In this piece, we'll be sharing together the Word of God titled how not to make the sacrifice of fools, and the Holy Spirit will be taking us step by step into how we can make sure we do not make the sacrifice of fools. The Bible says walk circumspectly as wise and not as fools; how we can walk circumspectly, how we can walk carefully, how we can walk diligently as wise children of God. Remember that Jesus was speaking of a parable, when He said, there were ten virgins. And when He was speaking that parable, He made us understand that they were all virgins, and they were ten in number, but with the distinguishing factor between five of those virgins and the other five, He said, five were foolish and He said five were wise. So, Wisdom and foolishness are the dichotomy that creates the experiences that people have on the earth. The experience you have on the earth is detailed to the fact that you are either wise, or you are foolish, and it is better, that we are wise and that's why the Holy Spirit is bringing this word our way: how not to make the sacrifice of fools.
I will start my observation from Ecclesiastes chapter 5:1-7, “Walk prudently when you go to the house of God, and draw near to hear rather than give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil. Verse two: do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore, let your words be few. For a dream comes through much activity, and a fool’s voice is known by his many words. Verse four; when you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; for He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed. Better not to vow than to vow and not pay. Verse six; do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the works of your hands? For in the multitude of dreams and many words, there is also vanity. But fear God.”
From this Ecclesiastes chapter 5:1-7, we'll be looking at five (5) points that will help us not to make the sacrifices of fools. There's a particular verse that I love so much where it said in verse four, “When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; for He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed.” What does that mean? That's a weighty statement. God does not delight in fools. So, when fools make sacrifices, God has no pleasure in them. When fools make sacrifices, God is not delighted by it. So, we're going to look at five (5) “how’s” that will help us not to make the sacrifice of fools.
Number One: Be a learner of God's ways. Verse 1 of Ecclesiastes chapter five says; “walk prudently when you go to the house of God”, what is that verse saying to us? It simply means to learn the ways of God. One of the ways that you must learn is that you should walk prudently when you go to the house of the Lord, and draw near to hear, rather than to give the sacrifice of fools. Now, he said, for they do not know that they do evil. They are walking in a way that they do not know. They do not know that the way they are walking in is the way of evil. So, to not be one that makes the sacrifice of fools, you must learn the way of the Lord, learn to mind the things of God.
In Psalm 119, reading the expressions of David, he was always mentioning in that particular Psalm, that he has put the word of God in his heart, that he might not sin against Him. Why? If you put the ways of God, the laws of God in your heart; it becomes your meditation, it will become a part of you so much so that you will be able to walk in that path and not miss it. One of the things that will distinguish us as believers is not whether we say we are Christians or not, it is not in whether we say we are born again or not, it is not whether we say we are tongue talking or not: it is Wisdom that is one of our distinguishing factors. How you display Wisdom shows that you are a child of God. The Bible says Jesus is the Wisdom and the power of God.
If you are made in the image of Jesus, in the likeness of Jesus, one of the things we must see your life haven been born again, haven become a new creation, old things are passed away, including foolishness, all things have become new, now you are wise. So, what is that Wisdom teaching you? The Bible says that the grace of God has appeared to all men, teaching them. What is that grace that has appeared to you in salvation teaching you? That grace teaches us to be wise. Learning the ways of God; as believers, one of the things that must be a mark, for us is that we are wise. Jesus said I've given you a mouth and Wisdom that your adversaries cannot gainsay or resist.
Now, if you are now speaking, and you're speaking as a fool, maybe you have not met Jesus. Jesus Christ is the Wisdom and the power of God, when you encounter Him, you encounter Wisdom. 1 Corinthians chapter 1:27, “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.” Now I want us to pay attention to that Scripture. If you go to verse 26, you will see that this Scripture is in context; it says, “for you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.” So, when we are talking about the ways of God and the Wisdom we are talking about, we're not talking about the Wisdom of this world, because the Wisdom of this world can be learnt in books, you can watch it in documentaries, you can hear it through podcasts.
