The Master‘s Class, LifeChange Church Wichita

LESSONS FROM FOOT WASHING-PART II (John 13:1-17)

This is the second part of a message on the lessons we can learn from the portion of Scripture where Jesus is in the Upper Room and He washes the feet of His disciples. One thing I want us to remember as we go through this message is that we shouldn’t focus on the physical act of Jesus washing the feet of His disciples, but on the spiritual messages that Jesus was illustrating by performing this act of service. Our Lord is teaching personal service to one another.

Eph 4:32
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
KJV

What our Lord was doing is saying, "Peter, I am going to forgive you your trespasses. I'm going to wash your feet." Well, if Jesus has forgiven me of my trespasses, then I need to forgive each of you of your trespasses. That's what it's all about. Jesus says, "If I, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, then you need to wash one another's feet." You need to forgive your brothers and sisters in Christ, and you need to build them up in the faith. There are people around you whose feet you need to wash, spiritually, because Jesus has washed our feet.

Gal 6:1-2
1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
KJV

How dare we go around refusing to forgive and restore and renew. Our Lord expects us to be in the foot washing business. There ought to be no animosity, no unforgiving spirit. "Be ye kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." "If I, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet."

Click on the link below to hear four lessons that we can learn from foot washing:
• Salvation is essential.
• Security is eternal.
• Sanctification is extended.
• Service is expected.

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.

A FAITH FORGED IN THE FIRES OF PERSECUTION (Revelation 2:5-11)

The word Smyrna is translated from a Greek word that is also translated as the word myrrh in other parts of the Scripture. It stands for a sweet perfume that came from being crushed. It was also a substance used for medicinal purposes. What did the wise men bring to the baby Jesus? Gold, frankincense, and myrrh. It was also given to Christ when He hung on the cross. The Bible says that they gave Him wine mixed with myrrh. It was also used at the burial of Christ, where they scented His burial clothing with myrrh. Myrrh and Smyrna are translated from the same Greek word and they have the same meaning.

It is the providence of God that the suffering church would be in this city that has the name of such a perfume that was extracted by crushing it. This was a church suffering great persecution, but the Lord says I know what you are going through. It is encouraging when we are facing our darkest hours, to know that Jesus is right there with us. Jesus doesn’t promise to keep us out of persecution, but He does promise to get us through it. There is no heartache, pain, or fear that we might face that the Lord does not share. He has faced every kind of suffering, to a much greater degree than anything, that we might ever have to face. He knows about it, and He knows how to get us through it.

Click on the link to hear a sermon on a church that was poor in the eyes of men, but rich in the eyes of the Lord. The first part of this lesson we finish up our discussion from last week of the church at Ephesus, and then in the focus of this lesson, we cover the suffering church of Smyrna. Join us as God blesses the reading of His Word. Amen.

A BUSY CHURCH (Revelation 1:20-2:5)

How busy is your church? Do the ladies have a Bible study on Thursdays? Are there bus trips to special places for the older generation? Are there programs to entertain the youth, as well as develop them? Is there a divorced support group that meets on Tuesday? Do the men meet once a month for a learning breakfast? Do the children have Bible study, vacation Bible school, and Awanas?

Now, don’t misunderstand me, all of these things are good and we absolutely should be doing them, but their focus is on ministering to the saints within the walls of the church, and that is certainly one objective of the church. We must develop the saints into well-developed spiritual warriors who can lead victorious Christian lives. However, is that where the busyness of the church stops? What do all of these well-developed warriors do with that information and learning? How busy are they?

So, let me ask the question again in a slightly different way, how busy is your church at winning souls for Christ? That is what all of that training of spiritual warriors is for, right? So how busy is your church at winning souls for Christ?

This is the primary objective, task, mission, and duty of our church, or the members of the church. Let me be clear here, it is not the primary duty of our pastors to do all the soul winning. A shepherd does not make sheep. He cares for them, he provides for them, he feeds them, but he does not make sheep. It is the work of the sheep to make more sheep. It is the primary work of the members of the church to be soul winners. So, how busy are you?

What is the main characteristic that is the driver for a person to want to reach others for Christ? Love. Love for Christ, which drives a desire to be obedient to His command to share the gospel. Love for your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ as we meet each other’s needs. It is love for the lost people of this world that makes us want to reach them with the gospel message. An agape type love is the missing ingredient in many of our churches today. We are so busy focusing on the things inside the church that we forget about the dark world in need of Christ that is standing on the outside of our church.

