The Master‘s Class, LifeChange Church Wichita

WHEN FAITH SEEMS TO FAIL (Hebrews 11:32-40)

WHEN FAITH SEEMS TO FAIL (Hebrews 11:32-40)

What happens when faith seems to fail? Sometimes we pray, and God doesn’t seem to answer our prayer the way we wanted.  Maybe we’re going to have an outdoor event, and we say, “Lord, give us beautiful weather,” and the storms come and chase us back indoors. Has that ever happened to you? I mean, it turns everything into a swamp, but you prayed and asked God for it to be a bright sun-shiny day. Sometimes you pray, “Lord, I want to marry that person. Give them to me as a spouse,” and instead, they marry your best friend.  You say, “Lord, how could you?  I prayed and I had faith.”

Then, on a more serious note, sometimes we have a loved one who is sick, and we come to God, and we say, “Oh, God, heal my child. Lord, heal my wife. Heavenly Father, touch with Your healing hand,” and they don’t get better; they get worse, and it seems like some greedy malady is just eating away at those that we love the best, and we see them wind down to the grave. And we’ve tried to believe, we’ve tried to trust, and faith seems to fail.  As a result, we are ready just to throw in the towel, and say, “What’s the use? It’s not working.” Have you ever been there? If not, then just hold on, because your time is coming that you will be. 

There are times that come where the answer doesn’t come exactly as we think that it ought. Sometimes trials, temptations, tribulations, heartaches, tears, fears—they come, and faith doesn’t seem to remove them.

Click on the play button at the top of this episode to hear a message on how you can have a mature faith.  Many people have a superficial faith, and a superstitious faith, rather than a strong faith, and a spiritual faith, and a biblical faith. So, if you’re about ready to throw in the towel, if you prayed for your child and your child didn’t get well, and you’re ready to quit coming to God and to church, then I want you to listen to this message.

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

Amen.

THE LORD'S PRAYER FOR YOU-PART II (John 17:14-26)

This is a prayer where Jesus asks the Father to keep and strengthen the Lord’s disciples, both the men who were gathered around Him on this dark night before His crucifixion, and those who would later come to believe on Him throughout the church age.

John 17:11
11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
KJV

It is amazing to understand that 2,000 years ago, Jesus, on His way to be crucified, took time to pray for you and me. It is a prayer that has transcended time and space. The Lord’s prayer has impacted every believer that has claimed Him as their Savior since the day He prayed it.

Did you know that you have this ability as well? You do. When you pray to Father, in the power of the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus, and for the things that Jesus wills for you, then your prayer can transcend time and space just as the Lord’s did. You can pray for people in other parts of the world that you don’t even know. You can pray for your great-grandchildren that have not even been born yet. This is the power of praying to an almighty God. It is a wonderful thing to know and apply in our lives.

What was the Lord praying about for you on that street so long ago? He was praying for our protection, our security, our sanctification, and that we would have the power to do all the things that He has asked us to do. He prayed that we would share the gospel message of Jesus Christ to a lost world.

Click on the link below to hear a message on the how the Lord Jesus Christ prayed that you do the things that He has sent you to do, and then, that you would come to be with Him. Heaven is incomplete for Jesus without you. Jesus wants you to be with Him. That is such a wonderful thought to apply in our heart. Jesus wants you to be with Him.

Amen.

THE PURPOSE OF PRAYER (John 17:1-23)

Today’s message is on prayer and it comes from chapter 17 of the Gospel of John. This is a prayer of the Lord Jesus. It is a deep and profound prayer. In times like this, a time when great numbers of people are dying from a disease, a time when great persecution of God’s people is taking place, a time when there is doubt and fear about what is happening in the world, prayer is the most important thing in a Christian’s life. It is prayer that prepares us for anything. It is prayer that allows us to be prepared to face any fear, any tragedy, any persecution. The best preparation for anything is to pray.

The purpose of prayer is that God will be glorified. Prayer prepares us to do what God would have us to do. Then, when we do what God would have us to do, God will be glorified.

If you wish to learn the purpose of prayer in a Christian’s life, then I can’t think of a better way to do it than to eavesdrop on the Son of God when He prays. Imagine that, we get to hear the words of the Son of God as He prays. What a privilege that is.

Click on the link below to hear a message on how prayer can take you through any tragedy, any trial, in order that you might finish the things that God has for you to do.

