The Master‘s Class, LifeChange Church Wichita

THE WORK OF REDEMPTION (Ephesians 1:7-14)

THE WORK OF REDEMPTION (EPHESIANS 1:7-14)

In today’s message, we will be talking about the work that God, in all three parts, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, did to obtain our salvation, to redeem us, completely forgiven for our sins.  It is a wonderful story of God’s love, and God’s grace, that He would sacrifice so much so that we might have redemption from the sins that stain our soul.  It is a story of the completed work of redemption, and eternal life, that is ours if we make Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

It was God’s eternal counsel that the Lord Jesus should first give His life for us at Calvary, and then give His life to us. 

Eph 1:7
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
KJV

God the Father, planned our salvation by grace and not works.  It was His idea that God the Son, Jesus Christ, would go to the cross to die and then be risen to walk in life and victory over death.  It is because Jesus came to this earth as a God incarnate in man that The Father now sees us in the Beloved. He looks at us and sees Christ. No angel among the heavenly hosts has more acceptance than we.

Paul states, “The forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.”  Notice that word “grace.”  Paul uses it again and again in his letters.  For, our redemption is by grace, God’s unlimited grace. Grace is unmerited favor. It is getting something we don’t deserve. Paul strikes this note over and over. Paul tells us that there is more of God’s grace to follow, an unending supply, when he talks of the “The forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.”

We can thank God that He is rich in grace.  God has revealed Himself to be a God of infinite power, a God of infallible wisdom, a God of inflexible holiness, and a God of unlimited grace!  Amen, hallelujah, and praise the Lord.

Click on the play button to hear a message on the wonderful work of redemption, that God did to provide a completed salvation, if you will only accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

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

Amen.

SIGNED, SEALED, AND DELIVERED (Ephesians 1:13-14)

SIGNED, SEALED, AND DELIVERED (EPHESIANS 1:13-14)

When Paul talks about a seal, he is talking about a legal seal, and a seal means finality.  It means the transaction is done.  A seal also means security; it means the transaction is safe. And then a seal also means identity; it shows to whom the transaction has been delivered. I want you to think about the fact that Christians have the sealing of the Holy Spirit of God.

Paul says that when we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, when we’re born again, one of the ways that we know that we are saved, one of the proofs, one of the authenticating pieces of evidence, that we are genuine, bone fide, legally belonging to Jesus Christ, is that God places His seal upon us. Now, the seal that God places upon us is the Holy Spirit of God, because every believer, when he is saved, receives the Holy Spirit of God. 

The Bible is very clear when it says that if you have not received the Holy Spirit, then you have not received Jesus. The only way that you can receive Christ is to receive God’s Holy Spirit. He lives in you; He abides in you. And when He comes into you, it is the same thing to you that a seal is to a legal document. “Ye were sealed”—the Bible says—“with that holy Spirit of promise.” And a seal means finality; it means the transaction is done.  

Now, Paul is telling us that Jesus has purchased you, and there is finality. And when you receive the Holy Spirit of God, that means that the price has been paid in full. There’s nothing else you can do, and nothing else that you need to do.  For, without Jesus, nothing can be done, and with Jesus nothing else needs to be done. 

Click on the play button below to hear a message on the six reasons why I believe the Bible teaches us that we are eternally secure in our salvation.  

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

Amen.

WHAT WE HAVE IN JESUS (Ephesians 1:4-14)

WHAT WE HAVE IN JESUS (EPHESIANS 1:4-14)

The verses that we are going to review today are about you. This is your life. Here, the Lord is just giving your biography: from grace to glory; from eternity past to eternity future. Now, if you’re not interested in what you have in the Lord Jesus, and you’re not interested in your own personal spiritual welfare, then what on earth would you be interested in? What on earth could you be interested in?  

Did you know that God chose you, that God purposed your salvation, before He laid the foundations of the earth?  Now, you want to talk about some old-time religion, well you can’t get any older than this.  I mean, this was before there were any trees and mountains and birds and bees and fleas. Now, that’s before there was anything. God, way back in eternity past, chose you, and God chose me. 

