Lesson Outline 15: “Eternally Indebted to Your Heavenly Father”

1)      Introduction

a)      Transition from “I Nephi” and Enos saying, “I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God” to the third person

i)        Mormon is writing

ii)      We have a prophet’s commentary on what another prophet has said

iii)    Pres. Eyring – pay particular attention when a prophet quotes another prophet

(1)   Second Witness

b)      Amazing King Benjamin comes bursting onto the scene

i)        We know only a little about his from the Words of Mormon

ii)      Great military leader

(1)   Has fought and won great victories over the Lamanites

(2)   Has personally carried the sword of Laban into battle

iii)    Great spiritual leader

c)      Importance of Benjamin’s sermon

i)        Reading 1 - Elder Bruce R. McConkie said that [King Benjamin’s sermon]  contained ‘what well may be the greatest sermon ever delivered on the atonement of Christ the Lord.’ (John W. Welch, King Benjamin’s Speech: Made Simple, pp. 51, 58)

ii)      Reading 2 – Jack Welch has written, “With the exception of the words of Christ himself, no speech in sacred literature, in our opinion, surpasses that of King Benjamin. Delivered at the temple in the city of Zarahemla around 124 BC, this text is a treasure trove in inspiration, wisdom, eloquence, and profound spiritual experience and insight. Little wonder that Mormon saw fit to include this speech as he complied the most significant Nephite records into the Book of Mormon…That oration was a landmark in its own day, and it still stands as a shining beacon of truth and goodness in our day.” (John W. Welch, and Stephen D. Ricks, King Benjamin’s Speech: Made Simple, p. vii)

2)      Calling the People Together

a)      King Benjamin is old and wants to call his people together for two purposes:

i)        Reading 3 – Mosiah 1:10-12

10 Therefore, he had Mosiah brought before him; and these are the words which he spake unto him, saying: My son, I would that ye should make a proclamation throughout all this land among all this people, or the people of Zarahemla, and the people of Mosiah who dwell in the land, that thereby they may be gathered together; for on the morrow I shall proclaim unto this my people out of mine own mouth that thou art a king and a ruler over this people, whom the Lord our God hath given us.

  11 And moreover, I shall give this people a name, that thereby they may be distinguished above all the people which the Lord God hath brought out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I do because they have been a diligent people in keeping the commandments of the Lord.

  12 And I give unto them a name that never shall be blotted out, except it be through transgression.

(1)   Verse 10 - King Benjamin will name Mosiah as king –

(2)   Verse 11 – King Benjamin will give his people a name

(a)    He will name Christ

(i)     In Mosiah 3:8, Benjamin says “8 And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary.”

(b)   Christ has already been named before and his name has been revealed to be Jesus.

(c)    This is the first time we learn that his mother will be called Mary

(3)   Benjamin is speaking of giving his people a name in a different way

(a)    Verse 11 “they have been a diligent people in keeping the commandments of the Lord”

(b)   Verse 12 “I give unto them a name that never shall be blotted out, except it be through transgression”

(c)    ASK: What ordinance have we just participated in that involves a name?

(i)     Sacrament – take the name of Christ upon us

(d)   This is a sermon about the Atonement

(e)    Benjamin will tell his people how to take upon them the name of Christ

b)      Sukkot

i)        Hebrew for "huts" or "tabernacles"

ii)      Seven-day festival falls in September or October

iii)    Religious convocation

iv)    One of its main observances is living temporarily in huts or tents, called sukkot, resembling those in which the Children of Israel dwelt during their forty years in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt.

v)      The door of the hut or tent faces the temple in Jerusalem

vi)    Every 7 years, the king read the Torah to all of his people during Sukkot

vii)  Two important religious convocations in the Jewish calendar

(1)   Spring – Passover

(2)   Fall – Sukkot

(3)   Schedule is like our General Conferences in April and October

3)      The Attitude of King Benjamin – Chapter 2

a)      Benjamin begins by speaking about himself as someone who has not lifted himself above others, a man without pride

i)        Verse 10 - I have not commanded you to come up hither that ye should fear me, or that ye should think that I of myself am more than a mortal man.

ii)      Verses 12-15

(1)   12 I say unto you that as I have been suffered to spend my days in your service, even up to this time, and have not sought gold nor silver nor any manner of riches of you;

(2)   13 Neither have I suffered that ye should be confined in dungeons, nor that ye should make slaves one of another, nor that ye should murder, or plunder, or steal, or commit adultery; nor even have I suffered that ye should commit any manner of wickedness, and have taught you that ye should keep the commandments of the Lord, in all things which he hath commanded you—

(3)   14 And even I, myself, have labored with mine own hands that I might serve you, and that ye should not be laden with taxes, and that there should nothing come upon you which was grievous to be borne—and of all these things which I have spoken, ye yourselves are witnesses this day.

(4)   15 Yet, my brethren, I have not done these things that I might boast, neither do I tell these things that thereby I might accuse you; but I tell you these things that ye may know that I can answer a clear conscience before God this day.

iii)    16 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.

b)      Benjamin demonstrates by his life and his teaching that he is a humble servant of God

4)      The Great Debt the People Owe to the Lord

a)      As he starts to speak to the people, King Benjamin does not congratulate them on their accomplishments, on their prosperity, on their defeat of the Lamanites, which would not have happened if they were not obedient

b)      Reading 4 – Mosiah 2:20-22

20 I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another—

  21 I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.

  22 And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you.

i)        ASK – What does it mean to be an unprofitable servant?  Is this the same thing as a faithless or wicked servant?

ii)      ASK – In these verses, what does Benjamin enumerate that we receive from our Heavenly Father?

