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Benjamin Wilcox

Doctrine and Covenants 3-5

Watch the video presentation on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/-eKuGF5jBrM

SECTION 3

ICEBREAKER

Our initial icebreaker this week revolves around embarrassing moments and so I ask my students: When is a time when you messed up? What is one of your most embarrassing moments? And, to give them some time to think, I usually share one of my own. Then let a few students share some of their own embarrassing moments.

TRANSITION

Well, in Doctrine and Covenants 3 we have an example of a time when Joseph messed up and this is more than just an embarrassing moment. And to see this we need to understand the background of the section.

To introduce it, I either summarize the story or show a video of it. There is a great little film produced by the church called "The Work of God" and I'll provide a link to it in the video description below, and usually, to save time, I only show a clip of it (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2010-07-0010-the-work-of-god?lang=eng). But the basic story is that as Joseph was translating the Book of Mormon, his good friend Martin Harris ,who was supporting the prophet financially, wanted to show the manuscript of the Book of Mormon to his wife and his friends--as evidence of Joseph's gift and the reality of the plates, because, of course, Joseph wasn't allowed to show the plates to the public. Well, you can understand Joseph's predicament here and the pressure he must have felt. Martin was 22 years his senior and he was helping him. So Joseph asks the Lord if that would be ok, and the Lord says, No. Martin presses him again and tells him to ask again, and he does. The Lord's answer? No. Martin won't be deterred and so he insists on him asking again. So Joseph goes to the Lord, who, I think like parents often do when pressed over and over again, basically says, "Fine, Joseph, do as you will at your own peril. He can take it but only on certain conditions--that he only show the manuscript to a specific group of people". Well. Martin does and loses the manuscript. Somehow, it's stolen and falls into the hands of wicked men. When Martin finally returns to tell Joseph, a scene of utter despair and fear unfolds. Martin cries out "I've lost my soul; I've lost my soul." And Joseph wringing his hands in anguish says "All is lost, all is lost, what shall I do, I have sinned-- it is I who tempted the wrath of God. I should have been satisfied with the first answer I received from the Lord; for he told me that it was not safe to let the writing go out of my possession." (Church History in the Fullness of Times, p. 48). One thing I love about that quote is Joseph's willingness to accept responsibility for the loss. He doesn't blame Martin. Look at all the I's and me's in there. But he's beside himself over this loss. And we get it right? This was the translation of the Book of Mormon. The book of latter-day scripture that would usher in the last dispensation. And all that work, gone! Maybe you can relate in some small way if you've ever lost something that you worked really hard on. I know there have been a couple times when I was working on a school assignment, or an essay or a lesson and I forgot to hit save, or the computer died, or I hit the wrong button and lost everything. Oh, it's so frustrating! Well this was 116 pages of latter-day scripture, not just a homework assignment. It must've been excruciating--for both Joseph and Martin. They must have felt like they had just messed up the restoration. Well, have you ever messed up as far as the things of God are concerned? Have you ever messed up in a church calling? Ever say the wrong thing? Have you ever messed up in living the gospel? And I'm not talking about the average little imperfections that we all have. I'm talking about the times when we really do mess up and we know it. I know it's not a very popular word anymore, but I'm talking about the times when we sin and are filled with guilt and despair. If you can relate to that feeling or situation in any way, then Section 3 has a message for you. A message to those who have messed up.

I call section 3 the most expensive section in the Doctrine and Covenants. And I call it that because you have to consider what it cost to receive it. What did it cost? It's the most expensive section because it cost us 116 pages of scripture! We don't get the book of Lehi as a church. Instead we get the 20 verses of section 3. Was it a fair trade? Let's find out. Let's discover the valuable lessons Joseph learned from this experience. I see three.

THE WORKS OF GOD

So for a search activity. How would the message of the following verses have helped Joseph and how can it help us in similar situations? Let's mark these under the label "When I mess up, remember . . ."

