Book of Mormon 2020 - 3 Nephi 12-16

In January of this year, I continued writing a post that covered scriptures I did not complete in 2016. This is a very long post. To find the section that includes this week’s scriptures, you can click on: https://gospeldoctrine2016.blogspot.com/2020/01/well-i-let-myself-down-quite.html. Then, scroll down to: Lesson 38, Old things are done away, and all things have become new, 3 Nephi 12–15. I focussed on four scriptures in this post: 3 Nephi 13:19-21, 3 Nephi 13:28, 3 Nephi 14:24-27, and 3 Nephi 15:9. In this post, I will be focussing on different scriptures that touched my heart during my Come, Follow Me scripture study.

I love the New Testament Beatitudes that Christ delivered in his Sermon on the Mount. In 3 Nephi 12 Christ delivers a similar sermon to the Nephites gathered at the Temple at Bountiful. In the Book of Mormon, the meaning of the Beatitudes is clearer than that obtained from the New Testament. In my previous post, I included a chart by Brother Bill Beardall comparing the Beatitudes in 3 Nephi 12 and Matthew 5. One of the most important clarifications in 3 Nephi 12 is that there are verses that precede the first New Testament Beatitude. In 3 Nephi 12:1-2 we read, “…therefore blessed are ye if ye shall believe in me and be baptized, after that ye have seen me and know that I am…And again, more blessed are they who shall believe in your words because that ye shall testify that ye have seen me, and that ye know that I am. Yea, blessed are they who shall believe in your words, and come down into the depths of humility and be baptized, for they shall be visited with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and shall receive a remission of their sins.” In verse 3 the words “who come unto me” are added, and each subsequent Beatitude starts with the conjunction ‘and’ indicating that the blessings are for those who have turned to the Lord, had faith, repented, been baptised, and received the Holy Ghost.

I experienced a very powerful wave of gratitude when I read 3 Nephi 12:4 which states, “And again, blessed are all they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.” I just lost my mum two weeks’ ago and I have been missing her so much. I know she will be happy to be re-united with my dad and to meet all the relatives whose names she submitted to the temple, but she is not here now and I cannot run next door to tell her about my day, a problem I have, or something exciting that happened to me. I miss my mum and my best friend. I would not have been able to get through this time without the comfort of the gospel, the Spirit, and being able to pray. I know the peace of being ‘comforted’.

As I watched the video below, I felt comforted. As I watched the release of the hot air balloons into the night sky, I thought of the souls of those leaving this mortal existence, and I was deeply moved.

I was also moved by the Spirit when I read 3 Nephi 12:6. “And blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost.” I understand the use of hunger and thirst in this context. I am trying to improve my life and set a good example for my children. I love studying the scriptures. I enjoy the challenge of my calling. I love praying and the closeness I feel to my Heavenly Father. I know that my Saviour knows me and loves me. I feel a constant need to work harder and to be more righteous. Just as we need food and water or we cannot survive, I need to pray and study regularly for my spiritual survival.

As hard as I try, I am aware constantly of my many shortcomings. Sometimes I can get quite depressed at the realisation on my own weaknesses. The scripture in 3 Nephi 12:34 made me think. I did some research and pondered and prayed about the meaning and how I could apply it to my life. I found this little Knowhy video (Book of Mormon Central) extremely helpful in gaining a better understanding of this scripture.

I also looked up a General Conference video from October 2017 by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. This had a profound effect on me. I cannot expect perfection from myself now. As Elder Holland said, “If we persevere, then somewhere in eternity our refinement will be finished and complete.” The title of his talk summarised his message, “Be Ye Therefore Perfect—Eventually.” Yes, eventually I may be able to get there! I have included his talk below. I would recommend it to anyone who tends to feel inadequate when they know they need to try to become perfect! 😊

I have always been a perfectionist, which is not healthy or sensible. I think I will need to replay Elder Holland’s talk many times! I found another church video with a young woman who shared my tendency to be a perfectionist. This also uplifted and challenged me.

One of my favourite songs tells me that I am not alone. When I feel down or need courage, the Lord will lift me up and support me.

There is a great little verse in 3 Nephi 13:34. It states, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient is the day unto the evil thereof.” I had to read this several times. I found the meaning in the podcast on 3 Nephi 12-16 by Brother John Bytheway (OurTurtleHouse.com). He re-worded it in part as, “Stop worrying. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” He mentioned a book called, How to stop worrying and start living by Dale Carnegie. I am a highly skilled worrier. I worry all the time. I worry, stress, and suffer from repeated stress-related headaches. I need to rely more on the Lord and remember that He can help me with everything I could possibly ever have to worry about! 

