3
Nephi 1:17
If
Ye Had Known Me
What
17 And
they began to know that the Son of God must shortly appear; yea, in
fine, all the people upon the face of the whole earth from
the awest to
the east, both in the land north and in the land south, were so
exceedingly astonished that they fell to the earth.
Why
they fell to the
earth in fear. All the land knew that the time had come because the
sign covered the whole land. No darkness anywhere. They were afraid.
Pattern
Hel.
11:20
20
And thus it did come to pass that the people of Nephi began to
prosper again in the land, and began to build up their waste places,
and began to multiply and spread, even until they did cover the
whole face of the land, both on the northward and on the southward,
from the sea west to the sea east.
Hel.
3:8
8
And it came to pass that they did multiply and spread, and did go
forth from the land southward to the land northward, and did spread
insomuch that they began to cover the face of the whole earth, from
the sea south to the sea north, from the sea west
to the sea east.
Christ
Sign of His Birth is
here.
Conference
Of
the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
As
the Savior concluded the Sermon on the Mount, He emphasized the
eternal truth that “only by doing the will of the Father is the
saving grace of the Son obtainable.”1
“Not
every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is
in heaven.
“Many
will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy
name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many
wonderful works?
Our
understanding of this episode is enlarged as we reflect upon an
inspired revision to the text. Significantly, the Lord’s phrase
reported in the King James Version of the Bible, “I never knew
you,” was changed in the Joseph Smith Translation to “Ye never
knew me.”3
Consider
also the parable of the ten virgins. Recall that the five foolish and
unprepared virgins went to obtain oil for their lamps after hearing
the cry to go and meet the bridegroom.
The
phrases “Ye never knew me” and “Ye know me not” should be a
cause of deep spiritual introspection for each of us. Do we only know
about the Savior, or are we increasingly coming to know Him? How do
we come to know the Lord? These questions of the soul are the focus
of my message. I earnestly invite the assistance of the Holy Ghost as
we consider together this vital subject.
A
grand objective of mortality is not merely learning about the Only
Begotten of the Father but also striving to know Him. Four essential
steps that can help us come to know the Lord are exercising faith in
Him, following Him, serving Him, and believing Him.
Exercising Faith in Him
The
exercise of faith in Jesus Christ is relying upon His merits, mercy,
and grace.7 We
begin to come to know the Savior as we arouse our spiritual faculties
and experiment upon His teachings, even until we can give place in
our souls for a portion of His words.8 As
our faith in the Lord increases, we trust in Him and have confidence
in His power to redeem, heal, and strengthen us.
Following Him
“And
Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called
Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they
were fishers.
Serving Him
“For
how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a
stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his
heart?”25
We
more fully come to know the Lord as we serve Him and labor in His
kingdom. As we do so, He generously blesses us with heavenly help,
spiritual gifts, and increased capacity. We are never left alone as
we work in His vineyard.
He
declared: “For I will go before your face. I will be on your right
hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and
mine angels round about you, to bear you up.”26
Believing Him
I
am acquainted with Church members who accept as true the doctrine and
principles contained in the scriptures and proclaimed from this
pulpit. And yet they have a hard time believing those gospel truths
apply specifically in their lives and to their circumstances. They
seem to have faith in the Savior, but they do not believe His
promised blessings are available to them or can operate in their
lives. I also encounter brothers and sisters who fulfill their
callings dutifully but for whom the restored gospel has not yet
become a living and transforming reality in their lives. We come to
know the Lord as we not only believe in Him but also believe Him and
His assurances.
Promise and Testimony
On
a future day, “every knee shall bow, and every tongue
confess”39 that
Jesus is the Christ. On that blessed day, we will know He knows each
of us by name. And I witness and promise we can not only know about
the Lord but also come to know Him as we exercise faith in, follow,
serve, and believe Him. I so testify in the sacred name of Jesus
Christ, amen.
Apply
Elder
Bednar says it all
faith,
follow, serve and believe. We can serve Him in so many ways as we
serve others.
We
need to by like the five wise virgins who were prepared at His
coming.
Hymns-
201-
Joy To the World or any Christmas Carol!
32-
When He Comes Again
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