The Wisdom of God (11)

[singing] He can never, never fail. He can never, never fail. He can never, never fail. Jesus the same forever. Oh, he can never, never fail. He had never, never fail. He will never, never fail. Jesus the same forever. Oh, he can never, never fail. He had never, never fail. He will never, never fail. Jesus the same forever. Oh, he can never, never fail. He had never, never fail. He will never, never fail. Jesus the same forever. Our Father and our God, we are indeed very, very grateful again for today. For your love, we thank you for your mercies. We thank you for great grace. We thank you for preservation. We thank you, Lord our God, as we gather again unto you this evening, to press on on the matter of the wisdom of God. Our God and our Father, we are pleading. Let your Spirit work within us in the name of Jesus Christ. Lord God Almighty, let there be an entrance of your word. Lord, grant us understanding. Lord, grant us insight. Cause us, oh Lord, to draw close, to know you better and better and better in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank you, eternal Father. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Last week, we began to look at the matter that surrounds the character or the characteristics of the wisdom of God. And last week, we were able to see the hallmark of God's wisdom and the hallmark of human wisdom. We saw something about the hallmark of human wisdom and the hallmark of God's wisdom. We saw that the Bible says one thing that surrounds the hallmark that surrounds heavenly wisdom is good works. The second thing around heavenly wisdom is humility. We saw that where we cannot find humility, we cannot find good works, then definitely, what we are having is not God's kind of wisdom. When God's kind of wisdom is operational, you see these two things going side by side. The first one is good works. He says, "Who is wise among you? Let him show this wisdom by good deeds." When good deeds don't show forth in our life, then we can be very sure that the wisdom we are operating is not God's wisdom. The second one, when humility don't show forth in our life, then the wisdom we are operating is not God's wisdom. We also saw the hallmark of human wisdom. The hallmark of human wisdom is very clear. We saw that, number one, self-centeredness. Self-centeredness. He says, "But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your heart, do not boast or lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic." So we saw something about the hallmark of earthly wisdom. How do we know if what you are using to guide your life, the wisdom you are using, how do I know it is earthly wisdom? Any lack of that understanding? When I notice that I am self-centered. I only see things from my own angle. I'm only concerned about my own gain. I'm only absorbed with my own interest. Anytime there is a matter, what is the center of my discussion is what I can get out of it. When your focus is only on getting and counting and taking, when all your focus is getting and counting and taking, then you need to watch that wisdom. It is not Godly wisdom. And the second one is envy. When you realize that the progress of people gets you unhappy. You have just been told that your brother has gotten a job and he will be well paid, and the next thing that will come to your mind, "He must have gotten it by corruption." There is always something about you that does not make you to appreciate the progress of others, that does not make you to rejoice with others when they rejoice. You are always having this negative attitude towards others. We said this of heavenly wisdom and earthly wisdom. That was where we ended last week. And what I want to do this week is now properly entering into the characteristics, the characteristics of heavenly wisdom and the characteristics of earthly wisdom. Now, I want to read, I want to begin from that verse 14 where we ended last week. It says, "But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your heart, do not boast and lie against the truth." Now, there is something that I want to quickly see as we progress today. I want you to quickly realize when men are displaying earthly wisdom, many times it appears to them like heavenly wisdom. Now, the Bible is saying that if you notice that you have this bitter envy and you are self-seeking, it says, "do not lie against the truth." This wisdom is not from above. It tells you that ordinarily, people who have this kind of things in their life, what they naturally do? They lie against the truth. They seem to convince themselves that actually I'm a Christian, actually I'm living correctly, actually there's nothing wrong, actually it was what I was discussing with somebody recently. [background noise] A couple came to me and they were discussing their challenges. At some point, the husband will say, "Actually, I am not somebody like that. If not because of my wife's action, sir, I am not somebody like that." And I also noticed that at some point too, the wife too will say, "Sir, I am not that kind of person in any way. The reason why that thing, why I did that thing, is because I needed to curb my husband's madness." I told the two of them, I gave them a bottle of bottled water, plastic bottled water, and I told them that they should start squeezing the bottled water and that at which point will the bottled water break. They said, of course, if the squeezing gets too much, the bottled water will break. I said okay, if the bottled water break, what will pour out? They said water. And I said, why not blood? They quickly answered, it is not possible for it to be blood because what is inside is water. I said okay, take the handkerchief in your hands, begin to squeeze it. They began to squeeze it. Will it bring out water? They said that