There were two scriptures in 3 Nephi 14 that I found interesting. The first was in verse 14 and it reads, “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” The spelling of ‘strait’, rather than ‘straight’, had to have a meaning. In Doctrines of Salvation, Volume 2, Joseph Fielding Smith Jr. stated, “Mark you, this word strait is spelled s-t-r-a-I-t and not s-tr-a-I-g-h-t. While no doubt, that path which leads into the presence of God is straight, it is also strait, which means that those who enter into it will find it restricted; it is narrow; they cannot take with them that which does not apply, or which does not belong to the kingdom of God. All such things must be left behind when we enter into this narrow way which leads into the presence of God, where we can receive life eternal. “Few there be that find it” (p. 13). It is more important to gather knowledge of the gospel, build a strong testimony, and live a life of faithful obedience than to try to collect wealth and possessions. These extra material ‘things’ will not make it through a strait gate.

In the very next verse, 3 Nephi 14:15 it states, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” Once again, I found a Knowhy video (Book of Mormon Central) that helped me to understand this verse.

In last week’s blog post, I discussed Christ being the ‘Light’. In 3 Nephi 15:9 He proclaims, “Behold, I am the law, and the light.” Previously, in verse 5, He states, “Behold, I am he that gave the law, and I am he who covenanted with my people Israel; therefore, the law in me is fulfilled, for I have come to fulfil the law; therefore it hath an end.” I can understand how the Lord’s proclamations must have made such a huge impact on those who were listening. These were the more righteous Nephites and Lamanites. They had been raised to observe the Law of Moses. Now this Law was superseded by a higher law. In an Ensign article called The law after Christ by Stephen Robinson (September 1983) the situation in 3 Nephi is explained. “In the Book of Mormon, the Nephites were able to give up observance of the Law of Moses en masse because of the circumstances surrounding the appearance of the Saviour among them. Those who survived the destructions and benefitted from the ministry of the Saviour were able to end the observance of the Law according to Jesus’ instructions (see 3 Ne. 15). They then built a society based upon the principles of the gospel.”

Brother John Bytheway used a chart to demonstrate changes in the law. He called this Three Mountains, Three Temples. The following picture is my representation of his chart based on his verbal description.

Brother Bytheway explained that the higher law of the gospel is an inner law. The outward manifestations of the Law of Moses have become inner expressions of holiness. I love the quote below from President Henry B. Eyring where he states that increasing personal holiness leads to greater happiness. I have found this to be true. As I make a conscious effort to improve daily, I feel more content, happy, and at peace. I have included a beautiful song following President Eyring’s quote. This acapella song called In Christ Alone contains a special message that helps me in my journey to try to be more holy.

Book of Mormon 2020 - 3 Nephi 8-11

 

I wrote about 3 Nephi 8 to 11 in January. This was a post where I caught up on scriptures I had been unable to cover in 2016, when I first started my blog. This ‘catch-up’ post is very long. It is located at: https://gospeldoctrine2016.blogspot.com/2020/01/well-i-let-myself-down-quite.html. Just scroll down to: Lesson 37, Whosoever will come, him will I receive, 3 Nephi 8–11.

These scriptures touch me, terrify me, console me, inspire me, and give me hope. Chapter 8 is terrifying. Calamities, such as those in Chapter 8, will occur in the Last Days. In Doctrine and Covenants 45:48 we read, “…And the earth shall tremble, and reel to and fro, and the heavens also shall shake”, and in Doctrine and Covenants 34:8 it states, “But before that great day shall come, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon be turned into blood; and the stars shall refuse their shining, and some shall fall, and great destructions await the wicked.” I wonder if I will live through these events. No one knows the time of His coming, but I do not believe it is not too far away! I worry that I will not be found worthy. I worry about my children who do not live gospel lives. I want them to be safe. I hope that the Lord sees the wonderful people that they are and does not see them just for the things they do that are contrary to gospel principles.

