and ever.

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

Amen.

JACOB'S LADDER PART II (Genesis 28:10-22)

Here in this story about Jacob’ dream about a ladder to heaven, we see God’s provision of salvation, we see a picture of the sinner, a picture of the Savior, and a picture of salvation.  

Jacob pictures the unconverted man.  He is the picture of a sinner.  Incidentally, I believe this is where Jacob got saved. I believe that up until this time Jacob had known about God, but he had not known God. His father was a godly man; his grandfather was a godly man, but Jacob was not a godly man. He was religious, but he was lost. Jacob pictures every unsaved sinner surrounded in darkness, surrounded by desert, and sentenced to death.  Jacob is sentenced with death, a poor, lonely old boy, without God, without hope, out there in the wilderness.

In this dream Jacob saw a ladder. The bottom of it was on the earth, and that ladder went up all the way to glory, and God the Father was at the top of that ladder.  Jacob saw angels coming down, and he saw angels going up. That ladder is a picture of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the One upon which the angels ascend and descend. He is the link between heaven and earth. Jesus Christ is the One who connects heaven and earth. He is that ladder that reaches into glory. There is the reach of the ladder: it goes all the way to heaven. There is the reliability of the ladder: God is over it. There are the resources of the ladder: God’s promises, God’s protection, and God’s presence, are all wrapped up in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Then, we see this ladder as a picture of salvation.  Before this night, Jacob was separated from God.  Jacob was in a place of separation, and then he saw the ladder, the staircase to heaven! He understood some spiritual truth. He understood that God had made a way for him, and that the blessings of God were to be mediated to him. And he’s now aware of God for the first time in his life.  That howling desert, that wilderness, that hard place, has now become for him the very house of God. And what a blessing, what a transformation, it was in his own heart and in his own life! 

Click on this link to hear a message on how Jacob’s dream is a picture of the gospel message of Jesus Christ. 

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

Amen.

THE FAITH THAT CANNOT BE TESTED, CANNOT BE TRUSTED (Genesis 22:1-18)

In today’s message, I want to talk to you about your faith.  The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 16:13 to be strong in faith.  I want us to think about our faith, and I want us to look at our faith. I want us to examine our faith. I want us to test our faith, because, you see, the faith that cannot be tested, cannot be trusted.

How do you know that your faith is real and strong? Well, would you like to fly on an airplane that had never been tested?  Would you like for it to be built, but never once put to any test?  Would you want to get on it and commit your life to that airplane, and it had never been tested?  I don’t think so, right?  Would you like for a doctor to do surgery on you who went through medical school without a test?  He just got a diploma as a participation trophy?

Do you want to put your faith, and your confidence, in something that hasn’t been tested? Again, the faith that cannot be tested, cannot be trusted.

If you were to measure faith, how would you measure it? Well, you could measure it with the dimensions of faith. You could measure it by its depth. You could measure it by its height. You could measure it by its length. Or you could measure it by its wideness.  And that is exactly how we are going to measure faith today.  We are going to study how God tells us in His Word how Abraham’s faith was measured.  He is going to tell us how it was qualified.

Click on the link below to hear a message on how our faith is measured by the depth of its devotion, the height of its sacrifice, the length of its obedience, and the wideness of confidence.

Let me ask that the next time you pray to your Heavenly Father, pray these words, “Lord, increase my faith. And, Lord, when the test comes, when you ask of me something—to go somewhere, to give something, to sacrifice something—Lord, help me to obey. May my obedience be quick, intentional, instantaneous, impassioned, intelligent.” You don’t have to think up things to sacrifice. You just have to say, “Lord, all that I am, all that I have, belongs to you.”

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

Amen.

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS? (Mark 12:41 to 13:13)

Our lives are full of signs.  Good signs, and bad signs.  Signs that are clear, and signs that are hard to see.  Signs that mean a promise will be kept, and signs of betrayal.  Signs that we look for with hope, and signs of things that we dread. 

Biblical prophecy is about God telling us of things to come.  Things that are good, and things that are bad.  Things that we look forward to with hope, and things that we dread.  Most of all, Biblical prophecy is about the promises that God keeps.

Listen to this podcast to learn what it means to give everything thing that you have to God, and then look for the signs that God has provided so that you know, that you know, that you know, that your Redeemer cometh. 

God has promised that Jesus will come again to establish His Kingdom on earth.  This lesson is the first part of a two part series on the signs that tell us that God keeps His promises. 

WHAT MOTIVATES US TO GIVE (2 Cor. 9:1-15)

What is it that drives you to give a tithe or offering to God?

 

What is it that causes you to pull out your wallet and place cash in the offering plate each week?

 

Is it a sense of duty to God?

 

Do you give so you can get more in return from God?  How many times have you heard that you cannot out give God? 

 

Listen to this podcast and learn the believer’s motivation for giving to God.  Rejoice as we learn that our giving is always for our benefit.

HOW TO GIVE THROUGH GRACE (2 Cor. 8:16-24)

What does the Bible say about giving to God?  Not what some TV evangelist says, whose only motive is to make himself rich, but what does God say in His Word about giving?  God does not want you to be ignorant about what He desires from you and for you.   Listen to this podcast and rejoice as we learn that our giving is always from our increase and for our increase.  God truly wants to use our giving as a door to pour out blessings upon us.

GIVING AS CHRIST GAVE (2 Cor. 8:6-15)

When you hear a preacher talking about giving, what is your reaction?  As a believer do you regard giving as an obligation or an opportunity?  What would you say if I told that God does not want your giving if it is out of compulsion or obligation?  Contrary to what you might think, God does not need our giving, rather it is us that need to give to God.  God has promised blessings to those that give willingly.  If you don't want God's blessing, then God says in His Word that you should not give.  Listen to this podcast and learn what it means to give willingly as Paul uses Jesus Christ as the supreme example of grace giving.

GIVING THROUGH GRACE (2 Cor. 7:12 to 8:5)

What do you know about God's grace?  Theologians define grace as the unmerited favor of God, but if that is our only definition then we will miss the rich flavor of this word.  The grace of God is the passion of God to share all His goodness with others.  Listen to this podcast as Paul uses this principle to describe the spirit of a believer towards giving to God.  Paul calls giving a grace.  It is a grace of God.