no point. I said why? They said because it was not wet in the first place. I said so you have just amplified the lesson I'm trying to make you see. If there is no water in the handkerchief, there is no way to bring out water. So I now told them, that thing you just said now, that you are not like that at all, it was because of what your wife did, it was because of what your husband did, that you also did what you did. I said so sorry, you are who you are because of what you are. You are who you are because of what you are practicing. And I said look, it is not because your spouse did something, that is why that negative thing came out of you. No. It was because the negative thing is in you. So when you were pressed, when you were pressured, and you were overpressured, what came out of you is what is inside you. I said so please, until both of you come to realize that I am who I am because of what I am, you will not grow in your marriage. But if you begin to say I am another person, that is how you will remain for life. And that is the point. People who are envious, people who are self-seeking, they tend to say it is because of what the other person did, that is why, I am not like that at all, I'm a cool guy, I am this. Know what the Bible says? The Bible says, "Every man sings his own praise, but a faithful man who can find?" Every man sings his own praise. And that's what the Bible is saying. It says, "Do not boast or lie against the truth." Don't boast or lie. If you notice that as an individual, you have this sense of disappointment when others make progress, or you are somebody only anything that is advantageous to you, you have a problem. The wisdom operating in you is earthly wisdom. It's earthly wisdom. The hallmark of earthly wisdom is self-centeredness. And let me tell you one thing. Do you know that the ingredient of incompatibility is selfishness? When people say we're not compatible, we cannot live together, go and check the bottom line, it's self-centeredness. It's self-centeredness. It is this self-centeredness that people carry into marriage. Self-centeredness is a wisdom that the earthly man, a man who is not regenerated, operate, a wisdom that is self-centered. The hallmark of that wisdom is I, me, myself, my gain, my interest. And that is why a man who is operating earthly wisdom can never seek first the kingdom of God. He will always seek first his own kingdom. He can never seek first God's wisdom, God's kingdom. Why? Because of the kind of wisdom that is operating. But one thing I'm actually adding to where I stop last week is that many times we lie, we boast of our goodness. We justify our self-centeredness. We justify our selfishness. We claim it is because of the other person's action. I'm not somebody like that. Because of what this person did, you know me, there's nobody I cannot live with. It is because of [unclear]... He said do not lie. Do not boast. We have a way of boasting and that boast is a lie. Bible said do not boast or lie against the truth. There is a truth. There is a truth and that truth is where I am going. That truth makes us to understand the characteristics of earthly wisdom. Look at the truth. Look at the truth please. Look at your Bible. Wherever you are, look at your Bible. Look at it. It says do not boast and do not lie against the truth. What did it say in verse 15? "This wisdom does not descend from above." Don't try to justify it. Don't try to say I'm a good person, I do good. Don't try to say I'm a humble person, I'm not somebody like that. You are an arrogant person. You are full of yourself. You are a self-centered person. You are not full of good works. You are not a peculiar person to Jesus. Remember what we discussed last week. One peculiarity of a redeemed person is that they are eager to do good. When you are not eager to do good works, you are an earthly man. You don't have the mind of Christ. Don't boast. The wisdom you are operating is earthly wisdom. That wisdom, look at some things about it. Number one, it is earthly. One characteristic of earthly wisdom, one characteristic of human wisdom, is about here and now. Always look at how you think about life. If the way you always think about life is here and now, you don't operate heavenly wisdom. Heavenly wisdom is not about here and now. Heavenly wisdom is about here and hereafter. Mark my word. Heavenly wisdom is not about here and now. It is about here and hereafter. But you see this human wisdom is earthly. It's never looking at matters from the point of eternity. It does not have eternity in view. And that is why this human wisdom is called an earthly wisdom. One of the characteristics is that it does not look at eternity. It's not looking for eternal reward. The reward it's looking for is here and now. Whatever it's talking about, whatever it's driving at is about here and now. And that is why you notice in everything that it is doing, it's thinking of what I can get, how I can get it. And that is what makes it self-centered. It's earthly. Number two, it's sensual. Do you know what that means? The second characteristic. Number one, human wisdom is a wisdom that is primarily focused on earthly gain, earthly riches. It is never looking at eternity. It is never looking at hereafter. It is never like, "Ah..." [unclear]. Apostle Peter said something by the Holy Spirit that I want us to see. Let's look at something in the book of Peter. I just want us to see... Let's see second Peter. Second Peter. I want us to see chapter... that should be chapter three. Chapter three, not two. Chapter three. He says... let me read so that you can get what he's trying to say. I want to read from verse 9. Let me take it from verse 9. 