The Master‘s Class, LifeChange Church Wichita

THE REVELATION OF GOD'S WILL (Genesis 45:9 to 46:7)

THE REVELATION OF GOD’S WILL (Genesis 45:9 to 46:7)

Does God have a purpose in the events of this world? Does God have a purpose for your life?  If the answer to those two questions is “Yes”, and it is, then the better question is do you know the purpose of God for your life?  If not, how do you go about discerning the purpose, or the will, of God in your life?  This is what our lesson is about today.  I want to speak to you about The Revelation of God’s Will.

Your great desire ought to be to know His will.  Your great delight will be to do His will.  Your great danger is to refuse His will.  Nothing is right for you, if it is not God’s will.

It may sound simplistic, but the will of God for you is Jesus, just Jesus.  Jesus is the head of the church, and the church is the body.  What is the will of my body? My head.  What is the will of the church of the body of believers? Jesus, the head of the church.  The will of God for your life is Jesus.  He is your Lord.  Know Him, know the will of God.

Here are three principles about the will of God.

First, The will of God is for your welfare.  It is not something you have to do; it is something you get to do.  

Second, The will of God will never take you where the power of God and the grace of God cannot enable and keep you.

Third, You are free to choose.  God will never force His will upon you.  You are free to choose His will.  You are not free not to choose.  When you say, “Well, I just won’t choose.” You just made a choice.  You are free to choose, you are not free not to choose—and pay attention, you are not free to choose the consequences of your choice.  You make a choice to follow God’s will or not, and that choice chooses the consequences for you.  

So, what should we do to know the will of God? Ask the same questions that Jacob did.

Lord, who are you?  Do you know that Jesus is the Son of God? Do you know Him as your personal Lord and Saviour? Do you have an intimate relationship with Him?  Is your mind conformed to the mind of Christ?

Lord, what do you want me to do? Are you willing to do whatever God will enable you to do?  Are you surrendered to God?

Click on the play button to hear a message on how to know the will of God for your life.

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

Amen.

GOD'S PLAN UNFOLDS (Genesis 41:1-53)

GOD’S PLAN UNFOLDS (Genesis 41:1-53)

I just love it when a good plan unfolds and it goes just like it was supposed to happen from the very beginning.  Now, that doesn’t happen very often for me, but it always happens when God plans something.

Last week, we left Joseph in prison, forgotten by his family, forgotten by Potiphar, and forgotten by the butler who had promised to tell Pharaoh about his plight.  Almost every person that Joseph had come to depend on had forgotten him.  But Joseph’s faith was not in man, it was in God.  While everyone else may have forgotten Joseph, God had not.  God had a plan and a purpose for Joseph’s life, and He was making it come true.  

This is the reason that God gives us the story of Joseph.  As believers, we know that God has promised to be with us every step of our lives.  Through hardships and trials, as well as the good times of our lives, God is with us.  Our strength does not come from men, or the world.  Our strength lives within us.  God has placed His Holy Spirit in our hearts to be our strength, and it is through the power of the Holy Spirit that God gives us the power to endure any trial that is placed before us.  

Click on the play button to hear a tremendous message about the power of God’s working in the lives of those who love Him.  Joseph faced tremendous trials in his life, yet God was there with him each step of the way.  Yet this only happened because Joseph fully and completely surrendered his life to the will of God.  God would have handled it anyway without Joseph, but just look at the blessings that Joseph would have missed in his life if he had not been obedient to the call of God in his life.  

Just imagine the blessings that you have missed in your life, simply because you have not been obedient to the call of God in your life.  God used an obedient Joseph to perform great works in His name.  What works can God use you for, if you will be obedient?

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

Amen.

WHEN EVERYTHING GOES WRONG (Genesis 39:20-23)

WHEN EVERYTHING GOES WRONG (Genesis 39:20-23)

Have you ever had one of those days when everything goes wrong? Have you ever had one of those years when everything goes wrong? There are some years like that, when everything seems to go wrong. What do you do?

I’ve always been amazed at the advice that people give to other people. It sometimes seems like good advice. For example, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Tell that to a person who’s really hurting. Or here’s another one that will really bless your heart: “When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” Now, doesn’t that just bless your soul? Can you see a guy dangling over a cliff, trying to tie a knot. It takes two hands to do that.  If you try that, then you will fall.  Or here’s one that’s really sweet: “Grin and bear it.”  Now, really, that’s what the world tells us to help us in our times of loss, to help us to understand why these bad times are happening. Or you’ll be really hurting. I mean, you’ll be in darkness and consternation. One of your friends will come along and put his arm around your shoulder and say, “Cheer up! It could get worse.” Well now, that’s a lot of comfort: “Could be worse.”  One person said in response, “Yeah, I cheered up, and it got worse.” He was right. 

Now that, really, is what the world does when the world cannot understand.  Listen, there are times when you, as a child of God, will find yourself in difficulty, and darkness, and consternation.

