Reflecting on All Ungodly Wickedness and Unrighteousness of the Sons of Men (4)

[Music playing] [Speaker 1] Just as the theistic schools cannot be more spiritual than the individuals and families that constitute them, God will ever desire a godly home. These are words of solution and instruction in righteousness from Family Tent Ministry. May you be blessed as you listen. [Speaker 2] 2024 is gradually expiring. 2025 is just front of the corner. We thank God for his mercies and we pray that these mercies, this preservation, will continually be upon our lives in the name of Jesus Christ. We want to continue from where we left the matter last week, and I trust the Lord that as we all connect together again this evening, it will be a time of refreshment, a time of blessing, a time of encounter, a time of learning God again, both for the speaker and for the hearers in the name of Jesus Christ. Lord, let's just go to have a word of prayer. Precious Father, we are grateful unto you. We thank you again for this privilege of gathering together this evening to learn at your feet, to learn your word, to fellowship in scriptures. Lord, we just pray that as we fellowship together, we who are here physically, our brethren who are joining us on Mixlr and brethren joining us on Telegram, Lord our God, we pray that your spirit will work within us, among us in the name of Jesus Christ. Lord, we pray that you will meet with us as a people, you will also meet with us individually in the name of Jesus. Thank you, eternal Father. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. So let's go ahead this morning to look at the word of God. We have been looking at the topic: The Ungodliness, Wickedness, and Unrighteousness of Men. Ungodliness, wickedness, and unrighteousness of men. And we have so far in the last two meetings, we have been able to define ungodliness, wickedness, and unrighteousness. We are reflecting on ungodliness, wickedness, and unrighteousness of the sons of men, having defined what ungodliness, unrighteousness, and wickedness of the sons of men refers to, which we said simply means the evil, evil practices of people. We have noted that the evil practices of men towards the end, towards the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, evil practices will become the norm thing. We have noted that evil practices, unrighteousness, wickedness, and ungodliness among men will not only be something that is generally practiced in the world. It will be something that we should understand will be part and parcel of what we see in everyday society. We noted that we will witness it in the family, in the church, in the fellowship, in the ministry, at home, in school, in politics. We will see it everywhere. And we also told ourselves that, please, don't be naive. Even among the brethren, there will be false brethren. There will be brethren who are betrayers. There will be sons and daughters among us, but sons and daughters of perdition, like we have for Judas. He was among them, but he was meant for perdition. Among us, we will also find the Esaus, the Achans, the Gehazis—covetous men of God, covetous brothers, covetous sisters. You will find all kinds of things. So all of those examples you find in the Bible, you are still going to find it among us. Those things they were written down for our learning. So don't think that wickedness of men, unrighteousness of men, ungodliness of men will just be outside there. It will also be among us. And there is something I did not mention that I quickly want to mention when we were talking about understanding this, reflecting on this wickedness, unrighteousness, and ungodliness of the sons of men. I did not mention this scripture, but I said I should mention it now because I trust God that we are rounding up the topic today. When you notice what the Bible says according to the foreknowledge which came through Apostle Peter by the power of the Holy Spirit, he told us that as there was false prophets among them, there will be false teachers among you that will bring in damnable heresies, and many will follow their immoral ways. So you need to understand that wickedness will become a common thing too among teachers of the word of God. And as they teach these things, many will also join them. I didn't mention that at the beginning when I was talking about understanding this wickedness, ungodliness, and unrighteousness. So the Bible expects us to understand all of this. There will be emissettes among us. There will be satanic agents, people who are readily available for Satan to use. They will all be among us. It is part and parcel. There will be ministers that will teach all kinds of other things. I remember trying to correct somebody about something. He said, "But my pastor—our pastor taught us that it is not wrong." So you will find some of these things all around us. Now, we also now did mention that the ways of God and the wickedness of man—we mentioned that the works of God are great, the thought of God, they are deep. And we say what did we mean by this? What we meant is that the wickedness of the wicked is part and parcel of also what God is doing. That is the deep things about the ways of God. Even that wickedness of the wicked is part and