In Lehi's vision in 1 Nephi 8, he sees and describes four different multitudes of people striving to reach the tree of life and partake of its fruit. Each multitude can represent a different group of people in our day, and the distinctions between the groups is instructive.
Group 1: Lost Their Way in the Mists of Darkness
In 1 Nephi 8:21-23, the first group was "pressing forward that they might obtain the path which led unto the tree." Like all of us, they were seeking for the truth, trying to find the right path for their lives to obtain happiness and salvation. But unfortunately, as they did "commence in the path that led to the tree,...there arose a mist of darkness" that caused them to "lose their way." Because of this mist, they "wandered off and were lost."
From the interpretation given by the angel in 1 Nephi 12:17, we learn that "the mists of darkness are the temptations of the devil, which blindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men, and leadeth away into broad roads, that they perish and are lost." This interpretation helps us understand that the first group of people are those who seek the truth, but fall into temptation and lose their way before they are able to achieve their goal. This group never tastes of fruit and does not achieve baptism to make covenants with God.
Group 2: Partook of the Fruit and Were Ashamed
In 1 Nephi 8:24-28,34, the second group was able to overcome the temptations or mists of darkness by "clinging to the rod of iron." This group, like the first, had an interest in following the path that leads to the tree of life; however, by clinging to the word of God (the iron rod) or scriptures and teachings of modern prophets, they are able to navigate the world of temptation successfully without losing their way. Because of their diligence, they are able to partake of the fruit. These are baptized members of the church.
Unfortunately, there was a great and spacious building full of mocking, ridiculing people within earshot of the tree of life. After partaking of the fruit, the second group "cast their eyes about as if they were ashamed...because of those that were scoffing at them; and they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost." This is a lesson in enduring to the end. For members of the church, baptism and temple covenants are no guarantee of salvation. If we allow ourselves to give into peer pressure and focus on the things of this world, we are in danger of falling away. We need to learn how to resist the world and its enticements. This group has fallen into inactivity and no longer keeps the covenants they made at baptism.
Group 3: Partook of the Fruit and Heeded Not the Scorners
In 1 Nephi 8:30,33, the third group is the one of which we want to be part. Similar to the second group, the third group overcomes the temptations or mists of darkness by "continually holding fast to the rod of iron" until they are able to partake of the fruit. This group also notices the great and spacious building full of scorning, mocking people, but the key difference is that this group "heeded them not."
I find it interesting that the group that succeeded actually faces the same challenges as the first two groups. No shortcut or easy path was taken to bypass the challenges and safely arrive at the tree. They experienced the same mists of darkness (temptation), had to persevere along the same straight and narrow path, and then had the same building of mocking people pointing and scorning them after they partook of the fruit. The difference is that this group clung to the word of God during their journey, and then chose to pay no attention to the scorners upon their arrival. They cared more about God's work than the world, more about what God thought of them than what the world thought of them. This group is able to experience the true joy that comes from the fruit of the gospel.
Group 4: Were Feeling their Way to the Great and Spacious Building
In 1 Nephi 8:31-33, the final group was less a group and actually described as "other multitudes." These were lost in the darkness "feeling their way towards the great and spacious building." Lehi says that "great was the multitude that did enter into that strange building" but also "many were drowned in the depths of the fountain" or "lost from his view, wandering in strange roads" while making their attempt towards the building. Those that arrived at the building successfully, immediately pointed "their finger of scorn" at those who were partaking of the fruit.
This group never even faced the challenge of holding to the rod or withstanding the world while partaking of the fruit. They never even desired the fruit. Their focus from the start was on getting to the great and spacious building. This group had the same opportunities, for surely they could have chosen the straight and narrow path, but they used their agency to choose misery and death. These are they who never look for happiness by giving God's gospel a chance. They look for joy in the pleasures of the world that are impossible to satisfy and then exacerbate their situation by mocking those who are on the right path, trying to make them miserable like unto themselves.
Showing posts with label salvation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label salvation. Show all posts
Saturday, January 9, 2016
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Forever Families
Just some notes from the talk I gave last Sunday:
Stories of Sacrifice
1. Many years ago I read of a group of over a hundred members who left Manaus, located in the heart of the Amazon rain forest, to travel to what was then the closest temple, located in São Paulo, Brazil—nearly 2,500 miles (4,000 km) from Manaus. Those faithful Saints journeyed by boat for four days on the Amazon River and its tributaries. After completing this journey by water, they boarded buses for another three days of travel—over bumpy roads, with very little to eat, and with nowhere comfortable to sleep. After seven days and nights, they arrived at the temple in São Paulo, where ordinances eternal in nature were performed. Of course their return journey was just as difficult. However, they had received the ordinances and blessings of the temple, and although their purses were empty, they themselves were filled with the spirit of the temple and with gratitude for the blessings they had received.2. May I share with you the account of Tihi (Moo Tam) Mou Tham, his wife and their 10 children. The entire family except for one daughter joined the Church in the early 1960s, when missionaries came to their island, located about 100 miles (160 km) south of Tahiti. Soon they began to desire the blessings of an eternal family sealing in the temple.