(1)   Created us

(2)   Preserves us from day to day

(3)   Lends us breath

(4)   Lets us live

(5)   Lets us exercise our agency according to our will

(6)   Supports us from one moment to another.

(7)   If we keep the commandments, he blesses and prospers us

c)      Reading 5 – Mosiah 2:23-25

23 And now, in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him.

  24 And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast?

  25 And now I ask, can ye say aught of yourselves? I answer you, Nay. Ye cannot say that ye are even as much as the dust of the earth; yet ye were created of the dust of the earth; but behold, it belongeth to him who created you.

i)        Benjamin drives this point home

(1)   God has created you and granted you life

(2)   If you obey his commandments, he immediately blesses you

(3)   “Can ye say aught of yourselves?”

(a)    You are not even as much as the dust, because you were created of the dust and the dust belongs to him

(b)   Later on, in Helaman 12, Nephi will say that the disobedient Nephites are less than the dust, because at least the dust moves according to God’s will

d)     ASK – Why is Benjamin doing this?  Why is he being so hard on the Nephites?

i)        Only by seeing their nothingness, can the Nephites understand their need for the Atonement

ii)      They are not independent from God or self-sufficient from God, they need God for every breath.  They need the Atonement every minute of their lives.

e)      READ: Hugh Nibley has written, "Only those who are aware of their lost and fallen state can take the mission of the Savior seriously, and before one can embrace it in terms of the eternities it must be grasped on the level of common, everyday reality ... For behold, are we not all beggars? ... The essence of Benjamin's preaching is to purge the people, if possible, of their flattering self-image as good guys." (Hugh Nibley, The Prophetic Book of Mormon. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1986) pp. 484-485)

f)       None is good but God.  If we want to be good, we must do so by following the path that God has laid for us, an impossible task without the Atonement.

g)      Reading 6 – Brigham Young has said, “The animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms abide the law of their Creator; the whole earth and all things pertaining to it, except man, abide the law of their creation….We tame the animals and make them do our drudgery and administer to our wants in many ways, yet man alone is not tamed—he is not subject to his Great Creator. Our ignorant animals are faithful to us, and will do our bidding as long as they have any strength; yet man who is the offspring of the Gods, will not become subject to the most reasonable and self-exalting principles.” (Journal of Discourses, vol. 9, pp. 246-7 as taken from Latter-day Commentary on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p. 205)

5)      The Consequences of Disobedience

a)      Benjamin warns of the consequences of disobedience without repentance

i)        READ Mosiah 2:33 - 33 “For behold, there is a wo pronounced upon him who listeth to obey that spirit; for if he listeth to obey him, and remaineth and dieth in his sins, the same drinketh damnation to his own soul; for he receiveth for his wages an everlasting punishment, having transgressed the law of God contrary to his own knowledge.”

b)      Reading 7 – Mosiah 2:37-38

37 I say unto you, that the man that doeth this, the same cometh out in open rebellion against God; therefore he listeth to obey the evil spirit, and becometh an enemy to all righteousness; therefore, the Lord has no place in him, for he dwelleth not in unholy temples.

  38 Therefore if that man repenteth not, and remaineth and dieth an enemy to God, the demands of divine justice do awaken his immortal soul to a lively sense of his own guilt, which doth cause him to shrink from the presence of the Lord, and doth fill his breast with guilt, and pain, and anguish, which is like an unquenchable fire, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever.

i)        ASK – How does that work – the demands of divine justice awaken the soul of the wicked person to a lively sense of his own guilt?

ii)      READ – John Taylor said, “God has made each man a register within himself, and each man can read his own register, so far as he enjoys his perfect faculties. This can be easily comprehended.

“…Let your memories run back, and you can remember the time when you did a good action, you can remember the time when you did a bad action; the thing is printed there, and you can bring it out and gaze upon it whenever you please.

“…Man sleeps the sleep of death, but the spirit lives where the record of his deeds is kept--that does not die--man cannot kill it; there is no decay associated with it, and it still retains in all its vividness the remembrance of that which transpired before the separation by death of the body and the ever-living spirit. Man sleeps for a time in the grave, and by-and-by he rises again from the dead and goes to judgment; and then the secret thoughts of all men are revealed before Him with whom we have to do; we cannot hide them; it would be in vain for a man to say then, I did not do so-and-so; the command would be, Unravel and read the record which he has made of himself, and let it testify in relation to these things, and all could gaze upon it. If a man has acted fraudulently against his neighbor--has committed murder, or adultery, or any thing else, and wants to cover it up, that record will stare him in the face, he tells the story himself, and bears witness against himself. It is written that Jesus will judge not after the sight of the eye, or after the hearing of the ear, but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity the meek of the earth. It is not because somebody has seen things, or heard anything by which a man will be judged and condemned, but it is because that record that is written by the man himself in the tablets of his own mind--that record that cannot lie--will in that day be unfolded before God and angels, and those who shall sit as judges.” (Journal of Discourses, pp. 77-9)

6)      An Angel’s Visit

a)      In Mosiah 3, Benjamin recounts what an angel told him when he was awakened in the night.

b)      Reading 8 – Mosiah 3:5-8

5 For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases.

  6 And he shall cast out devils, or the evil spirits which dwell in the hearts of the children of men.

  7 And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.

  8 And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary.

c)      Next comes the reason why Jesus Christ will come to the earth.

d)     Reading 9 – Mosiah 3:9-12

 9 And lo, he cometh unto his own, that salvation might come unto the children of men even through faith on his name; and even after all this they shall consider him a man, and say that he hath a devil, and shall scourge him, and shall crucify him.

