FIRST BIBLE LESSON: MATTHEW 7:4
Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
SECOND BIBLE LESSON: JAMES 3:13
Who is a wise man, and endued with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
GOLDEN TEXT: GALATIANS 6:4
But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
EXAMINE YOUR WORK BEFORE YOU BOAST:
Brethren, that is the theme of our revelation today. Let every man examine his own work so that he can have what to boast about. If you do not repent and forsake your sins, how will you know a person who is truely repentant? If you have not refrained from exasperation, falsehood, backbiting, fornication, theft, indulgence in the preparation of concoctions, how will you be in position to rebuke others who commit these vices?
All those who impute sins on others have not yet repented of their sins that is why they continue to impute sins on others. All those who find faults with others are not yet repentant. When you meet a person who goes about reporting his brethren to others, accusing them of having committed one type of offence or another, watch that person, you will find that he has not forsaken sin. When you come across somebody who complains that he is not loved by any person, know that he himself has no love. When you see somebody complaining that someone has deceived him, if you investigate, you will find he has not refrained from those vices.
ABHOR EVIL AND CLEAVE TO THAT WHICH IS GOOD:
My mission is to do that which is good to all men. Your indebtedness to me is for you to do what is good to me and I will reciprocate your example. But when you criticize people, you are a confusionist. YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO JUDGE, CHEAT, DISGRACE, BEAT UP, INSULT, OR TAKE COURT ACTION AGAINST ANY PERSON. It is expected that you purify yourself and practise goodness. If you profess that you are a child of God, go and do what is good to others.
TO THE PURE ALL THINGS ARE PURE:
It is said, unto the pure, all things are pure, but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, even their minds and conscience are defiled. When you come across somebody who complains that people are doing one thing or the other, know that such a person is a bad person. If you come across a person who demands that you influence the actions of others in order to do something for you, know that such a person is not a godly person. If you profess to be a man of God, go and do to others those things which you desire that people should do unto you. To be engaged in reporting, backbiting, quarreling, insulting, abusing, hating, disgracing, beating up people and tale-bearing against your brother, is not the work of God. To go about requesting for certain things everywhere or to demand as of right anything from any person is not the work of God. To be engaged in tale-bearing is against the injuctions of God while taking part in evil communication is equally not God's will for man.
ONLY RIGHTEOUSNESS DWELLS IN THE KINGDOM :
This is the time that we should be doers of the word of God, doing exactly what the word of God directs us to do. This is the New Kingdom of God and here in dwells righteousness, and so, whatever good work any person is able to do, let him do, but evil deeds are abhored in it. If you have never done any good thing, start now to change your attitude, run away from sin and all evil things and practise what is good.
FIRST BIBLE LESSON: MATTHEW 7:4
Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and behold a beam is in thine own eye?
Brethren, have you heard the word of God read to you? How will you advise your brother to remove a small piece of stick from his eyes, whereas there is a mighty beam in your own eye? How will you advise your brother to refrain from theft, fornication, falsehood, and other vices whereas you are still fornicating, stealing and telling lies? How will you advise a man to refrain from all manners of sins whereas you have not refrained from a single sin? How will you enjoin somebody to do a what is good and righteous whereas you do not know what is good and righteous, nor would you want to do good?
REMOVE THE BEAM IN YOUR EYE AND YOU WILL SEE THE MOTE:
If you go to obtain alms from a brother, and you do not succeed in obtaining it, you begin to criticise that the brother has no love, do you have love yourself? If you had love, would you have embarrassed your brother? Sometimes you receive something on loan from somebody, and when it is due, and you cannot defray the loan, you will accuse him of not having love. What about you who is liable to a breach of contract, have you love? If you had love, you would have repaid the loan. Our duty now is to endeavor to remove the big beam from our eyes and we will see clearly to cast the mote out from our brother's eye.
Each of us has a beam in our own eyes and our duty is first to remove this big beam from our eyes. It is said, owe no man anything but love. He who loves another has fulfilled the law. It is also said, we are debtors, not to the flesh to live according to the prompting of the flesh. Can you realise that the debt we owe is the debt of doing what is good to all? You do not owe any person the duty of abusing, insulting, disgracing, or begrudging him.