Click on the play button to hear a message on one of the greatest testimonies that we can share with the world is how we face tragedy and loss.  How we deal with events when it seems like everything is going wrong in our lives is the difference between a life of hope, and a life without hope.  It is that hope, based on the absolutely certain promises of God, in our lives that gives us the strength to face whatever it is that God allows in our lives.  

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

Amen.

JOSPEH AS A PICTURE OF CHRIST (Genesis 37:1 to 45:28)

JOSEPH AS A PICTURE OF CHRIST (Genesis 37:1 to 45:28)

There are several of the patriarchs of the Old Testament who were a picture of Christ in specific acts.  But, God has selected Joseph as the one individual, out of all the men of history, to picture Christ in such a thorough way.  As we study the life of Joseph, we will find a direct parallel between the life of Joseph and the life of the Lord Jesus. 

In the Old Testament, Jesus is enfolded. In the New Testament, Jesus is unfolded. In the Old Testament, Jesus is concealed. In the New Testament, Jesus is revealed. But, Jesus is there in all of the Bible.  As you study the Bible enough, standing somewhere in the shadows you will find Jesus. He is there. It’s all about Him. Don’t get the idea that the Old Testament is about the Jews, and the New Testament is about Jesus. All of the Bible is about Jesus.

Jesus is the hero of the Bible. Jesus said, “Search the scriptures; for … [these] are they which [do] testify of me” (John 5:39). Notice that when Jesus made this statement, the scriptures were the Old Testament scriptures.  The New Testament had not even been written yet.  And, the Bible also tells us that on a particular day, He took two men and “he [showed] them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27). That means in all of the Scriptures, you are going to find things concerning Jesus. Jesus is there if you look long enough. If you study reverently enough, if you think and meditate, you’re going to find the Lord Jesus Christ there in the Bible.

Click on the play button in link below to hear a message on how the life of Joseph pictures the life of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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

Amen.

HOW TRUE REVIVAL OCCURS (Genesis 34:1 to 35:11)

HOW TRUE REVIVAL OCCURS (Genesis 34:1 to 35:11)

Jacob’s story is a story that represents the story of many of us. It is a story of pride, of self-confidence, and of deceit.  Yet it is also one of God’s grace, God’s patience, God’s power to transform a life from one of a carnal nature to one of a godly spiritual nature, and ultimately one of God’s love for this man.  It is a story of God’s ability to see through all of the rough edges to find the diamond of the man of faith that Jacob was able to become.  

That is what God does with each of us, He sees past all of our faults to find the man and woman of faith that each of us can become if we will surrender our will to His. And that is what had to take place in the life of Jacob, he had to come to the place where God had broken his self-confidence in his own abilities, and, therefore, was ready to surrender to God.  This did not happen all at once, it happened over a lifetime.  For Jacob did not fully become that man of faith described in the Book of Hebrews until the very end of his life.  

Click on the play button below to hear a message on how God has challenged us to grow spiritually, and He has shown us that our pace should be lead by God, empowered by God, tested by God, and rewarded by God. 

God challenges us to disdain the veneer of religiousness, for the surrender of righteousness.  

God challenges us to make a choice, for we cannot live with one foot in the world and one foot in God’s will.  

God challenges us to seek the revival of the Spirit of God in our lives.  

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.

A DRESS REHEARSAL FOR CALVARY (Genesis 22:1-14)

In Genesis chapter 22, we come to an absolute mountain peak in the spiritual life of Abraham.  This chapter is one of the great, great, chapters in all of the Bible.  Chapter 22 is the account of Abraham’s obedience to God’s command of offering Isaac as a burnt sacrifice. God commanded him to offer Isaac on the altar and then restrained him at the last minute when He saw that Abraham was willing to go through with it. If you were to designate the ten greatest chapters of the Bible, you would almost certainly have to include Genesis 22.  The Word of God makes it clear that God requires a life to be given up in order that He might save sinners.  And there is no one among the children of men worthy to take that place.  Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son was the only One capable of fulfilling that role. 

In terms of depicting great truths about the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, this chapter easily compares with Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. In our message today, we will see the similarity between the sacrifice of Isaac and the sacrifice of Christ.  It is no accident that this similarity exists.  The Bible is full of repeated types and symbols that point to the real event in order to prepare us for what will happen.  In this case, God is revealing the Gospel of the sacrifice of Christ for our sins to His beloved servant, Abraham.

On Mount Calvary, one day, men would see God providing Himself as a lamb. One day, on this place—this sacred place—God has provided Himself a lamb. And that’s the reason when John the Baptist saw Jesus Christ, who was God in the flesh, John the Baptist pointed to Him and said, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29)—for the Lord, Jehovah Jireh, has provided Himself as the lamb.

Click on the link below to hear a message on the Word of the Cross, a dress rehearsal for Calvary. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.” (John 3:16) There was no reprieve for the Son of God. There was for Isaac, but not for Jesus. And God knew that one day He would spare not his own Son, because He loved you that much.

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

Amen.

THERE IS NO PROBLEM GOD CANNOT SOLVE (Genesis 17:15-17)

These three verses contain four wonderful, wonderful, truths that you need to learn.  I want you to get these four things about a strong faith emblazoned in your heart, etched upon your consciousness.  I want them to reverberate through your soul, because I want for you what I want for myself, a strong faith.

