Come Follow Me Insights (Doctrine and Covenants 88, Aug 9-15)

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Come Follow Me Class Insights 33 – D&C Sec. 88 I'm Taylor, and I'm Tyler. This is Book of  Mormon Central's Come Follow Me Insights.   Today, Doctrine and Covenants section 88. Now to jump in, we want you to see something  that's kind of – I think it's a beautiful   contrast on the actual, physical, scripture page.  Over here on page 164 of the English Doctrine and   Covenants, we have section 87, and you can  see this as revelation and prophecy on war.   Over here, section 88, it says it was designated  by the prophet as the "’olive leaf’ . . . plucked   from the Tree of Paradise, the Lord's message  of peace to us." Huh, that's interesting.   We have this Civil War prophecy that is  going to find fulfillment beginning in 1861,   and over here, you have this message of peace   that is given beginning two days later. So,  this one was on Christmas Day, December 25th,   and then on the 27th, the 28th, and then a week  later on January 3rd is where we are going to get   the last set of verses, you get this beautiful  revelation on peace, signifying the olive leaf. Now, I apologize to those of you from an  international audience outside of the United   States, but I'm going to demonstrate something  with our one-dollar bill in the United States.   If you turn a one-dollar bill to the back – and  you can Google this – you can look up the great   seal of the United States, and you can see this  image of this eagle. And you'll notice in the   eagle's left-hand talons, the eagle is holding  thirteen arrows. In the right talon, he's holding   a branch with thirteen olives, and thirteen leaves  on this olive branch. Interesting. You also have   thirteen stripes on the eagle's shield, and  you have thirteen stars above the eagle's head,   and you have a banner in the eagle's beak with  thirteen letters. And those letters are “E   Pluribus Unum”, which is a Latin phrase to mean  “from many, one”. It's the – it's the symbol of   the United States, where you take these different  groups of collections of people in these states,   and from many, we're going to unite them and  make them one. What are they becoming united in?   They become united in their war - those  arrows, they become united in their   peace - that olive branch. They become united  in their defense. They become united in their   seeking of knowledge, and wisdom, and light  from the stars, and the truth that comes. Fascinating that the olive branch, the olive  leaf, the olive, is this symbol of peace,   and it has been for millennia. Why is that?   You know, the olive tree is a fascinating one  because it's one of the few that you can cut   a branch off of the tree, and if you plant it  just right and give it the right conditions,   that branch will actually grow a root structure  and become a tree, but it won't become a tree   that is producing fruit for many years, sometimes  12, 14, 15, 16, 17 years before you get your first   olives off of the trees. Well in antiquity,  what happens when a conquering army comes in? Well, you want to be able to destroy the ability  for the people who may have been rebelling to   rebel again, and so you would throw salt in the  fields so they can't grow crops, and you would cut   down the olive trees. And at this point, you're  now looking at half a generation, or maybe a full   generation, before you have olives again. And we  won't go into it all, but olives were like core   to the Mediterranean diet, medicine, healing,  light – there are just so many reasons that   olives are so crucial. In fact, you and I, we've  been to the Middle East, we've been to Israel,   you can go to the Garden of Gethsemane, and  near the Church of All Nations. And there are   olive trees there that are upwards of a thousand  years old, possibly fifteen hundred years old,   and so these trees can grow for a long  time and produce an enormous amount of   fruit. You're not going to get that with an  apple tree, or grapes, or corn, or wheat. You get this beautiful symbol of the olive and  this olive branch that – here in section 88 after   this prophecy on war, now you get this prophecy  of peace where the Lord says, don't be troubled by   all of the prophecies of the pending destruction  and war and rumors of wars that are coming.   Let me give you something beautiful to hold onto.  And as we jump into section 88, can I just say   that – now this is just my opinion, I'm not  speaking with any kind of authority here,   this is from my perspective alone –  I can't find a section of scripture   anywhere that is more lofty and more profound  than section 88. It is mind-blowing how incredibly   cosmic and deep this theology is, these ideas  are. It's the kind of section where you really   don't need anyone to give you a lot of background.  You can just jump in and start reading section 88,   because there's not a lot of storyline that  you have to know about, not a lot of background   context. You can just start reading, and you  see God pouring these huge ideas into our minds   through the Prophet Joseph. And, by the way, look  at the date, once again. It's December 27th, 1832.   Joseph, four days before this, just barely  turned 27 years old. A 27-year-old early American   frontiersman is giving us this section from the  Lord that is mind-blowing. I love section 88. And if you look at other scriptures, as you were  pointing out, there is nowhere in all the other   scriptures, in all the canon, the Bible, the Book  of Mormon, that has this type of concentrated -   concentrated collection of incredible,  theological insights and truth. In fact,   I find it really intriguing that this revelation  was so grand, so vast, it took three days, right?   December 27th, and when it got late at night and  Joseph Smith is, like – because he's there with   a bunch of high priests. About ten or eleven  high priests had gathered together to discuss,   like, you know, the coming of the Lord. And  they're like, it's time for us to go to bed. So, they get up on the next morning, and the  revelation continues. God's like, I've got more to   teach you. And then another week goes by, and we  get January 3rd, and even after that, there were a   few more verses. The last few verses got revealed  later at some point, we don’t know exactly when   and got included. But I just think, you know,  I'm pretty happy if I can feel the Spirit while   I'm praying, but I'm not sure if I've ever had a  time in my life where I actually was having, like,   three or four full days of revelation, and had to  like tell God to be quiet so I could get to bed. Beautiful. So, for the big overview, section  88 verse 1 through 116 is this cosmic   theology. It is so big, it is so  beautiful, and it is so profound,   especially for 1832, as we're getting ready to  close out that year and open 1833, that new year.   You'll notice that then, the second part, verse  117, look at the very first word of verse 117.   It's “therefore”. So, he gives you  all of this incredible, mind-blowing   teaching, and then he says, “therefore,” because  of that, now here's what I want you to do.   And then he gives you the remaining  part, which is the very practical,   very down-to-earth, here's how I want you to  apply all of that knowledge that I just gave you,   that light and truth. And you're going to build  up a house and we'll talk about that's going to   turn into the Kirtland Temple, and you're  going to build the School of the Prophets.   Those two things come out of this practical  part of the section, and some very specific   ideas of what to do with the School of the  Prophets and the building up of that house. So, with that foundation, let's dive in, section  88 verse – start with verse 3. He begins by   telling them, "Wherefore, I now send upon you  another Comforter, even upon you my friends...".   Don't you love it when the Lord calls these  – these high priests and Joseph “my friends”,   that it's not ‘my servants’, or ‘my  people’, in this context; it's “my friends”. Well, it's interesting if you actually  look at the use of “friend” from God   saying that to people throughout  scripture, he uses a covenantal context.   So yeah, God has servants, but those who  have proved themselves faithful over time   become his friends, and so there's almost like  this peer relationship, and then eventually,   sons and daughters. And it's all this covenantal  experience that God wants to be fully with us. So that progression is beautiful from  servant, to friend, to son or daughter.   So, it's fascinating to me to look at scripture,  and to look at practicalities of life.   