The Master‘s Class, LifeChange Church Wichita

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.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD SHEPHERD? (John 10:8-26)

What are the characteristics of a good shepherd? Does he take care of his flock? Does he lead them to pastures where they can find food? Does he protect them from those that would harm them? Does he teach the Bible as the inerrant Word of God? The answer should be, yes, to all of these. The pastor of a church is the under-shepherd of the flock, and he must have all the same characteristics that Jesus says He has as the Good Shepherd. Now, I want you to ask yourself, is that the kind of under-shepherd that you serve? If not, then you need to find another church with a better shepherd. Don’t wait, don’t hesitate. You go find a Bible believing, Christ follower, to be your under-shepherd.

This is the message that Jesus has been telling the Jewish people. Their religious leaders have failed to act as good under-shepherds of the fold of Israel. They have become full of pride and greed, teaching the people false scripture, burdening them with strict regulations, and turning them away from God and toward the religious establishment that Judaism had become.

Click on the link below to hear a message where Jesus will make three powerful statements. He will tell the pharisees how a Good Shepherd cares for His sheep, contrasting His own behavior with that of theirs toward the fold. Jesus will also proclaim Himself as the Son of God, and then He declares that He is the only way to find eternal life. Big, powerful, Biblical doctrines are in today’s message.

Amen.

JESUS AS THE GOOD SHEPHERD (John 9:39-10:7)

Where do you feel the safest? At home? That is generally the answer we give to that question, and it is because that is where we spend most of our time, it where we keep most of our possessions, and it is where our loved ones live with us. It is also the reason we feel so emotionally impacted when a robber comes in to violate that safe space. It is not just the things that they take, it is that they remove that feeling of security we feel within the walls of that safe space. Once that feeling of security is violated, you may want to fortify your home, put in better locks, stronger doors, or get a burglar alarm. I know if it happens in my house, my first reaction will be to stand guard at the doorway of my home as the protector of my loved ones who live in that house with me. I believe that is the role God gives the husband, to be the protector of the people that God has put in his life, and I would give my life in order to keep them safe.

Click on the link below to hear a message about that safe place we have in our spiritual lives. That place where we feel protected. Jesus is going to talk about being a good shepherd, one who puts His sheep in a secure place and stands at the door to protect them from those who would come to steal and to rob the flock.

Amen.

WHO IS JESUS CHRIST TO YOU? (John 8:24-41)

This is the single most important question that each of us must answer. No other question has your eternal destiny in the balance. It is the one question that Jesus will look at when you stand before Him to be Judged.

John 5:22-24
22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
KJV

Today’s message is one with three powerful statements by our Lord Jesus.

The first one is a declaration that Jesus is God, and if you fail to believe that He is God, then you will die in your sins.

John 8:24
24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
KJV

The second is that if you truly accept Jesus, the Son of God, as the Lord and Master or your life, then that truth will set you free from the bondage of sin.

John 8:31-32
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
KJV

The third statement is that if you commit sin, then you are the slave of sin. If you do the works of Satan, then you are the slave of Satan.

John 8:34
34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
KJV

With these three statements, Jesus Christ is laying out the gospel message of the Bible right here in this set of verses. These are powerful statements that are meant to convict the hearts of each of us.

Click on the link below to hear a powerful testimony as to who Jesus Christ is. Jesus declares Himself to be God. You may want to call Jesus a good man, a prophet, a teacher, or a healer, but until you call Him God, Jesus says “that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” If you refuse to accept Jesus as God, then you are still without a passport to an eternity in heaven. Deny Jesus as God, and you will spend an eternity burning in the fires of Hell. Is just doesn’t get any plainer, any more powerful, than that.

Amen.

JESUS IS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD (John 8:12-24)

When Bible talks about Jesus being the light of the world it has several meanings, but essentially it means that Jesus is God. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the light of the world? If not, then how long have you been rejecting Jesus as the light of the world? How many times do you believe that the Holy Spirit will stand knocking on the door of your heart asking to come in? Everyone wants to believe they have forever to decide about Jesus, but the truth is, that there comes a time in everyone’s life when their refusal to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, becomes final, and the Holy Spirit walks away never to return. When this happens, the eternal destiny of that person is sealed forever.

Click on the link below to hear a message on how Jesus is the light of the world, and how the rejection of that truth will cause God to leave you to die in your sins.

