God the Only Cause and Creator

Transcription

1 Golden Text Isaiah 65:18 be (to :)... be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: Responsive Reading Nehemiah 9:6 Psalms 149:1, 2 (to :), 3, 4 (to :), 5 (to :); 150:1, 2, 6 (to 1 st.) 6 Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee. 1 Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints. 2 Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: 3 Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. 4 For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: 5 Let the saints be joyful in glory: 1 Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. 2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. 6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. 1 Job 37:14 stand Section 1 14 stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God. 2 Job 38:4 (to?), 7 4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? 7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 3 Genesis 1:1, 3, 31 (to 1 st.) 1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. 4 Psalms 92:5 5 O Lord, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep. 5 Psalms 65:8 thou, 9 (to 1 st :), 11 (to ;), 12 the little, 13 8 thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice. 9 Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: 11 Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; 12 the little hills rejoice on every side. 13 The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing The Christian Science Publishing Society. All rights reserved. This copy of a Weekly Bible Lesson from the Christian Science Quarterly is licensed for your own personal use and may not be distributed electronically or in print, except as described in the Copyright Terms and Conditions at. Christian Science Quarterly is a trademark owned by The Christian Science Publishing Society. Study references are from the Bible (King James Version) and the Christian Science textbook, with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science.

2 1 339:8 9 9 good :16 24 Section 1 God, Spirit, alone created all, and called it Everything in God s universe expresses Him. 18 God is individual, incorporeal. He is divine Principle, Love, the universal cause, the only creator, and there is no other self-existence. He is all- 21 inclusive, and is reflected by all that is real and eternal and by nothing else. He fills all space, and it is impossible to conceive of such omnipresence and in- 24 dividuality except as infinite Spirit or Mind : God created all through Mind, and made all perfect and eternal :26 7 The universal cause God creates all forms of reality. His thoughts are 27 spiritual realities. So-called mortal mind being nonexistent and consequently not within the range of im- 1 mortal existence could not by simulating deific power invert the divine creation, and afterwards recreate per- 3 sons or things upon its own plane, since nothing exists beyond the range of all-inclusive infinity, in which and of which God is the 6 sole creator. Mind, joyous in strength, dwells in the realm of Mind :5 6 All that is made is 6 the work of God, and all is good. 6 Isaiah 42:5, 8 (to 2 nd :), 9 new Section 2 God s thoughts are spiritual realities 5 Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: 8 I am the Lord: that is my name: 9 new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. 7 Isaiah 65:17 behold, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. 18 But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy The Christian Science Publishing Society. All rights reserved. 2

3 8 Psalms 104:1, 2, 5, 24, 30, 31 1 Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. 2 Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain: 5 Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever. 24 O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. 30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth. 31 The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works. 9 Psalms 51:8 (to ;), 10 renew 8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; 10 renew a right spirit within me. 10 Psalms 103:1, 19 1 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 19 The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all. 11 Revelation 21:5 (to 1 st.) 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new :7 9 Truth Section 2 Truth makes a new creature, in whom old things pass away 9 and all things are become new :10 11, 17 23, 27 The measurement of life by solar years robs youth and gives ugliness to age. Never record ages. Chronological data are no part 18 of the vast forever. Time-tables of birth and death are so many conspiracies against manhood and womanhood. Except for the error of meas- 21 uring and limiting all that is good and beautiful, man would enjoy more than threescore years and ten and still maintain his vigor, freshness, and promise. Undesirable records 27 Life is eternal. We should find this out, and begin the demonstration thereof. Life and goodness are immortal. Let us then shape our views of existence into 30 loveliness, freshness, and continuity, rather than into age and blight :5 Men and women of riper 6 years and larger lessons ought to ripen into health and immortality, instead of lapsing into darkness True life eternal Love s endowment 2014 The Christian Science Publishing Society. All rights reserved. 3

4 or gloom. Immortal Mind feeds the body with supernal 9 freshness and fairness, supplying it with beautiful images of thought and destroying the woes of sense which each day brings to a nearer tomb :5 9 Let the male and female of God s creating appear. 6 Let us feel the divine energy of Spirit, bringing us into newness of life and recognizing no mortal nor material power as able to destroy. Let us re- 9 joice that we are subject to the divine powers that be :11 13 He to whom the arm of the Lord is revealed will 12 believe our report, and rise into newness of life with regeneration. 12 Joel 2:21 be Section 3 Renewed selfhood 21 be glad and rejoice: for the Lord will do great things. 13 Zephaniah 3:17 17 The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. 14 Luke 4:14 (to :) 14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: 15 Luke 13: And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. 11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. 12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. 13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. 14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. 15 The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? 16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? 17 And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him. Section :7 Christ, Truth, was demonstrated through Jesus to prove the power of 9 Spirit over the flesh, to show that Truth is made manifest by its effects upon the human mind and body, healing sickness and destroying sin The Christian Science Publishing Society. All rights reserved. 4

