Theme: Assured
Hymn 93
William P. McKenzie
Happy the man whose heart can rest,
Assured God's goodness ne'er will cease;
Each day, complete, with joy is blessed,
God keepeth him in perfect peace.
God keepeth him, and God is one,
One Life, forevermore the same,
One Truth unchanged while ages run;
Eternal Love His holiest name.
Dwelling in Love that cannot change,
From anxious fear man finds release;
No more his homeless longings range,
God keepeth him in perfect peace.
In perfect peace, with tumult stilled,
Enhavened where no storms arise,
There man can work what God hath willed;
The joy of perfect work his prize.
Readings from the Bible.
Psalms 19:7‑11
The law of the Lord is
perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise
the simple. The statutes of the Lord are
right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening
the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous
altogether. More to be desired are they
than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the
honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy
servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
Isaiah 32:1‑4,16 judgment,17
Behold, a king shall reign in
righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. And a man shall be as an hiding place from
the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as
the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.
And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them
that hear shall hearken. The heart also
of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall
be ready to speak plainly.
judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and
righteousness remain in the fruitful field.
And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of
righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.
Jeremiah 32:37‑41
Behold, I will gather them
out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury,
and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will
cause them to dwell safely: And they shall be my people, and I will be their
God: And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for
ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them: And I will make
an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do
them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart
from me. Yea, I will rejoice over them
to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole
heart and with my whole soul.
Acts 17:24‑31
God that made the world and
all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in
temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he
needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And
hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the
earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their
habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him,
and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live,
and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For
we are also his offspring. Forasmuch
then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is
like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. And the times of this ignorance God winked
at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed
a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom
he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath
raised him from the dead.
Colossians 2:1‑10 I would
I would that ye knew what great conflict I
have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my
face in the flesh; That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in
love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the
acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In
whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And this I say, lest any man should beguile
you with enticing words. For though I be
absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your
order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus
the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the
faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through
philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of
the world, and not after Christ. For in
him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head
of all principality and power:
I Thessalonians 1:1‑6 Grace
Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our
Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. We
give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;
Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and
patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. For our gospel came not unto you in word
only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye
know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. And ye became followers of us, and of the
Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:
II Timothy 3:14‑17 continue
continue thou in the things which thou hast
learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And
that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make
thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all
good works.
Hebrews 6:10‑15 God
God is not unrighteous to forget your work and
labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have
ministered to the saints, and do minister.
And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the
full assurance of hope unto the end: That ye be not slothful, but followers of
them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For when God made promise to Abraham, because
he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I
will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he
obtained the promise.
Hebrews 10:22‑24
Let us draw near with a true
heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith
without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one
another to provoke unto love and to good works:
I John 3:18‑24
My little children, let us
not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth,
and shall assure our hearts before him.
For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth
all things. Beloved, if our heart
condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him,
because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his
sight. And this is his commandment, That
we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as
he gave us commandment. And he that
keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know
that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
Readings from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy..
15:25
Christians rejoice in secret beauty and
bounty, hidden from the world, but known to God. Self‑forgetfulness, purity, and affection are
constant prayers. Practice not
profession, understanding not belief, gain the ear and right hand of
omnipotence and they assuredly call down infinite blessings. Trustworthiness is the foundation of
enlightened faith. Without a fitness for
holiness, we cannot receive holiness.
20:24
Material belief is slow to acknowledge what
the spiritual fact implies. The truth is
the centre of all religion. It commands
sure entrance into the realm of Love.
St. Paul wrote, "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which
doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set
before us;" that is, let us put aside material self and sense, and seek
the divine Principle and Science of all healing.
68:27
Christian Science presents unfoldment, not
accretion; it manifests no material growth from molecule to mind, but an
impartation of the divine Mind to man and the universe. Proportionately as human generation ceases,
the unbroken links of eternal, harmonious being will be spiritually discerned;
and man, not of the earth earthly but coexistent with God, will appear. The scientific fact that man and the universe
are evolved from Spirit, and so are spiritual, is as fixed in divine Science as
is the proof that mortals gain the sense of health only as they lose the sense
of sin and disease. Mortals can never
understand God's creation while believing that man is a creator. God's children already created will be
cognized only as man finds the truth of being.
Thus it is that the real, ideal man appears in proportion as the false
and material disappears. No longer to
marry or to be "given in marriage" neither closes man's continuity
nor his sense of increasing number in God's infinite plan. Spiritually to understand that there is but
one creator, God, unfolds all creation, confirms the Scriptures, brings the
sweet assurance of no parting, no pain, and of man deathless and perfect and
eternal.
176:21
Should all cases of organic disease be
treated by a regular practitioner, and the Christian Scientist try truth only
in cases of hysteria, hypochondria, and hallucination? One disease is no more real than
another. All disease is the result of
education, and disease can carry its ill‑effects no farther than mortal mind
maps out the way. The human mind, not
matter, is supposed to feel, suffer, enjoy.
Hence decided types of acute disease are quite as ready to yield to
Truth as the less distinct type and chronic form of disease. Truth handles the most malignant contagion
with perfect assurance.
