Tag Archives: calling and election

The Strength to Endure

31 Wednesday Jan 2018

Posted by in Heritage

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On Sunday, January 21, I spoke for fifteen minutes or so over the pulpit during sacrament meeting. The following is a transcript of what I shared with my congregation. To the best of my recollection, the words in parentheses are my personal commentary. I have received multiple requests to share a copy so I am sharing it here publicly:

 
THE STRENGTH TO ENDURE

(As I speak to you today, visualize the vision of the tree of life where you enter in at the gate, press forward along the iron rod, and come to the tree of life at the end of your journey).

“Our ability to endure to the end in righteousness will be in direct proportion to the strength of our testimony and the depth of our conversion. When our testimonies are strong and we are truly converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ, our choices will be inspired by the Holy Ghost, they will be Christ-centered, and they will support our desire to endure in righteousness. If our testimonies are weak and our conversion superficial, the risk is much greater that we will be enticed by the false traditions of the world to make poor choices.”–Elder Richard J. Maynes of the Presidency of the Seventy, October 2013

(I would like share with you my testimony about my strength to endure. Elder Maynes’ statement is the perfect summary of what 2 Nephi chapters 31 and 32 are about as well as 2 Peter chapter 1 and especially Ether 4, all of which, I will briefly quote.)

2 Nephi 31:16 And now, my beloved brethren, I know by this that unless a man shall endure to the end, in following the example of the Son of the living God, he cannot be saved.
17 Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost.
18 And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son; and ye have received the Holy Ghost, which witnesses of the Father and the Son, unto the fulfilling of the promise which he hath made, that if ye entered in by the way ye should receive.

Elder Bednar recently said, “The simplicity of this ordinance may cause us to overlook its significance. These four words—“Receive the Holy Ghost”—are not a passive pronouncement; rather, they constitute a priesthood injunction—an authoritative admonition to act and not simply to be acted upon. The Holy Ghost does not become operative in our lives merely because hands are placed upon our heads and those four important words are spoken. As we receive this ordinance, each of us accepts a sacred and ongoing responsibility to desire, to seek, to work, and to so live that we indeed “receive the Holy Ghost” and its attendant spiritual gifts. “For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift”

In 2 Peter 1, we read: 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.
9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

(When we diligently assimilate the attributes, which the Apostle Peter describes above, we become more like our Savior. But when we lack these attributes and instead treat others unkindly and impatiently and uncharitably and so on, it is as if we have forgotten that we were baptized and “purged of our old sins” having been forgiven, having become blind to the tree of life that awaits us ahead. So what does it mean to be diligent in such things? What does it look like in our lives? Let me share an experience, which I recorded in my book of remembrance…)

Sunday, May 28, 2017: Yesterday, I went outside to the backyard to find my father-in-law and mother-in-law working in the garden, digging holes to plant tomatoes and other vegetables. As they are in their 80s and don’t get around easily, I approached them and asked if I could play. That’s how children do it, isn’t it when they visit with friends and neighbors? The just walk up and ask to join in. So I thought I’d use a little humor since they didn’t seem to be getting along at the moment. So I was given the shovel and I dug the holes and we all fell into a new formation, one of us digging holes, one of us planting, the other handing the plants and so on. When I finally planted the last squash, or maybe it was zucchini, my father-in-law had moved on to picking apricots off the lawn from under the tree. The apricots did not get big at all before they had all fallen down. So no apricots this year.

