1. Date of Lesson

2. Subject, Golden Text, and Responsive Reading

3. Lesson Sermon — The Bible

4. Lesson Sermon — Science and Health

5. The Daily Duties

6. About the preparation of this lesson

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Subject — God The Preserver Of Man

GOLDEN TEXT: Psalm 37 : 3

“Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.”

RESPONSIVE READING: Isaiah 45 : 1, 5, 22  •  Ezekiel 34 : 11, 13, 14, 23, 24

1.     Thus saith the LORD to his anointed,

5.     I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:

22.     Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

11.     Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.

13.     And will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers,

14.     I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.

23.     And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.

24.     And I the LORD will be their God.

Lesson Sermon

The Bible

1. Genesis 1 : 1, 2 (And the Spirit), 11, 12, 26 (to :), 29, 31 (to 1st .)

1     In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2     And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

11     And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

12     And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

26     And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:

29     And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

31     And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.

2. Psalm 36 : 6 (O LORD)-8 (to ;)

6     O LORD, thou preservest man and beast.

7     How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.

8     They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house;

3. Deuteronomy 8 : 7-9 (to ;), 10

7     For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;

8     A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey;

9     A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it;

10     When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.

4. Daniel 1 : 1, 3-6, 8, 10-15, 18-21

1     In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.

3     And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes;

4     Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.

5     And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.

6     Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:

8     But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

10     And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.

11     Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,

12     Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.

13     Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king’s meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.

14     So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days.

15     And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat.

18     Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.

19     And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king.

20     And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.

21     And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus.

5. Isaiah 49 : 8, 9 (They), 10

8     Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;

9     They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.

10     They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.

6. Psalm 107 : 1, 9

1     O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

9     For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.

Science and Health

1. 507 : 3-6

Spirit duly feeds and clothes every object, as it appears in the line of spiritual creation, thus tenderly expressing the fatherhood and motherhood of God.

2. 530 : 5-12

In divine Science, man is sustained by God, the divine 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, 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 man as He doth the lilies.

3. 62 : 13-16, 20-26, 29-30

Taking less "thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink"; less thought "for your body what ye shall put on," will do much more for the health of the rising generation than you dream.

We must not attribute more and more intelligence to matter, but less and less, if we would be wise and healthy. The divine Mind, which forms the bud and blossom, will care for the human body, even as it clothes the lily; but let no mortal interfere with God's government by thrusting in the laws of erring, human concepts.

Our false views of life hide eternal harmony, and produce the ills of which we complain.

4. 388 : 20-5

If food was prepared by Jesus for his disciples, it cannot destroy life.

The fact is, food does not affect the absolute Life of man, and this becomes self-evident, when we learn that God is our Life. Because sin and sickness are not qualities of Soul, or Life, we have hope in immortality; but it would be foolish to venture beyond our present understanding, foolish to stop eating until we gain perfection and a clear comprehension of the living Spirit. In that perfect day of understanding, we shall neither eat to live nor live to eat.

If mortals think that food disturbs the harmonious functions of mind and body, either the food or this thought must be dispensed with, for the penalty is coupled with the belief. Which shall it be? If this decision be left to Christian Science, it will be given in behalf of the control of Mind over this belief and every erroneous belief, or material condition.

5. 494 : 5-14, 15 (Jesus)-19

Is it not a species of infidelity to believe that so great a work as the Messiah's was done for himself or for God, who needed no help from Jesus' example to preserve the eternal harmony? But mortals did need this help, and Jesus pointed the way for them. Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need. It is not well to imagine that Jesus demonstrated 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.

Jesus demonstrated the inability of corporeality, as well as the infinite ability of Spirit, thus helping erring human sense to flee from its own convictions and seek safety in divine Science.

6. 197 : 11-15, 21-29

The less that is said of physical structure and laws, and the more that is thought and said about moral and spiritual law, the higher will be the standard of living and the farther mortals will be removed from imbecility or disease.

