The Master‘s Class, LifeChange Church Wichita

HOW TO WORSHIP GOD (1 Chronicles 16:29)

Most of the people who read my posts and listen to my audio messages have been Christians for a long period of time.  Some of you, like me, were saved as a child.  Others, were saved at some point later in life, and as we get older, we tend to get set in our ways.  

I say all of that to indicate that we have probably also gotten pretty comfortable in on our method of worshipping God.  We know what we like, and how we like to do it.  Some of us will be more ritualistic and formal than others, some with much less formality.  But we like what we like, and we resist change.  Now, I can hear some of you thinking, “Why bro. Keith this is the way we did it back in the church I grew up in, and that is what makes me happy, and you want me to be happy, don’t you?”  Well, I do and that is real good, because in today’s lesson, we are going to see what the Bible says about how to worship God, and who knows, maybe some of us seasoned citizens might learn a thing or two.  

The title of our lesson today is How to worship God.  Now, that is a pretty big subject, with lots of territory to cover, but we are going to make it short and sweet today, because the Bible is pretty straight forward when it comes to worshipping God.  It is us that makes it difficult, or complicated, not God.  

Do you want to have victory in your Christian life? Do you want to really be used of God? Then, learn to praise the Lord. Praise Him. Praise Him continually.  Praise Him creatively.  Praise Him celebratively, and Praise Him, confidently.  God is such a great God! Some people just don’t understand what real worship is.

Click on the link below to hear a message that tells us that Worship is all that I am responding to all that God is.

Amen.

THE CROSS WAS NOT THE END OF THE STORY (John 19:31-20:10)

We know that Jesus rose from the dead because Scripture tells us that after His resurrection He was touched by people, He walked, He talked, He ate, and He was seen by hundreds of people. The fact that Jesus rose bodily from the grave is a foundational principle in our faith. If you do not believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, then you cannot be saved and have everlasting life. It is that important. The resurrection has been, and still is, an integral part of the gospel message of Jesus Christ. The Scriptures make it clear that it was real, and you can believe it is true.

Satan and all his demons and servants in this world will tell you that it is a myth. Unbelievers have invented alternate theories, such as, Christ did not really die, he only swooned on the cross and in the tomb recovered, escaped into the night, and later showed himself to be alive; the disciples stole the body and then made up a lie about Christ's resurrection based on the fact of an empty tomb; the women who came to the tomb were half expecting a resurrection and therefore had a hallucination.

One and all, those explanations are the desperate attempts of godless men to avoid the fact that Jesus Christ is alive. God raised him from the dead. One and all, the clumsy attempts of an unbelieving world to deny the literal, bodily, resurrection of Christ from the dead break down before the facts.

Being a Christian is about a personal relationship with Christ. If Christ is not alive, then that relationship cannot exist. If Christ is still in the grave, then Satan has won, and we are all condemned to die in our sins. But Christ did rise, and you can have everlasting life when you believe on Him and make Him your Lord and Savior. It is an important principle in our faith for us to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the cross was not the end of the story. Jesus rose, He is alive today, and we can have everlasting life because of His death and resurrection.

Amen.

TO LOVE AS JESUS LOVES-PART I (John 13:31-35)

In our message today, the Lord is going to give His disciples, and all of us, a new commandment, “…to love one another, as Christ has loved us.” Now, I have to admit, for me, that is a tall order because there are people around, even some Christians, who are hard to love. But that is what this new commandment tells us to do.

John 13:34
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
KJV

Now, Jesus is not just talking about loving other Christians. He is talking about everyone. He is saying that we should love everyone as Christ loves us. Is there someone you know that you just say, Lord that is not happening, I cannot love this person? Someone who has done you wrong, perhaps, even harmed you? Friends that have betrayed your trust? Family members who may have abused you, either physically or mentally? There are likely more than just one person who may fit into this category.

Well, why is it a new commandment? Love is not new. The Old Testament certainly taught us to love. In the New Testament gospels, Jesus even gave us a summary of all the commandments when He said,

Matt 22:37-39
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
KJV

What’s new, is that Jesus said that “we are to love as I have loved you.” Never before has this world known love like the love that Jesus Christ showed and the love that Jesus Christ gave. And that is what made it radically new. We are to love others not just as we love ourselves, but as Jesus loved us. This takes the love we are to show to a whole new level.

Click on the link to below to hear a message on how to love that person, who has harmed you, in the same way that Jesus Christ loves them.

Amen.

LESSONS WE LEARN FROM BETRAYAL (John 13:18-30)

Today’s message is about the lessons that we can learn from Judas’ betrayal of Jesus. However, the focus is not on what Judas did, or even what character flaws led Judas to betray Jesus, but on what we can learn about our Lord Jesus Christ from this event. The story of Judas and his betrayal is but the black velvet background on which the brilliant character of the Lord Jesus Christ is displayed.

