Chapter
1
WORD OF WISDOM
The Bible shows nine specific Gifts of the Holy Spirit. "For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom;... But all these worketh by that one and the self same spirit..." (1 Cor. 12:8-11)
I. What is the Word of Wisdom?
A. Supernatural ability to apply the foresight of God's vision to a situation in a person or organization.
1. Knowledge rightly applied by the Spirit:
a. God showing the How, Why, When, Where, and What of a matter
b. A supernatural solution of a problem
2. May come through visions,dreams, revelations, a still small voice, or an audible voice.
a. God speaks in many ways (Heb. 1:1).
b. Both men and women may have this gift.
3. The Spiritual gift of the Word of God's Wisdom given to a person is a supernatural presentation of God's Spirit.
4. "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory," (1 Cor. 2:7).
a. He gives one part of God's wisdom when it is needed.
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," (James 1:5).
B. Pertains to truths in the comprehension of God, concerning people, places or things.
1. Concerns the plan and the purpose in the mind of God.
a. "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him," (Eph. 1:17).
C. Spirit dividing to every man specifically as He will.
1. He will not use everyone in the same way.
2. We are to desire these gifts.
3. The Word of Wisdom is a supernatural gift.
4. Saul had his sight returned with the Baptism of the Holy Ghost.
D. When Ananias questioned the Lord concerning Saul's evil that had been done to the Saints, the Lord replied:
1. "He is a chosen vessel unto... to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings, and the children of Israel," (Acts 9:13-15).
2. A Word of Wisdom for the future:
a. He showed him how Saul would suffer much persecution and physical hardships for His name's sake.
b. He did have great persecution everywhere he went... people stirred up trouble against him.
E. The Word of Wisdom is not psychology or counseling!
1. It is not a Mind Science
a. Psychology is man's intellect encroaching into the supernatural.
b. Psychology is man-made knowledge as opposed to the Spirit of God.
c. Psychology can be learned and mastered by the human mind.
2. It is not Education or training techniques:
a. It is not intuituive or worldly wisdom.
b. It is not the learned, educated intellect.
3. It is not psychic ability, which is devilish and carnal.
4. It is not all of God's wisdom, but only a portion.
5. It is not a high degree of aptitude nor a new idea coming to mind.
6. It is not just for church officials or special workers.
7. God's Wisdom can work at His will in anyone He chooses.
8. It is different from the ministerial gift set in the church (Eph. 4).
II. A Ministerial gift may be enhanced by study (II Tim. 2:15).
A. The Word of Wisdom is always given by the Holy Spirit.
1. "For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another, the word of knowledge by the same Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:8).
B. Spiritual gifts should be demonstrated to confirm the ministerial gifts.
1. These are not an origination of the natural or sophisticated problem.
2. These are also works by the Spirit.
III. The prophet, in particular, had these gifts as well as prophecy in operation in his life (Old Testament).
A. They stood in the office of the Prophet.
1. These ministerial gifts worked through both men and women.
B. Old Testament examples of the Word of Wisdom:
1. Joseph received a word of wisdom through a dream which revealed to him God's plan and purpose for the future of his life.
2. Three Kings told Elisha that the Moabites had come to capture them.
a. ( Knowledge from men.)
3. Elisha still did not know what to do.
a. God told him, "Make the valley full of ditches." (II Kings 3:16).
b. Moabites were defeated and three kingdoms were saved.
C. Daniel received the interpretation of the king's dream.
1. The relation was present but also a future prophecy.
D. Jonah preached to the people of Ninevah warning them of impending judgement if they didn't turn back to God.
1. They repented, judgment didn't fall on them in that generation and light did eventually come.
2. Jonah gave them a word, then they repented and changed the course of their history.
3. The prophets of the Old Testament all told of the coming of the Messiah.
E. Occasions when prophets received a word from God, which did not come to pass... some were conditional upon receivers' repentance/obedience.