And the first thing God says to Joseph is:

1 The works, and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught.

3 Remember, remember that it is not the work of God that is frustrated, but the work of men;

16 Nevertheless, my work shall go forth.

Why would that message be comforting to Joseph and Martin? It's nice to know that man cannot frustrate God's work. God doesn't lose. He's going to win in the end, it is certain. Satan has no chance of winning this war as the outcome has already been decided. God wins, Satan loses. No matter what he tries, Satan can't stop the work. It's like Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner. No matter how hard he tries, you know, that in the end, he's going to end up at that bottom of the canyon in a puff of dust. That's Satan's future. He will fail. So some may wonder, "Well then why does he try?" Hmmm, he may not be able to win the war, but he can win individuals. He can't defeat God, but he can defeat you. He can frustrate man, if we allow him to. But the message to Joseph, here. You can't mess up the Restoration, because it's not your work, it's mine. You just need to decide whose side you are on. Stay on my side and heed my words, and you will win as well.

Section 10 explains how God was prepared for this mistake of Joseph's. And, for the life of me, I don't understand why section 10 isn't section 4. Maybe some of you church history experts out there can help me with that one. It comes next chronologically; it comes next thematically. 3 and 10 just go together. So I'm going to cover some of it here rather than in a few weeks like the manual suggests. Hope that's ok. But section 10 tells us what Satan's cunning plan was concerning the manuscript. In summary,

10 And, behold, Satan hath put it into their hearts to alter the words which you have caused to be written, or which you have translated, which have gone out of your hands.

11 And behold, I say unto you, that because they have altered the words, they read contrary from that which you translated and caused to be written;

12 And, on this wise, the devil has sought to lay a cunning plan, that he may destroy this work;

But this "evil design" of theirs won't work (:14)

Those that seek to carry it out "It shall turn to their shame and condemnation in the day of judgment" (:23)

Satan will "drag their souls down to hell" and they'll be caught in their own snare (:26)

"Such are not exempt from the justice of God" (:28)

But what had God done? There was a plan in place for this very circumstance. Verse :34

"But behold, here is wisdom"

And "my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil" (:43)

:38

38 And now, verily I say unto you, that an account of those things that you have written, which have gone out of your hands, is engraven upon the plates of Nephi;

39 Yea, and you remember it was said in those writings that a more particular account was given of these things upon the plates of Nephi.

:44 Behold, they have only got a part, or an abridgment of the account of Nephi.

45 Behold, there are many things engraven upon the plates of Nephi which do throw greater views upon my gospel; therefore, it is wisdom in me that you should translate this first part of the engravings of Nephi, and send forth in this work.

46 And, behold, all the remainder of this work does contain all those parts of my gospel which my holy prophets, yea, and also my disciples, desired in their prayers should come forth unto this people.

So, Joseph, don't worry, I had another copy. And it's the better version! It's more particular, it has greater views, it has everything that the Book of Mormon prophets desired should come forth. Nothing really, was lost. You didn't mess up the restoration. You can't. I allowed for this mistake of yours to happen and there is a means prepared to overcome it. I don't lose, Joseph. But you may, if you don't heed my words.

TRUTH

The critical truth taught here: The works and the designs and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated. Our mistakes cannot stop God's work.

How does this truth help us with our own mistakes?

You can't mess up God's work. It will go forth. In your callings. As a missionary. As a leader. As a teacher. The church will roll forward no matter what you do. If God's enemies can't stop or slow it, what do you think that means for those that are trying to help it.

STILL, AGAIN, FOR A SEASON, RESTORED

It's not easy to accept our mistakes. The guilt is there. The anxiety is there. The regret is there. So what's another valuable lesson taught by this section?

10 But remember, God is merciful; therefore, repent of that which thou hast done which is contrary to the commandment which I gave you, and thou art still chosen, and art again called to the work;

14 lost privileges "FOR A SEASON"

And then I'll pull this one in from section 10.

2 And you also lost your gift at the same time, and your mind became darkened.

3 Nevertheless, it is now restored unto you again;

What's the lesson? Joseph, I'm merciful. I forgive people when they mess up. If they repent. But if you will, "you are STILL chosen", thou art AGAIN called to the work. You've lost your privileges "FOR A SEASON" not forever . Your gift will be "RESTORED". Such comforting words. That must have been such a relief for Joseph to hear. We too need to give Joseph the benefit of the doubt in this matter. Historically speaking, Joseph had just recently lost a child and almost Emma the month before. He's only 22. Hopefully we can be forgiving to him as well. This is a tough section for a man in those conditions to receive, but it is still filled with mercy. The exquisite doctrine of STILL, AGAIN, FOR A SEASON and RESTORED. Have you ever experienced the power of that doctrine? The Lord knew we would err, and just as he was prepared hundreds of years before for Joseph's mistake, Christ also prepared hundreds of years before for our failures--for our mistakes. He accomplished the atonement--which is the power that makes it possible for us to STILL be chosen, and AGAIN be called. We can have our worthiness, our potential, our blessings, our virtue fully RESTORED, although, we may lose our privileges FOR A SEASON.

TRUTH

The simple yet powerful truth here: God is merciful

WHERE DID I GO WRONG?

One more valuable lesson from Section 3 to discuss. God accepts the fact that we will mess up and is willing to forgive us, but he doesn't stop there. He wants us to learn from those experiences. I once heard somebody say, "When you fail, bring a flashlight, not a hammer". In section 3 you can see God shining a flashlight on Joseph's mistake; to help him learn from it. He says, "Joseph, here's where you went wrong, and here's how you can avoid these kinds of situations in the future." Now I believe that God would prefer that we learn from other people's mistakes, rather than make them ourselves. Maybe that's one of the reason's it's in here; the reason that Joseph's mistake has been canonized for us. The Lord hopes that we learn from his mistake.

Well what leads to errors like this? That's what we're looking for. And you can approach this as an activity. It's been a while since I've done a crossword puzzle and I think that can work well here. It will highlight the phrases that point out the attitudes and actions that cause us to go wrong. If you don't want to do it as a crossword puzzle. You could just display the phrases or have them read the following verses and identify them. But here they are.

A person is in danger of going wrong when he/she does what Joseph and Martin did.

  • boasts in his own strength (:4, :13)

  • sets at naught the counsels of God (:4, :7, :13)

  • follows after the dictates of his own will (:4)

  • transgressed the commandments and the laws of God (:6)

  • and have gone on in the persuasions of men (:6)

  • feared man more than God (:7)

  • despise his words (:7)

  • deliveredst up that which was sacred into the hands of a wicked man (:12)

  • broken the most sacred promises (:13)

  • depended on his own judgment (:13)

  • suffer the counsel of thy director to be trampled upon (:15)

Now as they look at that list, I would explain that when we do these things, we are leading ourselves to "All is lost", "I've lost my soul", hand wringing, bitter moments. The kind of scene that plays out between Martin and Joseph in the Smith family kitchen may play out in our lives as well. We want to avoid those moments, right? A red flag should go up when we start acting in these ways.

I then invite my students to pick a phrase and explain how that action can lead to loss and regret.

Some examples.

When we boast in our own strength, we may discover that we are not as strong as we think. Someone may say. I can handle watching these kinds of movies or television programs. It won't cause a problem. I'm strong enough. I can handle going to parties or places where there is drinking and smoking and drugs. I won't have a problem. I can flirt with or spend time alone with this person that is not my spouse, nothing will happen. I'm strong. When we do this. we are setting ourselves up for loss.

When we set at naught God's counsels, we may fall. I don't need to pay my tithing. I don't need to go to church. I don't need to study scriptures. Every time we set at naught one of God's counsel, we distance ourselves more and more from the iron rod. We set ourselves up for loss.

When we go on in the persuasions of men, we may end up doing things we never thought we would. Peer pressure can be powerful. I may cheat, I may lie, I may steal, I may treat others poorly, because my friends are pressuring me to do so. Loss haunts our future when we go on in the persuasions of men.

When we despise his words, we lose. When I say the scriptures are boring. When I refuse to listen to general conference. When I criticize my church leaders, I'm heading down the path to loss.

When we deliver up that which is sacred into the hands of the wicked, we lose them. God gave Joseph the gold plates, but we have been entrusted with sacred things as well. I may deliver my innocence up to the pornographers. I may deliver my health up to the tobacco and alcohol industry. I may deliver my chastity to lust. I may deliver my integrity to the adversary. When we don't hold those things sacred, they fall into the hands of the wicked.