HOW TO HAVE YOUR PRAYERS ANSWERED-PART II (John 14:4-6)

Prayer is a privilege that is granted to a believer by a loving God. Prayer is such a powerful privilege because prayer can do anything that God can do. Prayer is unlimited in its power because prayer brings God into action. Effective prayer is essential to any believer if they are to live a victorious Christian life.

In today’s message we talk about six things that you need to do if you want your prayer to be heard by God. If you want your prayer to be answered by God.

The first thing we have to do is to Pray in the name of Jesus. When we pray in the name of Jesus, we have His authority. His power of attorney. Which means we must have His approval on anything we pray in His name, and we must be praying to bring honor to Jesus. Jesus will not allow you to use His name if He does not approve of what you are praying for.

The second thing is that you must pray in the Spirit. It is very important to understand that if you want your prayers answered, then you must not only be saved, but you must also be Spirit-filled. To be filled with the Holy Spirit means that you have fully surrendered your life to the Holy Spirit. He is the president of your life, not just a resident in your heart. You are not just committed to the Spirit, you are fully surrendered to the Spirit.

The third thing is that you must Pray in obedience. It is foolish to pray and to ask God to answer your prayer if you are not obeying. If you want God to hear your prayers, then confess those sins that you have regard for, and He will be “faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The fourth thing is to Pray in the Will of God, your prayer must be in the will of God. The way to pray in the will of God is to be surrendered to that will, to want that will, to listen to that will, and to do that will.

The fifth thing is to Pray in Fellowship. If we are out of fellowship with somebody else, if we have an unforgiving spirit in our heart, then we are out of fellowship with the Father.

The sixth thing is to Pray in Faith. Someone once said that “No prayer has ever been answered that was not a prayer of faith. No prayer of faith has ever been unanswered.” If you pray in the name, if you pray in the Spirit, if you pray in obedience, if you pray in the will of God, if you pray in fellowship with the other saints, then you will find yourself praying in faith to God.

Click on the link to hear a message on how to have God answer your prayers. This is not about earning your answer, for it is God’s grace all the way. We do not command God, He commands us. This is about preparing yourself to have your prayer heard by God, and God answers the prayers He hears.

Amen.

HOW TO HAVE YOUR PRAYERS ANSWERED-PART I (John 14:4-6)

In today’s message, we are going to cover a topic that I believe is vitally important to any believer who wants to live a victorious Christian life. It is a subject that we need to continuously hear about and something that we need to be constantly re-applying in our lives. It is the matter of prayer.

Now, one of the greatest privileges that we have is the privilege of prayer. However, one of the greatest failures that we have is in the area of prayer. We need to understand that prayer is so powerful because prayer can do anything that God can do. Prayer is unlimited in its power because prayer brings God into action. I don't have a failure in my life that is not in some way a prayer failure. There is not a sin in my life that proper prayer would not have helped me to avoid it. There is not a need in my life that if I learned how to pray, and knew how to pray, that need would be met.

I want to be clear that this is not about name it-claim it prayers. That is not Biblical. We do not have the almighty God of all creation at our beckon call. We cannot command Him to do anything. He commands us. This is about finding out what God wants for you, and then praying for that. The prayer that is answered, is the prayer that begins in heaven.

John 14:6
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
KJV

This is one of those verses that we use all of the time. Many of you will have it memorized, and you use it to witness to others about salvation, and how there are not many ways to get to heaven, there is but one way. Through Jesus Christ. I firmly believe that is one of the messages of this verse, but I also believe there are other things that we must do in the power of, and through, our Lord Jesus. Prayer is one of those things. For this to make sense, we need to understand that when we come to God in prayer, we're coming to the Father, and the only way we can come to the Father in prayer is through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, this verse makes it very clear and very plain, that the reason many people don't have their prayers answered is that they have never been born again. Why is that? Well, if you are not born again, then you cannot pray in Jesus' name. Why? Because, if you are not born again, then you do not have Jesus Christ in your heart. And, if you don't have Christ in your heart, then you do not have Jesus to bring you to the Father. Jesus is the only way. You must have Jesus in your heart.

Click on the link below to hear a message on the six keys to answered prayer.

CAN'T GOD DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT? (Revelation 9:15-21)

I think that we can all agree that evil is certainly growing around us today. In spite of the restraint of the Holy Spirit during the day that we live in, evil is still on the rise. Men murder others. Women even murder their own children, and now we have children who become murderers in their own homes and schools.

