The Master‘s Class, LifeChange Church Wichita

REVELATION OF GRACE (Genesis 44:1 to 45:8)

REVELATION OF GRACE (Genesis 44:1 to 45:8)

One of the key promises of God that is found in the Bible is that for a multitude of sins, there are a multitude of mercies.  

Psalms 51:1
1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
KJV

God states, “according to thy lovingkindness.”  This means that God will never stop loving us because of the sin in our lives.  Our sin hurts God, because it is against God that we sin, but that does not cause God to stop loving us.  Did you know that God does not love us because we are valuable; we are valuable because God loves us.  Know also that God does not love us because we are good.

Romans 5:8
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
KJV

This is important for us to know because we need to have this confidence that no matter what we have done, God loves us.  This tells us that there is nothing you can do to make God love you any more, and there is nothing you can do to make God love you any less.  He simply loves you.

A man put the following ad in the Lost and Found section of the paper: “Lost Dog.  Crippled in front paw, blind in left eye, mange on back and neck, tail missing.  Recently neutered.  Answers to the name Lucky.”  And he was a lucky dog.  I’ll tell you why, in spite of all the stuff that was wrong with him, somebody loved him enough to want him.  You know we are better than a lucky dog, we are blessed dogs.  

Click on the play button to hear a message on how God loves us out of sheer grace.  I want you to have this confidence:  God loves you with an everlasting love.  No matter what you have done, no matter what is wrong with you, God loves you.  That is the sheer grace of God.  

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

Amen.

CONVICTION (Genesis 42:29 to 43:34)

CONVICTION (Genesis 42:29 to 43:34)

The story of Joseph and his brothers is a picture of the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.  For the lost soul does not fully know God, or His Son, and most of all they do not know what Jesus did for them.  Lying between them are the terrible sins that they have committed.  How can anyone ever bridge that gap?  They do not know that Jesus has already provided them with a finished salvation, that it is there if they will accept it.  God knows that the lost soul is not ready for the full revelation of grace that He wants to make to them.  God allows the Holy Spirit to perform the work of conviction to bring them to a point of decision, just as He is with these brothers.  

Sometimes you may feel that when you sin that God is just going to toss you away.  Absolutely not, God won’t toss you off, but He will just squeeze all the tighter.  And this pressure affects how you look at life, it affects your emotions, it affects your psyche, and it affects your health.  One of the consequences of sin is that it depresses your heart, and there is no joy, no gladness.  Sin is often fun while you are doing it, but it is what comes afterward that depresses us.

Don’t mistake happiness for joy.  There is a difference between happiness and joy.  Happiness depends on what happens; that’s why we call it happiness.  When something good happens, you’re happy; when something bad happens, you’re unhappy.  You are not supposed to be happy all of the time.  To be happy all of the time would be like having ice cream for every meal.

Jesus was a man of sorrows; Jesus wept.  He was not happy all of the time, but He was full of joy.  When Jesus was facing Calvary, He was full of Joy.  The joy of the Lord is constant, and the joy of the Lord is your strength.  Happiness is like a thermometer; it registers conditions.  Joy is like a thermostat; it controls conditions. When happiness and joy are together it is a really wonderful time.  When happiness is gone, joy becomes all the more important.  And sometimes God gives you joy, not to take away the pain, but to help you bear it.  And in the midst of excruciating pain, there can be supernatural joy.  

Click on the play button to hear a message about how God convicts us of our sin so that we can have God's joy in our lives. 

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

Amen.

WHAT WAS ONCE HIDDEN, BECOMES KNOWN (Genesis 41:53 to 42:28)

WHAT WAS ONCE HIDDEN, BECOMES KNOWN (Genesis 41:53 to 42:28)

Have you ever had a sin that you buried in your past and never dealt with God about it?  No matter how hard you tried to forget it, did it just keep coming up from your subconscious mind to your conscious mind?  During the day when I have lots of other things to keep my mind focused on, I do okay, I can forget about them for a while.  But, whenever I get someplace away from all of the hustle and bustle of the day, like when I am in bed trying to go to sleep, that is when all those things that I have kept buried all day long come out as things I need to worry about.  

Now, as a believer, the devil will try to accuse you of sins that have already been forgiven.  He does it just to make you feel guilty.  Yet, the Bible tells us it is wrong to feel guilty about something you have already been forgiven for, and have had that sin cleansed by the blood of Jesus.  But there is a difference between the accusations of the devil and the convictions of the Holy Spirit of God.  

