The Wisdom of God (12)

[Speaker 1] Self-centered, self-absorbed, see the world only from your own angle. And I did say something last week, the ingredient of incompatibility is selfishness. When people say they are not compatible with people, the bottom line about that contention, about that fight, is selfishness. When people learn to be selfless, you will discover that strife will cease. Strife will cease. That's why the Bible says that but if you have bitter envy and self-seeking. So, self-centeredness brings about a bitter envy. How? It makes you to always want to win. You want to win argument, you want to win a viewpoint, you want to talk last. You always see yourself wanting to— so it is as a result of your selfishness. Selfishness and bitter envy, they travel together, just as humility and good works travel together. These are the hallmark of God's wisdom operating in a man's life and human wisdom operating in a man's life. And then we noted something also last week that when we demonstrate human wisdom, there is some things that followed. The thing that follow are confusion and every evil deeds because the wisdom is earthly, it is sensual and give room for demonic operation. Human wisdom is earthly, human wisdom is sensual, human wisdom gives room for demonic operation. Lastly last week, we concluded with the first two characteristics of the wisdom of God. The first two characteristics. The first two characteristics of the wisdom of God is verse 17. He says but the wisdom that is from above is first pure and peaceable. That was where we stopped. So, we begin to look at the characteristics of God-kind of wisdom. And please don't forget, for those of us who may be starting with us who may be joining us for the first time today, or who may be coming to this topic for the first time today, the origin of God's wisdom is inspiration. The origin of human wisdom is deception. Humans were deceived and that deception led to the emergence of a wisdom. The Bible says a man now like God, knowing good from evil. So we said something very, very significant at the beginning. The origin of God's wisdom is inspiration. Anybody who cannot be inspired cannot operate God's wisdom. And we have said so many things about the way of this wisdom that I want to plead with those of us who may be joining us for the first time today, please I beg you, go and take the episode— this is episode 13. Go and take it from the first episode, episode 1, so that you can properly appreciate the wisdom of God. So, as we are trying to conclude on this matter today, let's look at this thing that characterize a life that is operating God's wisdom. Last week we mentioned that it is first pure and then it is peaceable. Pure and peaceable. And we linked that with Hebrews 12:14. Follow peace with all men and holiness, without which no man can see God. Now, you notice that the first two characteristics of God's wisdom is that first it is pure. Purity. It is pure. There is no lie in it. There is no deceit. It is pure. Any type of wisdom you are operating and in that wisdom you are somehow deceitful, you are not transparent with people, you need to watch it. That cannot be God's kind of wisdom. There's a way we play smart on people's intelligence and then you will say the Bible say we need to be wise, but we're trying to make you get something. If that wisdom is God's wisdom, there are two things that comes immediately with God's wisdom. The Bible says but the wisdom that is from above is first pure. If there is a wisdom we are displaying that is laden with deception, it cannot be God. Now, it moves on to say, number three, it says that wisdom is gentle. Let me take this reading in Amplified. It says but the wisdom from above is first of all pure, undefiled, then it is peace-loving. And that is what I want to— I mentioned this last week, but I want to build so much on it. What makes God's wisdom to be peace-loving? See, look at Matthew chapter 5. Please, Matthew chapter 5. Let's open our Bible to Matthew chapter 5. I want us to see something in Matthew chapter 5. I want to read verse 9. Are you there? Let's try the translation that we have. Matthew 5:9. Let me hear us read the various translation that we have. Matthew chapter 5 verse 9. [Speaker 2] NLT. God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called children of God. [Speaker 1] Another translation? [Speaker 3] King James. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. [Speaker 1] Another translation? [Speaker 4] Passion translation. How blessed you are when you make peace, for then you will be recognized as the true child of God. [Speaker 1] Are you seeing something? How blessed you are... for then you will be recognized... Do you see that when a man is operating the wisdom of God, he cannot but be called the child of God? Are you getting the point I'm making? That's why he says the first thing about God's wisdom is that it is pure. What immediately follow that purity is peace-loving. When your wisdom cannot make for peace, when the wisdom you are displaying is not brokering for peace, when the wisdom you are displaying is making people to rather fight and compete, when the wisdom you are displaying is not making peace, look, let me tell you, that wisdom you're operating is not God's wisdom because peacemakers shall be called children of God. So, can we put it the other way? Those who make fight to continue shall be called what? You are not talking. Are they not devil's children? They will be recognized. There is something you need to get about peace, which many times I discover that people who even go into marriage, they don't understand it. You need to understand that what is the gospel? Gospel is what? The wisdom of God. 