The Master‘s Class, LifeChange Church Wichita

A PASTOR’S ACCOUNTABILITY (Hebrews 13_17)

A PASTOR’S ACCOUNTABILITY (Hebrews 13:17)

The topic of our message is going to be on the accountability of the preachers and pastors that lead our churches.  But, this message is not only for our pastors, it is for each of you as well, because you will also face a day of judgment. The Bible teaches that if the pastor is God’s man, then you ought to follow him; if he’s not, then you ought to fire him. It’s just that simple.  

It is a fact that one of these days, every pastor, every preacher, every minister, must face the Lord, and He’s going to ask them to give an account of their ministry.  But, it’s also a fact that each of us who are a true follower of Christ will one day face the Lord, and we will also have to give an accounting for not only, if we were obedient to God’s command to be submissive to our pastors, but for our own Christian work and ministry that God has given us.

Now, we are saved by grace through faith, and we cannot work our way to heaven.  But, somehow people have gotten the idea that they can live just any way they like, do anything they like, and because they’re saved by grace they can just go to sleep in a Pullman car and just coast into the yards of glory and it will make absolutely no difference how they serve the Lord, what they did, or whatever. But the Bible teaches to the contrary. 

The Bible teaches there is coming a day of accountability. The preacher is going to face an accountability.  He is going to have to answer to God for the way he leads his church. Even though he is saved by grace, he will have to give an account. 

Click on the play button to hear a message that will describe how Christ will hold pastors, and their followers, accountable the work that they have done in the name of our Lord.    

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

Amen.

A LIFE WITHOUT FEAR (Hebrews 13:5-6)

A LIFE WITHOUT FEAR (Hebrews 13:5-6)

When the old mapmakers were drawing ancient maps, they did not know what we know today. They didn’t have global positioning satellites. They could not see the world from outer space, and they would make maps of what they knew. But there was much that they did not know, and when they would come to the edge of their knowledge, they would often write something like this: “Beyond this, there may be dragons.” And, if you will look at some of the old maps, you will see the sea monster in the ocean right alongside those words.  This is because man has an innate fear of the future, and of the unknown.  The fear of the future is a foe that we all face.  Whether we are young or old, rich or poor, educated or uneducated, we wonder about what is going to happen. Fear has no racial bias. It’s endemic to all people.  

There is a fear of where our country is heading.  There is a fear of the persecution of Christians that is occurring as our country, and world, move further and further away from the Biblical values of God, and God Himself.  There is fear of the violence that is occurring all around us.  There is a fear of financial loss and the inability to pay the bills that are sitting on your table at home.  There is a fear of disease and failing health in a world filled with cancer and pandemics.  These are just a few of the things that we face in an uncertain future, and yet, God wants us to have a future without fear. As a matter of fact, God has not only admonished us, but God has commanded us, not to fear.

Click on the play button to hear a message that will teach you how to live a life free of fear.  

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

Amen.

ROOTING OUT BITTERNESS (Hebrews 12:14-15)

Today’s message is about a problem that many Christians have, and it is called bitterness.  It is bitterness that blows out the candle of joy and leaves the soul in darkness, and I am afraid more people have a root of bitterness than we dare think.  Bitterness has done untold damage to communities. It has done untold damage to churches, and untold damage to homes.

I am convinced that bitterness does more to hold back the power of God and revival than liberalism. Bitterness does more to hold back the power of God and revival than does alcohol or pornography.  Bitterness keeps the people of God from having the power of God, and the holiness of God, that they need in their hearts and in their lives. Unfortunately, much of this bitterness, is found in the people of God. We have bitter brothers, sour sisters, caustic Christians, and the Bible speaks of a “root of bitterness.”

Click on the play button above to hear a message that will help you identify bitterness in your life, and how to deal with it.  How to root bitterness out of your life.  

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

Amen.

CHASTENED BY A LOVING GOD (Hebrews 12:5-15)

Sometimes we are chastened by God. The word chastening is a Bible word that means child discipline. God loves you enough to discipline you. Now, you may not appreciate it now, but according to the Scripture, the time will come when you will bless the Lord that He loved you enough to chastise you.

God’s chastisement comes when we disobey the Lord, and as a result, we get into trouble because of our disobedience.  Many times, when this chastisement comes, we fail to remember the exhortation that God has given us in both the Old and the New Testament, which says, “My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him.”

Did you know that God is more interested in you being holy than He is you being healthy? Did you know that God is more interested in you being holy than He is you being happy? God is more interested in you being holy than He is you being wealthy. 

God’s plan for you, primarily, is not even to take you to heaven.  Now, I’m going to heaven, but that’s a fringe benefit. God’s plan is for you to be holy. Do you have a desire to be holy? If not, He may carry you to the woodshed and develop that desire in you, and that will be for your profit.

Click on the play button above to hear a message on how a loving God chastises those who are His.

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

Amen.

ARE YOU RUNNING THE RACE? (Hebrews 12:1-2)

ARE YOU RUNNING THE RACE? (Hebrews 12:1-2)

When you think of an athlete who is a runner on a track team, what do you think about?  Dedication, training, conditioning, and a sense of complete focus on being prepared to run the race.  Then, when that person is running a race, they are singularly focused on completing that race to the best of their ability, right?  Imagine that there is a young man who is getting set in the starting blocks. Every muscle is tense in anticipation of the start.  The starting gun goes off and he explodes out of the starting blocks. He’s looking straight ahead with complete, total concentration. Every inch, every ounce, every nerve, every fiber, he’s pressing to the goal. He stays in his lane. He’s not moving to the right. He’s not moving to the left, and in this example, he is not running against anybody else. He’s running against himself. He’s running against the clock, and he’s headed toward the finish line. 

