Enoch and the Lord

 

THIS IS A REPOST OF MD’s WORK POSTED January 22, 2020 FROM MEASURINGDOCTRINE.COM

I was reading Moses 7 this evening, where Enoch has an extensive discussion with the Lord. It’s quite confusing if you believe the LDS tradition about Elohim being the Father and Jehovah being the Son.

In the previous chapter, Enoch had been preaching to the people and taught:

Moses 6:57
Man of Holiness is his name, and the name of his Only Begotten is the Son of Man, even Jesus Christ, a righteous Judge, who shall come in the meridian of time.

Man of Holiness = Father = Elohim.
Son of Man = Jesus Christ = Jehovah.

In Chapter 7, Enoch is talking to the Lord, which is ambiguous. But when the Lord responds to Enoch, he gives away his identity.

Moses 7:35
Behold, I am God; Man of Holiness is my name; Man of Counsel is my name; and Endless and Eternal is my name, also.

So Enoch is talking to Elohim, God the Father. As a second witness:

Moses 7
50 And it came to pass that Enoch continued his cry unto the Lord, saying: I ask thee, O Lord, in the name of thine Only Begotten, even Jesus Christ, that thou wilt have mercy upon Noah and his seed, that the earth might never more be covered by the floods.
51 And the Lord could not withhold; and he covenanted with Enoch, and sware unto him with an oath, that he would stay the floods; that he would call upon the children of Noah;

The Lord Enoch is speaking to is the Father, because he is asking in the name of his Only Begotten, Jesus Christ. The next verses seem to support it being the Father doing the talking.

54 And it came to pass that Enoch cried unto the Lord, saying: When the Son of Man comes in the flesh, shall the earth rest? I pray thee, show me these things.
55 And the Lord said unto Enoch: Look, and he looked and beheld the Son of Man lifted up on the cross, after the manner of men;
56 And he heard a loud voice; and the heavens were veiled; and all the creations of God mourned; and the earth groaned; and the rocks were rent; and the saints arose, and were crowned at the right hand of the Son of Man, with crowns of glory;
57 And as many of the spirits as were in prison came forth, and stood on the right hand of God; and the remainder were reserved in chains of darkness until the judgment of the great day.

OK – the Son of Man is also God. We’re still safe, right?

59 And Enoch beheld the Son of Man ascend up unto the Father; and he called unto the Lord, saying: Wilt thou not come again upon the earth? Forasmuch as thou art God, and I know thee, and thou hast sworn unto me, and commanded me that I should ask in the name of thine Only Begotten; thou hast made me, and given unto me a right to thy throne, and not of myself, but through thine own grace; wherefore, I ask thee if thou wilt not come again on the earth.
60 And the Lord said unto Enoch: As I live, even so will I come in the last days, in the days of wickedness and vengeance, to fulfil the oath which I have made unto you concerning the children of Noah;

Stop the presses! Enoch asks the Father in the name of the Only Begotten if the Father will come again on the earth. And the Father says he will come in the last days. Doesn’t Elohim realize that Jehovah is supposed to do that? Elohim is having a serious identity crisis.

62 And righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten; his resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men; and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare, an Holy City, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem.

65 And it came to pass that Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, in the last days, to dwell on the earth in righteousness for the space of a thousand years;

Does Elohim come again, or the Son of Man? The Lord seems to thinks it’s both. I don’t know how anyone can reconcile this chapter of scripture with the Elohim/Jehovah concept the LDS Church preaches. It’s too bad the LDS Church doesn’t believe the Book of Mormon, which explains Moses 7 easily.

Mosiah 13:28, 33-34
And moreover, I say unto you, that salvation doth not come by the law alone; and were it not for the atonement, which God himself shall make for the sins and iniquities of his people, that they must unavoidably perish, notwithstanding the law of Moses.

For behold, did not Moses prophesy unto them concerning the coming of the Messiah, and that God should redeem his people? Yea, and even all the prophets who have prophesied ever since the world began—have they not spoken more or less concerning these things? Have they not said that God himself should come down among the children of men, and take upon him the form of man, and go forth in mighty power upon the face of the earth?