Click on the link to hear a podcast lesson about a busy church that has lost its first love. Its passion for Christ.

HOW FAR SHOULD WE GO? (Romans 14:22-23)

We spent a lot of time last week asking the question of whether or not we are to be our brother’s keeper, and we said that Paul would tell us that yes we should be.  We defined the term my brother’s keeper from a Biblical perspective as generally meaning to be responsible for the care of someone.  We said to think of the roles of a shepherd or a vine keeper.  That our role was to edify our weaker brothers and sisters in Christ.

So let me ask the question, how far are we to go to edify our brother or sister in Christ?

If your brother in Christ believed that handling snakes was a testament of the power of the Holy Spirit in you, in other words, it proved that you were saved, would you go up front in the church and handle a deadly snake so as not to offend them?

If your sister thought that wearing slacks to church was disruptive to the service, would you stop wearing slacks?

If a brother and sister couple that you did a lot of things with thought going to the movies was a sin, would you stop going to the movies?  Would you stop, only with them, or all together?

Is there anything that you would say, No, that is just too far for me to go to help my brother or sister in Christ out?

So let me change the question, and you knew this was coming, how far do you believe Jesus would go to help you?  Is there anything, like dying on a cross for you, that Jesus would not do for you? 

Paul is going to tells us in our lesson today that selfishness has no part in the Christian life.  Yet, Paul is going to tell us that we do not have to continually modify our behavior just to satisfy the weaker brother’s desires.  Rather, we are to act in a way which will be to his lasting benefit.  We are to help him carry the cross of his weakness until he has matured spiritually as a Christian.  

We are our brother’s keeper and, in the spirit of love, we are to look to Christ to determine how far we are to go in order to ensure the spiritual growth of our brothers and sisters in Christ.  The question becomes, not how far will you go for them, but how much do you love them, and what does that love tell you to do?  Is there anything too far for someone you love as much as you love yourself?

CHRIST RECEIVED AS SAVIOR (Romans 10:6-15)

Many religions teach that the type of righteousness needed to go to heaven and have eternal life can be only be obtained through obeying a set of laws or following some type of religious ceremony.  In the book of Romans Paul points out that in order to be saved by the law a person must live according to all the precepts of the law without violating a single one. Should a person be able to do this, he would have earned his title to heaven.  

However, there must come a time for everyone where they realize they are unable to live an absolutely perfect life in thought, words, and deeds.  Nobody can do this.  So Paul points out the obvious, it is not the law that you must appeal to for righteousness, it is the Lord.  It is not Moses, it is Christ.  

The righteousness which is of faith provided through God's grace, says that if any man tries to attain righteousness in any other way, he is in effect, saying in his heart, “I am not satisfied with what God has done, I will try to provide the incarnation, or the coming of Christ, by human effort, and I will provide the resurrection by human effort.”  Yet, this is not only impossible for man to do, it is not necessary for each of us to do again what God has already done.

Only the power of God could accomplish the incarnation and the resurrection.  Therefore, salvation is God’s work.  Man cannot produce it, or earn it by effort.  It is given freely by grace through faith in Christ. The gospel message requires no impossible task of the sinner to complete such as bringing Christ down from heaven or bringing Him up from the abyss.  The word of faith includes the whole message of the gospel with the good news that Jesus Christ has already come down from heaven.  It also says that Christ has already ascended from the region of the dead.

The gospel message says that these two miracles only have to be believed in the heart.  Therefore, the Scripture, which is the word of faith, is very accessible to man.  You don’t have to search for it, it is nigh unto thee.  

The gospel message of Christ says that the righteousness that comes by faith is right in front of you.  It says "Man, it is so close to you, it is right there in your heart, and it is on the tip of your tongue!"  Righteousness by faith is the gospel message that we preach!  And that gospel message tells us that not only is the word of faith accessible, so is the Savior as well.   

The gospel message says that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.  It really is that simple.  Christ is waiting for you to call.  He has done all of the work required for your salvation, for you to have eternal life, all you have to do in believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He was crucified, and that He was raised from the dead.  Make Jesus your Lord and Master today.

JESUS REJECTS RELIGION (Mark 12:38-40)

Have you given up on religion?

