The Master‘s Class, LifeChange Church Wichita

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.

BACK TO BETHEL (Genesis 35:1-15)

BACK TO BETHEL (Genesis 35:1-15)

Today, I am going to challenge you.  If you have never listened to one of the messages that are attached to these blogs, if all you have ever done is just read this blog, then I am going to challenge you to listen to the recording that is found in this link, because it may be that God is using this message to speak to your heart.  

The message today is about Jacob, and Jacob needed to come back to God. And perhaps today you need to come back to God.  You may indeed be backslidden, just like Jacob was.  Let’s take the test today and find out if you are. Answer these two questions:  

The first one, “Was there ever a time in your life when you loved Jesus Christ more than you do at this moment?”  If the answer is yes, then you are backslidden. 

Alright, let’s say you answered “no” to the first question, then here is the second one.  “Was there ever a time when God was more real to you, and prayer was more precious to you, and the Bible was more valuable to you, than it is at this time, this day, this moment?”  If the answer is yes, then, you are a backslider.  

Today, we will see how we can come back to Bethel.  Back to that condition of your love for Christ like it was when you were first saved.  

Click on the play button below to hear a message on how God is the God of a new beginning. Our God is the God of a second chance. We find that is true all through the Bible. And the God that said to Jacob, “Jacob, come back to Bethel,” is the God that’s saying to you today, if you are away from Him, “Come on back! Come on back! I’m the God of a second chance.”

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

Amen.

JACOB AND LABAN (Genesis 29:1 to 30:30)

JACOB AND LABAN (Genesis 29:1 to 30:30)

As we study Jacob, we see a man who is confident and sure of his ability to handle anything this world can dish out.  Jacob knows God, and God has promised to be with him at all times.  Yet, Jacob has not learned to be led by God.  Instead, Jacob is leading and expecting God to back him up.

That is the way many believers treat God.  When times are good, they choose the way they want to go, and what they want to do.  Yet, just as soon as things turn bad, they turn to God to get them out of whatever mess they have gotten themselves into.  They never think to ask God to lead them; they never ask God to choose the path they will go down, and they never humbly surrender their life to the will of God.  

In today’s study, Jacob will find himself deceived by his Uncle Laban, trapped in a job he wants to leave, caught in the middle of a battle between two wives for his attention, and ultimately with 13 hungry kids looking at him for food and provisions.  Sounds like a normal day in one of our own lives, doesn’t it?

That is what makes the study of Jacob interesting, because Jacob is a story about us.  Think about your own life, are you retired but forced to work a job to meet your financial needs, are you stuck in a job you feel taken advantage of in, are you having marital problems, do you feel deceived by those you should be able to trust, or do you have hungry kids, sometimes adult children and their kids, looking at you for dinner and a house to live in?

Do you ever ask yourself, how did I get myself into this mess?  Do you ever ask yourself, and honestly answer, did God lead you, or did you lead God?  

As a believer, God has promised to always be with you, and He always will be, wherever you drag Him, but the real question you need to ask is, have you totally surrendered to the will of God in your life?  Are you following God as He leads you, or is God following you as you lead Him?  Have you ever seen the bumper sticker that says “God is my copilot”?  Listen, if God is your copilot, then you need to move over and let Him be Captain.  God is to lead you.  

Click on the link below to hear a message on the importance of living a life fully surrendered to God.

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.

TO PRAY AS AN INTERCESSOR (Genesis 18:1-21)

Have you ever asked the question, how does a mature, obedient Christian react to the truth that a terrible judgment is about to happen to a world of sinful men?  The Bible gives us examples of such reactions.  Jonah was happy when he heard about the Ninevites.  Have you ever felt that way?  Have you ever said, “Boy it is about time God did something about so and so.”  On the other hand, Jesus was moved to tears when He looked ahead and saw the destruction of Jerusalem.  

In today’s message, I want to talk about the great Biblical truth that we can pray an intercessory prayer for those who face the judgment of God.  I want to talk about our critically important role of praying intercessory prayer for our loved ones and the world around us. 

