The Master‘s Class, LifeChange Church Wichita
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Today we are celebrating Easter Sunday. This is a holiday that most of the western world has celebrated for centuries. However, for most people the day is simply another holiday, it has no real meaning other than the Easter bunny, egg hunts, and candy for the kids. To some, it is a time to go to church for a religious ceremony of some type. Many of us have memories of attending Easter services in crowded churches, with everyone dressed in new Easter, Sunday-go-to-meeting, clothes. The women were dressed in hats and gloves, and the men in suits and ties. The church was crowded with people attending for the one and only time all year that they came to church. Yet, if you were to ask most of them why they came, why the day was important, many of them could not tell you. Why is Easter Sunday an important holiday to celebrate? It is because on Easter, we are celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus. If you are a believer, if Jesus Christ is your Lord and Master, then Easter should be every bit as important to you as the celebration of the birth of our Savior on Christmas. The resurrection of Jesus Christ means that we have A master to confess. It provides us with a living Jesus Christ sitting on the right hand of God the Father. He is sitting because He has accomplished all that God has asked Him to do. It also means that we have A message to convey. The resurrection of Jesus Christ provides us with a message to tell others About Eternal life. About Power over sin in our lives. About The hand of the One who will bring us into the presence of God when we enter Heaven’s Gate. Where we can stand clothed in the robe of righteousness purchased with His Holy blood. Christ wields absolute authority and power in Heaven and on Earth. Angels and Cherubim of heaven, and Principalities and rulers of this world’s darkness, wicked spirits, demons, and Satan himself are held in check by the power and authority of our Lord Jesus Christ. No kingdom, empire, or nation exists outside of the Lord’s permissive will. The message of the resurrection is that Jesus is on the throne, wielding all power and authority on earth as in heaven. This is the message we are to convey. It also means that we have A mandate to complete. Jesus has commanded us to go out into the world and preach the gospel of His death, burial, and resurrection, baptizing them in the name of the Lord. Praise God that Jesus was willing to be obedient to God’s will, and Praise God that from the foundations of time, the triune God has had our salvation in mind. God sent His Son that we might have everlasting life, and the power of God raised Him from the grave so that we might walk as a new creation in the newness of life. Click on the link below to hear a message on why this Easter holiday is so important to us as believers. Jesus Christ is alive, and we are going to 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.
There is a battle that rages within every believer. It is a battle between doing the will of God in our lives, and following the desires of the world. It is a daily battle, and it is one that we will have until the day we join Christ in heaven. Paul describes this battle that raged within his own heart. Rom 7:18-20 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. KJV The carnal nature is the one that we are born with, and its focus is on the desires of the world. The new nature is the one that we receive once we are reborn in Christ, and its focus is on doing the will of God in our lives. It is a battle that is only fought within the heart of a believer, for a lost person only has one nature, his carnal, or fleshly nature. He has no choice but to serve Satan as his master, so there is no need for a battle. It is when we become saved that we must then choose between our two natures, and it is then that the battle for supremacy within our heart rages. Every believer has three enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil. The world is that value system that’s out there. We call that the external foe. The flesh is that old Adamic nature. We call that the internal foe. The devil and he is the infernal foe. These are the three enemies that are warring against us. Every one of us, when we come to the place where we want to be fruitful for God, after the Lord intercedes for us as He does, and it looks like we’re about to be fruitful, suddenly we find within us a battle going on. There is a struggle. It is an inner, spiritual, battle. It is important to note that it is those, whose lives are the most fruitful for God, who are the most aware of the struggle between the two natures within themselves. However, this is something that all believers will experience when they choose to turn away from the world and begin their journey of spiritual growth. As long as we are content to live carnal, worldly, lives, we have no problem, but once we are determined to meet the conditions that lead to spiritual fruitfulness, the battle begins. Click on the link below to hear a message about how we can have victory over the old, fleshly, carnal, nature through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.
It is interesting to note that while the Holy Spirit goes into great detail about the lives of Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph, most of the story of Isaac is told by attaching it to another person. For example, Isaac’s Mount Moriah experience was told through Abraham, and his marriage was seen through the eyes of Abraham, Abraham’s unnamed servant, and Rebekah. Even with the birth of Esau and Jacob, which are Isaac’s sons, we will see this event through the eyes of Rebekah. This is a story of two opposites. Here are two boys, born at the same time, born in the same place, of the same parents, to the same advantages and opportunities. Yet from the outset one of them set out in his own stumbling, full of errors, way to please God, while the other set out to please himself. One was ruled by a heavenly vision, the other by worldly and carnal things. As with each of our lessons in Genesis, there is the primary interpretation of the events, in this case it is the development of the seeds of the nations of Israel and Edom. But, we also have the spiritual interpretation of this story, and this interpretation discusses the battle that rages within each believer. The battle between our carnal nature, and our new, Holy Spirit created, nature. The carnal nature is the one we are born with, and the new nature is the one we receive once we are reborn in Christ. It is a battle that is only fought within the heart of a believer, for a lost person only has one nature, his carnal, or fleshly nature. He has no choice but to serve Satan as his master, so there is no need for a battle. It is when we become saved that we must then choose between our two natures, and it is then that the battle for supremacy within our heart rages. As a believer, you have three enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil. The world is that value system that is out there. We call that the external foe. The flesh is that old Adamic nature. We call that the internal foe. The devil: we know who he is, for he is the infernal foe. So, we all have three enemies that are warring against us. Click on the link below to hear a message about that internal foe, the flesh; and we’re going to be talking about victory over the flesh, as we study our lesson today, and next week, on Jacob and Esau, these two twins. This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.
