3
Nephi 1:5
Stumbling Blocks or Stepping Stones
What
5 But
there were some who began to say that the time was past for the words
to be fulfilled, which were aspoken by
Samuel, the Lamanite.
They
didn't believe that Jesus would be born in five years from the
prophecy.
Why
They
were not believers in Christ anyway so they were looking for a chance
to claim the prophecy false.
They
did not want to repent or admit they needed to.
Pattern
Hel.
14:2
2
And behold, he said unto them: Behold, I give unto you a sign;
for five years
more cometh, and behold, then cometh the Son of God to redeem all
those who shall believe on his name.
Hel.
16:4
4
For behold, Nephi was baptizing, and prophesying, and preaching,
crying repentance unto the people, showing signs and wonders,
working miracles among
the people, that they might know that the Christ must shortlycome—
Abr.
4:14
14
And the Gods organized the lights in
the expanse of the heaven, and caused them to divide the day from the
night; and organized them to be for signs and for seasons, and for
days and for years;
Helaman
14:
3 And
behold, this will I give unto you for a asign at
the time of his coming; for behold, there shall be great lights in
heaven, insomuch that in the night before he cometh there shall be no
darkness, insomuch that it shall appear unto man as if it was day.
4 Therefore,
there shall be one aday and
a night and a day, as if it were one day and there were no night; and
this shall be unto you for a sign; for ye shall know of the rising of
the sun and also of its setting; therefore they shall know of a
surety that there shall be two days and a night; nevertheless the
night shall not be darkened; and it shall be the night before he
is bborn.
5 And
behold, there shall a new astar arise,
such an one as ye never have beheld; and this also shall be a sign
unto you.
7 And
it shall come to pass that ye shall all be amazed, and wonder,
insomuch that ye shall afall to
the earth.
8 And
it shall come to pass that whosoever shall abelieve on
the Son of God, the same shall have everlasting life.
9 And
behold, thus hath the Lord commanded me, by his angel, that I should
come and tell this thing unto you; yea, he hath commanded that I
should prophesy these things unto you; yea, he hath said unto me: Cry
unto this people, repent and prepare the way of the Lord.
[see
all of chapter 14 of Helaman]
Immanuel — The Guide to the Scriptures
Immanuel
is a name-title given as a sign of
God’s deliverance (Isa. 7:14). Isaiah’s reference to Immanuel is
specifically identified by Matthew as a prophecy of Jesus’ birth into
mortality (Matt. 1:18–25). The name also appears in latter-day …
from
Guide to the scriptures.
SIGNS OF THE BIRTH AND DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST
See
also Jesus
Christ
Events
that accompanied the birth and death of Jesus Christ.
Birth
- Samuel the Lamanite prophesied a day, a night, and a day of light; a new star; and other signs:Hel. 14:2–6;
Death
- Samuel the Lamanite prophesied darkness, thunderings and lightnings, and shaking of the earth:Hel. 14:20–27;
Signs
of the second coming
Joseph Smith—History 1:40
40
In addition to these, he quoted the eleventh chapter of Isaiah,
saying that it was about to be fulfilled. He quoted also the third
chapter of Acts, twenty-second and
twenty-third verses, precisely as they stand in our New Testament.
He said that that prophet was Christ;
but the day had not yet come when
“they who would not hear his voice should be cut off from among
the people,” but soon would come.
The
book is noted for its prophecies of Christ’s
mortal ministry and his second coming (Zech.
9:9; 11:12–13; 12:10; 13:6). Chapters 1–8 contain a series of
visions of the future of God’s people. Chapters 9–14 contain
visions about the Messiah, the ...
Rumor — The Guide to the Scriptures
Satan
spreads rumors and contentions—sometimes based partially on
truth—to turn people against God and all good (Hel. 16:22; JS—H
1:1). One of the signs of the second coming of
Jesus Christ is
that people will talk of wars and rumors of wars (Matt. ...
Index
to the Triple Combination
- time of coming is nigh at hand: D&C 1:12 . ( D&C 34:7 ; D&C 35:15 ; D&C 43:17 ; D&C 49:6 ;D&C 104:59 ; D&C 106:4 ; D&C 110:16 ; D&C 133:17 . )
- unrepentant to be destroyed by brightness of the Lord’s coming: D&C 5:19 . ( D&C 63:34 ;D&C 133:64 . )
- signs of the Lord’s coming: D&C 29:13–16 . ( D&C 34:9 ; D&C 43:18 ; D&C 45:16–33, 39 ;D&C 49:23–25 ; D&C 63:53 ; D&C 68:11 ; D&C 77:12 ; D&C 88:93 ; D&C 133:41–52 . )
[there
are many more references in this section]
Reject
See
also Apostasy ; Deny ; Disobedience ; Rebel ; Refuse ; Renounce ; Resist ; Unbelief ; Withstand ; TG Prophets,
Rejection of
- by stumbling of Jews they will reject stone upon which they might build safe foundation:Jacob 4:15–17 .
Christ
this
subject is all about the coming of Christ. In his birth, death and
second coming.
He
will come to redeem all mankind.
Conference
A
stumbling block is “an impediment to belief or understanding” or
“an obstacle to progress.”4 To
stumble spiritually is “to fall into sin or waywardness.”5 A
stumbling block can be anything that distracts us from achieving
righteous goals.
We
cannot afford to have our testimonies of the Father and the Son
become confused and complicated by stumbling blocks. We cannot fall
into that trap. Our testimonies of Them need to remain pure and
simple like my father’s simple defense of the power pole on the
ranch where he grew up.
What
are some of the stumbling blocks that confuse and complicate our pure
and simple testimony of the Father and the Son and keep us from being
valiant in that testimony?
One Stumbling Block Is the Philosophies of Men
We
are committed to knowledge of every kind and believe “the glory of
God is intelligence.”6 But
we also know that the preferred strategy of the adversary is to lead
people away from God and cause them to stumble by emphasizing the
philosophies of men over the Savior and His teachings.
Looking beyond the Mark Is a Stumbling Block
The
prophet Jacob referred to ancient Jews as “a stiffnecked people
[who] despised … plainness, … killed the prophets, and sought for
things that they could not understand. Wherefore, because of their
blindness, which blindness came by looking beyond the mark, they must
needs fall.”24
The 76th
section of the Doctrine and Covenants makes
it clear that being “valiant in the testimony of Jesus”28 is
the simple, essential test between those who will inherit the
blessings of the celestial kingdom and those in the lesser
terrestrial kingdom. To be valiant, we need to focus on the power of
Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice to overcome death and, through
our repentance, to cleanse us from sin, and we need to follow the
doctrine of Christ.29 We
also need the light and knowledge of the Savior’s life and
teachings to guide us on the covenant pathway, including the sacred
ordinances of the temple. We must be steadfast in Christ, feast upon
His word, and endure to the end.30
One
writer suggests that stumbling blocks may be made into
“stepping-stones to a noble character and to Heaven.”31
For
us, being valiant in our testimony of Jesus is a stepping-stone
toward qualifying for the Savior’s grace and the celestial kingdom.
Jesus Christ is the only name under heaven by which we may be
saved.32 I
bear my sure witness of both His divinity and His supernal role in
the Father’s plan. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Apply
We
can work to change our stumbling blocks into stepping stones as we
overcome our weaknesses.
Hymns
134-I
Believe In Christ
Children
80-Had
I Been A Child
No comments:
Post a Comment