Do we know today of any such upcoming judgments? Yes, we do.  God has promised a day of Tribulation, when judgment will come to this earth in such proportions that if He did not come to stop it, all of mankind would be destroyed.  But, right now, we live in a day of grace.  A day in which man can choose to accept Christ as his Lord and Savior.  What are we doing to be concerned about those we know are lost?  Are we concerned enough about those around us that will be left behind to suffer, and likely die, in this period of Great Tribulation, to share the Gospel message of Jesus Christ?  Are we delighted as Jonah was when God said that He was going to destroy the Ninevites, or are we moved to compassion as Jesus was at the destruction of Jerusalem?

When we think about intercessory prayer, we have to think about who it is that can pray such a prayer.  Who can be an intercessor between God and man?  They must truly be important people in the eyes of the Lord.  So, we have to ask the question who are These most important people on earth?  Are they politicians, star athletes, movie actors, the billionaires of the world, or other famous people that we read about in the news every day?  No, there are some people who are much more important than any of those so-called important people.  And many of them are unrecognized, unnoticed, unappreciated, and unpraised. They are Christians, not mere Christians, they are Christians who have learned the ministry of intercession. The most important people on earth are those who know how to pray intercessory prayer, not just any kind of prayer, but intercessory prayer.

Click on the link below to learn how you can be the friend of God and pray an intercessory prayer for those that you love, and for the world around you.  How you can be one of the most important people on the earth.

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

Amen.

GOD’S PLAN FOR REDEMPTION (Genesis 3:7-24)

GOD’S PLAN FOR REDEMPTION (Genesis 3:7-24)

The question that I really ask when I study about the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden is, why didn’t God just smack Satan and stop all of pain and misery that he has caused?  I would just love to have seen God just look at Satan and just say “Be Gone.”  Well, first off, man would sin anyway, even without Satan.  Satan just helps things along.  Man will have this proven to him during the millennial reign of Christ when Satan is bound for a thousand years.  

It took one man to undo the damage done by another man.  Jesus, the second Adam, came to regain what the first Adam lost.  

1 Corinthians 15:21-22
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
KJV

Jesus came as he did (born of a virgin) to be what he was—holy.  If He had been the son of Adam with Adam’s nature, he would have been a sinner because in Adam all have sinned and died.  He would also have been a slave, for the son of a slave is himself a slave.  Jesus was what He was (holy) to do what He did—redeem us.  He came as a sinless man, paying the full price for our transgression.  He satisfied God’s righteous and holy law and nullified all of satan’s rights to Adam’s domain.  Then, Jesus did what He did (redeem us) that we might have forgiveness, cleansing, a new nature, and Kingdom Authority.  He is the head of a brand-new race.  

Jesus was born of a virgin that we might be born again. Jesus became the Son of Man that we might become the sons and daughters of God. Jesus died in agony that we might live in victory.  

Click on the play button above to hear how God’s plan for redemption of the ruined human race was formed before the foundation of time.  It is written, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:17).

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

Amen.

GOD’S COVENANTS WITH MAN (Genesis 2:15-17)

GOD’S COVENANTS WITH MAN (Genesis 2:15-17)

When God created man, He blessed man with the perfect spot to live, the perfect job, and the perfect mate.  So, what is there that could be missing?  Well, the next thing I want us to realize about Adam and Eve as God placed them in the Garden of Eden is the relationship that God gave them with Him.  Adam enjoyed a relationship with God that we only partially see now as a Christian through the blood of Jesus Christ.  

I believe that we will see the fulfillment of this relationship when we go to be with the Lord, and we are perfected.  In some ways, I believe our relationship will even be better than the one Adam had with God.  Actually, it will be the relationship that Adam could have had if he had obeyed God.  I also believe that the covenants that God has established with man, from the Old Testament through the New Testament have been a progression toward obtaining that perfect relationship with God.  

Generally speaking, God’s relationship to man has always been based on a covenant.  The New Testament is actually a New Covenant which God has made, and it is in contrast to the Old Covenant of the Old Testament.  

Click on the play button above to hear a message that describes the eight covenants that God has made with man and how they change the way that we approach God.

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

Amen.

A CHURCH WITH DOMINION (Genesis 1:26)

Today, I want to talk about how man lost the dominion that was given to him by God, how it was restored, and how it now rests with the church.  Today, I want to talk to you about a church of conquest—a church with dominion.  God’s plan for LifeChange Church is that we move forward, not backward. God’s plan for you is that you be victorious day by day.

When God made Adam and Eve, He made them king and queen of His domain, and God gave them rule.