Amen.

GAINING VICTORY OVER SATAN (Revelation 12:11-17)

We are studying a period in the future called the Tribulation Period. It is a time which begins after the church is raptured out to meet the Lord in the air. It is a seven-year period of great tribulation and chaos. It is filled with war, disease, famine, and overwhelming demonic activity. During this Tribulation Period, Israel has many earthly foes, but Israel’s biggest enemy is Satan. John describes him as the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan. He is called a dragon, because he is so fierce. He is called a serpent, because he is so subtle. He is called the devil. The word devil means accuser because he is the accuser of the brethren. He is called Satan. The word Satan means adversary. Israel is in a spiritual fight with Satan.

As believers in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are also in a spiritual fight with Satan. Satan has a plan to destroy your witness. He has a battle strategy to defeat you as you do the work that God has given you to do.

In our message today, John speaks of the saints of the Tribulation Period when he says, And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Satan, who is cast out of heaven once and for all, now is here upon the earth. He is filled with violent rage. He knows that things are closing in on him. He's like a cornered animal. He begins to fight against the saints with an intensity that he's never known before, and so there is a battle on earth during the Tribulation Period.

And even though, Satan and his minions, the Antichrist and the false prophet, slaughter untold millions upon millions of people, Satan does not defeat these saints. Instead, the saints gained victory over Satan. And what I want you to see in our message today is that John gives us the three-part formula that the saints used to gain this victory over Satan. And the wonderful thing about this message is that you can use that formula today in this age, or in any age to lead a victorious Christian life by defeating Satan’s plan for your life.

Click on the link below to hear a message on how you can gain victory over Satan in your life by the blood of the Lamb, the word of your testimony, and loving not your life even if it means you must die for Christ.

Amen.

ISRAEL'S SATANIC FOE (Revelation 12:3-12)

God has not turned His back on Israel. He has not forgotten them, and He has not abrogated any of the promises that He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Every promise that God has made, God will fulfill completely, and He will fulfill it just as He planned to do so from the foundation of time. God’s plan is on schedule, and that plan includes God’s chosen people, the people of Israel. Israel is God's yardstick. Israel is God's measuring rod. Israel is God's blueprint, and Israel is God's program for what He is doing in the world. Each of us stand here today blessed because of Israel. The Bible that I hold dear to me is a Jewish book. I serve a Jewish Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. And God has made Abraham a blessing to all the nations of the world.

Yet, the nation Israel has a satanic foe. Chapter 12 of the Book of Revelation describes this foe as a great red dragon. John says that he is red because of his bloodlust. He is a murderer. He is called a dragon, because he's so fierce. He is called a serpent, because he's so subtle. He is called the devil, and the word devil means accuser because he's the accuser of the brethren. He is also called Satan, and the word Satan means adversary. Satan hates Jesus, and he hates the Jew. As Bible believing Christians, we are to love Jesus, and we are to love the Jew, if for no other reason than the fact that Satan hates them.

Satan is indeed a powerful foe, but he is also a defeated foe. Jesus Christ defeated Satan when He died on the cross and then rose victoriously from the grave. Satan is on his way down, and all those who follow him will go down with him. First, Satan was cast down from his lofty place in heaven where he was the anointed cherub, ministering praise to God, but still given access to heaven in order to accuse the brethren. Yet there is a time coming when even that limited access is taken from Satan and he's cast down to the earth. And then he's going to be cast into the bottomless pit, the abyss. Then, he's going to be taken out of the abyss and put into the lowest hell, and that's where he will spend eternity and he won't be ruling there in hell. He won’t be in charge of anything down there. He will simply be in the worst kind of torment, for all of eternity.

The one who said, I will exalt myself above the stars of God, will be brought down into the lowest hell. When Satan fell, he took a third of the angels with him. Every one of those angels, that chose to follow Satan, is going to be brought down to the lowest hell with him. Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels. God did not make hell for you. God made hell for the devil and the devil's angels. That tells me if you do go to hell, then you will be an intruder there. You will be going someplace you were not meant to go to, for Hell was not made for you. But if you chose to follow Satan, instead of Christ, then just like these angels, that will be your destiny. Why in the world would you choose to follow a loser? I have made my choice, and I am following the Lord Jesus Christ. I hope you have made your choice for the Lord as well.