My father-in-law was using a telescoping grabber to pick them up from the ground since he can’t bend over so easily and putting them all in a plastic bag. Otherwise, left on the lawn, they would rot and make a mess. Meanwhile, my mother-in-law was now trying to work on watering all the vegetables we had just planted. So I went and connected the hose to the tap on the house and unrolled it all the way to the garden with the wand attachment and helped her get the right spray setting on the nozzle so not too much water pounded the little plants. After I reduced the spray, I handed her the wand and thought I would go back inside to tend to personal matters. I then noticed that my father-in-law was still plucking apricots off the lawn. He could only grab one at a time with his grabber and I knew he’d be out there a long time at the rate he was going. So I decided to join him. I quickly and easily bent down and grabbed a bunch in each hand and kept on grabbing more, dumping them in his bag while he continued picking up one. At. A. Time…

As I worked alongside my in-laws, the Lord taught me a profound lesson. During His mortal ministry, He taught and exemplified going the extra mile. He taught that when someone takes your coat, give him your cloak, too. When someone strikes you, turn the other cheek. When someone compels you to walk with him a mile, walk with him two. With the Law of Moses, one could potentially learn to love God. With the Law of the Gospel, however, one gets to learn to love his fellow man. Not only did Jesus teach us how to love one another, but how to love one another so utterly and completely, that nothing is left to give. While He hung on the cross after having already suffered more than any mortal could suffer without dying, He was mocked.

39 ¶ And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,
40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.
41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,
42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him…

At any point in time, Jesus could have called down legions of angels to fight for Him. He didn’t even need an army. The God of all creation, who by mere words could utter, “let there be light,” and bring forth light, or to walk on water or calm the storm or to raise the dead by merely speaking words. There was nothing to stop Him from uttering words and letting the nails simply slip out and fall to the ground while His body healed of all that had been inflicted upon Him before their very eyes. And what a glorious sight it would have been! What a terrible scene it would have been to all who mocked Him. But instead He suffered it. He endured it. He allowed it. The God of heaven and all the earth submitted to every last stripe and insult that humanity had the energy to inflict upon Him. When finally, after hanging six hours on the cross, knowing he was fully spent, and there was nothing left to give, He finally said, “it is finished.” And then He willingly gave up the ghost. No man took it from Him. He gave it all until there was nothing left to give.

All this was spoken to my mind as I helped my father-in-law pick up all the apricots. There is a vast difference between knowing such things in my brain and having them written in my heart. And this day, it was written in my heart. When he had finished, I asked him what else he wanted to do. He said he finished and he was leaving to take care of an errand. When I was satisfied that there was nothing more I could do to help in the backyard and that my in-laws were getting along again, I went back inside to tend to personal matters.

Anyone who considers himself or herself a disciple of Jesus Christ may learn by experience to give until there is nothing left to give. If you see a homeless person on the side of the road, you can give him your spare change if that is what he is asking for. You can then go on your way or you can ask yourself if there is more you can do. You can get to know him. You can introduce yourself. Ask him if he’d like to join you and eat out together. If you think you can do more, maybe bring him home and cook a meal for him instead. If you think you can do more, let him take a bath and spend the night. Only you know if you can spare enough change, or enough time, or enough space in your home.

One day, some years ago, for example, my family and I were visiting Salt Lake City, Utah. We had pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant where a man was holding a cardboard sign asking for change for food. We had gone inside and while waiting to be served, I walked outside and sat down with the man and began chatting with him. I asked him if he was hungry and invited him to come inside for a meal. He just stared off and said all he really wanted was a cigarette. I didn’t have any cigarettes or cash so I was not able to help him further. He declined the meal and I wished him well and went back inside with my family.

Now I have been accused of being an enabler by people who do not believe Jesus Christ’s teachings. I may have helped a bum get his latest fix or bottle of booze. But I say to them, who of us is not enabled by God every minute of every day while we go about our way walking in pride and vanity? Yet God enables each breath we take, including those moments we are most carnal and sinful. Do the angels accuse God of enabling us sinners who masquerade as Christians? There are opportunities to be helpful wherever we go. We can help a little or a lot, or whenever possible, help and give until there’s nothing left to give. That is what it means to love another as Jesus loved everyone. It is to love so willingly and utterly and so completely that there is nothing left to give. That is how I wish to leave this world. I want to leave knowing I have nothing left to give.