  10 And he shall rise the third day from the dead; and behold, he standeth to judge the world; and behold, all these things are done that a righteous judgment might come upon the children of men.

  11 For behold, and also his blood atoneth for the sins of those who have fallen by the transgression of Adam, who have died not knowing the will of God concerning them, or who have ignorantly sinned.

  12 But wo, wo unto him who knoweth that he rebelleth against God! For salvation cometh to none such except it be through repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.

e)      Lays out the influence of the Atonement.

i)        Who does the Atonement save in this part of King Benjamin’s sermon?

(1)   Saved from the fall

(2)   Those who sin in ignorance

(3)   Those who know the truth, sin and repent

f)       Reading 10 – Mosiah 3:16-18

16 And even if it were possible that little children could sin they could not be saved; but I say unto you they are blessed; for behold, as in Adam, or by nature, they fall, even so the blood of Christ atoneth for their sins.

  17 And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.

  18 For behold he judgeth, and his judgment is just; and the infant perisheth not that dieth in his infancy; but men drink damnation to their own souls except they humble themselves and become as little children, and believe that salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.

g)      Adds little children to those who are saved by the Atonement.

7)      The Natural Man

a)      READ – Mosiah 3:19 - 19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father

b)      ASK – What is a “natural man”?

i)        Elder Bruce R. McConkie said: “After the fall of Adam, man became carnal, sensual, and devilish by nature; he became fallen man. … All accountable persons on earth inherit this fallen state, this probationary state, this state in which worldly things seem desirable to the carnal nature. Being in this state, ‘the natural man is an enemy to God,’ until he conforms to the great plan of redemption and is born again to righteousness. (Mosiah 3:19.) Thus all mankind would remain lost and fallen forever were it not for the atonement of our Lord. (Alma 42:4–14.)” (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. [1966], 267–68).

c)      ASK – How do we put off the natural man?

i)        Listen to the Holy Ghost

ii)      Work to overcome our carnal, sensual and devlish characteristics

iii)    Become a saint, through the Atonement

iv)    Become like a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit

d)     Reading 11 - Elder Robert D. Hales said: “What we must remember about the Savior is that He and He alone had the power to lay down His life and take it up again. He had the ability to die from His mortal mother, Mary, and the ability to overcome death from His immortal Father. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, went willingly and deliberately to His death, having told His followers that this would happen. Why? one might ask. The answer: to give immortality to all mankind and the promise of eternal life to those who believed in Him (see John 3:15), to give His own life for a ransom for others (see Matthew 20:28), to overcome Satan’s power, and to make it possible for sins to be forgiven. Without Jesus’ Atonement, there would be an impassable barrier between God and mortal men and women. When we comprehend the Atonement, we remember Him with awe and gratitude” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1997, 34; or Ensign, Nov. 1997, 26).

Conclusion

Lesson 15 - Eternally Indebted to Your Heavenly Father - Scriptures and Quotes

Reading 1 - Elder Bruce R. McConkie said that [King Benjamin’s sermon]  contained ‘what well may be the greatest sermon ever delivered on the atonement of Christ the Lord.’ (John W. Welch, King Benjamin’s Speech: Made Simple, pp. 51, 58)

Reading 2 – Jack Welch has written, “With the exception of the words of Christ himself, no speech in sacred literature, in our opinion, surpasses that of King Benjamin. Delivered at the temple in the city of Zarahemla around 124 BC, this text is a treasure trove in inspiration, wisdom, eloquence, and profound spiritual experience and insight. Little wonder that Mormon saw fit to include this speech as he complied the most significant Nephite records into the Book of Mormon…That oration was a landmark in its own day, and it still stands as a shining beacon of truth and goodness in our day.” (John W. Welch, and Stephen D. Ricks, King Benjamin’s Speech: Made Simple, p. vii)

Reading 3 – Mosiah 1:10-12

Reading 4 – Mosiah 2:20-22

Reading 5 – Mosiah 2:23-25

Hugh Nibley has written, "Only those who are aware of their lost and fallen state can take the mission of the Savior seriously, and before one can embrace it in terms of the eternities it must be grasped on the level of common, everyday reality ... For behold, are we not all beggars? ... The essence of Benjamin's preaching is to purge the people, if possible, of their flattering self-image as good guys." (Hugh Nibley, The Prophetic Book of Mormon. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1986) pp. 484-485)

Reading 6 – Brigham Young has said, “The animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms abide the law of their Creator; the whole earth and all things pertaining to it, except man, abide the law of their creation….We tame the animals and make them do our drudgery and administer to our wants in many ways, yet man alone is not tamed—he is not subject to his Great Creator. Our ignorant animals are faithful to us, and will do our bidding as long as they have any strength; yet man who is the offspring of the Gods, will not become subject to the most reasonable and self-exalting principles.” (Journal of Discourses, vol. 9, pp. 246-7 as taken from Latter-day Commentary on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p. 205)

Mosiah 2:33

Reading 7 – Mosiah 2:37-38

John Taylor said, “God has made each man a register within himself, and each man can read his own register, so far as he enjoys his perfect faculties. This can be easily comprehended.

