The Master‘s Class, LifeChange Church Wichita

I KNOW WHO JESUS IS, HE IS GOD (John 9:8-38)

I know who Jesus is. I am certain of it. I am as certain of it as I am that my wife’s coconut meringue pie is as good as it gets. Now, you can try to tell me that her pie is no good. You can try to tell me that somebody else’s pie is better. You can try to tell me that pie is not real, that it is just a myth, but the evidence is in my stomach. I know that pie is real and as good as it gets because I enjoy every bite that I eat, and when I do, it settles down in my stomach making me feel awful good. That pie is inside me. I know it is inside me, just like I know that Jesus is inside me as well. I know that Jesus is God because I watched Him change my life. I know that Jesus is God because I experience Him every day of my life. There is nothing you can say or do, that would cause me to change my mind. I know it, because I have experienced the Lord Jesus as my God. I know it because the Word of God tells me that Jesus is God.

John 9:35-38
35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
36 He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?
37 And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.
38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
KJV

Click on the link below to hear a message about another man testify that he knows, he knows beyond a shadow of doubt, that Jesus is God. We will hear about a man who was blind from birth, and this man will give his testimony about the person who cured his blindness. In the process of doing so, he grows spiritually in knowledge of who Jesus is, and as a result, he is given eternal life for his faith. He moves from the darkness of being spiritually blind to having spiritual sight by believing on the light of the world, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

TO BE BORN BLIND (John 8:54 to 9:7)

Most of us who have the ability to see, take that ability for granted. It is like walking, or hearing, or even breathing, it is something you consciously do every day. But you don’t think about doing it, or what it would be like to not be able to see, until something happens that puts our eyesight in jeopardy. Those who were able to see for a period of their lives, and then lost their sight, feel the loss of that sight every day, but they have their memories of what things looked like. Someone who is born blind, and has never been able to see at all, has no such memories. The colors of a sunset, the faces of loved ones, and the stars in the sky are things they must imagine from the descriptions others give them. Yet, they have no reference to compare it to, they have only the words that they hear. How do you describe the colors of a sunset to someone who has never seen any color at all?

Yet, what would happen if someone came up to that blind person and said, I can give you sight, I can let you see what you have been missing? Would that person who could not see, choose to see, or would they be so used to living the way they had been, that they would choose not to see? Would they embrace the light, or would they choose to stay in the darkness? You say, “But of course they would choose to see the light, why would they choose to stay in the darkness?” Well, that is indeed the question, isn’t it?

John 3:19-21
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
KJV

Click on the link below to hear a message about two different kinds of people who were born blind. One man who was born physically blind, and another group of people who were born spiritually blind. One chose the light, the other chose the darkness.

Amen.

TO WHOM DO YOUR WORKS SAY YOU BELONG TO? (John 8:41-53)

A wise man once said that “Actions speak louder than words.” Do you know who that person was? According to that paragon of truth, Google, the first person in the US to say it was Abraham Lincoln in 1856. He said, “Actions speak louder than words is the maxim; and, if true, the South now distinctly says to the North, Give us the measures, you take the men.” Now, I have no clue about the context of President Lincoln saying that, but the phrase "Actions speak louder than words" essentially means that what we do means much more than the words we say.

If you combine this phrase, Actions speak louder than words, with the question of the title of the lesson, To whom do your works say you belong to, you begin to get an understanding of the Biblical truth that our message is about today. You can say that Christ is your Lord and Master, but do your works say that this is true?

Jesus said “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” Therefore, you may tell the world that you are a Christian, but when they look at your works, the things that you do each day, do they speak loudly that you are indeed the servant of Christ, or of sin? What would God say if He looked at your works, are they His, or Satan’s? There is no in between.

The lesson for us today is that you can give the best sermon that was ever preached, you can teach the best Bible study lesson that was ever taught, you can quote hundreds of verses from the Bible, or you can give the sweetest testimony about what Christ has done for you, but if your life is full of sin, then you are nothing but a hypocrite serving Satan as you master. Again, To whom do your works say that you belong to?

Clink on the link below to hear a message on how God, and the world, look that the works that you do.

Amen.

WHO IS JESUS CHRIST TO YOU? (John 8:24-41)

This is the single most important question that each of us must answer. No other question has your eternal destiny in the balance. It is the one question that Jesus will look at when you stand before Him to be Judged.

