The Master‘s Class, LifeChange Church Wichita

STEPHEN SEES THE MASTER (Acts 7:38-60)

STEPHEN SEES THE MASTER (Acts 7:38 to 60)

As we go through this lesson today, I want you to think about what your faith is in.  Is it in God, or in the religious traditions, buildings, and ceremonies that we have created and become accustomed to.  

Do you know how you can tell what your faith is in?  Let me ask you a series of questions.  First, why did you choose the church that you are attending?  Was it because of a particular pastor or staff member?  You like their style of preaching, or they moved to another church, and you followed them.  Was it because of the denomination, or lack of denomination, of the church?  You wanted to be in a Methodist church, a Baptist church, or an Assembly of God church.  Maybe you didn’t want to be part of any denomination?

Was it the building that you worship in?  Is it a beautiful building, or simply functional?  Was it because of the type of music that is sung, hymns or more contemporary music?  Do you claim that you can’t worship God unless you get to sing the type of songs that you like?  Was it because you read the statement of faith of that church and agreed with it? How many of you read the statement of faith of your church before you joined?  Was it because of how the church is organized and structured?  Is it a pastor led church, or an elder/deacon board led church?  Did you read the By-Laws of the church to learn about the organization?

Understand that I am not saying these things are not important, because they are.  They can certainly be a guide to what God’s will is not.  I mean, why would you join church that did not follow God’s Word.   But, they should never be the reason for choosing a church to worship God in, and they are not what your faith should be in.  You should always choose a church because God led you to it.  You should always join a church because He called you to serve in that church.  Your faith is in God, it is in the Son of the Living God, Jesus Christ, whose blood purchased your salvation and is now sitting on the right hand of God.  If you follow God’s leading, then all of those other things will fall in line because God would never lead you to a church that was not following, teaching, and preaching, God’s Word.

That was the very problem of the Jews that Stephen is preaching to.  They chose the traditions of their childhood over the God that had chosen them.  They chose to worship man-made things, like the Temple and it’s rituals, rather than God.

Click on the link below to hear a message on who your faith should be in.

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

Amen.

THE REJECTION OF MOSES (Acts 7:17-38)

THE REJECTION OF MOSES (Acts 7:17 to 38)

Last week we studied how Stephen, who was one of the seven men chosen as a servant to meet the needs of the church, has been arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin.  The Sanhedrin realized that it would take more than threats and beatings to stop the growth of the new church, and it was Stephen that became the target of a well-planned, Satan led, attack.  They began by sending out religious experts from the various synagogues to debate with Stephen.  Yet Stephen, full of the power of the Holy Spirit, defeated them handily with their own Scriptures.  

In today’s lesson, Stephen will use the story of Moses to reiterate the lost condition of the Jewish nation.  Stephen will describe how Moses, as a God chosen savior, was rejected by Israel when they were mired in slavery.  As a result of this rejection, Israel was forced to suffer 40 more years of persecution, only to have the very same rejected savior return to deliver them and rule over them.  

The Holy Spirit is using Stephen to make one last attempt at a national confession of sin and repentance for their rejection of Jesus as the promised Messiah.  Stephen has seen the judgment that is coming to Israel, and he is offering God’s plan of salvation to them.  A plan that they will reject.

Click on the link below to hear a message on the parallels between the rejection of Moses and Jesus.  The Scripture tells us that Moses returned as a deliverer to free the Hebrews from the Egyptian captivity.  And it was Moses that prophesied that Jesus would be just such a Savior that would come to deliver the Hebrews from the persecution of the Romans. 

Moses declared that they would hear the Messiah.  Stephen declares that they heard Him, then they rejected Him.  Yet, they were not finished with Jesus.  The day will come that the Son of the Almighty Living God, the name above all names, Jesus Christ, will demand that they hear Him, and they will.  

Israel is a called out group. They were called out of Egypt, by God, for a particular purpose.  Israel was a called out group that was supernaturally gathered around the Lord, who took His place in their midst.  The threefold movement in the redemption of Israel was similar to ours.  God put His people under the blood, brought them out through the water, and baptized them in the cloud and in the sea, and gathered them around the table.  

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

Amen.

LYING TO THE HOLY SPIRIT (Acts 5:1-11)

LYING TO THE HOLY SPIRIT (Acts 5:1-11)

Let me begin by saying that, as a follower of Christ, the Holy Spirit is your very best friend, and the Holy Spirit is Jesus in you.  He is the one who makes manifest the life of the Lord Jesus in your mortal flesh. What a wonderful, wonderful, friend the Holy Spirit is.