At that time the nearest temple to the Mou Tham family was the Hamilton New Zealand Temple, more than 2,500 miles (4,000 km) to the southwest, accessible only by expensive airplane travel. The large Mou Tham family, which eked out a meager living on a small plantation, had no money for airplane fare, nor was there any opportunity for employment on their Pacific island. So Brother Mou Tham and his son Gérard made the difficult decision to travel 3,000 miles (4,800 km) to work in New Caledonia, where another son was already employed.
The three Mou Tham men labored for four years. Brother Mou Tham alone returned home only once during that time, for the marriage of a daughter. After four years, Brother Mou Tham and his sons had saved enough money to take the family to the New Zealand Temple. All who were members went except for one daughter, who was expecting a baby. They were sealed for time and eternity, an indescribable and joyful experience. Brother Mou Tham returned from the temple directly to New Caledonia, where he worked for two more years to pay for the passage of the one daughter who had not been at the temple with them—a married daughter and her child and husband.
3. The Kirtland temple – Elder Heber C Kimball described the scene as “poverty, tribulation and distress.” Not long after completing it, the persecution forced them out.
The Nauvoo Temple – The sames similarly sacrificed, worked 24/7 doing ordinances once it was complete. The prophet was murdered and the saints were forced out again at the hand of the mob
The SLC Temple – 40 years of sacrifice and labor to construct
Monson – “My brothers and sisters, temples are more than stone and mortar. They are filled with faith and fasting. They are built of trials and testimonies. They are sanctified by sacrifice and service…Some degree of sacrifice has ever been associated with temple building and with temple attendance. Countless are those who have labored and struggled in order to obtain for themselves and for their families the blessings which are found in the temples of God.”
Why? For What?
To answer the question “why?” listen to God’s mouthpiece, his chosen prophet on the earth today:
“Why are so many willing to give so much in order to receive the blessings of the temple? Those who understand the eternal blessings which come from the temple know that no sacrifice is too great, no price too heavy, no struggle too difficult in order to receive those blessings. There are never too many miles to travel, too many obstacles to overcome, or too much discomfort to endure. They understand that the saving ordinances received in the temple that permit us to someday return to our Heavenly Father in an eternal family relationship and to be endowed with blessings and power from on high are worth every sacrifice and every effort.”
Exaltation and Eternal Life mean the same thing – living eternally in the presence of God with our families – and includes the blessing of eternal increase and all that the Father hath.
“From the moment of birth into mortality to the time we are married in the temple, everything we have in the whole gospel system is to prepare and qualify us to enter that holy order of matrimony which makes us husband and wife in this life and in the world to come. Then from the moment we are sealed together by the power and authority of the holy priesthood … everything connected with revealed religion is designed to help us keep the terms and conditions of our marriage covenant, so that this covenant will have efficacy, virtue, and force in the life to come. Thus celestial marriage is the crowning ordinance of the gospel. … Thus the family unit is the most important organization in time or in eternity. And thus we should have more interest in and concern for our families than for anything else in life. … There is nothing in this world as important as the creation and perfection of family units” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1970, 27).
Elder Robert D. Hales taught:
"While our individual salvation is based on our individual obedience, it is equally important that we understand that we are each an important and integral part of a family and the highest blessings can be received only within an eternal family. When families are functioning as designed by God, the relationships found therein are the most valued of mortality. The plan of the Father is that family love and companionship will continue into the eternities."
President Henry B. Eyring taught:
“There is nothing that has come or will come into your family as important as the sealing blessings. There is nothing more important than honoring the marriage and family covenants you have made or will make in the temples of God. The way to do that is clear. The Holy Spirit of Promise, through our obedience and sacrifice, must seal our temple covenants in order to be realized in the world to come.”
Our Sacrifice
Unlike the Brazilian families living in the heart of the Amazon rain forest, or Tihi Mou Tham and his family, or our ancestors, the early saints in Kirtland, Nauvoo and the Salt Lake Valley, we do not have to suffer great hardships in order to attend the temple. We have one about 30 minutes away from here, and our biggest hardship is the 1604 traffic.