John 5:22-24
22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
KJV

Today’s message is one with three powerful statements by our Lord Jesus.

The first one is a declaration that Jesus is God, and if you fail to believe that He is God, then you will die in your sins.

John 8:24
24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
KJV

The second is that if you truly accept Jesus, the Son of God, as the Lord and Master or your life, then that truth will set you free from the bondage of sin.

John 8:31-32
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
KJV

The third statement is that if you commit sin, then you are the slave of sin. If you do the works of Satan, then you are the slave of Satan.

John 8:34
34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
KJV

With these three statements, Jesus Christ is laying out the gospel message of the Bible right here in this set of verses. These are powerful statements that are meant to convict the hearts of each of us.

Click on the link below to hear a powerful testimony as to who Jesus Christ is. Jesus declares Himself to be God. You may want to call Jesus a good man, a prophet, a teacher, or a healer, but until you call Him God, Jesus says “that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” If you refuse to accept Jesus as God, then you are still without a passport to an eternity in heaven. Deny Jesus as God, and you will spend an eternity burning in the fires of Hell. Is just doesn’t get any plainer, any more powerful, than that.

Amen.

JESUS IS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD (John 8:12-24)

When Bible talks about Jesus being the light of the world it has several meanings, but essentially it means that Jesus is God. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the light of the world? If not, then how long have you been rejecting Jesus as the light of the world? How many times do you believe that the Holy Spirit will stand knocking on the door of your heart asking to come in? Everyone wants to believe they have forever to decide about Jesus, but the truth is, that there comes a time in everyone’s life when their refusal to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, becomes final, and the Holy Spirit walks away never to return. When this happens, the eternal destiny of that person is sealed forever.

Click on the link below to hear a message on how Jesus is the light of the world, and how the rejection of that truth will cause God to leave you to die in your sins.

Amen.

ARE YOU QUALIFIED TO JUDGE? (John 7:45-8:11)

Today we are going to talk about a familiar story from the New Testament. It is about a woman who was caught in the act of adultery, but the woman is not the focus of this story. It is instead the statement that Jesus makes to the scribes and the pharisees who had brought her to Jesus. Jesus tells them, “He who is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”

The real question that Jesus is asking is, “are you qualified to judge this woman?” We are required to make judgments almost every day of our lives, but rarely do we judge whether a person should die for their sin. Never are we allowed to determine the eternal destiny of a person, and I am glad that is true because we are simply not qualified to be that judge. I am glad that Jesus is the only One qualified to judge my eternal destiny. To determine if I will spend eternity in heaven or hell. Amen?

Click on the link below hear a message, not about the perils of judging others, but a message about the wisdom and compassion of Jesus Christ. Wisdom to see through the schemes and agendas that we have as humans, and the compassion to forgive the sins of a woman whose heart chose Jesus as her Lord and Savior.

Amen.

ARE YOU THIRSTY? PART II (John 37-39)

Is your life a fruitful life for Christ or is it a barren life? Galatians 5:22 speaks of the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Is there a river flowing out of you that causes fruitfulness where there was once barrenness?

This world that we live is sick and barren desert that needs life. It needs the fruit of the Spirit. It needs healing. There is a dead sea out there, and Jesus said, "If you thirst, come to me, and drink, and you'll be satisfied." As believers we need to come to Jesus and drink from Him by faith, and then where there was death, there'll be life. Where there was barrenness there'll be fruit.

The truth is that there are members of our churches today who have never been saved. If you are one of these people, then you need to come to Jesus today, and stop enduring religion, and start enjoying salvation. Then there are others who have been saved, but they have only been drinking in such a shallow way. You come each Sunday morning with a shallow thirst and you go home with a shallow satisfaction. In other words, you are only ankle deep. You need to drink deep of our Lord, and let this river flow deeply out of you.

You need to stop coming to church only seeking a blessing, and you need to come to church seeking to bless others with the river of living water that is flowing out of you. Now, don’t misunderstand me, all of us, at one time or another, need to be the one receiving the blessing, but Jesus is telling us that if we will drink fully from Him, then we will have rivers of living water flowing from us to bless all of those around us. We will be a source of life in a sick, dead, world.