Mosiah 15:1-5
And now Abinadi said unto them: I would that ye should understand that God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people. And because he dwells in flesh he shall be called the Son of God, and having subjected the flesh to the will of the Father, being the Father and the Son-The Father, because he was conceived by the power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and Son-And they are one God, yea, the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth. And thus the flesh becoming subject to the Spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, suffers temptation, and yields not to the temptation, but suffers himself to be mocked, and scourged, and cast out, and disowned by his people.

Alma 42:15
And now, the plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atones for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also.

Ether 3:14
Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters.

Those verses fly in the face of the Elohim/Jehovah doctrine. But they actually support Moses 7. Maybe we should just believe the Book of Mormon.

In parting, here’s another verse the LDS Church should embrace.

Mosiah 16:15
Teach them that redemption comes through Christ the Lord, who is the very Eternal Father. Amen.

Only in times of famine - Word of Wisdom

 

THIS IS A REPOST OF MD'S WORK POSTED 20 FROM MEASURINGDOCTRINE.COM

Section 89 can be difficult to understand. Between the undefined terms (what is a hot drink?) and the traditions we’ve grown up with, trying to understand what the Lord really intended can be tough. One subject that we see confusion around is eating meat.

D&C 89:10-13
And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man—every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving. Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly; and it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.

Here the Lord is telling us herbs and fruits are ordained as food for man. Also that the flesh of beasts and fowls are to used, not only in times of winter, or cold, or famine, but presumably all year round. (The comma between “should not be used” and “only in times of winter” was added in 1921, so I ignore it). One definition of sparingly is moderately,  tenderly, or not lavishly. Other times sparingly can mean seldom or not frequently, but the next scripture seems to not support that definition here.

D&C 49:18-21
And whoso forbids to abstain from meats, that man should not eat the same, is not ordained of God; for, behold, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which cometh of the earth, is ordained for the use of man for food and for raiment, and that he might have in abundance. But it is not given that one man should possess that which is above another, wherefore the world lieth in sin. And wo be unto man that sheds blood or that wastes flesh and has no need.

That’s a second witness that the beasts of the field and fowls of the air are ordained for the use of man. But the Lord gives two warnings. First, that one man should not possess more than another. We should not have people starving while others have plenty (insert law of consecration here). And secondly, wasting the flesh of animals, killing them when there is no need, is bad. But we are also to have this food in abundance. Abundance means ample sufficiency. This isn’t gluttony. It’s enough. More than the minimum, but not to excess.

God gives a third witness.

D&C 59:16-20
Verily I say, that inasmuch as ye do this, the fulness of the earth is yours, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which climbs upon the trees and walketh upon the earth; yea, and the herb, and the good things which come of the earth, whether for food or for raiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards; yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart; yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul. And it pleases God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with judgment, not to excess, neither by extortion.

To be used. For food. With judgment, not to excess.

Now that we’ve established this, let’s go back to Section 89 and read the next verses.

14 All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth;
15 And these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger.

What exactly has God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess hunger?

Most people will assume he’s referring to eating meat again. But that contradicts all those previous scriptures that tells us meat is ordained for the use of man, to be used abundantly but not to excess.

Some interpret this to mean we’re only supposed to eat grain during times of famine and excess of hunger. But that seems to ignore the next verse.

16 All grain is good for the food of man; as also the fruit of the vine; that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground

I think the answer is right there in the scriptures.

14 All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth; and these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger.

This is the first time wild animals has been used in Section 89. The previous verses talk about eating beasts of the field, but do not mention wild animals.

Let’s use a bit of English grammar to decode this. These is plural. In verse 14, all grain is singular. Wild animals are plural. We also have the difference between these and those. When you have two groups, the closer group is referred to as these, and the more distant group is referred to as those. The closest group to the word these is wild animals, not grain, not beasts of the field, and not fowls of heaven.