But, in this life, if you are a child of God, then you are in the race. I don’t care how old you are. I don’t care how feeble you are. I don’t care how rich, or how poor, you are. There is a race for you to run, and God wants you to run that race like a champion. 

The truth is that most of the people in our churches today are not active soul winners. That’s tragic. You say, “But, I give my money.” I don’t care how much money you give, if you’re not endeavoring to bring souls to Christ, then you are not right with God. You say, “Well, I teach.” I don’t care how eloquently you teach, if you’re not trying to bring souls to Jesus, then you’re not right with God. You say, “Well, I attend faithfully.” I don’t care how much you attend, if you’re not trying to bring souls to Jesus Christ, then you are not right with God. Well, you say, “I live a clean, moral life.” I don’t care how circumspectly you walk, if you’re not endeavoring to bring souls to Jesus Christ, then you are not right with God. Andrew Murray said, “There are two classes of Christians: soul winners and backsliders.” You’re one or the other.

Click on the link below to hear a message on how you can learn to run the race of faith that God has put before you just like the champions in God’s Hall of Fame.

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

Amen.

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.

STAR WARS (Hebrews 11:32-34)

STAR WARS (Hebrews 11:32-34)

This message is about a man named Barak whose story is found in the Old Testament book of Judges. As you might imagine, since he is a member of God’s Hall of Fame for the champions of faith, Barak was a man known for his faith. The title of the lesson, which is Star Wars, comes from the Old Testament book of Judges which says, 

Judg 5:20
20 They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera.
KJV

The background of this story is that there was a battle between Barak and a Canaanite general named Sisera, and the outcome of this battle was known before the battle even started.  It was fixed.  The verse tells us that it was impossible for Sisera to win because he was battling the stars. He had a collision with the stars. The message is very clear, and it is that All the universe is against the man who is against God.  If you are not with God, ultimately, you are destined to fail. The God who runs those stars, the God who created the universe and flung those stars out into space, programmed everything against Sisera. There was no way that he could win, because sin can’t win, and faith can’t fail, and this was a battle of faith, and God gave the victory.

Click on the arrow button above to hear a message on how God’s purposes will prevail. “Have faith in God, He cannot fail; have faith in God, He must prevail. He can’t fail.” Satan cannot win. The stars in their courses are against the man who’s against God. The stars line up for the man who loves God.

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

Amen.

FACING FAILURE WITH FAITH (Hebrews 11:32)

FACING FAILURE WITH FAITH (Hebrews 11:32)

If God were to grade your faith today, would you get an A? A-plus? C-minus?  There was a student who came to the professor and he said, “Professor, I don’t believe I deserve this F.” The professor said, “Neither do I, but it was the lowest grade I had.”  Now, is that the kind of faith you have? What kind of a report card would God give you today if God had to measure you?

The Bibe says that our faith is important because it is absolutely impossible to please God without faith.  So, if you want to get an A from God on your report card, then you must have faith, and not just any faith, but a hall of fame type of faith.  The champion that we will look at today is Samson, and the title of our message is “Facing Failure With Faith.” So, let me ask, do you feel like a failure? Do you feel like you’ve failed the Lord, and to be quite honest about it, you feel like you don’t even deserve a second chance? Then this message is just for you because Samson was indeed a failure. 

However, in spite of what Samson did, God is the God of the second chance. Samson had enough faith to know that even though he was a failure and a disgrace, and that he’d failed and shamed God, that God still loved him and would remember him when he came in repentance and faith.  Now, you may be someone who has failed and you’ve failed so much. But I’m here as a messenger of God today to tell you God loves you, and the same God that blessed ole Samson, loves you. Here was a man, though he failed, he learned to face his failure with faith.

Aren’t you glad that we serve such a God? And aren’t you glad that 1 John 1:9 is in the Bible: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 

Download this message to hear how God wants you to face your failures with faith.

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

Amen.

HOW TO BE USED OF GOD (Hebrews 11:32-34)

Would you like God to use you? I mean, would you really, or are you afraid of what God might ask you to do?  Are you willing to say to God, Lord I want you to use me wherever, whenever, and however, you want to use me?  Let’s go a little deeper, when you die, will people remember you as a servant of God, someone who impacted others for God?  In other words, will it make any difference that you lived? Will your story be that He was born. He lived. He died. You draw your breath, you draw your salary, you exist to live, you live to exist, and that is all?  I wonder if there are a lot of us who will not really leave any vacancy when we go. Will it make any difference that you lived? What is your life really, ultimately, counting for?  Is it counting for God?  If that is what you want, then who are the kinds of people that God uses?  Does God use mighty people to do mighty things for Him, or does God use common people to do His work?

Click on the link above to hear a message on the characteristics of the people that God uses to do mighty things to accomplish His will on this earth.

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

Amen.

THE TRANSFORMING POWER OF FAITH (Hebrews 11:31)

Today’s message is about a champion of faith named Rahab, and the story of Rahab will teach us that our Lord Jesus Christ is in the transformation business, and the greatest power on earth is the grace of God made available by faith.  A great preacher once said that “nature forms us, sin deforms us, schools inform us, jails reform us, the Word conforms us, but Jesus transforms us.” He changes people. He literally, actually, eternally, changes people.  He cleanses us, justifies us, and washes away all of our sin.  

Now, if your religion hasn’t changed your life, then you’d better change your religion, because you don’t have the New Testament kind of religion. Jesus is in the transformation business. There’s no one so bad he cannot be saved. God is not finished with you. God loves you, and there’s no one so good he or she need not be saved.

Click on the link below to hear a message on the transforming power of the grace of God.

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

Amen.