The Master‘s Class, LifeChange Church Wichita

HOW TO HAVE A SPIRIT FILLED LIFE (Ephesians 5:18)

HOW TO HAVE A SPIRIT FILLED LIFE (EPHESIANS 5:18)

I want you to imagine a man who buys a car.  Now, this man has never owned a car before, and he doesn’t understand anything about a car. But finally, he gets enough money to buy a brand-new car. And so, he is very happy with this car. He shows it off to his friends. He shows them the beautiful paint job. He shows them the soft upholstery. He has them sit in the car and listen to the stereo music.  He shows them all of the amenities of this car. 

But there is one thing he doesn’t understand about it: he doesn’t understand that it has an engine in it.  And so, everywhere he goes, he has to push it. Now, every so often, he is going downhill so he can get in and coast, but that doesn’t thrill him too much because he knows he is going to have to push it up the next hill. And this car that is supposed to be a blessing to him has become a burden to him. And rather than it carrying him, he is pushing it. He is very proud of it, very grateful to have it—most of the time. But sometimes he wishes he didn’t have it at all.

And then, somebody says to him, “You know, there is something you don’t understand about this car,” and they show him a thing called the ignition button on the dash, and they say, “Push that button right there.” And he pushes it and hears this surge of power. He says, “What is that?” “Well, that is the engine. That is the motor. Now put it in drive, and push that pedal down there.” And when he does, it roars away in a surge of power. And he says, “Wow, this is wonderful! This is glorious! Why didn’t somebody tell me this sooner?”

You say, “Now, bro. Keith, really, that is kind of dumb. I mean, that is a stupid story. Nobody could be that dumb.” And you’re right, unless it is the Christian who does not understand the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  Now, when God saved you, God gave you a faith with an engine in it. And there are many people who are pushing their faith, rather than letting their faith carry them. And the faith—the salvation—that was meant to be a blessing, has almost become a burden to them. And they’re grateful they’re saved, but secretly, they think, “This being a Christian is such a difficult thing to do.”

Well, today, I want us to discover the ignition button to this thing called Christianity.

Click on the play button to hear a message on how the Bible teaches clearly that being filled with the Holy Spirit is a requirement for living a victorious Christian life.  

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

Amen.

THE OPPORTUNITY OF TIME (Ephesians 5:13-18)

THE OPPORTUNITY OF TIME (EPHESIANS 5:13-18)

The word “opportunity” implies there are things to lose or gain, and that is what our lesson is about today, “The Opportunity of Time.”

Paul writes, “Redeeming the time,” which speaks of the days, the hours, and the minutes.  But, more than that, it really speaks of the opportunities that we have.  Because, you need to see time, not just as something that is passing, but you need to see time as an incredible opportunity. And when you are redeeming time, what you are really redeeming is opportunity.

God has provided for you an opportunity. It is God who is the creator of time. God’s great gift to you, number one is Jesus, and number two is time. God has given you time to work, time to serve, time to love, time to laugh, time to labor. But, like any gift, how you use it, is really up to you. And we need to see every day, this day and every day, as a gift from God.  Time is something that God gave you today, and God will give you tomorrow. It is not something that you own. God is the creator, the possessor, of time.  Therefore, I am a steward of the time that God has given me. And one day I will have to answer to God for what I did with this day, and every day, that God has given me. Twenty-four hours in the day, 1,440 minutes in the day, 86,000 seconds in the day—and every one of them is a precious gift from God.  I want to show you from God’s Word how to take time, and use time, and maximize your time for God’s glory, as we face the road ahead. 

Click on the play button to hear a message on how to live in the eternal now. Cut yourself loose from yesterday. Last year, with its heartaches and its failures, is gone. Forget those things which are behind. Confess them to the Lord, and bury them in the grave of God’s forgetfulness. Tomorrow is a time nowhere but on the fool’s calendar. Stop saying, “If I had the time …” You do have the time; use it. And if you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, the Bible says, “Behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2) Now is the time to be saved.

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

Amen.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE GOD MAKES (Ephesians 4:17-27)

WHAT A DIFFERENCE GOD MAKES (EPHESIANS 4:17-27)

The Bible teaches us that the behavior of a true Christ follower is to be radically different from that of the person who does not know Christ as their Lord and Savior.  That difference is God.  That difference is the light, the strength, the presence, the comfort, and the wisdom, among many other things, that God provides to His children, to those who call Jesus Christ, Lord of their lives.  

