DAY 2 (EVENING): RCCG SOLEMN ASSEMBLY 2021 – REDEEMING THE TIME; PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE
DAY 2 (EVENING): RCCG SOLEMN ASSEMBLY 2021
THEME: REDEEMING THE TIME
MINISTERING: PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE
DATE: 1ST MARCH, 2021
BIBLE TEXT: EPHESIANS 5: 15-17
Praise the Lord – Hallelujah!
We continue with our Study, as we go to Part Three (3) of REDEEMING THE TIME.
Ephesians 5:15-17;
15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.
- Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
- Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
In this third (3rd) Session of our Discussion, we want to talk briefly on: “BE WISE.”
Because that is recorded at least three (3) times in our Text
‘Work circumspectly’ – that is, work with wisdom.
‘Not as fools, but as wise’.
And again, it says in verse 17 ‘Wherefore be ye not unwise’.
There must be something about WISDOM that is going to help us to Redeem Time.
There are.certain things we know about Wisdom. We will just mention a few of them.
Proverbs 4:7 tells us that Wisdom is the ‘Principal Thing.’
PRINCIPAL – That means it is number one, when you are considering Priorities. Wisdom is Principal.
In Proverbs 8:11, the Bible says Wisdom is Precious than rubies. Better than anything!
Ecclesiastes 7:12 tells us that Wisdom is a Defence; that it gives life o those that have it.
… Wisdom is a Giver of life.
Ecclesiastes 9:16 says Wisdom is better than Strength.
Ecclesiastes 9:18 says Wisdom is better than Weapons of War.
Ecclesiastes 10:10 says Wisdom is Profitable to direct.
Take note of that because we are going to that later on.
And then, most importantly, Ecclesiastes 2:26 says Wisdom is a Reward from God.
*God is Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
And one of is His Rewards is Wisdom to those who do Good in His sight.
Whereas, we are looking at Ecclesiastes 2:26 – Whole Wisdom is a Reward from the Lord to those who are Good in His sight.
It says (using my own Translation) – God is ‘ANIKURA’ (Somewhat like a Name in Yoruba Language of the Western Part of Nigeria).
And I will tell you what that means in a moment.
It says if you are not on God’s sight, instead of Him to give you Wisdom, He will allow you to Labour, to gather together and the He will snatched it from you and hand it over to the one who has Wisdom.
So, what is ‘ANIKURA?’
… I know some of you are too Young to know who is ‘Anikura’; so I will tell you!
Around in the 1950s (that’s before many of you were born) – There was an a very notorious highway Robber in Lagos. So notorious that they wax a Record about him.
And the Song they sang about Anikura is that: “Anikura will not ask you not to Trade. He will not ask you don’t make gains but he will see to it that you don’t take the gains home.”
… That’s ‘ANIKURA’!
So when you go to the Market and you trade and you make Profits. When you are returning home he will meet you up on Carter Bridge and take everything from you!
Ecclesiastes 2:26 says: “God gives Wisdom to those who are Good in His sight; but He is an ‘ANIKURA’ to those who are not Good in His sight.”
They would Labour, they would gather together; God will take it away from them!
May I Pray for you and to even those reading now on the Label of DMC: That every ANIKURA in your life, God will deal with it today – Amen!
Because one of the reasons why some of us are not where we are are supposed to be by now, is because there’s an ‘ANIKURA’ that is dealing with our efforts.
… Because we lack Wisdom!
WHAT IS WISDOM?
How do we know the Wise from the fool.
Because if you ask everybody, everybody will say that they are wise. How do we know?
When I was in the Secondary School (Again, in the 1950s): one of our Teachers taught us something. He said:
“A Fool is one who does not know; and does not know that he does not know!”
… That’s a very wonderful Definition of a Fool.
Is that in the Bible?
John 9:40-41, Jesus said to the Pharisees: “If only you know you are blind, I would have been able to help you. But because you say you see…”
How can you help someone who is blind – who thinks he sees?
In Revelations 3:17-18, the Lord said: You think you are rich; ‘we have everything; we have increased in Goods.’
He said, you don’t know you are Poor, you are wretched, you are miserable, you are blind, you are naked!
“A Fool is one who does not know; and does not know that he does not know.” – That is a Fool!
