School of the Spirit (3rd June, 2021)
Topic: Discerning and Overcoming Evil by the Wisdom of God
Ministering: Rev. Kayode Oyegoke
(Message begins)
Isaiah 8:15-16, 18
And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken. Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples….Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.
The disciples being referred to in Isaiah 8:16 are sons of the sanctuary who were to be brought to glory (Heb 2:10). God wants to bring many sons to glory and because of this, He first made one Son who is the head and captain of their salvation. This man is He who is the capstone of their salvation; that is, the best saved than the rest of those who are to be saved. God saved Jesus so much that He also became the author of this salvation (Heb. 5:9); He was made perfect through sufferings. Thus, for God to bring many sons to glory, He first saved their captain who will, in turn, save the rest of the sons.
The perfection Jesus attained qualified Him to author salvation. So, in the sphere of salvation, there would be the greatest and the least also. Recall the Scriptures says, “…they will know me from the least to the greatest” (Heb. 8:11). This statement connotes that everyone will not be at the same level in salvation; though all will be saved to the uttermost but at different degrees. And their captain will be of the highest degree. These different cadres will be determined by different degrees of salvation attained. This, therefore, means that in the end, there will be perfection at different degrees and ratings, depending on the capability of each spirit. God made His Angels spirits, yet among them is the archangel who is a spirit of a higher cadre than the rest, even though they are all spirits.
Salvation deals with the quality of material that has been raised in a person who has received it. Just as in the natural, gold is of varying quality (rated in karat); the gold of the Holy Place and that of the Most Holy Place are not of the same quality. Likewise, there are measures or degrees of being saved.
The disciples referred to in Isaiah 8:16 are brethren in the sanctuary. They had finished the law and it was now time to open them up to the Testimony. To bind up the Testimony means to unveil it, raise it, expound it, exalt it. As the law is exalted amongst these disciples, it becomes invisible to those who are not called to hear it. As such, in hearing, these men will hear and not understand; in seeing, they will see and not perceive (Matt. 13:14). As the law is being raised, a boundary is being created for those who would participate in it and those who would not. Those who are not qualified as disciples should not be called to participate in a law, else it would be confusing to them. To seal the law is to close the law; it means to teach it among those who will understand. This is why some people will not understand when some words are being preached, even though with much explanation.
1 Corinthians 2:7
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory;
Wisdom referred to in the above Scripture is more than the mystery of Christ; it is the mystery of God and of the Father. The first layer of the wisdom of God is the wisdom of the Father, which God ordained before the world unto our glory. Hence, without this wisdom, the programme of bringing many sons to glory cannot be accomplished. This wisdom is discussed among those who are perfect, that is, the disciples (1 Cor. 2:6; Isa. 8:16).
The wisdom of God is the Testimony. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Rev. 19:10). Thus, the Spirit of Prophecy cannot be accessed without the tool of the wisdom of God. This testimony is enshrouded in the wisdom of God. Therefore, anyone who wants to be as wise as God, knowing good and evil, needs to have the Testimony. One who does not understand what is being spoken at this level and so makes light of the teaching is not among them that are perfect and as such will not be able to hold the spirit of prophecy (Rev. 19:10). That Spirit is shared as the hidden wisdom of God that is revealed. Words at this level are apostolic and priestly stones that give the soul direction of the plane of eternal life. Hence, we should be sensitive to those words.
Those who are perfect have to latch onto the testimony of Jesus first, till it becomes theirs (Rev. 12:11, 17). The wisdom of God is the wisdom that the Holy Ghost teaches (1 Cor. 2:13). When some people do not have much of the Holy Ghost, he cannot move them in wisdom. As such, one must have been submissive to the Spirit for Him to take one through a route that is foolish to the natural man. The moves of the Holy Ghost at a higher level do not make sense to the natural man. This is so that the natural man would not find it out; they are terrains exclusive of the natural man, rather he will refuse it.
