LAW OF RETRIBUTION

First lesson: Matthew 7:2 "For with what judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” Second lesson: 2 Timothy 3:13 "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived." Golden Text: Matthew 26:51-52 "And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest, and smote off his ear. Then said Jesus unto him, put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.” 1.1 The vanity of the world Brethren, the above texts summarize our sermon. Any person who claims to be wise and civilized without the knowledge of this gospel, deceives himself. Some people, community or nation may be referred to as being civilized. The entire world is led to believing that the whites are so civilized. If people were to be that civilized, and the whites so developed, why is armed robbery, killing, deceit, division covetousness among other sins rampant in the world? Are the whites, the blacks, and their institutions of higher learning truly civilized? The only civilized being and person who was all knowing is our Lord Jesus the Christ. Such persons as Moses, Abraham, and the rest of the patriarchs were not civilized and thus, know nothing. If Abraham was civilized, he would not have gone to war and destroy and loot the city that held his nephew, Lot captive. When ones eyes are said to open, reference is not made to the carnal eyes. Ephesians 6:12 states that, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers. . ."It is not a physical warfare but a spiritual one. Why do you fight, tell lies, covet, cheat, commit adultery and fornication, steal and commit other vices, -yet claim to be civilized? Is sinfulness a measure of civilization? The Holy Spirit has advised us not to call any person a teacher. He is the only teacher in heaven and on earth. Since He is the only teacher, you have to practise all His injunctions. Do not allow any of His words to escape from your memory. The greatest of all the teachings of our Lord Jesus the Christ, is the one that explains that whatever evil one does unto others, shall also be done unto him. Whoever kills shall be killed. If you steal anybody's property, yours must be stolen. In other words, the evil that men do lives after them. It is therefore, expedient that we should refrain from evil in order to escape the laws of retribution for whatever you do unto others, shall, of necessity be done unto you. 1.2 Being civilized does not consist in mundane achievements To attend a university and graduate in any discipline does not constitute civilization. To be able to learn and speak another man's language does not signify civilization. Those of you who can speak foreign languages fluently, can these foreigners speak your language? Where then, is the civilization of this world? Whoever is civilized does not practise discrimination, nepotism, tribalism or oppression. Those at the peak of government who could rightly be considered as being civilized are even the worse set of fools. They begrudge, hate, backbite, and petition one another. Once one is promoted or his salary increased, others will petition against such achievement. What then is the wisdom in such practices? Does it not reveal man's foolishness and vanity? Also, if your village is at war with another, perhaps because of boundary dispute, and you kill people from that village, do you think that the other villagers will not kill your people? These catastrophes, in fact are the end result of the forbidden tree whose fruits men did eat: the tree of good and evil. Whatever a man does constitutes good and evil and is retributive. Therefore, there is no carnal wisdom that can lead men unto eternal life. The significance of that good and evil in the fruit of that tree in the garden could be explained as follows: If you "successfully" cart away one's property without being seen, you will regard yourself as being lucky. This is the good side of the fruit. However, the repercussions of that action is the evil effect, and consequently it leads to death. The world is so filled with evil such that sincerity is cast away. For instance, if a child picks up some money on the road, or field and is sincere enough to hand it over to the owner, his parents, neighbours and friends will regard him as being foolish. But somebody that would pick up money and promptly run home with it, even if the owner was there weeping, such a finder will be hailed and considered to be very clever and fast. Is such a person actually clever? Is there any sign of cleverness in such an action? That is the tree of good and evil. Therefore, when you cheat somebody, know that you are cheating yourself. If you kill somebody, know that it is yourself you are killing. Whatever you do unto another person, know that you are doing it unto yourself. This is a secret wisdom. This is the kind of knowledge that is not obtainable in any conventional or carnal school or church. It is the wisdom of truth I have brought unto the entire world. 1.3 Christ's teachings do not originate from any culture of mortals If Adam or Abraham were to be my father, did they posses this knowledge? It is said that a child must resemble the father. People claim that Brotherhood of the Cross and Star originates from Biakpan, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria, etc. Does the wisdom of truth given in this gospel form part of the culture of these places? This teaching is not from here and had never been anywhere else. It originated from our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the truth which the entire world had rejected. This is the time for mankind to practise this long rejected teaching. It is a high time the world knows that, if you point a finger at somebody, three of the fingers from the same hand point at you. Brethren, the wisdom of God supersedes that of man. Initially, this kingdom was called just Brotherhood. It was later that the words Cross and Star were added unto it. The reason is that; God knew that human beings can hardly forgive. Every person believes and lives in vengeance. Therefore, God emphasised the need for one to bear one another's burden (Cross) so that they may pass unto the Star (the glory of God). If you cannot carry one another's cross, how can you receive the glory from God? (being passed from Cross to Star). This gospel is infact, reminding you just this. First Lesson: Matthew 7:2 "For with what judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." 