The first is that Strong Faith Releases the Grace of God. Faith is the key.  It just opens the door and gets you in there where grace is, or it gets grace out here where you are. 

The second is that Strong Faith Relies on The Guarantees Of God.  Strong faith always relies on God’s guarantees. It does not rely on you, on what you wish, or what you want, but on what God has said. 

The third is that Strong Faith Recognizes the Greatness of God.  True faith is rooted in the promise, but not only in the promise, but in the One who promised. And so, if you are to have faith, not only must you have the Word of God, and a word from God, you must also understand the character of the God who gives this Word.

The fourth is that strong faith reveals the glory of God. The greatest way that you can glorify God is to believe Him.  

Click on the play button above to hear a message on the most important part of God’s grace that we can apply to our hearts and lives.  It is the foundational truth that we need to understand that our faith is based on. That truth is that There Is No Problem God Cannot Solve.  You will never have to say that something is too difficult for God to do in your life.  It is that truth that lets the peace of God rest in our hearts, for we have the omnipotent, the omniscient, and the omnipresent, God who can solve any issue, and any problem, that we might face as we serve the loving, living, God of all creation. 

God said to Abraham, “Abraham, I’m going to give you a son.” Abraham was 100 years old. Sarah was 90. It was humanly ridiculous, so much so, that Abraham laughed, and yet he turned, and he believed God.  How did he do it? Well, first of all, he said, “I know God that you want to do it by your sheer grace. And so by faith, I’m going to release that grace.”

Faith releases grace. It relies on God’s Word. It doesn’t look for anything else. It just simply takes the Word of God and gets a word from God. And, thirdly, the faith that relies on God, relies on God because it knows God’s character. It just simply is aware of who God is and what God can do. And, therefore, it just glorifies God. It just simply says, “God, I want to give you the praise. I’m going to give you the glory. I’m not going to stagger in unbelief.”

Now, if you’ll do that, then God will make you a person of strong faith. 

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

Amen.

TO BE STRONG IN FAITH (Genesis 17: 15-17)

Archimedes was a philosopher and physicist, and he said, “If you will give me a lever long enough, if you will give me a fulcrum with something to rest it on, and if you will give me a place to stand, I can move the earth.” He was right.  For us, that lever is faith, that fulcrum is the Word of God, and that place where we stand is in His grace.  With it, not only can we move the earth, but we can move heaven as well, if we learn to be strong in faith.

It is strong faith that releases the grace of God.  Rom. 4:16 says, “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace …” meaning that without faith, you will never know grace, “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure.” 

What is grace? Grace is “God’s riches at Christ’s expense.” Grace is God giving us and showing us His great wonderful love. There’s nothing we can do to deserve it, or to earn it.  Grace is the unmerited love and favor of God that is just given to us. 

Now, how can you get in on this unmerited love and favor of God?  Only by faith! If you begin to work for it, if you begin to pay for it, then it is no longer grace.  It is no longer grace. If it is by grace, then by definition, it is no longer works, otherwise work is not work.  And, if it is by work, then by definition of the word work, it is not by grace, otherwise grace is no more grace. This is what the Bible says. You can’t mix grace and works, so the only way that grace can be grace is through faith.  That is the only way that grace can be grace.

Now, it is important to understand that unbelief holds grace prisoner.  If you are an unbeliever, grace will never work in your heart and in your life. The Bible says it is by faith so that it can be by grace. 

Click on the play button above to hear a message on how a strong faith is the key to unlock God’s grace in your life.

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

Amen.

THE PROMISE THAT CHANGED THE WORLD (Genesis 17:1-8)

Did you know that the Jews are less than 0.19% of the world’s population? And yet more than twelve percent of all the honors in science, in health, in medicine, in music, in philosophy, and in public life have been garnered by these amazing people. The Nobel Prize is one of the highest prizes that men of learning confer upon one another. In the last fifty years, one-third to one-fourth of the Nobel prizes have been given to these people who only represent 19- hundredths of one percent of the population. Why is this? I believe that God in a very special way has His hand upon these people. They are the people of destiny.

You can study history and find some amazing things. Did you know that it was a Jew that financed Christopher Columbus’s voyage to find this New World? Did you know that on board that ship when Columbus set sail was a Jew and he was the first man to set foot upon these new shores? Did you know that? 

Did you know that a Jew, Hiram Solomon, financed George Washington and the Revolutionary War as we fought for our independence from the British? Did you know that? You don’t realize what an influence these people have had on your life. 

Click on the play button to hear a message on the promise that God makes to Abraham that He is giving to Abraham and his seed, “all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”  I believe that God meant exactly that. I believe the word everlasting means everlasting.  What God is saying here is an iron fist upon history.  The Sovereign God is definitively saying that certain things are going to be done. What God is saying here is His plan to bless you, and to bless me, and to bless the nations of the world. This indeed is a blessing, a promise, that has changed the world, and it will give us understanding if we today will take the Word of God and let it speak to us as we study together.

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

Amen.