In our message today, Paul reminds us of the blindness of lost people.  He reminds us that no follower of Christ should let such earthly minded, secular, and lost, people influence what they believe, or how they behave.  People who are outside of Christ simply cannot think straight on moral and spiritual issues. They may articulate the issues, but they leave out the spiritual dimensions because they are blind to them. Therefore, they cannot come to any true conclusions

Man was created to be inhabited by God. God intended for the human spirit to be inhabited by the Holy Spirit. The indwelling Holy Spirit was to enlighten the intellect, elevate the emotions, and energize the will.  As a result, the life of man would express, in human terms, the life of God. The fall ruined all that. Sin entered and the Holy Spirit left. Without the life of the indwelling Holy Spirit, the natural man is spiritually dead, “alienated from the life of God.”

The genius of the gospel is that when we accept Christ as Savior, we are cleansed by His blood and regenerated by His Spirit. The Holy Spirit takes up residence in the human spirit, making it possible for the saved person to have fellowship with God.  They can now cooperate with the Holy Spirit, and begin to live the kind of life that God intended man to live—a life governed by the Spirit of God. 

The understanding of unsaved people is darkened because they are cut off from the life of God.  Their spirit is empty, and darkened, because the Holy Spirit does not live within their spirit.  As a result, they are ignorant of the things of God.  This is the cause of their deep-seated, inner blindness. It is a vicious circle. The darkness is self-perpetuating. The lost move from darkness to darkness in darkness.

Click on the play button to hear a message on the dramatic, radical, difference God can make in your life.

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

Amen.

TO BE FAITHFUL IN MINISTRY (Ephesians 4: 7 to 16)

TO BE FAITHFUL IN MINISTRY (EPHESIANS 4:7-16)

In today’s lesson we are going to talk about how you can be faithful in your work for God, in whatever ministry God has chosen for you to do.  God has a purpose for you in this world, and the Bible promises that God will give you the power, the spiritual gifts, that you need to accomplish that purpose.  

Charles Spurgeon, one of the greatest, and most influential, Baptist preachers that has ever lived, told a story one time. He told of a woman who had been a member of his congregation.  This woman was very poor, and she lived in what they called “the poor house” in those days. And Spurgeon went to visit her to give her some comfort and some help. And when he was there in her room, he looked up on the wall, and there he saw framed a certificate, a piece of paper, and it was a legal document. And so, he went over and read it. And it was a document transferring great wealth to this woman. She didn’t know what it was. She had framed it and put it on her wall. What had happened is this: that she had served as a nurse and had taken care of an elderly man, and when he died, he left her his estate.  But, she couldn’t read so she didn’t know what it was. She was untaught, unlearned. When, finally, the bank learned about it, they said, “We wondered who the old gentlemen left his estate to.”

When the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, He left you an incredible giftedness.  And it may be that you have not yet discovered what you have in the Lord Jesus.  So, I want to talk to you today about your spiritual gift. Could it be that you have it framed as a motto on the wall, rather than having carried it to the bank to cash it and use it? Or could it be that you have left your gift under the tree, wrapped and unopened and, therefore, unappreciated? When God saved you, God saved you by His grace, but God did not save you to sit, soak, and sour; God saved you to serve. And you are saved by grace, and you serve by grace.  You are a gifted child of God.

Click on the play button to hear a message on how you can learn what your spiritual gift is, and how you can develop and display your gift.  If you are a born-again believer, then you are a person who has been gifted by grace,

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

Amen.

FAITH WITH LEGS ON IT (Ephesians 4:1-6)

FAITH WITH LEGS ON IT (EPHESIANS 4:1-6)

The Bible says that we are called to a vocation, and that vocation is “a worthy walk.’ We are called to walk worthy. That is, our faith is to have legs on it. It is not enough just to simply be seated with the Lord Jesus Christ in the heavenlies. That is our faith, but we are called to have a faith with legs on it, or what the Holy Spirit calls “a worthy walk.”

The Christian life begins with resting. The very first thing that you need to do in order to be saved is to quit trying and start trusting.  To quit your struggling.  To quit trying to be good by doing.  Christianity is not spelled “d-o.”; it is spelled “d-o-n-e.”  The work of salvation is already finished.  When God created the world, God worked for six days, and God rested on the seventh day.  Not because He was tired, but because His work was completed.  But man was created on the sixth day, and man’s first day was a day of rest. God worked and then rested, God completed His work, that man might rest and then work. 