But the Wisdom that is from above is pure. The Bible says that it is not according to the flesh, it is according to the Spirit. Apostle Paul was saying to them, that you will see that your calling, that not many wise according to the flesh were called, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world. So, when we are talking about learning the ways of God, sometimes the ways of God are called the foolish things of the world, and God chooses them specifically to shape the wise; the wise according to the flesh. So, when we are talking about learning the ways of God, one of the things we must learn is that we must learn that the ways of God can be foolish before men, but it is the express Wisdom that comes from above. So, learning the ways of God is to learn the Wisdom of God; not Wisdom according to the flesh, but Wisdom according to the Spirit.
I want us to see Psalm 119:99, “I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditations.” The testimonies of God are the ways of God, David said, Your testimonies are my meditations. The question is, what is our meditation? Are we meditating on the things of this world, which God said He will put to shame the Wisdom of this world, by the foolishness that is in it. He will expose the foolishness that is in the world. Is that what you are in line with or you are learning the ways of God? What are your meditations? What will distinguish us whether we are wise or foolish virgins is that we learn the ways of God. Psalm 103:7, “He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.”
Who was Moses? Moses was that man, that God was speaking to Mariam and Aaron about; He said, if there is any prophet among you, I speak to them in dreams. But to My servant Moses, I speak to him face to face as a man speaks to his friend. That's the dimension of Wisdom that God wants us to step into, if we will not make the sacrifice of fools: hearing God face to face as a man speaks to his friend. That's what will help us command the kind of Wisdom that will make the world go agog; that what is this? What kind of Wisdom is this? That's the kind of Wisdom Jesus demonstrated. They thought He was foolish; when He was eating, they called Him a glutton, that He was eating with Gentiles, that He was eating with the sinners and He made them understand that, that is the Wisdom of this world.
He said to them that somebody that is well does not need a physician, a sick person is the one that needs a physician. The sinners are the ones that are sick, they are the ones that need a physician; Jesus displayed the Wisdom of God effortlessly, He knew the ways of God. He said, as My Father say, so I say, as My father do, so I do: He knew the ways of God. So, we must learn to know the ways of God; knowing the ways of God makes us wise, it is the first principal way in which we will not make the sacrifice of fools. As we step into a new year, in a few weeks to come, our decisions must be based on our meditations of the way of the Lord. It should not be born out of the statistics of the world, and what the world is saying; it should be based on our knowing of the ways of the Lord. That's why Elisha could confidently say, by this time, tomorrow, a barley of wheat will sell for so and so amount, and a man that was full of the Wisdom of this world came, he said, even if God will rent the windows of heaven, how can these things be? And he said to him, the things that will happen tomorrow, you will see it with your eyes, but you will not taste of it. And it happened according to the word, because that man knew the ways of God.
There was a man called Daniel, they made a law during the time of King Darius; nobody should pray. And this man Daniel, knowing the ways of God was confident enough to open his window, (so that you don't have to send spies you can see from afar, that I am praying), he opened the window and prayed, and he knew the consequence of it. The Bible says that those that know their God, they shall be strong, and they will make great exploits, great exploits in Wisdom. For you to make great exploits as we step into the new year, you must know your God. It is when you know your God that others will be saying there's a casting down and you will say there’s a lifting up. It is when you know your God that others will be running away from a land of famine, and you will sow in that land of famine in that same year, you will have a harvest of a hundredfold; because you know your God.
Number Two: Be led by the Spirit. How not to make the sacrifice of fools; is to be led by the Spirit. To make sure that we don't make the sacrifice of fools, we need to be led by the Spirit. The Bible says as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sons of God. And the earnest expectation of creation, await the manifestation of the sons of God in Wisdom. First John chapter 4:1, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit but test the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” We should not believe every spirit; there are familiar spirits, there are demonic spirits, there are marine spirit: all manner of spirits are in operation in this world. You know why there won't be weeping and gnashing of teeth in heaven? It is because there is no other spirit in charge, there is no other spirit in that space except the Holy Spirit. Why there's calamity and all that on the earth is because there are so many spirits in operation.
