Date: Tuesday, 10th August, 2021
Ministering: Reverend Kayode Oyegoke
Text: Malachi 3:1-3, Isaiah 55:1-3
“Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Mal. 3:1). The essence of the Messenger of the covenant is to bring the everlasting covenant. “Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.” (Isa. 55:3). The operation of the sure mercies that David experienced is what delivers the everlasting covenant. This shows that mercy is beyond pardon; rather, it is a work that will enable the everlasting covenant to prosper in a man’s life.
“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matt. 16:18). Peter in this scripture was a rock and had not yet grown into becoming a precious cornerstone. This is because he had not gone through the required process to possess the materials of a precious cornerstone. A precious cornerstone is one that has been tried and subjected to pressure; it is this pressure that upgrades the stone to becoming precious.
“And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.” (Rev. 4:3). God is likened to a jasper and sardine stone. A precious stone is one that has partaken of the attributes of God.
“Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.” (Isa. 28:16). A sure foundation is one that has come into the Most Holy Place. Those beings in the Most Holy Place are sure beings who have made their calling and election sure (2 Pet. 1:10).
“And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone…” (Eph. 2:20). The chief cornerstone is one that has gone through the full program of Christ. Prophets and apostles are key in the body of Christ because of the stature they possess within. This stature is gained by reason of the dealings they have been subjected to. Every true apostle of the New Testament is a stone. Cornerstones are stones upon which the house rests on (Eph. 2:20); they are stones within which are precious substances.
We are firstly built upon and then built within. Our building within is a function of our spiritual growth. For instance, the apostles were types of cornerstones but the chief of them all is Jesus. The apostles were cornerstones because they formed part of the foundation, and also partook of headship (Rev. 21:14).
“Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” (Col. 2:7). To be rooted is to take part in the formation of the foundation. We are however not supposed to stop at the foundation but develop to the top, by reason of growth. It is this process that makes one a stone fit to be used by the Lord.
“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 3:11). Any believer that would be well rounded is one who will fully partake in the foundation that the apostles laid, which is Christ. It is important that the foundational work in a man is consolidated; because it is upon this formation that every other thing lies (1 Pet. 1:7). For instance, igneous rocks are stronger than sedimentary rocks because of the process that they have been subjected to. The same thing applies to every soul – a soul that is precious in the sight of God is one who has gone through the entire process of becoming Christ.
There are three major progressions or courses in Christ – faith, hope and charity (1 Cor. 13:13). These processes would deal with and cleanse the soul of a man from corruption. If a carnal man cooperates with the dealings of Christ, he can be raised into a stone. Therefore, as many as God can lead, or as many who can cooperate with the leading of God, will be converted into stones (Rom. 8:14).
A son of God is one who has been led away from the flesh. It is important to note that there is a choice to be made by everyone when it comes to the leading of the Spirit. This choice is either to follow the leading of the Spirit or disobey. The process of the leading of the Spirit is to get rid of the flesh. As such, anyone who follows the leading of the Lord will change into a stone; and there will no longer be the desire in such a person to walk in the flesh.
Christ is a rock. He started off as flesh (Jn 1:14); then, by reason of the dealings He went through, grew into a tried stone, and further became a precious cornerstone. This shows us that Christ can be broken down into different phases which a man must learn.
One hallmark of a stone is the authority with which they declare the word of God. The gospel of John was filled with so much authority, as he was able to clearly declare the person of Jesus (Jn. 3:35-36). The peculiarity of the work John was called to do also played out in the manner of his conception and birth – he was filled with the Holy Ghost from the womb (Luke 1:15).
John walked closely in the path of Jesus. Jesus submitted to John the Baptist regardless of the grace He had (Matt. 3:13). We therefore cannot condemn anyone because of the level of light they have.
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; [2] To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn…” (Isa. 61:1-2). The acceptable year of the Lord is the season of the making of the precious stone. The pillars that hold a house are cornerstones; but in the Lord's house there is the chief cornerstone.
When one is born again, one has been given the opportunity to become good in the sight of God. Such a person then needs to stay under the preaching and tutelage of the Word, which will change his nature and make him good. The process of becoming good involves purification/dealings which are not pleasurable to the flesh.
Those who have entered the Kingdom have changed state. “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.” (1 Cor. 15:50). Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom. Flesh and blood do not just refer to the physical body or blood but a state of life. We do not make the Kingdom or prepare it; for it has always been, even before time began. As such, God does not need our input as regards the Kingdom; He only needs us to enter it.
The purpose of Satan's dominion is to turn men to flesh. Satan is not at rest when one is a stone; as such, he engages in warfare against such a person till he becomes flesh. The kingdom of Satan corrupts - it causes decay; but the Kingdom of God builds, for it is a Kingdom of redemption.
“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. [19] And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matt. 16:18-19). The keys of the Kingdom are for building people. An emissary of the Kingdom who builds people is a Kingdom engineer. Satan breaks down but God builds up.
“And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.” (Isa. 61:4). God separated nations and kept them in their boundaries to prevent corruption from spreading fast. This is why God hid Africa and slowed down its natural development, in order to save it from corruption.
Job was a type of a New Testament saint who did not have an intercessor like we do; yet, he was able to overcome the devil through patience. One lesson we can pick from Job is to stand our ground in the face of adversity (Job. 2:8-10).
Jesus overcame Satan and destroyed him using the keys of hell and death (Rev. 1:18). These weapons also enable one to withstand the wiles of the devil as well.
The program of God is to raise men who are everlasting in nature. God created the earth with an everlasting substance, evidenced by the fact that everything He created was good (Gen. 1:31). The man in the garden of Eden was an everlasting man of the earth.
Ministry is not about what one can do for God but the tools a person is kitted with. Without the Messenger of the covenant, men cannot be kitted with everlasting strength. It is this Messenger of the covenant (Jesus) that brings men from the Holy Place to the Most Holy.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16). A believer can perish but we should fear perishing. To perish is the inability to be called back to repentance by God; for such a person has been destroyed. This is where Satan wants to bring men to – a place where they can no longer be used by God; and as such, will have to be cast into the lake of fire.
Satan expired himself to God; he got to the point where he could no longer be called back, and this is where he also wants to bring man to. Jesus came into the flesh to expire Satan (Heb. 2:14). The intent of God is to raise men as trees of righteousness that can withstand and eventually expire Satan.
“And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation…” (2 Cor. 5:18). This church was coming into Everlasting Life; as such, the essence of the Word of reconciliation is to bring man into Everlasting Life. This shows that the ministry of reconciliation is not for unbelievers but for believers who God is bringing to Himself.
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Cor. 5:21). What Jesus feared at the garden of Gethsemane was the inputting of iniquity on Him, which is what he hated (Heb. 1:9). This demand was placed on Him as the Son of God and not Christ. He then converted the nature of iniquity that was placed upon Him into righteousness. When one is about to come into the everlasting righteousness, one meets the Son of God who is the Mediator of the new covenant.
Do not use carnal ministers as a benchmark for ministry; rather, seek an inward change. The only metric of measurement we have is our Lord Jesus. Ministers of the gospel should be higher than money. Do not gauge the progress of your ministry by how much natural resources you possess. Jesus dealt a major blow to money- He set it far from Himself and never engaged it in His ministry. When it was time to pay taxes, He got the money from the fish (Matt. 17:27). Money never ruled Jesus but it ruled Judas; which is why he ended the way he did.
Many hide their love and lust for money by saying money should not be feared, that it is only the love of money that is bad. However, it is important to note that money is one of the greatest tools Satan can employ to destroy both a minister and a ministry. As such, we should be separate from it - for this is holiness.