Man starts by resting, and then he works. God works and then rests, that man might rest and then work.  When Jesus Christ died upon the cross, He bowed His head and He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). And you and I, by faith, enter into the finished work of Calvary. I don’t try to be saved by living a good life, keeping the Ten Commandments, getting baptized, going to church, and all of those things. They are all good, and they all have their place.  But, those things are works, and works cannot save. The only thing that saves us is when we by faith appropriate the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so, first of all, the Christian life begins with sitting, resting in the completed work of Salvation of our Lord Jesus.  But then, after we have come to the faith rest, then, there is the practical outworking, where we start to walk. We are not told to leap. We are not told to run. We are not told to drift. But we are called to walk.

Click on the play button to hear a message on how a Christian is to live a life of faith, facing our day-to-day problems and trials, by walking one step at a time.  Walking with our eyes on Christ one step at a time.

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

Amen.

HOW TO PRAY FOR OUR LOVED ONES (Ephesians 3:8-21)

HOW TO PRAY FOR OUR LOVED ONES (EPHESIANS 3:8-21)

Today’s message is going to help us learn about intercession.  If you have loved ones, then certainly you want to learn the art of intercession, or prayer.  Let me tell you that I will use those two words, prayer and intercede, interchangeably.  Because that is what we are doing when we pray for somebody, we are interceding for them with God.  We are praying to God for them.   
There is nothing we can do for our friends, our children, our parents, our fellow members of the church, and even people we do not know personally, that is any nobler, any higher, any more wonderful, or any more effective, than to learn how to pray for them, how to intercede for them. 

As I was studying this week, there was a thought that hit me. It was so staggering that it almost consumed me. I mean, it almost drove me to my knees. It almost just overwhelmed me. I hesitate to tell you what the thought was because you’ll say, “Well, I knew that. You mean you’ve been teaching all these years and you just discovered that?” But, I want to tell you what the thought was. Now, don’t laugh when I tell you. Here’s what it was, and remember it was perhaps the most staggering thought I’ve ever had in my life: God answers prayer. Well, you say, “What’s the big deal?” Yeah, I knew it, too, but then I got to thinking, “Is that true?” I mean, is that more than just talk? Does God really answer prayer?

Now, if there is a God and He answers prayer—you think about it—that is staggering that I can touch the One who made the universe and bring Him into action through prayer. It just overwhelmed me, and I thought, “Oh God, knowing this is true, why don’t I pray more? Why don’t I learn to pray if God answers prayer?” What unmitigated fools we are if we don’t learn how to pray. And yet, there is a constant battle in my heart to pray more and a constant confession, “O God, have mercy on me. I’ve failed again in my prayer life.” 

Is that true about you sometimes?  If yes, then you will find something wonderful in this message.  Now, I pray, and I thank God for answered prayer.  I know that God hears my prayer and answers my prayer, but I am constantly condemned and constantly amazed that I don’t pray more and better than I do pray. I believe that when we get to heaven, one of the things that’s going to amaze us, and chagrin us, is that we prayed so poorly and prayed so little. 

Click on the play button to hear a message on how to pray for your loved ones.  

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

Amen.

GOD'S TRUTH REVEALED (Ephesians 3:1-12)

GOD’S TRUTH REVEALED (EPHESIANS 3:1-12)

In the book of Ephesians, Paul revealed a secret that God had kept to Himself. God had kept it hidden when He visited fallen man in Eden, when He talked with His friend Abraham, and when He gave the law to Moses. He told David, a man after His own heart, many things, but He did not tell him this secret. He spoke to Isaiah and Jeremiah, to Ezekiel and Daniel, but still He kept His secret. He did not tell the twelve minor prophets, and then He kept this burning secret for four more silent centuries.

Finally, God sent His Son, who was involved in the secret. Jesus dropped hints of it here and there, but He did not give it away. The day of Pentecost came, and the church was born. Peter preached, souls were saved, and the secret was out, but still men did not grasp it. So, God saved Saul, shared the secret with him, and said, “You tell the world.”

What was this secret?  God was going to create a church. He would baptize Jews and Gentiles into it, making no difference between them. That church would be the mystical body of Christ. He would raise it higher than angels. He would seat it with Himself in the heavenlies. It would share fully and forever all that Christ has. That church would be His crowning masterpiece. Creation itself, the showpiece of God’s eternal power and godhead, would pale before the everlasting splendors of the church.

