Lesson 40: “I Can Do All Things through Christ”, New
Testament Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, (2002)
1. Introduction
a) READ
– 13th Article of Faith - 13 We believe in being honest, true,
chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say
that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all
things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things.
If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we
seek after these things.
i)
ASK – what is “the admonition of Paul”?
ii) Reading
1 – Philippians 4:8
8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever
things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are
of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on
these things.
iii) Another
example of Joseph Smith’s admiration for the Apostle Paul
b) Study
three epistles of Paul today
i)
Philippians
ii) Colossians
iii) Philemon
c) Map
i)
Philippi
(1) Paul’s
First Missionary Journey – Acts 16
(a) Traveling
with Silas
(b) Just
beginning their travels
(c) Entered
into Southern Asia
(i) Planning
to preach in Asia
(d) Spirit
kept telling them not to preach and directing them away from the areas they
planned to visit.
(e) Arrived
in Troas on the West coast of Asia Minor
(f) Paul
had a Vision
(i) READ
– Acts 16:9-12
9 And a vision appeared to Paul in
the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over
into Macedonia, and help us.
10 And after he had seen the vision,
immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the
Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.
11 Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with
a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis;
12 And from thence to Philippi, which is the
chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city
abiding certain days.
(g) Paul
and Silas traveled to Philippi
(i) Lydia,
a seller of purple, was their first recorded baptism there.
ii) Philippi
was a large city in Macedonia, built by Philip, the father of Alexander the
Great. After being destroyed by war, it was rebuilt by Rome and made a Roman
colony and was given ius italicum —
the highest privilege obtainable by a provincial municipality (i.e., they could
buy and sell property, were exempt from land tax and the poll tax and were
entitled to protection by Roman law). Philippi was predominantly Roman, but
included Macedonian Greeks as well as a small congregation of Jews.
(1) The
citizens of Philippi were proud to be Romans and to observe Roman law and
custom.
iii) As
a group, Philippians were very faithful members of the Church
iv) Colossians
lived in Collosae
(1) 112
miles East of Ephesus
(2) Small
agrarian city
v) Philemon
(1) A
faithful member of the Church who lived in Collosae
2. Paul
encourages the Philippian Saints to follow Jesus Christ.
a) The
three epistles today were written by Paul while he was in captivity in Rome
b) Philippians
had sent Paul aid
i)
Epistle is a thank-you letter
ii) Called
the Happy Epistle because Paul is speaking to those he loves without the
necessity of calling them to repentance or deal with serious apostasy
c) Paul
speaks of his bondage
i)
Reading 2 – Philippians 1:19-25
19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through
your prayer, and the supply
of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
20 According to my earnest expectation and my
hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified
in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
21 For to
me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
22 But if
I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I
wot not.
23 For I
am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ;
which is far better:
24 Nevertheless
to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.
25 And having
this confidence, I know that
I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;
d) Speaks
of the afflictions the Philippians are suffering
i)
READ Philippians 1:29
29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
ii) Reading
2 - Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote: "When the saints suffer persecution for
righteousness' sake, they stand in the place and stead of Christ and are
receiving what the ungodly would heap upon the Son of God were he personally
present." (DNTC, 2:530)
e) Work
out Salvation
i)
Reading 3 – Philippians 2:12
12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye
have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my
absence, work out your own salvation
with fear and trembling.
(1) Reading
4 - President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote: "We know that the Lord is
merciful and kind and that he does not rejoice in causing fear in the hearts of
the righteous; nor does he command them to approach him in the spirit of fear
in the sense in which this term is usually interpreted. It is true that the
wicked will fear and tremble before him in that great day of judgment and that
he is angry with the wicked, and dreadful fear and trembling will fill their
hearts at his coming. The fear spoken of in these passages is in connection
with the spirit of obedience." (Answers to Gospel Questions, 2:2)
(2) Reading
5 - President David O. McKay said:
"'Work out your own salvation' is an exhortation to demonstrate by
activity, by thoughtful obedient effort the reality of faith. But this must be
done with 'fear and trembling;' that is with a consciousness that absolute
dependence upon self may produce pride and weakness that will bring failure.
With 'fear and trembling' we should seek the strength and grace of God for
inspiration to obtain the final victory.
"However, to work out one's salvation is not to sit idly by,
dreaming and yearning for God miraculously to thrust bounteous blessings into
our laps. It is to perform daily, hourly, momentarily, if necessary, the
immediate task or duty at hand, and to continue happily in such performance as
the years come and go, leaving the fruits of such labors either to self or to
others to be bestowed as a just and beneficent Father may determine." (CR,
April 1938)
f) Sacrifice
of All Things
i)
Reading 6 – Philippians 3:7-11
7 But what things were gain to me,
those I counted loss for Christ.