1 Samuel 26:1-25, King Saul was sleeping, surrounded by his Mighty men. He thought he was secured.
And David came with his men, to where the ‘Secured King was sleeping. And took his spear, took his water bottle, prevented his Boys from killing him. And then moved away!
And then he called on him: Your Majaesty, you were secured yesterday, weren’t you, surrounded by your Mighty men of Valour.
‘By the way, where is your spear? Where is your water bottle? Your Majesty, they are here – Send someone to come and collect them!
A Fool thinks he is Secured; not knowing that just a breath stands between him and death.
Judges 16:18-21, Samson said ‘I will arise and go out as before’. The Bible says, he wasn’t aware that God has left!
… I hope there is no Fool among us today?
WHO IS THE WISE?
According to that my Teacher (the same Teacher). He said:
“He who does not know and knows that he does not know, is a Wise Fellow.”
Remember ” The Fool does not know; and does not know that he does not know.” – That’s the Fool!
The Wise Fellow – ‘He too does not know, but he knows that he does not know!’
He says Because; “The one who does not know and knows that he does not know, can be taught”.
In 2 Chronicles 1:6-12, we see a Wise Fellow – His name is Solomon.
God asked him ‘What do you want?’
This Boy knows that he did not have Wisdom; and he was able to say hey, help me, I Need Wisdom.
1 Corinthians 8:2, the Bible says if anybody thinks he knows, let him know that he does not know as much as he ought to know!
…DO YOU THINK YOU KNOW IT ALL?
I have told you before (those of you who are old) that when I was in the University in the 1960s – There were Categories of Graduates in those days.
GENERAL DEGREE – You do three (3) Subjects. You get your degree and go and Teach. The County needed Graduate Teachers.
COMBINED HONOURS – You do two (2) Subjects: Chemistry, Biology. Physics, Maths. Two (2) Subjects!
SPECIAL HONOURS – You do only one (1) Subject. Maths, or Physics, or whatever!
And if you are doing Only one (1) subject, automatically, you will go much deeper in that one subject. Then in two (Combined Honours).
And so those of us who were doing SPECIAL HONOURS, were regarded as Special Ones.
I was in the Final year, “SPECIAL HONOURS, MATHEMATICS”. High in the sky, thinking when it comes to Maths, we are the Ones.
And then I strolled into the Office of the Lecturers, and they had a Library there. And I picked one of the Books on the Shelve, and it was ‘Introduction to something in Mathematics.
I read the first page, I couldn’t understand head or tail of the first Page of Introduction to …
I thought I knew Mathematics! That day, my balloon was Punctured.
Do you think you know all there is to know – Particularly about God?
Listen to Apostle Paul – “That I may know Him.”
… That’s an Apostle speaking.
And then Proverbs 9:9 says something very interesting – It says, if you think you are already Wise, you can yet be wiser.
“Give instructions to the Wise and he will yet be Wiser.”
AND SO, WHAT IS WISDOM?
Wisdom is the Correct Application of Knowledge.
Proverbs 15:2 says: “The tongue of the Wise useth knowledge aright:”
In other words, it is Possible to have Knowledge and not use it correctly.
Meaning, there could be highly educated Fools.
There are Doctors who smoke! – They know the dangers of smoking, but they smoke.
There are Learned Gentlemen; you know those who are called Learned.
I have told you before, if you are not a Lawyer, and you have a PhD in Mathematics, when they put you side by side with a Lawyer; y are an illiterate.
Only Lawyers are ‘LEARNED’. The rest of us, illiterates (laughing)!
I have told you that before. When you meet a SAN (Senior Advocate of Nigeria). Hey, that’s a Learned Man among learned Men.
… That’s Learned Man squared.
Jesus Christ said in Matthew 7:24-27 – If you hear my Word and you do what I have told you, then you are a Wise Man.
You are like a Man building your house on a Rock. When the Flood comes, your house will Stand.
He says, if you hear My word, you get knowledge. But if you refuse to apply this knowledge; then you will be like a fool – Building your house on Sand.
Therefore, what is Wisdom?
Wisdom is built on the Foundation of Knowledge.
You are Wise because you have Knowledge; and you apply that Knowledge aright.
… You must have Knowledge before you can apply Knowledge aright!
Proverbs 12:1 says: If you love instruction, you love knowledge. If you hate instruction, it says you are a brut.