Click on the play button to hear a message on the great truth of God, His Church, revealed.  

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

Amen.

THE GREAT DISPENSATIONAL CHANGE (Ephesians 2:11-22)

THE GREAT DISPENSATIONAL CHANGE (EPHESIANS 2:11-22)

Now, that is a great big word, dispensational.  So, what does it mean?  For purposes of studying the Bible, a dispensation is a period of time, and it defines how God deals with man during this time period, and how man interacts with God.  It has nothing to do with salvation, for salvation, throughout the Bible, has always been by God’s grace alone.  

When you think about it, those of us who were born and grew up in this age of Grace, take for granted the direct relationship we have with God, and the blessings of the Holy Spirit empowered life that we lead.  In today’s lesson, Paul is going to take us back in history and describe the relationship the Gentiles had with God prior to this great dispensational change.  And then he will describe the changes brought about by Calvary and Pentecost. 

Click on the play button to hear a message on how the church is the body of Christ, and in this body, all believers are equal members. There are no divisions based on denominations, racial origins, religious backgrounds, class distinctions, national boundaries, or color prejudices in the true church. All believers are equal members of this marvelous, mystical body. A new bond has been established.

The gospel reduces all people to the same level. All people are brought into the great equation of salvation through the same common denominator: repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

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

Amen.

A PRAYER FOR BELIEVERS (Ephesians 1:15 to 23)

A PRAYER FOR BELIEVERS (EPHESIANS 1:15-23)

In today’s lesson, we will be talking about Paul’s prayer for believers.  Paul rarely prayed for the things that make up most of our prayers.  Things like better health, more money, job conditions, family problems, and world crises.  I am not saying these are not important, but Paul prayed that people might know God better, that they might become better acquainted with Jesus.  It is when we are closer to Christ, and know Him more, that many of these problems we face on earth are less important.  For our trust is in Christ to deal with our needs, as He has promised to do.

God has revealed Himself in two ways, in the inspired Word and the incarnate Word. He has said what He is like in the one, and He has shown what He is like in the other. Our responsibility is to get to know Him by getting to know the Scriptures and the Savior. There is no greater, or more important, occupation that we can have here on earth.

Paul prayed that his fellow believers might have a spirit of wisdom and revelation and that they might be occupied in gaining knowledge of God. “Get to know Him” is Paul’s basic answer to all of life’s problems and questions. Knowing God would solve most of the present-day problems that cause people to run to the psychologist or the family counselor. Knowing God would affect how people cope with all areas of life, for the Almighty God of all Creation has an abundant supply of wisdom, power, and answers for all of our needs, trials, and tribulations.  Best of all, is that He wants to share them with us.

Click on the play button to hear a message where Paul describes what he most desires for the believer to know and understand about God.  

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

Amen.

THE WORK OF REDEMPTION (Ephesians 1:7-14)

THE WORK OF REDEMPTION (EPHESIANS 1:7-14)

In today’s message, we will be talking about the work that God, in all three parts, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, did to obtain our salvation, to redeem us, completely forgiven for our sins.  It is a wonderful story of God’s love, and God’s grace, that He would sacrifice so much so that we might have redemption from the sins that stain our soul.  It is a story of the completed work of redemption, and eternal life, that is ours if we make Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

It was God’s eternal counsel that the Lord Jesus should first give His life for us at Calvary, and then give His life to us. 

Eph 1:7
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
KJV

God the Father, planned our salvation by grace and not works.  It was His idea that God the Son, Jesus Christ, would go to the cross to die and then be risen to walk in life and victory over death.  It is because Jesus came to this earth as a God incarnate in man that The Father now sees us in the Beloved. He looks at us and sees Christ. No angel among the heavenly hosts has more acceptance than we.

Paul states, “The forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.”  Notice that word “grace.”  Paul uses it again and again in his letters.  For, our redemption is by grace, God’s unlimited grace. Grace is unmerited favor. It is getting something we don’t deserve. Paul strikes this note over and over. Paul tells us that there is more of God’s grace to follow, an unending supply, when he talks of the “The forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.”

We can thank God that He is rich in grace.  God has revealed Himself to be a God of infinite power, a God of infallible wisdom, a God of inflexible holiness, and a God of unlimited grace!  Amen, hallelujah, and praise the Lord.

Click on the play button to hear a message on the wonderful work of redemption, that God did to provide a completed salvation, if you will only accept 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.