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 of Nephi, and unto the youngest, the name of Lehi. And they began to grow up unto the Lord.
21 And it came to pass that he had two sons. He gave unto the eldest the name of Nephi, 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.
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.
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
By
Elder LeGrand R. Curtis Jr. Of
the Seventy
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
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