(In conclusion, I would like to read from Ether 4, which explains to us what the end is to which we endure, which is exemplified by the brother of Jared, who partook of the fruit, or in other words, drank from the living waters, from which when we drink, we never thirst again. The Lord is declaring that the things, which he saw will not be given to us until we repent according to the conditions the Lord has set…)

Ether 4:6…They shall not go forth unto the Gentiles until the day that they shall repent of their iniquity, and become clean before the Lord.
7 And in that day that they shall exercise faith in me, saith the Lord, even as the brother of Jared did, that they may become sanctified in me, then will I manifest unto them the things which the brother of Jared saw, even to the unfolding unto them all my revelations, saith Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of the heavens and of the earth, and all things that in them are.
8 And he that will contend against the word of the Lord, let him be accursed; and he that shall deny these things, let him be accursed; for unto them will I show no greater things, saith Jesus Christ; for I am he who speaketh…

(Jesus Christ repeatedly declares that it is He that is speaking to us…)

10 And he that believeth not my words believeth not my disciples; and if it so be that I do not speak, judge ye; for ye shall know that it is I that speaketh, at the last day.
11 But he that believeth these things which I have spoken, him will I visit with the manifestations of my Spirit, and he shall know and bear record. For because of my Spirit he shall know that these things are true; for it persuadeth men to do good.
12 And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me; for good cometh of none save it be of me. I am the same that leadeth men to all good; he that will not believe my words will not believe me—that I am; and he that will not believe me will not believe the Father who sent me. For behold, I am the Father, I am the light, and the life, and the truth of the world.

(It is Jesus Christ who guides us along the path and leads us directly to Him…)

13 Come unto me, O ye Gentiles, and I will show unto you the greater things, the knowledge which is hid up because of unbelief.
14 Come unto me, O ye house of Israel, and it shall be made manifest unto you how great things the Father hath laid up for you, from the foundation of the world; and it hath not come unto you, because of unbelief.
15 Behold, when ye shall rend that veil of unbelief which doth cause you to remain in your awful state of wickedness, and hardness of heart, and blindness of mind, then shall the great and marvelous things which have been hid up from the foundation of the world from you—yea, when ye shall call upon the Father in my name, with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, then shall ye know that the Father hath remembered the covenant which he made unto your fathers, O house of Israel…

(This is the admonition and invitation that the Lord is giving to everybody here today. By addressing the Gentiles and the House of Israel, He exempts no one. It is the same invitation, which He has always given to His covenant people.)

To the ancient Israelites, Moses declared in:

Deurteronomy 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

Again He gave the invitation to them just before their destruction by Babylon through the prophet Jeremiah in chapter 29:

11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

The Lord personally made the same declaration during His mortal ministry:

John 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

He clarified in D&C 130:3—The appearing of the Father and the Son, in that verse (John 14:23, is a personal appearance; and the idea that the Father and the Son dwell in a man’s heart is an old sectarian notion, and is false.

In D&C 93:1 Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am.

2 Nephi 32:5 For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.
6 Behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and there will be no more doctrine given until after he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh. And when he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh, the things which he shall say unto you shall ye observe to do.

(I am a disciple of Jesus Christ…I know the Book of Mormon is true…I know the scriptures, which I have shared today are true…)

Amen

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God’s hand in all things

14 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by in Gospel Doctrine

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I was asked to talk today on “How I can learn to see Heavenly Father’s hand in all things.” The key word in that question is see. But in order to see, we must first have our eyes open and if our eyes are open, we need to ask ourselves what it is that we are focused on. In 3 Nephi 13:19-24, we read:

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and thieves break through and steal;
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
22 The light of the body is the eye; if, therefore, thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If, therefore, the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon.

Jesus Christ is telling us to make a choice. We either focus on heavenly things or we focus on worldly things. There is only Zion and Babylon. There are only two churches, as Nephi explained many years before–the church of the Lamb of God and the church of the devil. There must be an opposition in all things and we can only choose one or the other.