202:31‑16
Common opinion admits that a man may take
cold in the act of doing good, and that this cold may produce fatal pulmonary
disease; as though evil could overbear the law of Love, and check the reward
for doing good. In the Science of
Christianity, Mind ‑‑omnipotence‑‑has all‑power, assigns sure rewards to
righteousness, and shows that matter can neither heal nor make sick, create nor
destroy.
If God were understood instead of being
merely believed, this understanding would establish health. The accusation of the rabbis, "He made
himself the Son of God," was really the justification of Jesus, for to the
Christian the only true spirit is Godlike.
This thought incites to a more exalted worship and self‑abnegation. Spiritual perception brings out the
possibilities of being, destroys reliance on aught but God, and so makes man
the image of his Maker in deed and in truth.
223:7‑24
Matter does not express Spirit. God is infinite omnipresent Spirit. If Spirit is all and is everywhere, what and where is matter? Remember that truth is greater than error,
and we cannot put the greater into the less.
Soul is Spirit, and Spirit is greater than body. If Spirit were once within the body, Spirit
would be finite, and therefore could not be Spirit.
The question, "What is Truth,"
convulses the world. Many are ready to
meet this inquiry with the assurance which comes of understanding; but more are
blinded by their old illusions, and try to "give it pause." "If the blind lead the blind, both shall
fall into the ditch."
The efforts of error to answer this question
by some ology are vain. Spiritual rationality and free thought
accompany approaching Science, and cannot be put down. They will emancipate humanity, and supplant
unscientific means and so‑called laws.
387:3
Because mortal mind is kept active, must it
pay the penalty in a softened brain? Who
dares to say that actual Mind can be overworked? When we reach our limits of mental endurance,
we conclude that intellectual labor has been carried sufficiently far; but when
we realize that immortal Mind is ever active, and that spiritual energies can
neither wear out nor can so‑called material law trespass upon God‑given powers
and resources, we are able to rest in Truth, refreshed by the assurances of
immortality, opposed to mortality.
459:24
To mortal sense Christian Science seems
abstract, but the process is simple and the results are sure if the Science is
understood. The tree must be good, which
produces good fruit. Guided by divine
Truth and not guesswork, the theologus
(that is, the student‑‑the Christian and scientific expounder‑‑of the divine
law) treats disease with more certain results than any other healer on the
globe. The Christian Scientist should
understand and adhere strictly to the rules of divine metaphysics as laid down
in this work, and rest his demonstration on this sure basis.
494:30‑24
Our Master cast out devils (evils) and healed
the sick. It should be said of his
followers also, that they cast fear and all evil out of themselves and others
and heal the sick. God will heal the
sick through man, whenever man is governed by God. Truth casts out error now as surely as it did
nineteen centuries ago. All of Truth is
not understood; hence its healing power is not fully demonstrated.
If sickness is true or the idea of Truth, you
cannot destroy sickness, and it would be absurd to try. Then classify sickness and error as our
Master did, when he spoke of the sick, "whom Satan hath bound," and
find a sovereign antidote for error in the life‑giving power of Truth acting on
human belief, a power which opens the prison doors to such as are bound, and
sets the captive free physically and morally.
When the illusion of sickness or sin tempts
you, cling steadfastly to God and His idea.
Allow nothing but His likeness to abide in your thought. Let neither fear nor doubt overshadow your
clear sense and calm trust, that the recognition of life harmonious‑‑as Life
eternally is‑‑can destroy any painful sense of, or belief in, that which Life
is not. Let Christian Science, instead
of corporeal sense, support your understanding of being, and this understanding
will supplant error with Truth, replace mortality with immortality, and silence
discord with harmony.
577:32‑18
In the following Psalm one word shows, though
faintly, the light which Christian Science throws on the Scriptures by
substituting for the corporeal sense, the incorporeal or spiritual sense of
Deity:‑‑
PSALM XXIII
[Divine Love] is my shepherd; I shall not
want.
[Love] maketh me to lie down in green
pastures: [Love] leadeth me beside the still waters.
[Love] restoreth my soul [spiritual
sense]: [Love] leadeth me in the paths
of righteousness for His name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil:
for [Love] is with me; [Love's] rod and [Love's] staff they comfort me.
[Love] prepareth a table before me in the
presence of mine enemies: [Love]
anointeth my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all
the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house [the consciousness] of
[Love] for ever.
Silent prayer followed by the audible repetition of the Lord’s Prayer.
Hymn 354
Benjamin Beddome – Adapted
'Tis God the Spirit leads
In paths before unknown;
The work to be performed is ours,
The strength is all His own.
Supported by His grace,
We still pursue our way;
Assured that we shall reach the prize,
Secure in endless day.
God works in us to will,
He works in us to do;
His is the power by which we act,
His be the glory too.
Sharing of experiences, testimonies and remarks by members of the congregation.
Hymn 381
William P. McKenzie
What brightness dawned in resurrection
And shone in Mary's wondering eyes!
Her heart was thrilled with new affection,
She saw her Lord in life arise.
She knew the Christ, undimmed by dying,
Alive forevermore to save;
Creative Mind, all good supplying,
Had triumphed over cross and grave.
With hope and faith, like exiles yearning
For homelands loved through patient years,
The hearts of men are homeward turning
To God Who giveth rest from fears.
Assured and safe in Love's protection,
Great peace have they, and unsought joy;
They rise from sin in resurrection,
And works of love their hands employ.
