Are Sin, Disease, and Death Real? 4/13/03
And the answer is???? Just because we know the correct answer to the question doesn’t mean that we don’t read the Lesson or skip the first marker of the Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.
But, first, let’s sing the Golden Text, “I will call upon the Lord..” The rest of the song, verse not included in the GT is Ps 18:46 “The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock,”(check it out) As sure as the Lord is worthy of praise, we are assured of being safe. Amen.
RR Whenever we are fearful (forgetting everything about reality), we need only to trust (3). It sometimes seems that we have so many enemies, (often, the worst being ourselves), but God takes care of us because God is for us! Always!
Sect I Right away we are loved by God no matter how badly we mess up (Ps 103) Whew! No matter how dark it gets! Whew, again! We are not going to stay in the valley of the shadow of death! Move on to the light. There is a lot of light in the Lesson. Write a list of all the things God does for us in this Bible section alone. A quick count is 12!
S&H Don’t read the first marker. It gives the whole Lesson away, remember? Opps, or the second, or the third, or the fourth, but read the fifth. What is it we are to learn if we already know the answer to the question? How do we read this Lesson? How about with the thought to learn and reinforce our understanding why we know that sin, disease and death are not real and to stock pile our ammunition to shatter the false suggestions that would try to sneak in. Then the “foundations of error would be sapped and error’s destruction ensured” (S&H 357) So, read the whole Lesson.
Sect II What is most necessary to support a fact? Law. Laws proven and authorized, in this case by God. Who is the Holy One in Ps 16:10? Don’t be modest in your answer. In that we follow Him we are protected and able to demonstrate the nothingness of sin, disease and death. The proof? Check out the example our master teacher in Matt. 4:23,24. Wow! He did it, so that we can too.
How did Jesus heal? The Bible citations tell us and Mrs. Eddy sums it up on p.27. “Divine Truth, Life, and Love gave Jesus authority over sin, sickness, and death.” That’s our authority, too!!! If that doesn’t sap the error, marker 10 repeats the full authority for annihilation of error. Look at the qualifications and demands of Truth, Love and Life. No compromises “no consciousness of error, no sense of hate” (Not even if we think that we’re justified. Justification would be a form of hate.), full of Life.
Now to be more specific we go to a section for each of those sneaky errors.
Sect III The poor prodigal son messes up again. But, fortunately, he came to, regained consciousness, to his real sinless selfhood. Of course his father welcomed him home! His father always knew the son’s perfect self and could easily forgive. (Go to your Bibles and read the other son’s story too. He woke up to the good always at hand. We learn our lessons quicker sometimes because we get into trouble, but even when we are “good” we must be aware of our Father/Mother God’s love for us. Remember that sin is an archery term for missing the mark, the target. So our “sin” could be not being “right on” with God.)
Wow, check out the Love that the S&H gives. Maybe, probably, of course, we mess up, but Love is present, forgiving, redeeming. But see if you can find the catch. We must wake up, realize the deception of error, trash it, and delete it. It is not ours. Error would try trick us into repeating the sin if it could. But, “God is All, there is no room for His unlikeness.” (S&H 339) There is wonderful promise in marker 15. We can always start doing right now not tomorrow.
Okay, what’s next? You’re right, the disease section.
Sect IV God is caring for us even though there seems to be all the yucky stuff out there. Where is out there? From the last section, God is All. Can there be an out there? No. So in our oneness with the Father, we are healthy, safe, no matter if 10 thousands of people say otherwise out there (Ps 3). Remember God’s law in the second section? I have kept thy law (Ps119). So, we’ll dance, dress in gladness, sing, and not be silent, and give thanks. (Ps 30)
If we are dancing, sing, and giving thanks, we cannot be depressed or discouraged. Truth does the work. (S&H 420) Let’s remember, “Truth has no consciousness of error.” (S&H 243 marker 10) What is the basis for a truthful testimony, matter or Mind? Marker 18 tells us. Matter has no foundation. (S&H 487) Sense lies. Mrs. Eddy comes to the rescue as Jesus did. She too, relied completely on Principle, law. We have no idea what the physical claim was on page 382. It is irrelevant. The claim was purely mental. Mrs. Eddy proved that Truth has no consciousness of error.
Section V What of the scary part of the trio — death? Jesus proved it to be a false deceiver, like sin and disease. The father was very distressed of course, thinking that his daughter dying. Yet he recognized the Christ as able to save. He believed. As the custom was in those times, mourners were hired to wail and weep in a sense of honoring the deceased. When Jesus told the hired mourners that the daughter wasn’t dead, they laughed at him! Was that their way of saying that Christian Science can’t heal? Ha to them. Jesus took the believers with him. He never saw a dead girl. He saw only a “gentle beam of living Love, and deathless Life.” (Hymn 23 Blest Christmas Morn) Go back to S&H 243. What about Life?
God destroys the belief of death no matter the so-called age of the individual. Mortal mind would justify death by old age. We cannot accept that decoy. There is no death. We are not to be fooled by illusion. It does seem so real sometimes. Use the directions that Mrs. Eddy gives us on p. 412. She gives us the guarantee then she gives us specific commands. Read the lines in between the citation markers too. She tells exactly what we must do. It is sometimes difficult to think when we are “in the middle” of a problem. In that case, follow her guidance. “Break the dream, insist, and realize.” She proved the power of Christian Science and divine Love omnipotent for us to use here and now. “Basic law in marker 25 gives us the absolute bottom line. The light!”
Sect VI The wrap up section. The work is done. The victory ours. Follow the commands in Matt 10:8. You can because ìthe eyes of your understanding are enlightenedî! (Eph.1) Not in a future-world. When? Now! Where? Everywhere! It is promised for experiencing. (S&H 55 Marker 30) Let’s go with the flow of the strong spiritual currents. (S&H 98)
Go get a hymnal – read, dance, sing and give thanks with hymn 5. What is our call? No foe in ambush is going to get our prize.