While grammar can help us understand the meaning, we really need some scriptural witnesses to confirm that. Is there a difference between beasts of the field and wild beasts or wild animals?

1 Nephi 18:25
And it came to pass that we did find upon the land of promise, as we journeyed in the wilderness, that there were beasts in the forests of every kind, both the cow and the ox, and the ass and the horse, and the goat and the wild goat, and all manner of wild animals, which were for the use of men.

Here Nephi seems to be making a distinction between beasts (cows, oxen, horses, and goats) and wild animals. Nephi talks about hunting wild beasts to feed his family during a time of excess hunger.

1 Nephi 16
19 And it came to pass that we did return without food to our families, and being much fatigued, because of their journeying, they did suffer much for the want of food.
21 Now it came to pass that I, Nephi, having been afflicted with my brethren because of the loss of my bow, and their bows having lost their springs, it began to be exceedingly difficult, yea, insomuch that we could obtain no food.
31 And it came to pass that I did slay wild beasts, insomuch that I did obtain food for our families.

Later in the Book of Mormon we have another description that distinguishes between domesticated animals and wild beasts.

3 Nephi 4:2-3
2 But behold, there were no wild beasts nor game in those lands which had been deserted by the Nephites, and there was no game for the robbers save it were in the wilderness. And the robbers could not exist save it were in the wilderness, for the want of food; for the Nephites had left their lands desolate, and had gathered their flocks and their herds and all their substance, and they were in one body.

It seems that wild beasts and wild animals are one in the same. The emphasis is on the wild part. The Lamanites were hunting game in the wilderness. The Nephites had flocks and herds. Alma also describes wild animals as living in the wilderness.

Alma 22:31
And they came from there up into the south wilderness. Thus the land on the northward was called Desolation, and the land on the southward was called Bountiful, it being the wilderness which is filled with all manner of wild animals of every kind, a part of which had come from the land northward for food.

It seems that hunting wild animals is what the Lord is referring to in D&C 89:15 when he says they are only to be used in times of famine and excess hunger. Hunting isn’t forbidden, but it is restricted. Enos went to hunt beasts in the forest when he kneeled down in prayer. Nephi hunted food in the wilderness to provide for his family. So this isn’t a sin outright. But who are the examples of those that hunt to excess? Nimrod, the founder of Babel, was a mighty hunter. Esau was a cunning hunter. And Enos tells us of the Lamanites.

Enos 1:20
And I bear record that the people of Nephi did seek diligently to restore the Lamanites unto the true faith in God. But our labors were vain; their hatred was fixed, and they were led by their evil nature that they became wild, and ferocious, and a blood-thirsty people, full of idolatry and filthiness; feeding upon beasts of prey; dwelling in tents, and wandering about in the wilderness with a short skin girdle about their loins and their heads shaven; and their skill was in the bow, and in the cimeter, and the ax. And many of them did eat nothing save it was raw meat; and they were continually seeking to destroy us.

Nephi and his family ate raw meat in the wilderness and the Lord blessed them. The Lamanites at raw meat and it was a cursing. So eating raw meat in and of itself isn’t sin. During times of famine and excess hunger it’s fine. But if that becomes your staple diet, you’ve gone too far. So it seems with hunting in general. The Nephites farmed extensively, with both grains and flocks of animals, and hunted occasionally. The Lamanites didn’t farm, and either pillaged or hunted for their sustenance.

I can’t help but notice that our hunting laws restrict hunting to specific times of the year, and limit the number of animals that can be killed. I suspect that if these laws were repealed, some percentage of hunters would hunt to excess, much like what happened with the wild buffalo in the 1800s. Our hunting laws seem to be implementing the will of the Lord to some degree (albeit by coercion). An outright prohibition on hunting for food is not God’s will. Trophy hunting, where blood is spilled when there is no need, seems to be a different story.

So what does this mean for us? Beef, poultry, and other domesticated meats are fine to eat year round, in abundant moderation but not to excess. Grains, herbs, and fruits are fine to eat year round. Wild animals, however, should only be eaten in times of famine and excess hunger.

 

Sickles and Service

This is a repost of MD's work posted FEBRUARY 13, 2019 from Measuringdoctrine.com

In the comments section of one of the episodes of the Iron Rod Podcast, a listener shared a profound insight he had discovered in the Doctrine and Covenants. It was a truth hiding in plain sight that I might have never found, trusting instead in the traditions I had been taught since my youth. These traditions teach that thrusting in your sickle is all about missionary work. Yet Section 11, received in May 1829, does not support that notion.

First, Hyrum is told he must wait before preaching the gospel until he has received God’s word and knows his doctrine.

D&C 11:15-17, 21-22
Behold, I command you that you need not suppose that you are called to preach until you are called. Wait a little longer, until you shall have my word, my rock, my church, and my gospel, that you may know of a surety my doctrine. And then, behold, according to your desires, yea, even according to your faith shall it be done unto you.

Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men. But now hold your peace; study my word which hath gone forth among the children of men, and also study my word which shall come forth among the children of men, or that which is now translating, yea, until you have obtained all which I shall grant unto the children of men in this generation, and then shall all things be added thereto.

Instead of being called to preach, he is called to study the word of God, both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Then the Lord gives the key of understanding:

D&C 11:26-27
Therefore, treasure up in your heart until the time which is in my wisdom that you shall go forth. Behold, I speak unto all who have good desires, and have thrust in their sickle to reap.

The Lord is saying to treasure up the word of God until it is time to go forth to preach the word. But notice to whom the Lord is giving this message that it is not yet time for missionary work:  he’s speaking to all who have already thrust in their sickle to reap!

This changes everything. Instead of thrusting in our sickle to reap being about missionary work and harvesting converts, it’s about harvesting our own souls. Thrusting in the sickle is studying the word of God until we know of a surety the Lord’s doctrine. This is quite a bit different from what is taught in the correlated lesson manuals. Surely this one heretic on the internet can’t be right and the correlation committee in Salt Lake City be wrong! Let’s look in a few other places.

D&C 11:3
Behold, the field is white already to harvest; therefore, whoso desireth to reap let him thrust in his sickle with his might, and reap while the day lasts, that he may treasure up for his soul everlasting salvation in the kingdom of God.

Notice it is the soul of the one thrusting the sickle that gets everlasting salvation. There is no mention of converts being saved here. The benefits of thrusting the sickle are for the person thrusting the sickle, which makes sense if we’re talking about personally feasting on the scriptures. Watcher added a few verses to the comments, one of which nicely summarizes this concept:

Helaman 3:29-30
Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked—And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out.

Watcher also referenced JST Matthew 1:37, that says “whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived.” This confirms the Helaman passage and puts it squarely in a latter-day context. Satan is generating all sorts of false doctrine in an effort to deceive us. The only antidote is a sound knowledge of the word of God.

Now that we know what thrusting in our sickles means, let’s continue with Section 11.

D&C 11:4
Yea, whosoever will thrust in his sickle and reap, the same is called of God.

Notice the order, thrusting your sickle and reaping is what causes you to be called of God. Yet a missionary is supposed to be called of God before beginning to labor. This doesn’t make sense with the traditional interpretation. But the scriptural interpretation does make sense. Studying the word of God until we have obtained the word and know the true doctrine, that is what qualifies us for the work and causes us to be called of God. We have to put the personal effort in before we can be of use to God. But he promises us that he will help us.

D&C 11:12-14
And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit. Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy; And then shall ye know, or by this shall you know, all things whatsoever you desire of me, which are pertaining unto things of righteousness, in faith believing in me that you shall receive.

Remember, this Spirit is being promised long before we are asked to go forth and preach. The Spirit promised here is not to help us preach the word with power, it is to help us learn the word and the true doctrine so we can become qualified to preach the word to others!