In the passage of Scripture that I’m going to read to you today, we find a phrase about lying to the Holy Ghost.  Let me say this, all lies are serious.  Let me repeat that, all lies are serious.  Sometimes we tell little lies, we exaggerate a little bit, and we think that is not quite so serious.  For example, men, when your wife asks you if an outfit makes her look fat, do you tell the truth?  Of course, you do.

Some lies we think are whimsical and maybe even humorous. But, a lie is a very serious thing.  The Bible tells us that Jesus is known as the truth.  On the other hand, the Bible tells us that Satan is the father of all lies.  Therefore, when you tell the truth you give God an opportunity to work. When you tell a lie, you tell a lie because Satan has already been working in you.

God detests the sin of hypocrisy, the sin of pretense, the sin of saying we are one thing, but really being another. If you read about the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, you will find out that Jesus reserved his sternest words for hypocrites. There was one thing that Jesus Christ detested, and it was hypocrisy. 

Let me make four observations, and four pleas with you today.  Number one, if you are a child of God that sins among the saints it is more serious than sin among the lost.  And, sin when God is working in revival power, is the most dangerous of all sin. 

Number two, is that sin against the Holy Spirit is extremely serious. Do not tempt the Holy Spirit of God. Do not be a pretender. 

Number three, I urge you to be on guard against hypocrisy in your own life. It is far better not to be what you ought to be than to pretend that you are what you are not.

Preachers, and teachers, are often tempted to do that, to exaggerate, or to pretend devotion because we think that we are setting the example. In my estimation, I want my pastor, and my teacher, just to be honest and to tell it like it is in his heart. And, I want people to be honest. And, I believe when there is a spirit of honesty, even though there is a spirit of failure, God can work. 

Don’t pretend a devotion to Jesus Christ that you don’t have.  Don’t lie to the Holy Ghost. And, last of all, don’t let some hypocrite keep you from getting the best out of life.

Click on the link below to hear a message on what it means to lie to the Holy Spirit.

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

Amen.

THE ALMIGHTY GOD (Acts 4:23-5:11)

THE ALMIGHTY GOD (Acts 4:23-5:11)

The message today speaks of how the early Christian church praised God for what He is, the omnipotent Creator of the universe.  They proclaimed “Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is.” Sadly, this is something that most churches do not really believe today.  And you can know this is true, for if they did believe it, then they would not be taking the liberal positions in direct conflict with God’s word that they are taking.  

You cannot believe that God is truly the Omnipotent Creator of the universe and then not accept His absolute truths about what is right and wrong.  God is unchanging, as are His truths, they do not change with the changing of society mores.  God as the all powerful Creator of the universe is the fundamental building block of the entire Bible.  Satan will do all he can to create lies and deceptions about who God is, and what the Holy Spirit says that He is in His Word.  

God is the all powerful Creator of this universe, and since this is absolutely, wonderfully, magnificently, true, then Satan is no more than a second hand loser.  No wonder Satan hates this basic truth!  No wonder he has brought up his heavy artillery to discredit it in the minds of men.  

For you see, if you abandon what the Holy Spirit says in Genesis 1 as not factual and unreliable, as mere mythology, as totally unacceptable to modern science, then satan has won.  

If the Holy Spirit cannot be trusted when He tells of creation, then how can He be trusted when He tells of salvation?

If what He says about earth in Genesis 1 can be questioned, then what He says about Heaven in Revelations 22 can be questioned.  

If the Holy Spirit cannot be trusted in Genesis 1, then how can He be trusted in John 3:16?

So, when someone tells you that the creation account in the Book of Genesis is just a theory, you must understand they are questioning the entire message of the Bible, including the Gospel.

Click on the play button to hear a message that says, if we believe that God is the Creator.  If we believe that God deserves our worship and praise.  If we believe that all other beings, both spiritual and physical, are subject to the commands and permissive will of God.  Then, our fears should go away, and our faith should rise up in times of trial.  For who can harm us that is not under the permissive will of God?  And that knowledge is what gave these early believers holy boldness in the face of persecution, and it can give you that same holy boldness.

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

Amen.

THE FIRST PERSECUTION OF THE CHURCH (Acts 4:1-22)

THE FIRST PERSECUTION OF THE CHURCH (Acts 4:1-22)

As believers we are to obey those that God has placed in power over us, whether they be Caesar, or Nero, or our current leaders.  Yet, there are times when Caesar so abuses his power as to command that we do something morally or spiritually wrong.  That is where the believer must draw the line, even at the cost of death.  The believer must respectfully, but firmly, refuse to obey the commands of human authority when it defies the laws of God.  And when the time comes, and it will come, that we are prohibited from preaching and teaching the name of Jesus, that is when we must refuse to obey the command of the rulers placed in authority above us.  