He said, Beloved, do not believe every spirit: you will make the sacrifice of fools if you believe every spirit; if you are not discerning, you will make the sacrifice of fools. So, we must be discerning; we must be led by the Holy Spirit. We must not be led by our own voices, we must not be led by familiar voices, we must not be led by demonic voices, we must be led by the voice of the Holy Spirit.
Proverbs chapter 19:20, “Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days.” The reason we must be led by the Holy Spirit is that He is our instructor, He is our counsellor. So, you must listen to Him, that Wisdom will not just jump on you; there is a medium through which it will come to you and it is via the Holy Spirit. How do you become wise by Him? It is by listening to His counsel and receiving His instruction. I have the Holy Spirit within me, do you listen to His counsel? I am led by the Holy Spirit, are you sure? Do you receive His instruction? That is how to be wise. He said that you may be wise in your latter days. Proverbs chapter 3:13, “Happy is the man who finds Wisdom and the man who gains understanding.” Happy is the man who finds Wisdom; how do you find Wisdom? It is by finding the Spirit of Wisdom. How do you gain understanding? It is by engaging and fellowshipping with the Spirit of understanding.
1 Corinthians chapter 2:1, “And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech, or of Wisdom, declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching, were not with persuasive words of human Wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.” Apostle Paul was differentiating the Wisdom of this world, from the Wisdom of God. He said, I do not come with persuasive words of human Wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the Wisdom of men, but in the power of God. The how that will make our faith not being in the Wisdom of men, but in the power of the Lord is by being led by the Holy Spirit.
Do we receive instructions from Him? Do we listen to His counsel? That is being led by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not a tax master that has a will and a leash that He will now put it on your neck, and lead you by force. No! How will the Holy Spirit lead you? The Holy Spirit leads by counsel. And how will you be led? It is by receiving that counsel? How will the Holy Spirit lead you? He leads by instruction; you will be led by the Holy Spirit by receiving the instruction. So, the Holy Spirit will not come with a whip or a leash, He is going to come to you with counsel and instruction; when you hid to them, you are led. And that is how you make sure that you don't make the sacrifice of fools; there is human Wisdom and there is the Wisdom that has the power of God embedded in it, and it is by the Holy Spirit: demonstration of the Spirit.
What was Apostle Paul saying, when he said I come by the demonstration of the Spirit. I have listened to the counsel of the Holy Spirit and I come to you by that counsel. I have received the instruction of the Holy Spirit and I come to you with that instruction. I am demonstrating the counsel and the instruction of the Holy Spirit. I am demonstrating in the Spirit. So, if we live our lives, make our daily decisions, and it is not as we have listened to counsel and as we have received instruction, we are not demonstrating the Spirit. So, the Holy Spirit is the one that guides us and leads us in the pathway of Wisdom always. If we want to perpetually walk in Wisdom, perpetually follow the Holy Spirit. If you want to always be in Wisdom, make wise decisions; always follow the Holy Spirit: that's the key.
Number Three. Be prompt in obedience. Proverbs chapter 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Trust in the Lord with all your heart, not some of it but all. When you trust in God with all your heart you will be prompt to obedience. When you trust somebody, to follow the person or obey the person becomes almost spontaneous; the person says stand up, let's go, then you stand up. Why is it so? It is because you trust the person, you trust the direction the person is taking you; you trust where the person is asking you to follow him or her to. So, trust is the basis for prompt obedience; we must trust the Lord and obey Him promptly. Lean not on your own understanding: fools lean on their own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him; when we acknowledge the Lord, we obey Him promptly.
This was the secret of Jesus; there was nothing God was asking Jesus to do that He was dragging His feet about, He trusted God. How much do we trust God? Jesus did not lean on His own understanding. When they told Him that Lazarus was sick, He didn't follow His emotions, He did not lean on His own understanding; He leaned on the understanding of God, because the LORD was saying to Him, this sickness is not unto death, but this is not the time to go, so that My glory can be maximized.