parcel of what God is doing. That is, the wickedness of the wicked is part and parcel of the sovereignty of God. God will allow the wicked to prosper because if the wicked don't prosper, there are purposes of God that will not be accomplished. For example, how will God punish the wicked for his wickedness if the wicked don't prosper? No good man will go and do wickedness. And God said the wicked, what you sow you will reap. If you sow evil and you want to reap evil, if there are no wicked men, how do you reap evil? So we said you should note that the wickedness of the wicked is also part and parcel of what God is doing. It's within the sovereignty of God. Then we also noted that the deep ways of God is that the wicked cannot do beyond that which God allows. And we gave the example of Judas. They could not sell Jesus for 31 pieces of silver or for 29 pieces of silver. They could only agree for 30. Why? Because that was what had been determined by God. So we said even when the wicked are in their covens doing wickedness, they can only do what God has determined. The ways of God, we're looking at how the ways of God, how they are unsearchable, his judgment, how they are past finding out. That the works of God, they are very great, the thought of God, they are very deep. And then we noted last week also that we must understand something. Whenever God allows the wicked to prosper, it is so that God can make the wicked to perish forever. And I was telling brethren last week, that was where we concluded, be careful. If you are doing evil and it looks like God is allowing you, your own is finished. If you are doing evil and it looks like you are getting away with it, fire on the mountain. Because if God allows you to prosper in evil, if God allow that you prosper in evil, then you must be a son or a daughter of perdition. When God allows the wicked to prosper, it is so that the wicked can perish forever. And we gave example last week of Pharaoh. Pharaoh, the Bible says God hardened the heart of Pharaoh. What does that simply mean? It does not mean that God make his heart to be hard. No. What it means is that he chose to be arrogant and God allowed him to prosper. And what was the end of his arrogance? What was the end of the arrogance? Destruction. So if you are doing evil and it seems as if you are having it, you are getting it, you are stepping on people, you are marching them through and it look like, yes, [foreign language], be careful. Be careful. So today, as we conclude, as we conclude, I want to call our attention to some very, very crucial things in the scripture that are very, very important for our learning. And the first one is in Proverbs 23:15-18. Proverbs 23:15-18. Let's look at that scripture together. Proverbs 23:15-18. Let's see what the word of God says there. In that scripture, the Bible says, "My son, if your heart is wise, my heart will rejoice indeed, I myself. Yes, my innermost being will rejoice when your lips speak right things." Please be noting something. "My son," the same goes to my daughter, the same goes to my children, "if your heart is wise, my heart will rejoice." May our hearts not be foolish. He says, "Indeed, I myself. Yes, my innermost being will rejoice when your lips speak right things." The only way to know that the heart of a man is wise is that his lip will be correct. Because out of the abundance of the heart, what does the Bible say? The mouth speaks. So when you hear people saying things, it's a reflection of their heart. And I keep telling people when people say that, "Actually, I would not have spoken like that. It was because of what he did." No. You are only reflecting your heart to us. There is nothing in the environment that can be the product of what you speak. It is your heart that determines what you speak. You speak out of the abundance of your heart. Now, he says, "If your heart is wise, my own heart will rejoice. In fact, I will be so glad if your lip, they are speaking right things." Now, look at something. Having said that, what is the next thing that shows a wise heart? A wise heart and an upright tongue? What shows it? Verse 17. "Do not let your heart envy sinners." Do not let your heart envy sinners. How do we envy sinners? How do we envy sinners? We're still going to Psalm 37 to see it clearly. He said, "Don't let your heart envy sinners," but what should you do? "Be thou zealous for the fear of the Lord all day." Don't envy sinners. What should be your own concern? What should be your concern? The fear of the Lord. Don't bother about what sinners are doing. Don't let what they are doing make you also sin. Don't begin to [foreign language], I won't allow it. It can't go with it. I will get at him. Look, he said, "Get it clear." Don't let your heart envy sinners. Why should your heart not envy them? You should be zealous for the fear of God. That's where we're going. Our conclusion today is what should be our response to the ungodliness, the wickedness, and the unrighteousness of men. That's what we want to conclude with actually. That's our conclusion, how we want to wrap up. What should be our responses to these things? How should we respond? The reason why we don't need to envy them is what? When God allows them to