Conviction is the Holy Spirit saying, “This and this and this you have done,” and like a good doctor, He’ll put his finger right on the sore spot, and He will push.  He will call it by name and want you to confess it and be cleansed.  And once it is cleansed, it is so wonderful.  You will know the conviction of the Holy Spirit because He will be specific in His convictions of your heart.  

Did you know that if you are child of God and you sin, spiritually you’re going to feel dirty?  And if you don’t feel dirty when you sin, then you need to ask yourself if you’ve ever been saved.  If you have ever truly asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins, and made Him you Lord and Savior.  No pig has ever said, “Woe is me, I’m dirty.”  For a pig has no concept of being dirty because that is his element.  The child of God realizes that he is dirty when he sins, because he knows what it is to be clean.  If you are a child of God, and you’ve sinned, then you have felt that.  I want to say this again, just so there is no mistake, if you can sin and don’t feel dirty and grimy, spiritually, you need to ask yourself: “Have I ever been saved? Do I really know the Lord”

Click on the play button below to hear a message on the consequences of sin in the life of a believer.

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.

THE FAITH OF JOSEPH (Genesis 39:1 to 40:23)

THE FAITH OF JOSEPH (Genesis 39:1 to 40:23) 

In today’s message we will discover that Joseph is a very different person than his brothers were.  The single biggest difference in Joseph’s life is that he is a man of faith.  Joseph distinguishes himself as something in the world, but different from the world.  When people see him, they notice something different about him, and they are drawn to him.  People are not drawn to failure, or to those who are walking around with despair hanging like a cloud above them.  To be an effective witness for God you have to have something that people want; they see your ability to handle trials in your life, your calmness in a storm, and your faith in the promises of God.  They see something that they do not have, they see something different in you.

Joseph had every reason to just give up in despair; to simply hide in a corner and weep.  Joseph was sold into slavery because of the hatred and animosity of his brothers.  And to be a slave in a foreign country is a life that is described as a slow death.  It was certainly a bleak prospect for a seventeen–year–old boy.  Joseph would have had to look hard to find anything to bring encouragement to his heart.  

There is no person in the Old Testament in whose life the purpose of God is more clearly seen than Joseph. The providence of God is manifest in every detail of his life.  The hand of God is upon him and the leading of the Lord is evident.

The question of why God allows trials in our lives, is one of the hardest lessons we face as believers, but it is also the thing that strengthens our faith in the power, and protection, of an almighty God that loves us and is gracious to us.  

Click on the play button below to hear a message on how each step of Joseph’s life prepared him for the role that God had for him.  If we are the children of God, in the will of God, then we can have the assurance of God, that nothing comes to us without His permission. 

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

Amen.

GOD'S PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE (Genesis 37:1 to 39:3)

GOD’S PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE (Genesis 37:1 to 39:3)

Let me start this blog by making a statement and you tell me if you believe it or not.  Are you ready? God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.  Now, do you believe that?  Well, I want to tell you, that without a doubt, God has a wonderful plan for your life. God has a divine destiny for you. And, what a shame it would be if you missed it. Today, I want you to think with me on this subject, “God’s plan for your life.”

Now, I’m not just saying that God has a plan for Abraham’s life, or Joseph’s.  Certainly, God had a plan for their lives, but God also has a plan for your life. Yes, even you.  God has a wonderful destiny for you, and I don’t want you to miss it.  Even in your old age, God has a plan for your life.  Otherwise, you would not still be here on this earth, for there would be no purpose in it, and God has a purpose in all that He does.  And, I believe as we study the life of Joseph today, we are going to find some things about his life that we can certainly apply to ours as we learn how to know God’s Plan for Your Life.

Click on the play button below to hear a message on how you can discover God’s plan for you. How you can let God give you a plan and a purpose for your life. I’m not talking about something you cooked up, but be in contact with God so however God wants to speak to you, He can. And, I believe the way that God wants to speak to New Testament Christians is presentation plus transformation equals revelation, that we might know the things that God has prepared for us.

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.