JUDGE NOT THAT YOU SHOULD NOT BE JUDGED:
It is said, speak no evil of one another, he that speaks evil of his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. If you judge the law, you are not doer of the law but a judge. THERE IS ONLY ONE LAWGIVER AND JUDGE WHO IS ABLE TO SAVE AND DESTROY AND WHO IS GOD. WHO ARE YOU TO JUDGE ANOTHER? THE TENDENCY TO JUDGE ONE ANOTHER IS WHAT CAUSE TROUBLE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. Before we left our houses to this place, a great many of us have abused, slandered, insulted, criticized, and quarrelled with our brother. Is that the work of God? Who has taught you to speak evil against your brothers? Is that the work of God? You are only taught to do that which is good. The scriptures say, To him who knows to do good and does it not, to him it is sin. If you go somebody's house and there you observe that the house is dirty and the compound unkempt, instead of your asking the residents of the house why they do not sweep the house but decide to dwell in a filth environment, take up a broom and sweep the house.
We have been taught to be doers of the word of God and not hearers only. If the dresses are dirty, wash and dry them. If there is no food in the house, you have to go to the market, buy food and cook for the residents to eat. That is exactly what you are expected to do as a child of God. If you discover that there is break down in communication between couples and the relationship between the father and the children is not cordial, wade into the matter and proffer a lasting solution to the problem. It is not your duty to gather and rebuke the children, neither is it our duty to condemn the parents for not being able to look after their children. You do not have to instigate the children against the father or husband against the wife and children.
DO NOT BE WEARY IN WELL DOING:
Our Lord Jesus Christ said, whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever is does not gather with me scatters abroad. IF YOU ARE FLIPPANT, PESSIMISTIC, AND CRITICAL OF ALL SITUATIONS, IT IS HIGH TIME YOU CALLED YOURSELF TO ORDER FOR YOU HAVE NOT YET STARTED.
WHAT IS REQUIRED IN THIS KINGDOM IS PRACTISING THE WORD OF GOD. This is not the time for reporting any person to another. If you discover that a brother is indebted to another person, all you have to do is to defray the debt for him. If a brother is unemployed, find him a job. If you come across a sister who has no feeding money, give her money. That is what you have to do and you are not supposed to be critical and destructive. Do not accuse her of being poor and lazy and that she is fond of begging. Never do that. Do only that which is good. That is your duty. GOD HAS NOT GIVEN ANY PERSON THE AUTHORITY TO JUDGE ANY OTHER PERSON. HE HAS NOT GIVEN ANY PERSON THE LICENSE TO INSULT OR DISGRACE ANY PERSON. BUT HE HAS GIVEN YOU THE LICENSE TO DO THAT WHICH IS GOOD IN THE SIGHT OF GOD. WHOSOEVER DOES WHAT IS GOOD HAS BROUGHT ABOUT PEACE IN THE WORLD.
WE LIVE BY DEEDS AND NOT BY WORDS:
It serves no useful purpose introducing yourself to people as Bishop, Pastor, Elder, Apostle, Evangelist, but rather do good with the view of helping people. Were you a child of God, you would not be angry, you would not pronounce woe on people. Were you a man of God would you speak evil of anyone or be exasperated?
MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT THEY FEAR NO ONE AND IF ANYONE OFFENDS THEM, THEY WILL REBUKE THE PERSON DIRECTLY. DO YOU THINK IF YOU SHOW SUCH COURAGE BY REBUKING SOMEBODY PUBLICLY, YOU ARE DOING THE WORK OF GOD? WHAT HAS THE SCRIPTURES TOLD YOU? IT SAYS :
BRETHREN, IF A MAN BE OVERTAKEN IN A FAULT, YOU WHO ARE SPIRITUAL RESTORE SUCH A ONE IN THE SPIRIT OF MEEKNESS, CONSIDERING YOURSELF LEST YOU ALSO BE TEMPTED." GOD HAS NOT DIRECTED THAT YOU YOU SHOULD OPPRESS THE ONE WHO IS WITH YOU, NEITHER HAS HE SAID THAT YOU SHOULD RUN HIM DOWN. A PRACTITIONER OF THE WORD OF GOD WILL ALWAYS USE THE SPIRIT OF MEEKNESS, HUMILITY, PATIENCE, LOVE, PEACE, LOWLINESS OF HEART, TO ADVISE ANY SINNER IN ORDER TO SALVAGE HIM OUT OF DESTRUCTION. IF YOU LOVE THOSE WHO LOVE YOU AND HATE THOSE WHO HATE YOU, YOU ARE FARAWAY FROM GOD'S WILL.