My thoughts soon turned to D&C 4. This, after all, is the quintessential missionary scripture. Back when I was on my mission, we repeated this at every district meeting, zone meeting, and mission meeting.

D&C 4:1-2
Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men. Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.

Notice that is doesn’t say the words ministry or missionary work. It says service of God, and serving God. How do the scriptures define the service of God? Interestingly, Section 4 is the only place in the D&C that has the phrase “service of God.” Let’s look in the other books.

In the Bible, the service of God is used consistently to describe the work in the tabernacle and temple. Here are two examples:

Ezra 6:18
And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God, which is at Jerusalem; as it is written in the book of Moses.

Hebrews 9:6
Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.

In the Bible, missionary work is never described as “the service of God.”

In the Book of Mormon, this phrase is used by two people.

Mosiah 2:16-17,19
Behold, I say unto you that because I said unto you that I had spent my days in your service, I do not desire to boast, for I have only been in the service of God. And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God. And behold also, if I, whom ye call your king, who has spent his days in your service, and yet has been in the service of God, do merit any thanks from you, O how you ought to thank your heavenly King!

King Benjamin repeated uses the service of God to not refer to missionary work, but to his work as king and being in the service of his fellow beings.

2 Nephi 2:3
Wherefore, thy soul shall be blessed, and thou shalt dwell safely with thy brother, Nephi; and thy days shall be spent in the service of thy God. Wherefore, I know that thou art redeemed, because of the righteousness of thy Redeemer; for thou hast beheld that in the fulness of time he cometh to bring salvation unto men.

While not as definite as the Mosiah passage, there is no mention of missionary work in the entire chapter. Instead, Lehi is imploring his sons to choose eternal life because he is worried about the welfare of their souls.

In summary, nowhere in scripture is “the service of God” linked to missionary work! So when God talks about those who embark in the service of God, he’s talking about everyone who chooses to seek out his word, his doctrine, and his truth.

D&C 4:3-7
Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work; For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul;

And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work. Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence. Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen.

Section 4 was given to Joseph Smith Sr. in February 1829. When did he embark on his first mission? August 1830…eighteen months later. If this is about missionary work, it sure took him a long time to finish embarking! Compare Section 4 to Section 11 and you can see they agree with one another. The work is not missionary work, but personal preparation.

What a great find! Another tradition debunked! And another reminder that everyone has an individual obligation to obtain God’s word by searching out the scriptures. I am so grateful for this community we are creating wherein we can learn from each other.

Joy in the Gospel of Jesus Christ

 

Do you ever feel like the “Plan of Happiness” has let you down? Have you ever wondered, where the Joy of the gospel is in your life? Have you thought to yourself, I made and am keeping all the covenants, but feel like the covenant path is more of a dead end.

I think, that in many ways, you and I feel this way from time to time, because we have a worldly view of Joy.

What really is the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Two weeks ago, in sacrament we were taught what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is, as was taught by Jesus Christ here in the Americas over two millennia ago.

Recently I noticed that in both 3 Nephi 11 where Christ teaches the Doctrine of Christ and 3 Nephi 27 where he teaches the Gospel of Christ, The Savior is only talking to his apostles. You might be surprised that roughly 1/3 of everything recorded of Christ’s post mortal ministry in the Americas was exclusively to the 12 that were chosen. This fact is obscured today by our modern chapter breaks. 

It made me think quite differently about the other parts of what Christ taught during his ministry to the Nephites. I decided to give a bit more focus today on what he was teaching the multitude vs. what he taught exclusively to the Apostles. I am not an Apostle. I am just one member of the Multitude. So, let’s investigate what he did spend his time teaching the multitude, and see how we might find greater Joy in living His gospel.

Missionary Work

First Christ teaches the multitude that they will be blessed if they “give heed” to the words of the twelve, and be baptized. Then he tells the multitude that “Greater” will be the blessings of those that believe on the words of the multitude and are baptized. These people had not even been baptized and Christ was already encouraging them to do missionary work.

So how does missionary work bring us joy? 