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.
In our message today, we are going to cover the details of Abraham’s servant returning to Abraham’s people to find a bride for Isaac. Chapter 24 is the longest chapter in the Book of Genesis, and every detail of this beautiful love story, speaks of Christ and His bride, the Church. This should not be surprising because Paul tells us in Ephesians that marriage is intended to mirror the relationship of Christ and the Church. We will see Rebekah, a type, or a picture, of the church as the bride of Isaac, being brought into the very tent of Sarah. The whole chapter, while interesting and full of local tradition and culture of the time, is at the same time a full-length study of the way in which the Father’s beloved Son obtained His bride, the church. Woven into the fabric of this beautiful human story are the threads of an even greater story. We see the coming of the Holy Spirit into the world with a great mission to win and woo the hearts of the lost to the heart of the Beloved Son of God. Only rarely does He speak of Himself. His great mission is to praise the Son and to tell of the love of the Father and His grace and mercy. His great task is to seek out those that will become the Bride of Christ. Click on the link below to hear a message on how the Holy Spirit takes advantage of life’s ordinary circumstances using them to accomplish His task. He never forces, never violates the human will, never overwhelms, never uses weird and uncanny means to conquer the soul. Ordinary things happen; a visit here, a chance meeting there, an unexpected conversation, a book passed by a friend—and all the time the Holy Spirit is at work. Until, at last, the gospel is presented, and the hour of decision comes. It was the servant’s way with Rebekah; it is the Spirit’s way with a lost soul. This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.
In today’s message, I want to talk to you about your faith. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 16:13 to be strong in faith. I want us to think about our faith, and I want us to look at our faith. I want us to examine our faith. I want us to test our faith, because, you see, the faith that cannot be tested, cannot be trusted. How do you know that your faith is real and strong? Well, would you like to fly on an airplane that had never been tested? Would you like for it to be built, but never once put to any test? Would you want to get on it and commit your life to that airplane, and it had never been tested? I don’t think so, right? Would you like for a doctor to do surgery on you who went through medical school without a test? He just got a diploma as a participation trophy? Do you want to put your faith, and your confidence, in something that hasn’t been tested? Again, the faith that cannot be tested, cannot be trusted. If you were to measure faith, how would you measure it? Well, you could measure it with the dimensions of faith. You could measure it by its depth. You could measure it by its height. You could measure it by its length. Or you could measure it by its wideness. And that is exactly how we are going to measure faith today. We are going to study how God tells us in His Word how Abraham’s faith was measured. He is going to tell us how it was qualified. Click on the link below to hear a message on how our faith is measured by the depth of its devotion, the height of its sacrifice, the length of its obedience, and the wideness of confidence. Let me ask that the next time you pray to your Heavenly Father, pray these words, “Lord, increase my faith. And, Lord, when the test comes, when you ask of me something—to go somewhere, to give something, to sacrifice something—Lord, help me to obey. May my obedience be quick, intentional, instantaneous, impassioned, intelligent.” You don’t have to think up things to sacrifice. You just have to say, “Lord, all that I am, all that I have, belongs to you.” This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.
In Genesis chapter 22, we come to an absolute mountain peak in the spiritual life of Abraham. This chapter is one of the great, great, chapters in all of the Bible. Chapter 22 is the account of Abraham’s obedience to God’s command of offering Isaac as a burnt sacrifice. God commanded him to offer Isaac on the altar and then restrained him at the last minute when He saw that Abraham was willing to go through with it. If you were to designate the ten greatest chapters of the Bible, you would almost certainly have to include Genesis 22. The Word of God makes it clear that God requires a life to be given up in order that He might save sinners. And there is no one among the children of men worthy to take that place. Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son was the only One capable of fulfilling that role. In terms of depicting great truths about the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, this chapter easily compares with Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. In our message today, we will see the similarity between the sacrifice of Isaac and the sacrifice of Christ. It is no accident that this similarity exists. The Bible is full of repeated types and symbols that point to the real event in order to prepare us for what will happen. In this case, God is revealing the Gospel of the sacrifice of Christ for our sins to His beloved servant, Abraham. On Mount Calvary, one day, men would see God providing Himself as a lamb. One day, on this place—this sacred place—God has provided Himself a lamb. And that’s the reason when John the Baptist saw Jesus Christ, who was God in the flesh, John the Baptist pointed to Him and said, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29)—for the Lord, Jehovah Jireh, has provided Himself as the lamb. Click on the link below to hear a message on the Word of the Cross, a dress rehearsal for Calvary. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.” (John 3:16) There was no reprieve for the Son of God. There was for Isaac, but not for Jesus. And God knew that one day He would spare not his own Son, because He loved you that much. This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.