“…Let your memories run back, and you can remember the time when you did a good action, you can remember the time when you did a bad action; the thing is printed there, and you can bring it out and gaze upon it whenever you please.

“…Man sleeps the sleep of death, but the spirit lives where the record of his deeds is kept--that does not die--man cannot kill it; there is no decay associated with it, and it still retains in all its vividness the remembrance of that which transpired before the separation by death of the body and the ever-living spirit. Man sleeps for a time in the grave, and by-and-by he rises again from the dead and goes to judgment; and then the secret thoughts of all men are revealed before Him with whom we have to do; we cannot hide them; it would be in vain for a man to say then, I did not do so-and-so; the command would be, Unravel and read the record which he has made of himself, and let it testify in relation to these things, and all could gaze upon it. If a man has acted fraudulently against his neighbor--has committed murder, or adultery, or any thing else, and wants to cover it up, that record will stare him in the face, he tells the story himself, and bears witness against himself. It is written that Jesus will judge not after the sight of the eye, or after the hearing of the ear, but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity the meek of the earth. It is not because somebody has seen things, or heard anything by which a man will be judged and condemned, but it is because that record that is written by the man himself in the tablets of his own mind--that record that cannot lie--will in that day be unfolded before God and angels, and those who shall sit as judges.” (Journal of Discourses, pp. 77-9)

Reading 8 – Mosiah 3:5-8

Reading 9 – Mosiah 3:9-12

Reading 10 – Mosiah 3:16-18

Mosiah 3:19 - 19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father

Reading 11 - Elder Robert D. Hales said: “What we must remember about the Savior is that He and He alone had the power to lay down His life and take it up again. He had the ability to die from His mortal mother, Mary, and the ability to overcome death from His immortal Father. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, went willingly and deliberately to His death, having told His followers that this would happen. Why? one might ask. The answer: to give immortality to all mankind and the promise of eternal life to those who believed in Him (see John 3:15), to give His own life for a ransom for others (see Matthew 20:28), to overcome Satan’s power, and to make it possible for sins to be forgiven. Without Jesus’ Atonement, there would be an impassable barrier between God and mortal men and women. When we comprehend the Atonement, we remember Him with awe and gratitude” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1997, 34; or Ensign, Nov. 1997, 26).

Lesson 14: For a Wise Purpose - Lesson Outline

Book of Mormon: Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, (1999), 61–65

1.      Introduction

a)      We are coming to a unique place in the Book of Mormon

i)        End of the Small Plates and beginning of Large Plates

b)      Refer to chart

c)      Our first introduction to the prophet/editor of the Book of Mormon, Mormon

d)     A series of short books that cover about 450 years

i)        If the rest of the Book of Mormon were written as briefly as this section, the entire book would be about 20 pages long instead of 531 pages

e)      Despite the brevity of the 8 authors of these books, they include some important lessons.

2.      Enos prays for himself, the Nephites, and the Lamanites

a)      Reading 1 – Enos 1:1-2

1 Behold, it came to pass that I, Enos, knowing my father that he was a just man—for he taught me in his language, and also in the nurture and admonition of the Lord—and blessed be the name of my God for it—

 2 And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins.

i)        ASK – Who was Enos’ father? – Jacob

(1)   In the last verse of Jacob, Jacob turns the plates over to Enos

b)      Reading 2 - President Harold B. Lee said: “If the time comes when you have done all that you can to repent of your sins … and have made amends and restitution to the best of your ability … , then you will want that confirming answer as to whether or not the Lord has accepted of you. In your soul-searching, if you seek for and you find that peace of conscience, by that token you may know that the Lord has accepted of your repentance” (Stand Ye in Holy Places [1974], 185).

c)      Reading 3 – The Book of Mormon Student Manual says: "The wrestle Enos had before God was with himself. Sometimes the greatest effort is put forth when a person contends with himself before the Lord. Such wrestling is the struggle to find and express one's real desires which are sometimes hidden behind sin, evasion, and cover-up. Wrestling with oneself involves deep thought, meditation, and concentration. It means going beyond the cliché level of prayer to the point that one truly pours his soul into words and offers them to God. Repetitions cease to be vain, trite, or unfelt. Instead, each phrase is an expression of a yearning desire to do God's will. Such prayers are assisted and guided by the Holy Spirit, 'for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered' (Romans 8:26)." (Religion 121-122, Book of Mormon Student Manual, p55)

d)     Progression of Enos’ Prayer

i)        Stage 1

(1)   Reading 4 – Enos 1:3-8

3 Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart.

 4 And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens.

 5 And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.

 6 And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away.

 7 And I said: Lord, how is it done?

 8 And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole.

(a)    Reading 5 – Elder Boyd K. Packer said: “Sometimes you may struggle with a problem and not get an answer. What could be wrong?

