Your divine rights

Wednesday Meeting August 8, 2018, First Church of Christ, Scientist-Asheville, NC

KJV II Peter 1:1-8

1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

KJV Mark 10:40-43

40 …Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. 41 But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: 42 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. 43 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

KJV Mark 9:33-37

33 And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? 34 But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. 35 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. 36 And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, 37 Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.

KJV Luke 12:22-32

22 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. 23 The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. 24 Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? 25 And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? 26 If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? 27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? 29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. 32 …for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

KJV Romans 8:14-17 (to 1st Christ)

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ

KJV Gal 5:1, 13-14

1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

KJV I John 3:2-3

2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

KJV Rev 22:14

14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

S&H 288:27-2

Science reveals the glorious possibilities of immortal
man, forever unlimited by the mortal senses.
The Christ-element in the Messiah made him
the Way-shower, Truth and Life.
The eternal Truth destroys what mortals seem to have
learned from error, and man’s real existence as a child
of God comes to light. Truth demonstrated is eternal
life.

S&H 264:13

As mortals gain more correct views of God and man,
multitudinous objects of creation, which before were
invisible, will become visible. When we
realize that Life is Spirit, never in nor of
matter, this understanding will expand into self-com-
pleteness, finding all in God, good, and needing no other
consciousness.

S&H 323:28-4

The effects of Christian Science are not so much seen
as felt. It is the “still, small voice” of Truth
uttering itself. We are either turning away
from this utterance, or we are listening to it and going
up higher. Willingness to become as a little child and
to leave the old for the new, renders thought receptive of
the advanced idea. Gladness to leave the false landmarks
and joy to see them disappear, – this disposition helps
to precipitate the ultimate harmony.

S&H 130:15

Christian Science, properly understood, would dis-
abuse the human mind of material beliefs which war
against spiritual facts; and these material
beliefs must be denied and cast out to make
place for truth. You cannot add to the contents of a
vessel already full. Laboring long to shake the adult’s
faith in matter and to inculcate a grain of faith in God, –
an inkling of the ability of Spirit to make the body har-
monious, – the author has often remembered our Master’s
love for little children, and understood how truly such as
they belong to the heavenly kingdom.

S&H 226:14

God has built a higher platform of human rights, and
He has built it on diviner claims. These claims are not
made through code or creed, but in demonstra-
tion of “on earth peace, good-will toward men.”
Human codes, scholastic theology, material medicine and
hygiene, fetter faith and spiritual understanding. Divine
Science rends asunder these fetters, and man’s birthright
of sole allegiance to his Maker asserts itself.

S&H 227:14-16, 21

Discerning the rights of man, we cannot fail to fore-
see the doom of all oppression. Slavery is not the legiti-
mate state of man.
Christian Science raises the standard of liberty and
cries: “Follow me! Escape from the bondage of sick-
ness, sin, and death!” Jesus marked out the
way. Citizens of the world, accept the “glori-
ous liberty of the children of God,” and be free! This
is your divine right. The illusion of material sense, not
divine law, has bound you, entangled your free limbs,
crippled your capacities, enfeebled your body, and de-
faced the tablet of your being.

S&H 253:9-21, 25

I hope, dear reader, I am leading you into the under-
standing of your divine rights, your heaven-bestowed har-
mony, – that, as you read, you see there is no
cause (outside of erring, mortal, material sense
which is not power) able to make you sick or
sinful; and I hope that you are conquering this false sense.
Knowing the falsity of so-called material sense, you can
assert your prerogative to overcome the belief in sin, dis-
ease, or death.
If you believe in and practise wrong knowingly, you
can at once change your course and do right. Matter can
make no opposition to right endeavors against
sin or sickness, for matter is inert, mindless.
Do not believe in any supposed necessity for sin, dis-
ease, or death, knowing (as you ought to know) that God
never requires obedience to a so-called material law, for
no such law exists. The belief in sin and death is de-
stroyed by the law of God, which is the law of Life in-
stead of death, of harmony instead of discord, of Spirit
instead of the flesh.

S&H 106:7

God has endowed man with inalien-
able rights, among which are self-government,
reason, and conscience. Man is properly self-
governed only when he is guided rightly and governed by
his Maker, divine Truth and Love.

S&H 37:22-25

It is possible, – yea, it is the duty
and privilege of every child, man, and woman, – to follow
in some degree the example of the Master by the demon-
stration of Truth and Life, of health and holiness.

S&H 128:4

The term Science, properly understood, refers only to
the laws of God and to His government of the universe,
inclusive of man. From this it follows that
business men and cultured scholars have found
that Christian Science enhances their endurance and
mental powers, enlarges their perception of character,
gives them acuteness and comprehensiveness and an
ability to exceed their ordinary capacity. The human
mind, imbued with this spiritual understanding, becomes
more elastic, is capable of greater endurance, escapes
somewhat from itself, and requires less repose. A knowl-
edge of the Science of being develops the latent abilities
and possibilities of man. It extends the atmosphere of
thought, giving mortals access to broader and higher
realms. It raises the thinker into his native air of insight
and perspicacity.

II Peter 1:1-8
Mark 10:40-43
Mark 9:33-37
Luke 12:22-32
Romans 8:14-17 (to Christ)
Gal 5:1,13-14
I John 3:2-3
Rev 22:14

288:27-2
264:13
323:28-4
130:15
226:14
227:14-16, 21
253:9-21, 25
106:7
37:22-25
128:4

Hymns

15…As gold by fire is tested
154…Jesus’ prayer for all his brethren
564…Quiet, Lord, my froward heart