Today’s message is about spiritual highs and lows. If you have been a Christ follower for very long, then the mountain top experiences when you feel so close to God, are right there alongside the deep valley experiences when you feel so far from God. The Bible describes Abraham as a hero of the faith, and I certainly agree with that description. Some of the things that we have seen Abraham do in our study of the book of Genesis, and some of the things that he will yet do in this book, are truly remarkable examples of a man who is filled with the Spirit of an all-powerful God. Now, I don’t know about you, but I never like to see my heroes stumble. I mean, the Lone Ranger never told a lie, he was never mean to people, and he always rescued the girl, and defeated the bad guys. That is just the way it works, our heroes are not supposed to do the same kind of foolish things that we do, especially twice. So, when you have the type of expectations that I do for my heroes, chapter 20 of the book of Genesis is a chapter that you would like to just skip over. That is because Abraham does all of the things we just talked about. He lies, and he is mean to Hagar and Ishmael. Worse, he repeats the same sin that he committed when he went down into the land of Egypt and lied concerning Sarah, saying, “She is my sister.” It is the same story, all over again. But in the end, Abraham defeats the bad guy, or the sin that has been in his life, he obeys God’s commands, and he gets the only girl God has wanted for him from the beginning, which is Sarah. Yet, this story tells the truth about all of us as Christians. No matter how great we think we are, each time we try to solve our problems using the world’s methods, using our own strength, instead of depending on God, we will fail. And there is nothing more miserable than a Christian who has failed because he did not depend on God. The lost see this person as the hypocrite they are, and they want nothing to do with that kind of shallow belief. Click on the link below to hear a message on how our faith and trust in God is the foundation for living a victorious Christian life. This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.
There are those who believe that you can become a child of God and continue on in sin. God says that is impossible. You cannot do that. Paul asks the question, Romans 6:1-2 1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? KJV The idea that you can be a Christian and go on living in sin, or support and condone the sin of those around you, is a tremendous mistake. Don’t tell me that the book of Genesis describes a primitive view of God, and that we have a better, more enlightened one today. Don’t argue that, after all, Jesus received sinners. That is absolutely true, He certainly did, but when He got through with them, He had changed them. The harlot who came to Him was no longer in that business. When she came to God, she changed. A tax collector named Matthew came to Jesus, and he gave up that which was crooked when he came to the Lord. If you have come to Christ, you will be changed. Many people try to explain that we are living in a new day and that we need to wake up. That is true, we are living in a new day, but it just happens to be the same old sin. Today, it is the same for us as Christians. The world has a lot of attractions. Many people want to have one foot in the world and the other living in God’s will. But it doesn’t work that way. In order to become saved, we are commanded to repent of our sins. The word repent is an expression that always has been given to God’s people as a challenge to turn around, to stop what they are doing. The word repent can be defined as walking down the road in one direction, stopping, and turning back to go in the opposite direction, never looking or going back the way you were going. This word is much more than just saying you are sorry, it is agreeing with God that what you did was wrong and committing not to do it again. Click on the link below to hear a message on how God will bring judgement on pervasive sin. As Christians, our love cannot be of the things of this world. Our home is no longer here on this earth. We are pilgrims on this earth. We are here for one purpose only, to bring others to a saving knowledge of Christ. This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.
Have you ever asked the question, how does a mature, obedient Christian react to the truth that a terrible judgment is about to happen to a world of sinful men? The Bible gives us examples of such reactions. Jonah was happy when he heard about the Ninevites. Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever said, “Boy it is about time God did something about so and so.” On the other hand, Jesus was moved to tears when He looked ahead and saw the destruction of Jerusalem. In today’s message, I want to talk about the great Biblical truth that we can pray an intercessory prayer for those who face the judgment of God. I want to talk about our critically important role of praying intercessory prayer for our loved ones and the world around us. Do we know today of any such upcoming judgments? Yes, we do. God has promised a day of Tribulation, when judgment will come to this earth in such proportions that if He did not come to stop it, all of mankind would be destroyed. But, right now, we live in a day of grace. A day in which man can choose to accept Christ as his Lord and Savior. What are we doing to be concerned about those we know are lost? Are we concerned enough about those around us that will be left behind to suffer, and likely die, in this period of Great Tribulation, to share the Gospel message of Jesus Christ? Are we delighted as Jonah was when God said that He was going to destroy the Ninevites, or are we moved to compassion as Jesus was at the destruction of Jerusalem? When we think about intercessory prayer, we have to think about who it is that can pray such a prayer. Who can be an intercessor between God and man? They must truly be important people in the eyes of the Lord. So, we have to ask the question who are These most important people on earth? Are they politicians, star athletes, movie actors, the billionaires of the world, or other famous people that we read about in the news every day? No, there are some people who are much more important than any of those so-called important people. And many of them are unrecognized, unnoticed, unappreciated, and unpraised. They are Christians, not mere Christians, they are Christians who have learned the ministry of intercession. The most important people on earth are those who know how to pray intercessory prayer, not just any kind of prayer, but intercessory prayer. Click on the link below to learn how you can be the friend of God and pray an intercessory prayer for those that you love, and for the world around you. How you can be one of the most important people on the earth. This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.
