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 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.

APPLYING GOD’S TRUTH (Proverbs 23:23)

Our message today is on the subject of truth.  Now, the idea of real truth is something that is an often-discussed issue in our society, and everybody seems to think they can subscribe to their own version of truth.  The idea of God, as our Creator, having the sovereign right to determine the absolute truths that govern our world, is certainly rejected by the majority of our society.

We have a generation today that does not know how to differentiate between truth and facts. Now facts deal with knowledge, and knowledge may double, but truth, never. If it is new, it’s not true. Truth is settled in eternity. 

Prov 23:23
23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
KJV

So, we have substituted facts for truth. Not that facts in themselves are wrong. Facts are stubborn things. But there is a difference in acquiring facts and learning truth. We’re drowning in facts. What’s the difference between facts and truth? Facts are like a recipe; truth is the meal. When you digest the truth, it will change your life.

Now, the Bible says, “Buy the truth, and sell it not.”  When the child of God looks into the Word of God, and sees the Son of God, and is changed by the Spirit of God into the image of God, for the glory of God, I believe he has learned the truth of God. 

Click on the link below to hear a message on how to apply God’s truth in your life, and how that truth will set you free.

Amen.

YOU ARE NEVER ALONE (John 16:25-33)

We are certainly living in a difficult time. We face a deadly enemy. It is silent and invisible. It moves from one person to the next, often without the host even knowing that they are a carrier of this enemy. It appears to randomly select how it will affect each of the people it attacks. Some will have mild symptoms, while others will die within days of the enemy attacking them. Much of the fear it causes is because of the unknown qualities of this enemy. How will I catch it, who will give it to me, and what will it do to me if I catch it? This fear has caused almost a complete shutdown of our worldwide economy and way of life.

We all deal with difficult times in different ways. Some face them head on, and some try to run from them. Some will share their feelings and hardships openly, while others will keep them inside. Some will depend on family and friends for support, while others chose to face these challenges alone.

As Christians we have something that others do not. We have the power and presence of the Holy Spirit of God residing in our hearts and lives. We never have to face these challenges on our own, and we never have to fear them, for we have the almighty Spirit of God to face these difficult times with us. We are never alone. If you have made Jesus Christ your Lord and Master, and then, if you have taken the next step and made the Holy Spirit, not just a resident in your heart, but the President of your life, then you have the strength, the wisdom, and the presence of the Holy God to get you through any challenge, and any trial.

But most of all, we have the knowledge that God determines when we live, and when we die. This enemy is not invisible to God. He sees it plainly. He decides when there is more for us to do to fulfill His purposes, and He decides when it is time for us to come home to be with Him. God is in control. Trust in God, and you will never be alone again.

Click on the link below to hear a message where Jesus tells us not to fear tragedies such as this virus that is attacking our very way of life. He says plainly that we are to be at peace, because He has already overcome the world.

John 16:33
33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
KJV

We have nothing to fear because Jesus has already overcome the world.

Amen.

THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (John 16:7-11)

Like most people, I spent a good deal of my youth getting an education in school. I went through elementary, Junior High, Senior High, and even college, and I learned a good deal in those schools. Not that I remember much of it, but the one thing that has stuck is how to learn. How to learn about a particular subject. How to study, and how to organize my thoughts about that knowledge in a meaningful way.

Now, to be honest, I hated studying while I was in school, and by the time I was done with college, I swore that I would never do it again. If I had to pick up a book to learn about something, I decided I could live with being ignorant. Well, you see how that worked out. I now have a job that requires me to study the federal regulations on such interesting topics as boycott laws, trade sanctions, and import and export laws. I also spend a good share of my time at home studying to teach these lessons. In other words, never tell God that you don’t want to do something that He wants you to do, because He has a way of making sure you do.

One of the other things that I learned in school was that a school cannot teach you many things about how to live in this world, especially about what is right and wrong. This is particularly true when it comes to living a victorious Christian life. There are some things that you will never learn in school. There are things that you will never figure out intellectually. There are things that you will never, never, ever know until you lay your intellectual pride in the dust and let God the Holy Spirit speak to you. In fact, the most important truths that will impact your life for all of eternity can only be known by the Holy Spirit speaking them to you. You won’t learn them in school. You won’t learn them in seminary, and you won’t learn them in the school of hard knocks. Our messages over the next couple of weeks are going to be about three of these tremendous truths.

Now, truth is so very, very important. There are those who are afraid of the truth, afraid of what that truth will mean in their lives. There are those who are willing to accept half-truths, socially adapted truths that allow them to deceive themselves into believing they are religious, or just a good person. Then, there are those who arrogantly think they know all truth. My prayer for you today is that you will have the humility to ask the Holy Spirit to speak the truth to you.

Click on the link below to hear a message on man’s basic problem, the sin of unbelief. Not believing on Jesus Christ is the great sin. That is the mother sin, the father sin, the parent sin, the sin of sins. The greatest sin is not believing. Unbelief does not come out of the head; it comes out of the heart. It is a predisposition against Almighty God. It is not trusting the God who loves you. Refuse the Lord Jesus Christ, and you are condemned because you have not believed. You have refused Him. That is the greatest sin, and with it brings the greatest penalty.

Amen.

THE OPPOSITE OF LOVE IS HATE (John 15:21-16:26)

There are people who deliberately choose to hate anyone who loves the Lord Jesus Christ. They hate God’s people because we are different. We separate ourselves from the world. We are a people chosen out of the world. We stand for the absolute truths about right and wrong as expressed by God in His Word. We remind them of the sin in their lives that they do not want to give up. The world cannot tolerate such absolute standards of right and wrong, nor, can they tolerate a sovereign God that has the right to tell them what is right and wrong. The world hates God's people simply because they are His people. They hate God. Therefore, they hate His people.

They hate us because they do not know the one, true, almighty God. Unfortunately, the persecution of Christ and his church has come mainly from other religious people. It has been the same in almost all the ages of the Christian era. Just because people are religious, or sincere in their beliefs, or active in their faith, does not prove that they know God. Behind all Christ-rejecting religion is Satan, who masquerades as an angel of light, who is the father of lies, and a deceiver from the beginning.

They hate us because they know Satan as their master. They do not know the almighty God. They use different names for God, but they do not worship the same God that we do. They do not know God, and the persecution of God’s people comes from this ignorance.

Click on the link below to hear a message on how Jesus wanted to prepare us for the hardships to come. To teach us how we are to love others in a world of hate, and how we are to put aside our own feelings of fear, and to share the gospel message of Christ that can give eternal life to those who will accept it.

Amen.

DON'T MISTREAT YOUR BEST FRIEND (John 14:15-18)

The Holy Spirit bears the name of Jesus. That is, Jesus says, "He comes in My name." He has all the power of Jesus that is released through us, and He makes Jesus real to us. But the problem is that we fail to think of him as a dear friend. If that is true of you, then that is something that needs to change in order for you to live a victorious Christian life. It is vitally important to your relationship with God that you understand that the Holy Spirit is the One, the Person, who makes Jesus Christ real and alive in your heart. You need to know the Holy Spirit of God, personally, and you must not mistreat Him.

Today’s message is about three ways that you dare not mistreat your best friend, the Holy Spirit of God. Each of these are things that I just pray to God that you will not do. Each of them comes from the Word of God.

The first one, is not to let Him in your life at all. First and foremost, you must not resist the Holy Spirit when He tells you that you need to make Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior. The Holy Spirit of God wants to speak to you. How does He speak? He speaks through song, He speaks through Scripture, He speaks through sermons, He speaks through servants, He speaks through situations, He speaks through sorrows, He speaks, and He speaks, and He speaks.

The second way we mistreat our best friend is to grieve His indwelling. If you have invited the Holy Spirit of God in, and if He has come to live in your heart, then don’t mistreat Him by grieving Him. How do you grieve the Holy Spirit, by your unholy character, your unholy conduct, and your unholy conversation.

The third thing is that you will not quench His outgoing. The Holy Spirit is in me. He lives in me. Why does He live in me? He lives in me to minister through me. He wants to bless you through me. He wants to start a fire burning in me that'll reach out and bless you. He wants there to be a stream of living water flowing out of me that will slake your thirst. And, He wants you to be a blessing to me. And, He wants us to be a blessing to one another and to this lost world.

Click on the link below to hear a message on the reason that many of us are floundering around, saying, "I don't know what I'm supposed to do." The reason is that you are grieving the Holy Spirit and quenching the Holy Spirit. When you stop grieving Him, and stop quenching Him, then you are going to be amazed how much power and guidance there is in your life. When you stop grieving Him, and stop quenching Him, He will speak to you, if you will listen.

Don’t mistreat your best friend, the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

WHO IS YOUR BEST FRIEND? (John 14:15-18)

Today’s message is about a wonderful friend that all believer’s in Jesus Christ have. That friend is the Holy Spirit. Now, the problem is that many of us know theologically that the Holy Spirit is a person. That is, we worship one God who has revealed Himself as three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We know that theologically, but many of us fail to think of the Holy Spirit as a person. We think of the Holy Spirit almost as an influence, a force, some empowerment, or something very much like energy is in a battery. But we fail to think of Him as a dear friend, and I want to talk to you about your best friend, the Holy Spirit, because He makes Jesus Christ real and alive in your heart.

Now, I know that you believe that the Holy Spirit is God, but I want you to become acquainted with Him personally. The Holy Spirit is to be to you today what Jesus Christ was to the disciples so long ago. And, you are to treat the Holy Spirit as those disciples treated the Lord Jesus Christ. He is to be your Lord, He is to be to your guide, He is to be to your director, your friend, and your comforter. And, if you don't do this, then you're going to suffer the tragedy of a barren life.

Click on the link below to hear a message on the best friend you can have. This friend is the only friend you have that can bring you to salvation. It is the Holy Spirit that enables you to be saved. That is what your best friend does, He enables you to have enteral life. He seals you into Jesus Christ. He indwells you, and He comforts, and strengthens you with all the power you will need to do the things that God asks you to do.

Your best friend is the Holy Spirit of God.

Amen.