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

GOLDEN TEXT: Psalm 62 : 11

“God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.”

RESPONSIVE READING: II Samuel 22 : 2-4, 21, 22, 28, 32, 33

2.     The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;

3.     The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.

4.     I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

21.     The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness: according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

22.     For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

28.     And the afflicted people thou wilt save: but thine eyes are upon the haughty, that thou mayest bring them down.

32.     For who is God, save the LORD? and who is a rock, save our God?

33.     God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.

Lesson Sermon

The Bible

1. I Chronicles 29 : 11, 13

11     Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.

13     Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.

2. Jeremiah 32 : 16 (I prayed)-18 (to 1st ,), 18 (the Great)-20, 26, 27

16     I prayed unto the LORD, saying,

17     Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:

18     Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, … the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is his name,

19     Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings:

20     Which hast set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, even unto this day, and in Israel, and among other men; and hast made thee a name, as at this day;

26     Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying,

27     Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?

3. Joshua 6 : 1, 2, 6, 7, 10, 11, 14, 15 (to :), 16, 20, 27

1     Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.

2     And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.

6     And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD.

7     And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the LORD.

10     And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout.

11     So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.

14     And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days.

15     And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times:

16     And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city.

20     So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

27     So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the country.

4. Isaiah 52 : 10

10     The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

5. Mark 1 : 1

1     The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;

6. Mark 3 : 1-7, 8 (when), 10, 11, 13, 14, 15

1     And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.

2     And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.

3     And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.

4     And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.

5     And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

6     And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.

7     But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judæa,

8     … when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him.

10     For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues.

11     And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.

13     And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.

14     And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,

15     And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:

7. Ephesians 3 : 14, 16, 20, 21

14     For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

16     That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

20     Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

21     Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Science and Health

1. 275 : 6-9

The starting-point of divine Science is that God, Spirit, is All-in-all, and that there is no other might nor Mind, — that God is Love, and therefore He is divine Principle.

2. 127 : 30-3

Christian Science eschews what is called natural science, in so far as this is built on the false hypotheses that matter is its own lawgiver, that law is founded on material conditions, and that these are final and overrule the might of divine Mind. Good is natural and primitive. It is not miraculous to itself.

3. 182 : 19-22, 30-1 (to ;)

Obedience to material law prevents full obedience to spiritual law, — the law which overcomes material conditions and puts matter under the feet of Mind.

To admit that sickness is a condition over which God has no control, is to presuppose that omnipotent power is powerless on some occasions. The law of Christ, or Truth, makes all things possible to Spirit;

4. 344 : 32-9

In the Bible the word Spirit is so commonly applied to Deity, that Spirit and God are often regarded as synonymous terms; and it is thus they are uniformly used and understood in Christian Science. As it is evident that the likeness of Spirit cannot be material, does it not follow that God cannot be in His unlikeness and work through drugs to heal the sick? When the omnipotence of God is preached and His absoluteness is set forth, Christian sermons will heal the sick.

5. 357 : 17-23 (to 2nd ,), 25-32

History teaches that the popular and false notions about the Divine Being and character have originated in the human mind. As there is in reality but one God, one Mind, wrong notions about God must have originated in a false supposition, not in immortal Truth, and they are fading out. They are false claims, which will eventually disappear,

If what opposes God is real, there must be two powers, and God is not supreme and infinite. Can Deity be almighty, if another mighty and self-creative cause exists and sways mankind? Has the Father "Life in Himself," as the Scriptures say, and, if so, can Life, or God, dwell in evil and create it? Can matter drive Life, Spirit, hence, and so defeat omnipotence?

6. 284 : 15-16

Can Deity be known through the material senses?

7. 285 : 1-2, 23-31

Matter is not sentient and cannot be cognizant of good or of evil, of pleasure or of pain.

By interpreting God as a corporeal Saviour but not as the saving Principle, or divine Love, we shall continue to seek salvation through pardon and not through reform, and resort to matter instead of Spirit for the cure of the sick. As mortals reach, through knowledge of Christian Science, a higher sense, they will seek to learn, not from matter, but from the divine Principle, God, how to demonstrate the Christ, Truth, as the healing and saving power.

8. 444 : 31-18

The teacher must make clear to students the Science of healing, especially its ethics, — that all is Mind, and that the Scientist must conform to God's requirements. Also the teacher must thoroughly fit his students to defend themselves against sin, and to guard against the attacks of the would-be mental assassin, who attempts to kill morally and physically. No hypothesis as to the existence of another power should interpose a doubt or fear to hinder the demonstration of Christian Science. Unfold the latent energies and capacities for good in your pupil. Teach the great possibilities of man endued with divine Science. Teach the dangerous possibility of dwarfing the spiritual understanding and demonstration of Truth by sin, or by recourse to material means for healing. Teach the meekness and might of life "hid with Christ in God," and there will be no desire for other healing methods. You render the divine law of healing obscure and void, when you weigh the human in the scale with the divine, or limit in any direction of thought the omnipresence and omnipotence of God.

9. 406 : 19-24 (to ,)

Resist evil — error of every sort — and it will flee from you. Error is opposed to Life. We can, and ultimately shall, so rise as to avail ourselves in every direction of the supremacy of Truth over error, Life over death, and good over evil, and this growth will go on until we arrive at the fulness of God's idea,

10. 407 : 6-20

Man's enslavement to the most relentless masters — passion, selfishness, envy, hatred, and revenge — is conquered only by a mighty struggle. Every hour of delay makes the struggle more severe. If man is not victorious over the passions, they crush out happiness, health, and manhood. Here Christian Science is the sovereign panacea, giving strength to the weakness of mortal mind, — strength from the immortal and omnipotent Mind, — and lifting humanity above itself into purer desires, even into spiritual power and good-will to man.

Let the slave of wrong desire learn the lessons of Christian Science, and he will get the better of that desire, and ascend a degree in the scale of health, happiness, and existence.

11. 387 : 27-32

The history of Christianity furnishes sublime proofs of the supporting influence and protecting power bestowed on man by his heavenly Father, omnipotent Mind, who gives man faith and understanding whereby to defend himself, not only from temptation, but from bodily suffering.

12. 55 : 16-26

My weary hope tries to realize that happy day, when man shall recognize the Science of Christ and love his neighbor as himself, — when he shall realize God's omnipotence and the healing power of the divine Love in what it has done and is doing for mankind. The promises will be fulfilled. The time for the reappearing of the divine healing is throughout all time; and whosoever layeth his earthly all on the altar of divine Science, drinketh of Christ's cup now, and is endued with the spirit and power of Christian healing.

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 2025 Plainfield Christian Science Church, Independent

Table of Contents

Sunday, January 5th, 2025 — Subject: God

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