For current temple recommend holders
Our living prophet, President Monson says:
“If you have been to the temple for yourselves and if you live within relatively close proximity to a temple, your sacrifice could be setting aside the time in your busy lives to visit the temple regularly.”
For those who have not yet gone to the temple or do not have current
recommend
President Monson says:
“If you have not yet been to the temple or if you have been but currently do not qualify for a recommend, there is no more important goal for you to work toward than being worthy to go to the temple. Your sacrifice may be bringing your life into compliance with what is required to receive a recommend, perhaps by forsaking long-held habits which disqualify you. It may be having the faith and the discipline to pay your tithing. Whatever it is, qualify to enter the temple of God. Secure a temple recommend and regard it as a precious possession, for such it is.”
A word to the Teenagers (and Future Teenagers)
Now for you teenagers that might be thinking "how does this apply to me?" Let me borrow an analogy from speaker and author John Bytheway. You have all heard of the Tour de France, a grueling bicycle race that lasts over 3 weeks to travel more than 2,000 miles. John Bytheway talks about a different race, what he calls the "Tour de Family." This race is much longer than 3 weeks, it lasts our entire lives. It begins when a couple gets married. New seats are added to the tandem bicycle as kids join the family. It is not a race against other bikers or other families, but a race to achieve the finish line with no empty seats. Does this analogy make sense to you? You're on that bike with your family right now.
Have any of you ridden on a tandem bike before? It is much easier when both riders are pedaling. It can be difficult when one of those pedaling stops, or worse applies the brakes. The question that should be asked is, "are you pedaling, coasting, or worse, applying the brakes?" How can you help your family be an eternal family (or a forever family as it's often referred)? Don't hit the brakes while the rest of your family pedals onward; in fact, you might even pedal with them. Achieving a forever family is a family affair. What I mean by that is parents cannot by themselves do everything to have a forever family - each of us have to do our part, including the children.
A Word to the Parents (and Future Parents)
For the parents in this congregation, and I include myself, do our children understand the importance of eternal families? They will never learn how important a forever family is through words. They will only learn how important it is by watching mom and dad pedal on the family bike with all their effort, doing everything possible to arrive at the finish line with no empty seats. As we all know, it is our actions and our example that motivates our children, not our words.
President Harold B Lee, who was one of our latter-day prophets said the following: “Our youth are in danger. Keep your home ties strong ... ‘the greatest of the Lord’s work you brethren will ever do as fathers will be within the walls of your own home.’ Don’t neglect your [spouse] [or] your children. Take time for family home evening. Draw your children around about you. Teach them, guide them, and guard them. There was never a time when we needed so much the strength and the solidarity of the home” This was in 1973.
2. Apostasy
3. Restoration by Elijah the prophet to Joseph Smith in the Kirtland Temple
4. Living Prophet with the same Keys that Peter had – delegated to but a few. President Packer taught: “There are relatively few men who [hold] this sealing power upon the earth at any given time—in each temple are brethren who have been given the sealing power. No one can get it except from the prophet, seer, and revelator and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
Step Back- Plan of Salvation
Before we were born, we lived with God, the Father of our Spirits. In the The Family: A Proclamation to the World, we read, "IN THE PREMORTAL REALM, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life."- With a full knowledge of the trials, tests, heartaches, sickness and pain we would face in a mortal lifetime, why would we chose to come to earth?
Exaltation and Eternal Life mean the same thing – living eternally in the presence of God with our families – and includes the blessing of eternal increase and all that the Father hath.
- What do we need to do to receive exaltation?
By the voice of Apostles and Prophets
Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught:“From the moment of birth into mortality to the time we are married in the temple, everything we have in the whole gospel system is to prepare and qualify us to enter that holy order of matrimony which makes us husband and wife in this life and in the world to come. Then from the moment we are sealed together by the power and authority of the holy priesthood … everything connected with revealed religion is designed to help us keep the terms and conditions of our marriage covenant, so that this covenant will have efficacy, virtue, and force in the life to come. Thus celestial marriage is the crowning ordinance of the gospel. … Thus the family unit is the most important organization in time or in eternity. And thus we should have more interest in and concern for our families than for anything else in life. … There is nothing in this world as important as the creation and perfection of family units” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1970, 27).
Elder Robert D. Hales taught:
"While our individual salvation is based on our individual obedience, it is equally important that we understand that we are each an important and integral part of a family and the highest blessings can be received only within an eternal family. When families are functioning as designed by God, the relationships found therein are the most valued of mortality. The plan of the Father is that family love and companionship will continue into the eternities."