MAN'S HEART IS THE SUM TOTAL OF HIS BEHAVIOUR:
If you were wise, you would have trusted in Christ's injunction which says, love your enemies, do good to them who despitefully use you and persecute you. Sometimes you are of the opinion that if it were possible to know what is in a man's heart, things would have been different. What is in one's heart? I want to tell you that a man's character or the sum total of his behaviour is in his heart. A person who goes about fighting people cannot be a man of God, but a person who unifies scattered groups of people, pleads for peace, seeks reconciliation among warring factions is a man of God.
The work of God is not to go about causing trouble and confusion. The work of God is to be patient in tribulation, rejoicing in hope, forgiving people their trespasses and using the spirit of meekness to restore offenders to God, their maker. ANY GOOD MAN OF GOD WILL NEVER PLOT EVIL NOR SPEAK EVIL AGAINST ANY PERSON.
SECOND BIBLE LESSON: JAMES 3:13
Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
Brethren, can you observe the license which God has given to us? God has commanded you to do good. He has not given us the spirit of wickedness. Why do you accuse someone of not maintaining his wife and not taking care of his children? Why do you judge him for beating his child and lacking in patience. Who has taught you that? Is that the work of God? If you were wise you would not have criticized or spoken evil but you would buy clothes for the wife and children.
OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD:
Why we are taught the virtues of love, peace, truth, and patience is so that we may use them to interact with those who are less fortunate than ourselves. All those men on earth who are not endowed with the Holy Spirit find it difficult to understand that an ordinary human being can wear the armour of these virtues. This explains why they find it difficult to associate with those who possess these virtues. Since you have been sent to evangelise the world, you are spiritual and you must therefore use these virtues to win them to yourself, then to God. You cannot use fire to put out fire. In the same token you should not be overcome with evil but you should overcome evil with good. If you harbour any strife in your heart, you will be tempted to stand against the truth. FOR WHERE ENVY AND STRIFE ARE, THERE IS CONFUSION AND EVERY EVIL WORK.
Many people believe that they quarrel because of Brotherhood or that they quarrel and fight for the sake of the Leader. This is erroneous. You do not fight and quarrel because of Brotherhood or the Leader, but because you neither believe in God nor do you know what is right before God. What did our Lord Jesus Christ tell the women of Jerusalem who were crying and wailing? He said: "Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?"
If in a certain place there is trouble, insecurity of life and property, sisters seducing other people's husbands, and husbands eloping with other people's wives, when a man of God arrives at such a place, he must sue for peace and reconciliation among the various factions. You are not told to constitute a court in any bethel and preside over it to try people. The reason you are sent out is for you to go and show by practical demonstration that God's injunctions are not impracticable. When you go out, you have to show them exactly what you have been told to do. Our Lord Jesus Christ commissioned His disciples saying, "Go you therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." YOUR DUTY IS GO OUT AND TEACH PEOPLE EXACTLY WHAT WE ARE SHOWN IN THIS KINGDOM OF GOD.
Whosoever cannot do any good thing, has nothing to boast about. God does not take pleasure in the death of an evil man. God does not wish that you tempt your brother and then you go about reporting him to others. GOD IS NOT SLACK CONCERNING HIS PROMISES, BUT IS LONGSUFFERING TOWARDS US, NOT WILLING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH BUT THAT ALL SHOULD COME TO REPENTANCE.
EVERY PERSON SHOULD PROVE HIS OWN WORK BEFORE BOASTING:
Do not boast of the contributions of your father, your church, or your family to God, but boast on what you have done for God. Some people boast that Brotherhood has power but they have no power of prayer and healing. Others boast that there is much love in Brotherhood but they have no love and they have not refrained from falsehood, fornication, theft, and idolatory. Why do they boast?
Paul boasted in his achievements, Our Lord Jesus Christ also boasted in his achievements, John the Baptist also boasted in his own work. They did not rejoice in another man's achievement. Right now you are fornicating, stealing, drinking, eating meat, snuffing, retaining your membership in various secret societies, you fight and quarrel, impute sins on others and you commit many other vices, what will you boast of? How do you assess yourself?