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 24. The gospel is the wisdom of God. The gospel is the power of God to us who believe. Now, what is the gospel? The gospel is God that has made peace with men through Jesus. What? God has made peace with men through Jesus. What is the gospel? God's peace. So, that peace you actually carry as God's child, if you carry that gospel. If you're truly carrying that gospel, that life should make for peace. And that is why when you notice that the kind of wisdom you display in matters is not making peace— see, peacemaker— what does it mean to make peace? What does it mean to be a peacemaker? You are making it. What does that mean? [Speaker 5] You are intentional, you are deliberate, and you are sacrificial. [Speaker 1] Please, for God to make peace, was there any sacrifice? Was there any sacrifice? What was the sacrifice? The Son. And who did the Son die for? His friends. Who did he die for? His enemies. So, am I to make you see something? When your understanding of making peace is only with those who are peaceful with you, you don't know God. Are you understanding? The sacrifice that God made for there to be peace was not made for the lovers of God. It was made for the enemies of God. But you know there's this thing we have in our heart, even if I will sacrifice, it's for those who love me. And that is why many times, you notice that when things happen between you and those in darkness, you are not different from them because you feel they're not valuable to you, so you cannot make sacrifice for them. But I want to ask you, what was your value when God sacrificed Jesus? I'm asking you, what was your value? Of what value were you to God when God sacrificed Jesus? I'm trying to show you something. Do you see that when you are not peace-loving, it's a sign that you don't have God's wisdom. You are not wise. You don't have his wisdom. You don't have it. That is why he says the characteristics of the wisdom of God: first, it does not deceive, it's pure, and he says then it's gentle. Before he began to mention other things, these two things go together. First, purity, quickly following that, it is peace-loving because these are the two things that demonstrate God. Do you notice that on one hand God cannot lie? In my Father's house, there are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have done what? I would have told you. That is, I don't deceive people. If it were not so, I would tell you that there's nothing. We tell you where we are going. If it were not so, I would have told you. There's no deceit in the wisdom of God, and it is ever peace-loving. So, you need to check to what extent are you able to sacrifice for there to be peace? To what extent are you able to sacrifice? Do you know that it is because many times as Christians, Christian wife, Christian husband, Christian leaders, Christian followers, because we lack God's wisdom, that is why we take one another to court? Have you not seen pastor— I don't want to mention which denomination, that for the post of the general secretary, post inside church, they took themselves to court. Then it was in the newspaper, then when one now won, the other faction now went in the newspaper, we now want to announce to you that the court have now declared that this one is the general secretary. I began to ask myself question: is that secretary about a secretary for God? Is it about being a secretary on behalf of God? These are issues we need to look into. What do you think? I was handling a case and quickly the couple said, look, one thing is that we are irreconcilably different. And I said the truth is that there is no difference that is not reconcilable. What is not reconcilable is your ignorance, your poor attitude, and the negative perception. That was what I told them. There is no difference you cannot reconcile. Both of you have lived for the past 10 years together. Forget there's now a difference. No, it was degeneration that brought you to this point. So, the point I'm trying to bring out, brethren, why this may be sounding very simple, what I'm trying to make you see actually is that where there is no inspiration, because the basis of God's wisdom is inspiration, where there is no inspiration, there can't really be peace, there can't really be purity. And as I'm speaking, it's because I want to make reference to something about a difference that is irreconcilable, ordinarily looking at it. Sarah suggested to Abraham that see, I am old, will it not be good to go into this