Sunday, October 21st, 2018



SubjectDoctrine of Atonement

Golden Text: Proverbs 22 : 4



By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life.




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Responsive Reading: Colossians 3 : 1, 2, 12-17


1.     If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

2.     Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

12.     Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

13.     Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

14.     And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

15.     And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

16.     Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

17.     And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.



Lesson Sermon



The Bible


1. James 4 : 8, 10

8     Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

10     Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

2. Micah 6 : 6, 8

6     Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?

8     He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

3. Matthew 20 : 17-28

17     And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,

18     Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,

19     And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.

20     Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.

21     And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.

22     But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.

23     And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

24     And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren.

25     But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.

26     But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;

27     And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:

28     Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

4. Matthew 26 : 19, 26-28

19     And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.

26     And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.

27     And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;

28     For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

5. Luke 23 : 33-43

33     And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

34     Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

35     And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.

36     And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar,

37     And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself.

38     And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

39     And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.

40     But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?

41     And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.

42     And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

43     And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

6. Philippians 2 : 5-9

5     Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

6     Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

7     But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

8     And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

9     Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

7. Romans 5 : 10, 11

10     For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

11     And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.



Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures


1. 18 : 1-5

ATONEMENT is the exemplification of man’s unity with God, whereby man reflects divine Truth, Life, and Love. Jesus of Nazareth taught and demonstrated man’s oneness with the Father, and for this we owe him endless homage.

2. 23 : 1-5

Wisdom and Love may require many sacrifices of self to save us from sin. One sacrifice, however great, is insufficient to pay the debt of sin. The atonement requires constant self- immolation on the sinner’s part.

3. 1 : 6-9

Prayer, watching, and working, combined with self-immolation, are God’s gracious means for accomplishing whatever has been successfully done for the Christianization and health of mankind.

4. 45 : 6-21

Our Master fully and finally demonstrated divine Science in his victory over death and the grave. Jesus’ deed was for the enlightenment of men and for the salvation of the whole world from sin, sickness, and death. Paul writes: “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the [seeming] death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” Three days after his bodily burial he talked with his disciples. The persecutors had failed to hide immortal Truth and Love in a sepulchre.

Glory be to God, and peace to the struggling hearts! Christ hath rolled away the stone from the door of human hope and faith, and through the revelation and demonstration of life in God, hath elevated them to possible at-one-ment with the spiritual idea of man and his divine Principle, Love.

5. 590 : 9-10

LAMB OF GOD. The spiritual idea of Love; self-immolation; innocence and purity; sacrifice

6. 24 : 27-12

The efficacy of the crucifixion lay in the practical affection and goodness it demonstrated for mankind. The truth had been lived among men; but until they saw that it enabled their Master to triumph over the grave, his own disciples could not admit such an event to be possible. After the resurrection, even the unbelieving Thomas was forced to acknowledge how complete was the great proof of Truth and Love.

The spiritual essence of blood is sacrifice. The efficacy of Jesus’ spiritual offering is infinitely greater than can be expressed by our sense of human blood. The material blood of Jesus was no more efficacious to cleanse from sin when it was shed upon “the accursed tree,” than when it was flowing in his veins as he went daily about his Father’s business. His true flesh and blood were his Life; and they truly eat his flesh and drink his blood, who partake of that divine Life.

7. 19 : 6-11, 17-28

Jesus aided in reconciling man to God by giving man a truer sense of Love, the divine Principle of Jesus’ teachings, and this truer sense of Love redeems man from the law of matter, sin, and death by the law of Spirit, — the law of divine Love.

Every pang of repentance and suffering, every effort for reform, every good thought and deed, will help us to understand Jesus’ atonement for sin and aid its efficacy; but if the sinner continues to pray and repent, sin and be sorry, he has little part in the atonement, — in the at-one-ment with God, — for he lacks the practical repentance, which reforms the heart and enables man to do the will of wisdom. Those who cannot demonstrate, at least in part, the divine Principle of the teachings and practice of our Master have no part in God. If living in disobedience to Him, we ought to feel no security, although God is good.

8. 30 : 26-3

If we have triumphed sufficiently over the errors of material sense to allow Soul to hold the control, we shall loathe sin and rebuke it under every mask. Only in this way can we bless our enemies, though they may not so construe our words. We cannot choose for ourselves, but must work out our salvation in the way Jesus taught. In meekness and might, he was found preaching the gospel to the poor. Pride and fear are unfit to bear the standard of Truth, and God will never place it in such hands.

9. 29 : 1-6

Christians must take up arms against error at home and abroad. They must grapple with sin in themselves and in others, and continue this warfare until they have finished their course. If they keep the faith, they will have the crown of rejoicing.

10. 34 : 29-9

What a contrast between our Lord’s last supper and his last spiritual breakfast with his disciples in the bright morning hours at the joyful meeting on the shore of the Galilean Sea! His gloom had passed into glory, and his disciples’ grief into repentance, — hearts chastened and pride rebuked. Convinced of the fruitlessness of their toil in the dark and wakened by their Master’s voice, they changed their methods, turned away from material things, and cast their net on the right side. Discerning Christ, Truth, anew on the shore of time, they were enabled to rise somewhat from mortal sensuousness, or the burial of mind in matter, into newness of life as Spirit.

11. 21 : 1-14

If Truth is overcoming error in your daily walk and conversation, you can finally say, “I have fought a good fight … I have kept the faith,” because you are a better man. This is having our part in the at-one-ment with Truth and Love. Christians do not continue to labor and pray, expecting because of another’s goodness, suffering, and triumph, that they shall reach his harmony and reward.

If the disciple is advancing spiritually, he is striving to enter in. He constantly turns away from material sense, and looks towards the imperishable things of Spirit. If honest, he will be in earnest from the start, and gain a little each day in the right direction, till at last he finishes his course with joy.


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