It may be that you are not doing anything wrong. It may be that you have not done the right things long enough. Remember, you cannot force spiritual things.

Sometimes we are confused simply because we won’t take no for an answer. (Ensign, November 1979, p. 21.)

ii)      Stage 2

(1)   Reading 6 – Enos 1:9-10

9 Now, it came to pass that when I had heard these words I began to feel a desire for the welfare of my brethren, the Nephites; wherefore, I did pour out my whole soul unto God for them.

 10 And while I was thus struggling in the spirit, behold, the voice of the Lord came into my mind again, saying: I will visit thy brethren according to their diligence in keeping my commandments. I have given unto them this land, and it is a holy land; and I curse it not save it be for the cause of iniquity; wherefore, I will visit thy brethren according as I have said; and their transgressions will I bring down with sorrow upon their own heads.

iii)    Stage 3

(1)   Reading 7 – Enos 1:11-16

11 And after I, Enos, had heard these words, my faith began to be unshaken in the Lord; and I prayed unto him with many long strugglings for my brethren, the Lamanites.

 12 And it came to pass that after I had prayed and labored with all diligence, the Lord said unto me: I will grant unto thee according to thy desires, because of thy faith.

 13 And now behold, this was the desire which I desired of him—that if it should so be, that my people, the Nephites, should fall into transgression, and by any means be destroyed, and the Lamanites should not be destroyed, that the Lord God would preserve a record of my people, the Nephites; even if it so be by the power of his holy arm, that it might be brought forth at some future day unto the Lamanites, that, perhaps, they might be brought unto salvation—

 14 For at the present our strugglings were vain in restoring them to the true faith. And they swore in their wrath that, if it were possible, they would destroy our records and us, and also all the traditions of our fathers.

 15 Wherefore, I knowing that the Lord God was able to preserve our records, I cried unto him continually, for he had said unto me: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ, ye shall receive it.

 16 And I had faith, and I did cry unto God that he would preserve the records; and he covenanted with me that he would bring them forth unto the Lamanites in his own due time.

iv)    Enos prayed for himself, his friends and his enemies

v)      The Lord impressed upon him the importance of the records to the salvation of the Lamanites.

3.      The Nephites prosper through continual repentance.

a)      READ – Jarom 1:1-2

1 Now behold, I, Jarom, write a few words according to the commandment of my father, Enos, that our genealogy may be kept.

 2 And as these plates are small, and as these things are written for the intent of the benefit of our brethren the Lamanites, wherefore, it must needs be that I write a little; but I shall not write the things of my prophesying, nor of my revelations. For what could I write more than my fathers have written? For have not they revealed the plan of salvation? I say unto you, Yea; and this sufficeth me.

b)      Jarom records many wars with the Lamanites

c)      Jarom describes how the Nephites are able to prevail in these wars.

i)        Reading 8: Jarom 1:11-12

11 Wherefore, the prophets, and the priests, and the teachers, did labor diligently, exhorting with all long-suffering the people to diligence; teaching the law of Moses, and the intent for which it was given; persuading them to look forward unto the Messiah, and believe in him to come as though he already was. And after this manner did they teach them.

 12 And it came to pass that by so doing they kept them from being destroyed upon the face of the land; for they did prick their hearts with the word, continually stirring them up unto repentance.

(1)   During times of great trial, the prophets persuaded the Nephites to repent and they were spared.

4.      Omni, Amaron, Chemish, Abinadom, and Amaleki keep the records.

a)      Omni contains the records of 5 scribes

i)        Covers about 200 years

ii)      The population of both the Nephites and Lamanites had grown.

iii)    Wars between the Nephites and Lamanites

iv)    Important point is that each of these men kept and preserved the records. Even though, by their own admission, some of them were not keeping the commandments, they preserved the records.

b)      Amaleki wrote the secon half of the Book of Omni

i)        Amaleki shows us the consequences of not keeping records

ii)      King Mosiah is warned to take his people and leave the land of Nephi

(1)   Note how often the Lord leads His righteous followers into wilderness places, strange places, for their own safety and preservation.

(2)   Reading 9 -- Omni 1:13-15

13 And it came to pass that he did according as the Lord had commanded him. And they departed out of the land into the wilderness, as many as would hearken unto the voice of the Lord; and they were led by many preachings and prophesyings. And they were admonished continually by the word of God; and they were led by the power of his arm, through the wilderness until they came down into the land which is called the land of Zarahemla.

 14 And they discovered a people, who were called the people of Zarahemla. Now, there was great rejoicing among the people of Zarahemla; and also Zarahemla did rejoice exceedingly, because the Lord had sent the people of Mosiah with the plates of brass which contained the record of the Jews.

 15 Behold, it came to pass that Mosiah discovered that the people of Zarahemla came out from Jerusalem at the time that Zedekiah, king of Judah, was carried away captive into Babylon.

(a)    This people is commonly called the Mulekites because Mulek, the son of Zedekiah, lead them out of Jerusalem.

(i)     Mulekites is not found in the Book of Mormon

(3)   Reading 10 – Omni 1:17

17 And at the time that Mosiah discovered them, they had become exceedingly numerous. Nevertheless, they had had many wars and serious contentions, and had fallen by the sword from time to time; and their language had become corrupted; and they had brought no records with them; and they denied the being of their Creator; and Mosiah, nor the people of Mosiah, could understand them.

(a)    Without records, they lost their religion and language

(4)   By interpreting an engraved stone kept by the Mulekites, Mosiah learned of another civilization, the Jaredites, that had existed in the land (Omni 1:20–22). The Jaredites came to the western hemisphere at the time of the Tower of Babel.

(a)    Jaredite record is abridged by Moroni in the Book of Ether.

5.      Mormon adds the small plates of Nephi to his abridgment of the large plates

a)      Now we meet the great prophet/editor of the Book of Mormon – Mormon

b)      So far, everything in the Book of Mormon has been in chronological order

c)      Words of Mormon were written about 500 years after Amaleki and after Mormon had completed his original abridgment which constituted the Book of Mormon and was getting ready to give that to Moroni.

d)     Mormon describes his impression of the small plates:

i)        READ Words of Mormon 1:3-4,6-7

3 And now, I speak somewhat concerning that which I have written; for after I had made an abridgment from the plates of Nephi, down to the reign of this king Benjamin, of whom Amaleki spake, I searched among the records which had been delivered into my hands, and I found these plates, which contained this small account of the prophets, from Jacob down to the reign of this king Benjamin, and also many of the words of Nephi.

 4 And the things which are upon these plates pleasing me, because of the prophecies of the coming of Christ; and my fathers knowing that many of them have been fulfilled; yea, and I also know that as many things as have been prophesied concerning us down to this day have been fulfilled, and as many as go beyond this day must surely come to pass—

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6 But behold, I shall take these plates, which contain these prophesyings and revelations, and put them with the remainder of my record, for they are choice unto me; and I know they will be choice unto my brethren.

 7 And I do this for a wise purpose; for thus it whispereth me, according to the workings of the Spirit of the Lord which is in me. And now, I do not know all things; but the Lord knoweth all things which are to come; wherefore, he worketh in me to do according to his will.

ii)      The Book of Lehi, which Mormon had already written to cover the time of Lehi, Nephi and Jacob, would be translated into 116 pages by Joseph Smith, then lost by Martin Harris.

iii)    The small plates that Nephi discovered that so impressed him would replace those 116 pages in the Book of Mormon.

Conclusion

Lesson 14: For a Wise Purpose - Scriptures and Quotes

Book of Mormon: Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, (1999), 61–65

Reading 1 – Enos 1:1-2

Reading 2 - President Harold B. Lee said: “If the time comes when you have done all that you can to repent of your sins … and have made amends and restitution to the best of your ability … , then you will want that confirming answer as to whether or not the Lord has accepted of you. In your soul-searching, if you seek for and you find that peace of conscience, by that token you may know that the Lord has accepted of your repentance” (Stand Ye in Holy Places [1974], 185).

Reading 3 – The Book of Mormon Student Manual says: "The wrestle Enos had before God was with himself. Sometimes the greatest effort is put forth when a person contends with himself before the Lord. Such wrestling is the struggle to find and express one's real desires which are sometimes hidden behind sin, evasion, and cover-up. Wrestling with oneself involves deep thought, meditation, and concentration. It means going beyond the cliché level of prayer to the point that one truly pours his soul into words and offers them to God. Repetitions cease to be vain, trite, or unfelt. Instead, each phrase is an expression of a yearning desire to do God's will. Such prayers are assisted and guided by the Holy Spirit, 'for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered' (Romans 8:26)." (Religion 121-122, Book of Mormon Student Manual, p55)

Reading 4 – Enos 1:3-8

Reading 5 – Elder Boyd K. Packer said: “Sometimes you may struggle with a problem and not get an answer. What could be wrong?

It may be that you are not doing anything wrong. It may be that you have not done the right things long enough. Remember, you cannot force spiritual things.

Sometimes we are confused simply because we won’t take no for an answer. (Ensign, November 1979, p. 21.)

Reading 6 – Enos 1:9-10

Reading 7 – Enos 1:11-16

Reading 8: Jarom 1:11-12

Reading 9 -- Omni 1:13-15

Reading 10 – Omni 1:17

Words of Mormon 1:3-4,6-7

Seek Ye for the Kingdom of God - Lesson Outline

Lesson 12: Seek Ye for the Kingdom of God

Book of Mormon: Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, (1999), 51–55

1.      Introduction

a)      Begin with Jacob       

b)      Born between 600 and 590 BC

c)      Jacob had a difficult childhood

i)        Born in the wilderness with his brother Joseph

ii)      Took the harrowing journey across the ocean

iii)    Probably never knew a time in which his brothers were friendly and at peace with each other

(1)   After the death of his father, Jacob accompanied Nephi and some of the rest of the party in escaping into the wilderness for safety in the face of Laman and Lemuel’s increasingly dangerous threats and actions.

iv)    Helped to build a Nephite city in the wilderness

(1)   Assisted in building a temple

v)      Jacob would say of his life:

(1)   READ: "The time passed away with us, and also our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream, we being a lonesome and a solemn people, wanderers, cast out from Jerusalem, born in tribulation, in a wilderness, and hated of our brethren, which caused wars and contentions; wherefore, we did mourn out our days" (Jacob 7:26)

d)     Probably between 45-55 years old when Nephi gave him the plates

e)      Nephi was both the political and spiritual leader of the Nephites

i)        When Nephi died, political leadership went to another appointed by Nephi, who called themselves Second Nephi, Third Nephi, etc.

ii)      Jacob had been consecrated a priest by Nephi and, with his brother, Joseph, provided spiritual leadership to the Nephites.