President Henry B. Eyring taught:
“There is nothing that has come or will come into your family as important as the sealing blessings. There is nothing more important than honoring the marriage and family covenants you have made or will make in the temples of God. The way to do that is clear. The Holy Spirit of Promise, through our obedience and sacrifice, must seal our temple covenants in order to be realized in the world to come.”
Our Sacrifice
Unlike the Brazilian families living in the heart of the Amazon rain forest, or Tihi Mou Tham and his family, or our ancestors, the early saints in Kirtland, Nauvoo and the Salt Lake Valley, we do not have to suffer great hardships in order to attend the temple. We have one about 30 minutes away from here, and our biggest hardship is the 1604 traffic.
For current temple recommend holders
Our living prophet, President Monson says:“If you have been to the temple for yourselves and if you live within relatively close proximity to a temple, your sacrifice could be setting aside the time in your busy lives to visit the temple regularly.”
For those who have not yet gone to the temple or do not have current
recommend
President Monson says:“If you have not yet been to the temple or if you have been but currently do not qualify for a recommend, there is no more important goal for you to work toward than being worthy to go to the temple. Your sacrifice may be bringing your life into compliance with what is required to receive a recommend, perhaps by forsaking long-held habits which disqualify you. It may be having the faith and the discipline to pay your tithing. Whatever it is, qualify to enter the temple of God. Secure a temple recommend and regard it as a precious possession, for such it is.”
A word to the Teenagers (and Future Teenagers)
Now for you teenagers that might be thinking "how does this apply to me?" Let me borrow an analogy from speaker and author John Bytheway. You have all heard of the Tour de France, a grueling bicycle race that lasts over 3 weeks to travel more than 2,000 miles. John Bytheway talks about a different race, what he calls the "Tour de Family." This race is much longer than 3 weeks, it lasts our entire lives. It begins when a couple gets married. New seats are added to the tandem bicycle as kids join the family. It is not a race against other bikers or other families, but a race to achieve the finish line with no empty seats. Does this analogy make sense to you? You're on that bike with your family right now.Have any of you ridden on a tandem bike before? It is much easier when both riders are pedaling. It can be difficult when one of those pedaling stops, or worse applies the brakes. The question that should be asked is, "are you pedaling, coasting, or worse, applying the brakes?" How can you help your family be an eternal family (or a forever family as it's often referred)? Don't hit the brakes while the rest of your family pedals onward; in fact, you might even pedal with them. Achieving a forever family is a family affair. What I mean by that is parents cannot by themselves do everything to have a forever family - each of us have to do our part, including the children.
A Word to the Parents (and Future Parents)
For the parents in this congregation, and I include myself, do our children understand the importance of eternal families? They will never learn how important a forever family is through words. They will only learn how important it is by watching mom and dad pedal on the family bike with all their effort, doing everything possible to arrive at the finish line with no empty seats. As we all know, it is our actions and our example that motivates our children, not our words.President Harold B Lee, who was one of our latter-day prophets said the following: “Our youth are in danger. Keep your home ties strong ... ‘the greatest of the Lord’s work you brethren will ever do as fathers will be within the walls of your own home.’ Don’t neglect your [spouse] [or] your children. Take time for family home evening. Draw your children around about you. Teach them, guide them, and guard them. There was never a time when we needed so much the strength and the solidarity of the home” This was in 1973.
Why Is Eternal Families a Unique Doctrine?
1. The Lord gave the sealing power to Peter as recorded in the New Testament: “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”2. Apostasy
3. Restoration by Elijah the prophet to Joseph Smith in the Kirtland Temple
4. Living Prophet with the same Keys that Peter had – delegated to but a few. President Packer taught: “There are relatively few men who [hold] this sealing power upon the earth at any given time—in each temple are brethren who have been given the sealing power. No one can get it except from the prophet, seer, and revelator and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
God Gives Us the Holy Ghost - Why?
In 3 Nephi 28:11, Jesus teaches: "And the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and the Father giveth the Holy Ghost unto the children of men, because of me. "
The Spirit testifies of the Father so that we might know Him, our relationship to Him, and his love for us. That is one of the primary purposes of the Holy Ghost.
God gives the Holy Ghost to us because of Christ. The simple way to look at this is that we would have no real need for the Holy Ghost if not for Christ. If fallen man had no hope of redemption then why send him help? But we do have hope of redemption through Jesus Christ; and for this reason, God has given us the Holy Ghost to help us recognize Christ's teachings, believe in Him as our Savior, and follow Him on the straight and narrow path that leads to eternal life.
The Spirit testifies of the Father so that we might know Him, our relationship to Him, and his love for us. That is one of the primary purposes of the Holy Ghost.