2 Peter 3:9-12 > "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." That is why God endures a lot of things. "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of the Lord, because of which the heavens will dissolve, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat." Now, I want you to look at something please. Look at what the Holy Spirit is saying here. Now, what is the Holy Spirit pointing us to say in this place? What is the Holy Spirit pointing us to? What is he making us to see about the earth in this place? What is it? Do you notice that the Holy Spirit is trying to make us see that eventually what's going to happen to the earth? What's going to happen to the earth? The earth and everything in it will be burned up with fire. Now, I want to ask you this question. If something is reserved to be burnt, what is that thing? Waste. Somebody is answering here, the person said waste. So when God looks at the earth, the riches, the splendor, all those things about the earth, what do you think God is seeing? What do you think God is seeing? He's seeing something that will soon be burnt. So actually, as far as eternity is concerned, what is the earth? A combustible waste material. Am I correct? Am I correct? Now, look at it. If somebody enters into a house and everybody, they said come and take whatever you can take that can be beneficial to you, and somebody entered that house and the person went to the dustbin and carried it and said, "Look, this is the one I've taken." And he said, "Bro, you made a mistake. That is not where the money is. This other person, look, go and take this other one." He said no, and the person lay hold on the dustbin. What will come to your mind? Will you not be thinking that the person is mad? Will you not be thinking that the person is foolish? There are computers, Android phone, television, cars, systems, money, food, everything inside a big house, and all somebody can see is "ah!" and the person begin to weep and cry and put his life on the line to go with the dustbin. Now, that is what I'm trying to make you see. Do you know that when we can see with the eye of God, the things of this earth we will hold it very lightly? Once we know that everything in it is reserved for fire. If I begin to realize that everything that seems to make the earth is reserved for fire, please what will be my attitude towards it? It is this matter that we are raising in James when he said the wisdom that is human wisdom, which is not from above. That human wisdom, he says that wisdom, number one, we looked at the first one, that the wisdom does not descend from above. And we are now seeing something very crucial about the matter of this wisdom. He says that this wisdom is earthly. It's earthly. That is the perspective of this wisdom to matter is here and now. Here and now. He says it is sensual. You know what it means to be sensual? The second characteristic. Number one, human wisdom is a wisdom that is primarily focused on earthly gain, earthly riches. It is never looking at eternity. It is never looking at hereafter. Life is managed by how they feel. I don't feel good. I feel bad. And you know that when they are in this their feeling and feeling... Something came to my mind about a man of heavenly wisdom. Who came to my mind? I remembered David. David's kingdom had been taken over. David poured sand on his head and he was weeping and crying and going away. As he was going away, how do you know the kind of feeling that surround that kind of situation? His own son, his own son Absalom, planned against him and he was running from his son. That son took the father's wife and slept with the father's wife publicly. The father was running for his life. And as the father was going, I hope you know the kind of emotions as the father was going. He got to a point and he was told Ahithophel is among the conspirators. In that moment of grief and pain, he was still able to pray, "Lord, turn the counsel of Ahithophel to foolishness." Did God answer that prayer? I'm trying to make you see men who are not sensual. I'm trying to make you see men that despite whatever is happening around, I give another example. Do you remember that David left Ziklag? They went to raid in around the cities of Judah, around the cities of the Amalekite. And then something happened. Ziklag was attacked. Wives, children, properties were taken. When everybody came back, everybody was weeping, everybody was crying. The Bible said the men of David, they thought of stoning David to death. Do you know that kind of situation? The Bible says, but David encouraged himself in the Lord and he said, "Lord, should I pursue these people? Will I recover all?" And the Lord said, "Pursue and you will recover." I'm trying to show you heavenly wisdom versus earthly wisdom. Earthly wisdom is sensual. Every action and reaction is based on what they feel. It's based on the direction of their feeling. I showed you a similar thing in our Lord Jesus Christ. Do you remember that our Lord Jesus, do you know the level of pain he was experiencing? And some people were saying, "Look at him, fraud, 419. If you know you are the son of God, come down now! Come down! Come down! Let us prove that it was..." And as people were speaking all kinds of derogatory, making all kinds of derogatory statements, seeking to belittle and to disparage, while all that was going, if it were some of us with the kind of power that Jesus had, you would have come down from that cross and said, "Look! I will show you who I am today." But Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, they don't know what they do." Sometimes we normally justify people being sensual. But I'm telling you that it's earthly wisdom. The characteristic of human wisdom. You see people making all kinds of statements out of their sensuality. [Yoruba language] He said we are all human beings, we can't all be the same. He