Just like a well-cut diamond has many facets that make it beautiful and desirable, the Lord Jesus Christ has many facets of His character that make Him beautiful and desirable. There is no question that Jesus outshines every person who has ever lived, or ever will live. And there are many things about the character of Jesus that are in this story.

Click on the link below to hear about the six facets of our Lord’s character that I want you to walk away with today:

Number one: His spiritual insight, Jesus knows everything there is to know about you, and He still loves you in spite of what He knows about you. Jesus knew from the foundation of time that Judas would betray Him, and He still loved Judas.

Number two: His sovereign control, Jesus was in control of all things. It was the Lord’s permissive will that allowed Judas to choose to betray Him. But what Judas meant for evil, Jesus turned to good for His purposes and our salvation. When man rules, God overrules.

Number three: His seeking grace, Jesus sought the redemption of Judas. Jesus knew what Judas would do, but He still washed Judas’ feet in an act of love. He still warned Judas. He still sought to bring Judas into repentance.

Number four: His steadfast mission, nothing that Judas did changed the plan of Jesus to die on the cross for the sins of the world. Nothing that Judas did could derail Jesus, He was steadfast in His mission. That same message applies to you. Don’t you let some hypocrite, some false preacher, or somebody who falls into sin derail your calling for God. Your worship is not to be of a sinful person. It is to be of Jesus Christ the almighty God of all Creation who will never fail you.

Number five: His sympathizing love, Jesus loved Judas, Judas rejected that love. A man will go to hell unsaved, but no man will go to hell unloved. Jesus loves the whole world. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” We are to love our neighbors and our enemies with that same love. Why? Because that is exactly what Jesus did to Judas.

Number six: His solemn justice. There is a God of justice. The Lord Jesus Christ is a God of infinite love, but He is also a God of great justice. You may choose to reject God’s love, but if you do, then you will face God’s great justice. If you don't get saved, then you will spend eternity in the same place as Judas, not because of how good or bad you are, but because you rejected the love of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

A LAST ATTEMPT (John 12:23-36)

Have you ever had an event or an experience that you knew was going to be really, really, bad in front of you? You knew it needed to be done, people were depending on you, but you had a few days that you had to get through before it would begin? The waiting, the dreading, the sheer horribleness of it playing on your mind. I can think of things like watching my mother’s last few days on the earth, and the suffering she was dealing with. I knew her death was imminent. I knew it would happen in the next few days. I knew she would be in heaven soon, but I had to steel myself for the emotions that would come.

A soldier facing some kind of really tough battle. He knows the chances were slim that he was going to make it, but he couldn’t let his brothers in arms down. These were men he depended on, and they were the ones who depended on him, so he prepared himself to deal with it.

This is what our next few messages are going to be about for Jesus. He knew this was the reason that He had come to earth. His whole life had been about this coming hour. The entire human race depended on Him completing the work of salvation. He knew that He was about to carry the burden of every sin that had ever been committed and would ever be committed. He knew the ugliness of the world’s worst sins was about to be thrust upon Him and He would have to die as punishment for that sin. He dreaded the hour, but He knew the whole world depended on Him, and so He prepared Himself. There was so much He needed to do before that hour came, but His disciples needed to hear what He had to say. These next several weeks are going to be a study in how much Jesus loved each and every one of us, even the Jews and the Romans who would crucify Him.

Click on the link below to hear a message on what is likely the Lord’s last attempt to convince the Jews that He was the Son of God, the Promised Messiah.

Amen.

JESUS GIVES LIFE (John 11:28-44)

Last week we started a study of the miracle of the Lord Jesus Christ raising Lazarus from the dead. Now, this is a familiar story to all of us. So, if we are going to study this story again, what should we be sure that we learn from it? Jesus defines it for us when He says, “but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.” Jesus is telling us that this was an occasion to declare His oneness with his Father at all times and in all situations. It was an opportunity, as God, to convince people that he was all he claimed to be; an occasion to demonstrate the power and effectiveness of prayer, an occasion to make a solemn appeal to those who were His enemies.

In order for this to be true, in order for Jesus to raise Lazarus from the dead, then there is something else that we need to know about Lazarus while he was in the grave. We need to know that Lazarus was dead. He wasn’t sick. He didn’t faint. He was really dead. He had been dead for four days and then Christ raised him to walk again.

Click on the link below to hear part 2 of a message that will bring comfort to those who have lost loved ones. Death is not final. The grave is not final. The Bible says that for the believer to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. That loved one of yours is still living, and if they had Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, then they are present with Him in heaven. If you have Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you will join them for all of eternity. Death is but a moment. Life with Jesus is eternal.

Amen.

KNOWING THAT YOU ARE ETERNALLY SECURE - PART II (John 10:27-29)

God has a gift for you in this series of messages. God wants you to know that you can be saved. He wants you to know that you can be certain of your salvation. But, most of all, God wants you to know that you are eternally secure. That once you are saved, you can never, ever, lose your salvation. That is what the Bible says, and God wants to give this certainty to you, so that you can concentrate on loving Him, praising Him, and working for Him.