5 12 18:10 Jesus acted boldly, against the accredited evidence of the senses, against Pharisaical creeds and practices, and he 12 refuted all opponents with his healing power :29 Jesus not understood Jesus proved 30 the Principle, which heals the sick and casts out error, to be divine. Few, however, except his students understood in the least his teachings and their glorious 1 proofs, namely, that Life, Truth, and Love (the Principle of this unacknowledged Science) destroy all error, 3 evil, disease, and death : Mind s control over the universe, including man, is no longer an open question, but is demonstrable Science :26 Instead of God sending 27 sickness and death, He destroys them, and brings to light immortality. Omnipotent and infinite Mind made all and includes all. This Mind does not make mistakes 30 and subsequently correct them. God does not cause man to sin, to be sick, or to die :16 God, good, can no more produce sickness than goodness can 18 cause evil and health occasion disease :26 Christianity as Jesus taught it was not 27 a creed, nor a system of ceremonies, nor a special gift from a ritualistic Jehovah; but it was the demonstration of divine Love casting out error and healing the sick, 30 not merely in the name of Christ, or Truth, but in demonstration of Truth, as must be the case in the cycles of divine light. 16 Jeremiah 31:3 Section 4 3 The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. 17 Isaiah 61:11 11 For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. 18 Psalms 98:1 (to :), 4 1 O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: 4 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise The Christian Science Publishing Society. All rights reserved. 5

6 19 Ezekiel 34:11, 14 (to :) 11 For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. 14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: 20 Matthew 14: And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. 15 And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. 16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat. 17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. 18 He said, Bring them hither to me. 19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. 20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. 21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children. Section :5 In divine Science, man is sustained by God, the divine 6 Principle of being. The earth, at God s command, brings forth food for man s use. Knowing this, Jesus once said, Take no thought for your life, 9 what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, presuming not on the prerogative of his creator, but recognizing God, the Father and Mother of all, as able to feed and clothe 12 man as He doth the lilies :15 Divine providence 15 In the scientific relation of God to man, we find that whatever blesses one blesses all, as Jesus showed with the loaves and the fishes, Spirit, not matter, being the 18 source of supply :32 If seed is necessary to produce wheat, and wheat to 1 produce flour, or if one animal can originate another, how then can we account for their primal origin? How 3 were the loaves and fishes multiplied on the shores of Galilee, and that, too, without meal or monad from which loaf or fish could come? :5 6 The only intelligence or substance of a thought, 6 a seed, or a flower is God, the creator of it :18 21, 24 25, Divine propagation 18 The tree and herb do not yield fruit because of any propagating power of their own, but because they reflect the Mind 21 which includes all The Christian Science Publishing Society. All rights reserved. 6

7 24 Infinite Mind creates and governs all, from the mental molecule to infinity. Creation is ever appearing, and must ever continue to appear from the nature of its inexhaustible source :27 28 (to 1 st.) 27 The creative Principle Life, Truth, and Love is God. Ideas and identities :10 Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need. It is not well to imagine that Jesus demon- 12 strated the divine power to heal only for a select number or for a limited period of time, since to all mankind and in every hour, divine Love supplies all good. 21 Psalms 66:1, 2 Section 5 1 Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: 2 Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious. 22 Psalms 89:15, 16 (to :) 15 Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance. 16 In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: 23 Romans 1:20 (to ;) 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; 24 Revelation 19:6, 7 (to :) 6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. 7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: Section :5 7, Christian 6 Science takes naught from the perfection of God, but it ascribes to Him the entire glory. 30 Divine Mind is the only cause or Principle of existence :20 (only) There can be but one creator, who has created all. Mind the only cause 2014 The Christian Science Publishing Society. All rights reserved. 7

8 27 264:7 20, 28 Mortals must look beyond fading, finite forms, if they would gain the true sense of things. 9 Where shall the gaze rest but in the unsearchable realm of Mind? We must look where we would walk, and we must act as possessing all power from Him in whom we 12 have our being. As mortals gain more correct views of God and man, multitudinous objects of creation, which before were 15 invisible, will become visible. When we Selfcompleteness realize that Life is Spirit, never in nor of matter, this understanding will expand into self-com- 18 pleteness, finding all in God, good, and needing no other consciousness. Spirit and its formations are the only realities of being. When we learn the way in Christian Science and recognize man s spiritual being, we shall behold and under- 30 stand God s creation, all the glories of earth and heaven and man The Christian Science Publishing Society. All rights reserved. 8