Peter does just that as he proclaims to the Sanhedrin, “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”  This was Peter’s and John’s reply when they were commanded by the religious leaders to stop teaching in the name of Jesus.  They declared that they would continue to teach, preach, and heal in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, no matter the cost.  

It is not by the name of Confucius, Buddha, or Allah, that a lost person can find salvation; not even by the name of one of the great heroes of the Bible, not Abraham, or Moses, can a lost person find salvation.  Only in the name of Jesus can salvation be found.  Jesus is the world’s only Savior. 

John 14:6
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
KJV

The law can’t save you. Religion can’t save you, and there is absolutely no ceremony that can save you. You cannot get to Heaven through the pope. You cannot stand before God clothed in the robes of righteousness by doing more good works than bad works.  Your friends and family cannot pray you into heaven.  You cannot buy your way out of darkness and an eternity in Hell.

There is only one way to get rid of Satan’s darkness, and that is the light of the Word of God, Jesus Christ the Son of the living God.  We have victory in Jesus because no force on the earth, or below the earth, can stand against the mighty majesty of His name.  When you come to Jesus for salvation, it is His blood that wipes away your sin.  It is His blood that provides eternal life for you.  

Click on the play button to hear a message about the first persecution of the church that would dare to teach about the gospel message found in the name of Jesus.

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

Amen.

JESUS IS OFFERED TO THE NATION (Acts 3:1-26)

JESUS IS OFFERED TO THE NATION (Acts 3:1-26)

The message today is about the rejection of Jesus Christ as the Messiah by the Jews.  As we talk about this, I want you to remember something.  The lesson focuses on the people of Jerusalem, because in the days immediately following the Day of Pentecost, that is where the church, the true body of believers, began. But this message is just as applicable to the people in the world today.  This message is about the rejection of Jesus Christ, and there are people all around us who have made the decision to do exactly that, to reject Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

The Jews had bullied Pilate into crucifying the Son of the living God, even though they had Jesus walking among them, performing miracles, and still they rejected Him.  Yet, it is my sin that forced Jesus to go the cross.  The lost people of today, when they look upon a surrendered believer, they can see the light of Jesus Christ walking among them, and yet they reject the Prince of Life who is the author of the miracle of the new creation which is that believer.   

It is important that you understand that nothing that I am going to say today should make you feel in some way less responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  For it was your sin and mine that Jesus willingly went to the cross to die for.  He willingly chose to lay down His life for a lost and hopeless world.  Each one of us is just as responsible for the death of Jesus Christ as the Jews who were standing in front of Peter.

The events of Pentecost would have been the talk of all of Jerusalem.  There were people speaking in tongues, and a peasant fisherman preaching with power the word of God.  They had to be asking themselves, “How could this be happening?  What does it mean?  Is it true, as some have said, that we killed the Messiah?  No, that is not possible.”  The Holy Spirit has planted the seed of questions, and now He seeks them out to place a decision about Jesus Christ before them.  

Click on the play button to hear a message on how the choice between eternal life with Jesus Christ in heaven, and an eternity in the Lake of Fire without God, depends on the decision you make about accepting or rejecting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. 

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

Amen.

JESUS IS THE CHRIST, THE MESSIAH (Acts 2:25-36)

JESUS IS THE CHRIST, THE MESSIAH (Acts 2:25-36)

In our message today, we continue listening to the first sermon of the new church age.  It was preached by a Holy Spirit filled and anointed Peter whose purpose was to convict the Jewish people of the terrible crime that they had committed.  For they had rejected and crucified the promised Christ, the Messiah that they had been waiting on for so long.  Now, Peter was offering them an opportunity to come to that Messiah for repentance and forgiveness.  Peter was preaching on the day of Pentecost, in front of thousands of Jews from all over the world.  The Jews had just witnessed the outpouring of the Holy Spirit through the 120 disciples speaking in the various tongues of their homelands.  They had come to celebrate the feast of Pentecost and instead they had witnessed a miracle.  Their reaction was one of confusion and mockery.  As he stood up to begin his sermon, Peter responds to the questions of the Jews by using Scripture.  Something they were very familiar with.  He proclaims that they should not be surprised by these events, as the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is similar to those events prophesied by Joel that will take place in “The day of The Lord,” which refers to the Great Tribulation and Millennial Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Then, Peter starts to build his case for the proof that Jesus is the Christ, the promised Messiah:  First, he proclaims that Jesus was a recognizable Messiah.  Jesus had performed miracles unlike anything ever seen before in the history of the world.  This was evidence that He had been approved of by God.  He was the one who had fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament prophets.

Next, Peter proclaims that Jesus was a rejected Messiah.  The crucifixion of Christ had been foreknown by God from the foundation of time.  When God acted in creation, He had also acted in redemption.  But this did not excuse the rejection of the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, by God’s people.  