So one more discussion question. What does Joseph's experience with Martin Harris and the lost manuscript teach you about the importance of following God's counsel?

Let me share something that I see. There are three things in this story that are exerting pressure on Joseph's soul. You have "the persuasions of men”, “the dictates of his own will", and you have "the counsels of God". This account is a perfect illustration of this dynamic. First, you have the persuasions of men. Martin pressuring Joseph over and over again to let him show the manuscript to others. You have the dictates of Joseph's own will which was "I want to please my friend. I don't want to tell him no. He's helped me and I don't want to disappoint him". And then you have the counsels of God which are "Joseph, these are sacred things, don't let them out of your sight". Those first two things are pulling in the opposite direction of the last. So which is most likely to win in the end? Right, and that's what happens, because God honors agency. Martin problem was that he was more concerned about his small village reputation than the safety of the record and the message it would bear to the world. He's gotten lost in the small things and forgotten the big picture. Ever been guilty of the same thing? Joseph's problem is that he was more concerned with pleasing a friend than with obeying God and accepting his answer. He too has lost sight of the big picture. God calls Martin a wicked man. And I say, oooh, that's a little harsh Lord. I mean, Martin is sacrificing a lot to make the translation of the Book of Mormon possible. He's not a wicked man. A weak man, maybe, but not wicked. Is this just heavenly hyperbole? Maybe. Or perhaps this changes our definition of the word "wicked" a little and clarifies it. What makes a wicked person? A wicked person is a person that tries to persuade you to disobey your Father in Heaven. Even a friend. And we say with surprise. You are my friend, and you're trying to persuade me disobey my Father. That's not friendship. That's the role of the adversary. Satan tries to convince us to disobey our Father. A similar circumstance in the New Testament when Peter tells Jesus that he shouldn't go up to Jerusalem to be killed, and Jesus says, "Get thee behind me Satan". Again, whoa. Peter's not Satan. But what he's doing is something that Satan does. He's trying to persuade Jesus to go contrary to his Father's will. That's wickedness. So what should we do in these cases? Make your own will, God's will. I only want to do the will of my father regardless of what anyone else says. Get those two things pulling in the same direction and you can overcome the persuasions of men. Or, we can't always control this perfectly. But try to surround yourself with people that will try to persuade you to do God's will. Then all three are pulling in the same direction.

Still. In all of this. Don't forget God's mercy. For Martin too! In the not-too-distant future, Martin Harris will become one of the three witnesses. He goes from wicked man to witness. He too is STILL chosen, and AGAIN called. So just because you make one of these mistakes we've talked about, it need not lead to despair.

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

Well, I might ask this question. Without sharing any specific past sins, when have you learned one of these valuable lessons from Section 3?

CONCLUSION

So, did Joseph learn these lessons? I believe there is ample evidence that this experience had a deeply profound impact on him. Joseph has some dark days ahead of him, and there would be times when it sure seemed like God's works and designs and purposes were being frustrated by men. But Joseph never seemed very phased by it. He just continued right on believing and working and trusting in God. He had an optimism about the gospel and the church that you will see evident in his life from this point on, even when things seemed dire. Now there will still be some dark moments for Joseph, and some questioning, Liberty Jail comes to mind. But by and large, Joseph is confident in the future of the church. Because this experience taught him that God was in control!

Joseph would need God's mercy in the future. He will make more mistakes. But he never loses faith in God's mercy and you sense his trust and faith in a merciful God all the way to the end of his life.

And there will be many who will try to persuade him to go contrary to the counsels of God. There will be some tough instructions for him in the future. Building a temple in poverty, living the law of polygamy, moving from place to place. But Joseph stands firm. He doesn't give in to the persuasions of men.

Now, after considering those valuable lessons, back to our initial question. Was the cost of the 116 pages worth Joseph learning those lessons? I think so. Perhaps even Lehi himself would agree. We'll eventually get his words, but the lessons and experience that Doctrine & Covenants 3 represents are a vital aspect of Joseph's preparation. The initial cost of investment was huge, and for a time it seemed like a great loss. But in the long run, the profits for the prophet and all of us are evident. Not only did Joseph benefit from this, but so do we! These lessons can have a profound impact on you and me as well! Have they? Will they make a difference in your future? You decide.