And He sent them back, He said, this sickness is not unto death. And when they came back and said, Lazarus is dead, this time he is gone, we've tried our best, but he is no longer alive. Jesus went about still doing the things God is asking Him to do, and when God said it was time to go, He went in full assurance that even though Lazarus had died and for four (4) days he had been in that tomb tight, He was going to call him forth just like God showed Him and he was going to come out of that tomb alive. He leaned not on His own understanding. So, Jesus, did not make the sacrifice of fools, so for us not to make the sacrifice of fools, we should be prompt in obedience. Don't go ahead of God, don't go after God has left the scene, follow Him in obedience: be prompt in obedience, it is important. Acknowledge Him in obedience.
James chapter 3:13, “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of Wisdom.” A meek man is an obedient man, a meek woman is an obedient woman. How do we conduct ourselves, is it as disobedient or as obedient? That his works are done, not his works are delayed, not his works are postponed, but his works are done. We must become believers whose works are done, not delayed, not postponed; in the meekness of Wisdom.
Number Four: Speak words seasoned with grace. The Bible makes us to understand that if a man or a woman will be without fault, it is that man and that woman that is able to keep his or her mouth. How well are you able to keep your mouth? Colossians chapter 4:6, “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” Your speech should always be with grace; not sometimes, not when you feel like it, not when you just feel good or you are happy. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt (preserved, no corruption) that you may know how you ought to answer each one. Our words show whether we are wise or foolish. There's an adage that says, words are like eggs; when they fall to the ground, you can’t pack them again, whether they are good, or they're corrupted: they're exposed, never to be closed again.
It is important that our words are seasoned with grace. I want to show us Matthew chapter 12:36, Jesus said here, “But I say to you, that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of Judgment.” That's how important our words are. That's why Apostle Paul was telling the Colossian church, he said, let your words always be with grace, because in the last day you will give accounts of those words. It is fools that will talk anyhow and that's why one of the things that fools will say was what David chronicled, he said and a fool will say in his heart, “there is no God” for that word, he will give account. So, you that you proclaim to be wise, what are you saying? We that profess to be wise, walking in the Wisdom of God, what are we saying? Are our words always seasoned with grace or it is moody? Some people’s words are moody, when they're happy, they speak well; when they are sad, they talk anyhow. But the Bible says let your words always: he didn’t say let your words always be seasoned with grace when you are happy; there was no condition to it.
Always means always; all the time. Whether you are happy, or you are sad, you are excited or you are not; let your words always be seasoned with grace because this is how we will not make the sacrifice of fools. For every word you speak, you will give account and our words shows whether we are wise or we are foolish.
The last point: Number Five– how not to make the sacrifice of fools is to fear God. This is like a sum total of all the points we have been observing. Fear God; revere Him. And we're going to look at the case study of Cain and Abel in Genesis chapter 4:3-7, “And in the process of time, it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruits of the ground to the LORD. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. So, the Lord said to Cain, why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? Verse 7, if you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” Now this verse seven is loaded.
See what God was saying to Cain, He said, if you have done well, will you not be accepted? Now, both of them brought their sacrifice, but who was going to judge their sacrifice? Was it a man or God? It was God. And the Bible says in verse four, the ‘B’ part, “And the LORD respected Abel and his offering.” If this Scripture did not place priority for us, we will think God is all about the sacrifice; but we see in the Bible that and God respected Abel, the person, the person came before the offering, meaning that the offering carries the body or the heart of the person. God's priority is the heart, and the heart is the person. And God had respect for Abel. Is it because Abel was taller than Cain? Is it because he was fairer than Cain? No! God had respect for the heart of Abel; a heart that feared Him.
Before they brought their offerings, they are believing. And this is one important thing we must understand, it is not about the things that we have done for God, it is about who we have become for God. It is not about the things we give to God; it is how we have been given to God. Can God say He has respect for you? God is not man. Men have respect for people’s sacrifices; their offering. God have respect for people before their offering. See what the Bible say, and the LORD respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain. Why didn't God respect Cain? It was obvious in the next verse. Immediately, God did not respect Cain and his offering; Cain was very angry, he was not just angry but he was very angry, he has passed the threshold of: be angry and do not sin. He had entered sin; he was very angry and his countenance fell.