Job 34:2 says: Wise Men are those who have Knowledge.
Proverbs 8:10 says: Knowledge is more Precious than Choice Gold.
You need knowledge; that’s why we are doing this indepth Study – Going from Passage to Passage.
The First time I was in Jerusalem, our driver said something. That anybody who wants to lose an Election in Israel, should handle Education lightly.
Why? – Because they had discovered that it doesn’t matter what you have; it can all be taking away from you at boarder in one day!
He said the only thing nobody can’t take away from you is in your Brain.
And with what is in your brain, you can turn a desert to a land flowing with Milk and Honey.
Knowledge is Precious!
But Proverbs 1:22 says: Fools hate Knowledge.
This information I’m giving you is so important, because many of us have stopped learning – That’s our Problem!
We don’t read Books anymore. We don’t listen to great Preachers anymore – We think that we have arrived!
… You stop learning, you begin to die.
Of course, Wisdom are in Categories:
- The Bible talks about Devilish Wisdom – James 3:1-16.
- And then there is Wisdom that comes from Above – James 3:17.
- Wisdom is in Categories – We have Wise, we have Wiser, we have Wisest – Daniel 1:1-20.
You know the story: Daniel, Shedrack, Meshach and Abednego were in captivity. The King said they should give them Special Food, Special Training.
Daniel said, No, I don’t want to defile myself. Just give me Beans. His friends said, we go along with you! And they told the man in Charge, feed us like that and at the end, find out!
That one agreed, at the end of their Training, the Bible says, these Boys who refused to defile themselves were ten (10) times Wiser than all the other Wise Men.
Wisdom is in Categories: in 1 Kings 4:30-34, we found that Solomon who asked for Wisdom, wrote – three thousand (3,000) Proverbs. Plus, he was a Professor of Botany, Zoology, et cetera.
Wisdom is in Categories: I mean, you know the story of the Ten (10) Virgins. The Bible says Five (5) were Wise, the other five (5) were foolish.
Now, I told you those ones just to increase your Knowledge, because knowledge is important.
WHAT HAS WISDOM GOT TO DO WITH REDEEMING TIME?
Because that’s the crucial thing now: Be Wise, Redeem Time!
Wisdom in this case, begin with knowing that you need Help – Psalms 121:1-1;
“I will lift up mine eyes unto the Hills, from whence cometh my Help. My Help cometh from the LORD, which made Heaven and Earth.”
We need Wiadom while dealing with a situation that only God can help us in.
Daniel 2:1-end; A King had a dream, he forgot the dream. He asked his Wise Men to interpret the dream that he had forgotten;
How do you solve that kind of Problem unless God comes to your aid?
Daniel was Wise enough to say ‘Please give me time, let me talk to my God.’
We need Help because we are dealing with something called Time.
What is Time?
And I’m not asking you ‘How do you measure Time?’
I have heard several People who have PhD, trying to define Time.
I think the one who got closest to the definition of Time, is the one who said: “Time is a River flowing steadily, into an Ocean – The ocean itself is called Eternity.”
When you are born, the River picks you up, and begins to carry you steadily, towards the ocean called Eternity.
So when they asked you: ‘How old are you?’
The question is: ‘When did the River called Time, PICK YOU UP?’
So Time is associated with Life.
Genesis 18:9-14; God said to Abraham, tell Sarah your wife; by the Time of life, Sarah would have a son.
In order words, nine (9) Months from now, a Baby would be born!
Job 7:1 says: ‘Is there not an Appointed Time to man on Earth?’
There is a Section of Time allocated to everyone.
And you know one Good Thing about the River is that: IT DOES NOT STOP FLOWING Steadily.
Sometimes ago, my children said: Hey, you are getting Old; what about you? (Laughter)!
As I increase by one Year, do you increase my one Month?
… The River is carrying all of us steadily on, Brethren!
And it doesn’t what you have to do – You can dye your hair, you can reconfigure your face; Time is coming
The bit of River that flowed away yesterday, you can’t get it back – It’s a River, it is associated to life. You have a Portion of it!
It is associated with Achievement.
Hebrews 5:12 says: By the Time you ought to be a Teacher, you are still a Student.
It is associated with Opportunities.
Numbers 13 and 14 – One night the children of Israel said they can’t go into the Promised Land because of Giants.