When it comes to missionary work, what thoughts and feelings come to your mind and heart? For me a lot of excuses and negative experiences come to mind. That's not because all of my experiences have been negative. There have truly been some wonderful experiences. If you notice in the scriptural accounts of missionary work, even they had some pretty horrible experiences associated with missionary work, hunger, fatigue, people attacking them, being stripped down and humiliated, thrown into prison, loss of family, friends, and life. It is easy for things like this to stick out in our mind when we focus on ourselves. Yet with all those things that happened, do you remember the end result?

Do you remember the sons of Mosiah, who gave up the kingdom to teach the gospel to their enemies. Who saw their enemies sacrifice their own kingdoms and lives in return for the gospel they preached. Do you remember that great reuniting of Alma the younger and these sons of King Mosiah after their 14-year mission among the Lamanites.

“16 Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel.”

 

Persecuted

How did they get from the worldly detractors of Joy to these levels of ecstasy and how do we follow in their footsteps. In what are known as the beatitudes, Christ taught about this apparently worldly discrepancy

 

“ 10 And blessed are all they who are persecuted for my name’s sake, ...

11 And blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake;

12 For ye shall have great joy and be exceedingly glad, for great shall be your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you.”

I find that in today’s world many a person seeks out opportunities to identify and choose to experience, persecution towards themselves, their families, their ancestors, and their friends as justification for their lack of joy, opportunity, and blessings. Yet these “persecuted people’ do not seem very joyful about it. The difference seems to be for who sake they are persecuted. The Lord taught it must be for his name sake, no one else’s. To suffer for the Lord’s sake is a different kind of persecution and thus has a different result. 

Let your light shine

Christ taught the multitude, and us today about “salt” and what happens when it losses it savor and about “lighting a candle” and putting it “on a candlestick” to ‘let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works”

In a worldly sense with all the Youtubers, Instagrammers, bloggers and Facebook posts, it seems people are giving a lot of flavor to life and letting their light shine like never before.

Christ once again clarifies that the end result of showing our light should be, to, “glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Christ further instructs that HE is the light, that we are to shine, his light in our own lives. Are we showing forth our own light as the world directs or are we doing as the Savior taught and showing the Light of the only begotten of the Father?

Forgive 

Christ taught the multitude and us today to Not be angry with our brother, and to reconcile our differences, to agree with our adversary. The world takes great pleasure in publicly displaying the polar opposite of these teachings, placing mocking, retaliation and retribution over mercy, tenderness, and forgiveness. 

 

“44 But behold I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you;”

 

I know personally the Joy that comes from praying for your enemies and for your own heart to be softened when you have done wrong or been wronged. It does not always remove the conditions, but it does give the strength to bear them, much like it did for the People of Alma when they were burdened and persecute by the Amulonites.  

Alms

The Son of God teaches us “that ye should do alms unto the poor.” When I read the word ‘Alms’ I think of money, so I looked it up and found it means “Any thing given gratuitously to relieve the poor, as money, food, or clothing, otherwise called charity.” Christ further explained that when we give alms we should not be like the hypocrites, that “sound a trumpet,” but instead “That thine alms may be in secret;” I have often seen names of donners on Plaques, and Bricks and even park benches. Enshrining their generosity.

Although Christ teaches to give to the poor, it is also my own observation that nowadays most of the world is far more likely to give to organizations, kick starters, and investment opportunities, than to the poor.  I encourage you to keep this commandment more fully, because, “thy Father who seeth in secret, himself shall reward thee openly.”

Do you not know that in giving, both the receiver and the giver are blessed?

My own family has sought to give where we can, and we have benefited as the receivers of many blessings as a result.

Prayer

Christ teaches the people how to pray and then demonstrates several times how it is too be done. Even in teaching about Prayer he taught,

 

“when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret; and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.”

 

Letting your light shine starts to appear very difficult to me. How am I or you to set an example, and shine forth HIS light, when the things we have been asked to do, seem to all be done in secret. Yet in Gods calculations it all works out. I do not know how many times things I thought were done in secret were made apparent to those around me through no effort of my own. I think the key is not to try and hide it, but to just live it, without bringing attention to it.