Many people would say yes to that question, and the fact is, you should. 

Religion is simply man’s way of telling God, I got this, I can do this on my own.  If I follow these certain rules that I created, and if I do these certain rituals that I created, and if I give this much money that I decided is enough, then I can earn or buy my way into heaven.   

Listen to this podcast to hear how Jesus totally rejects religion.  Jesus has taught us that the single greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, and with all your strength.  Jesus then says if you can do this, then to be a believer is simply having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as your Master and Savior. 

Jesus rejects man’s rituals.  He rejects man’s religious ceremony.  He rejects man’s declarations about what is right and wrong.  Instead, we are to ask Jesus to forgive us of our sins, make Him our Master, and then love Him with all that we are. 

That’s it.  It is that simple.  Listen and rejoice with us as we learn what Jesus thinks about man’s religion.

WHAT IS IN YOUR HEART? (Mark 7:14-30)

Every day the headlines declare the latest act of violence and evil that has occurred in our nation.    Every day we seek answers as to why these events are occurring more often than we remember in our past. Our politicians and the news media blame the tools of the violence while they ignore the source of the evil that drives these events. They choose to issue gun control and God control laws to handle the problem. These laws do nothing to solve the problem because it is the evil within the person's heart that drives the ability of man to commit these acts. Man's heart has a tremendous capacity for love, charity, and compassion for others. Man's heart also contains apathy, indifference, intolerance, and arrogance. Jesus tells us that there are also thirteen things within every man's heart that makes man the most vicious creation on the planet earth. Our country believes that a man must have freedom to do that which he desires. But for that freedom to be successful it must be constrained by man's absolute belief in the morals of right and wrong established by the living God. Instead of allowing our belief in the morals of God to constrain the evil that lies with the heart of man, our politicians have chosen to issue laws confining God's morals to the four walls of the church. They have mandated the abolishment of God's teachings from our schools. They have abolished the name of Jesus from our government buildings. They have banned God's commandments from our courtrooms. They have done this in the name of a new, socially, enlightened, morality. They have called good what God calls evil. In doing so, they have removed the constraints on the evil that lies within the heart of man. Instead of a new morality, we now have a lack of any morality, and they stand surprised at the violence that is the result. Listen to this podcast to learn that it is what comes from the heart of man that defiles our nation's soul, our people's spirit, and fills our headlines.

WHEN DOES MAN'S LAW SUPERSEDE GOD'S LAW? (Mark 6:53 to 7:13)

In the coming days the U.S. Supreme Court will render a decision that could destroy for this nation God's institution of marriage as that being between one man and one woman.      So the question becomes, when is it ok to place man's law above God's law? It is a fact of history that the founders of our country used Biblical Judeo-Christian values and morals of right and wrong to establish the laws, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights in the creation of our country. They had a strong belief that man's law was subservient to God's law. As a segment of our country has chosen a different set of values and morals that they wish to impose on this country, they have declared that the founder's beliefs are out of date, unenlightened, and do not meet the needs of a new socially elite, and enlightened, society. So they have decided that man's laws are superior to God's laws. They have declared the right to ignore God's laws and replace them with man's own cleverness. Listen to this podcast to hear what Jesus had to say to a nation that made the same choice that the U.S. has made.  Listen as Jesus, the Creator of all things, condemns the arrogance of man to say that man's law supersedes God's law.

THE TRUE GOSPEL (2 Cor. 11:1-7)

How do you decide what is true and what is false?  When it comes to salvation, how do you know the true gospel from a false gospel?  When Satan tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden he was described as being subtle, or crafty.  There are many teachers who proclaim to be from God.  They cry out that they provide a gospel message of salvation.  Yet these false teachers have taken the Word of God and subtly changed it to meet their own form of religion.   They apply rules to a free gift of God.  They apply religious ritual to God's gift of grace.  They apply legalism to the gospel message of Christ that frees man from the burden of the law.   Eve faced the temptation from Satan with two weapons, the Word of God, and the Spirit of God.  Satan attacked those weapons by creating doubt about the authority of the Word of God, then he denied the accuracy of the Word of God, then he created delusion about the acceptability of the Word of God.  Satan uses these same tactics today.  Listen to this podcast and find out how to determine the true gospel message of God.  Learn how Satan is currently working in our world and how to combat him.