Have you ever thought of laughter as a part of your faith? To be honest, I think it is easy for us to forget that our faith is supposed to bring happiness into our lives. God is truly a wonderful and gracious God, and He blesses us with so much that we don’t deserve. But from the way most of us walk around, you would think that we have the weight of the world on our shoulders, when instead our problems are supposed to be on God’s shoulders, not ours. One of my life verses is: Ps 55:22 22 Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. KJV When I really apply this verse to my life, it simply changes my entire outlook on life. For, I have to ask myself, what burden do I have that God cannot handle? Is there anything too hard for God? And if God is handling it, then why not be happy about it? Why not have the joy of the Holy Spirit in my heart and on my face for the world to see? Click on the link below to hear a message on how God has worked in Abraham’s life. How God has told Abraham on multiple occasions that he will have a son named Isaac, and that he will be the father of many nations. In this message we get a chance to see the joy of having a God that loves us and fulfills all of His promises to us. This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.
These three verses contain four wonderful, wonderful, truths that you need to learn. I want you to get these four things about a strong faith emblazoned in your heart, etched upon your consciousness. I want them to reverberate through your soul, because I want for you what I want for myself, a strong faith. The first is that Strong Faith Releases the Grace of God. Faith is the key. It just opens the door and gets you in there where grace is, or it gets grace out here where you are. The second is that Strong Faith Relies on The Guarantees Of God. Strong faith always relies on God’s guarantees. It does not rely on you, on what you wish, or what you want, but on what God has said. The third is that Strong Faith Recognizes the Greatness of God. True faith is rooted in the promise, but not only in the promise, but in the One who promised. And so, if you are to have faith, not only must you have the Word of God, and a word from God, you must also understand the character of the God who gives this Word. The fourth is that strong faith reveals the glory of God. The greatest way that you can glorify God is to believe Him. Click on the play button above to hear a message on the most important part of God’s grace that we can apply to our hearts and lives. It is the foundational truth that we need to understand that our faith is based on. That truth is that There Is No Problem God Cannot Solve. You will never have to say that something is too difficult for God to do in your life. It is that truth that lets the peace of God rest in our hearts, for we have the omnipotent, the omniscient, and the omnipresent, God who can solve any issue, and any problem, that we might face as we serve the loving, living, God of all creation. God said to Abraham, “Abraham, I’m going to give you a son.” Abraham was 100 years old. Sarah was 90. It was humanly ridiculous, so much so, that Abraham laughed, and yet he turned, and he believed God. How did he do it? Well, first of all, he said, “I know God that you want to do it by your sheer grace. And so by faith, I’m going to release that grace.” Faith releases grace. It relies on God’s Word. It doesn’t look for anything else. It just simply takes the Word of God and gets a word from God. And, thirdly, the faith that relies on God, relies on God because it knows God’s character. It just simply is aware of who God is and what God can do. And, therefore, it just glorifies God. It just simply says, “God, I want to give you the praise. I’m going to give you the glory. I’m not going to stagger in unbelief.” Now, if you’ll do that, then God will make you a person of strong faith. This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.
Archimedes was a philosopher and physicist, and he said, “If you will give me a lever long enough, if you will give me a fulcrum with something to rest it on, and if you will give me a place to stand, I can move the earth.” He was right. For us, that lever is faith, that fulcrum is the Word of God, and that place where we stand is in His grace. With it, not only can we move the earth, but we can move heaven as well, if we learn to be strong in faith. It is strong faith that releases the grace of God. Rom. 4:16 says, “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace …” meaning that without faith, you will never know grace, “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure.” What is grace? Grace is “God’s riches at Christ’s expense.” Grace is God giving us and showing us His great wonderful love. There’s nothing we can do to deserve it, or to earn it. Grace is the unmerited love and favor of God that is just given to us. Now, how can you get in on this unmerited love and favor of God? Only by faith! If you begin to work for it, if you begin to pay for it, then it is no longer grace. It is no longer grace. If it is by grace, then by definition, it is no longer works, otherwise work is not work. And, if it is by work, then by definition of the word work, it is not by grace, otherwise grace is no more grace. This is what the Bible says. You can’t mix grace and works, so the only way that grace can be grace is through faith. That is the only way that grace can be grace. Now, it is important to understand that unbelief holds grace prisoner. If you are an unbeliever, grace will never work in your heart and in your life. The Bible says it is by faith so that it can be by grace. Click on the play button above to hear a message on how a strong faith is the key to unlock God’s grace in your life. This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.
Did you know that the Jews are less than 0.19% of the world’s population? And yet more than twelve percent of all the honors in science, in health, in medicine, in music, in philosophy, and in public life have been garnered by these amazing people. The Nobel Prize is one of the highest prizes that men of learning confer upon one another. In the last fifty years, one-third to one-fourth of the Nobel prizes have been given to these people who only represent 19- hundredths of one percent of the population. Why is this? I believe that God in a very special way has His hand upon these people. They are the people of destiny. You can study history and find some amazing things. Did you know that it was a Jew that financed Christopher Columbus’s voyage to find this New World? Did you know that on board that ship when Columbus set sail was a Jew and he was the first man to set foot upon these new shores? Did you know that? Did you know that a Jew, Hiram Solomon, financed George Washington and the Revolutionary War as we fought for our independence from the British? Did you know that? You don’t realize what an influence these people have had on your life. Click on the play button to hear a message on the promise that God makes to Abraham that He is giving to Abraham and his seed, “all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” I believe that God meant exactly that. I believe the word everlasting means everlasting. What God is saying here is an iron fist upon history. The Sovereign God is definitively saying that certain things are going to be done. What God is saying here is His plan to bless you, and to bless me, and to bless the nations of the world. This indeed is a blessing, a promise, that has changed the world, and it will give us understanding if we today will take the Word of God and let it speak to us as we study together. This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.
The Bible tells us that Abraham and Sarai failed to be patient and wait on God’s perfect timing to accomplish His will in providing a son for Abraham. The price of that failure was that Hagar was abused, and as a result, she rejected their witness and fled. Hagar was first given to Abraham by Sarai, and then she was rejected and persecuted by Sarai after she became pregnant. Hagar’s rejection led her to flee from the very God that could give her everlasting life. Hagar had no desire to be like Abraham and Sarai, if the way they treated her was an example of the God they believed in. So, she turned her face back towards Egypt, back towards the world, back towards death and eternal darkness. I am glad that the Holy Spirit of God is able to convict the heart of the lost person in spite of the witness that most of us believers display on a daily basis, especially when we are away from the church, and even worse, within our own home. Since Abraham and Sarai had so badly represented God to Hagar, God now steps in Himself and shows Himself to Hagar. Click on the link below to a message on how God loved Hagar just as much as He loved Abraham. He sought her and found her, just as God had searched and found Abraham in the land of the Ur of the Chaldees. From this point forward, the true and living God would no longer just be One about whom Abraham and Sarai spoke, He would be her God as well. She confessed her faith with her mouth. This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.
The story of Abraham gives us an opportunity for God to show us the power of His grace, and the power of His silence. There are lessons for believers in both of these Biblical truths. It is by the power of God’s grace alone that our salvation comes. Not by the works of man lest he should boast, but by the grace of our Heavenly Father that loves us. It is the power of God’s grace that comes to us when we believe on the promises of God, when we believe what God has promised to accomplish in us through Jesus Christ. It is when we believe that Jesus Christ has paid the penalty for our sins, and then died and rose again, that the power of God’s grace imputes righteousness to us. It is by the power of God’s silence that we learn patience; that we learn the value of faith; and we learn to depend on God rather than on our own wits, our own strength, or the things that the world values and believes as natural. It is the power of God’s silence that creates a test we rarely pass. We fail this test because we want things on our timing, rather than God’s. One of the hardest lessons we learn as believers is to wait on God’s perfect timing for His will to be accomplished in our lives. Click on the link below to hear a message on how God accounted Abraham as righteous. Abraham believed God. He just accepted what God said, and he believed God. That is the way each of us get saved. You must believe that God has done something for you, that Christ died for you and rose again. It is then that God will declare you righteous by simply accepting Christ. This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.
In today’s message we will discuss a meeting between Abram and Melchizedek, the King of Salem, and then we will see a particularly seductive temptation of Abram when the meeting between Abram and the king of Sodom occurs. God will always prepare us for the temptations or trails that we will face, and in this case, He brings Melchizedek out to meet Abram first. As I read these verses, several questions just jump right out at me. To begin with, where did this man Melchizedek come from? He just walks out onto the page of Scripture with bread and wine, he blesses Abram, and then he walks off the page of Scripture. It makes me want to know where he came from, then I wonder where he is going, and I wonder what his business is when he is not out greeting Abram. The Scripture tells us that he is the king of Salem, but it also tells us that he is a priest of the most high God. Which brings up another question: How did he find out about “the most high God”? Melchizedek describes God as the most high God, which means the Creator of heaven and earth. In other words, the living God, the God of Genesis 1, the God of Noah, and the God of Enoch. This is the One true God that this king, named Melchizedek, is the priest of. Click on the link below to hear a message that gives us the answers to these questions. Learn that the Bible describes Melchizedek as a type of Christ, or an illustration of Christ. Melchizedek compares to Christ in that the Lord Jesus comes out of eternity, and He moves into eternity. He has no beginning and no end. He is the beginning. He is the end. You can’t go beyond Christ in the past, and you can’t go beyond Him in the future. He encompasses all of time, and all of eternity. This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.