Yet, most of all, may God have mercy on the murderers of unborn babies. May God send His Spirit to bring repentance to every man and woman who has participated in this most heinous act against defenseless little babies. People today get upset and wonder where the judgment of God is for the perpetrators of terrorism and mass shootings, but the number of people who die all across the world from terrorism is but a fraction of the murders of babies that occur each year in this country. It is a sin that God will hold this country accountable for. It would be easy to wonder where is God in all of this, and why isn’t He doing anything about it.

Click on the link below to hear a sermon on the Biblical truth that timing is more important to God, than time. God has a plan to deal with all of the evil of this world and in all of creation. That plan is on time. God is never early, and He is never late. Nothing, or no one can stop or change that plan. Not Satan, or all of his demons, for Satan is but a creation, and God is sovereign.

We started this series by asking Doesn’t God know? Doesn’t God care? And if God knows and cares, then why isn’t He doing something about it? God knows, and God cares. It is man that has turned his back on God. That no longer wants to know God. That no longer cares about God.  Yet, we have still have a chance during this age of grace that we live in to turn to God. God loves you. Lay aside your pride. May the mercy of God through His Son bring the saving judgment of eternal life to you today, so you will not be lost in the fires of Judgment for all of eternity.

Amen.

WHERE IS GOD? DOESN'T HE CARE? (Revelation 9:12-14)

With events like the terrible tragedy that occurred in Las Vegas last week, it would seem that everything not nailed down is coming loose, and that Satan is busy at work prying loose everything else. Every day it seems that evil is growing and dominating the world. It would be easy to understand if there are people who are asking Where is God? Doesn’t He know? If He knows, doesn’t He care? If He knows and cares, can’t He do anything about it?

Click on the link below to learn that God does know, God does care, and God does have a plan. If you want to know where God is, He is right on time. With God, timing is more important than time. If you want to know if God knows and hears your prayers, the answer is yes, they are before Him as incense. If you to know if God cares, yes He does, He cares so much that He sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross so you do not have to. If you want to why God is not doing anything, God says, just wait, my plan will occur just as I said it will, because I am sovereign, and nothing, and no one, can stop or deter my plan. Amen.

THE YEARNINGS AND THE HOPES OF THE BELIEVER (Romans 8:23-27)

Think about the things that you yearn for.  These are the things that start as a desire deep in your soul and well up into your heart and mind.  These are not our simple wants, but the things that are so passionately desired by our soul that we groan for them.  Now think about how you could ever go about obtaining these things.  Are they even within your power to obtain?

Next, think about the things that you hope for.  Are they the same things that you yearn for?  To hope for something is to look forward to something that you have not seen or realized yet.  Do you hope for a body that is free from disease and pain?  Do you hope for an end to loneliness?  Now think about how you could go about obtaining these things that you hope for.  Are they even within your power to obtain them?

Our lesson today is about the yearnings and the hopes of the believer.  What are the things that a believer wants so badly that they well up from the bottom of their soul?  And what are the hopes of a Christian?  Are they different from a person who has rejected Christ as their Savior?  And best of all, what is the solution for how a believer goes about obtaining these things.  

THE SOURCE OF WORLDLINESS (James 4:1-3)

When we think about the term worldliness we think of the envy and strife that exists in our secular lives.  Political parties split, and one group becomes pitted against another.  As management and labor meet around the conference table, there is a battle going on.  In the corporate world there are climbers on the corporate ladder who are stepping on the hands of others as they go up.  In our neighborhoods, one family does not speak to another family.  Within families there are quarrels, brother against brother.

When a church allows worldliness to enter its doors, the characteristics of the world become evident in the church.  The envy and strife that exists in the world are displayed within the church.  The symptoms of a worldly church are divisions, conflict, power struggles, and open warfare among its members.  

Worldliness can be exhibited from both the pulpit and the pew.  It can pray with self-righteous eloquence.  It can find triumph in the middle of a deacon’s meeting.  It can take over a trustee’s meeting.  It can split churches over the color of the carpet, or a building program.  It will begin in a fight over who to ordain to its ministry, who can become a church member, or who can be baptized.  All are topics that can destroy the fellowship and evangelistic efforts of the church.

Listen to this podcast to learn that symptoms of worldliness are evidence of a problem that lies much deeper.  It lies within the heart of the church member.  

What is the answer to worldliness?  Prayer.  Personal prayer, properly performed, can reveal the worldliness in our hearts and can cleanse it.  James teaches us the secret of obtaining an answered prayer from the almighty, living, God who tells us that we have not because we ask not.