The Master‘s Class, LifeChange Church Wichita

HOW TO MAXIMIZE YOUR MARRIAGE (Ephesians 5_22 to 33)

HOW TO MAXIMIZE YOUR MARRIAGE (EPHESIANS 5:21-33)

In today’s message, we will be looking at what the Bible tells us about marriage.  About the kind of marriage that God wants us to have.  The kind of marriage that He has planned for His Church, and the kind of marriage where both the husband and wife maximize their love for God, and then through God, their love for each other.  I know that when I teach on the home, I am really getting down to where the action is, because if you live for Jesus at home, and in your home, then you can live for Jesus anywhere, amen? And, if it won’t work at home, then it just won’t work anywhere.

Above all earthly relationships, before business, before your father and mother, and even before children, a man should love his wife, and a wife should love her husband.. The relationship between husband and wife is compared to the relationship of Christ and the Church. That is, the highest of all spiritual relationships and the highest of all human relationships is not mother and child, but husband and wife.

Mark 10:7-8
7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;
8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.
KJV

You see, as Christ loved the Church, a man is to love his wife. He is to love her supremely. And, if we had those kinds of homes, things would be different in this country—wives who are faithful followers, husbands who are loving leaders.

Our Lord loves us so much that He wants all of us to have three happy homes. The first happy home that God wants you to have is your family home. The second happy home that God wants you to have is a church home. The third happy home that God wants you to have is a heavenly home. And all three are centered in the Lord Jesus Christ. You won’t have a happy family home without Jesus; you are not going to have a happy church home without Jesus; and you are not going to have a heavenly home without Jesus. And if you don’t have Jesus, then you’ve missed it. 

Click on the play button to hear a message on how to maximize your love for God, and through God, maximize your love for each other.  

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

Amen.

THE BATTLE WITHIN-PART I (Genesis 25:1-27)

It is interesting to note that while the Holy Spirit goes into great detail about the lives of Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph, most of the story of Isaac is told by attaching it to another person.  For example, Isaac’s Mount Moriah experience was told through Abraham, and his marriage was seen through the eyes of Abraham, Abraham’s unnamed servant, and Rebekah.  Even with the birth of Esau and Jacob, which are Isaac’s sons, we will see this event through the eyes of Rebekah.  

This is a story of two opposites.  Here are two boys, born at the same time, born in the same place, of the same parents, to the same advantages and opportunities.  Yet from the outset one of them set out in his own stumbling, full of errors, way to please God, while the other set out to please himself.  One was ruled by a heavenly vision, the other by worldly and carnal things.  

As with each of our lessons in Genesis, there is the primary interpretation of the events, in this case it is the development of the seeds of the nations of Israel and Edom.  But, we also have the spiritual interpretation of this story, and this interpretation discusses the battle that rages within each believer.  The battle between our carnal nature, and our new, Holy Spirit created, nature.  The carnal nature is the one we are born with, and the new nature is the one we receive once we are reborn in Christ.

It is a battle that is only fought within the heart of a believer, for a lost person only has one nature, his carnal, or fleshly nature.  He has no choice but to serve Satan as his master, so there is no need for a battle.  It is when we become saved that we must then choose between our two natures, and it is then that the battle for supremacy within our heart rages.  

As a believer, you have three enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil. The world is that value system that is out there. We call that the external foe. The flesh is that old Adamic nature. We call that the internal foe. The devil: we know who he is, for he is the infernal foe.  So, we all have three enemies that are warring against us. 

Click on the link below to hear a message about that internal foe, the flesh; and we’re going to be talking about victory over the flesh, as we study our lesson today, and next week, on Jacob and Esau, these two twins.

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

Amen.

THE BRIDE FOR THE BRIDEGROOM (Genesis 24:28-67)

Today, I want to talk to you about a love story of a father finding a bride for the son that he loves dearly.  Actually, I want to talk about two love stories, with two Fathers, two Sons, two Servants, and two brides.  

