The Master‘s Class, LifeChange Church Wichita

WOULD YOU RECOGNIZE JESUS? (John 1:10-13)

If Jesus walked up to you today, dressed in the current millennial age fashion, narrow pant legs, long pointy shoes, hair trimmed short on the sides and bushy on top, would you know Him? Why not? Because He didn’t look like the images from the paintings we are all familiar with, in long white robes, sandals, long hair and a beard? Is it because He wasn’t what you had been taught to expect by the media, by teachers, preachers, and religious tradition?

What if He went over to a park courtyard and started teaching out of the Word of God with great insight? Would that be enough to make you think He was Jesus?

What if a sick person came up to Him and He healed them? Would that be enough to make you think He was Jesus?

What if He claimed to be the Son of God? Would that be enough to convince you?

Would you ask Him for a sign to convince you that He was truly Jesus? That is what the Jews did.

Matt 12:38-39
38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.
39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
KJV

In the Book of Revelation, it tells us that Jesus will come for us at the Rapture and that will we meet Him in the air. It also gives us a description of what the Lord looks like in His resurrected form, full of glory and power. So, that is what we are expecting, that is the Lord that we are expecting, but what if, and there is nothing in the Bible to say that this will occur, I am just making an illustration here, what if the Lord chose to come speak to you one day as you were on your way to work? Would you recognize Him?

Our lesson today is about how Jesus came to this earth, and some recognized Him for who He was, and others rejected Him. Now, reading this with 20/20 hindsight, we can be pretty quick to judge those who did not recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah. But the question is, if you were a Jew living in that day, would you recognize Jesus for who He was?

Click on the link below to hear a message on how the light of the world, Jesus Christ, came to the world that He had created, and they knew Him not.

Amen.

WE ARE CHRIST'S CANDLE (John 1:5-9)

Today’s message is about our role, as born again believers in Christ, of being a candle for Christ. We have been commanded by our Lord to allow His light to shine through us. We are to be Christ’s candle for the world.

Mark 4:21
21 And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?
KJV

When you stop and think about it, a candle, in and of itself, really is a remarkable invention. When it was created, its whole purpose was to serve as a simple instrument for dispelling darkness. It enabled man to work, or rest, in the dark. It allowed him to see the dangers that used the darkness to prey upon him. If it was put into a lantern casing, it became a mobile source of light and protection as man traveled along the road. It guided man along the pathway or trail that he was following. If you placed the candle in front of a reflective surface you could focus the light and cast it out for greater distances enhancing the protection, and utility, that it gave.

Darkness, with all of its power to frighten and bewilder, is no match for the light. The faintest gleam, the smallest candle, will dispel the deepest darkness. The function of the candle is to provide the light that dispels that darkness. But notice that the candle performs this function at a great expense to itself. It has to give itself up to the flame and be consumed. The light of the sun and stars is provided on the same principle. As they shed their light upon us, they consume the energy that is within them.

Now, the Word of God tells us that in the spiritual realm, the Lord Jesus is the Light that dispels darkness. The light that He brings has been provided at an infinite cost. Yet, when we come to Him, He kindles that light in us. The fact that we are now His light bearers means that we, too, must pay the price of shining. Our light is not to be hidden. It is not a secret light. It is to be placed where it will be seen of men. Many people hate and resent the light of Christ and will try to extinguish it. On the other hand, many other people will be drawn to it.

It is important for us to understand that it is the light itself that is the miracle, we are just the candles. We are sowers, and we are light bearers. We are to be a light unto the world.

Click on the link below to hear a message on the role of a believer to be Christ’s candle to the world.

Amen.

JESUS IS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD (John 1:1-5)

John tells us that Jesus Christ is the light of the world when he says, “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” Jesus is the Light of the world, that is why He came to this earth as a Man, to be the Light of the World. The world was in darkness when He came, and it is even darker today because mankind rejected that Light. We are in a desperate condition, but, thank God there is Light. God’s light floods our hearts. Jesus, who turned a chaos into a cosmos at the creation of the heavens and the earth, turned the chaos of our lives into something wonderful when He made us a new creation.

John 8:12
12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
KJV

We have life everlasting only because of the light of Jesus Christ.

Click on the link below to hear a message on who Jesus Christ is and the impact that He can have in your life.

Amen.

GOSPEL OF JOHN INTRODUCTION (John 1:1-2)

The reason that John wrote this book is, “that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” John wanted you to know that Jesus was the Christ. John wanted you to know that the Man, who had no origin, no beginning, is the Son who comes out of eternity.

John wrote this book because so much was still unsaid. Based on the simplicity of the language that John uses, it is generally assumed that the Gospel of John is easy to understand. Often you hear the statement describing John as the simple Gospel. It is written using mostly one and two syllable words. Yet, the simplicity of the language has deceived many. On their face, the words seem easy to understand, but the truth is, we are dealing with the most profound Gospel of the four. This gospel is intended to help the believer to become stronger in their knowledge of what the Lord Jesus has done for them.

Click on the link below to hear a message on the Introduction to the Gospel of John as we start a new series of messages on this wonderful gospel.

Amen.