Colossians 1:28
Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
In the above Scripture, we see Paul speaking about his labour amongst the Colossian Church. To make people perfect, they must be warned and forewarned, otherwise, they will not take the words seriously. Paul had to warn those whom he wrote to because he was teaching them Christ. Christ must be taught till He is perfected in a man, for such to become a perfect man. Jesus in the term ‘Christ Jesus’ refers to the Son of God. It is the same referred to in Acts (Acts 1:11).
1 Corinthians 2:6-8
Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
Therefore, the hidden wisdom of God is needed to become perfect. As earlier said, this hidden wisdom is foolishness to a natural man. As such, it is extremely foolish to the princes of this world; so, they cannot know it (1 Cor. 2:7-8). The princes of this world look like earthly men, but they are not. Princes constitute a collection of kings who rule this world and are still ruling it; they are rebel holders of authority. They did not know the wisdom of God, otherwise, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. The hidden wisdom of God is foolishness to the princes of this world. God took this wisdom to another level that is contrary to their way of thinking. God purposely crafted this wisdom in such a manner that Satan and his cohorts would refuse it, but it was ordained unto our glory. The wisdom of this world is different from the wisdom of the princes of this world. While the wisdom of this world can be dealt with by Christ, the wisdom of the princes of this world is anti-everlasting life (i.e. it is against the life which leads to eternal life).
The word ‘glory’ used in 1 Corinthians 2:6 is two-sided: ‘everlasting’ and ‘eternal’.
The matter of the testimony cannot be discussed without the wisdom of God, as it is used to bind up the testimony and seal the law. Wisdom is not discussed in plain/general language; it is discussed in a mystery, to make it secret and so that it can remain just among them that are perfect. The wisdom of the princes of this world sounds very wise, but the wisdom of God is foolishness. However, without the wisdom of God, you cannot refuse the wisdom of the princes of this world.
Wisdom is the instrument for birthing a law; the law of a thing is the secret of that thing. Therefore, one has to be wise before he can handle a law. Anything that is secret means it has been shielded; therefore, to uncover it, one has to hack into its secret, that is, discover what makes it up. Laws in the spirit are brought about by wisdom. Rules and judgment come about by wisdom and wisdom is the bedrock of any law (Prov. 8:16-17). The strength of any law is its wisdom. The strength of sin is the law (1 Cor. 15:56). The law is knowledge. There is no knowledge without wisdom; we come to know by wisdom. Wisdom gathers knowledge; it gives knowledge of the materials of a storehouse. So, what is stored via the gaining of knowledge is wisdom. Wisdom differs from knowledge; wisdom searches out things. Full knowledge is attained by understanding; wisdom calls itself understanding (Prov. 8:14). A wise man is strong.
Wisdom is a law; one who is wise is one who does the merchandise of wisdom and has finished the exploration of wisdom through knowledge. Wisdom has finished its process when it has stored up its knowledge. Counsel is a higher wisdom that teaches one how to apply the knowledge that has been stored up. Counsel invites Might which teaches implementation; that is, what to use the knowledge that has been stored up for. Might is a higher strength (Eph. 3:16, 6:10).
The wisdom of God discussed in a mystery is for the testament; it tells how God came into the resolve of His testimony. When you know the things that are freely given to us, you refuse the wisdom of the princes of this world that come to nought. To those men who are not yet perfect, such wisdom has not yet come to nought, although it has come to nought before God in the spirit. This is what Jesus showed us - that the wisdom of Satan is no longer relevant. However, this wisdom still has weight on earth because men are still ignorant.
1 Corinthians 2:9
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
The things God prepared for them that love him are foolish to a natural man and he cannot receive them because they are spiritually discerned. This tells us that these things are spiritual. As such, it is clear that the perfect man is a man with full age, who by reason of use has exercised his senses (Heb. 5:14); he has exercised himself unto godliness and attained full age.
1 Timothy 4:8
For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
One who is exercised in godliness has the promise of the life that now is and will not lose it because he has exercised himself therein; he will also have the life that is to come. Hence, his profitability is unto all things, like unto salvation. The exercise is to reap the benefit of the life that is to come and also be able to retain the life that now is, which is the exercise he has mastered. Thus, such a one would gain mastery of the life that now is and go on to receive that which is to come.
