PSST: Known Truth is never afraid to stand up to a lie in whatever form!
Possible Sunday School Topics (PSST) for The Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson:
“Adam and Fallen Man”
for October 31-November 6, 2022
prepared by Merrill Boudreaux, C.S.
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P.S.S.T. Golden Text (GT)/ a BIG question: “Who told you…?”
Genesis 3:11: “…Who told you that you were naked?” (New King James Version, NKJV)
In the Golden Text is a BIG question: “Who told you…?”
Fill in the blank, as in… Who told you that you were young, old; short, tall; black, brown, red, white; rich, poor; smart, unintelligent; or the biggest question of all, Who told you that you were material, spiritual?
This is the question to be examined – Who told you…? Who are you listening to? How do you increase hearing and listening to the voice of God, your Creator, who knows you and knows how He made you and why.
Responsive Reading (RR)/Isaiah 28:15; Isaiah 52:1,2,3,8,12; and Joel 2:26,27.
With whom do you align yourself? Falsehoods, lies? What is the call in the Responsive Reading? For you to awake, put on your strength, live and never be ashamed, do not hide yourself behind the physical form, behind the beliefs that have come down through the ages. God says in the last line of the RR: “…my people shall never be ashamed.”
P.S.S.T. Section 1 –No 3rd element – basis to begin any prayer treatment
Here is another question to be considered – citation S7/Science & Health 470:18, “The standard of perfection was originally God and man. Has God taken down His own standard, and has man fallen?”
Please note, the standard includes God and man. There is no third element. This is your basis to begin in any prayer treatment – God and man, no one else. So ask the question – What does God know about me, this person I am praying for, or this situation I am praying about? Questions are good. Be alert, though, to be wary of false prophets, liars, and their lies.
P.S.S.T. Section 2 – Be vigilant to all deceiving adversaries!
What does it mean in citation B7/I Peter 5:8 to “be sober, be vigilant”? What are some other words for “adversary”? Liar, a yeller or screamer, deceiver, pain, disease, death, devourer. Who is more powerful than these? With whom will you align yourself?
Are you a descendant of Adam and Eve or is God alone your Creator, your Father-Mother? What are some other terms for the talking serpent in this section? Deceiver, tempter, error, evil, knowledge and pleasure evolved through material sense, fear. See Paul’s answer to these questions in Romans 8:35,37-39:
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
“Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
By the way, have you ever heard a talking snake? What is the purpose of the story of Adam and Eve? See S11/Science & Health 540:21, “The purpose of the Hebrew allegory, representing error as assuming a divine character, is to teach mortals never to believe a lie.”
So, another question is, Who do you trust to tell you the truth? See Joshua 24:16, “Choose you this day whom you will serve… as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
P.S.S.T. Section 3 – Exercise you authority to cast out lying temptations.
When you are tempted to believe the falsity of the serpent, ask another question, “By what authority do you tempt me to do these things?” Then know you have authority to cast out the temptations, as is stated in citation B11/Revelation 12:10: “…Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ:”
You see, you are never alone, and you always have strength to stand up to the lie, the serpent, the tempter. Are you ready and willing to wake up from the Adam dream? See Science & Health 323:32-2, “Willingness to become as a little child and to leave the old for the new, renders thought receptive of the advanced idea.”
P.S.S.T. Section 4 – Never accept that you or anyone lives in matter.
The story of temptation started with Adam & Eve and continues even to Jesus. But Jesus destroyed this temptation and provided the pathway for us to follow. He said, “Get thee hence, Satan… thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” (cit. B14/Matthew 4:10).
This power is ours also, to speak to error as one with authority, the authority which is yours through Christ. See the definition of Christ in the Glossary in Science & Health 583:10, “The divine manifestation of God, which comes to the flesh to destroy incarnate error.”
Citation S23/SH 406:19-20 states, “Resist evil – error of every sort – and it will flee from you.” This is essential as a prayer treatment – to resist the temptation to believe in or accept that you or anyone lives in matter.
P.S.S.T. Section 5 – Identify challenges, but only speak the good news.
In this section please note the specific challenges to your divine right to conquer discord of every kind. Ask students to identify them:
- Human codes
- Scholastic theology
- Hygiene
- Disease
- Material laws of health
- Drugs
- Inflammation
Mind, God, is more powerful as the source and condition of all existence (cit. S27/SH 180:31-6).
What does it mean to “preach the gospel to every creature”? Gospel meaning good news. Ask students to answer this question: What good news do you have to tell after having discussed this lesson? Be ever ready to only speak the good news, and not use the forked tongue of the serpent (snake) to speak a lie.
P.S.S.T. Section 6 – John 8:32 is a good memorization opportunity,
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (cit. B19)
This is the essence of this lesson – to answer all questions asked, by knowing and stating the truth, never being afraid to stand up to the lie in whatever form it appears. This is your divine right.
See citation S32/SH 227:24-25, “Citizens of the world, accept the ‘glorious liberty of the children of God,’ and be free!”
Read together Hymn 501 from the Christian Science Hymnal (words printed here):
Hymn 501 (& 136)
I love Your way of freedom, Lord, To serve You is my choice; In Your clear light of Truth I rise And, listening for Your voice, I hear Your promise old and new, That bids all fear to cease: “My presence still shall go with you And I will give you peace.”
Though storm or discord cross my path Your power is still my stay, Though human will and woe would check My upward-soaring way; All unafraid I wait, the while Your angels bring release, For still Your presence is with me, And You do give me peace.
I climb, with joy, the heights of Mind, To soar o’er time and space; I yet shall know as I am known And see You face to face. Till time and space and fear are naught My quest shall never cease, Your presence ever goes with me And You do give me peace.
Therefore, go you, and be at peace!