1.4 Retributive justice Brethren, this lesson explicitly emphasizes, on the law of retributive justice - what you do unto others, so shall it be done unto you. On the other hand, one good turn deserves another. On this note, therefore, members of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star have gladly accepted to carry one another's cross. We have accepted to suffer, to be despitefully used so that we will move into the state of joy which is the Star. Do not cheat or oppress or discriminate against any person. The Father is the owner of heaven and earth and everything therein. Galatians 3:28 states that, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." No human being therefore, should claim ownership of anything. If you drive away somebody from your office or house or village or country, so also will another person drive you away from his office or house or village or country. This is the simplest and most joyous gospel to practise. It leads unto eternal life, glory, peace, prosperity, joy and all the good things. Practise equal rights and fair play at all times with everybody. Practise oneness. That is the truth and the teaching in this kingdom. If you regard every other person as yourself, then, you are free. Do not follow the path of your forefathers otherwise, you will perish the same way they did. (John 8:44). 1.5 Equality before God All men are equal in the sight of God. Do not impute sins upon any animal, man, plant, insect or any other thing created by God. Whatever anybody does to you, do not be angry with him, rather, bless and pray for him. (that despitefully use you), (Matthew 5:43-44). The scripture advises us not to be exasperated when we are chastened. When God created all things, He gave man the power to superintend over all His creations. This therefore, implies that, you have to take good care of everything created by God, including all the animals and insects, be they domestic or not. If you cheat or maltreat them, you will be held responsible. It is your responsibility also to take care of all the poor and needy. It is your duty to feed the hungry, cloth the naked, shelter the wanderer and to console the down-hearted. 2 Corinthians 8:15 states that, "He that gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack." Be your brother's keeper. One is made rich so that through him, the poor and the needy (the less privilege) would be fed, clothed, sheltered and made to feel sense of belonging. With equality practised by individuals, societies, companies and governments, the world will be in peace and harmony. No one will lack and no one will have in excess. Of all the things in this world, what matters most is equality, oneness and love. If you fail to help the less privileged, and in fact, those in need, remember, that the same shall be done unto you. But if you bestow your wealth upon the needy wherever you go to, the same benevolence will be returned to you. Although this gospel may appear impracticable, it is the simplest and most rewarding. No matter how powerful you may be, there must always be another person more powerful than you. No matter how wealthy and knowledgeable you may be, there has to be another person who is wealthier and more knowledgeable than you. Therefore, whatever you do unto another person, same shall be done unto you and even more. A local adage has it that "a child that never allows the mother to sleep at night, (because of his wails) cannot also sleep." If you discriminate against and despise anyone for not being a member of your church, another person will surely do same to you. Second lesson: 2 Timothy 3:13 "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived." 1.6 The evil men do, lives after them If you cheat or oppress somebody because of the power you have, he will use another medium to revenge. The person may employ the services of armed robbers or assassins to obtain "sweet" revenge. If somebody is indebted to you and is unable to pay and because of that, you decided to take him to court to "teach him a lesson", the person will also think of teaching you worse lessons in his own way. However, the time for such foolish practices had since passed. This is the time for us all to surrender everything unto God. This is the time to refrain from every form of vices. Do not judge or condemn any person, God, in His infinite wisdom made and kept all things in their respective positions. Day break in one country may not be the same in another country. Similarly, a poor man today may not be poor tomorrow. The poor man is made to complement and engage the attention of the rich man. Your poverty is another man's prosperity and vice versa. This is why you do not have to laugh at another person's misfortune, for vicissitudes spare no one. The word of God never changes, and will never change. Brethren, let your conscience be your guide. Whatever you abhor, never ever do it to others. If you abhor lies, do not lie to others. If you hate cheating, why do you cheat? If you hate evil, why then do you do it to others? If you abhor evil, do not do it to others. But if you do evil unto others, it surely, will be done to you. If you do not want to be troubled, desist from troubling others. 