Click on the link below to learn about Israel’s satanic foe, and how you can defeat him and live a victorious Christian life.

Amen.

JESUS CHRIST AS KING (Revelation 11:14 to 12:2)

There is a time coming in the future when heaven will open up and the people of the world will see Jesus Christ crowned as King of kings, and Lord of lords. Jesus Christ is coming to this world to establish His Kingdom on earth. Satan has been trying to establish this kingdom since the beginning of mankind, but all of his efforts have failed. Yet, there is a time that Jesus Christ will come to this earth to rule the whole world. It is important to understand that the Lord is not coming to be given a simple constitutional monarchy. Rather, it will be absolute, untrammeled, unhindered power. It will not be granted to Him by some decree issued by a group of men. No church will grant Him this reign. It will be taken, and imposed upon the earth, by the absolute power of God.

Heaven's ideal form of government for earth is a totalitarian monarchy with complete power vested in the Person of the Lord Jesus. When Jesus Christ comes to set up His Kingdom on earth, that is what it will be, and nothing, or no one, will be able to stand in His way.

Click on the link below to hear a message on the great power of our Lord Jesus.

Amen.

THERE IS NO PROMISE TOO HARD FOR GOD TO KEEP PART II (Revelation 7:1-8)

This Biblical truth is important to all believers because it gives us assurance that when God says something in His word about the future of the world, the future of the heavens, the future of the lost, and especially the future of believers, we can trust that it is true. That what God says, God will do. This allows us to stop worrying about the future and focus on the task that God has for us to accomplish to move His purposes and plans along.

We are to be looking for and hasting the day of God, which is that day when Christ completes all that He is to do and delivers the kingdom to the Father so that God can be all in all. We are to be working on witnessing and bringing lost souls to Christ, that is our purpose and that is our reason for being here. Not all of us are evangelists, but all of us have a role to play, and a story to tell about how real God is in our lives, and what He has done for us.

We cannot be bashful about praising our Lord, for people want to hear that God is real and working in this world. This is the missing element in so many people’s lives. Man was created to worship God, and when they do not, they have a hole in their lives. They know something is missing and so they try to fill it with all kinds of things, and yet there is still a hole. It is our testimony that can help them find the Lord Jesus Christ to fill that hole.

Click on the link below to learn how one way that God fulfills His promise to Abraham that all of the families of the earth will be blessed by the children of Israel. God chooses 144,000 Jews from each of the 12 tribes of Israel, He seals them, and they become His servants to spread the gospel message of Christ during a time of Great Tribulation. There is no promise too hard for God. Amen.

WHY BRING TRIBULATION (Revelation 6:1)

Our lesson today begins in chapter 6 of the Book of Revelation, and what we will see in this chapter is that the world is on a collision course with judgment by God. That may not be a socially acceptable message, and some of the more sensitive of our society are probably running for their safe spaces right about now, but it is certainly true.

So, when I say that the world is on a collision course with judgment by God, what does that mean? Many people think that judgment only involves the active stance a judge takes when he delivers a sentence to the guilty person. But a judge can also take a passive stance, letting the chips fall where they may and allowing the consequences of one’s behavior to serve as the judgement. This passive stance is how God will judge the world in these next few chapters. There will come a time for God to take the active stance of condemning those who have rejected Him. But first, God will simply let the world have its own way.

Think about it. How hard has the world been trying to deny the existence of God? How hard have they rebelled against God’s morality, and divine truths about right and wrong? How hard have they persecuted Christ’s followers trying to eradicate them from the face of the earth? How hard have they tried to deny that Christ is the Son of God, that He was born of a virgin, and that He died on the cross for the sins of the world? That He was buried and rose, bodily, from the grave, and then ascended into heaven, promising that one day He would return to reign in power forever an ever? How hard have they tried to prove that none of these things are true?

One of God’s methods of judging the world during the Tribulation Period will be to simply let the world have its way. Ironically, when the world gets what it wants, it will not want what it gets. Jesus describes the Tribulation Period as containing such horrible events beyond anything that has happened in the entire history of mankind.

So why would a loving God allow such horrible things to happen?

Click on the link below to learn that the answer to that question is to bring God’s chosen people, the Israelites, back to Him, and to restore them to their position in His Kingdom. The Tribulation Period is about the Jews, not the church.