Hebrews 5:14
But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
Those referred to in the above Scripture are those that have exercised themselves in meat; they are now ready for the next allocation, which is strong meat. They have exercised themselves unto perfection, able to discern both good and evil. Good things refer to the things that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man and which God hath prepared for them that love Him (1 Cor. 2:9). Thus, godliness is important as it arms one with discretion to be able to take 'the good' and refuse 'the evil'. ‘Good’ is the hidden wisdom, while ‘evil’ is the wisdom of the princes of this world.
Recall in the beginning, God instructed Adam and Eve not to touch the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:16-17). Satan deceived Eve with his cunningness. The seed of discord is sown in a kind of wisdom so that it would be very difficult to loose oneself from it. Satan is the master of discord: he does not like accord. Satan spoke subtly to Eve, telling her that she will not die (Gen 3:4). Satan knew that their eyes would be opened. He knew the potential of the tree. He knew that the tree would help them to discern between good and evil. Eve likewise saw that the tree would make one wise (Gen 3:6).
Wisdom is for gods. A god has the capability to judge and if he can judge, he must know good and evil. Wisdom made them take the evil when their eyes were opened (Gen. 3:7). They did not merely disobey. The evil tree (tree of the knowledge of good and evil) was not an offspring of God. Adam and Eve did not know the capability of Satan. Satan is also a husbandman who waits for harvest; he planted his seed in Eden. God is not the source of the evil tree; He could not have made the tree that would cause one of the Godhead to come and die.
God did not give Adam to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. An enemy planted it. God could not stop the tree from being planted but He gave an instruction to the men so that they would avoid the tree. Satan did not create the tree, he planted (sowed) it. The tree of life towered higher in age than the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The trees were appearing physical. The trees have the ability to express themselves naturally. The seed of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is a terrible seed. The two seeds were planted and the ground received them. This ground could only grow the seeds. Only Eden had the fertility to grow spiritual seeds because the trees grow by power. Eden had the potency to sprout spiritual seeds and show their physical forms.
The fruits of these trees were highly spiritual. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit, they also ate into the tree itself. Thus, their disobedience was not the only wrong thing - the tree itself was also wrong. The tree made them know good and evil, causing them to have a particular manner of wisdom. This tree was introducing them into an everlasting pattern. God helped them by not allowing them to continue in the cunningness of the serpent. They knew good and evil; the tree made them discern the good in evil.
The good of the tree of knowledge of good and evil is not good. Strong meat is 'the good' (Heb. 5:14). Strong meat is discernment. What is contained in strong meat is an impartation that enables a man to discern evil, to see evil clearly. Our first parents knew good and evil that the tree offered. It is not far-fetched for us to know/discern good and evil. Genesis accelerated in evil and depreciated in good. Nimrod built on the evil and was named a mighty hunter. He knew the good of the tree and exalted himself against all that is called God. The only help that Adam had was that he had not sinned before; he had no sin nature.
Adam named animals, God named trees; this indicated that trees are older. For Adam to climb up in age, he had to grow up to the age of trees; he had to catch up with the knowledge of what the trees symbolized. God called the tree good and evil. Trees had age. Adam would not know the name of a tree except one called it. Satan called the tree by another name; he was trying to rename the tree to Eve and told her that the tree would not kill her. He was trying to rename the tree. He preached that the tree is not the tree of knowledge of good and evil like God calls it. Satan would call it a good tree, a tree that can make one wise and be as God.
This same tree was raised up in the antichrist (2 Thess. 2:4). There are two major seasons of the tree. The first is the developmental stage when it is formed. It is opposing and exalting. It would oppose and exalt into the number ‘666’. It must be full, the name of the tree is called blasphemy. Then another stage of the tree is the season of fruiting. If the tree is killed and hacked down before it bears fruit within a person, that person can still be saved. When it has borne fruit it may be impossible. The fruit is the validation of the tree. Any tree that does not bear fruit would be cut down and cast into fire. When the tree bears fruit, there is no more remedy. For us to cross into eternal life, we must have everlasting life and then bear fruits of eternal life. It is not enough to have everlasting life, we bear fruits because only then would the axe be unable to cut us down.
