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Sunday School Lesson 18
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Our Faith - Twenty Lessons separated into four. (17-20)
Lesson Seventeen
Alas for him who never sees
The stars shine through his cypress trees!
For Life is ever Lord of Death,
And Love can never lose its own.
Whittier.
I. THE TALK.
We must turn to the New Testament for Bible light on the subject of life after death, not to the Old.
Little Argument.
Jesus rarely enters into any arguments with those who put questions to him on this subject. Once he replied at some length to the Sadducees, who did not believe in immortality, and ended thus:
"As to the dead, and the fact that they rise from the grave, have you never read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the Bush, how God spoke to him thus: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. God is not God of dead, but of living people. You are greatly mistaken."
The Father's House.
In another conversation, this time with his disciples, Jesus uttered these words:
"Believe in God, and believe in me, too. In my Father's house there are many rooms. I am going to prepare a place for you."
His Last Words.
The last words Jesus spoke revealed his thought of the future:
"Jesus called out loudly, 'Father, into Thy hands I commit my spirit.' And with these words he expired."
Other Sayings.
But we are not left to these for our only light and information. Under all that Jesus taught, and through the life he lived, ran the faith in immortality that shows itself in three ways.
Life Everlasting.
The Great Teacher was always pointing out the way that led to life everlasting. Enter in by the narrow gate; strive and falter not; seek the pearl of great price; keep the lamp filled with oil.
These and other similar teachings referred to the strong life, the good life, which was the everlasting life. Death could not destroy it.
The Eternal Life.
Jesus also exhorted men to be sure and obtain part in the life eternal. He did not mean by this that men should prepare and wait for some great thing to come to pass. Eternity is now and here. Eternity is God, and God is here and now. He who is "accepted of God" is already living the eternal life. It is not true or good to say, "Prepare for eternity," as though that meant some far-off time and place.
The Victorious Life.
And the third way Jesus taught immortality, or enforced its reality, was by calling on all to live the victorious life.
Jesus sought to stir the sense of sonship to God in every heart, to make it strong, so that confidence would take the place of timidity.
"Even now," said an apostle, "we are children of God, and if children, then heirs," -heirs of the gift of life everlasting, given to us by our heavenly Father.
Q. Did Jesus often speak in figures?
A. Most of his teachings are in parables, or pictorial form.
Q. How ought we to read them?
A. Always remembering to separate the idea from the imagery.
Q. Is this especially true of everything he said about the future life?
A. Yes. Great harm has been done by failing to follow this rule.
Q. Can we think of any particular cases?
A. Yes. About the resurrection and about heaven and hell.
Q. What has happened in these instances?
A. His allegorical, pictorial language has been taken literally.
Q. What has been the result?
A. The spiritual idea has been lost in the material description.
Onward.
We believe that every soul goes onward at death, but it may not go at once upward. It may undergo discipline for a while. Some souls are better prepared than others. It will not be the same to all, without regard to conduct and character.
Upward.
This means that the good, the noble, the honorable, are the spiritually minded.
That he who loves the low and mean checks and hinders his progress here and hereafter: he is earthly minded.
Such are the teachings of Jesus and of the writers in the New Testament.
II. HINTS TO TEACHERS.
You will do well to elaborate what is only suggested in the lesson, and illustrate how Jesus spoke in metaphors, in poetic, pictorial language. It was Oriental; it was simple and graphic; it was understood correctly at the time. But in after times the idea became confused with the setting, and the frame was of more consequence than the picture. Jesus said little definitely about the future; but his faith in that future was evident in all he said and did.
III. QUESTIONS FOR PUPILS.
* Where do we look for light on this subject in the Bible?
* Did Jesus enter into argument about immortality?
* Why?
* How did he once describe the future?
* What were his last words?
* Can you explain the phrase "life everlasting"?
* "Eternal life"?
* "Victorious life"?
* Did Jesus often use figures of speech in referring to the future?
* How do careless readers make mistakes?
* Do we believe that all souls go onward and upward alike?
* Why not?
Lesson Eighteen
When falls the night upon the earth,
And all in shadow lies,
The sun's not dead, his radiance still
Beams bright on other skies..
Minot J. Savage
I. THE TALK.
Q. What have we ascertained?
A. That some kind of hope or faith in future life has always existed.
Q. Was it clear and strong?
A. No. It varied with the age and civilization of the peoples.
Q. What light did Jesus bring?
A. He taught a faith in everlasting life.
Q. How did that help?
A. By showing that he who has the true life now has proof of future life.
If.
Now let us see the consequences. If we believe in the progress of mankind onward and upward forever, then there are certain things we must keep in mind.
Prepare to Live.
The most important duty is to be ready to live, day by day. Sometimes we think our duty is to prepare for death, because that event seems so strange and solemn. But he who fills each day nobly will meet death triumphantly.
Living Nobly.