We are told that the simple food our forefathers ate helped to make them healthy, but that is a mistake. Their diet would not cure dyspepsia at this period. With rules of health in the head and the most digestible food in the stomach, there would still be dyspeptics. Many of the effeminate constitutions of our time will never grow robust until individual opinions improve and mortal belief loses some portion of its error.

7. 222 : 29-2

In seeking a cure for dyspepsia consult matter not at all, and eat what is set before you, "asking no question for conscience sake." We must destroy the false belief that life and intelligence are in matter, and plant ourselves upon what is pure and perfect.

8. 509 : 16-17, 20-24

God forms and peoples the universe.

So-called mineral, vegetable, and animal substances are no more contingent now on time or material structure than they were when "the morning stars sang together." Mind made the "plant of the field before it was in the earth."

9. 264 : 13-19, 28-31

As mortals gain more correct views of God and man, multitudinous objects of creation, which before were invisible, will become visible. When we realize that Life is Spirit, never in nor of matter, this understanding will expand into self-completeness, finding all in God, good, and needing no other consciousness.

When we learn the way in Christian Science and recognize man's spiritual being, we shall behold and understand God's creation, — all the glories of earth and heaven and man.

10. 520 : 17 (the Lord)-20 (to :), 23-26, 30-6

…the Lord God [Jehovah] made the earth and the heavens, and every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew:

Here is the emphatic declaration that God creates all through Mind, not through matter, — that the plant grows, not because of seed or soil, but because growth is the eternal mandate of Mind. … Spirit acts through the Science of Mind, never causing man to till the ground, but making him

superior to the soil. Knowledge of this lifts man above the sod, above earth and its environments, to conscious spiritual harmony and eternal being.

Here the inspired record closes its narrative of being that is without beginning or end. All that is made is the work of God, and all is good.

11. 550 : 5-7

God is the Life, or intelligence, which forms and preserves the individuality and identity of animals as well as of men.

The Daily Duties

by Mary Baker Eddy

Daily Prayer

It shall be the duty of every member of this Church to pray each day: "Thy kingdom come;" let the reign of divine Truth, Life, and Love be established in me, and rule out of me all sin; and may Thy Word enrich the affections of all mankind, and govern them!

Church Manual, Article VIII, Sect. 4

A Rule for Motives and Acts

Neither animosity nor mere personal attachment should impel the motives or acts of the members of The Mother Church. In Science, divine Love alone governs man; and a Christian Scientist reflects the sweet amenities of Love, in rebuking sin, in true brotherliness, charitableness, and forgiveness. The members of this Church should daily watch and pray to be delivered from all evil, from prophesying, judging, condemning, counseling, influencing or being influenced erroneously.

Church Manual, Article VIII, Sect. 1

Alertness to Duty

It shall be the duty of every member of this Church to defend himself daily against aggressive mental suggestion, and not be made to forget nor to neglect his duty to God, to his Leader, and to mankind. By his works he shall be judged, — and justified or condemned.

Church Manual, Article VIII, Sect. 6

Take Notice

To Christian Scientists: — See Science and Health, page 442, line 30, and give daily attention thereto.

from Miscellany, by Mary Baker Eddy, page 237

“Christian Scientists, be a law to yourselves that mental malpractice cannot harm you either when asleep or when awake.”

Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, page 422

This Bible Lesson was prepared by Plainfield Christian Science Church, Independent. It is composed of Scriptural Quotations from the King James Bible and Correlative Passages from the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, 1910 Edition, by Mary Baker Eddy.

Copyright 2024 Plainfield Christian Science Church, Independent

Table of Contents

Sunday, December 15th, 2024 — Subject: God The Preserver Of Man

Date of Lesson

Subject, Golden Text, and Responsive Reading

Lesson Sermon — The Bible

Lesson Sermon — Science and Health

The Daily Duties

About the preparation of this lesson