said doing all kinds of things out of their sensuality. You see people making statements, "If God is to mark sin, who can be justified?" They will quote for you that there was a man named Job that devil could not find a sin in him. They will not quote that one. They will be going to "If God is to mark sin, nobody can be justified. We are all sinners, we are all sinning." So what do you say about Job, who was operating not yet under grace and devil could not find anything in him? And yet you are saying that you are under grace, there is the grace, the grace of God, the spirit of God lives in you and you cannot overcome sin and then you now begin to say, "We can't be the same, if God is to mark sin self, who can be justified? Who can be justified?" The point is don't boast. Look at what the Bible says, "do not lie." Don't lie. Don't boast against the truth. Don't tell lie against the truth. I was to handle a matter somewhere and they were talking about a man, a marriage. There was yet to be an issue and a marriage had gone for about 10 years and then the man began to date somebody without the knowledge of the wife and he went ahead while the relationship is on. People got to discover and then the matter was being discussed here and there and then some elders said, "You know God has given us different kind of grace. Some grace can endure any kind of thing, some grace cannot." Is that not madness? Are those ones elders? May wrong men not be elders over you. Is there a kind of grace that make a man to be a fornicator? This is the matter. So those elders what wisdom were they using? Earthly wisdom. They're trying to say, "Ah, see if it were to be you, after 10 years, we are humans, please don't let us blame our brother, don't let us blame him. If it were me too, only God can help me." If it were... those of us that are talking, how many of us? Wrong men not be our leaders. Men who are growing old but are not growing up. Men who are empty of Godly wisdom. May they not be men that we are looking up to. May they not be our pastor, may they not be our disciplers, our mentors. May they not be in our company because they will be like Achan in our camp. I'm saying these things for you to understand that people try to justify sensuality. That's why the Bible says do not boast and do not lie against the truth. Don't ever say it's heavenly wisdom. They were using Bible to say, "Look at it. God gives different grace. Some grace can stay and wait for years and remain faithful, some grace cannot wait." In other words, he that is born of God can continue in sin because the seed of God is not in him. So the point I'm making, the way to know this earthly wisdom is what I'm showing you. It is earthly. It is sensual. Now, this third one is something many believers don't take note of about the characteristic of this earthly wisdom. It says it is demonic. This kind of wisdom, once a wisdom is earthly, that wisdom will be demonic. It will be demonic. Do you know what I mean by that? One characteristic of human wisdom is that it gives the devil room to operate. It gives the devil foothold over the life of men. One characteristic of earthly wisdom is this matter that we are discussing now, very serious. The Bible says, "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of darkness, against spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places." Now I'm trying to make you see something about earthly wisdom, about human wisdom. It can never make us to win the battle because the battle we are really fighting is a battle against principalities and powers. It's a battle against rulers of darkness. But anywhere you find earthly wisdom, what will he be promoting? Demonic activities. Another way to look at it is this, which is a very, very serious one and I want you to consider it. When the woman looked at the fruit and she began to see it as a fruit that can make one wise, a fruit that is good to eye, she began to see it. Was that the first time of seeing that tree and that fruit? Was that the first time? It had always been there. It had always been there. Now, that moment when she began to think, "Ah! This thing is good for food. Ah! This thing will make us wise." Please, who is operating? Who is operating? I'm asking a question. Look inside. Who is operating? You will discover that already Satan already had his way. Am I correct? Am I not correct? That moment when Eve began to see it as something to eat, please what is the origin of that "now it is good for food"? Who's the origin? Is it not Satan? That's why the Bible says it's demonic. When you begin to see, when elders begin to say fornication and adultery is permissible because we don't have the same type of grace, please who is speaking? Satan or God? That is the point I want you to see. It promotes the activities of the devil. It promotes demonic activity, satanic manipulation, satanic suggestion, satanic idea, satanic projection, satanic... it promotes it. These are the characteristics of human wisdom. And what are the consequences of earthly wisdom? When we are saying earthly wisdom, please don't forget we're talking about human wisdom. We are looking at it against God's type of wisdom. Now these characteristics, we have seen the hallmark. We have seen the characteristics. Now we want to look at the implication. What are the implications? The Bible spelt that again for us. It says anywhere you find envy and self-seeking, you will see confusion. That's why the Bible says God is not the author of confusion. God don't author confusion. Anywhere you see confusion, anywhere you see confusion, Satan is at work. Human wisdom is at work. God is never the author of confusion. God don't author confusion. And that is why you notice something in the Bible warns us. What does the Bible warn us about people? He