1. Isaiah told King Hezekiah that he would die.
a. Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and repented of his sin.
b. God heard his prayer.
2. God told Isaiah to return and give the king another word of wisdom.
a. "Tell him I am going to give him fifteen more years."
b. The first word Isaiah gave was conditional.
c. The second word had changed by the mind of God.
IV. New Testament Examples:
A. Women gave words of wisdom:
1. Philip, the evangelist, had four unmarried daughters who prophesied. Agabus took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, "The Holy Spirit says, in this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and
will hand him over to the Gentiles." (Acts 21:9-11)
B. Philip, a layman, exercised this gift in the 8th chapter of Acts.
1. He was a deacon,appointed to serve tables, later called by God to be an evangelist.
2. "Then, Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ unto them." (Acts 8:5)
3. "And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert." (Acts 8:26)
a. God revealed His plan to Philip through Jesus, the 'Angel of the Lord', giving him His plan and purpose through a Word of Wisdom.
b. "And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, Queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias, the prophet. Then the Spirit said unto Philip: go near and join thyself to this chariot..." God gave him directions what to do, as anyone who might be led of the Spirit, but He told him to go and he had to go by faith.
4. Philip was given the opportunity to save a soul.
C. Paul, when faced with death by a mob, received God's supernatural solution through a Word of Wisdom:
1. He made a speech about the resurrection... the Pharissees believed in the resurrection but the Sadducees did not.
2. The mob became divided, allowing Paul to escape! (Acts 23:7)
3. God's wisdom assured coming deliverance in the time of calamity...
a. Paul on a ship to appeal his case to Caesar/Rome.
1) A violent storm came up.
b. He had received a Word of Wisdom before the ship set sail.
c. "I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage..." (Acts 27:10)
4. The weather displayed the opposite of these words:
a. "But the south wind blew softly and they went ahead and set sail." then...
b. "They lost their ship and all their merchandise."
1) They had failed to heed the warning.
2) They threw everything overboard, obeying Paul, finally...
5. In the calamity, Paul stood and heard from heaven:
a. "There stood by me this night the Angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve saying, Fear not, Paul... God hath given thee all them that sail with thee... The ship is going and will be lost. Listen to what I am telling you, for you will have to stay with the ship."
1) They were about to leave but then all stayed and not one was lost.
2) This is revelation...Paul described what would happen and it did.
b. An angel delivered them all to safety.
D. Spiritual Revelation
1. Paul's life was in danger because forty Jews had bound themselves under an oath not to eat or sleep until they had killed him.
a. "Bring this young man to the chief captain for he has a certain thing to tell him." (Acts 23:17)
b. Two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen with a beast were given for Paul's protection.
1) He arrived safely to preach to Felix, the Governor at Caesarea.
2) By a Word of Knowledge, Paul knew he would go to Rome. (Acts 19:21)
3) But, He did not know the How, When, Why and Which of the matter until...
c. The Spirit spoke a Word of Wisdom one night and told Him Why he was to go. (Acts 23:10)
2. In a court room the Spirit gave another Word of Wisdom and showed him How and When. He said, "I appeal unto Caesar," (Acts 26:31).
a. Paul was born a Roman.
b. "But if any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God that Giveth to all men... and it shall be given him." (James 1:5).
E. Difference between Word of Knowledge and Word of Wisdom:
1. Word of Knowledge is always present tense or something that has happened in the past.
2. Word of Wisdom always speaks of the future.
3. Very often Word of Knowledge and Word of Wisdom work together.
a. Example: Lord spoke to John on the Isle of Patmos in the form of a vision and told of the present condition of the various churches.
Author's Personal Experience: I was praying for a certain woman and another woman spoke the word, "infant". The word, "Infant" meant nothing to me. The woman that I was praying for had been dropped and that cracked a hole in her skull and an evil spirit had entered at that time. I rebuked it and asked God to heal her. She had always had headaches. She had been healed instantly through a Word of Knowledge and a Word of Wisdom.
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