I want you to imagine yourself being in the Biblical school of faith, and that’s a wonderful school, and if the truth were told, many of us have been in that school for a very long time. The fact is that we often have to go back for some remedial training. There are also times when God has decided to hold us back for a grade or two. In fact, I am not too sure that I will ever officially graduate from the school of faith. Amen? Now, why is that? It is because sometimes we don’t make very good grades. And I want to talk to you today about “How to Mend a Broken Faith,” because there are just times that we don’t do all that good in God’s school of faith. Yet, this faith is so important for us to have in order to be successful in living the victorious Christian life. Ask yourself, did you once walk with God, but now you wonder why you’re even in church on Sunday morning because you’re so far away from God? Do you remember how it was when God was real to you? Ask yourself another question. Was there ever a time where God was nearer, dearer, and sweeter, to you than He is right now? If so, you’re backslidden. Just remember what it was like, how sweet it was, when you walked with the Lord. Let God bring you back to His house. You say, “Bro. Keith, how can I get right with God? Where can I find God?” You’ll find him right where you left Him. You don’t have to guess at it. You get on your knees, on your face, and God will show you. Go back to your first love. Click on the link below to hear a message on how to mend your broken faith. First, there must be repentance, then remembrance, and then restoration. If you want to mend your faith, just gave it all back to Jesus, and the Lord will cleanse you and restore your faith. This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.
One of the great reoccurring lessons in the Bible is the need for the Christian believer to have faith. Not a hope-so faith, but a know-so faith based on the promises found in God’s Word. This know-so faith is absolutely required for the believer to live a victorious Christian life. Abraham is called “the father of all them that believe” (Romans 4:11). When we think of Abraham, we think of faith, and we can learn some incredible lessons about faith as we study how he struggled to become this great man of faith. And, by the way, when I’m talking to you about faith, I’m not talking to you about something insignificant like how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. I’m talking to you about something that is so important that I can hardly think of an adjective to describe the importance of faith. It is of monumental, inestimable, importance. Once you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, how are you going to live the Christian life? By trying? No. By trusting. The Christian life is lived by faith. Four times, the Bible says, “The just shall live by faith.” God says it one, two, three, four times. Now, do you think He’s trying to tell us something really important? I’m telling you, the way to live the Christian life is by faith. Click on the link below to hear a message about the school of faith, and that’s a wonderful school, but sometimes we don’t make very good grades. And I want to talk to you about “How to Mend a Broken Faith,” because there are just times that we don’t do all that good in God’s school of faith. Now, life is the classroom in the school of faith. Obviously, the Bible is the textbook in the school of faith. The faculty includes the prophets and the apostles. But the dean of the school of faith would have to be Abraham. This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.
One of the great Biblical themes that is taught over and over in Scripture is the effect of the choices that we, as Christians, make between choosing to follow the will of God in our lives and the things of this world. The fact that the believer even has a choice to follow the will of God is an often misunderstood blessing of our salvation. You see, the lost person has no such choice to make. He is a slave to Satan, and he must follow the will of his master. His only choice is between heaven and hell. Between making Christ his Lord and Savior, or keeping Satan as his master. Once the decision is made to accept Christ’s offer of salvation, the person is freed from the bonds of slavery to Satan and sin. They now have a daily choice between serving God or serving Satan. They have the blessing of being able to daily choose God’s will for their lives, instead of Satan’s will. Click on the link below to hear a message on the effect that Abraham’s choices had on his life, and that of his family. We will get to see the negative and the positive. God withholding His blessing from Abram, and God outpouring His blessings on a faithful servant. This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.
Chapters 11 and 12 of the Book of Genesis mark an important turning point in the Scriptures. Up to this point, the story has been that of the whole Adamic race. There has been neither Jew nor Gentile. All have been one in “the first Adam.” From this point forward in the Scriptures, the human race must be seen as a great river from which God, in the call of Abraham, and the creation of the nation of Israel, draws off a small stream through which He may at last purify the great river itself. Israel is the tool through which God chose to bring a Savior to the world. It is important for us to note that neither Abraham, nor Israel, were perfect, they didn’t do anything special to deserve this. In fact, as we will see today, Abraham was far from perfect. But, when God spoke to him, Abraham responded, and that is exactly what God was looking for. It was by grace that God chose Abraham, and the nation Israel, to bring revelation and salvation to the world. It was through the faith of Abraham that the nation Israel would be called. Click on the play button to hear a message on how our obedience to God comes after we have stopped telling God what we want to do, and listen to what He wants us to do. Let me illustrate that with a question, how much of your prayer time do you spend telling God what you want, rather than being quiet and listening to what He wants to tell you? That is a measure of how much you harken/obey God, for you cannot obey God until you know what He wants you to do. Abraham was obedient to God because he listened, and then transformed what he heard into action. This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.