says we should not keep company with men who are living to change. Have you not read that before in your Bible? Who you see people who are neither here nor there, yesterday, tomorrow, yesterday, tomorrow. They are not like... you know this... I don't know the English name for this rodent but in Yoruba they call it *ajao*. *ajao*. I don't know the English name for it. But it's a rodent. But do you know the amazing thing about this rodent? When you see the rodent, it's like any other rodent. It has tail, it has leg. It moves around like the other rodent. But do you know one thing about this rodent? At the same time it is also not a rodent. It's actually a bird that can fly. It flies like a bird. So it is not a rodent, it is not a bird. It is bird, it is rodent. And that is why the Bible warns of... have you seen a man, a double-minded man? What did the Bible say? He says he's unstable in all his ways. That man can never receive anything from God. And the Bible says we should avoid this kind of people. People of confusion. People that you cannot deal with with certainty. People that you cannot take them for their word. "Give me 200 Naira, I will give you tomorrow." Tomorrow becomes tomorrow. He said, "No, I said tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow. I'm still coming tomorrow." And I'm talking about two years that have gone, they are still on that tomorrow. People that you cannot take for their word. People of confusion. I watched a small video today. It's although a very short one, but it speaks volume to me. And it was placed on a platform that I belong to. It was on my church platform, the church I attend. Two people got married and six months into the marriage, the lady was diagnosed for cancer. And they started chemotherapy for the lady. And you know the effect of chemo? Chemotherapy, the side effect can be catastrophic. So the side effect started. All her hair went off. She became so lean. And the doctor said even the chemo is just will take only extend her life for six months. That after six months she would be gone. While she was gradually dying away, the husband stood side by side with her. And as she was getting to five months and she was getting so lean and it was sure that she's going to die, she told the husband, "See, why not release me? Let me go. Pick another life. Start over again. As for me, I am gone." The husband said, "I didn't marry you because you have beautiful hair. I didn't marry you because you are healthy. I didn't marry you because you can bear to me children. I didn't marry you because you are able to do things for me. I married you because of who you are. It is you that I married. And until you, you is gone, you are still the you that I married." Men who are not given to change. That is the thing that blessed me in that clip. Just a short clip. That can we find brothers like this? Can we find people even when they say for better for worse, in health and in sickness, whether what whatever happens... the person that after 10 years and said... [Yoruba language] ...if you don't give birth inside you will give birth outside. You call that person... he's a man of confusion. The implication of earthly wisdom is confusion. They are neither here nor there. [Yoruba language] Bro, Sis, check your life. Are you a sister of confusion? Are you a brother of confusion? Implication of earthly wisdom, they cause confusion. They bring uncertainty. People are not sure of anything again. People dealing with them cannot be certain about anything. Confusion. Confusion. They are like that inside fellowship. They are like that inside church. If they take a counsel, they will scatter counsel. If they are in fellowship, they will scatter fellowship. They are never cheerful, they don't cause joy around people. All their life is just about themselves. People around them find reason to smile because it's all about themselves. The implication is confusion. Over time you will see the seed, you will see the fruit everywhere. They cause confusion. They put people in delusion. They send people in disarray. That is why we say God is faithful. That has not been anybody who walked with God that entered into disarray. Have you ever find out? Nobody followed God and end up in confusion. Because God will remain faithful. What he told them at the beginning, no matter what, God will keep to it till the end. What kind of person are you? A man of God's kind of wisdom or a man of human kind of wisdom? When we see things in the society, I'm going to make you see that the Bible have defined it. When you see marriages in confusion, when you see churches in confusion... I know for instance that they are scattered, they are this, they are that. They are people in confusion, in uncertainty, against themselves. And they said it was using heavenly wisdom. Heavenly wisdom or witchcraft and manipulation. God is never the author of confusion. Satan is the author of confusion. And let me tell you, everybody who is an emissary of Satan, who is working with him, who is using his kind of wisdom, they will also cause confusion. Check your life. Are you a man of your word? Do you keep to what you tell people? Did you stand by what you have said? Are you constant today? Why is Nigeria in confusion? Because our leaders are in confusion. Why are schools in confusion? Is it not because people will say this in the public and do another thing in the secret? Why the confusion everywhere today in the world? Is it not because of double standard? The implication of earthly wisdom, of human wisdom, confusion. And not only confusion and every evil things are there. What are the evil things? Lying, malice, dishonesty, hypocrisy, injustice. Evil things are there. Backbiting. Evil things are there. Let us watch our life today. Let us run away from this