GOOD WORKS EXALTED OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST:
Our Lord Jesus Christ did the work of God and God exalted Him and gave him a name above all other names. Do you have anything to boast about? When you shout upon the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, do you derive any benefit? Since you used the name "Jesus" in your prayers, how many good things have you done? Do not boast in what Moses did, nor in what David did nor in what Our Lord Jesus Christ did, but boast in what you can do. Do you remember what Our Lord Jesus Christ told the women who said, "Blessed is womb that bare thee and the paps which you sucked? Our Lord Jesus Christ replied the women, "Rather, blessed are those who hear the words of God and practise them. Let the Golden Text be re-examined.
GOLDEN TEXT: GALATIANS 6:4
"But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another."
Brethren have you heard that? You have not refrained from sin, you do not believe in God, but the whole world acclaims you as a child of God, would you acknowledge such a compliment? Have you ever seen a preacher or any other person confessing on the pulpit that he is a drunkard, a snuffer, a fornicator, a liar, a necromancer, a thief, a member of a secret society? The church denominations preach to their members that they should do what they preach and not what they actually do. Who preaches that type of a sermon? Our Lord Jesus Christ said, "Learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart." Emulate my example and walk according to my footsteps, as I love you, love ye one another.
When Our Lord Jesus Christ wanted to wash the disciples feet, Peter objected to Christ washing his feet, but Christ told him, "if I do not wash you, you have nothing with me." If he did not wash his feet, how would He have told Peter to go and do likewise to others? Our Lord Jesus Christ love you and He does not impute sin on people. He did not hate anybody. After accomplishing His work, He sent us to go and do like wise to others.
PRACTISE WHAT YOU PREACH:
As you are, you have no love, you are not truthful, you are not patient, and humble and peaceful but you advise somebody to be loving, truthful, patient, humble, and peaceful. From what will they emulate that example? How will they keep these injunctions whereas you do not keep them? You are aware that you mount the pulpit and preach to people that they should not steal, fornicate, drink, tell lies, you are telling them that you do not commit these sins. If you do not commit any of those sins again, they will learn from your example and your sermon will be effective.
The reason why those in Orthodox Churches cannot practise the word of God is that they preach to you to do what they say and not what they do. You are a born Presbyterian, your parents have no good qualities, even if you remain there for one hundred years, you will have nothing to boast about. You have been a Brotherhood but you continue to steal, fornicate, indulge in the preparation of concoction and tell lies, what will you preach?
IT IS ONLY IN THE FATHER THAT WE ALL BOAST:
You can only boast in the Father. You have nothing to boast about. Have I seen somebody practising the word of God? What about you? I want you to boast in your work. There is no person who can preach. What will you preach as you have not refrained from sin? You always tell people that they should follow you to see somebody who can preach and practise the word of God, but it is said everybody should boast in his own work not in the work of another person. The main reason that you bring people to see the Father is that you cannot boast of anything because you steal, fornicate, tell lies, and indulge in preparation of concoctions. Since the Father alone practises the word, He is the only model people should follow. That explains why you direct people to Him, what about you? It is said, each person should boast in his own work.
PREACH AND PRACTISE SO THAT YOU HAVE LIFE:
Preaching alone cannot change any person but practical demonstration of what one preaches can change a person. If you were a member of a secret cult wherein you indulged in the preparation of concoction and you fornicated, but when you realised the truth, you refrained from all the vices and then you go about testifying to the people that you were once knee deep in these vices, but you have now repented. If these changes reflect in your lifestyle, then the people and all those who looked at you as a wayward child will be glad to see you now a reformed child. They will then follow you to the Father. If the man who was in love with you comes to your house and you politely tell him that you have now become Brotherhood and you have refrained from fornication and you warn him not to come to your house again, he will be touched and he will decide to follow you to the place of worship.
I see that you people are doing what the Jehovah Witnesses are doing. They give testimony about the miracles wrought by Our Lord Jesus Christ. You also give the same testimony but you have nothing boast about yourself. Those who testify in this way are not are false witnesses because they did not actually see when Our Lord Jesus Christ performed those miracles.
I am again declaring from high heaven that since 14th of February, 1942, I threw a challenge to the whole world that if any person could succeed to make me angry I will give them a handsome reward. This is what I can boast of which is yours? You are advised not to steal, fornicate, tell lies, drink, and kill but have you complied? I gained total abstinence from all these vices. It is on this ground that I boast.
Brethren, I do not wish to be tedious unto you. One stroke of the cane is sufficient unto the wise. Let those who have ears hear. May God Bless His Holy Words. Amen.
THANK YOU HOLY FATHER.