woman that is called Hagar? Perhaps through her I will have a son. Abraham did not think twice, he jumped at the offer and Ishmael was born. Immediately Ishmael was born and Hagar saw that yes, I am now the madam, she despised Sarah. Sarah took to anger and dealt with her. She fled and Sarah went to Abraham and said see, this thing that you are doing. And Abraham said, ah, is she not your servant? Do anyhow. Later the angel of the Lord told that girl to return and go and submit to Sarah. They continued the journey. Then they got to a point. The first thing I'm trying to make you see, it was looking like both of them cannot live together, but the angel said go back, go and submit. It got to another point again that there was now a difference that looked irreconcilable. Sarah said Hagar and Ishmael must go. Isaac will be the one to inherit. In a culture, a culture where it is the first son that inherit everything— we call it the principle of primogeniture, still practiced today by the Benin people. Among the Benins, the first son inherit all property of the father. He now give to every other person the way he wants. Yes, that is a culture. So it's not something that is just in the Bible today, some people still practice it today. You get the point I'm making? In that culture, who is the first son? Ishmael. When Sarah told Abraham, the Bible says the thing was grievous to Abraham. Why? Because it is complete injustice. So they could not— it became an irreconcilable difference. So what are they now to do? Everyone is to go their way, the marriage should scatter. But do you notice something? That Abraham went to God, inspiration. And God told Abraham, go and listen to Sarah. So remove inspiration from that marriage, Abraham would have been foolish. He would have been, yes, you must go! This woman and her son will stay! Some divorce that look arguable in the law court, I tell people, that you win argument don't mean you're on the side of the truth. They are two different things. Truth is not about winning argument. Truth is about what is the will of God. Truth is about where does God stand? That is truth. And so we are looking at this characteristic. We have to make you see this thing is that don't think that James, by the Spirit of God, was just listing some things, it's first pure, it's first— no. He's telling you about the person and the personality of God. When we encounter the person and personality of God, there's a way we behave which is our wisdom. It's about a lifestyle. The wisdom of God is a lifestyle. That's what I'm trying to make you see. It's not some characteristics somewhere. It's a life you live. It's a life. It's a life that is coupled with inspiration. It's a life that does not lean on its own understanding. It's a life that God keep breathing into. This is how to do it. That's how to do it. And as God is breathing, you start seeing what? You start seeing purity. You start seeing peace-loving. You start seeing makers of peace. That's why I took you to Matthew, that blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God. And when you move on in the book of James, looking at James 3:17 where we are back there now, he says but the wisdom from above is first of all pure. The next thing after that is that it is cautious. What does it mean to be cautious? Amplified amplified it for us. It said to be cautious is to be considerate and gentle. To be what? To be considerate. Ah, you see when this thing occurs to me, I just said God, you are infinite. God is endless. You see, I was looking at these things as characteristics, but God was telling me that it's not characteristics, it's a life. It's a life you live. What it's trying to say is that do you know that if you are not a considerate person, you are not a cautious person, you are not wise? That's what God is saying. You are foolish. You know many times, many times, people who are not considerate, they think they are strong. They think, me I don't care about what anybody feel o, as long as I— they look like they are the boss, the ogas. I don't care anybody feel here, what's important is how I feel. What you don't know is that you're a foolish person. You are not wise. If you are really wise, when wisdom begin to display in your life, one thing that will show that you are becoming wise— that is you are having inspiration, that you are actually receiving something from God that is making you know how to live your life— is that you will become considerate. The world today, do you know why I am saying this, that it's an operation of God's Spirit? Look at what the Lord call my attention to. Look at it. Please let's look at 2 Timothy. 2 Timothy. 2 Timothy. Are you there? Oh, sorry, chapter 3. 2 Timothy chapter 3. Look at it. Please look at this scripture. 