God gives the Holy Ghost to us because of Christ. The simple way to look at this is that we would have no real need for the Holy Ghost if not for Christ. If fallen man had no hope of redemption then why send him help? But we do have hope of redemption through Jesus Christ; and for this reason, God has given us the Holy Ghost to help us recognize Christ's teachings, believe in Him as our Savior, and follow Him on the straight and narrow path that leads to eternal life.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Salvation and the Fourth Article of Faith
The fourth Article of Faith states:
This statement teaches us some basic things about salvation and how it is achieved. There are many people in the world that believe that God has preselected a group of people on this earth to receive salvation and that the rest of us are out of luck unless we are part of that group. What a false, sad doctrine that is! God loves us as our Father and wants ALL of us to return to him. However, he will not force us to be obedient to his commandments and live in such a way that will qualify us for the blessing of returning to him because he has given us agency to choose for ourselves.
God has given us his gospel with steps that we should follow to prove ourselves to him and qualify for his greatest gift, that of eternal life. The first principles and ordinances of the gospel are the first steps in following the path that God has prepared for us to return to him. Not only are they inspired of God, but they also make sense logically.
Faith
First we must have faith in him. We must believe and more importantly do. Faith is an action word that implies that we will not only believe but do as the Lord wants us to.
Repentance
As we begin to have faith in God and in his son, Jesus Christ, we will naturally change to be better. We will want to make changes to leave our old lives behind and start fresh. We will ask God for his forgiveness and as we do this, repenting, he will forgive us.
Baptism
We show our repentance and change of heart through the ordinance of baptism. When we are baptized, we promise to follow Jesus Christ and his teachings. We come out of the baptismal waters clean just as we were when we were born. Baptism opens the door to salvation but does not guarantee salvation.
The Gift of the Holy Ghost
There is a second part of baptism. After we are baptized with water, we must be baptized with fire, or the Holy Ghost. This ordinance is performed soon after baptism. The gift of the Holy Ghost is given by the laying on of hands by someone who has the priesthood authority. It is important to note that the Gift of the Holy Ghost does not just come upon baptized members of the Church automatically. It must be given by the laying on of hands as recorded in the New Testament in Acts 8:16-18.
Of course following these steps, the first principles and ordinances of the gospel will not guarantee salvation, but as I mentioned, these are the first steps that we must take. After we have completed these steps, we have begun on the path that will lead us to eternal life if we press on, enduring to the end. One of my favorite scriptures that talks about this responsibility is found in 2 Nephi 31:20, which reads:
"We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost."
Articles of Faith 1:4
This statement teaches us some basic things about salvation and how it is achieved. There are many people in the world that believe that God has preselected a group of people on this earth to receive salvation and that the rest of us are out of luck unless we are part of that group. What a false, sad doctrine that is! God loves us as our Father and wants ALL of us to return to him. However, he will not force us to be obedient to his commandments and live in such a way that will qualify us for the blessing of returning to him because he has given us agency to choose for ourselves.
God has given us his gospel with steps that we should follow to prove ourselves to him and qualify for his greatest gift, that of eternal life. The first principles and ordinances of the gospel are the first steps in following the path that God has prepared for us to return to him. Not only are they inspired of God, but they also make sense logically.
Faith
First we must have faith in him. We must believe and more importantly do. Faith is an action word that implies that we will not only believe but do as the Lord wants us to.
Repentance
As we begin to have faith in God and in his son, Jesus Christ, we will naturally change to be better. We will want to make changes to leave our old lives behind and start fresh. We will ask God for his forgiveness and as we do this, repenting, he will forgive us.
Baptism
We show our repentance and change of heart through the ordinance of baptism. When we are baptized, we promise to follow Jesus Christ and his teachings. We come out of the baptismal waters clean just as we were when we were born. Baptism opens the door to salvation but does not guarantee salvation.
The Gift of the Holy Ghost
There is a second part of baptism. After we are baptized with water, we must be baptized with fire, or the Holy Ghost. This ordinance is performed soon after baptism. The gift of the Holy Ghost is given by the laying on of hands by someone who has the priesthood authority. It is important to note that the Gift of the Holy Ghost does not just come upon baptized members of the Church automatically. It must be given by the laying on of hands as recorded in the New Testament in Acts 8:16-18.
Of course following these steps, the first principles and ordinances of the gospel will not guarantee salvation, but as I mentioned, these are the first steps that we must take. After we have completed these steps, we have begun on the path that will lead us to eternal life if we press on, enduring to the end. One of my favorite scriptures that talks about this responsibility is found in 2 Nephi 31:20, which reads:
"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."
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