prosper, why? It is so that they can perish forever. So if God is allowing a man to perish forever, what is your problem? Why are you envying a man that God is allowing to perish forever? Is there anything to envy in the man? That is why we first look at all the background that brought us to this point. There is nothing to envy about them. There is nothing to envy about them. You be zealous for the fear of the Lord. Be concerned with how your light will shine. Be concerned with how your life can preach to them. Be concerned with how you can represent Jesus in your dealing with them. Be concerned with how in looking at your responses to them they will see Jesus. Are you understanding me? That should be your own preoccupation and not how will I take my revenge, how will I kill them. No. Your preoccupation should be: In this situation, what will Jesus do? How can I showcase Jesus with this thing that happened? How can I preach Jesus to this wicked man? How can I make him see Jesus and understand Jesus? You be zealous for the fear of God all day long. Why? Verse 18. Why? "For surely there is an end." I like the NKJV. He said, "For surely there is a hereafter." After this one, there is something. And your hope will not be cut off. Are you seeing it? Your hope can never—I often tell believers, look, if you really know who you are, the major problem is that we don't even know who we are. The day I began to understand this thing was one day when an Okada man, the Okada man, he was to drop me somewhere. Like for example, you bargain with Okada from here to Road Block. Unfortunately for him, when he got to Trinity Secondary School, which is still a distance to Road Block, the bike had problem. So and I came down. I now gave him 500. I can't remember the amount then. Maybe for example the amount to Road Block was 400. So I gave him 500 that he should give me change in such a way that he should take what will take me to Trinity, then I take another Okada from Trinity to Road Block. I think then what will take me will be 100 Naira. So he's supposed to give me 200 Naira. I can't remember the incident very well again. But when I gave him the 500 Naira, he gave me 100 Naira, just something like that. And I said, "Ah, but the 400 is to take me to Road Block. We have not gotten to Road Block yet." And he said, "Ah, what am I talking about? From here to Road Block, what is the distance that I cannot trek it?" He just left in that rage. He just walked away. And he was maybe looking for who would repair his bike. He just eased and walked off. So what will be your reaction? The wickedness of the wicked. Immediately I was annoyed. I was getting angry. Holy Ghost just spoke to me. He said, "Do you know who you are?" And so I just became calm. I mean all of this was in an instant. I just became calm. He said, "Look, you are the apple of my eye. He who touches you touches the apple of my eye. You better begin to beg me for this man. Better begin to beg me, begin to ask for mercy for him. Me I was trying to get angry because I felt my 100 Naira was at stake." The Holy Ghost was saying that, "Look, nothing is at stake because if I take action he has touched the apple of my eye. Begin to beg me for his sake. Because calamity awaits him and he did not know." So I was just walking on and I began to pray for him. I said, "Lord, please don't lay this matter on him. Please have mercy on him." You know but after that day I now sat down. I said, "Jesus, help us to always know who we are." I don't know why—that incident in my life was a turning point in my reaction to the wicked. It was a great turning point for me. So I said, "So, oh, it's true." He said he rebuked kings for their sake, saying, "Touch not my anointed and do my prophets no harm." The people that tried to touch them, what did he do to them? He dealt with them. He finished them. So when Holy Spirit said, "Is this a matter of anger or a matter of intercession? Begin to pray for this man. Because if you don't and I lay this matter on him, it will be something that he will not be able to bear." And so as I was walking away with a new understanding, I said, "God please, Baba please, just forgive this Okada man. Don't lay this ordinary 100 Naira you want to destroy his life now by touching the anointed of God." And honestly, it was a turnaround for me. So subsequently when I relate with people and it look like they are trying to take advantage of me, I just shake my head for them. In fact, if you know who you are dealing with. And I just begin to say, "God have mercy on this person. God please have mercy on this person. God please have mercy." And I begin to see that so I am this precious to God. So I am this precious to God. May we know who we are. You know most of the time, because we don't know who we are, you think you are just anybody on the street. That's why like somebody said, he's one of my very, very respected uncle, I call him Daddy Ogurukoko, that said this thing one day. It was in a public transport. The conductor, you know the conductor to the driver, provoked the—they later learned that he was a brother. And he said, "Ah, me and you? Me and you?" He just decided to fold the sleeve of his shirt. "Jesus apart! I will deal with you today. Jesus apart this morning." So they began to say, "Okay, if the brother is shouting, if he's starting shouting Jesus apart, the person must be a believer because he feels pain!" And he said, "Ah, look, let me just leave Jesus for one minute. Let me deal with you." You know? And he now said something. Brethren, Jesus cannot be apart. We cannot put Jesus one side and do as we like and then come back again to pick Jesus. But honestly, it can be so annoying in some situations. It can be so provoking in some situations. You know but the Holy Ghost, I mean for me from that day it was an action point. It was a turning point. It gave me a 360-degree reaction. So when people do wickedly against me, I begin to pity them. I begin to pray for them. Because I'm just afraid. You don't know who you are touching. If you know that the angels surround those who fear him, the angels can just smite you down and you die. If you know who you are dealing with. And that is what comes more to me and I begin to have mercy. I begin to pray in my heart. It was a turning point. We are talking about relating to the wicked. Relating to the ungodliness of men, the action point. Don't envy the wicked. Be zealous for the fear of the Lord. But I'm telling you, brother, except the Holy Spirit help you, you may not be able to represent Jesus because sometimes the provocation of the wicked, you would have hit your head against the wall as a madman before you remember that you are a believer. If the Holy Spirit don't help you. So we may need to depend on the Holy Spirit to really help us. But the Bible says we must not envy them. We must not envy them because there is a hereafter and your hope can never be cut off. Is it not 100 Naira? Can God not give you 100 Naira several ways? If God say okay leave it for him, I will use it to give you one million. Is it not a better thing? See a better thing. Because if God decide to reward you for your uprightness to him, you know it cannot be 100 Naira reward. The reward will come in a way that is beyond your imagination. May the Lord help us to be zealous for the fear of the Lord. Our responses to the wicked, our responses to the wickedness of the wicked. We want to look at the—let's quickly go now to Psalm 37. Psalm 37. Our responses to the wicked. Oh, sorry, before Psalm 37, there is Proverbs 21:21. Proverbs 21:21. Look at what the Bible says in that place. Look at what the Bible says. Very, very instructive for us. Very, very instructive for us. Proverbs 21:21. Do you see what the Bible says there? "He who follows righteousness—" What is going to be the person's portion? Look at what the Bible says. "He who follows righteousness and mercy, what will you find? You will find life. You will find righteousness and you will find honor." I think that is NKJV. NLT: "Whoever pursues godliness and unfailing love will find life, godliness, and honor." NIV: "He who pursues righteousness and love finds love, prosperity, and honor." Brother, sister, wherever you are listening to me this morning, brethren, friends, make up your mind in all situation, I will pursue righteousness and mercy. He who pursues righteousness and mercy, the person will find life. The outcome is that, look, let me tell you one thing. There's this thing I like saying in Yoruba. I will translate it in English. [foreign language]. That is, time is king. Tomorrow is greater than all of us. You cannot predict how tomorrow will turn. But the Bible says that if today, your pursue in life is righteousness and mercy, what you will find in life will be what? Life, righteousness, and honor. That's what you will find. Make up your mind in all situation that you will pursue righteousness and mercy. In all situations, pursue righteousness, pursue mercy. You will discover that at the end of the day, you will find life. You will find righteousness. Beyond that righteousness that you are pursuing, you will also find honor. God is a master planner. He knows how to honor those who honor him. If God decide to honor you for honoring him, you'll be amazed. You will find honor. That is, God will work out how you will be honored. He will work it out. I have seen these things in life over and over and over and over again. I have seen it in different ways. I don't know how else again to show, to live apart from this because I have proved it over and over and I've found that anybody who in all situation pursues righteousness and life, pursue righteousness and mercy, at the end of the day, the person will find life. [foreign language]. That is eternal life. You will be full of life. Not just existing. When the Bible says you will find life, of course you have life before, not talking of biological life. It's talking about the life of God. You'll be full of life, revelations, inspiration, eternal life, work with God. You will find it. You will also find righteousness, but above all, God will honor you. When I remember some things that happened in recent time in my workplace about some of my past leaders who have done so wickedly to me at some point in life. And at those point—and after all those things they have done, we continued. While we took our time when the Bible says the wise as serpent but the harmless as dove. Of course, this is not somebody, if