8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of
Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do
count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
9 And
be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the
law, but that which is through the
faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
10 That
I may know him, and the power
of his resurrection, and the
fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
11 If by any means I might attain unto the
resurrection of the dead.
ii) READ
Elder Neal A. Maxwell wrote: Let others, if they choose, advocate lesser lords
or causes for mankind. Only Jesus,
truly and fully, advocates the basic and central cause of mankind. Christ’s advocacy is advocacy with
perfect empathy and mercy. Being
sinless Himself, the wounds and scars He bears are actually ours. After
all, He was “wounded for our transgressions.” He loved us so dearly that He
voluntarily laid down His life for us. Furthermore, even though He gives us demanding commandments and stern tasks, He
has mercifully promised to prepare a way for us to keep and to fulfill all of
them. (Neal A. Maxwell, Even As
I Am, p.33 – p.34)
iii) Reading
7 - Joseph Smith said: "Sacrifice is the crowning test of the
gospel. Men are tried and tested
in this mortal probation to see if they will put first in their lives the
things of the kingdom of God. (Matthew 6:33.) To gain eternal life, they must be willing, if called upon, to
sacrifice all things for the gospel. 'If thou wilt be perfect,' Jesus
said to the rich young man, 'go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor,
and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.'
"A religion that does not
require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the
faith necessary unto life and salvation; for, from the first existence
of man, the faith necessary unto the
enjoyment of life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice
of all earthly things." (Lectures on Faith #6)
g) Reading
8 – Philippians 3:14-15
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in
Christ Jesus.
15 Let
us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any
thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
i)
The Greek word translated perfect is teleios.
ii) READ
- Elder Russell M. Nelson has spoken about the word teleios, translated as perfect in the New Testament: “[T]he term
perfect was translated from the Greek teleios,
which means “complete.” Teleios is an
adjective derived from the noun telos,
which means “end.” The infinitive form of the verb is teleiono, which means “to
reach a distant end, to be fully developed, to consummate, or to finish.”
Please note that the word does not
imply “freedom from error”; it implies “achieving a distant
objective.” In fact, when writers of the Greek New Testament wished to
describe perfection of behavior—precision or excellence of human effort—they
did not employ a form of teleios; instead, they chose different
words. (Perfection Pending, October, 1995, General Conference)
h) Reading
9 – Philippians 4:6-7
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the
peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus.
3. Paul
reminds the Colossians that redemption comes only through Christ.
a) Colosae
had a reputation for blending the beliefs of many religious systems.
i)
Worshipped angels
ii) Worshipped
multiple gods
iii) Demeaned
the role of Christ
iv) the
Colossian heresy
b) Paul
teaches of all the different truths of Christ
i)
Reading 10 -- Colossians 1:12-22
12 Giving thanks unto the Father,
which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in
light:
13 Who hath delivered us from the power of
darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
14 In whom we have redemption through his
blood, even the forgiveness of sins: (Christ is the author of our salvation)
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the
firstborn of every creature: (Firstborn of the Father)
16 For by him were all things created, that
are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be
thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by
him, and for him: (Creator of all things in heaven and in earth)
17 And he is before all things, and by him all
things consist.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church:
who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might
have the preeminence. (Head of the Church, First to be Resurrected)
19 For it pleased the Father that in him
should all fulness dwell;
20 And, having made peace through the blood of
his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether
they be things in earth, or things in heaven. (Through Christ’s Atonement, all
beings are reconciled to Heavenly Father)
21 And you, that were sometime alienated and
enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled (Even the
wicked are reconciled to Heavenly Father through the resurrection)
22 In the body of his flesh through death, to
present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: (Only Christ’s
Atonement can cleanse us)
c) READ
Colossians 1:23
23 If ye continue in the faith grounded
and settled, and be not moved
away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was
preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a
minister;
d) READ
Colossions 2:6-7
6 As ye have therefore received
Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in
him:
7 Rooted
and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been
taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
e) Reading
10 – Elder Neal L. Anderson, then of the Seventy, said: “What does it mean to
be grounded, rooted, established, and settled spiritually? It means having an
eternal perspective. It means realizing those things that will shape our lives
over much more than the next 5, 10, 15, or 50 years, but that will shape and
mold our spirits eternally, for our spirits live forever. It is having a faith
that is not a generalized feeling but reflects specific experience with
interlocking principles. Being grounded and rooted means being able to look
forward and backward from this life. A hundred years from now, how will my
decisions affect me? A thousand years? A million years? The difficulties that
are now mine, how meaningful will they be in a future state?
This perspective
of seeing the spiritual all around us, seeing the purposes of life, does not
come merely because we want to believe these things. If we have not grounded
and settled these things deep within the foundation of our soul, when the
tornadoes come we will find ourselves carried away, and rarely will we land
right side up on our neighbor’s trailer.
Being grounded,
rooted, established, and settled means that we see things as they really are,
that we see the spiritual hosts that surround us, that we understand that those
who are with us are more than those who are against us. It means that we sense
that while this earth life is a true proving ground, and there will be many
difficulties and obstacles to overcome, all lasting happiness will come as we
keep the commandments of God and as we put our trust in Christ, who is our
Savior.” (New Era, October, 2001, Adapted from a January 14, 1998, devotional
address at LDS Business College)
4. Attributes
of the Elect of God
a) Reading
11 -- Colossians 3:12-15:
12 Put on therefore, as the elect
of God, holy and beloved, bowels of
mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13 Forbearing
one another, and forgiving
one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you,
so also do ye.
14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of
perfectness.
15 And let
the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called
in one body; and be ye thankful.
Conclusion
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