Click on the link below to learn how you can be a source of living water for those around you.

Amen.

ARE YOU THIRSTY? PART 1 (John 37-39)

Let me start by asking a question, how important is religion in your life? You see, I would say that religion is really only a small part of my life. I come to church on Sunday and participate in the form and the structure of a typical Protestant church. Certainly, there are differences in the religious rituals that are performed between the different Christian religions, but there are some basic similarities as well. Now, I am no expert on all Christian religions, but there is generally a sanctuary where everyone meets, there will be some music, some Bible verses read, and some preaching of one kind or another. The music may be contemporary, or it may be traditional hymns. It could be lively, with a bunch of dancing and shouting, or it could be almost silent whispers. The preaching may be fire and brimstone, or much more formal. It could be topical in nature, or it could be expository in nature. It could be entertaining, or it could be a real snoozer. Hopefully, it is someplace in the middle, but I have to admit that I have slept through a good share of the services I have been in. While there are differences, the basic building blocks of a worship service are all there in one form or another.

So, let me ask that question again, but just a little differently, how important is the style of the religion to you? How important are the traditions that created that style to you? How important are the rituals that are performed in that service to you?

Now, most people don't need more religion. We've got enough religion. What we need is a personal, vital relationship with Jesus Christ, the Son of God. What we need is true salvation with joy. We need to draw water from the wells of salvation.

Click on the link below to hear a message on how we should stop enduring religion. You need to ask yourself, why do you come to church on Sunday? Do you come to be blessed, or do you come to bless others? The importance of that answer is critical to your attitude as you walk into the doors of your church. Are you coming as a taker, or as a giver? Are you coming to check the box of obedience, or are you coming as a servant?

Are you thirsty?

Amen.

THE FEAST OF THE TABERNACLES (John 7:25-44)

This is a message about the power of God, the obedience of our Lord to the will of His Father, and to the decisions that we must make about who Jesus is in our lives. No other decision that we make is as important as the one to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. To make Him our Master, and to accept the work of salvation that He has completed for us.

Click on the link below to hear a message about Jesus Christ forcing people to choose who He was, a good man, a prophet, or the Promised Messiah and the Son of God.

Amen.

A DECISION ABOUT JESUS (John 7:1-24)

At some point in our lives, each of us has to make a decision about who Jesus Christ is to us, personally. Is He the Son of God and our Savior, or just a prophet, a teacher, or a good man? Each of us comes to this decision from different viewpoints and different life experiences. Yet, we must all ultimately answer the same question, who will Jesus Christ be in my life? My Savior, or just a figure in history? Will He be someone I give my life to, or someone I reject, claiming my life as my own?

Our eternal destiny, either heaven or hell, will be decided by the decision we make about Jesus Christ. Nothing else matters. Not the religion we choose. Not the church we attend. Not the good things that we have done in our lives, or will do in the future. Not the bad things that we have done in our lives, or will do in the future. Not murder, not adultery, not prostitution, not lying, not suicide. Other than rejecting Christ, the Bible does not state an unpardonable sin that prevents you from being saved, or forces you to lose your salvation. You will not find a verse in the Bible that says in order to be saved you must believe on Jesus and you must not have done this particular sin at any time in your life. What the Bible does say is:

John 5:24
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
KJV

The one requirement for salvation and eternal life is that you make a true heart trusting decision to accept Jesus Christ as the Son of God, truly repent of your sins, and accept that Jesus died on the cross for your sins. That’s it. Nothing else matters. To say one sin is greater than another sin is to not understand the perfect holiness of God. Any sin, from the smallest to the worst, must be judged and condemned by a Holy God. Any sin that you commit demands that the penalty for that sin be paid, and the penalty is the same for all sin, an eternity in Hell. The only question is who will pay the penalty for that sin. Jesus Christ as your Savior, or you when you decide to reject Jesus.

Click on the link to hear a message on how the nation of Israel, and most of the people, rejected Jesus Christ as the Messiah. They made their choice about who Jesus was in their lives, and they are spending an eternity in hell as a result of that decision. The apostle Paul tells us to examine ourselves to determine if we are in the faith. There is no more important decision that you will make at any time in your life than who Jesus is to you. Choose wisely. Choose life.

Amen.