When we were baptized and confirmed members of the church, we were commanded to “receive the Holy Ghost.” Only when we have obeyed and truly received this great gift can we know that we have truly been reborn. And one of the changes that is wrought in us by this literal baptism of fire is a powerful willingness to submit or to obey. It is this obedience out of love and faith that will lead us back to the Lord’s presence.

The question then begs to be asked, “have I been born again?” There are two great witnesses, which may be called to answer. The first is evidence in the fabric of your soul. If your life is filled with charity; if you have no more desire to sin; if your soul yearns for prayer and love of the Lord; if you have no more desire to accumulate wealth, power, position, worldly acclaim or honor; if all your hobbies, pastimes and possessions become nothing more than a child’s play things to be put away and forgotten; if these things are true without exception, then you have been reborn.

The second witness is the very source of truth, which is the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. I remember when I experienced that mighty change of heart in my life. The Spirit poured into me like fire that lasted many days. I knew that I had been reborn. I had received the Holy Ghost, which has been my constant companion ever since. In D&C 88: 63 and 67 we read:

63 Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
67 And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things.

In ancient Egypt, after Joseph (who was sold into slavery and then freed to protect Egypt from famine) had brought his family to settle in Goshen, his family began to grow into a great nation. These Israelites had found themselves in bondage to Egypt. After their cries to the Lord, He did remember His covenant to bring them out of Egypt and lead them to a land of promise. It was His intention to bring them into His presence and not simply to free them from oppression just so that they could continue in their worldly ways. But to do this, they need to be washed and anointed and receive other ordinances. So Moses was commanded to build a tabernacle. In D&C 84:18-25 we read:

18 And the Lord confirmed a priesthood also upon Aaron and his seed, throughout all their generations, which priesthood also continueth and abideth forever with the priesthood which is after the holiest order of God.
19 And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God.
20 Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.
21 And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh;
22 For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live.
23 Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people that they might behold the face of God;
24 But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his presence; therefore, the Lord in his wrath, for his anger was kindled against them, swore that they should not enter into his rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the fulness of his glory.
25 Therefore, he took Moses out of their midst, and the Holy Priesthood also.

For all intents and purposes, the Israelites had a temple in their midst. Zion was in their grasp. And they rejected it. They enjoyed their freedom and their worldly ways too much. You could take the Israelites out of Egypt, but you couldn’t take Egypt out of the Israelites. And among their acts of idolatry, they built a golden calf to worship as proof.

Just as the Egyptians feared being outnumbered by the growing nation of Israel after Joseph’s death, so too did the early Americans of eastern cities fear being outnumbered by the growing membership of the early latter-day saints after Joseph Smith had restored Christ’s church. It was the Lord’s intention to bring them into His presence with the restoration of both priesthoods and the bringing forth of temple work and the establishment of New Jerusalem. However, because of divisions, contentions and their ultimate failure to follow Joseph Smith west to the Rocky Mountains and instead, convincing him to surrender after much persecution, Joseph was taken from them.

Despite ongoing persecution under Brigham Young’s leadership, the saints managed to build the Kirtland temple where ordinances could be performed. But like the ancient Israelites, the saints had failed to build up Zion. The greater (Melchizedek) priesthood was not taken, however, and Brigham Young led the saints west to the Rocky Mountains where they could try again.

Dispensations earlier, a young man named Enoch preached and prophecied to a very wicked generation. As a result of his great faith and great works, a city was built where they lived the law of consecration and where no poor lived among them. Enoch and his people walked with God and God dwelt among them. They had successfully built Zion. Because of their righteousness, they became a translated city. This is what the Lord was offering Moses and the people of Israel. This is what the Lord was offering Joseph Smith and the early latter-day saints. This is what has been offered to all the children of God in each dispensation since the days of Adam. And this is what God has been offering to us ever since.