Satan has a justification that he does not want to be under God. He wonders why God called him wicked simply because he does not want to be under God. He feels the need to choose whether to be under God or not. What he wants is to create his own kingdom and to accomplish that he needs to die. He deceived certain other angels to believe this lie. He told them they can have the opportunity to change, contrary to the formation of angels; angels cannot change, they were made so.
This is often the motive behind the breaking away of many people from churches. If the Lord permits anyone to start another church, so long as he/she does not forsake the Lord, that church is an extension of God's work and to God's glory. The work must show the face of God.
Satan had a selfish ambition. God gave Seraphims to Satan, just like Jesus gave the purse to Judas. Michael was not given the responsibility of handling the second heaven; rather, this innumerable company was given to Lucifer. He had the charge of the Seraphims. He was a god; a capstone who was sealing up a sum. However, he was selfish and he wanted the very praise that was given to the Most High. He wanted to be like the Most High (Isa. 14:14).
Satan walks to and fro (Job 1:6-9). God asked him if he had seen His servant Job. Satan also had watched Job and had calculated that he was about to be promoted in heaven. Similarly, when Joshua was to be coronated as a high priest, Satan also withstood him (Zech. 3:1). Also, in Revelation 12, he stood and waged war with words, bringing forth accusations. As long as Jesus is at the right hand of God, He is interceding for us so that Satan will not win. Except for Jesus, we would be nowhere.
Tongues and Interpretation
“I have mercy on you, I have had mercy on you and would still have mercy upon you. The journey is a journey of mercy. No one walks this journey without mercy; mercy is the charter of this course. In my mercy, I came down to save man and in mercy, I would see that many will walk this path back to me. Yours is a company of mercy. You have found mercy as he who I've set over you has been an entity of my mercy; he has enjoyed my mercy. Even when he kicked against my mercy, my mercy held him for a generation and that is the pattern for anyone that would finish this course.
You need to prosper in mercy for there is yet another allocation of mercy hanging over you; Mercy of Christ, Mercy of Everlasting Life and there is the mercy that will open Mercy of Eternal Life because a generation would finish this course even by the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
(Message Continues...)
There is a corrupted wisdom in Satan. Satan's wisdom is corruption. Entering the kingdom is the beginning of escape from the corruption that is in this world. Entering the Holy Place is escaping a measure of corruption (2 Peter 1:4). Entering the kingdom is the beginning of escape from the corruption that is in this world; the end of it is exiting the holy place into the Most Holy.
We must escape corruption after which we would see the promise. The world is fabricated in lust. Lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and pride of life are corruptions based on worldly lust. There is a corruption higher than these which is as a result of the wisdom of the adversary. Satan corrupted his wisdom and offered it to spirits and they fell out; that was the evil.
Isaiah 7:15
“Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.”
Hebrews 9:11
“But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;”
'The evil' is what they need to purge our hearts from. Our hearts need to be purged from an evil conscience (Heb 10:22). Hearts can be pure and can love the brethren fervently without knowing the evil. Thus, evil may still lie in such hearts untouched. The evil is in the conscience and the perfect man may not see it until he arrives at the strong meat. We need the blood for sprinkling. The meat makes us pierce the veil. The veil is a work of the Holy of Holies. It is a holy of holies' veil. It is not a property of the Holy Place but is a Most Holy thing. The veil is taken from the ark and hung up to separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy. The veil was the covering of the ark in the tabernacle. The ark is first covered with the veil after which the veil is removed. The ark must not see the golden altar, neither should the altar see the ark. The veil must be hung up between the two.