SECTION 4

ICEBREAKER

Section 4 is a really fun section and I have an activity that I've found works really well. I like to introduce it with a scripture study skill that applies nicely to this section. The skill is power words. And I introduce that skill with the following icebreaker.

I challenge the class to completely change the meaning of a famous movie title by adding one simple word to it.

Some of my favorites:

  • The Tax Return of the Jedi

  • Lord of the Onion Rings

  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Kidney Stone

  • It's a Wonderful Life Insurance

  • Raiders of the Lost Aardvark

TRANSITION

Now that can be kind of fun and is a good attention grabber, but the point you wanna make is that individual words can make a huge difference. The same is true in scripture but in a much more meaningful and serious way. Sometimes individual words in the scriptures can teach an entire lesson. So as you're studying your scriptures, be sure to weigh and ponder the meaning of individual words as you go. Section 4 is a great place to try this out.

BACKGROUND

This section was a revelation addressed to Joseph Smith Sr. and is probably best known as a section about missionary work--and it applies beautifully to that. I remember that my mission president invited us every morning to recite Section 4 from memory before we left. In fact, I think I can still do it in Portuguese. It was a very motivating way to start a day of missionary work. But, this section is even more widely applicable than just to missionary work. Joseph Smith Sr. was not being called to serve a mission at this point, so this is also applicable to anybody who is seeking to do God's work in any capacity. That's the theme of it. It's a section about God's work. It could be temple and family history work. It could be the work of your church calling, it could be the work of parenting, or the work of living the gospel. I actually believe that this may be one of the best places in all of scripture, if not THE best, that captures the SPIRIT of working and serving in God's kingdom.

SEARCH

Regardless of how you wish to apply it, I want you to study section 4 looking for power words. Find your favorites, at least two and be ready to explain what they teach you. Over the years, I have learned some incredible things from my students through this activity. And perhaps you start out with one of your own as an example, and then let them share. I'll often approach it with this handout to help them prepare and organize their thoughts. To add an element of challenge to the activity, especially for the youth, I'll sometimes tell my students that if they can pick one of my top 3 favorite words, then I will reward them with a little treat. Now that's not to suggest that my favorite words are the best ones. It's just for fun.

For the purposes of this video, I'd like to share with you some of my favorites.

Marvelous

Marvelous is a marvelous word. That's the word the Lord chose to describe his work. It's not busy work. It's not mind-numbing work, it's not tedious work or casual work. It's not even good work or great work, it's marvelous work. In doing the work of the church, I'm afraid we sometimes may have the "well, somebody has to do it" attitude? Hopefully not . The attitude should be "This is wonderful work, this is marvelous!" The definition of marvelous is: Causing great wonder, extraordinary, extremely good or pleasing. It reminds me of Jesus' parable of the laborers in the vineyard. Why was it fair for the one-hour workers to get paid the same as the 12-hour workers? Because the work is marvelous! Those that only got to do it for one hour were the ones that missed out. They should at the very least get paid the same and paid first since they missed out on all that marvelous work with the master of the vineyard. The Lord is basically saying to us, "This is my work and my glory, my work is marvelous, and in my infinite graciousness, I'm going to let you help me".

Embark

How do we approach God's work? Do we GO to the temple? Do we GET a calling? Do we LEAVE on a mission? No. We embark! That suggests that it's more than just work, or something you do. You GO to the store, you GET a homework assignment, you LEAVE for work. But what kinds of things do you embark on? You embark on an adventure. You embark on a great epic journey. You embark on a quest. That's the spirit of God's work. The kind of work you embark on.

All

As marvelous as this work is, it is still work. It's the kind of work that will require our ALL. Which really, is the only kind of work worth doing. A Wilcox family motto that I heard countless times from my Mom. She'd say, "If it's a job worth doing Ben, it's a job worth doing well". Many returned full-time missionaries can relate to this: that full time missionary work requires your all. I remind my prospective missionaries in m ward that I'm not going to lie to them. Serving a full-time mission is demanding. It's going to require all their heart, might, mind, and strength to fulfill it. But what does God promise those who give their all? Doctrine and Covenants 84:38 then "ALL that my Father hath shall be given unto him." The Father wants to give us all, but in turn, we must give our all.