Brothers and sisters, we have been under condemnation since the days of Joseph Smith for taking lightly our duty to obtain the fullness of the gospel, which is the fullness of the priesthood, which is the fullness of the Father. It is this fullness that parts the veil and brings us into Christ’s presence as the city of Enoch was brought into Christ’s presence. Remember that the lesser priesthood, which is the Aaronic Priesthood, is what endured with the ancient Israelites after Moses was taken from them. This priesthood contains only the preparatory gospel, which is faith, repentance and baptism.

But the greater priesthood contains much more. With the Melchizedek Priesthood, we can receive the everlasting gospel, which contains the ordinance of the baptism of fire, which is the gift of the Holy Ghost. But there are more. If Joseph Smith had published ten principles and ordinances of the gospel it might look something like this, although there are more:

Faith
Repentance
Baptism (of water)
Baptism (of fire) or gift of the Holy Ghost
Washing and anointing
Endowments
Calling and election
Second Comforter
Translation
Resurrection

In Brigham Young’s journal of discourses, we read that when God dwelt with the people of Enoch, He taught them the great doctrines and principles of translation, for that is a doctrine the same as the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead, which is among the first principles of the plan of salvation.  And we may also say that the doctrine of  translation, which is intimately connected with that of the resurrection, is also one of the first principles of the doctrines of Christ. In Moses 1:39 we read:

39 For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

Brothers and sisters, it is our privilege and our duty to continue on our journey beyond the first four principles and ordinances of the gospel; to purify ourselves continually; to seek our calling and election; to seek further light and knowledge always and to be led by the Spirit and to seek the face of the Lord. This is the purpose of temple ordinances that through our obedience to covenants made and through our worthiness, we can converse with Jesus Christ through the veil and find ourselves in His embrace.

We have been promised that if we ask, we will receive. If we seek, we shall find. And if we knock, it shall be opened. We must learn to take the Spirit for our guide when we are reborn, keeping our eye single to God’s glory, to begin to see His hand in all things. In D&C 84:54-58 we read:

54 And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received—
55 Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation.
56 And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all.
57 And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written
58 That they may bring forth fruit meet for their Father’s kingdom; otherwise there remaineth a scourge and judgment to be poured out upon the children of Zion.

Can we remove this condemnation from us? Nephi takes great length to teach us plainly in his two books that we can. He emphasizes his entire message in a few short verses. In 2 Nephi 32:5-7 we read:

5 For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.
6 Behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and there will be no more doctrine given until after he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh. And when he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh, the things which he shall say unto you shall ye observe to do.
7 And now I, Nephi, cannot say more; the Spirit stoppeth mine utterance, and I am left to mourn because of the unbelief, and the wickedness, and the ignorance, and the stiffneckedness of men; for they will not search knowledge, nor understand great knowledge, when it is given unto them in plainness, even as plain as word can be.

Joseph Smith said in a sermon to the saints, “then I would exhort you to go on and continue to call upon God until you make your calling and election sure for yourselves, by obtaining the more sure word of prophecy, and wait patiently for the promise until you receive it.” Many other prophets besides Joseph preached this doctrine. They continually tried to get the saints to develop a Zion stature. To my knowledge, the last prophet to publicly teach this was Marion G. Romney in the April 1977 session of general conference. He gave a beautiful talk. To summarize, he said:

“…When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and finds that the man is determined to serve Him at all hazards, then the man will find his calling and his election made sure, then it will be his privilege to receive the other Comforter, which the Lord hath promised the Saints, as is recorded in the testimony of St. John…I should think that all faithful Latter-day Saints “would want that more sure word of prophecy, that they were sealed in the heavens and had the promise of eternal life in the kingdom of God…”

Since 1977, I have not heard another prophet or apostle with the possible exception of Bruce R. McConkie expound on such doctrine in public. Perhaps it is because as a membership that spans the globe, we simply are not seeking these things. Sure, we attend church most Sundays; maybe we do our home teaching assignments; maybe we read our scriptures once in a while; maybe we attend the temple if we can clear our schedules. But this is not enough. This does not make our eye single to His glory. This does not develop within us a Zion stature. We are commanded to serve with all our heart, might, mind and strength. We have made covenants in the temple, especially to live the law of consecration.