You know, when we were kids playing football, or basketball, we would choose teams from among the group of kids.  And there is always somebody who wonders if he is going to be chosen at all. Now, isn’t it wonderful to know that God chose us so far back? You see, God is love, and what good is it to be a God of love if there’s no one to love? Love, by its very nature, cannot dwell by itself.  And so, since God’s nature is love, God created people like us, and chose us, that He might love us.

Listen, God does not love us because we are valuable, we are valuable because God loves us.  You are somebody because God chose you by His grace. And by His sovereign will, God chose to bestow His love upon you. I like what Charles Haddon Spurgeon had to say about it. He said this: “God certainly must have chosen me before I came into this world, or He never would have chosen me afterward.”  Now, isn’t it wonderful to know that even before we got here God looked down and said, “I see who he’s going to be, and I choose him”?

Most importantly, that means I can’t take any credit for my salvation. Because, it wasn’t, primarily, that I chose God.  He chose me first.  I love Him because He first loved me. 

Click on the play button below to hear a message on what we have in Jesus.  

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

Amen.

THE RICHES OF A CHRISTIAN (Ephesians 1:3)

THE RICHES OF A CHRISTIAN (EPHESIANS 1:3)

There was a woman by the name of Miss Bertha Smith, who served as a missionary in China between the years of 1917 and 1958.  She was a warrior for Jesus, if you ever saw one.  One time, she gave a talk about how we are. You know, the Bible says “our lives are hid with God in Christ,” (Colossians 3:3). And so, she had a box—a shoebox about that big—and on the outside she had the word “God” written on it.  And so, she opened that shoebox up, and on the inside of that was another little box, smaller. She had written on that “Jesus,” for the Bible says, “Christ is in God, and we’re in Christ.” (John 17:23) 

And so now, there’s God, and then there’s Jesus in God. And then, she opened that box, and inside of Jesus was one that said “Me.” There I am in Jesus. And I thought, “Boy, that’s glorious! How is the devil ever going to get to me if he’s got to tear up that first box and then that second box to get to me?”

But she wasn’t finished yet. She opened that one that said, “Me,” and inside that was a still smaller box, and that had “Jesus” on it again.  What that means is, I am in Christ, and Christ is in me. You can’t get better than that, can you? I am in Christ, and Christ is in me. Now, how’s the devil ever going to get to me? I mean, he’s going to have to tear up that big box, and that next box, and once he gets through Christ and starts on me, he’s going to find Christ on the inside of me.  That is the security of the believer.

Security is not in a place; it’s in a person. If you’re in Jesus, then you’re as secure as you’ll ever be. And if you’re not in Jesus, then you are not secure. He is the security of our riches, which includes all the needs of your spiritual soul, and your body, of the past, the present, and the future; your needs for salvation, sanctification, service, and glorification. All that you’ll ever need is in the Lord Jesus Christ.  He “hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in … Christ [Jesus]”—“in Christ [Jesus].”

Click on the play button to hear a message about the riches that are ours in Christ Jesus.  How to go from the rags of our self-righteousness, to the riches of God’s glory and His righteousness

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

Amen.

A BOX OF BONES (Genesis 50:22-26)

A BOX OF BONES (Genesis 50:22-26)

Today, we close out our study of the book of Genesis.  It has certainly been a good study about the power of God, and the faith of each of the people we have encountered.  We have studied about the wonderful creation of all things by the mighty power of God, and the destruction of The Flood as God’s judgment of evil man.  Then, we have studied about the faith of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.  Each man giving us an example of how to live a life of faith in spite of the trials and tribulations that faced them.  In fact, our closing lesson is going to be another example of the faith of Joseph.  The title of our lesson today is, “A Box of Bones.” 

