Monday, November 21, 2016

There is Power in the Book 3 Nephi 1:2

3 Nephi 1:2
There Is Power In The Book
What
 2 And aNephi, the son of Helaman, had departed out of the land of Zarahemla, giving charge unto his son bNephi, who was his eldest son, concerning the cplates of brass, and dall the records which had been kept, and all those things which had been kept sacred from the departure of Lehi out of Jerusalem.

The records were being kept for a very sacred purpose. They contained great history and teachings that were being written for a sacred purpose.

Why
the records were kept to be shared with us in our day 2000 years later.

Pattern
20  Nevertheless Helaman did fill the judgment-seat with justice and equity; yea, he did observe to keep the statutes, and the judgments, and the commandments of God; and he did do that which was right in the sight of God continually; and he did walk after the ways of his father, insomuch that he did prosper in the land.
21  And it came to pass that he had two sons. He gave unto the eldest the name oNephi, and unto the youngest, the name of Lehi. And they began to grow up unto the Lord.

3 Ne. 7:15 (15, 20, 23)
15  And it came to pass that Nephi—having been visited by angels and also the voice of the Lord, therefore having seen angels, and being eye-witness, and having had power given unto him that he might know concerning the ministry of Christ, and also being eye-witness to their quick return from righteousness unto their wickedness and abominations;

20  And the people saw it, and did witness of it, and were angry with him because of his power; and he did also do 
manymore miracles, in the sight of the people, in the name of Jesus.

23  Thus passed away the thirty and second year also. And Nephi did cry unto the people in the commencement of the thirty and third year; and he did preach unto them repentance and remission of sins.

Alma 37:3 (3–12)
3  And these plates of brass, which contain these engravings, which have the records of the holy scriptures upon them, which have the genealogy of our forefathers, even from the beginning—
4  Behold, it has been prophesied by our fathers, that they should be kept and 
handeddown from one generation to another, and be kept and preserved by the hand of the Lord until they should go forth unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, that they shall know of the mysteriescontained thereon.
5  And now behold, if they are kept they must retain their brightness; yea, and they will retain their brightness; yea, and also shall all the plates which do contain that which is holy writ.
6  Now ye may suppose that this is 
foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.
7  And the Lord God doth work by 
means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls.
8  And now, it has hitherto been wisdom in God that these things should be preserved; for behold, 
they have enlarged the memory of this people, yea, and convinced many of the error of their ways, and brought them to the knowledge of their God unto the salvation of their souls.
9  Yea, I say unto you, 
were it not for these things that these records do contain, which are on these plates, Ammon and his brethren could not have convinced so many thousands of the Lamanites of the incorrect tradition of their fathers; yea, these records and their wordsbrought them unto repentance; that is, they brought them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and to rejoice in Jesus Christ their Redeemer.
10  And who knoweth but what they will be the 
means of bringing many thousands of them, yea, and also many thousands of our stiffneckedbrethren, the Nephites, who are now hardening their hearts in sin and iniquities, to the knowledge of their Redeemer?
11  Now these mysteries are not yet fully made known unto me; therefore I shall forbear.
12  And it may suffice if I only say they are preserved for a 
wise purpose, which purpose is known unto God; for he doth counsel in wisdom over all his works, and his paths are straight, and his course is oneeternal round.

Alma 50:38
38  Nevertheless, he had refused Alma to take possession of those records and those things which were esteemed by Alma and his fathers to be most sacred; therefore Alma had conferred them upon his son, Helaman.

Christ
the “sacred purpose” spoken of is to bring souls to Christ.
Conference
OCTOBER 2016 There Is Power in the Book
I encourage everyone receiving this message, including the Aaronic Priesthood bearers convened in this meeting tonight, to discover the power of the Book of Mormon. As President Thomas S. Monson has encouraged: “Read the Book of Mormon. Ponder its teachings. Ask Heavenly Father if it is true.”8 During that process you will feel the Spirit of God in your lives. That Spirit will be part of your testimony that the Book of Mormon is true, that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God’s true Church on the earth today. That testimony will help you resist temptation.9 It will prepare you for “the great call of diligence … to labor in the vineyards of the Lord.”10 It will stand as a sure anchor when accusations or slanderous statements are used to challenge your faith, and it will be a rock-solid foundation when you are challenged with questions you cannot answer, at least immediately. You will be able to discern truth from error, and you will feel the assurance of the Holy Ghost reconfirming your testimony over and over again as you continue to read the Book of Mormon throughout your life.
I also encourage all parents hearing or reading this message to make the Book of Mormon an important part of your home. As our children were growing, we read the Book of Mormon as we ate breakfast. This is the bookmark that we used. On the front is a quote from President Benson promising that God would pour out a blessing upon us as we read the Book of Mormon.11 On the back is this promise from President Marion G. Romney, formerly a counselor in the First Presidency: “I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. … The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity—the pure love of Christ—will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness.”12
Apply
Let the Book of Mormon bring you closer to Christ. 
 Study it. Take note of how it points us to Christ. Let the spirit of the Book touch you with it's power. I am grateful for this sacred book and the fact that when we prayerfully study it that we can be taught by the spirit the things the Lord would have us know and feel. What a blessing it is to individuals and families as we study it to have this divine guidance.
Hymns
277- As I Search The Holy Scriptures
Children
118- Book of Mormon Stories












No comments:

Post a Comment