The ancient Israelites failed to build Zion as did the early latter-day saints of our dispensation. Only Enoch’s people succeeded in building Zion and thus they escaped the great cleansing that was the flood. Have we bid Babylon farewell and have we begun to build Zion in our hearts and in our homes? Brothers and sisters, another great cleansing is coming and the Lord has declared that upon His house will it begin and from His house will it go forth. He called it a day wrath; a day of burning; a day of desolation, of weeping, of mourning and of lamentation.

The second coming of Jesus Christ when He comes in glory with the powers of heaven will not happen until Zion exists on the Earth. Zion will not exist on the Earth until New Jerusalem is built and New Jerusalem will not be built until there are saints who have fully developed an eye single to God’s glory and to His work. We can see His hand in all things as long as we open our eyes and purify ourselves and as Nephi exhorted us: to seek knowledge! In D&C 59:21 we read:

21 And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments.

I testify that the Lord’s hand is in all things even today. I testify that miracles, even great miracles have not ceased, and that angels minister to us today, and that Jesus Christ does visit men today, and that He does open when we knock. In closing, I leave you with the words of the prophet, Mormon, which he wrote in an epistle to his son Moroni, which we read in Moroni 7:

27 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men?
29 And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men.
30 For behold, they are subject unto him, to minister according to the word of his command, showing themselves unto them of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness.
36 Or have angels ceased to appear unto the children of men? Or has he withheld the power of the Holy Ghost from them? Or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved?
37 Behold I say unto you, Nay; for it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men; wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of unbelief, and all is vain…
48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure.

Amen.

Ye Ask Not

26 Monday Nov 2012

Posted by in Book of Mormon

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2 Nephi 32 is one of the most pivotal chapters of the entire Book of Mormon, in my opinion. What does it mean to come unto Christ? What does it mean to make our calling and election sure?

1 And now, behold, my beloved brethren, I suppose that ye ponder somewhat in your hearts concerning that which ye should do after ye have entered in by the way. But, behold, why do ye ponder these things in your hearts?
2 Do ye not remember that I said unto you that after ye had received the Holy Ghost ye could speak with the tongue of angels? And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the Holy Ghost?
3 Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.
4 Wherefore, now after I have spoken these words, if ye cannot understand them it will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock; wherefore, ye are not brought into the light, but must perish in the dark.
5 For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.
6 Behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and there will be no more doctrine given until after he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh. And when he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh, the things which he shall say unto you shall ye observe to do.
7 And now I, Nephi, cannot say more; the Spirit stoppeth mine utterance, and I am left to mourn because of the unbelief*, and the wickedness, and the ignorance, and the stiffneckedness of men; for they will not search knowledge, nor understand great knowledge, when it is given unto them in plainness, even as plain as word can be.

After we were baptized, did we receive the Holy Ghost? Or did we take for granted that it was placed upon us like a mantle to give it no further thought? Now that we have all of Nephi’s words, have we followed them? He laid out his life for us, giving us a precise pattern to follow that we might be brought to the veil. And now if none of this makes sense, even after Nephi plainly explains to us in his two books, it is because we have not asked or knocked. This is what he tried drilling into Laman and Lemuel’s thick skulls:

6 And it came to pass that after I had received strength I spake unto my brethren, desiring to know of them the cause of their disputations.
7 And they said: Behold, we cannot understand the words which our father hath spoken concerning the natural branches of the olive tree, and also concerning the Gentiles.
8 And I said unto them: Have ye inquired of the Lord?
9 And they said unto me: We have not; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us.
10 Behold, I said unto them: How is it that ye do not keep the commandments of the Lord? How is it that ye will perish, because of the hardness of your hearts?
11 Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?—If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you.

