Lesson Outline - Lesson 28: “The Word Is in Christ unto Salvation”,

Lesson 28: “The Word Is in Christ unto Salvation”

Book of Mormon

Sherwood Hills Ward – 5 August 2012

1)      Introduction

a)      Two Great Atonement Sermons

i)        Alma in Alma 32-33

ii)      Amulek in Alma 34

b)      Set the Scene

i)        In Alma 31, we see Alma organize a missionary effort to proselyte the Zoramites

ii)      Members of the party included

(1)   Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner – three of the sons of Mosiah

(2)   Amulek and Zeezrom

(a)    The same Zeezrom that opposed Alma in Ammonihah and was converted

(3)   Shiblon and Corianton – two of Alma’s sons

(4)   Perhaps others

iii)    Zoramites were Nephite dissenters

(1)   Danger that they would join the Lamanites

iv)    Apostate

v)      Rameumptom

vi)    Their worship was bizarre

(1)   Worshipped once a week

(2)   A single set prayer

(a)    God is a spirit

(b)   Zoramites are better than the Nephites

(i)     Zoramites will be saved while Nephites are destroyed

(c)    There will be no Christ

(d)   Foolish traditions of the Nephites

vii)  Rodney Turner: "The religion of the ancient Zoramites in the Book of Mormon is paralleled by much of the religion practiced in our modern world: it was false, superficial, undemanding, impotent, and Christless. Consequently, the message of God's prophets to that misguided people is as relevant now as it was over two thousand years ago." (Studies in Scripture, 8:16)

2)      Alma 32

a)      The missionaries are teaching

i)        READ Alma 32, verse 2 - And it came to pass that after much labor among them, they began to have success among the poor class of people; for behold, they were cast out of the synagogues because of the coarseness of their apparel

ii)      Alma is preaching to a gathering outside – on the hill Onidah (Verse 3) when “a great multitude unto him, who were those of whom we have been speaking, of whom were poor in heart, because of their poverty as to the things of the world” – Verse 4

iii)    What do the poor Zoramites say?

iv)    Reading 1 – Alma 32:5

 5 And they came unto Alma; and the one who was the foremost among them said unto him: Behold, what shall these my brethren do, for they are despised of all men because of their poverty, yea, and more especially by our priests; for they have cast us out of our synagogues which we have labored abundantly to build with our own hands; and they have cast us out because of our exceeding poverty; and we have no place to worship our God; and behold, what shall we do?

(1)   ASK – Is there a relationship between apostasy and treating the poor badly?

v)      Reading 2 – Alma 32:12-13

  12 I say unto you, it is well that ye are cast out of your synagogues, that ye may be humble, and that ye may learn wisdom; for it is necessary that ye should learn wisdom; for it is because that ye are cast out, that ye are despised of your brethren because of your exceeding poverty, that ye are brought to a lowliness of heart; for ye are necessarily brought to be humble.

  13 And now, because ye are compelled to be humble blessed are ye; for a man sometimes, if he is compelled to be humble, seeketh repentance; and now surely, whosoever repenteth shall find mercy; and he that findeth mercy and endureth to the end the same shall be saved.

(1)   Alma later explains that it is better to be humble without being forced to be humble, but he is happy to teach the poor Zoramites, regardless of how they became humble.

b)      Faith

i)        Alma will take the Zoramites through a series of steps necessary for they and us to come to God

ii)      Reading 3 – Alma 32:21-22

 21 And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.

  22 And now, behold, I say unto you, and I would that ye should remember, that God is merciful unto all who believe on his name; therefore he desireth, in the first place, that ye should believe, yea, even on his word.

iii)    Reading 4 – President Boyd K. Packer has written:  "Faith, to be faith, must center around something that is not known. Faith, to be faith, must go beyond that for which there is confirming evidence. Faith, to be faith, must go into the unknown. Faith, to be faith, must walk to the edge of the light, and then a few steps into the darkness. If everything has to be known, if everything has to be explained, if everything has to be certified, then there is no need for faith. Indeed, there is no room for it."  (Improvement Era, Nov 1968, p62)

(1)   ASK – Why is developing the ability to know without seeing – faith – so important?

(2)   ASK - What is the first step that Alma asks of the Zoramites – Verse 22 – believe

(3)   ASK – What does “word” mean at the end of verse 22?

(a)    Word of God – scriptures, prophesies

(b)   John 1:1 - 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

(4)   The words of God given in the scriptures and through the prophets always point to Christ and His Atonement.

iv)    Reading 5 – Alma 32:26-27

 26 Now, as I said concerning faith—that it was not a perfect knowledge—even so it is with my words. Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge.

  27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.

(1)   We start out with a particle of faith – the tiniest piece – and build on that

(2)   Desire to believe – this isn’t so hard

(3)   ASK – in Verse 27 – what does it mean to “give place”

(a)    ASK – What are examples in our time of people who fail to “give place”?

(b)   ASK – How do we know that we are “giving place” for words and faith to grow in our lives?

c)      The parable of the seed

i)        Reading 6 – Alma 32:28

 28 Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.