2 Timothy 3. But this know, that in the last days, perilous time will come. For men will be lovers of themselves. Men will be lovers of themselves. Follow it o: lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. I want to show you something. Are you seeing something that is contrary to being considerate? Do you see that when the spirit of the devil is in operation, do you see the things— do you see it's also a behavior? When the spirit— don't forget that human wisdom was born, it has its origin in the devil. God's wisdom, this heavenly wisdom, had its origin in God. So you must understand that the nature of the two spirits will actually be displayed as you display whichever one wisdom you are displaying. If you are using human wisdom, what will be showing you? The lifestyle, the pattern, the person of the devil. Devil is first a liar and the father of all lie. God is holy, so God's wisdom is first pure. Satan's wisdom is first a deception. Number two, God is a maker of peace. Please, immediately Satan was introduced to Adam and Eve, what happened to the peace in that garden? It's left. Was it not that peace again that God have to die to bring? And when he wanted to bring it, who was doing everything to prevent, to stop? Is it not the same gate of hell? So when you see people blocking peace, people are trying to make peace and people are trying to block the peace, where are those people operating from? You see, that's what I want to make you understand. These things, they look like lifestyle, the way we behave, the way we manage things. But you also need to understand that there are things you will be doing that will make you know whether what you are actually having a rub-off of inspiration or a rub-off of deception of the devil. Because normally, you know when Satan's wisdom was operating in itself, when it was to originate, did it originate like that? The woman saw that it was good for food, the woman saw that it will make them wise. Do you know people who are headstrong? People who are boastful? For them, it is a lifestyle. It looks like they know what they are doing. But did they know their end? Do they understand their end? So, it first plays out like something great. And that is why the Bible is saying that there is something that follows God's wisdom. You see a life of being considerate. And that is why I keep saying so many things today that happens in Christian relationship. Our churches, our fellowship, brothers against brothers, sisters against sisters, brothers against sisters. As you begin to see enmity, you begin to see hardheadedness, you begin to see the mind is not soft, the mind is not considerate. And we are talking about wisdom. Are we really wise? We're talking about the wisdom of God. Somebody was discussing with me. He said, look, what he has come to see, if you don't learn to love yourself, you can never get it right among brethren because you must also learn to love yourself. And then I smile. Person was giving me counsel. That look, let me tell you something, something happened. When that thing happened there, I was actually dealing with the brother, I didn't know the brother was the one actually trying to get— he wanted the thing for himself. It was later I got to know that all the thing he was doing behind was actually for himself. That is why I've come to see that people who are making it in this life they have a way of loving themselves even though they are Christian. So I began to wonder, what does it mean to make it in life? Is these— these are things we need to define. What does it mean to make it in life? That you acted in a way and got a position without being sincere and true to a brother, so you have made it? The Bible says like a partridge that sit upon egg that is not his own, so is he that gather wealth but not by right. It will leave him in the midst of his days and at the end he will be a fool. So I don't know how we are defining making it. But you see, all of these they fall back to a lot of things. What I see more among the brethren today is not heavenly wisdom. What I see more among the brethren today is human wisdom. Why is there so much fight today in Christian marriages? Why is there so much confusion today in our churches? Different cliques inside church. Sometimes you even begin to find ethnic cliques. The Igbo brethren, the Ijebus will put themselves together against the Ekitis. Ekitis will put themselves together against the— I begin to wonder. And when we begin to talk say ah, don't you know that it's my sister, I can't talk that— we are seeing truth. You refuse to speak truth because you're both Ekiti. I say we are, you know we are brethren. These are issues. These are things we need to think about. These are things that should disturb our heart. I'm talking about God's wisdom versus human wisdom. Look at something that the Lord call my attention to again. Look at something in Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians chapter 4. I'm talking about the way it tells us more to me. It's more about marital relationship and then as a Christian leader. Look at something in Ephesians chapter 4, verse 32. Can we try different translation? Let's see how passionate is the passion from the passionate translation. Ephesians 4:32. [background noise] Instead, be kind and affectionate towards one another, just as God graciously forgave you then graciously forgive one another in the depth of Christ's love. Are you getting something? Now, where is he drawing that from? You know he said instead. Look at 31. Passion translation. Lay aside bitter words, temper tantrums, revenge, profanity and insult, for instead be kind. Okay, now, among who is this letter written? Believers. Who was this letter written to? Believers. Now, to believers. NLT. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, slander as well as all type of malicious behavior. Instead be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christ forgive you. Please, what does that tell you about Christian fellowship, Christian gathering? If it says get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, slander as well as all type of malicious behavior, instead be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another just as God through Jesus Christ has forgiven you. So what do you expect to see when you gather Christians together? You know one funny thing about us? We normally think that because somebody is spirit-filled, he does not have humanity in him. He's an angel. So when you see the brother who has just suddenly come and do something, you say, ah! And you say you're a Christian. No, he's telling you that sorry, I'm not a spirit. God is not giving you an impression that your fellow brothers are spirits. What is he telling you? That as you are trying to not be mad with your brother, the same way your brother is trying not to be mad with you. As he has his own, you too you have your own. So, I was speaking to one of our fathers who I know for a very long time. We were just talking in recent past. And he said Wali, you know something? God's Spirit is in us o, but as human we have our own stubbornness that sometimes if God don't conquer your head— I said sir, you are correct. You see, he's trying to make us see that our humanity— we normally just forget that you are dealing with people that God is perfecting. And the fact that you forgot that is a sign that you are not constantly being inspired. Because the basis of God's wisdom is inspiration. If you don't always renew your strength, you will discover that you will fail. It is those who renew their strength that will mount on wings as eagles. If you're not constantly being refreshed under God, some of the things you will see in Christian fellowship will make you put bitterness somewhere. And please don't forget, the person who you are bitter against and you who hold the bitterness, you have the same destiny. Are you understanding me? He says giving all diligence not to allow bitterness to spring that will defile many because bitterness is a defiler. So if you are thinking that because you are bitter, you didn't do wrong o, it was other person who wronged you, you are still not getting it. And that is why you begin to notice that God's wisdom is trying to make you see something. They are not foolish. It is because it is you that don't understand what it means to gain and what it means to lose. You don't know what it means to gain and what it means to lose. Because once you meet the definition of gaining and losing, it becomes difficult to operate in this thing that we are talking about. So you notice too well as we begin to round up that there is something here in the book of James that we must fix ourselves into. Amplified. But the wisdom of God, that is from above, is first pure, then it's peaceful, it's considerate and gentle. Listen o. It is willing to yield to reason. It is willing to yield to reason. For those that sometimes people can be unreasonable. Have you not experienced it before? Even when you are trying to yield to reason, the person you are trying to yield to is still unreasonable. And when the person is not reasonable in his action, what is the next thing you want to do? You're not following me. It said he yields to reason, but now you're dealing with a brother who is not even reasonable. So what's the next thing you want to do? You want to show him too that you too you're a mad person. But look at what follows. It said it's full of compassion. Was Peter reasonable when he was told that Satan is out to have you and to sift you but I've prayed for you? He denied him three times after much intercession. He was restored. Brethren, let's go back to fishing. As for this Jesus, let's forget about him. Is there any reason in that man's head? But what brought him back? Compassion. Compassion. The Lord went to him. And when he went to him, what do you notice? He made him to catch fish again like before. Ah! And when he was taking the thing, do you love me more than this? You know I love you. Peter, do you love me more than this? Lord, you know I love you. Peter, do you love me more than this? It now become more comfortable. It's now dawned on him that if actually you love me more than this, you could not have returned to fishing. But if you want to deal with Peter on reasonability without compassion, how you will deal with it? Jesus did not say Peter was reasonable, but he dealt with it with what? With compassion. I'm talking about the wisdom of God. The wisdom of God. The point I'm trying to bring out is that many times it's not as if the person who is trying to say something is not correct, but the problem many of the time is that we lose the attitude of God and the perception of God to matters. And that is where we have the problem. And that is why the Lord told us, let this mind be in you which is in Christ Jesus. The first thing about any matter, and that is why we are praying tonight as we are closing. Lord, let me have your kind of mind. The first thing about any matter you want to address in life, whether you are dealing with human beings, when you are dealing with your wife, when you are dealing with your husband, when you are dealing with your children, when you are dealing with your colleagues in the office, the one you even call your fellow brother is the one that will betray you, you will be surprised. And you just go and put one black side of your heart, and your heart is not white again. And you keep acting from that blackness. No, you don't need to. You don't need to. Because ultimately it will defile you. So we are praying this evening, brethren, as we are closing. See, God made me to realize something. He said, Son, the first thing about any matter is to have my mind. The first thing. Because sometimes you are pained. We are humans. We are humans o. Some things will happen sometimes, if the Holy Ghost don't carry you and hit you on the rock and beat your head very well, you would have lost your direction before you now come back again to the road. Because we are humans. The brethren who are hurting you, the people you are dealing with, your wife, your husband, your subordinate, your neighbor, these people that you are dealing with, including you yourself, you are all in an atmosphere where you are all weak. You all have your weaknesses, your humanity with you. Yet God is looking for people that can display the wisdom of God in the face of the world that is dark, that is evil. And I'm telling you sometimes our fellowships don't even look as if there is light. They even look darker sometimes that you are running away, you don't want to be even be among some of the brethren. But the point we are making is this: I want you to pray to God. And that is the prayer I've been praying. I'm talking about praying for myself. God, first and foremost in any matter, that I may have your mind. Because when something happen, ah! We need first the mind of God. We need that mind. We need that attitude of God. If that thing don't guide you, before you now begin to realize yourself, say God, God, what is my problem? It's not as if you have a problem. It is that there is something that has not overtaken you, the mind of God. That is our prayer this evening, brethren. God, first and foremost in every matter that I may have the mind of Christ. First and foremost in every matter that I may have the mind of Christ. First and foremost in every matter, let me be enveloped with your mind, the mind of Christ, the mind of Christ, the mind of Christ, the mind of Christ, the mind of Christ. God, please help me. I'm talking about a prayer I've been praying for my own self. I don't know what you are praying for yourself. Because I discover that sometimes... come back to the mind of Christ. And so I began to realize that we must be constantly, constantly enveloped with his mind for us to be able to operate the wisdom of God. I want you to pray that God, please. Your mind. Your mind. Lord, deliver me from emptiness. Deliver me from emptiness. Deliver me from emptiness. Deliver me from emptiness. Deliver me Lord from emptiness. Lord, deliver me from emptiness. Deliver me from emptiness. Deliver me from emptiness, Lord. Thank you, eternal Father. Blessed be your holy name, our God. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Almighty God, we are just praying for ourselves this evening. We are presenting ourselves to you. We are not coming like anybody who is a superhuman being. We are coming to you just as we are. We are coming to you in all humility and in all brokenness. And we are saying, Lord, many times, many times, we get overtaken. Many times we are overtaken by how we feel, what we want and what we like. But, Lord, we are asking today that, Lord, by the power of grace divine, Baba, you will cause us to be consistently overtaken by the mind of Christ in the name of Jesus. Let this mind be in us, which is in you in the name of Jesus. That, Lord, God Almighty, Baba, in every situation, men may marvel at us and just wonder, are these people— are they of this planet? Are they really Nigerians? Are they one of us? Is there something about these people? And that way, Lord, our life can command the power, the authority it needs to preach the gospel in the name of Jesus Christ. Oh, Lord our God, make our life a radiation of your glory, radiation of your honor, radiation of your power, radiation of your beauty in the name of Jesus to a perverse and wicked world in the name of Jesus. Thank you, eternal Father. Blessed be your name, our God. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Let's share the grace together in fellowship. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us now and forever more. 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.