One is Abraham, who, as a father, sends his servant back to the land that Abraham came from to find a bride for Isaac.  This unnamed servant is following the leading of the God of his master, Abraham, when he comes upon the house of Bethuel, where Rebekah lives.  His mission is to find the bride that has been selected by God for his master’s son, Isaac.  

The story of Abraham’s search gives us the type, or symbol, of a much greater, second, love story.  This second love story is the description of God the Father, determining from the foundations of time, that He would choose a bride for His Son, Jesus Christ.  Upon the completion of Jesus’ work at Calvary, which was the finished salvation that He has provided for each of us, God the Father sends the Holy Spirit as His Servant to gather together the bride for Jesus.  This bride is the church of the body of Christ, which is made up of believers that have come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior during this age that we live in today.  It is called the Church Age.  

Two tremendous love stories, two Fathers, two Bridegrooms, two Servants, and two brides.  Isaac loves Rebekah, but that is pale in comparison to the love of the Father, Son, and Spirit for the Bride of Christ.  

Click on the link below to hear about the greatest love story that has ever been told.  God has commissioned to me today to ask you a question. Are you ready for it? My Heavenly Father has said to me, “Keith, go teach this lesson. Tell people about Jesus. I want them to be Jesus’ bride. Tell them how wonderful Jesus is. And then, tell them that He who loves you is coming back for you one day.” My question to you is, will you receive Jesus as your Savior and seek to make His will yours?  God said, “Tell the people, Keith, that whosoever will may come.”  Don’t be left out of this love story.  Accept Christ today and be with Him for all of eternity.

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

Amen.

THE WORK OF THE SERVANT

In our message today, we are going to cover the details of Abraham’s servant returning to Abraham’s people to find a bride for Isaac.  Chapter 24 is the longest chapter in the Book of Genesis, and every detail of this beautiful love story, speaks of Christ and His bride, the Church.  This should not be surprising because Paul tells us in Ephesians that marriage is intended to mirror the relationship of Christ and the Church.  

We will see Rebekah, a type, or a picture, of the church as the bride of Isaac, being brought into the very tent of Sarah.  The whole chapter, while interesting and full of local tradition and culture of the time, is at the same time a full-length study of the way in which the Father’s beloved Son obtained His bride, the church.  

Woven into the fabric of this beautiful human story are the threads of an even greater story.  We see the coming of the Holy Spirit into the world with a great mission to win and woo the hearts of the lost to the heart of the Beloved Son of God.  Only rarely does He speak of Himself.  His great mission is to praise the Son and to tell of the love of the Father and His grace and mercy.  His great task is to seek out those that will become the Bride of Christ.  

Click on the link below to hear a message on how the Holy Spirit takes advantage of life’s ordinary circumstances using them to accomplish His task.  He never forces, never violates the human will, never overwhelms, never uses weird and uncanny means to conquer the soul.  Ordinary things happen; a visit here, a chance meeting there, an unexpected conversation, a book passed by a friend—and all the time the Holy Spirit is at work.  Until, at last, the gospel is presented, and the hour of decision comes.  It was the servant’s way with Rebekah; it is the Spirit’s way with a lost soul.  

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

Amen.

A MARRIAGE MADE IN HEAVEN (Genesis 2:18-25)

A MARRIAGE MADE IN HEAVEN (Genesis 2:18-25)

The message that I am going to teach today, will be called “Old Fashioned,” or “out-of-touch,” by many today.  I understand that, and I really had to question whether I wanted to teach it or not, but I believe we live in a time when God’s plan for marriage has been put aside and forgotten.  Now, I want you to understand that I know that many people are in marriages that are nothing close to this, or they are now single parents, but this lesson is about what God teaches us that His plan for marriage was when He created it.  God created marriage for man.  It is man that has corrupted this plan to what it is today.  So, I thought it important that we reset the standard of what a marriage is supposed to be, when it is the way that God planned it.  