The following day, they said they said we shall go in!
God said, the Time for going has Past! They said, No, we shall go!
I Pray for everyone of us, every Opportunities we have lost, before this week is over, may my God Return to us – Amen.
Redeeming the Time is associated with Purpose.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says: “To every thing there is a Season, and a time to every Purpose under the Heaven:”
Now, we come to some very serious Questions: CAN TIME BE STOPPED?
Well, it has been stopped before but it happened only once – Joshua 10:12-14.
The Bible says, there has never been another day like that, before.
CAN TIME BE REVERSED? – Can we bring back, say 2019 or 2020?
It has happened before – Only once. Isaiah 13:1-8; the sun went back for Hezekiah.
Can it be stretched?CAN TIME BE LENGTHENED?
Proverbs 10:27 says; “The fear of the LORD Prolongeth days:”
Time can be stopped, it can be prolonged, It can be lengthened – ALL BY GOD!
… That’s why you need Him!
So, WHERE DOES WISDOM COME IN, IN THIS SITUATION?
First of all, learn from others – From those who have gone before!
1 Corinthians 10:1-12 says: The things that have happened to those who have gone before; they are there as Examples for those of us coming behind.
Particularlly those of us for whom the End of the world has come!
Let us learn from the following People;
- There as a man called Levi – You know his story in Genesis 49:5-7.
The day his father was going to die, Levi discovered that he had blown it full time.
Because he did something in Genesis 34:1-30 – Some People defiled his sister, he Plotted to get rid of those People.
Their father (Jacob) was Pained, that his children killed those who defiled Dinah. He waited until the day of his death, and then he Pronounced a curse on Levi and his brother Simeon.
He said: ‘I will scatter you in Israel.’
Levi Blew it full time!
He knew that he had no future as there is no way of going back to undo what he had done.
But then a day came, in Exodus 32:25-26; God gave him a Second Chance!
Moses stood by the Gate and said: “Who is on the Lord’s Side?” Levi said: ‘I am on the Lord’s Side!’
And the Almighty God said: Levi, you say you are on My Side? Levi said ‘100% Lord!’ God said, in that case, I’m on your too.
Your father said that you are to be scattered, I’m going to draw you near. In fact, I’m going to make you My Firstborn – Numbers 3:5-13.
I am Praying for everyone of us and even as we read on the Label of DMC, that during this Solemn Assembly: God will give us a Second Chance – Amen!
- And I’m going to give you a Second Example, and I’m sure you are going to find this one very interesting – I don’t know whether you have noticed it before.
It’s about a fellow called Esau.
Esau? O yes! Our friend, Esau. In Genesis 27:33-40, Esau discovered he had blown it, full time!
Because Bible Scholars believed, this Boy (Esau), he loved food so much. The father said, go and Prepare me food that I like so I will bless you. He went, he Prepared the food.
Some Bible Scholars say the reason he came late was that ‘he was TASTING THE FOOD” (LAUGHTER)!
He finished cooking, and said, Ah, this food has Good aroma: ‘Before I take it to Daddy, let me take a little bit’.
Because the Bible says: ‘As soon as Jacob went out’. Just as he was stepping out of the door, Esau came!
He blew it because, already in Genesis 25;29-34; he sold his Birthright for a Plate of food.
That is why it is not difficult to believe that he was tasting Papa’s food before he brought it in.
… The man loved food!
When he finally came in and discovered that he had already lost his blessings; when he said to his father ‘dont you have anything left?’
The father said, I have already made him your lord, and you will serve your brother.
Esau did something about his situation:
The Blessing that is gone, I can’t get it back. The mistake I made when I sold my Birthright, I can’t get it back. But, as they say in Yoruba Land ‘Sise si ku’ – There is something i.can do!
He went and joined himself with Ishmael – Genesis 28:8-9.
He went and marry the daughter of Ishmael – Why will he do that?
He must have heard the Story from his Parents, that in Genesis 17:18-20, God had said to Abraham, “I will multiply Ishmael exceedingly.”
.. VERY WISE BOY!
Jacob, you have taken my Blessings from Papa, congratulations! Fortunately, Papa has another son Ishmael by name;
The Almighty God Himself said, Ishmael is going to be Multiplied Exceedingly. I will go an have a share of that Multiplication – Clever Boy!