you want to relate to this person, you have to be careful. This person denied what he said. So if you want to take anything from him, let him write it down that "I took it" or "I collected it." Next time he's collecting something from me, I say "Please sign." He say "Why?" I say "Ah, you know, it will be an evidence for me that you took it." "Okay, okay, okay." You are wise in dealing with them. But they could see mercy. They could see that there was no revenge. Even something happened very recently and then he was just talking somewhere. And somebody made reference to Dr. Olusoya. He said, "Ah—" he was speaking Yoruba. [foreign language]. I mean he was saying it and I was hearing it. And I said, "God has a way of working around this thing." He said, "Ah, [foreign language]." He was speaking Yoruba. I mean he—because he saw that, you know—"He's a different person entirely." This was somebody who had said I was stupid, I am mad, I am crazy, I am rebellious, I did that. And what was the thing? They want me to do what is not according to the rule and I said, "Sorry, I don't do such thing. Even if you are the leader, you can make me—I said you can't make me do it, I'm sorry." You see the point I'm trying to bring out is that, you know—I just remember how that thing spread. Later I met somebody again somewhere, he say "Ah, Pastor Olusoya, so you're a pastor." But is that not a honor to Jesus? Is that not a honor to Jesus? It's a honor to Jesus. The point I'm making is that, you know, I have proved these things over and over and over in many situations. And I've found that anybody who pursues righteousness and mercy, righteousness and love, righteousness and loving kindness, people who pursue it, people who understand the ways of God, that God is [foreign language], who understand these principles about God, that their goodness is not a function of others. They are good because they are good. People who are like this, at the end of the day, they will find life. They will find righteousness that they are seeking. And one thing I've discovered, God normally honor them. God will arrange their honor. He will honor them. We proceed to the last scripture for today. Last scripture for today, Psalm 37. Psalm 37. Psalm 37. The Bible says—I'm reading from verse one—what is the opening instruction? "Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of workers of iniquity." What does it mean to fret? What does it mean to fret? Let's try some other translation. Don't worry about the wicked. Don't let them be a worry to you. Don't let them be a worry to you. NIV: it still use the word fret. The message: don't bother your head about the wicked. Don't bother your head. Amplified: also used fret. Don't bother your head. Don't become anxious. [foreign language], what he did to me, my head is scattering, I'm running into depression. Don't bother because of—don't become anxious. Don't bother your head about the wicked. Don't be envious of workers of—that is, don't try to do what they do. Don't try to play the kind of game that they are playing. The game of dishonesty, the game of revenge, the game of lying, the game of—don't play their game. Somebody say something, if you are wearing a white cloth and somebody is wearing a stained cloth, if both of you fight, what will eventually happen? So what is the best thing to do? "Me and you? Me and you? Your white will not be stained!" What will you be doing? You should be moving backward. That is wisdom. You're moving back. "Don't bring the—" you are moving back. Like something happened one day and somebody said, "Look, if you wrestle with a person who already have lost character—" It was something that happened around where I work. He said, "Something happened between two people. So they were moderating. They now told the other, 'Look, you know this person. If you take time to muddy yourself with him, you're the one that will lose character. You know him. Don't you know him? Why are you bothered about him?'" And the person talking was an unbeliever. I said, "Okay, this one too have come to a point he's not even envious." So don't you know him? Why let him be your worry? If you stay in your work. You see, God must help us as believers to see life in the right perspective. Why should you not bother about them? Why? Verse two. Why should you not bother? "For they shall soon be cut down like grass." Because don't forget, in Psalm 92 that we read, they prosper as grass. They don't last. Their prosperity is like grass. They will soon be cut down as—they don't prosper like trees. They prosper like grass. And they wither away. What should you do? "Trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land, feed on his faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord. He will give you desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord." Learn to be prayerful. Learn to trust God. Learn to trust God. I'm counting them. I'm taking them very fast because we will soon be rounding up. Delight yourself—the first one is you are not fretting because they will soon be cut down. You trust God. You do good. You delight yourself in the Lord. You are prayerful. Commit your way to the Lord. He will bring it to pass. He will bring forth your righteousness as light