Ps 8:6
6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
KJV

That was God’s plan. That’s why God made man. Man was designed for dominion. He was made for mastery. Do you think that is true today?  Well, I think it would be hard to say that it is, when we read the headlines and see the rape, the murder, the war, the riots, the famine, the disaster, the heartache, the tears, the fears, and the failures of mankind. Man, given dominion, has lost that dominion. 

Click on the link below to hear a message that looks at how Adam lost the dominion that was given to him by God, and how our dear Lord has bought it back for us and given it to this wonderful church—to LifeChange church, and to every Bible-believing church—and to every Spirit-filled Christian, that we might live and walk in victory.

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

Amen.

IS MAN JUST A CLEVER ANIMAL? (Genesis 1:27-30)

IS MAN JUST A CLEVER ANIMAL? (Genesis 1:27-30)

Today’s message is about the supreme question that divides the secular world that believes in evolution, and those who believe in the creation of all things by God.  The Bible tells us that on the sixth day, God created the man and the beasts of the field.  Now, that means that there must be a relationship between the two.  Today, I want to look at that relationship and answer the question, Is Man Just a Clever Animal?

When we stop and compare men and the animals, we can see a similarity in design, a similarity in diet, a similarity in death.  Now, we need to recognize the similarities between man and the animals, but I also want you to see the differences between men and animals.  

Not only does man have a craving for Deity, and not only does man have a capability for dominion, but man also has a capacity for depravity that animals don’t have. Animals cannot sin, but on the other hand, animals can’t love God.  In order for men to love God, they have to have the capacity, or the capability, to sin. God gave man that ability. You ask, “How could men sin if God made everything perfect?” Well, when God made man, God made him with the capacity to choose. And God had to make him with the capacity to choose. If he didn’t have the capacity to choose, he wouldn’t be a man.

But, most importantly, man has a conception of his destiny. He has a comprehension of the fact that he is going to die. But he knows that doesn’t end it all. You cannot crawl up in the grave and pull the dirt over your face and hide from God. When God made you, God made you in His image. God breathed into your nostrils the breath of life.  You could no more cease to exist than God Himself could cease to exist.  You’re going to exist somewhere—dateless, timeless, endless, measureless. Your soul is worth more than all of the stocks, the bonds, the gold, the silver, the schools, the railroads put together. 

Animals are not going to live forever. When an animal dies, he’s dead.  There was a time when you were not, but there never again will be a time when you shall not be. You were created in the image of God. God says something about man that He doesn’t say about the animals. The Bible says that He made the animals, but He created you. He took animals and made them out of preexisting stuff, but God did a unique creation when He made you, and you are made in His image, and man has a concern for his destiny. I hope you have a concern for your destiny as well. 

Click on the play button to hear a message that answers the question, Is Man Just a Clever animal?

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

Amen.

THE WORLD IN A WEEK (Genesis 1:3-27)

THE WORLD IN A WEEK(Genesis 1:3-27)

Today we are going to discuss the creation of the world by God as He prepares the earth as the place for mankind to live.  Over the last couple of weeks, we have been building the foundation for how we are to understand the Creation story.  We have talked about the meaning of the words “light” and “day.” and we have talked about who God is.  Now, it is time to apply those lessons as we learn about the almighty power of the God we serve.  The God of All Creation.

God begins the creation process of turning chaos into order. First, God dealt first with the darkness.  In the second step, God dealt next with the disorder, itself. He began by raising the clouds. Then, the third step in the process was for God to raise the continents.  That brings us to the next step in the process of bringing order to chaos, God dealt with the deadness of the planet.  He created the plants and the animals.

The next step was to create man, God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.  In his nature, person, and personality, in his moral and spiritual capacities, in his emotions, intellect, conscience, and will, man stands apart from the animal world.  God created man as being threefold in nature, we have a spirit, soul, and body. 

Click on the play button above to hear a message on how God prepared this earth for man to have dominion over.  Most importantly, don’t miss the all important message in these verses about the light that is Jesus Christ.  Don’t miss the message that we are creations of Jesus Christ, we owe Him our worship, our service, and our love.  Don’t believe for a second that some day, if you reject the light that is Jesus Christ, that you will not stand in judgment and be condemned to an eternity without His light.  Be sure you have the light that is Jesus Christ within your heart.  

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

Amen.