2 Corinthians 8:9, states that, "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich." If you sponsor the children of the poor and orphans in schools, feed and clothe them, at the end, it is you they will serve. The birds, the fishes, the ants, etc. are useful, not only to themselves but to mankind too. Man, therefore, has to reciprocate the gesture. That is why it is recorded in second lesson that, "evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. " As you continue to kill the ants, the fishes, the birds, etc, so also have you condemned yourself to death. As you continue to kill the mosquitoes, so will they attack you more and more. With whatever weapon you use to kill another person or animal, the same shall be used in killing you. From the beginning of the world, man and animals lived together in peace and harmony. Hostilities and hatred began when man started hunting and even killing the animals. This is why snake, mosquitoes, ants, lion and so on are biting and eating man too. It was this same situation that warranted our Lord Jesus Christ to warn Peter against using the sword in cutting off the ear of the high priests servant. He said, ". . . for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. " (Matthew 24:52). Golden Text: Matthew 26:51-52 "And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest, and smote off his ear. Then said Jesus unto him, put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword." 1.7 One good turn deserves another Is there any person in the entire world who has this wisdom? If you ask God for eternal life, yet continue to kill the ants, insects and animals, where will the long life come from? Any life you destroy, you stand before God's judgement to answer for it. The leaves, the flies, the water, the air, and all the creations have life and are human. They too, have their respective roles to play. In order to be led by the Father to live without any curse, you have to pray always and commit yourself to Him only. If you go ahead and do anything on your own volition, you are definitely fighting against the Father. Our Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:29, "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father." Upon the wisdom man claims to have, who can mention exactly the number of hair on his head? Upon all your wisdom and thinking ability, can you turn one black hair into white? Matthew 5:8 states that, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. " However, brethren, refrain from cheating, fighting, quarrelling, oppression, segregation and all evil tendencies so that you can be worthy of God and inherit the kingdom of God. Be kind even unto your enemies and adversaries. No one can use force to change or rule the evil. God uses love, peace, mercy, meekness, patience, and other godly virtues to rule. None of these qualities is painful or strenuous to practise. Many people are unable to come to Brotherhood of the Cross and Star because they cannot practise these teachings. They are scared of carrying one another's cross. But know that, whosoever continues in evil is lost. 1.8 An example of retributive justice The illustration below will explicitly explain this gospel. Once, there lived a certain man, who had a son. Incidentally, this man fell sick, and was taken to various hospitals and churches, all to no avail. When the son had tried his utmost without any improvement, he decided to abandon his father. He later took his father to a village called Mbat Edet Ekeng, along Akpabuyo in Cross River State. When he returned home and was asked of his father, he told people that he had taken him to a hospital elsewhere. The old man suffered in that bush until his death. Consequently, this boy grew up and begot a son too. When his son grew up, he too was also sick and his son also tried all forms of treatments to no avail. He too decided to abandon him somewhere until his end. Just like the father did to his grand father, this boy took the father to the same spot in the same village his grandfather was abandoned. At this juncture, his father called him and narrated the whole incident about his father and how he died. He told his son that it is the same sickness which his father died of that had befallen him. He then advised his son to take him home for his own good, otherwise, the trend of dying in that valley would continue to other generations yet unborn. After the narration, the two of them wept and the boy took his father home. Thus, that chapter of retribution was finally closed. 1.9 Bear one another's burden if you expect salvation You must learn to suffer and bear other persons cross. That is the essence of the Cross between Brotherhood and Star. We were conceived in iniquities and born in sin. Therefore, if you want to dig into what was done to your great, great grandfather and what others have done to you, there will never be an end to evil and vengeance, and you will not repent, and will thus run short of God's grace Therefore, this cross demands that you should put your sword into its sheath for whoever goes with the sword shall die by it. This is an ample opportunity for you to repent and forget about your past experiences in order to have eternal life. This therefore, calls for forgiveness to one another. Follow the exemplary life of our Lord Jesus Christ. He forgave His enemies even on the Cross as He said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke 21:34). Similarly, Stephen also forgave those who stoned him to death as he said, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. " (Acts 7:60). If you do not ask for and forgive the sins of your offenders, salvation will elude you. If our Lord Jesus Christ did not forgive His enemies, He would not have risen. It is said, "Rejoice with those who are rejoicing and mourn with those who are mourning." When somebody is befallen with a calamity and you go about laughing at him, when the vicissitudes visit you, another person will laugh also at you. A chapter has therefore, been opened and the trend continues. Pray always for the ability from the Father to be able to practise this gospel. May the good Lord bless His holy words; Amen. THANK YOU FATHER