Now, if you’re married, you have a potential of great, great wealth—and I don’t mean financial wealth. I mean you can be a marriage millionaire if you understand the value there is in a true, true marriage, based on God’s intent for marriage. Don’t be like the man who used to run his wedding movies backwards so he could see himself walking out of the church a free man. Let me tell you that there is a wonderful, wonderful, value in this thing called marriage, properly understood.

Click on the play button above to hear a message about God’s plan for marriage. I want to tell you that all true marriages are made in heaven. Marriage did not come from the swamps of evolution. It is not the product of societal folkways and mores. Marriage is the most basic instinct in the heart and mind of human beings.

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

Amen.

GOD BLESSES MAN (Genesis 2:1-25)

Today, we are going to talk about two topics; the first is God’s rest.  This is an interesting Biblical concept that I want you to know about because it really has tremendous application to us.  Next, we are going to talk about how God established Adam, and then blessed him with a perfect home, a perfect job, and then a perfect mate.  For all those social workers and psychologists that believe that man’s sinful behavior is simply a result of a person’s environment, this should be their prime example of how wrong they are.  Unfortunately, man doesn’t sin because of his environment, man sins because he chooses to sin.  

Click on the link below to hear a message where God is describing the ideal marriage. It took place in the perfect spot to live, each with the perfect job, and most of all with the perfect mate.  It was planned by God, blessed by God, and created by God.  If we do not have this today, it is only because we have strayed so far, as a race, from the perfect will of God. 

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

Amen.

THE POWER OF COMMUNICATION (Proverbs 18:21-22)

Outside of loving the Lord, I believe communication is one of the most important things in our homes.  Whether it is between you and your spouse, your children, your married kids and their spouses, or just people that you know, how you communicate is very important to that relationship.  

Now, it may be that you think you married the wrong person, but it may also be that you have not married the wrong woman at all. It may be, instead, that you never really learned how to communicate with your wife and vice versa.  I am convinced that the number one problem in marriage is communication. Now, whether you’re married or not, let me just say one of the biggest problems in life is communication, because many times, whether it is with our spouse, or our family, or our friends, many of us deliberately miscommunicate.

Prov 18:21-22
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
22 Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord.
KJV

The highest form of fulfillment is sharing with someone else.  Being fulfilled is not having things; it’s not doing things; it is sharing, whether that be with God or with someone else. Sharing is the highest form of communication.

Click on the link below to hear a message about what the Bible says about the power of communication.  The secret to communication with anyone that you care about is to first get right with Jesus Christ.  Accept Him, accept that He has accepted you, accept yourself, then accept others as Christ has accepted you.  The power of communication is not about power at all, it is about using communication to share your love with others, the same love that Christ has shared with you.  

Amen.

DISHARMONY IN THE HOME (Proverbs 15:13-22)

When a man and woman are married, there is to be what is called the “The Music of Marriage.” You have the husband, or the father, who is the leader of the band.  It is the father who sets tune in the home. He is the leader of the band.  Now the Music of Marriage requires that there be “Harmony in the Home,” and if there is to be harmony in the home, then husbands and wives must sing the same song, but they sing different parts. That’s what makes it harmonious, and not a mere melody, but wonderful harmony.  

Now, this harmonious Music of Marriage occurs when we play the part that God has equipped us to play. So, husbands and wives are singing different parts of the same song, but hopefully they are singing in the right rhythm, so they sing it together. But, the message today is on this subject: “Disharmony in the Home” I’m really talking about tension in the home, and what can we do to deal with it.  How can we have the harmonious music of marriage that God wants us to have?

As a young man I tried to learn to play the guitar, and I have dabbled trying to play the piano.  I was not successful in either endeavor.  I can’t seem to tap my foot to keep time and play the notes at the same time, and a metronome drives me crazy.  But, playing the guitar did teach me a few things besides having sore fingertips.  I learned that in order for the music coming from the guitar to sound harmonious, each of the strings have to be in tune.  Now, to tune those strings you have to adjust the tension on it.  If the string is not tight enough, then the music is flat and dull.  But, if the string is too tight, then the music is shrill and high-pitched. But if the string is even tighter, the string will snap.    