2.      Jacob magnifies his calling from the Lord

a)      Jacob saw the Savior in his youth.

b)      When Nephi gives Jacob the small plates, he gives Jacob specific instructions

i)        Reading 1 – Jacob 1:1-4

1 For behold, it came to pass that fifty and five years had passed away from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem; wherefore, Nephi gave me, Jacob, a commandment concerning the small plates, upon which these things are engraven.

 2 And he gave me, Jacob, a commandment that I should write upon these plates a few of the things which I considered to be most precious; that I should not touch, save it were lightly, concerning the history of this people which are called the people of Nephi.

 3 For he said that the history of his people should be engraven upon his other plates, and that I should preserve these plates and hand them down unto my seed, from generation to generation.

 4 And if there were preaching which was sacred, or revelation which was great, or prophesying, that I should engraven the heads of them upon these plates, and touch upon them as much as it were possible, for Christ’s sake, and for the sake of our people.

(1)   ASK – Do we have “small plates” in our lives?

c)      Errand from the Lord

i)        After Nephi died, problems began to arise among the Nephites under the second king

ii)      Jacob prepared for his first big challenge as a prophet

iii)    Reading 2 – Jacob 1:17-19

17 Wherefore I, Jacob, gave unto them these words as I taught them in the temple, having first obtained mine errand from the Lord.

 18 For I, Jacob, and my brother Joseph had been consecrated priests and teachers of this people, by the hand of Nephi.

 19 And we did magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence; wherefore, by laboring with our might their blood might not come upon our garments; otherwise their blood would come upon our garments, and we would not be found spotless at the last day.

(1)   ASK – What does Jacob mean when he says he obtained his “errand from the Lord?”

(2)   ASK – Why was it important for Jacob to “magnify his office unto the Lord?”

(a)    ASK – What did Jacob do to magnify his office?

(i)     taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God . . . laboring with our might

(b)   Interesting that Jacob wasn’t magnifying his office for the people.

(c)    ASK – When we have callings, do we ever magnify our office to the people in the ward or stake?

(d)   Reading 3 - President Hugh B. Brown wrote: "President John Taylor said on one occasion... 'If you do not magnify your callings, God will hold you responsible for those you might have saved, had you done your duty.' This is a challenging statement. If by reason of sins of commission or omission lose what I might have had in the hereafter, I myself must suffer and doubtless, my loved ones with me. But...if any of us fail to teach, lead, direct, and help to save those under our direction..., then the Lord will hold us responsible if they are lost as a result of our failure." (The Abundant Life, p37)

d)     The Priesthood of the Nephites

i)        We sometimes think of the priesthood in Old Testament times as the Aaronic Priesthood only.

ii)      Reading 4 - Elder B. H. Roberts wrote: There was a priesthood that administered the ordinances of [the] gospel, and as the gospel was a higher law than the law of Moses, it is reasonable to conclude that the priesthood which administered in those ordinances was a higher order of priesthood than that conferred upon Aaron and the tribe of Levi, and undoubtedly the higher priesthood could, on occasion, administer in the ordinances of the inferior law. It was, doubtless, this higher order of Priesthood that such characters as Abraham, Melchizedek, and other prophets in Israel held, and by which they administered in sacred things. It was this order of priesthood that was held by Lehi and Nephi, and which the latter conferred upon his brothers, Jacob, and Joseph. The former referring to his priesthood says, that he had been “ordained after the manner of this (the Lord’s) holy order,” that being the way in which this higher priesthood, of which I am speaking, is designated throughout the Book of Mormon. Called also a priesthood “after the order of the Son of God.” It was this priesthood, therefore, that was conferred upon the Nephites—not the Aaronic priesthood—and by which they officiated in sacred things; of things pertaining to the gospel as well as to the law given of Moses. The justification for administering in the things of the law by this priesthood consist in the fact that the superior authority includes all the rights and powers of the inferior authority, and certainly possesses the power to do what the inferior authority could do. (B. H. Roberts, New Witnesses for God, Vol.3, p.469, emphasis added)

iii)    In Old Testament times, the Aaronic Priesthood was held by the Levites – descendants of Aaron who inherited this right. There were no Levites among the Nephites.

3.      Jacob warns against the love of riches, pride, unchastity and racial prejudice

a)      This is Jacob’s temple sermon

b)      The specific problems Jacob addresses are the first time we see the pride cycle begin among the Nephites.

c)      Jacob recognizes the seriousness of this threat.

d)     Gathers the Nephites together at the temple – Just like King Benjamin will do many years in the future.

e)      Jacob will warn about

i)        Riches

ii)      Pride

iii)    Unchastity

iv)    Racial Prejudice toward the Lamanites

f)       Reading 5 – Jacob 2:3-5

3 And ye yourselves know that I have hitherto been diligent in the office of my calling; but I this day am weighed down with much more desire and anxiety for the welfare of your souls than I have hitherto been.