God loves everyone. That is not in  question. God loves everybody regardless,   but those who are loyal to him, who  take that love, and those covenantal   obligations that he gives us  out of love, those commandments,   and those commitments, and we keep them, and we  serve him, then we get to this level where this   group of people have arrived, where he can  say, “ye are my friends”, and then you continue   loyal in that part of the covenant relationship,  and you fully become his adopted son or daughter. So, we know that Abraham is probably the  first person we have in scripture who's   called a friend of God. And as children  of Abraham, he's a model for all of us.   I would include Sarah in this. Abraham and Sarah  are friends of God, and it’s that invitation   that we all have. Let's all just – we've shared  this before about the word “comforter”. If you   take out the middle of that word, it's the word  “fort”. We all know fort is a place of strength,   and the “com-” actually means “with”, or it's even  an intensifier sometimes. I'm going to add another   word here you might remember: “Emanuel”, “God with  us”. Right? In Hebrew, the word “Em” means “with”.   And I actually see “comforter” and “Emanuel”  as very similar words that – “Emanuel”,   “God with us”, “Comforter”, God with us”, but  he is strengthening us by being with us. So,   when you read these verses and look about the  script – look at the description of the Holy Ghost   and Jesus and God, they want to be with us and  they want to give us strength, and we all need it. That's beautiful. This - this whole idea of  the Comforter in verse 3 and 4 is calling   to our mind the speech that Jesus delivers to his  apostles at the Last Supper in John chapter 14.   In the Greek, there's the word “paraclete”. You  could look that up; there's a lot of research on   “paraclete”, and this Comforter promise, and what  that paraclete is, that he's with you. He’s that   strength with you. It's really powerful, really  profound. So, he's promising them this Comforter   to his friends, “...that it may abide in  your hearts, even the Holy Spirit of promise,   which other Comforter is the same that I promised  unto my disciples, as is recorded in the testimony   of John", so that would be in chapter 14. "This  Comforter is the promise which I give unto you of   eternal life, even the glory of the celestial  kingdom;". We're going to talk more about the   celestial kingdom a little bit later here.  And then he tells you that that “glory is of   the church of the Firstborn, even of God, the  holiest of all, through Jesus Christ his Son–". Now, notice this next verse. It's beautiful  symbolism where he shows you how Jesus Christ   and his various positions affect  his capacity. Look at verse 6:   "He that ascended up on high, as also he descended  below all things, in that he comprehended all   things, that he might be in all and through all  things, the light of truth;". So, here's Jesus who   we're told in this has now ascended above all, and  why was he able to do that, because he had first   descended below all. He has encompassed all. There  is nobody who is outside, either having sunk lower   than him, or gets exalted higher than him. Nobody.  He is - it is without exception. All are contained   within these symbolic arms of Jesus Christ, his  Firstborn, that he is the beginning and the end. He is above all and below all things; his great  condescension allows him then to make that great   ascension to heaven. And isn't that interesting,  that he who was a God before the foundation of the   world, John chapter 1 verse 1, “In the beginning  was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the   Word was God.” So, a God then condescends, comes  down below us all, so that he could then exalt us.   So, the reason he had to go below us was so that  he could lift us up, and not just lift us up, but   really understand us, succor us, run to us, get  us, understand exactly what's going on with us. He also encompasses us. And again, we get  this word “comprehend”, and years ago,   I used to think comprehension simply, or  to comprehend simply meant to understand,   which is one of the definitions.  But the real meaning of “comprehend”   means “to contain”, that only God can  contain all things. We cannot contain God,   because we – we aren't – we're in  his container which he has created. So, to tie this all in, verse 3 down through  verse 6, and this promise of a Comforter,   remember, look at verse 4: “This Comforter is the  promise which I give unto you of eternal life...”.   It sounds like what – the doctrine  that many of you may be familiar with,   called ‘the calling and election made sure’. That  – back in the 1970s, 1980s, that was a really big   deal in the Church. And unfortunately,  some people made such a big deal of it   that they “[looked] beyond the mark” of the  Gospel of Jesus Christ, and they sought for   that which was too fantastical. And in the  process, many people ended up losing their – their   membership in the Church and their faith in the  Lord, trying so hard to be better than good.   So, we have to be careful when we get into  this – into these discussions, that you keep   your focus on the Lord Jesus Christ, and moving  forward on his covenant path “...line upon line,   precept upon precept”, and not trying to  “run faster than [you have] strength”. I'm glad that Tyler has laid it out this way  because the phrase “calling and election”,   we should just break it down – thank you  for holding that – “calling and election”.   So, there's a covenant path. Think about the  tree of life, people following that path with   the rod of iron, and God is symbolized - Jesus is  symbolized by the tree. So, imagine Jesus is there   calling to us, okay? Do we choose to be gathered?  If we press forward, and we all struggle at times,   we fall, sometimes we wander off the path for  a bit, but if we keep listening for his call,   and keep choosing to be gathered, that's what's  going on. I actually find it very interesting that   the underlying word here of “-lect” actually  in the original language means “to gather”. Really fascinating. In fact, you had mentioned a  few minutes ago, you talked about Jesus in John 1,   he's the word. The Greek  word for “word” is “logos”.   Just trust me on this one, the Greek word “logos”  and the word “-lect” actually come from the same   root word, and it's when you speak, you  actually are gathering words to share.   So, God, in the phrase of being the Word,   is actually the logos, the one who gathers.  To be elect means ‘one who has gathered’. Now, all of us are called. How many of us actually  allow ourselves to be gathered? How many of us,   step by step, just do the simple, basic  things of, I'm going to go to church and   partake of the sacrament? I'm going to seek  today to try to repent and try to forgive?   The gospel's not complex. Isn't that – isn't that beautiful and fascinating  that Jesus calls us? He has elected us,   which means he's voted for us, he's put his  confidence in us, he's, with his words, he's   calling to us to gather to him. Now the question  is, can we make that sure? Can we say, yes,   all of this confidence, all of this effort that  he has put into me and you, we can make it sure,   and we make it sure by moving forward step by step  on that covenant path. You don't have to be better   than good today. You don't have to be superwoman  or superman in the gospel. You just have to be   loyal to the Lord, and you have to repent,  and change your heart, and change your mind,   and keep relying on God as we move forward.  Section 88 is filled with a handbook of how to do   this – this step by step gathering for us and  our loved ones with some very lofty ideas. So let's pick it up. Look at verse 7: "Which truth  shineth. This is the light of Christ. As also   he is in the sun, and the light of the sun,  and the power thereof by which it was made."   Now, you're going to see as he takes you  through these various elements of the cosmos,   how he, Jesus, is the light whereby they are able  to function and be - be what they are. The sun,   Jesus is “the light of the sun, and the  power thereof by which it was made.” Verse 8,   as he is in the moon, the light of the moon, and  in the stars, verse 9, and in the earth also.   So, you get the sun, the moon, the stars,  the earth, all of these things, Jesus   is the real light source. None of these  things are independent of him. Hmm, it   makes you wonder if maybe there is a  connection to humans as well. None of us   is independent of the light source, the giver of  life. And watch how – watch how the light and life   get connected in – throughout this section. Look at verse 11: "...the light which  shineth, which giveth you light,   is through him who enlighteneth your eyes,  which is the same light that quickeneth   your understandings;". Did you notice how  there's an external light? There's a physical,   scientific light, these photons, these rays of  light that are visible or that can bring life   to plants and to the earth, the elements on the  earth, but then there's the light that is unseen,   the light that's inside, the “light  that quickeneth your understandings;”. Look at verse 12: "Which light proceedeth forth  from the presence of God to fill the immensity of   space–". There's no part of space that doesn't get  affected by this power emanating from God, using   this analogy of light. Hmm. Stop and think about  this for a moment. Here, you have human beings,   and there is – out there in space, you get this  giant void with all these planets and stars and   everything that's out there, and he's saying  my light fills the immensity of that space.   The fascinating thing is, if you get microscopes  strong enough and powerful enough and you go   not to the macro level, because there's where you  use your telescopes, but now if you go the other   direction, now if you go microscope and go in,  scientists will reveal that most of what's here   is space. Most cellular structure and most down  at the atomic level is wide open space, with some   electrons orbiting a nucleus. So, you've got  this inner space, and you've got the outer space. Here's my point: there is no space, either  macro or micro, either out there or in here,   that isn't directly affected by the power of God  that comes through this light that permeates all   space. So, rather than having this be just an  astronomy lesson, or this big cosmic, mind-blowing   experience, the goal is that when we finish with  section 88, we walk away not just seeing the hand   of God, but feeling the presence of God, feeling  the majesty of God moving, not just among the   stars and the planets, but among my thoughts  and my feelings, that he's giving me life. Look at verse 13: "The light which is in all  things, which giveth life to all things," you'll   notice it's in, it's not external. That light that  is symbolized externally, it becomes a part of us,   “...which is the law by which  all things are governed,   even the power of God who sitteth upon his  throne, who is in the bosom of eternity,   and who is in the midst of...”  once again, “...all thing." Now we get agency. We can choose to not like  that, we can choose to not respond to the light.   Somebody can shine things on something and reveal  truth to us, and then we have a choice. We can   reject that and say, no, I'm not taking that,  I'm not going with that. Or, we can choose to   respond to the light that comes from God, those  expressions of his love, and his power, and   his knowledge, and his grace, and his goodness.  And we can be loyal to that and continue moving   forward on that covenant path trusting him,  or we can think that we're smarter than him,   or embrace darkness rather than light. That  will come up a little bit later in the section. Now, look at verse 15. This is monumental: “...the  spirit and the body are the soul of man.” So, this   is the first time we get this concept introduced  in scripture where, when we use the word “soul”,   from here moving forward in this context, we're  referring to both the body and the spirit. Now,   be very careful that you don't take that knowledge  that is restored in 1832 to Joseph Smith and then   superimpose it backwards in time onto every  previous prophet in every previous scripture,   because you can find lots of scriptures  in the Bible, and even the Book of Mormon,   where they use the def – they're using the  word “soul” to be more equated with the spirit,   which is more of the traditional understanding  of that word. I think the significant addition   we're getting here is to say, don't hold past  prophets hostage to this – to this new insight,   but take this new insight, and as you move  forward, recognize that your soul, my soul,   is comprised of body and spirit. Why is  that powerful? For me-- I'll just give   you little ole Tyler's opinion here for  a minute. I love this, because it gives   power to the eternal nature of what we will be  in the resurrection: body and spirit combined.   Why? Because sometimes, if we're not careful, we  demonize the flesh, we demonize the physical body. What's interesting, what you're talking about  here, in the ancient world, the Greeks – some   Greeks, some Jews actually found that the  body was a problem. Now, we might all agree,   the body has issues. We get sick, we get tired,  we get hungry, it falls apart and eventually dies.   And there were certain groups of some Greeks  and some Jews and others around the world who   felt that their purpose in life was to punish the  body, punish the flesh. And it ended up creating   quite a few problems for them individually,  for their families, their communities.   And God does not ask us to punish ourselves,  but to discipline. Think about fasting. Now,   as a kid I felt that was a form of punishment,  but it was a way of disciplining to allow   my soul to be in charge of my body and my spirit. Beautiful, this combination of the two.  So rather than seeing your body as evil,   or bad, or dirty, or unclean, rather seeing it  as an integral part of your soul, and stop and   think about the fact that the most wicked people  we have record of in scripture, the most evil,   vile of all, they never had a body. Satan and all  of his followers up in the pre-mortal council,   all they were was spirit. So, rather than  demonizing the body, I love this concept   that the soul is the perfect combination  of body and spirit. Beautiful. And then verse 16: “...the resurrection  from the dead is the redemption of the soul.   And the redemption of the soul is  through him that quickeneth all things,   in whose bosom it is decreed that the poor  and the meek of the earth shall inherit it." So, this word “quick” or “quicken”, it shows  up right there at the end of the Book of Mormon   where Moroni says, he's talking about  – he's commending people to God,   “the [judge] of both quick and  dead.” And this word "quick"   actually has a definition most of us don't  think about, that means “to be alive”.   So it's not something about running fast, which  it can mean that. When it talks about quickening,   it's he makes alive all things, which is what  we just read a few verses ago, that the light   of God is everywhere and provides life to all  things. And what does the adversary want to do?   He wants take that light all to himself,  so other things die away, and he has   now stolen all the light and love from God.  But he can't do that. God will not allow it. Now watch as God opens up our understanding of  the actual earth, the physical earth on which we   live. So we've been told back here that Jesus  is the light of the earth, the means whereby   it even lives. Notice at the bottom of verse  17, we're told that “...the meek of the earth   shall inherit it”, the earth. Look at verse 18:  "Therefore, it must needs be sanctified from all   unrighteousness, that it may be prepared for the  celestial glory; For after it hath fulfilled the   measure of its creation, it shall be crowned with  glory, even with the presence of God the Father;". So, this earth on which we live, this planet,  this dirt and rocks and air and water,   is going to be perfected. Why? Verse 20: "That  bodies who are of the celestial kingdom may   possess it forever and ever; for, for this intent  was it made and created, and for this intent   are they sanctified." I love that! The progression  that God shows us that the earth is going through   the same process for a planet-level of perspective  as you and I are as children of God, that it is   going to one day become purified, sanctified, made  completely whole, and it will become the celestial   kingdom for those who attain unto the celestial  kingdom, and he's going to talk about that. Now watch this. Look at verse 21: "...they who are  not sanctified through the law which I have given   unto you, even the law of Christ, must inherit  another kingdom, even that of a terrestrial   kingdom, or that of a telestial kingdom." So,  he's given a law, and if we can't abide that law,   then we can't abide that kingdom. Look at verse  22: "For he who is not able to abide the law of a   celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory."  Some people wonder, well, why doesn't God love all   of his children so much that he brings all of them  into his presence again, into a celestial glory?   It's – it would be an unjust  and an unfair God to do that. So, in verse 22 to 26, you get his – kind of  his description of filling the measure of our   creation, and God trying to do everything he can  to help us abide the law without taking away our   agency so that we can receive, we can become  like him. And then, you'll notice he shifts   down in verse 30 to people who are quickened by a  portion of the terrestrial glory, and then in 31,   a portion of the telestial glory. And then verse  32: “...they who remain shall also be quickened;”.   This is outer darkness, sons-of-perdition people  who have lived on this earth, “...they who remain   shall also be quickened”, will also  be resurrected, brought back to life,   “nevertheless, they shall return again to their  own place to enjoy...”, notice the wording here,   "...to enjoy that which they  are willing to receive, because   they were not willing to enjoy that  which they might have received." So everyone who's born on the earth is going  to get resurrected, and you have the celestial,   the terrestrial, and the telestial people,  those kinds of laws that they were able to   uphold. But those who couldn't  even uphold the telestial law,   they will be given a resurrected body,  but they are going to go now “...to enjoy   that which”, the wording once again,  “...that which they are willing to receive”. Brothers and sisters, the “willing to  receive” has far less to do with this,   and it has far more to do with covenant  connection, covenant loyalty to God.   They weren't willing to do that, so now they  are going to “enjoy that which they are willing   to receive, because they were not willing to  enjoy that which they might have received.” We have the story from Numbers in the  Old Testament, the Israelites are out   in the wilderness, they're getting  bit by snakes. And God commands Moses   to make the brazen serpent, and raise it up, and  have people look at it, and that will heal them.   God did not force anybody; agency was fully  alive and uncompromised, and some people said,   that's way too easy, I cannot imagine looking  at a fake snake on a pole is going to save me.   And any one of us might find ourselves in  a similar situation. God has now raised   up his Son, Jesus Christ, and all we need to do  is to look to him. Are we willing to look to him?   And sometimes, there are people out there, like,  that sounds way too easy. Salvation should be way   harder. Other people, they get discouraged, or  they fall off the covenant path and feel like   there's no way they can be saved, and they  start to doubt their own lovability from God,   and they become unwilling to receive. But the  invitation that God is consistently offering all   of us is that his love is everywhere, his  light is everywhere, and just receive it,   accept it, and keep coming back to his table  of the light, the sacrament table, every   single week. And wherever you might be, you're  always, always welcome back to the table of God. Love that. Love that, Taylor. Look at  verse 33. I had a neighbor growing up   who was a dear friend and a mentor to me in so  many ways, Ed Kearney. He used to quote section   88 verse 33 to me all the time whenever he  would be giving a gift or something that   he'd grown in his garden. And I'd always say we  can't take that. He'd always quote D&C 88:33,   which is a beautiful concept for giving gifts  between humans. But in the context of section 88,   it's a beautiful concept in the cosmic level  of God saying, I am trying to give you a gift,   the celestial law. I'm giving it to  you, it's a gift. Look at verse 33 now:   "For what doth it profit a man if a gift is  bestowed upon him, and he receive not the   gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which  is given unto him, neither rejoices in him   who is the giver of the gift." If you look at it  in this con – look at this verse in this context,   God's saying, I am offering you this gift of  my celestial law. And if you don't receive it,   then you don't rejoice in it, and you're  not going to receive the blessings,   and I don't rejoice in having been able to offer  it to you, which to me is an interesting concept. There is nothing that little ole Tyler Griffin  can do to repay the Lord Jesus Christ or   our heavenly parents for the life that  they've given us. I can't repay them,   but what I can do, the one thing  I actually can do, is to receive   the gifts that they've given me, and to recognize  from whence they came, and to value them,   and to value life, and to value loved ones around  me, and to do everything I can to move forward and   encourage others to move forward on that covenant  path and accept the glorious gift. That is what   our missionaries are doing every day out in the  field, is they're trying to help people recognize   this beautiful gift given to them by God in -  packaged in his Son – in the power of his Son   and the infinite Atonement of Jesus Christ that  allows us to become who we need to become, and   thus partake of all of these additional blessings  that come as a result of keeping those covenants. We might remember, in fact, I think  this is crucial that the word “law”,   we all think it's like this legalistic thing that  we're all going to get in trouble if we break it.   In a biblical context, “law” simply  means covenantal instructions,   God's instructions to us for how to be in  covenant with him. So, whenever you see “law”   in the scriptures, you can remember,  it's God's covenantal instructions.   It's his instructions that he  gives us for how to get blessings. Beautiful. That's all it is. That’s beautiful. Look at verse 34: "And again,  verily I say unto you, that which is governed by   law is also preserved by law and perfected and  sanctified by the same." So if you're governed   by law, then you're preserved by the law. The  covenant goes both directions. It's not just   God saying, hmm, what can I make up to fill  their time? What can I get them busily working   on? Like I do for my kids on Saturdays. Maybe,  maybe a little bit like that. Look at verse 35,   "That which breaketh a law, and abideth not by  law, but seeketh to become a law unto itself,   and willeth to abide in sin, and altogether  abideth in sin, cannot be sanctified by law,   neither by mercy, justice, nor judgment.  Therefore, they must remain filthy still." Oh, sisters and brothers, I don't know  how to emphasize this more. God loves you,   but what we're trying to build here is our ability  to be trusted by God, our ability to receive more   from God, not – not say, well, he loves me  so much he's just going to save me anyway,   it doesn't matter what I do. It does matter what I  do; it matters a great deal what we do in order to   not abide in sin, but rather walk in  his light, and his law, and his love. This word “abide” is an interesting one. It's  not one that we typically use in English. But   if you look at the root meaning of “abide”, and  the etymology, it actually comes from the word   “trust”, to have confidence. Let's reread  that. “[Those who trust] in sin, and altogether   [trust] in sin...” – if you just translate that  into the more apparent meaning of what “abide” is,   how many of us actually want to trust in sin?  I'd rather trust in God and his light and his   goodness. And that's what God is saying  is, like, you have a choice. On one hand,   you can fully trust me; on the other, you can  trust in the opposite of what I am, and that is   sin. You can choose to trust, and you can build  an entire apparatus of your life, and systems,   and institutions, and groups, and sociality  that reinforce that level of trust in sin,   or you can be on the covenant path,  and follow the covenantal instructions,   and receive everything I have to offer, and  become like me, and fully partake in all things. That's beautiful. And he goes on to  say all kingdoms have a law given.   And there's no – there are so many kingdoms  – there's no such thing as space out there   that isn't occupied by some sort of a kingdom.  Look at verse 39: "All beings who abide not in   those conditions are not justified. For  intelligence cleaveth unto intelligence;   wisdom receiveth wisdom; truth embraceth truth;  virtue loveth virtue; light cleaveth unto light;   mercy hath compassion on mercy and claimeth  her own; justice continueth its course   and claimeth its own; judgment goeth before  the face of him who sitteth upon the throne   and governeth and executeth all things."  Are you noticing a pattern here? As a little child is born, and as it  starts to develop and grow physically,   mentally, emotionally, spiritually, as  you learn certain principles of living,   and you abide by those principles, it then sets  you up to learn higher principles, and you get   more skilled, more knowledge, more intelligence  and light as you are true and faithful to those   lesser elements that you've already received.  I love that progression and that idea that,   you know what, I don't have to be perfect  today. I'm just going to do what God has asked,   which is put one foot in front of the other  on that covenant path and change, repent,   and move forward in faith, trusting in the Lord  to help me keep his covenantal instructions that   he's given me to a greater degree today than  I did last week, or last month, or last year. Look at verse 41, "He comprehendeth all  things...". What's the percentage there?   All's pretty inclusive, "...and all things are  before him, and all things are round about him;   and he is above all things, and in  all things, and is through all things,   and is round about all things; and all  things are by him, and of him, even God,   forever and ever." Goodness, gracious,  I don't know if there's a verse   that is more beautiful to just show in this  one verse the all-encompassing nature of God.   There is – there is nothing you and I do or think  or feel or desire that is outside of the realm of   God's knowing about it and being aware of exactly  who we are, where we are, what we're doing. Notice verse 42, "Again verily I say unto you, he  hath given a law unto all things, by which they   move in their times and their seasons; And their  courses are fixed, even the courses of the heavens   and the earth, which comprehend the earth and  all the planets." Now notice the sun, the moon,   the stars, they don't have a lot of choice, they  don't have a lot of agency, but you and I, we do.   We are put in these environments and then given  laws, but unlike the planets and the stars,   we don't have to abide those directions  that are given; we get to decide what to do. Look at verse 46: "Unto what shall I liken  these kingdoms, that ye may understand?   Behold, all these are kingdoms, and any man who  hath seen any or the least of these hath seen God   moving in his majesty and power." I don't know  about you, but for me, the goal isn't just to be   inspired by the wonders of the creation out  there in the cosmos and to say, wow, I've seen   the hand of God now because I've seen that. It's  to translate that macro-outer-space vision of God   into the micro-inner-space to see the hand of  God moving in his majesty, not just in my life in   increasingly trying to have my hand,  and my words, and the way I see things   become more and more and more in line with the  way the Lord Jesus Christ sees things, or would   say things, or would treat people, but it's  also to look for that majesty in other people. It's the concept from Mother Teresa of Calcutta  when she says on one occasion, the concept that   she shared was she looks for the face of God in  everybody she meets, and I believe that she said   she's never once been mistaken. She's been able  to see the face of God in everybody she's met.   She's looking for this – this goodness of God  quickening everybody and everything around her,   and in the process, she's seeing the  hand of God. That's a beautiful concept   with your family members, or with loved ones  in your extended family, or in your ward, or   neighborhoods, or in colleagues at work. Sometimes  it's easy to see the bad and the struggle,   but I love the concept of looking for the hand  of God moving in majesty and power to change,   and to look for the good wherever possible, and to  accentuate that in whatever way that is possible. Now notice the transition into verse 48. "I say  unto you, he hath seen him; nevertheless, he who   came unto his own was not comprehended", he who  came unto his own obviously being Jesus, who came   to his own people and he was not comprehended.  They didn't get him, they didn't understand   what they were seeing. He gives clarification on  that in verse 49. "The light shineth in darkness,   and the darkness comprehendeth it not;  nevertheless, the day shall come when   you shall comprehend even God, being quickened in  him and by him." Let it not be said of you and me   that the Lord came into our life, or into  our family, or into our circle of influence,   and his light shined in the darkness, into the  dark corners of our life, and we comprehended   it not. We either turned a blind eye to it,  or we didn't recognize it, or worse yet,   we rejected it because we're more comfortable  over in the dark. That would be a sad conclusion. It's almost – it's almost like that verse is  showing us this distinction between knowing   about Jesus versus knowing Jesus. Recognizing  facts and details about his life and being able   to pass a multiple-choice test regarding Jesus  versus knowing Jesus, recognizing him, hearing   him, as we've been invited by our prophets to do,  to tune our ear more closely so that we recognize   more quickly, more readily when he is – when the  voice of the Good Shepherd is calling after us. Then you'll notice he  transitions into this parable,   which is interesting because parables were  used extensively by Jesus in the New Testament   to teach the setting side-by-side of the concrete,  everyday stories that were set side-by-side with   abstract, more difficult-to-understand concepts –  a powerful teaching technique. Well, here you get   this long parable. He introduces it in verse 50 by  saying, "Then shall ye know that ye have seen me,   that I am, and that I am the true light that is  in you, and that you are in me; otherwise ye could   not abound. Behold, I will liken these kingdoms  unto a man having a field, and he sent forth his   servants into the field to dig in the field." And  then you've got these servants, 12 different hours   when they're out working, and he promises them  that if they'll go work in the vineyard, he'll   come and spend time with them and visit them.  And he goes to the first one for that first hour,   and then the second one for the second hour, so on  and so forth to the twelfth hour, the idea being   God is going to come to us according to  his timing. It's not according to ours.   We don't tell him when and how to do things.  We can make requests, we can plead with him   for things, but at the end of the day, we have  to trust him in his timing of when he comes. Now as you finish that parable, look at  verse 62 and 63, and let's apply it to us   today, right here in the 21st century. Verse 62:  "...again, verily I say unto you, my friends,   I leave these sayings with you to ponder in your  hearts...". Isn't that beautiful? He just told   this parable about servants going out, and now  he turns to this group surrounding Joseph, and   he says, now, my friends, you're out here, you're  serving, but you're serving at a higher level.   You’re my friends, and I want to leave you with  this saying to ponder in your hearts “...with   this commandment which I [have given] unto you  that ye shall call upon me while I am near–”.   That's profound. He's saying, recognize when  I'm near. Recognize when I've come to you,   when it's a time or a season when I'm laboring  directly with you, it’s your turn in the ministry,   in the field, in the work, whatever way  you want to word that, when I come to you. Look at verse 63: "Draw near unto me and I  will draw near unto you; seek me diligently   and ye shall find me...". Brothers and  sisters, we live in a world that wants   instantaneous answers, instantaneous solutions,  and no ambiguity. We live in a world that says,   oh, so I'm supposed to draw near, and I'm  supposed to seek him diligently, and I'll find,   ask and I'll receive, knock and it will be opened.  So, we think, okay, I'm just going to kneel down   and ask these really difficult questions, and  he's going to answer them. And if he doesn't   answer them, I'm going to get upset. That's  kind of the over-arching mindset of our world,   is we want – we don't want to have to wrestle, we  don't want to have to belabor things over time. Did you notice in verse 63 that he made  a lot of promises, but he didn't put   a time stamp on any of them? He didn't tell  you how long you were going to have to seek,   or how long you were going to have to ask,  or how long you were going to have to knock,   and for some of you, with some of your situations,  it's pretty quick. You recognize something,   you go to the Lord, and an answer is given,  a resolve comes, and you “bear a song away”,   and it's beautiful and it's quick.1 But there  are some of you who sit in a sacrament meeting,   and you listen to other people bear  testimony, or you're sitting in meetings   or lessons where people share experiences  where these kinds of things have happened,   and then some of you are sitting there thinking,  what's wrong with me? I've been pleading, I've   been fasting, I've been praying, it's my fondest  desire, I have been reaching for the heavens   for decades for a particular blessing and it  hasn't come yet. I love the fact that verse 63   makes promises of the outcome, but it doesn't  make promises of the timing of that outcome. Verse 64: "Whatsoever ye ask the Father  in my name it shall be given unto you,   that is expedient for you;". Did you notice that?  “...It [will] be given to you that is expedient   for you”, that is the most beneficial,  that is the best-case scenario for you.   So instead of shaking our fist at heaven in  frustration when we don't get what we want   when we want it, perhaps these verses would  invite us to bow our head and say, Lord,   I really – from my perspective this is what I  need, this is what I want, and this is how I want   it and this is when I want it. There's nothing  wrong with asking that, but at the end of the day,   the covenantal loyalty and that connection  with this being who has called us his friends,   is to trust him that he knows what he's  doing. He knows, when it comes to timing,   and when it comes to magnitude of answers,  he's got a best-case scenario for us. And   what we're doing when we ask, when we seek, when  we knock, is we're opening up that door from our   angle for him to then give us those  blessings when it's the best timing and   the best fit from his all-encompassing  knowledge, and view, and perspective. Some of you have perhaps seen the inspirational  message produced by the Church called   Good Things to Come. It tells the story of  Elder and Sister Holland when they were younger,   and headed back east from Utah to go to  school, and had some pretty major car   troubles along the way. It's a delightful,  short video. In that message, Elder Holland   teaches this idea that for those who love  the Lord, who serve him, good things do come.   For some they come early, for some they come late,  and for some they “...don't come ['til] heaven”,   but he invites us and he even pleads with us in  that talk, in that video, to keep walking, keep   asking, don't give up.2 Those good things will  come in the Lord's timing if we'll trust in him. Now look at verse 67: "...if your eye be single  to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled   with light, and there shall be no darkness in  you; and that body which is filled with light   comprehendeth all things." You'll notice where  he starts it, your eye being single to his glory.   It's – we're looking to God for the light  of truth; we're not looking to the world   for the false, fake light that – that lacks  power, that lacks endurance. Verse 68, "Therefore,   sanctify yourselves that your minds become single  to God, and the days will come that you shall see   him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and  it shall be in his own time, [in] his own way,   [according] to his own will." Did you notice that?  Three times, his own, his own, his own. It's not   our own. We make requests, but then we trust, and  we trust some more, and then we trust some more. Verse 69, he gets pretty specific on some things  here. "Remember the great and last promise   which I have made unto you; cast away your idle  thoughts and your excess of laughter [from] you.   Tarry ye, tarry ye in this place, and call  a solemn assembly, even of those who are the   first laborers in this last kingdom." So, he's  asking those first laborers, the ones who went   out first to call a solemn assembly. Bring them,  let's gather them, and I'm going to teach you. Verse 73. "Behold, I will  hasten my work in its time."   Did you notice the pronoun? “...I will hasten my  work in its time”, and he's allowing his friends   to help him assist in that  work. I love that promise. Now we go to the calling, verse 74. "I give  unto you, who are the first laborers in this   last kingdom, a commandment that  you assemble yourselves together,   and organize yourselves, and prepare  yourselves, and sanctify yourselves;   yea, purify your hearts, [cleanse] your hands  and your feet before me, that I may make you   clean;". He wants this group that is pure  to go and do his work where they are able to   let their thoughts be focused more on God and less  on the profane, less on the things of the world   and their ideas - their hearts  focused more on God as well. Now look at verse 76: "Also, I give  unto you a commandment that ye shall   continue in prayer and fasting from this  time forth." And a commandment in 77,   "...that you shall teach one another  the doctrine of the kingdom."   Now, keep in mind, 1832, this is the very end of  the year, we're getting ready to go into 1833.   Most of these Church members have been members  for a year or less, the Church is growing quickly,   and most of them aren't extremely well-learned,  or rich, or famous, or any of that.   And God is teaching them what he wants them to  do, and it has nothing to do with the world's   accolades or the world's positions or titles.  These are things that every one of us can do,   whether you have money or not, whether  you're a man or a woman, whether you're   old or whether you're young, whether you're  black or white or bond or free. “...All are   alike unto God...”. I love the fact that as he's  teaching this, he's giving hope to all of us. Look at verse 78: "Teach ye diligently and my  grace shall attend you...". Did you notice that?   Take the very best you have; stop  trying to be better than good.   Don't compare yourself to other people. Don't  – don't be overwhelmed by who you're not   yet. Just be you. Do your very best to teach  diligently, whether that's in the Church, or   my favorite application of all of these principles  is in the home. “Teach ye diligently and my grace   shall attend you, that you may be instructed  more perfectly...”. In what? Notice the list:   "...in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the  law of the gospel, in all things that pertain   unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for  you to understand;". And he doesn't stop there. He then gives you the curriculum, verse 79:   "Of things both in heaven and in the earth, and  under the earth; things which have been...".   So, now we've covered astronomy, we've covered  biology, we've covered geology, and we've covered   history. “...Things which must shortly come to  pass;” these things that are coming to pass,   current events, understanding the world in  which we live, "...things which are at home,   things which are abroad; [and] the wars  and the perplexities of the nations,   and the judgments which are on the land; and a  knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms–". Wow! This is a pretty all-inclusive curriculum  he's asking them to become experts in.   You'll notice he didn't just say, sit down and  study your scriptures in this – what is going   to be called the School of the Prophets. These  elders who were coming to be trained, he doesn't   just want them reading their scriptures;  he wants them knowing everything they can   wrap their mind around. Everything is meaningful  to God. Any amount of knowledge you gain   that is truth, really true, not just public  opinion, is encapsulated in verse 78 and 79. I find this particularly inspiring,  because we live in a world where   truth is far more accessible than ever before.  Now as a caution, there's a lot of misinformation,   and we should always, as the brethren have  encouraged us, seek after reliable sources. And   as an idea, I spent some years in graduate  school, and the particular school I was at   had a library system of about 12 million  books. I mean, just an enormous amount   of material that no one person could ever  consume in one lifetime. And since that time,   the internet has exploded, and there's so much  information, much good and truth on the internet.   And if you want to learn more about the world, go  out and find who are the trusted voices who have   paid the price to truly understand what they're  talking about. And in addition to the doctrine and   truth that we get from the Church, you could find  incredible resources on every topic imaginable. And I'll just say in my personal life, I  actually love going to YouTube and other sources,   and finding people, again, who have  paid the price over many years of study   and diligent effort to learn about many different  topics, and I can go listen to world's experts on   every topic imaginable and get the best ideas from  them. And as God has taught us to learn out of the   best books. If he was giving this revelation  today, he might say learn from the best books,   and from the best resources on the internet, and  from the best people you can find. And my personal   experience has been there's been tremendous  joy in learning. If God knows all things, and   he has all joy, I wonder, does our joy increase  as we become more like him, as we learn more? I love that concept. It reminds me of   a fireside that President M. Russell Ballard did  for young adults many years ago when he made an   interesting comment. He said, ‘though  we are General Authorities, we're not   authorities in general. We don't know everything  about everything, that's not our calling.’   And so, he said when he has questions, he turns to  experts, not public opinion. He says he turns to   experts, and he finds out what they know so  that he can then put that through his own   filter of truth and try to discover some of these  elements.3 I think that's a beautiful pattern,   instead of expecting our prophets, seers, and  revelators to be the only source we look to   for all truth. I love this idea that  God has spread knowledge down upon the   heads of all of his children throughout the  face of the earth to one degree or another,   and part of our job in seeking truth is to find  those best sources of knowledge. That's profound. So, I've actually taken the time, I've  gone to audio books, because I have   lots of little free time in the day when I'm  maybe walking somewhere. I turn on a headset,   and I've been able to read thousands  of books in the last several years   on every topic imaginable. And it's been so  mind-expanding to realize there is so much   goodness and beauty and truth in the world, and  so many good people. And obviously, we want to be   centered on salvific truth like staying focused on  Jesus, but if I want to understand about history,   why not go spend time with historians or geology,  spend time with geologists, or whatever it might   be. And I have actually found over the last  couple of years, as I've been reading more on   many different topics from very qualified,  reliable people, my joy has expanded. So,   I love God's invitation to all of us to join with  the School of the Prophets in seeking all truth. Yeah, all truth. Look at verse 80: "That ye  may be prepared in all things when I shall   send you again to magnify the calling  whereunto I have called you, and the   mission with which I have commissioned you." He  doesn't just want us knowing scriptural truth;   he wants us prepared in all things to be able to  go out and do what we need to do, and to testify. Now look at verse 83: "He that seeketh me early  shall find me, and shall not be forsaken."   I love that! The earlier we can seek him –  now, that is not an invitation for anyone   who's a little older in life to then feel guilty  and beat themselves up. I don't read it that way.   I read it in the context of right here, right  now. “He that seeketh me early shall find me,   and shall not be forsaken” means  don't delay seeking God for next week,   or next month, or next year, or when you  reach a certain threshold in your life,   or in your career. It's seek him today,  seek him early, right now, start now. Then let's jump down to verse 86. Again,  this is – he's taking these big, huge,   cosmic ideals and he's helping us package them  in bite-size chunks for, what do I do with it?   Verse 86: "Abide ye in the liberty wherewith ye  are made free; entangle not yourselves in sin,   but let your hands be clean, until the Lord  comes." Did you notice what he just shared there?   That sin is an entanglement that he  sets up as the opposite of liberty.   Now, you and I live in a world that would say  commandments are binding; they remove your ability   to do what you really want to do, to be free,  to have liberty. And here's God saying, no,   let me correct this. If you abide by the  commandments, then you are free, you have liberty,   you have agency. You can continue to choose  at higher and higher levels. But when you sin,   when you break those commandments, when you  sin, that leads you to the bondage, to these   ties that bind you down, and entangle  you in sin, and take away future choice. Then he adjusts into this section where he's  describing you missionaries. When you go out,   you're going to preach the gospel. If  people reject your message, then after   your gentle message of good news, of declaring  liberty to the captives, if they reject that,   verse 88, "...after your testimony cometh  wrath and indignation upon the people.   For after your testimony...", then he's  going to send different kinds of testimonies.   Testimonies like earthquakes, and the groaning  in the midst of the earth, and men falling on   the ground and not able to stand, then “cometh …  thunderings, and ... lightnings, and ... tempests,   and … waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond  their bounds”, and everything being in commotion.   He's setting things up now for this cataclysmic  description of what's going to happen   right before the Second Coming of the Savior, and  we shift gears into the seven trumps being blown   to prepare the way for this  millennial reign and to get   us through that millennium  all the way down to the end. So, in this first trump, to open up the great  events of the millennium, you'll notice that   first trump is sounded, and there are people  in verse 96 who are on the earth who are alive   that are faithful, the saints, are caught up to  meet him. So, verse 97, the graves are opened of   the celestial candidates, and they are – they come  forth and are caught up to meet him. And then 98,   they “shall descend with him first...”. Notice  they ascend, and then they descend. When Jesus   comes again in the clouds with his glory, with the  trumpet sounding, the faithful will be caught up   to meet him, but you'll notice he doesn't turn his  back on the earth and go away to heaven with us;   he prepares the world to then  descend back into the world with us. Huh, that's a little bit like symbolically what  happens every time you and I repent. We first   turn from the earth, we turn to God, we come to  God, and we plead with him to cleanse us and to   forgive us. He, through his infinite goodness and  his infinite power, he cleanses us, but then he   doesn't instantly just take us off to heaven and  say, there, now you don't have to worry about this   again. He then brings us back down to the earth  with him, and we come back down to the earth,   in this sense, changed, or different. Repentance  changes us, and we walk with him more fully. Now, that analogy breaks down   at that point, but it's this beautiful idea  of the gathering of Israel, let God prevail.   What we're trying to do is get people to  turn upward and ascend symbolically to him,   so that when they then re-enter this earth, it's  different. It doesn't have the same pull and the   same draw that it used to have to them, because he  purifies not just them, but the earth around them. Then you get the second trump for the terrestrial  candidates, the third trump for the telestial   candidates, the fourth trump for those in  outer darkness. And then you get the fifth   trump, where we're now going to spread  out over the four corners of the earth   to gather people. And then the sixth,  where Babylon has fallen, and the seventh,   where the Lamb of God can say, “It is finished  … [and I have] trodden the wine-press alone,   even the wine-press of the fierceness  of the wrath of Almighty God."   It's one of only two places in the Doctrine and  Covenants where Jesus is going to use that phrase   to describe his infinite agonies of his  Atonement being encapsulated in suffering   the wrath – the fierceness of the wrath of  an Almighty God. That's pretty sobering. Then you get the angels sounding again in the  ears of all living, one through seven, the trumps   repeat again as we prepare for the very last  battle between Michael, the archangel, and the   devil, both of which who have gathered together  their armies. I hope that next to verse 112,   you can put your own name included in that  army, that you say, I'm going to sing,   and I'm going to “shout with the armies of  heaven,” I'm going to fight for the right.4 Now, it's one thing to look forward and  think, man, I hope I'm in that group.   Guess what? You don't have to wait for this day  to be in that group. Why not – why not say today?   Wait, I'm in that group today, I'm going to –  I'm going to do exactly what we've been talking   about starting today, better than I ever have  before. I'm going to be on this side today,   rather than always looking to the  end. Why not look to the means, to the   path, rather than the destination and say, yeah,  I'm going to do those things. It's a battle.   There is a battle going on right now. We don't  have to wait for the end of the millennium for   this big, epoch battle to take place to actually  be a part of verse 114: "...then cometh the battle   of the great God; and the devil and his armies  shall be cast away into their own place...".   What a great opportunity for each of us to pull  “the sword of the Spirit” out today, clothed with   power and with the light of truth from heaven,  and to go and engage in that battle today. Now, verse 117 starts with the word “therefore  ... call your solemn assembly...”. So now we're   going to get really practical. He tells  them verse 118: "...as all have not faith,   seek ye diligently and teach one another words  of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books   words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study  and also by faith." Taylor talked about this.   God doesn't just want you fasting and  praying and reading your scriptures.   He wants you learning “...by study and also by  faith”, whatever that looks like for you, to use   all of your mind and all of your heart. Think  about that for a minute. When you get all the   education you can, that is a means whereby you can  show your love for God. The command is love the   Lord your God with all of your heart, might, mind,  and strength. You expand your mind with light and   truth. You try to fill it with truth, not just  your heart, but your mind as well. You think   deeply. You study deeply, whatever that looks like  for you. That's a beautiful way to fulfill this. Now look at verse 119: "Organize yourselves;  prepare every needful thing; and establish   a house, even a house of prayer, a house of  fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning,   a house of glory, a house of order, a house  of God;". There you go! That's the command   for them to build a temple. They don't at  this stage know exactly what this is going to   end up at. In 1836, we're going to dedicate that  Kirtland temple, but at this phase they think   they're building this house to describe all of  these things, kind of the School of the Prophets   is going to be building this incredible structure,  right? This house that fulfills all these things. I wonder, huh, I wonder if  you and I could read verse 119   through symbolic lenses and use Paul's  phrase where he says, what? “Know ye not   that ye are the temple of [our] God...?". I  wonder if we could read verse 119 and say,   huh, he could – I could replace the word “house”  with the word “soul”, or “life”, or “family”,   or “ward”, or “stake”, or “Church”, or fill in  the blank. Think about what would happen if,   collectively, all members of the Church took  section 119 personally to heart and said, wow,   I need to build a life of prayer,  a life of fasting, a life of faith,   a life of learning, “a [life] of glory, a  [life] of order, a [life] of God." Then when   you and I go to the temple, we would no longer  be going to a brick-and-mortar structure alone.   We would actually be going to a house that  fits all these descriptions as a physical,   outward manifestation of what God's trying to  do with me, and with you. Hmm, in that case,   we wouldn't be trying to go through the  temple; we would be trying to allow the   temple to go through us. We would –  we would let that symbolic experience   become internalized, and we would take it  home with us and try to spread that light,   and that truth, and that goodness  to our families and those around us. Look at verse 121, in order to  accomplish this: "Therefore,   cease from all your light speeches,  from all laughter, [and] from all your   lustful desires, from all your pride and [your]  light-mindedness, and from all your wicked doings.   Appoint among yourselves a teacher,  and let not all be spokesmen at once;   but let one speak at a time and let all listen  unto his sayings, that when all have spoken   that all may be edified of all, and that  every man may have an equal privilege." I love that idea of in a classroom that  ‘revelation is scattered among us’, in a council   meeting, ‘revelation is scattered among us’, in  a family, ‘revelation is scattered among us’,   and that one speaks at a time, but we allow all to  become edified of all. It's a powerful principle. What a beautiful word this is. “Teach” actually  also is related to the word “touch”, and “to   point” or to demonstrate, like “to point to”. So,  imagine if Tyler and I are both standing at the   same time, both talking to all of you and pointing  in different directions. Now, both – what we have   to say might be useful, we might have things that  would be useful for you to look at, but it's very   hard for the human brain to have – even though you  get two eyes, you can usually only focus on one   thing at a time. What God is pointing out is that  you touch people one by one, and you only have one   person pointing to something one at a time. And  as you take turns, it allows people to focus,   instead of everybody else standing  up, and all talking at the same time,   and pointing at 15 different things, and  thereby it's just a mass of confusion.   But this is just a very simple principle of  teaching is taking an opportunity for everybody   to teach one another, one by one. Very  powerful, and as Tyler reminded us,   there is truth and ‘revelation scattered among  us’. And there is deep power and deep joy in   hearing from every individual and the things  that they have learned that they can point to. Now, these next couple of verses are some of  the most practical, down-to-earth principles   that we could apply at an individual level,  at a marriage level, at a family level,   at a ward level, at any level you prefer.  This is beautiful. Verse 123: "See that ye   love one another; cease to be covetous;".  The implication here is you're covetous, so   if Elder Uchtdorf were here, he'd probably  say “stop it!”5 Right? Stop being covetous.   "...Learn to impart one to another as the gospel  requires. Cease to be idle...". In other words,   you've got to struggle with being idle. Stop. Stop  it. "...Cease to be unclean; cease to find fault   one with another; cease to sleep longer than is  needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not   be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your  minds may be invigorated. And above all things,   clothe yourselves with the bond of charity, as  with a mantle, which is the bond of perfectness   and peace. Pray always, that ye may not faint,  until I come. Behold, and lo, I will come quickly,   and receive you unto myself. Amen." And  that ends the revelation on December 28. It's a week later, January 3rd, where he picks  up with verse 127 with some more direction   that's come over that week about what this  incredible olive leaf, this message of peace   to the Church, what it should look like.  They are commanded in 127 to establish   the School of the Prophets, this place where we  can fulfill everything we've been talking about   in the first 126 verses. And then it gives  them some directions as to how to run   that school, even so specific as to  how to admit people into the school.   And then there, at the very, very end, you  have the ordinance of the washing of feet   reintroduced into this dispensation with a few  instructions as to how it is to be performed. Now, as we close this incredible  section that is mind-blowingly   beautiful on so many levels, both macro  as well as micro, external and internal,   I want to finish where we started, back with this  – the great seal that we talked about, with this   eagle and holding those thirteen olives and olive  leaves on that branch, this message of peace.   As we strive to move forward collectively in  these latter days, and try to gather Israel,   I love the idea that from many, “E Pluribus Unum”,  from many, we become one. Over time, we cease   doing all these other things that are described  in section 88 that are leading us in different   directions, and we come to become unified in our  peace and in our declaration of peace as we try   to encourage people and invite people to come  into the arms of safety of the Prince of Peace,   that we can be still unique, we're still –  we're still ourselves, but we become unified   in the cause of Christ, looking to the heavens  for that light and truth that he gives to us. Brothers and sisters, this work  is true. It was not established   by men and women; it was established by God, and  he has given to the world all the degrees of light   and covenantal connections that the world  is willing and able to accept from him.   And our message to the world today is ‘bring  all of that wonderful goodness that you have   and see if we can add to it’, to quote President  Hinckley.6 And to invite people into those arms of   safety is our goal, and our desire, and our hope.  We know that he lives. We know that he loves,   and we trust him and pray that we'll all be able  to move forward in greater faith on that covenant   path. We leave that with you in the name of  Jesus Christ, Amen. Know that you're loved.
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Channel: Book of Mormon Central
Views: 198,277
Rating: undefined out of 5
Keywords: Come Follow Me, Doctrine and Covenants, Joseph Smith, Church History, Mormon, LDS, Latter Day Saint, Latter Day Saints, Lesson
Id: ra2a8WKYww8
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Length: 86min 28sec (5188 seconds)
Published: Mon Aug 02 2021
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