In today’s message we are going to learn something about that mighty city called Babylon, which symbolically, and cryptically, and prophetically, stands for the consummation and the distillation of all evil. And pay attention, because “The Rise and Fall of Babylon” is not something that just happened in the dark, musty past, or something that’s going to happen way off yonder in the future. It deals with realities that we are facing every day. And we’re going to find out something about the person and work of the devil as we study here in Genesis chapters 10 and 11. We are going to learn about this wicked city of Babylon, which was both the cradle and the grave of all false religion, and the devil’s kingdom. Click on the link below to hear a message on how Babylon is destined to fall. Just as this ancient tower of Babel crumpled so long ago, we find that the final full-blown Babylon is coming down; it is crashing down. And I want to tell you something: You may not have ever realized this, but the first time that the word “alleluia” is used in all the New Testament is after Babylon falls. You won’t find the word “alleluia” used any other time. But it is after Babylon falls that the “Alleluia Chorus” begins. Rev 19:1-3 1 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: KJV Rev 19:6 6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. KJV This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.
NEW WORLD, SAME OLD SIN (Genesis 9:18 to 10:10) When the Flood was completed, eight people came out of that ark. All the people who had turned away from God had now been destroyed by the judgment waters of God. The earth was fresh and new. Noah had been given a new covenant relationship with God. Noah had sanctified the earth with a burnt offering in gratitude to God, for providing salvation to himself and his family. So, now everything should be perfect, there should be no sin, and everybody should live happily ever after. Right? Well, what is obvious from this portion of Scripture is that even though this is a new beginning in a new world, it is the same old sin that is still there. Click on the link below to hear a message on how we are to deal with sin that occurs in our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is important to understand that hatred, discontent, and anger in a church will destroy the effectiveness of the Spirit of God in that church. Self-righteous pride about the failing of another brother will quench the Spirit of God in that church. You cannot be in the will of God and be harboring hatred or disdain toward one another. No matter what this Christian has done, if we want this church to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit, we cannot harbor discontent, hatred, or anger, toward someone within our own church, or to another Christian. We are instead to have a fervent charity, or an agape love for one another. The word fervent means that it is to be at full strength. We are to have a biblical agape love, at full strength, for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Why should we have this fervent charity? Peter tells us, “for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.” The purpose of this fervent love is to build a spirit of unity within the church. When we love one another, we look past each other’s faults. This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.
As part of the story of The Flood, the Scripture tells us about the patience and long-suffering of God. It says that once Noah and all the animals were in the ark, God waited for a full week, and nothing happened. No doubt the crowds outside the ark were having a great time making fun of the whole thing. Their hearts were already hardened. Even after years of having God’s prophets warning man of the coming doom, God showed man a final measure of grace by waiting a full week before the flood began. This means that for a full seven days they still had the opportunity to accept God’s offer of salvation, yet they abused His long-suffering, His patience, and His kindness for the last time. That extra week of grace was offered to bring them to repentance, and instead they condemned Noah and His God. Without a doubt, the people of the time of Noah had “treasurest up unto” themselves “wrath against the day of wrath” and were ready for the “revelation of the righteous judgment of God.” Click on the play button to hear a message on how God’s final judgment was delivered on a world that had turned away from the Almighty God of all creation. This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.
God could have destroyed all mankind by any method He chose, He could have used the sword of an angel, as He did when He destroyed all the first-born of the Egyptians, and the camp of the Assyrians. If God had chosen that as His method, then there would only have needed to be a mark set upon Noah and his family for their preservation. But God chose to do it by a flood of waters, which would drown the whole world. God chooses the rod with which he will correct us, His children, just as he chooses the sword with which he will cut off his enemies. Notice also that this was not an accident, or the result of global warming, God is in control, He chose the method of judgment. Then, notice the expression, “I, even I, do bring a flood.” God is saying, “I am infinite in power, and therefore, I can do it. I am infinite in justice, and therefore, I will do it.” These are powerful words that speak of the deity of God and the sovereign right He has to condemn and judge all of creation. God created man, therefore, He has the sovereign right to destroy man. Yet “the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou.” God was already in the ark. Salvation was simply the shutting in of all the saved with Him. What it meant for Noah to be “in the ark” with God is what it means today for the believer to be “in Christ.” It means that between the saved and the storm were the judgment proof timbers of the ark. It also means that between the believer and God’s wrath is Christ. Christ bears the storm for all those who now find their safety in Him. Noah and his family had to take one step of faith. They had to make a total commitment of themselves to the salvation that had been procured for them at the cost of God’s only Son’s life. Apart from that act, salvation would have been offered in vain. This invitation is extended by God to man. It is extended to everybody, not just a select few. It urges man to avail himself of the perfect provision God has made for his preservation. The story of the flood tells us that this invitation of God is also given in a time of overwhelming judgment and doom. Click on the play button to hear a message on the Flood, and where God said Come! And Noah responded by saying “Just as I am, I come.” This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.