 4 For behold, as yet, ye have been obedient unto the word of the Lord, which I have given unto you.

 5 But behold, hearken ye unto me, and know that by the help of the all-powerful Creator of heaven and earth I can tell you concerning your thoughts, how that ye are beginning to labor in sin, which sin appeareth very abominable unto me, yea, and abominable unto God.

i)        Verse 3 - I this day am weighed down with much more desire and anxiety for the welfare of your souls

ii)      Verse 5 - by the help of the all-powerful Creator of heaven and earth I can tell you concerning your thoughts

(1)   Where does sin first begin? In our thoughts.

(2)   Recall that Lehi in his dream beheld a "large and spacious building" which Nephi learned represented the "vain imaginations and the pride of the children of men" (1 Nephi 12:18)

(3)   The prophet knows the thoughts of his people

iii)    ye are beginning to labor in sin

(1)   Interesting that Jacob describes sin as a labor.

g)      Riches and Pride

i)        Reading 6 – Jacob 2:12-13

12 And now behold, my brethren, this is the word which I declare unto you, that many of you have begun to search for gold, and for silver, and for all manner of precious ores, in the which this land, which is a land of promise unto you and to your seed, doth abound most plentifully.

 13 And the hand of providence hath smiled upon you most pleasingly, that you have obtained many riches; and because some of you have obtained more abundantly than that of your brethren ye are lifted up in the pride of your hearts, and wear stiff necks and high heads because of the costliness of your apparel, and persecute your brethren because ye suppose that ye are better than they. 

ii)      Reading 7 - President Spencer W. Kimball wrote: “The possession of riches does not necessarily constitute sin. But sin may arise in the acquisition and use of wealth. … ‘For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.’ (1 Tim. 6:10–11.)

“Book of Mormon history eloquently reveals the corrosive effect of the passion for wealth. … Had the people used their wealth for good purposes they could have enjoyed a continuing prosperity. But they seemed unable for a sustained period to be simultaneously wealthy and righteous” (The Miracle of Forgiveness [1969], 47–48).

h)      Unchastity

i)        Reading 8 – Jacob 2:23-24,27-28

23 But the word of God burdens me because of your grosser crimes. For behold, thus saith the Lord: This people begin to wax in iniquity; they understand not the scriptures, for they seek to excuse themselves in committing whoredoms, because of the things which were written concerning David, and Solomon his son.

 24 Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord.

SKIP

27 Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none;

 28 For I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity of women. And whoredoms are an abomination before me; thus saith the Lord of Hosts.

ii)      Unchastity is tied to pride and riches

iii)    Unchastity affects others besides those who directly engage in it

(1)   READ – Jacob 2:31-35

31 For behold, I, the Lord, have seen the sorrow, and heard the mourning of the daughters of my people in the land of Jerusalem, yea, and in all the lands of my people, because of the wickedness and abominations of their husbands.

 32 And I will not suffer, saith the Lord of Hosts, that the cries of the fair daughters of this people, which I have led out of the land of Jerusalem, shall come up unto me against the men of my people, saith the Lord of Hosts.

 33 For they shall not lead away captive the daughters of my people because of their tenderness, save I shall visit them with a sore curse, even unto destruction; for they shall not commit whoredoms, like unto them of old, saith the Lord of Hosts.

 34 And now behold, my brethren, ye know that these commandments were given to our father, Lehi; wherefore, ye have known them before; and ye have come unto great condemnation; for ye have done these things which ye ought not to have done.

 35 Behold, ye have done greater iniquities than the Lamanites, our brethren. Ye have broken the hearts of your tender wives, and lost the confidence of your children, because of your bad examples before them; and the sobbings of their hearts ascend up to God against you. And because of the strictness of the word of God, which cometh down against you, many hearts died, pierced with deep wounds.

i)        Racial Prejudice

i)        Jacob speaks of the attitude of the Nephites toward the Lamanites whose skin has been darkened

ii)      Reading 9 – Jacob 3:8-9

8 O my brethren, I fear that unless ye shall repent of your sins that their skins will be whiter than yours, when ye shall be brought with them before the throne of God.

 9 Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you, which is the word of God, that ye revile no more against them because of the darkness of their skins; neither shall ye revile against them because of their filthiness; but ye shall remember your own filthiness, and remember that their filthiness came because of their fathers.

4.      Jacob teaches of the Atonement

a)      Jacob speaks of how difficult it is to write on the metal plates

i)        Evidence of how important the message is

b)      Jacob’s most important message is the Atonement of Christ

c)      READ – Jacob 4:4-7,10-12

4 For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we ourselves had a hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets which were before us.

  5 Behold, they believed in Christ and worshiped the Father in his name, and also we worship the Father in his name. And for this intent we keep the law of Moses, it pointing our souls to him; and for this cause it is sanctified unto us for righteousness, even as it was accounted unto Abraham in the wilderness to be obedient unto the commands of God in offering up his son Isaac, which is a similitude of God and his Only Begotten Son.

  6 Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea.

  7 Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things.

SKIP

10 Wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works.

  11 Wherefore, beloved brethren, be reconciled unto him through the atonement of Christ, his Only Begotten Son, and ye may obtain a resurrection, according to the power of the resurrection which is in Christ, and be presented as the first-fruits of Christ unto God, having faith, and obtained a good hope of glory in him before he manifesteth himself in the flesh.

  12 And now, beloved, marvel not that I tell you these things; for why not speak of the atonement of Christ, and attain to a perfect knowledge of him, as to attain to the knowledge of a resurrection and the world to come?

Conclusion