The very last words of the book of Genesis are “a coffin in Egypt.”  Now, that’s a strange way for a book to end.  It begins with creation, and it ends in a coffin. The devil said to Eve at the beginning of creation, “Ye shall not surely die; that you can sin with impunity.” But, the fact is the devil lied, because we have had one funeral after another. And so, the book that begins with a blaze of glory ends with a grave. The book that begins with the vastness of eternity, ends with the shortness of time. The book that begins in a garden, ends in a coffin. And the book that begins with a blaze of brightness, ends with a box of bones, the bones of Joseph.

Did you know that the bones of Joseph are mentioned not only in the book of Genesis, but in the book of Hebrews, as well? And not only in the book of Hebrews, but in the book of Exodus? And not only in the book of Exodus, but in the book of Joshua? God tells us about those bones, and then He tells us about them three more times.  Now, what have we said about what we need to do when God repeats something multiple times in the Bible?  We need to pay real close attention because God repeats the things that He feels are very important for us to understand.  

Click on the play button to hear a message on how the faith of Joseph can be found in a box of bones.

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

Amen.

NOAH’S ARK (Genesis 6_12 to 7:1)

Today, we are going to be talking about Noah’s ark, which is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the gospel message of salvation. Now, don’t think for any moment that the story of Noah’s ark is a fable or a legend.  No, it is a true story. If you are a student of history, you will find out that all of the great civilizations have a flood story. Of course, the one in the Bible, given by divine inspiration, is the true story and the accurate record. But the fact that all civilizations have a flood story tells us that this roots back to fact. But, the truth is that we don’t need what any other civilization has to say, if we have the Bible.

The ark, just as our baptism, is a type of the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This ark, here in the Old Testament, pictures and portrays the Lord Jesus Christ, because it is a reminder that all of the Bible is about Jesus, all of it, the Old Testament and the New Testament. Jesus is the hero of the Bible.

Click on the play button above to hear a message on how Noah’s ark tells the gospel message of salvation.  It tells us that we are saved by grace, through faith, unto good works.

By grace. It wasn’t in the goodness of Noah, but in the grace of God. Salvation is not in the merit of man, but the mercy of God.  Salvation is not a reward for the righteous; it is a gift for the guilty.

Through faith. It is not faith that saves us; it is grace that saves us.  It is faith that brings us in contact with that grace. By grace, through faith. Noah was saved because he committed himself to that ark.

Unto good works. We work not for salvation, but from salvation. It is by, through, and unto—unto good works. And indeed, Noah served the Lord. He did all of these things, but not in order to be saved, but because he was saved.

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

Amen.

LET US GO ON TOWARDS CHRIST (Hebrews 6:1-12)

If you cease to be better, then you cease to be good, and when you cease to be good you are living a life of sin.  To stop growing in Christ, means that you are living a life of sin.  The Christian who is living a life of sin, meaning they are truly saved, but not living a life in the will of God, is going to lose the rewards that God has promised them.  These are the joy of living with Christ in your heart in this life, and the crowns, or rewards, that we will receive for living a life doing the will of God.  You cannot lose your salvation, for that is secure in the hand of God, and no man can pluck you out.  But, you can lose the opportunity to have our dear Lord and Savior say “Welcome my faithful servant” as you step into Glory forever and ever.  Nothing would hurt me more than disappointing my Lord, Jesus Christ.

Click on the link below to hear a message where the writer of Hebrews tells Christians, “I am persuaded that you are going to live for God, that you are going to receive the things that accompany salvation, the joy of the Christian life, and the rewards for your work done through the Holy Spirit living in you.”

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

Amen.

TO BE A GROWNUP-PART I (Hebrews 5:7 to 6:1)

The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ died for your sins, my sins, the whole world’s sins, and then He rose again so that we might have everlasting life if we will make Him our Lord and Savior.  Jesus stands today, alive, in the Holy Tabernacle of Heaven as our Great High Priest so that our salvation will be a forever, and ever, salvation.  

So, now that you are saved.  Now, that you know all that Christ has done for you, what should your reaction be?  What should your duty to Christ be?  God answers this question with a command, not a suggestion, but a command to grow as a Christian.  To become a grownup Christian.