(1)   Note the “give place” again in this verse

(2)   Characteristics of a seed

(a)    When we plant a seed in the ground that is properly prepared, we first see a sprout coming out of the ground.

(i)     The fact that the seed sprouted means that it was not an infertile seed – it worked

(b)   Growing our faith

(i)     ASK – Why is the word, the beginning of our faith, more like a seed than, say a jet plane or a computer?

1.      A seed operates on its own time

a.       It’s not fast.

b.      It’s hard to hurry along.

c.       Computers double their power and speed every 18 months, seeds don’t operate that way.

(c)    When the seed first sprouts, we’re not certain what it will become

(i)     An oak tree and a tomato plant are each a one-inch sprout early in their lives

(ii)   What becomes of the seed depends on how well we tend it.

ii)      Evidence of Spiritual Things

(1)   We spoke about Korihor last week – seeking for a sign

(2)   Sometimes we speak of faith as if it’s a spiritual characteristic we must develop without any evidence we can perceive.

(3)   Alma speaks of the evidence that helps us build our faith.

(a)    This is spiritual evidence, not the kind of evidence that skeptics like Korihor prefer, but reliable evidence nonetheless.

(b)   The rods and cones of our eyes are not designed to perceive spiritual things.

(c)    We are surrounded by evidences of the truthfulness of the Gospel if we will only use the senses through which God wants to communicate with us.

(i)     Verse 28

1.      Enlarge my soul

2.      Enlighten my understanding

iii)    Continue parable of seed

(1)   Reading 7 – Alma 32:37-39

 37 And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit.

  38 But if ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out.

  39 Now, this is not because the seed was not good, neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be desirable; but it is because your ground is barren, and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof.

40 And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life.

(a)    I think this is where we spend the most time – nourishing or neglecting our faith and spirituality

(b)   Note in verse 40 – Alma says this is the tree of life we are preparing ourselves for

3)      Alma 33

a)      Alma begins by going back to the initial concern of the poor Zoramites

i)        Verse 2 - Behold, ye have said that ye could not worship your God because ye are cast out of your synagogues.

b)      Alma then cites the prophet Zenos who says that he worshipped God in the wilderness, in his fields, in his house and in his closet, and in “the congregations” – synagogue

c)      READ – verse 11 –   And thou didst hear me because of mine afflictions and my sincerity; and it is because of thy Son that thou hast been thus merciful unto me, therefore I will cry unto thee in all mine afflictions, for in thee is my joy; for thou hast turned thy judgments away from me, because of thy Son.

(1)   This is the Atonement

(2)   ASK – What was said about Christ in the Rameumptom prayer?

d)     Alma then cites the prophet Zenock, who also testified of Christ

i)        Verse 16 - Thou art angry, O Lord, with this people, because they will not understand thy mercies which thou hast bestowed upon them because of thy Son.

e)      Alma then cites Moses, who also testified of Christ with the brazen serpent

i)        “whosoever would look upon it might live.” – verse 19

f)       Reading 8 – Alma 33:21-22

 21 O my brethren, if ye could be healed by merely casting about your eyes that ye might be healed, would ye not behold quickly, or would ye rather harden your hearts in unbelief, and be slothful, that ye would not cast about your eyes, that ye might perish?

  22 If so, wo shall come upon you; but if not so, then cast about your eyes and begin to believe in the Son of God, that he will come to redeem his people, and that he shall suffer and die to atone for their sins; and that he shall rise again from the dead, which shall bring to pass the resurrection, that all men shall stand before him, to be judged at the last and judgment day, according to their works.

g)      Alma has moved from the question about how the poor Zoramites could worship if they couldn’t go into the synagogue into a powerful testimony of Christ

4)      Alma 34

a)      Amulek begins by reviewing the important points of Alma’s teachings, then comes to the main concern of the Zoramites

b)      READ – Alma 34:5  And we have beheld that the great question which is in your minds is whether the word be in the Son of God, or whether there shall be no Christ.

c)      Reading 9 – Alma 34:8-10

  8 And now, behold, I will testify unto you of myself that these things are true. Behold, I say unto you, that I do know that Christ shall come among the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he shall atone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

  9 For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made.

  10 For it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice.

i)        An infinite and eternal sacrifice – verse 10

(1)   Infinite in space and coverage

(a)    Reaching all people and all worlds

(2)   Eternal in time

(a)    Reaching backward and forward to all people who have ever lived or ever will live

(3)   An eternal sacrifice because it brings the possibility of eternal life with God

d)     READ – Alma 34:14-16

 14 And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal.

  15 And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance.

  16 And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption.

e)      Amulek warns against neglecting the poor – sounds like he knows King Benjamin’s sermon well

i)        READ – Alma 34:28-29

 28 And now behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you, do not suppose that this is all; for after ye have done all these things, if ye turn away the needy, and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need—I say unto you, if ye do not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith.

  29 Therefore, if ye do not remember to be charitable, ye are as dross, which the refiners do cast out, (it being of no worth) and is trodden under foot of men.

f)       Do Not Procrastinate Your Repentance

i)        READ – Alma 34:33-35

  33 And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed.

  34 Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world.

  35 For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked.