Thought: From the Title Page of the Book
of Mormon, the Prophet learned that one of the two purposes of the book was the
convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ. For the
accomplishment of this purpose, the book is from beginning to end a witness for
Christ. It’s first chapter contains an account of a vision in which Lehi beheld
Jesus “descending out of the midst of heaven” in luster above the noonday sun.
(1 Nephi 1:9.) Its last chapter concludes with Moroni’s great exhortation to
come unto Christ and be perfected in him, with this assurance: “ . . . and if
ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness and love God with all your might,
mind, and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye
may be . . . sanctified . . .” (Moroni 10:32.) Numerous and great are the
stirring testimonies that illuminate the five Hundred pages between these two
chapters. (Elder Marion G. Romney, C.R., Oct. 1970, p. 28)
Book of the Week: A Complete Concordance of the
Book of Mormon - George Reynolds
Gary's
"GREEN VERSES" Moroni
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Moroni 1:3
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Moroni made up his mind that he
would be true to his testimony-no matter what!
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Moroni 2:2
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Christ gave the pattern for
conferring the Holy Ghost.
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Moroni 3:3
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Christ gave the pattern for ordinations
to the priesthood.
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Moroni 4:3& 5:2
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The Sacrament Prayers. My
nominations for God's favorite scriptures.
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Moroni 6:4
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One of my favorite things about our
Church is "we take names" and remember and nourish.
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Moroni 7:48
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Pray with All of our energy so that
we may be filled with love so we may be more like the Savior.
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Moroni 8:8
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One of the first requirements for
sinning is being accountable. Little children are not accountable.
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Moroni 9:6
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We are not the judges. Our job is to
labor diligently.
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Moroni 10:32
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Come unto Christ. Deny ourselves of
all ungodliness. Love god and our imperfections will be changed to
perfections because of the grace of God. - this is a good deal.
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1. The
perils and results of the reigns of wicked kings.
2. The
purpose, means of growth, and final end of a people who uphold secret
combinations.
3. America,
a land choice above all other lands.
4. The power
of faith and the results of gospel living.
5. The
important place of prophets and the plight of those who reject their words.
6. The
sending of natural disasters to humble the people.
7. The
reality and power of Jehovah, Jesus Christ. (Stolen from DCMB 4:289-292)
Ether 12
Vs. 1-3 -
There is nothing more rare than a lazy prophet. Ether is not rare.
Vs. 4 -
Hope, like faith implies action. A better next world should begin with us
making this world a better place.
Vs. 6 -
Believing without seeing will lead to greater seeing. See 1 Peter 1:7-9.
"God can
hold people responsible of faith in Christ for three reasons: (1) Jesus Christ IS
the Savior of all. (2) God created people such that they could discern truth
from error. Their existence and progression involve the divine substances of
light, spirit, truth, intelligence, and glory. (D&C 93) This divinity
underlies the nature of God and man. People may enlarge their portion of
divinity until like Christ they obtain the fullness, at which point they too
become gods. Another term for the divine element in mortals is "Spirit of
Christ." (Moroni 7:16; John 12:4) (3) Faith implies a desire, a choosing
to know. Many people have sensed spiritual truths but have not wanted to exert
the effort leading to personal sanctification. Amulek said, "I knew . . .
yet I would not know." (Alma 10:6) Here is the distinction between
testimony-seeking and sign-seeking: the sign-seeker wants to keep his
disobedient life and still have spiritual power. He wants to reap when he has
not sown. The testimony-seeker wants to submit to God, repent, and live by the
light that the Lord gives through the Holy Ghost. Catherine Thomas, "A
More Excellent Way," in Studies in Scripture: Book of Mormon, Part
2, pp. 274-277]
Vs. 18 -
Faith precedes miracles.
Vs. 22 -
When we take the Book of Mormon to the Lamanites we are doing so in response to
the faith of Book of Mormon prophets. (See also Enos 1:13)
Vs. 24 - See
1 Nephi 19:6; Jacob 4:1; Mormon 8:13-17; and 9:31, 33.
Vs. 27 -
Catherine
Thomas - The truth
is that we were born into an imperfect state in a fallen world. We chafe against our imperfection, but we
cannot completely eradicate our humanity in this life. Here power is an attribute of God, not of man. We were created weak so that we would turn to
the only source that could develop real spiritual stamina in us. Moroni recorded his conversation with the
Lord on this subject in Ether 12:23-37. He
feared that the Gentiles would not accept the precious records because of the
weaknesses in their writing. (Ether
12:25) The Lord comforted him with this
wonderful principle: "My grace is sufficient for the meek, that they shall
take no advantage of your weakness; and if men come unto me I will show unto
them their weakness. I give unto men
weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that
humble themselves before me; for if they .
. . have faith in me, then will I
make weak things become strong unto them.”
(Ether 12:26-27) When the Lord
told the Apostle Paul, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength
is made perfect in weakness," Paul declared, "Most gladly therefore
will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) (From her chapter in Studies in Scripture, Vol. 8:
Alma 30 to Moroni, p. 277)
McConkie and
Millet -
Weaknesses of the flesh come in many forms, but all come as a result of the
fall of Adam, which introduced into the world pains and problems, sicknesses
and sorrows, temptations and trials. Not
only did the nature of man become fallen- carnal, sensual, and devilish (see
Ether 3:2; Mosiah 16:3; Alma 22:13) - but the entire world fell to a telestial
state with all of its accompanying "weaknesses" and inherent problems. Such weaknesses affect all mankind - even the
prophets of God.
These Fall-induced "weaknesses of the flesh" impose
natural limitations upon us all. Mortals
are always bound by worldly weaknesses and limitations in strength, knowledge,
and power. Recognizing these limitations
in stark contrast to God's infinite wisdom and power causes one to be humble. "The foolishness of God is wiser than
men," declared Paul the Apostle, "and the weakness of God is stronger
than men”. (1 Corinthians 1:25) One of the purposes of the conditions created
by the Fall is to impel men to acknowledge their own weaknesses of the flesh
and depend more on the power of God than on the "arm of flesh" (see 2
Nephi 4:34; D&C 1:19; D&C 18:11).
Hardships and afflictions in mortality are often allowed by an
omniscient God in order to turn the hearts of the children of men to him (see
Mosiah 1:17; Helaman 12:3; Psalms 78:34-35).
In addition to the universal weaknesses of the flesh that come as
a result of the Fall, the Lord will at times "give unto men" a
personalized, individual challenge that is designed to increase a person's
faith in and dependence upon the Lord. It
is in these moments of personal pain and recognition of our individual
weaknesses and limitations that humbly leaning upon the "ample arm"
of Jesus (see Hymns, no. 120) produces strength which compensates for and
overcomes mortal weaknesses. The Lord's
giving us weaknesses in order that we may humbly look to him as our source of
strength is not just a series of isolated events in a lifetime but rather is an
ongoing process.
C. S. Lewis insightfully observed: "When a man turns to
Christ and seems to be getting on pretty well (in the sense that some of his
bad habits are now corrected), he often feels that it would now be natural if
things went fairly smoothly. When
troubles come along- illnesses, money troubles, new kinds of temptation - he is
disappointed. These things, he feels,
might have been necessary to rouse him and make him repent in his bad old days;
but why now? Because God is forcing him
on up, to a higher level: putting him into situations where he will have to be
very much braver, or more patient, or more loving, than he ever dreamed of
before. It seems to us all unnecessary:
but that is because we have not yet not the slightest notion of the tremendous
thing He means to make of us.” (Mere Christianity, p. 174.) (Joseph Fielding McConkie and Robert L. Millet,
Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of
Mormon, v. 4, p. 301)
Neal A. Maxwell - There may be those who choose
to debate the significance of whether or not an omnipotent God gives us a
particular trial or simply declines to remove it. The outcome is obviously the same either way;
God is willing for us to undergo that challenge. Yet He promises us that His grace is
sufficient for us. (2 Corinthians 12:9;
Ether 12:26-27) He even indicates that
some of the weaknesses and infirmities given to us can actually become a
strength to us. It is in our weakness
and extremity that God's power is fully felt.
Only when, of ourselves, we are helpless is His help truly appreciated.
Parenthetically, those who worry if they currently seem to be
untested should not feel guilty or anxious, nor should they pray for trials. First of all, the absence of major
tribulation can, ironically, produce the trial of tranquility with its very
grave risks of careless ease. Second,
the Lord does require a few intact individuals and families to help others
manage their trials and tribulations, even though these roles often rotate. (All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience,
p. 31)
Nephi rejoiced that God was able to use him notwithstanding his
weakness. (2 Nephi 33:11) Yet another prophet, Moroni, indicated that
God will both show us our weaknesses and give unto us certain weaknesses in
order to help us be humble and to accelerate our growth. (Ether 12:27) Given these realities, it would be unwise and
unfair for us to overreact to the weaknesses of others, especially as an excuse
for not overcoming our own.
It is strange that when one is remodeling a portion of his house,
he expects visitors to be tolerant of improvements that are so obviously
underway. Yet while one is remodeling
his character, we often feel obligated to call attention to the messy signs of
remodeling, or feel called upon to remember aloud things as they were. Forgetting is such a necessary part of
forgiving. (All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience, p. 113)
The gospel not only warns us of our weaknesses, but helps us to
overcome them. This requires a mortal
setting where real growth is possible. Apparently,
God even gives us weaknesses that we may be humble. (Ether 12:23-27) The humble individual can see and feel things
and can admit things, own up to them, in ways that the proud person cannot do. Pride not only isolates one from others—but,
alas, from himself and his possibilities.