Click on the link below to hear a message on how God has promised you eternal security. If you believe what God says in His Word, then there can be no doubt that you have eternal security. God will complete what He has begun. Even before you got saved, the Holy Spirit began a work in you, and He will not quit that work until the day of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

TO BE BORN BLIND (John 8:54 to 9:7)

Most of us who have the ability to see, take that ability for granted. It is like walking, or hearing, or even breathing, it is something you consciously do every day. But you don’t think about doing it, or what it would be like to not be able to see, until something happens that puts our eyesight in jeopardy. Those who were able to see for a period of their lives, and then lost their sight, feel the loss of that sight every day, but they have their memories of what things looked like. Someone who is born blind, and has never been able to see at all, has no such memories. The colors of a sunset, the faces of loved ones, and the stars in the sky are things they must imagine from the descriptions others give them. Yet, they have no reference to compare it to, they have only the words that they hear. How do you describe the colors of a sunset to someone who has never seen any color at all?

Yet, what would happen if someone came up to that blind person and said, I can give you sight, I can let you see what you have been missing? Would that person who could not see, choose to see, or would they be so used to living the way they had been, that they would choose not to see? Would they embrace the light, or would they choose to stay in the darkness? You say, “But of course they would choose to see the light, why would they choose to stay in the darkness?” Well, that is indeed the question, isn’t it?

John 3:19-21
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
KJV

Click on the link below to hear a message about two different kinds of people who were born blind. One man who was born physically blind, and another group of people who were born spiritually blind. One chose the light, the other chose the darkness.

Amen.

WHO IS JESUS? GOD. (John 5:31-47)

Over the last several weeks, I have posted messages based on the truths found in the fifth chapter of the gospel of John. This chapter is one of the most powerful declarations that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and as the Son, He is equal to the Father in all things. If you do not believe this is true, then you do not truly believe in the deity of Christ, and you cannot be a child of God. Neither the Father nor the Son was created. Neither the Father nor the Son existed without the other. The Father is not anymore God than the Son, and the Son is not any less God than the Father.

On this podcast site, I have received a great deal of negative comments to my assertion that Jesus the Son is equal to God the Father. Many of them placing human limitations on the three parts of the Trinity. They ask is the son equal to the father in a human relationship, or is a servant equal to the master of a household? When we put human limitations and characteristics on God, then we deny the sovereignty and divine nature of God. It is an age-old attempt to deify man to the same level as God.

The ultimate secret of the universe is God, one God, existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each of three are equally God. All three make up the One true God. To not believe this is true is to not truly believe in the Holy Trinity. There are not three Gods, there is one God. Therefore, each of the three parts of God, are equal as God, and are identified and worshiped as God. To not believe this is true, is to not believe the words of Jesus Christ that are found in this fifth chapter of the gospel of John.

God the Father directly testified that Jesus was His beloved Son.

Matt 3:16-17
16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
KJV

When Jesus claimed to be Son of God, and that God was His Father, the Jews fully understood that He was claiming to be equal to God.

John 5:17-18
17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
KJV

The apostle Paul wrote that Jesus was equal to God,

Phil 2:5-6
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
KJV

This is how the Bible reveals who Jesus Christ is. He is God.

Click the link below to hear a message on the how the Word of God describes who Jesus is.

Amen.

THE FATHER AND SON ARE EQUAL (John 5:24-30)

One of the foundation blocks of our faith is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. That He is equal to God the Father in all respects. Satan, and men of all ages, have tried to deny who Jesus was and is, but Jesus Christ Himself tells us who He is in these verses. He is the Son of God, and therefore, He is God. The ultimate secret of the universe is God, one God, existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each of three are equally God. All three make up the One true God. This is how God is revealed in the Bible.

Click on the link below to hear a message on who Jesus says that He is. Forget what other religions say that He is. He is more than a good man. He is more than a prophet. He is more than a teacher and miracle worker. He is God.

In this lesson Jesus will tell us that:
-He is equal with the Father as God. All the work of creation that is attributed to God, is attributed to Jesus.
-All that He does as the Son is done with the authority of the Father.
-He is equal with God in knowing all things.
-He is equal with the Father in absolute power over the dead.
-He has been given the authority and role to be the sole judge of all creation.
-The Lord has absolute power of life and death. He has the sole power and the authority to condemn people to eternal death, and He has the sole power and authority to grant everlasting life.
-He has power and authority over the coming resurrections of the dead from the grave.
-He has the power to give the life of God to people, spiritually dead, who likewise hear his voice, believe on Him, and then pass from death unto life.
-God the Father and God the Son enjoy the same kind of life, a life that has always existed. The Son of God has life in himself and, along with
it, the power to impart life or death.
-His judgment is identical with the judgment of God.

Knowing who Jesus Christ is, that He is God, is the first step in knowing how to have eternal life in heaven. If you reject Jesus Christ as God, then you cannot be a child of God, and you cannot have everlasting life in Him.

Amen.