Living day by day does not mean a careless, ordinary way. We must make the most of our time, follow the highest examples, do good, and leave the world better. We must listen to conscience, and obey the truth as we see it.
Dignity.
Another thing to be remembered: If we are to live hereafter, then the present takes on more dignity and greatness. It is true, this is God's world, and therefore sacred and noble; but when we think of other worlds and continued life, we look out over a grander existence.
Large.
A plan that is made for a day only is not so large as a plan made for a week, while a plan for a week is smaller than a year's. At the thought of immortality we see endless opportunity, perpetual growth, that gives courage and strength. But, further, we lay our plans large for some results no few years can compass.
Progress.
What does progress mean? We may expect to know more. Many mysterious things will be made clear. Is there anything greater than going on and on, learning, enjoying more and more? Sometimes we have thought of heaven as a place where good people did nothing. Would you not tire of that?
New Opportunities.
We believe there will be new opportunities for those who have failed here, but who had noble aims. Circumstances are not our masters, but they have great power. We must not be hasty to judge. Some will go up higher, who failed, judged by the world's tests: others will go lower, who were praised by men. God knoweth all.
Q. What now are the reasons for believing in the future life?
A. That mankind has desired it.
Q. Another.
A. That it completes the present life.
Q. Have we a third reason?
A. We cannot think of the soul as dead.
Q. Is this all?
A. No. It is true to our highest conception of God and His justice.
Q. Still more?
A. Jesus, the greatest religious teacher, enforces the belief.
Other Arguments.
There are other reasons; but they are not easily treated in talks of this kind, so I omit them. Therefore, I come back to our first thought: If these reasons make our faith stronger, then we ought to be happy and brave. A wise man of old - Socrates - said, -
"Be of good cheer about death, and know this of a truth, that no evil can happen to a good man either in life or after death."
A greater than Socrates gave us the Beatitude: Happy are those that have been persecuted in the cause of Right, for it is to them that the kingdom of heaven belongs.
The Eternal Goodness is our source of trust. We will go forward hopefully.
I know not where His islands lift
Their fronded palms in air;
I only know I cannot drift
Beyond His love and care.
Whittier.
II. HINTS TO TEACHERS.
Actual life, the life of today, interests the young. But his thought of a future life must be unfolded early, and taught in reasonable views. Not doing this, we run great risks of errors creeping in as life matures. Christianity did not create the idea of immortality, neither did it make clear the place where souls dwell in the next world. But Jesus deepened the reasonable faith in personal life hereafter, and asked us to trust the Eternal Goodness for the rest. Impress this is all ways.
III. QUESTIONS FOR PUPILS.
* What is meant by the poetry quoted from Mr. Savage?
* How does a tree bear leaves and fruit?
* How does it survive the winter's cold?
* How does this figure apply to our subject?
* What is everlasting or enduring life?
* What is the best preparation for death?
* How do you define "living nobly"?
* How does the thought of another life affect our thought of this one?
* What is meant by "progress"?
* Can you give some of the reasons for believing in our "fifth point"?
Lesson Nineteen
I. THE TALK.
We have now finished our talks on the five points. Let us add one on some things that follow. What are we intending to do with Our Faith?
A. We will make it grow.
Q. What do you mean by that?
A. Apply it, enlarge it, enrich it.
Q. How can this be done?
A. By keeping the mind open.
Q. Ought we to welcome new truth?
A. Always.
Q. Is there any danger?
A. There is danger in refusing to listen to new truth.
Three Ways.
There are three ways of using a Faith, three ways of applying our religious belief.
First, by making it strengthen and develop our characters.
Second, by using it to organize a church and to create a denomination.
Third, by putting it forth, with others, as a grand missionary cause, a gospel of "Good news" to the world.
Q. Are there any dangers in this?
A. Yes. And we must be careful.
Q. What are some things to be avoided?
A. Bigotry and persecution.
Q. Can we be zealous for our faith and remain broad?
A. Certainly.
Q. Is it narrow to be in earnest?
A. No. Some narrow minds are never enthusiastic.
Universal Church.
We often hear of a church universal. But that does not mean one church, one form of worship, for all. It means a unity of spirit and aim, - the spirit and aim of Jesus, with different churches.
Q. How did Saint Paul speak of this?
A. Different "administrations," different forms, but the same spirit.
Q. What is meant by the "same spirit"?
A. Love to God, service for man, discipleship of Jesus.
Unity in Variety.
If all persons accepted Our Faith, they would not necessarily think just alike or have the same church. This belief we have studied allows for variety of application and unfolding. That is one deep reason why we think it will spread and become powerful.
Two.
There are two words we must always remember, and keep in mind what they stand for in religion.
Q. What is the first?
A. Reason.
Q. The second?
A. Reverence.
Q. How does the first help us?
A. By showing us the truth.
Q. What does the second stand for?
A. Reverence is love and admiration for truth.
Together.
They work together. Reason gives us the truth, and reverence impels us to be obedient to the truth.
Q. But is reason opposed to faith?
A. No. Without reason we could not have faith.
Q. Is faith greater than reason?
A. Yes. Because we believe on and beyond what we know and prove.
Q. What is faith without reason?
A. Superstition.
Q. What is reason without faith?
A. Half-developed character.
Q. Could the world go on a day without faith?
A. No.
Going Forward.
As we go forward, loyal and zealous to Our Faith, how can we come into union with others and prove that we are truly "liberal"? Perhaps Rev. W.C. Gannett's four tests will do:
* Freedom of reason and freedom of conscience.
* Fellowship, the Spirit.
* Service, the Aim.
* Character, the Test.
Vaster.
There is a stanza by Tennyson that tells us well how we ought to use Our Faith:
Let knowledge grow from more to more,
But more of reverence in us dwell;
That mind and soul, according well,
May make one music as before, - but vaster.
II. HINTS TO TEACHERS.
You can do an important service to the pupils, if you enforce the idea of this lesson. The right use and the full use of a statement of belief is yet to be understood by Christians. It must be made a source of progress in thought, of guidance in conduct, of joy in life, of fellowship in religion. "Creeds" and doctrines have been used in just the opposite ways. Let us prove to the world that our young people can learn a "faith," love it, and stand by it, with liberty of mind and breadth of view.
III. QUESTIONS FOR PUPILS.
* What must we do with Our Faith?
* How do you explain it?
* Ought we to welcome new truth?
* What are the three ways of using Our Faith?
* What two evils ought we to avoid?
* What do we mean by "the universal church"?
* What two words should we remember?
* Can you mention Mr. Gannett's four tests of a "liberal"?
* Can you repeat the lines from Tennyson?
* Will you explain their exact meaning?
Lesson Twenty
A Summary and Review.
We have reached the end of our talks. It seems to me fitting to five one more treasure into the keeping of memory. At the beginning we learned Mr. Mott's "Therefore." Now, as a summing-up, as a review, let us get well acquainted with Mrs. Clara Bancroft Beatley's valuable
Exposition of Our Faith.
I. The Fatherhood of God. .
By the Fatherhood of God, we mean that God is a Father and that all are His children. God is more loving than the best father we know, or can in any way dream of. As children trust their earthly parents, so we trust the Father in heaven.
If ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?
Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, as in heaven so on earth.
II. The Brotherhood of Man.
By the Brotherhood of Man, we mean that all are members of one family, and so are brothers and sisters. Our lives are happiest when we recognize this bond of Brotherhood.
Therefore let us lay aside bitterness, and wrath, and evil speaking, and be kind to one another, forgiving one another.
If God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
O Brother-man fold to thy heart thy Brother!
Where pity dwells, the peace of God is there;
To worship rightly is to love each other.
Each smile, a hymn; each kindly deed, a prayer!
III. The Leadership of Jesus.
By the Leadership of Jesus, we mean that we believe that Jesus has shown the way of life beyond all other teachers. He has taught us that God is our Father, and man our Brother; and that heaven is within the heart. He has given us the Golden Rule of life, and has taught us the prayer that has never grown old. We accept him as our Leader, and would walk in his path.
Where'er we walk, our Shepherd goes before.
I am come, that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
O Lord and Master of us all,
What e'er our name or sign,
We own thy sway, we hear thy call,
We test our lives by thine.
We faintly hear, we dimly see,
In differing phrase we pray,
But dim or clear, we own in thee
The light, the truth, the way.
IV. Salvation by Character.
By Salvation by Character, we mean that the highest peace and joy can only come as we follow the right, forget self, and grow more and more toward perfection. We may have fine ideas of right, and recite Our Faith every Sunday, but only as we live the right, do we follow the Leadership of Jesus, and find the peace and joy of the Heavenly Kingdom.
Not every one that saith unto me, "Lord, Lord," shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven.
Behold the Kingdom of Heaven is within you.
To be saved is only this, salvation from our selfishness.
Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
The fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace!
The tissues of the life to be
We weave with colors all our own;
And in the field of Destiny
We reap as we have sown.
V. The Progress of Mankind, onward and upward forever.
By the Progress of Mankind, onward and upward forever, we mean that we were made to grow toward God, the Father of our spirits. There is no end to this growth. We have the hope of growing wiser and better as long as we live in this world, and of finding new opportunities of growth in the heavenly life to come.
Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul,
As the swift seasons roll!
Leave thy low-vaulted past!
Let each new temple, nobler than the last,
Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast,
Till thou at length art free!
Leaving thine outgrown shall by life's unresting sea.
In love to God and love to man
Our simple creed finds ample scope;
Secure in God's unerring plan,
We walk by faith, are saved by hope.
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As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials. I've been ordained with the
Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.