and your justice as noonday. That is, commit it to God. Bring it to God. Throw it to God. Leave it with God. Tell God what you want. Don't. It is between you and Baba. Tell Baba what you want. So apart from being prayerful, learn to rest in the Lord. Rest in the Lord. Rest in the Lord. Learn to wait for God. Learn to rest in the Lord, learn to wait for God. It's very important. It's very important. Then learn how not to react from anger. It's very important. It says, "Cease from anger and forsake wrath." Learn not to react. When the wicked are prospering, you know one thing? When you react in anger, you may even now do things that people may blame you for. By the time now people even want to judge it, they say, "Eh, you too, why are you doing like this?" Be careful about anger when the wicked is prospering. Be careful about anger. Anger will make you not to be innocent. It will make you do things that you too, you will be punished for. Look at the wickedness of the children of Israel. God has spoken to them, God has talked with them, God has carried them, God has done miracles. Yes, they get to a point there was no water. They began to talk against Moses, they began to talk against God. Moses got so angry. So angry that God said, "Speak to the rock." What did he do? Out of anger: "You rebel! You rebel! Will we bring water out of this rock?" And God said, "Moses, what did you just do?" He said, "They got me angry, sorry." "I said speak to the rock. I didn't say strike the rock." So be careful about anger particularly when the wicked is prospering. Be careful about anger. It will only make you to sin. Cease from anger. Avoid revenge. Verse 11: avoid revenge. The meek will inherit the earth. That is, those who are not revengeful. Avoid revenge. Avoid revenge. Those are the action points of the godly towards the ungodliness of the ungodly. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Whatever you are listening to me this evening, let's just begin to talk to God in prayer. We're looking at what should be our responses towards the wickedness of the wicked. What should be our responses towards the wickedness of the wicked, what should be our attitude. So talk to the Lord this evening. Talk to the Lord. Talk to the Lord. I don't know how your own action have been. I don't know how your own action, how it has been. You may want to talk to the Lord, you want to tell the Lord one or two things, you want to relate to him. Talk to the Lord. Commit yourself to him. Our Father, we thank you so much for this evening. Oh, precious Father, our eyes on you. Our eyes on you. Lord, we pray, everywhere we have failed you, help us Lord to do it better. Lord, everywhere we have been able to get it right, help us Lord to go further. Lord, we pray, the wickedness of the wicked abounds in our land. Help us not to envy them. Help us, help us Lord, not to envy them in any way. Help us to be zealous for your fear in the name of Jesus Christ. Lord, our eyes on you, particularly in Nigeria. Lord, we pray, pass through our land. Baba, overrule the wickedness of the wicked. Baba, magnify Jesus over Nigeria. And Lord God, we pray. You said, "Say to the righteous, it shall be well with him." Lord, to every person in this land, every brother, every sister, every boy, every girl, every spinster, every bachelor, every man, every woman, every father, every mother, every husband, every wife, in Nigeria, who are zealous for your fear, we prophesy over them: it shall be well with them. In this land, in this Nigeria, it shall be well with them. It doesn't matter how things turn, we say concerning them according to the word of God, it shall be well with them. And Lord, as we also pursue righteousness, we prophesy over our lives: it shall be well with us. It shall be well with us. It shall be well with us. The wickedness of the wicked will not overtake us. Rather, Lord Baba, our lot will not be manipulated by the wicked. We will prevail. We will prevail. Thank you, eternal Father. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Let's share the grace together. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us now and forevermore. Amen. Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our life and we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever and ever. Amen. [Speaker 1] This message is coming to you from Family Tent Ministry, a Christian ministry involved in enriching the lives of singles and married through preaching and teaching of God's word, discipleship, family life enrichment, social and community development, and mission heat. Our regular activities are: Discipleship class every Monday, 5:00 p.m.; Adolescents and Singles club every first Saturday of every month at 10 a.m.; Marriage Forum, second Saturday of every month at 10 a.m.; Family life seminars, regular school outreaches, and everyday counseling. For further counseling, you can reach us at our location: Life Camp by the first bridge, Ilere community, opposite Very Joy filling station, along Ijedre road, Akure, Ondo state, Nigeria. You can also reach us through our social media handles: familytent@yahoo.co.uk, familytentministry01@gmail.com, www.familytentministry.org. Our phone numbers are 08033861136, 07033613848. God bless you.