I have had a bleak time over the last month. I watched my mum in great pain. I watched as her health deteriorated. I took on the role of her caregiver through end-of-life care. I was with her when she passed away. I organised her funeral and I am still busy with sorting out her final wishes. I was relieved when she finally slipped away because it was what she wanted. But I miss her terribly. I remember praying for mercy and compassion for her in her suffering and then being told through her priesthood blessing that I was to learn patience. The two quotes below helped me through this time. I have also thought of myself as lacking strength, but I learned I could be strong. I can be strong with the help of the Lord. The scriptures in 3 Nephi also helped me endure and remember the power and hope that comes through the light of Christ. I read these scriptures through tears.

In 3 Nephi 9:2 we read, “Wo, wo, wo unto this people; wo unto the inhabitants of the whole earth except they shall repent; for the devil laugheth, and his angels rejoice, because of the slain of the fair sons and daughters of my people; and it is because of their iniquity and abominations that they are fallen!” There is a significance to the use of ‘wo’ three times. In English we use adjectives to describe, and comparative and superlative adjectives to emphasise qualities, e.g. a good book (descriptive); a better book (comparative), and the best book (superlative). In this scripture the use of three ‘wo’s indicates a superlative – the most emphatic ‘wo’ possible. From verses 3 to 12 the Lord takes credit for the great destruction of so many cities. He explains this in verses 12 and 13, “And many great destructions have I caused to come upon this land, and upon this people, because of their wickedness and their abominations. O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?” The Lord reaches out with the “arm of mercy” (verse 14) after having wielded the arm of justice.

I found two Knowhy videos (Book of Mormon Central) that fascinated me. They talk about evidence of cataclysmic events described in the Book of Mormon. The findings made by historians and archaeologists continue to substantiate the records found in the Book of Mormon.

Jesus Christ introduces himself to the people in 3 Nephi 9:15 by saying, “Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are.” He goes on to add (verses 18-19), “I am the light and the life of the world. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings.” The importance of Christ as the ‘light’ will be examined later. Here, it is interesting to note the important change from the Law of Moses to a higher law. This higher Law of Sacrifice is explained in verse 20, “And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit.” Brother John Bytheway, in his weekly Come, Follow Me podcast (OurTurtleHouse.com), provides a clear explanation of what it means to have a ‘broken heart’. He explains that ‘breaking’ a horse uses the same meaning, i.e. making the horse submissive to the master. In this case, a broken heart will indicate our submission to the Master. There are four quotes that helped me to understand the Law of Sacrifice more fully. The quote to the right is from President Dallin H. Oaks. Below are quotes from Elder Bruce D. Porter and Elder L. Tom Perry, as well as from Elder Neal A. Maxwell.

In 3 Nephi 10:4-6, Christ uses the analogy of gathering the House of Israel (you) as “a hen [that] gathereth her chickens”. The tense in the repetitions changes to cover what the Lord did in the past, what he would have done, and what he will do in the future. The picture below shows how protective, loving, and caring the mother hen is and indicates how much the Lord loves us and is prepared to protect and care for us. This helps me to feel His love for me personally. Below the image is a Knowhy (Book of Mormon Central) video that explains this use of the hen and chickens analogy.

The following graphic is from Mormon LifeHacker (Come, Follow Me Lesson Aids on Facebook).  

The Father introduces His beloved Son to the waiting righteous Nephites and Lamanites. The voice of the Father is heard three times and only on the third time are their ears opened so that they understand and see Christ descending to the earth. As shown in the graphic he states, “Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. And behold, I am the light and the life of the world…” (3 Nephi 11:10-11). I thought a lot about the question on the graphic, “How has Jesus Christ been a light in your life?”

The love of my Saviour and Redeemer has helped me through the darkest times. I love Him and honour Him for all that He does for me. I often feel overwhelmed when I recognise the love of Jesus Christ in my life. I feel inadequate and unworthy but so grateful. I cannot cope without prayer, the guidance and light I receive in the gospel and in quiet moments of prayer, and the clarity I receive through personal revelation. I understand the light that Christ brings when I feel the lowest and most helpless. He helps me to understand, to make difficult decisions, and to persevere through tough times. There are three sets of images below that explore some of the wonderful things that the Light of Christ brings to me.

There are three Knowhy (Book of Mormon Central) videos below that provide insight into these wonderful scriptures from 3 Nephi. 

If I had been there when the Lord visited the more righteous in America, I would have also fallen to my feet. If I am fortunate to be on the earth when He comes again, I will do the same. I can only imagine the inexpressible joy of being in His presence. I cried my way through this last video, ‘My Joy is Full’.