The result? In Genesis 32:1-7, when Jacob, the man who had the Blessing was returning home, and sent to Esau; Sir, I’m coming back home!
They brought back a report to him: O yes, he is coming to meet you with four hundred (400) Bodyguards – The Bible says, Jacob trembled!
The Man who got the ‘REMNANT’ was coming and the one who got the ‘FULL DOSAGE’ was the one trembling!
Thank God there was an Angel that Jacob had to wrestle with – that turned the tide.
And you know what? – In Genesis 33:1-9, when they finally met, Esau said what is the meaning of all these Gifts you are sending?
Jacob said, it’s so that I can find favour with you!
Esau said, keep what you have, I have Enough.
Have you blown it? And some of us have done so, Full Time!
WHAT DO WE DO?
That’s exactly the Meaning of Wisdom: KNOWING WHAT TO DO!
The Bible says in 1 Chronicles 12:32 – He was talking about the Children of Issachar, that they had Understanding of the Times; and they know what Israel should do.
What is Wisdom? – Knowing what TO DO!
REDEEMING TIME – WHAT DO I DO?
You have Problem that you cannot Solve? – Wisdom is going to God and say: God, what do I do?
… I will give two (2) stories briefly;
- When I became the General Overseer, there was a very Senior Pastor (to me). He was a Pastor, the day I was baptized by Immersion.
And he came to me and said Sir, I want to divorce my wife.
Why? Because the wife was barren.
How can you do this Sir? He said, I didn’t Pay the Bride Price – We are not rightfully married.
‘When my father-in-Lord was alive, why didn’t you tell him this?’ – You have to wait for me, to get me into trouble!
And this was in my very first few Months of my being General Overseer – ‘GOD, WHAT DO I DO?’
I Prayed, and God answered me! He will answer you, too – Amen!
God said: ‘You were not around when he got married and have nothing to show. But there are People in the Church who were around when he got married.’ – ASK THEM!
So I began to ask, ‘Is there anybody around who knew when Pastor So and So got married?’ One of the Elders said, Yes Sir, I was around!
‘Did he Pay Bride Price on his wife?’ He said, I am one of the People who followed him. I said, Good!
… That’s how I escaped that one!
God will show you your way Out – Amen!
- What do I do Lord?
I have told you this Story before – We were building the Second Auditorium, and we had done every Preparatory work. We had deposited money with the Saw Millers.
And then, for one reason or the other, the Board of Forestry or whatever they were called then in the Old Bendel State (In Nigeria now covered by Edo and Delta States) just sat on all our wood.
And I had no money to buy any other. As a matter of fact, all those who Promised to give me money just didn’t show up.
God, what do I do? The Convention is coming! The Auditorium beside the Expressway has become grossly inadequate. Convention is in the Raining Season – God what do I do?
I was walking in the night, pacing up and down, when God spoke: ‘Son, what do you know about the Kingdom of God?’
I am talking about how I’m going to complete the Auditorium, Baba (God) is asking me about the Kingdom of God.
I replied the little I know about the Kingdom of God.
Suddenly I said: “From the days of John the Baptist, the Kingdom of God Suffereth Violence.”
My God will speak to somebody tonight – Amen!
He said, Son, give me a “Violent Offering”:
What is so called? – I have never heard that term before.
He said, a “Violent Offering” is an Offering you want to take and your hand refuses to move!
I see! No problem!
The following Sunday, I went to Church, I gave my “Violent Offering”.
By the following Sunday, there was a Change of Government.
It was in the day of the Military – A New Governor was sent to Bendel State.
The first thing he did was to dissolved the Board in Charge of our Wood and appointed New Board Members.
Those who sat on my Wood were removed; and all of a sudden, People began to come all over. One man came, Daddy I don’t have money, but I have Trailers.
They went to Bendel State to bring my wood and the Auditorium was ready on time.
God what do I do so that I can Redeem my Time? – That is what is Wisdom: Knowing what to do!
You will go to God now and talk to Him: God give me Wisdom.
The Bible says in James 1:5: “If any of you lack Wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all Men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”
God, talk to me Please: WHAT DO I DO?
And when you have finished Praying, and you are satisfied, drop your Offering and see you tomorrow (Day 3, Tuesday Morning Session).
Thank you so much for staying all through to read.
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