Fasting

The Lord goes on for some time about Fasting. Now the world has normally seen fasting in a negative light. Why deny yourself when there are so many pleasures to enjoy. Recently the world has latched onto the idea of fasting as a means of losing weight to become “healthy and attractive” through intermittent fasting. I find now that I regularly hear people talking about their fasting now that it is somewhat in vogue, yet Christ message about fasting is clear:

 

“when ye fast be not as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance, for they disfigure their faces that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.

17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face;

18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father, who is in secret; and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

Once again he is showing us not to shine a light on our own efforts. At the end of the book of Helaman we read this account of the people of the church as they were receiving persecution from many of their brethren. Notice the outcomes of Fasting and prayer.

 

35 Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.

I hope you noticed that health and attractiveness where not among the benefits they identified. I think this people exhibit a greater understanding of what Christ meant when he taught:

 

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.

I often think we lose out on so many blessings and joy because we are unwilling to wait on God; we get in his way by seeking the praises of the world in hopes of some instant gratification, losing out on eternal rewards. I often wonder when we tell people that we went to the Temple or were helping the Missionaries or the many other Good things we do as members of the Church, what are our motives in telling that to others. 

Not only are we to learn from the things Jesus taught, but we are to do the things we saw him do. What are some of the things he did while ministering to the multitude? 

Even before choosing the twelve from the people, Christ invited all to:

 

14 Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.

 

Christ clearly wants us to know him, to know the cost of our salvation, and to see that God has fulfilled his end of the covenant he made with us. 

Do you remember the multitudes response?

 

16...they did cry out with one accord, saying:

17 Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God! And they did fall down at the feet of Jesus, and did worship him.

When Christ perceived that the multitude was weak and could not understand he did something truly amazing. He had started the day showing the wounds of his suffering and now he was asked the multitude to bring their suffering and afflicted to him so that he might heal them, and he did heal them.

Do we share our afflictions, our sufferings, our burdens, our wounds with the Lord. Do we share them with each other? It has been my experience that we as members often hide our burdens, but that does not appear to be the Saviors way.

Christ ended his first discussion with the newly called disciples teaching them to, “become as a little child”

Now he was going to teach the multitude what that meant.

11 And it came to pass that he commanded that their little children should be brought.

12 So they brought their little children and set them down upon the ground round about him, and Jesus stood in the midst; …

 

Then he prayed with them. This is what we have recorded of that prayer:

 

16..The eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard, before, so great and marvelous things as we saw and heard Jesus speak unto the Father;

17 And no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father…

20 And they arose from the earth, and he said unto them: Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full.

21 And when he had said these words, he wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.

22 And when he had done this he wept again;

23 And he spake unto the multitude, and said unto them: Behold your little ones.

24 And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them.

14 And it came to pass that he did teach and minister unto the children of the multitude ...and he did loose their tongues, and they did speak unto their fathers great and marvelous things, even greater than he had revealed unto the people; ...

Now the world would mock these things as the foolish imaginations of an uneducated young man of the early 1800s, but they are wrong.

When I read these things I see Christ taking those who need not the baptism of water, because

“… baptism is unto repentance to the fulfilling the commandments unto the remission of sins.

12 But little children are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world; …”

and thus the Savior baptized the children with Fire and the Holy Ghost. He is showing them the marvels that await those that put their faith in him and DO the things he has commanded. He is showing them what it is to become as a little child, a Child redeemed of God in all of its Joy and Glory. 

Ending

I know that worldly joy will never bring us Heavenly Joy. I know that the joy of the gospel is real and worthy of our every effort. I know that if we keep the commandments and Live our lives as Christ has shown us, we can see and experience the kinds of joys discussed here today. The covenant path is not a dead end. There is an overabundance of Joy in Living the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the Plan of Happiness will never let you down, because it is the plan of Our Loving and Eternal Heavenly Father, Amen