So, God said to Cain, why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted. Our doing well is not in what we give or how we give it, it is about who we are. Doing well is fearing God. King Solomon was saying in Ecclesiastes chapter 12; he said, this is the crux of the matter, this is the end of the matter; fear God. After he had said vanity upon vanities, all is vanity. If we go back to our major text in Ecclesiastes chapter five verse seven; he said but fear God; that’s what verse seven ended with. Fear God! Fearing God is important; it is doing well. God said, if you have done well, will you not be accepted? Our dealings with God must be born out of faith. One of the reasons people don't fear God is the absence of faith. You don't believe God. You don't believe in the ability, the capacity of God, you don't even believe in who He is. And that’s why the Bible says that those that come to God must believe that He is.
That's the first expression of your faith, you must believe the person of God, and He is a rewarder. The first thing is not that He is a rewarder, it is that He is, then He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Our dealings with God must be born of faith, not compulsion, not an obligation. You can't say you fear God, and all that you are doing is out of obligation. (They say we must do it, let's just do it; they say we must come, let's be there). That's not the fear of God. And Bible says the fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom. So, how not to make the sacrifice of fools is that you make sure that you walk and operate in the fear of the Lord daily. Every moment of our lives, we must walk in the fear of the Lord; that's what is important.
I want us to see Hebrews chapter 11:4, “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it, he being dead still speaks.” How did Abel offer a more excellent sacrifice? It was by faith. An excellent sacrifice is a sacrifice of Wisdom, it is a sacrifice of a wise man, a sacrifice of a wise woman. A man or a woman that operate in the fear of the LORD enjoys eternal life. Even if that man or that woman is dead in the flesh, the life and the testimony of that man, of that woman, we still speak. So, it's important we honor the Lord, and it is by faith. Fearing God is by faith, you can't do it in the flesh. I fear God: the fear you have is the fear of torment. No! that's not the fear of God. The fear of God we're talking about is your reverence for God. How you stand in awe of Him, how you acknowledge Him, how you trust Him, how you love Him; that’s what we are talking about.
Lastly, I want us to see Romans chapter 1:20-25, “For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” Do you see people that don't fear God? This is what the Bible is talking about? They knew that there is God, they did not glorify Him as who He is, they did not come to Him as who He is, they were not thankful, but became futile. A futile thought is an empty thought: useless thoughts.
They became futile in their thoughts and their foolish hearts; the Scripture now qualified them. Their sacrifice is the sacrifice of fools, their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools. They were wise in their own eyes, but they were actually fools before God, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man- and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore, God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever (Amen).
This is a classic picture of sacrifice of fools. They think they are speaking to God, they think they are honoring God, but Bible says they have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forevermore (Amen). For this reason, God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise, also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men, committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves, the penalty of their error which was due. People have free wills, everybody has a free will, but people can decide not to choose God. And we would see it in verse 28, and even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge (of their free will), God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting.
When you see a man that says another man is his wife, even if he has $1 billion in his account, he's a fool. If you see a person that choose not to retain God, and says, there is no God, I'm an atheist; the person is a fool. Why? the person as decide of his own free will not to retain God in his knowledge, and because of this, God will also move against them because it is pride, not to believe and retain God in your knowledge. Every action that does not bring us under the mighty hand of God is an action in pride and the move of God against such is that God stands against them and resist them. So, you see that the end of fools is always destruction. The end of fools is always weeping and gnashing of teeth. So, how we make sure that we don't make the sacrifice of fools is to fear God, retain God in your knowledge. Let God be about your meditations; as you lie down on your bed, as you walk in the way, as you do everything that you are doing, make sure God is in your consciousness. That is, how we daily humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God; the Bible says and when it is time God will exalt us.