Evil conscience does not mean that one has done evil; rather, it is a program that does not look evil at all. These men in Hebrews 10 are not carnal brethren; they are holy brethren and partakers of the heavenly calling who are eating from the Holy Place and are being called into the Most Holy. Yet, they still need the blood of sprinkling to sprinkle their conscience from evil. Evil conscience is a hanging thought of the adversary. The thoughts of a man arise to that stage. Anyone that has not been exercised in godliness will refuse the exercise. The blood throws the challenge, it shows the evil conscience.
Men are unable to enter the Most Holy because of their evil conscience. It is an evil program that was imported; it was this evil that Adam and Eve fell for. The tree of knowledge of good and evil is an evil tree. Our last deliverance is deliverance from evil and not forgiveness of sins. The first is forgiveness of sins, then lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Leading us away from temptation does not mean we would not be tempted but rather we should be succoured in the time of temptation, and then we should be delivered from evil. That's when the kingdom becomes yours. The devil is the one who does evil, those are his works. And for this evil was the Son of God made manifest so that He would destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).
The glad tiding is that the Man at the Right Hand was raised to destroy evil. He is a destruction to all evil. We must be encouraged because evil has been destroyed and will be destroyed. Evil will be destroyed when we are able to serve the living God, when our conscience is purged from dead works. Dead works are still evil works, it is Satan's work.
A pure conscience is lower than a good conscience out of pure conscience. There is a good conscience that generates a pure heart but there is something more than a pure heart. We still need a good conscience higher than a pure heart; a good conscience from the things that are prepared for us that love God. A pure conscience alone has not escaped evil conscience. Being a pure man does not mean we are free from evil. We can have an evil conscience and not have done the works of satan.
Alexandra is an example of a man who did evil. Judas Iscariot had also gone far; he sold an anointed Son of God for thirty pieces of silver. Judas is much more evil than those who crucified Jesus because those ones did not know Him. The lawyers, Pharisees, priests, high priests knew Him. They have had trainings to know him. One cannot know Him at first; it took John to know him and then he preached and announced Him so that all may know him. Nicodemus knew Jesus also, signifying that the Pharisees knew Him because they knew that He was a teacher from God (John 3:2). Nicodemus also knew that He was the Son of God. Only the Son of God could teach and given the kingdom of God as Jesus did. He was not preaching miracles. He was preaching the Kingdom. The core of the Jewish power don't not want Him (John 1:11).
We become a son of God when we conquer evil. I must be full of the name of a conqueror because we are supposed to be more than a conqueror through Him that loves us (Romans 8:37). A conqueror is Christ; the son of God is He who is more than a conqueror.
The evil thing is what they want to deal with and it would take the testimony to deal with it. Evil is wisdom - it is the wisdom of a god. Good is the wisdom of God. Good delivers the testimony. Works are testament; works are the interpretation of the testimony. Work fully done makes a man who has made covenant. Works are sacrifices of the testimony. When testimony is done, it becomes a covenant. Good things to come are all the ordinances contained in the writing of what the High Priest wants to show to us.
Good things to come is the volume of the book, it is to do the will of God like Jesus said He came to do the will of God (Heb. 10:7). The blood of the everlasting covenant is the light of the High Priest. The High Priest used the blood to teach the sons of God that are being brought to glory. Everlasting blood is for the everlasting covenant. We serve God by testament. Everlasting blood would teach us the light on how to serve God (Heb. 9:14). Worship is service.
The blood is sprinkled and the testament is being given. What the blood is saying is what is written in the book. The blood enjoins the people to the book. The blood makes the statement of the testament to the people. It is only the blood that can fetch what is in the testament. The book was taken out of the blood to be done by the people.
When the blood is being sprinkled, the writings of the book are being communicated to the people; they are becoming aware of what to do to become workers of the testimony. A doer of the testament is a doer of the work (Heb. 13:21). As the work is being done, God would be working in us that which is well-pleasing in His sight (Heb. 13:21). He owns the glory and He wants to give us the glory. He that is working in us owns the Glory. He is doing this for glory sake; not just for His glory sake but to glorify us. We cannot enter into glory except we are thoroughly washed, thoroughly taught and thoroughly finished in the Holy Place.
Message end.