Heb 6:1
1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
KJV

It is one thing to become saved, it is another thing entirely to become a full-grown Christian.  I want to put a thought in your mind, and I pray that it will bother you.  I pray that it will bother you so much that it will spur you into action.  I want you to write this down someplace that, every morning when you open your Bible for your quiet time, it reminds you of something very important.  It says, “When I cease to be better, I cease to be good.”

Click on the link below to hear a message that says, if you have stopped growing, then you have begun decaying. Decay always begins when growth ends. The Bible says we are to go on to maturity.  There is more to life than being born. A Christian is a tree planted, not a post stuck in the ground.  We are commanded to grow. There is a “must” about it.  The Holy Spirit of God has so much more for you to know about the grace of God, the blessings of God, and the work of God, but He cannot tell you these things until you are no longer a baby spiritually.

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

Amen.

OUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST-PART III (Hebrews 7:7 to 8:2)

As Christ followers, we believe in the doctrine of the priesthood of the believer.  That just means that each believer is a priest with direct access to God.  We have no need of an earthly priest because we already have direct access to God.  This doctrine of the priesthood of the believer is clearly taught in the New Testament.

1 Peter 2:5
5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
KJV

This position of “royal priesthood” for the believer is made possible by the completed work of salvation of Christ at Calvary.  Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection abolished the need of earthly priests and their sacrifices, for Christ became the sacrifice for all.  As believers, the Bible tells us that we have full, unfettered, access to God.  Yet, it is true that, like Job, we all have needs and we need someone to help us approach God.  Listen, if the idea of boldly approaching the very throne of The Almighty God, so that you can speak to Him, does not intimidate you, then I am not sure you fully understand who God really is.  Jesus Christ is that Mediator, that High Priest that brings God to us, and us to God.

There is a man in heaven, and His name is Jesus Christ. This is the place of His ministry. He is there at the right hand of the Father, co-equal, co-eternal with God the Father, and the place of His ministry is the place of His majesty, at the right hand of God forevermore.

Click on the link below to learn what a Savior we have! He is King. He is priest. He is the King of Righteousness. He is the Prince of Peace. And I’ll tell you, if you’ll make Him your King, you’ll know righteousness and you will know peace. I promise you on the authority of the Word of God that is true. And you will have a high priest, someone who will bring God to you, and someone who will intercede for you before the Father.

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

Amen.

A CARDBOARD CHRISTIAN (Proverbs 21:28)

The Bible says that the great hunger of every person’s heart is to know Jesus Christ.  Not know about Him, but to know Him and to have reality.  Yet, people are tired of hypocrisy. They are tired of games. But they are seeking reality.  If we want to reach people for Christ.  If we want to show people how to fill that great hunger they feel in their heart, then we must have this bright, shining, and living reality, and no longer be cardboard Christians. 

Prov 21:28
28 A false witness shall perish: but the man that heareth speaketh constantly.
KJV

This verse says that it is fatal not to have reality, to be false, to be a phony, to be a cardboard Christian. “A false witness shall perish.” A false witness is someone who looks like a Christian, acts like a Christian, talks like a Christian, they may even believe they are a Christian, but they are not saved, and they are not born again.  If you believe that you will have eternal life in heaven just because you have joined the right church, but you have never made Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior, then you are a cardboard Christian.

The verse also tells us of the reality of a faithful witness, “but the man that heareth speaketh constantly.”

John 10:27
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
KJV

This means that the Lord doesn’t know anyone unless they have heard His voice. You cannot be a Christian without hearing the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ. I don’t mean audibly. But you must hear God. A faithful witness hears, and what is it that they hear? His voice. What is His voice? His Word. The Bible that we have been given by God, written and inspired by God, those words are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Click on the link below to hear a podcast message from The Master’s Class at LifeChange Church Wichita on the fatality of a false witness, and the reality of a faithful witness.  

Amen.