JOSEPH THE BELOVED SON (Genesis 35:16 to 37:17)

JOSEPH, THE BELOVED SON (Genesis 35:16 to 37:17)

One quarter of the book of Genesis is devoted to Joseph.  God describes the creation of the universe in just five words when He said “He made the stars also;” but He uses chapter after chapter to tell the story of a man that is not even in the direct lineage of Christ.  Actually, more chapters are devoted to Joseph than to Abraham, or to Isaac, or to anyone else. More chapters are devoted to Joseph than to the whole first 2,000 year period of man’s existence from Genesis chapters 1–11. This should cause the thoughtful student to pause and ask why Joseph should be given such prominence in Scripture.

There are probably several reasons. One is that the life of Joseph is a good and honorable life.  God wants us to have whatever is good, virtuous, and great, before us, and Joseph’s life is just that.  The second reason is that Joseph was a true man of faith.  Joseph was a prince among a world of men.  The faith of Joseph was an undying faith.  Joseph’s faith was a faith that believed despite adverse circumstances.  The interesting thing about Joseph is that he had faith in the dream which was given to him, faith while in the pit into which he was placed, faith all the while he was in Egypt, and faith was what buoyed him up through all the problems in his life. Joseph believed that God was going to give the Promised Land to his family.  Joseph believed in the impossible: that God would move his people back to the land promised to Abraham.  Therefore, he commanded that his bones be taken back when the nation of his family returned to the land.  And when the children of Israel left Egypt, they took up his bones and buried them at Shechem in the Samaritan country.

There is a third reason that God would spend this much time on Joseph, and it is a great one. There is no one in Scripture who is more like Christ in his person and experiences than Joseph. Yet, nowhere in the New Testament is Joseph given to us as a type of Christ. However, the parallel cannot be accidental.

Click on the play button attached to this message to hear a message on one of the most famous men in the Bible, Joseph, and listen to how Christ is revealed to us in this man’s life.

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

Amen.

LEARNING TO LEAN ON JESUS (Genesis 32:1-28)

LEARNING TO LEAN ON JESUS (Genesis 32:1-28)

The title of the message today is “Learning to lean on Jesus.” Now, in order to learn how to lean on Jesus, there is a battle that each of us will face, and it is a battle that I hope you are going to lose.  It is that battle that we will be talking about today. 

We have been studying about the man Jacob and how God loved him.  Why did God love Jacob? It is for the same reason that He loves you. God did not love Jacob for what he was, but for what He knew He could make out of him. For, in spite of all of his faults, Jacob had a heart for God.  The question that you need to ask yourself today is, do you have a heart for God?

Secondly, I want you to notice that God did not change Jacob so that He could love him; He loved Jacob in order to change him. And I’m so glad that God loves us today. With all of our weaknesses and with all of our faults, God sees something in us that He wants to make out of us. And so, He just loves us, and He keeps working with us. Thank God for His infinite, marvelous patience.

God wants us to come to a place of total, absolute, dependence upon Him.  Most of us have never come to that place. Most of us still have enough Jacob in us to say, “Well, we hope He’ll bless us, but if He doesn’t, we’ll figure out a way. We’ll figure out a way somehow.” 

God had to bring Jacob to a point where he was leaning on Jesus instead of his on self-confidence.  It is the place that God wants to bring every one of us to. Paul said we are those who “have no confidence in the flesh.” (Philippians 3:3) 

Do you know what most people want to learn? Self-confidence. You go into any bookstore, and there will be a wall of books on self-confidence.  Having self-confidence sounds so good that to speak against self-confidence sounds terrible.  But, the Bible tells us that the one thing we don’t need, is self-confidence.  Ok, when you hear me say that, right away your mind threw up a wall and you said, “Oh, yes, we do”—“yes, we do.” Everybody wants that self-confidence. We’ve been taught everywhere that we have got to have self-confidence.

Yet, Paul tells us that, “[We] have no confidence in the flesh.” (Philippians 3:3)  We have no confidence in self.  Now, understand that I am not saying you should not have confidence, but, if you are going to have confidence, then you just have it in Jesus, have confidence in the Lord.  That doesn’t mean that you are going to go around like a doormat. You go around like a real person.  If your confidence is in Jesus, then you will really have confidence.  Jesus is someone you can have real confidence in.  Jesus is someone that you can truly lean on.

Click on the play button to hear a message on how God is battling with you to learn how to lean on Jesus.  I hope you lose this most important battle with the Lord. This is a battle you cannot afford to win. And when God the Holy Spirit is striving with you today, why don’t you just throw in the towel and say, “Lord, I’ll not let you go except you bless me,” and no longer be dependent upon the flesh.

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

Amen.