Then, Peter proclaimed the best news of all, that Jesus was the resurrected Messiah.  Jesus was alive, He could not be left in the grave.  Peter declared that it was impossible for God to have left Jesus in the grave. Jesus died for our sins, but He was sinless.  He arose in victory. 

Click on the play button to hear a message on the wonderful truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah.

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

Amen.

A BOX OF BONES (Genesis 50:22-26)

A BOX OF BONES (Genesis 50:22-26)

Today, we close out our study of the book of Genesis.  It has certainly been a good study about the power of God, and the faith of each of the people we have encountered.  We have studied about the wonderful creation of all things by the mighty power of God, and the destruction of The Flood as God’s judgment of evil man.  Then, we have studied about the faith of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.  Each man giving us an example of how to live a life of faith in spite of the trials and tribulations that faced them.  In fact, our closing lesson is going to be another example of the faith of Joseph.  The title of our lesson today is, “A Box of Bones.” 

The very last words of the book of Genesis are “a coffin in Egypt.”  Now, that’s a strange way for a book to end.  It begins with creation, and it ends in a coffin. The devil said to Eve at the beginning of creation, “Ye shall not surely die; that you can sin with impunity.” But, the fact is the devil lied, because we have had one funeral after another. And so, the book that begins with a blaze of glory ends with a grave. The book that begins with the vastness of eternity, ends with the shortness of time. The book that begins in a garden, ends in a coffin. And the book that begins with a blaze of brightness, ends with a box of bones, the bones of Joseph.

Did you know that the bones of Joseph are mentioned not only in the book of Genesis, but in the book of Hebrews, as well? And not only in the book of Hebrews, but in the book of Exodus? And not only in the book of Exodus, but in the book of Joshua? God tells us about those bones, and then He tells us about them three more times.  Now, what have we said about what we need to do when God repeats something multiple times in the Bible?  We need to pay real close attention because God repeats the things that He feels are very important for us to understand.  

Click on the play button to hear a message on how the faith of Joseph can be found in a box of bones.

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

Amen.

REVELATION OF PROPHECY (Genesis 49:8 to 50:21)

REVELATION OF PROPHECY (Genesis 49:8 to 50:21)

This message is dramatic because it tells what will happen to the twelve sons of Jacob when they become tribes.  This is also our final opportunity to see another evidence of faith in the life of Jacob. He was speaking to his sons who were to become the twelve tribes in the nation of Israel and would be dwelling in the land of Canaan.  Jacob says, “that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.” The phrase “the last days” is an important Biblical expression.  It occurs fourteen times in the Old Testament, and it was always taken by the Rabbis to mean Messianic.  

What is important for us to understand as members of The Church, the body of believers, is that the last days of the nation Israel will be different from the last days of The Church. There is a very sharp dispensational distinction which needs to be made between the two.  

Here, Jacob is talking about the last days of the nation Israel and what is going to happen to the twelve tribes, which will develop from his sons, and will form the nation, Israel.  These prophecies, and those given by Moses in Deuteronomy 33, are directed to the tribes of Israel.

Many people talk about the fact that certain prophecies concerning the nation Israel have been fulfilled, and that is true. But we can narrow it down further by dividing Israel into twelve parts and recognizing that God has had something to say concerning each of the twelve. Not only have His prophecies concerning the nation been partially fulfilled, but His prophecies concerning each tribe have been partially fulfilled, and that makes it remarkable indeed. 

Click on the play button to hear the second part of a message about Jacob becoming the man of faith spoken of in the book of Hebrews as he shares God’s promises, blessing, and rewards to his sons. 

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

Amen.

PROMISES, BLESSINGS, AND REWARDS (Genesis 47:27 to 49:7)

PROMISES, BLESSINGS, AND REWARDS (Genesis 47:27 to 49:7)

The messages over the next two weeks will talk about the blessings that Jacob gave to his sons just before he died.  This section of verses includes the promises of Joseph to Jacob, and the promises of God to each of the sons of Jacob, in the same manner that we saw Abraham and Isaac give blessings to their sons.  

As we watch Jacob give out his blessings, the scene becomes a picture of a judgment seat, where actions are judged and rewards are given, or not given out.  In fact, it looks very much like the Judgment Seat of Christ.  All of these sons are a part of the chosen family, so their place in that family is secure.  They did not earn this place, but they were given this position by the grace of God. However, what is judged are the actions and the character of each son to determine the rewards and place in the Kingdom that they, and their descendants, will receive.  

Click on the play button to hear a message about Jacob becoming the man of faith spoken of in the book of Hebrews as he shares God’s promises, blessing, and rewards to his sons. 

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

Amen.