human wisdom. Let us do everything to understand that we don't need it to survive. We never needed it. What we need to survive is inspiration. What we need to survive is the word of God. "Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." "How will a young man make his way pure but by taking heed to your word?" "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, who does not stand in the way of sinner, nor sit in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the Lord and there he meditate day and night that he can observe to do according to all that is written therein." "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceed from the mouth of God." Oh God, have I value more than great riches. I value your word more than my daily food. Oh, I have kept watch over your word. I'm talking about men that became things in life. Men of inspiration. Men who became wise because they know the holy scripture. Timothy, from your childhood you have known the holy scripture which is able to make you wise. Hallelujah. The wisdom that comes from making the word of God a lamp to our feet, a light to our path, making the spirit of God our guide. That is the wisdom we need. We don't need to lean to our understanding. We don't need it. Then the Bible came to the wisdom that is from above. Hallelujah. Wisdom that is from above. Bible begin to tell us the characteristics. We have seen the hallmark. What is the hallmark? Good works and humility. That's the hallmark. Once you find a life without good works and humility, begin to fear those life. Begin to fear those life. Life who are not eager to do good to people, who don't have eagerness to serve, eagerness to do good. They're not just eager to do good to people. You don't know about doing good like your Master. If the Master goes about doing good, healing all that is oppressed by the devil for God was with him, if God is with a man, what will he be doing? He will be doing good. That is the hallmark. When you don't find humility in people, be afraid of them. That's the hallmark. Then the characteristics. The characteristics. He says verse 17, we have just two minutes more. We will enter it. Whatever we get, whatever we pray shortly, we will continue next week. Like I tell you, we are not in a hurry. We are just trying to let see how God can impact our lives. What we can learn under God. But let us see at least one thing about the wisdom that is... the characteristics now. "But the wisdom that is from above is first..." Purity. Jesus. Purity. Please look at what follows it. Then what? Peaceable. Have you seen it? It's first pure. That purity is going to what? Peaceable. "Follow after holiness. Follow after peace with all men and holiness, without which no man will see God." That's what I'm trying to make you see. Without God's kind of wisdom, eternity is not certain for any man. That's what I'm trying to make you see. I'm talking about the characteristics. Because if you don't operate God's kind of wisdom, purity and holiness will be far from you. I will leave the matter here today. Brethren, let us look, we're in the last days. We are in the last days. Let us wake up from our slumber. Let us understand that Christianity is a real thing, it's a practical thing. It's not a delusion, it's not a deception. Don't go for what is not real. Check your life. "Examine yourself if you are in the faith." Examine yourselves. Wherever you are this evening, I want you to begin to pray. I want you to talk to God. I want you to talk to God. Look around your home. Look around your life. Look around your business. Look around your office. Maybe you're a government worker, maybe a private businessman, maybe you're a researcher like me, maybe you're a preacher like me, maybe you're a student. Look around your life. Your neighbors. Are you a disturber to your neighbors? Or you walk, can you can you relate to anybody simple? Or you you carry yourself. Look at your life. Check your ways. Are you practicing heavenly wisdom or earthly wisdom? Are you practice human wisdom or Godly wisdom? [singing] On the last day, on the last day, only true believers will be rapture. On the last day, when the Master will appear, only true believers will be taken. Oh, on the last day, when the Master appears in the sky, only true believers will be taken. On the last day, when the trump of God shall sound with the voice of the archangels, oh, only true believers will be rapture. On the last day, when the trumpet shall sound, only true believers will be rapture. What are thinking about your life? It is not about here and now. It is not about here and now. It is about here and hereafter. It is about here and hereafter. Talk to God today. What is that thing making you to live for only here? Please throw it away. Eternity is coming. Eternity is coming. Eternity is drawing near. Every day is drawing near. Talk to the Lord. "Lord, deliver me from delusive dreams. Deliver me from delusive dreams. Deliver me from delusive dreams. Deliver me from delusive dreams. Deliver me from delusion. Deliver me from delusion. Deliver me from delusion. Let me live for what is real. Let me live for what will last. Let me live for what will remain. In the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus. I will not live for frivolity. I will not live for temporal things. I will not live for material things. I will not live for earthly things. I'll be pursuing the kingdom. I'm pursuing the righteousness. In the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus." Thank you, Father. Blessed be your name, our God. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Let's share the grace together this evening. 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 lives and we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever and ever. Amen.