One of the major obstacles to the harmonious Music of Marriage is tension in the home caused by stress and strife. Stress is related to raising your voice, to raising your pulse, and raising your children. Listen, if you’ve got children, then you have stress just built in, and being in today’s home, the string can get mighty tight, and sometimes it can snap.

Click on the link below to hear a message on how God intends for you to deal with the stress in your home, and how you can have that harmonious Music of Marriage that God wants for your home.  

Amen.

DON‘T MISS GOD‘S SPECIAL BLESSING (Proverbs 5:1-23)

This week my wife and I celebrated our 43rd wedding anniversary, and if you add the years that we dated before we got married, it has been 47 years.  At the age of 16, I fell in love with a young lady that I met in church, and then we happened to go to the same high school as well.  She was the first girl I ever dated, in fact, she has been the only girl I have ever dated, and the only girl I have ever wanted to date.  There has been no other in my heart, but her.  God’s special blessing has been on our relationship from the very beginning.  

The topics of love, and romance, and marriage, and all of the things associated with them, are subjects that everybody is interested in. At least, you ought to be interested.  It is a universal subject, no matter who you are, or where you live; and you never really outgrow it. Now, the girls get interested a little bit before the boys because they mature a little earlier.  This means that the girls start thinking about the boys before the boys start thinking about the girls.  That is a good thing because the girls need a head start before the hormones start raging in the boys.  But, it is not long before the boys are catching up with the girls, and from then on it is “neck and neck.”

Love, romance, and marriage, are very wonderful things, and we need to find out what God has to say about them, because God has some very definite wisdom on the idea of romance and love, and how to be blessed by your marriage.  Now, contrary to popular belief, God is not some kind of “cosmic killjoy.” Don’t get the idea that God is against love and romance and marriage. He is not.  Yet, when God says, “Flee fornication, and “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” God is not trying to keep sex from us. He’s trying to keep sex for us.  Because it is a wonderful gift of God.  

God has a special blessing for you when you allow God to choose your mate.  God wants you to be fulfilled. God wants you to have sexual fulfillment. God wants you to have real joy. God doesn’t want you to miss His best.  Don’t miss God’s special blessing for your life.

When God says, “Thou shalt not,” what He is really saying is, “Don’t hurt yourself.” When God says, “Thou shalt,” He’s saying, “Help yourself to happiness.” God wants you to have satisfaction. God wants you to have joy.  This is God’s plan. This is the design that we should follow.

Click on the link below to hear a message on how you can receive this special blessing by finding the right spouse, and then how to keep from destroying, or ruining, this wonderful gift of God.  

Amen.

BEHOLD, THE BRIDEGROOM IS COMING (John 13:36 to 14:3)

In today’s message, we are going to cover a set of verses that are as clear a statement that Jesus can make that He is preparing a place for us to spend eternity with Him. He is in heaven today, but someday He is coming for us. Heaven is real, and therefore Hell is real, and I want to be with Jesus in this place that He has prepared specifically for me and everyone else who has made Him their Savior.

This set of verses talks about heaven. These verses tell everyone, who calls Jesus their Lord and Savior, that when your work for God is done on this earth, Jesus Christ has a place for you. It is a place specifically designed for you by the One who loves you like no other. One of these days, Jesus is coming for His bride, and that puts my heart at peace. I don’t have worry about my retirement plan in heaven. Jesus has already taken care of it. I don’t have worry about which medical insurance plan I need for heaven because Jesus has already taken care of that as well. The day is coming when there will be a shout, Behold, the Bridegroom is coming. That is what I am waiting on, Jesus is coming for me.

Click on the link below to hear a message on one of the most blessed truths that I know, Jesus Christ may come at any moment for His church.

John 14:1-3
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
KJV

Amen.