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.
In our message today, we begin a section of verses that describes The Flood and the reasons that God brought destruction to His creation. From the time that God expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden, God had blessed man, and man had been fruitful and multiplied. In a relatively short period of time man had populated the whole earth. Yet, instead of recognizing the God that created him, man had turned away from God, and reveled in his own abilities and knowledge. And as happens every time man turns away from God, man had degenerated into total depravity. What was the condition on the earth before the Flood? What caused God to bring the judgment of the Flood? Genesis 6:5 5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. KJV But as we see throughout the Bible, there was a remnant, someone left who still believed in God. Noah “found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” The Bible tells us that grace is the unmerited favor of God; it is getting something we do not deserve. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. But it goes beyond that, why did Noah find grace in the eyes of the Lord? It is because “Noah walked with God.” It wasn’t because he deserved it; it wasn’t because his good works outweighed his bad; it was because Noah walked with God. Click on the link below to hear a message on the faith of Noah, and man who preached righteousness for a period of 120 years without a convert, other than his family, and witnessed to the grace of God. This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.
THE TIMES OF ENOCH (Genesis 5:24) Enoch got out of this world. The Bible tells us that God just translated Enoch “that he should not see death.” That is, God took him physically, bodily, to heaven without dying. There is the story of a man who was complaining about the situation in the world to Mark Twain, and he said, “I’m just afraid the world is coming to an end.” And Mark Twain said, “Well, don’t worry about it. You’ll never get out of it alive anyway.” But he was wrong. Enoch got out of it alive, and Elijah got out of it alive too. Now, the Bible teaches that some of us are also going to get out of it alive, and I have a feeling that some of us who are living in this day, and this age, are going to heaven without ever dying. The Bible calls this the Rapture of the Church. Click on the link below to hear a message on how the conditions of the world during Enoch’s time where so bad that God sent the flood to destroy the earth. Yet, when we compare those conditions to the conditions of our day and age, we see a great deal of similarity. Enoch preached the Second Coming of the Lord. Some people say, “Well, you know, you Christians, you’re always talking about the Second Coming of Jesus. You’re always saying Jesus is going to come. Well, why hasn’t He come?” The answer is found in, 2 Peter 3:9-10 9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. KJV The Second Coming of Jesus will come. Matt 24:37 37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. KJV This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.
The descendants of Seth are described in the Bible as the godly line. And as the world of the ungodly began to take shape right from the beginning, so did the world of the godly. God never leaves Himself without a witness, so from generation to generation, step-by-step with the generations of the wicked, the generations of the faithful to God flowed through the days before the flood. As we study this line of Seth, there are only two things recorded, neither of which are recorded of the line of Cain. The first is that they lived. It is stated twice for most of them. The reason God doesn’t say that the Cainites lived is because, to God, they were “dead in trespasses and sin.” Yet for the line of Seth, the Scripture tells us that they lived, and Jesus tells us that they had life abundantly. John 10:10 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. KJV The second thing that is recorded of the Sethites is that they died. Once again, God did not record the death of the Cainites for heaven had no interest in their deaths. But for the Sethites, it is recorded that each one died and how old they were when they died. All that is except for Enoch, which is another story. God said to Adam in Gen 2:17, “… For in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die,” and they all died who were the sons of Adam. But, on the other hand, it was a day of jubilee. As each man dies, God proves Satan a liar, for Satan had said “thou shalt not surely die.” Yet each man died. God took note of each death and recorded it. The death of each saint was a jubilee day in heaven. Psalms 116:15 15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. KJV Death for them was not the end, but the beginning. This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.
The critical difference between Cain and Abel was not a character difference at all, but the difference was in the offerings which they brought. It is the same today, for it is the offering that makes a difference in men today. The offering of the lost person is his works. The lost person believes it is his good works that matter, that make him better or worse than someone else. A recent poll stated that a majority of Americans believe that the basis on which someone will get into heaven would be on how good their works were. It also said that if people believed in a hell at all, then it would only be the really bad people who would go there. Without a doubt this is the best false religion that Satan has going. But no true believer takes the position that he is better than anyone else. The thing that makes him a Christian is that he recognizes that he is a sinner just like everyone else and that he needs an offering, he needs a sacrifice, and he needs Someone to take his place and to die for him. That Someone is Jesus Christ. Click on the link below to hear a message on how the people of the world today are attempting through religion, through joining a church and doing something religious, and then by living what they call a moral life, to make themselves acceptable to God. Yet, we know that for our righteousness to be acceptable to God it must be a perfect righteousness, and that can only come through the blood of Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. KJV This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.