(Deposition of a Disciple, p. 38)
Vs. 30 - Anybody know anybody else who has moved a mountain
besides the brother of Jared?
Vs. 34 - Charity does not appear to be an optional characteristic
of those who are going where we want to.
Vs. 36-38 - Hyrum Smith had been reading these verses before going
to Carthage. (See D&C 135:4-5)
Vs. 38 - Moroni's 3rd farewell.
Chapter 13
This chapter contains one of the
most significant discussions in scripture of the three Jerusalems that are to
be restored on earth in preparation for and as part of the Millennium. These
are first, the New Jerusalem, the city of Zion or city of Enoch, which was
taken from the earth when Enoch was translated and which will come down out of
heaven; second, the Jerusalem of Lehi's residence, rebuilt after its several
destructions according to the prophecy by Ezekiel, and, third the New
Jerusalem, in America, Jackson County, Missouri built by the seed of Joseph. ( Ogden
p. 282-3; See also Moses 7:60-64; D&C 101:16-38)
Vs. 2 - When America became chosen
Vs. 3 - America is the place for the New Jerusalem.
Vs. 8 - America is the promised land for the tribe of Joseph.
Vs. 20 - The difference 1 man could have made.
Vs. 21 - Coriantumr's promise of last survivorship.
The Book of Moroni - Try to find a "and it came to
pass" in this book. It is not a story. It is info for our day.
Moroni 1-6- Procedures to be observed in our
day. Common in our Church, but defining significant differences from other
Churches.
Moroni 7 - One of the greatest sermons ever
given. Ranking behind those of the Savior, but up there with King Benjamin.
Given by Mormon-recorded for us by his son.
"Basically, three things are required for salvation: works,
faith, and grace...Because hope for eternal life produces works, individuals
will be judged according to their works. through faith we faith the ordinances
prerequisite for salvation. However, after we receive all of the ordinances and
do all of the works, it is the grace of God that prepares and purifies us for
salvation. this is what Nephi meant when he said, 'It is by grace that we are
saved after all we can do." (Monty S. Nyman, "Hope, Faith and
Charity" in Studies in Scripture V. 8 p.297-8)
Vs. 3 - The rest of the Lord- "The state of peace that comes
with redemption; spiritual enjoyment resulting from the power or presence of
the Lord. Ultimately, it is the fulness of Godd's glory (D&C 84:24).
Prophets labor diligently to persuade their people to enter into this rest
(Jacob 1:7; Alma 13:6; D&C 84:23-24)/ the Book of Mormon refers to three
degrees of divine rest; the rest available in mortality, in Paradise, and in
the kingdom of God after resurrection. (Largey, Book of Mormon Reference Companion, p. 679. See also Gospel Doctrine p. 126, 128)
Vs. 8 - See the story of Marion G. Romney's building fund donation
in the Book of Mormon Student Manual p. 389.
Vs. 14-17 - An event, idea or practice may appear to be good, but
if it detracts a person from serving God, it is of the devil. (GLP)
Vs. 19 - Knowing good from evil often requires SEARCHING.
Vs. 33 - "To gain unshakable faith in Jesus Christ is to
flood your life with brilliant light. You are no longer alone to struggle with
challenges you know you cannot resolve or control yourself, for He said, If ye
will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient
in me." (RGScott - Ensign - April, 2005 p. 8-10)
Vs. 45 - "charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth
not [there is no resentment or discontent over the good fortune of others], and
is not puffed up ;there is no contention for superiority; those converted to
Christ are not threatened by others' abilities, and successes; there is no
pride', seeketh not her own [there is no selfishness], is not easily provoked,
thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity" (Ogden p. 301-2)
Vs. 48 - When was the last time I prayed for charity? When was the
last time I prayed will all the energy of my heart?
Moroni 8
Vs. 10 - By teaching our children-we save ourselves.
Moroni 9
Vs. 5-6 - The people in Mormon's time had 1) Lost their love for
each other, 2) thirsted for blood and 3) Thirsted for revenge. - What was the
responsibility of Church members?
Vs. 9 - The value of virtue.
Moroni 10 - The exhortation chapter
1) vs. 3- Remember God's mercy, 2) Ask God, 3) Don't deny God's
power, 4) Don't deny the Gifts of the Spirit, 5)Remember that all gifts come
from Christ, 6) God doesn't change, 7) remember vs. 20 & 26, 8) Come unto
Christ, Lay hold of good gifts and don't touch the unclean, and 8) /Come unto
christ and deny self of all ungodly. Love God
Vs. 1 - Note that Moroni is not writing to Nephites. There are
none. He writes to the Lamanites.
Vs. 34 - Moroni's final and 4th farewell.
CLASSES START AGAIN THE 2ND WEEK OF JANUARY- SAME TIMES- SAME
PLACES
Question, suggestions- glp24@yahoo.com