His brothers argued about doctrine. This is something we see often in life. Why? Because we do not inquire of the Lord. And is our faith sufficient to inquire earnestly? Furthermore, are we worthy of further light and knowledge? These are two important factors, as Nephi indicates in 2 Nephi 32. If we have received the Holy Ghost–if we have taken it to be our personal guide; if we have become sanctified, it is because we have put off the natural man. King Benjamin discusses this as well in the book of Mosiah.

We may need to read First and Second Nephi over and over and over again until we see the pattern–until we understand why we are still under condemnation, and how we can have this condemnation removed from us individually.

And why does Nephi write about the Spirit and of Angels and of Christ manifesting Himself in the flesh? Didn’t he experience these things? He is giving us the pattern. He is telling the reader, “what are you waiting for?” If you have entered in by the way, if you have been sanctified by the Holy Spirit and have put off the natural man–in other words, we have absolutely no desire to go back to our old sinful ways. We have no desire to be idle or idolatrous. Monday night football doesn’t mean anything to us anymore. Television, video games and all other worldly time killers seem so meaningless now. By this time, we have experience the Holy Spirit in our lives so profoundly that coming unto Christ becomes our sole desire and our primary pursuit. So Nephi asks us, “what are you waiting for?”

“Have ye inquired of the Lord?”

And if we’re still puzzling about this, read the book of Enos. Read it again.

While we LDS believe in modern day revelations, ministering of angels, and communion with our Savior, do we really believe that it is something available to each of us today? If not, then we have completely missed what Nephi and so many others have tried to teach us. Moroni makes a summary of these teachings in one final effort before sealing up the record, which we read in his seventh and tenth chapters. In chapter seven he gives us the words of his father, Mormon:

Moroni 7

26 And after that he came men also were saved by faith in his name; and by faith, they become the sons of God. And as surely as Christ liveth he spake these words unto our fathers, saying:Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you.
27 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men?
28 For he hath answered the ends of the law, and he claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing; wherefore he advocateth the cause of the children of men; and he dwelleth eternally in the heavens.
29 And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men.
…
36 Or have angels ceased to appear unto the children of men? Or has he withheld the power of the Holy Ghost from them? Or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved?
37 Behold I say unto you, Nay; for it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men; wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of *unbelief, and all is vain.
38 For no man can be saved, according to the words of Christ, save they shall have faith in his name; wherefore, if these things have ceased, then has faith ceased also; and awful is the state of man, for they are as though there had been no redemption made.
39 But behold, my beloved brethren, I judge better things of you, for I judge that ye have faith in Christ because of your meekness; for if ye have not faith in him then ye are not fit to be numbered among the people of his church.

What? We are not fit to be numbered among the people of Zion? Why not? It is because we have not diligently sought to come unto Christ. Angels call us to repentance, they teach us sacred truths. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to bring us to Christ and if we knock as Enos knocked, it will be opened–the veil will part for us. And Christ will teach us greater things. And He will introduce us to His Father.

This is the pattern. This is what Nephi painstakingly explains to us. This is what he experienced, as did Jacob and Enos, and many others. This is the entire point of of Jacob’s explanation of the allegory of the tame and wild olive trees. We are the fruit of the harvest. This is what Jacob was so excited to teach his people. It’s up to us to follow in their footsteps. This is what the Book of Mormon is about.

Have you experienced miracles in your life? Have you experienced the ministering of angels? Have you heard the Saviors voice? Have you parted the veil and found yourself in His embrace? Have you received the Second Comforter?

Have ye knocked?

Then I would exhort you to go on and continue to call upon God until you make your calling and election sure for yourselves; by obtaining this more sure word of prophecy, and wait patiently for the promise until you obtain it. –Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 299