Desires

God's work is desirable work. It's something you want to do. Those that have desires are called. It's like the difference between asking for a volunteer in the primary and asking for a volunteer in a youth Sunday School class. With the teenagers, sometimes it's like pulling teeth. Whether it's apathy, or shyness, or anxiety, it's often hard to get them to volunteer. Or in Elders Quorum and they need somebody to serve at the cannery or babysit for the Relief Society activity. Crickets start chirping, everybody looks down and a tumbleweed blows through. But if you go into the primary, and say, all right kids, I need a volunteer. What do they do? Oh they get so excited and they jump up and down and reach their hands high in the air and say, "Pick me, oh pick me!" Now that's desire. That's the kind of desire God's work merits. Wouldn't it be wonderful if any time a bishop needed someone to fulfill a calling they would jump up and down and say, "pick me, bishop, pick me". Or if every worthy able young man who reached the proper age to serve a mission jumped up and said, "Pick me, pick me, I want to serve". or if the Elder's Quorum president needed a volunteer to clean the chapel, that people would shoot their hands up in the air with enthusiasm and say "Oh, oh, I want to do it, I would love to volunteer." Usually, those that are most successful at accomplishing God's work are also the ones that enjoy it most.

Qualify

We must qualify for God's work. God doesn't just take anybody. There are certain jobs in this world that really anybody could do, but other professions require you to be qualified. My 16-year-old son got his first job last year. He washed dishes for a restaurant. It was the kind of job an inexperienced 16-year-old could do, with very little training. On the other hand, I have a brother who is an engineer and works for GM. Not just anybody can do his job. He had to be qualified for it. Certain things he had to know, experience he needed under his belt, qualities he needed to develop. What kind of job is God's work? With all due respect to our wonderful dish washers out there, it’s the kind of work that requires qualification. What qualifies a servant of God? Attributes. Christlike character traits. Faith, hope, charity, love, having an eye single to the glory of God. Some of you may remember a few decades ago when M. Russell Ballard gave his "Raising the Bar" talk concerning full time missionaries. In speaking to the young men he said:

"We don’t need spiritually weak and semi-committed young men. We don’t need you to just fill a position; we need your whole heart and soul. We need vibrant, thinking, passionate missionaries who know how to listen to and respond to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. This isn’t a time for spiritual weaklings. We cannot send you on a mission to be reactivated, reformed, or to receive a testimony. We just don’t have time for that." (M. Russell Ballard, Conference Report, Oct. 2002)

In other words, we need to qualify for the work. God doesn't just take anyone in desperation.

Do you understand the spirit of God's work? Marvelous, embark, all, desires, qualify, and there are many other fantastic words full of meaning that could be shared: Serve, blameless, thrusteth, might, single, ask, or any of the qualities listed in verses 5 and 6; so many powerful principles and truths to learn in this section.

So much so that Joseph Fielding Smith had this to say about section 4:

“[Doctrine and Covenants 4] is very short, only seven verses, but it contains sufficient counsel and instruction for a lifetime of study. No one has yet mastered it. It was not intended as a

personal revelation to Joseph Smith, but to be of benefit to all who desire to embark in the service of God. It is a revelation to each member of the Church . . . . Perhaps there is no other revelation in all our scriptures that embodies greater instruction pertaining to the manner of qualification of members of the Church for the service of God, and in such condensed form than this revelation. It is as broad, as high and as deep as eternity. No elder (and I would add sister and youth) of the Church is qualified to teach in the Church, or carry the message of Salvation to the world, until [they have] absorbed, in part at least, this heaven-sent instruction”

(Church History and Modern Revelation, 2 vols. [1953], 1:35).

CONCLUSION

Well, I hope you've caught the spirit of this section. Whenever we start to get careless or indifferent towards God's work and service, perhaps we could study section 4, or recite it like I used to do as a missionary. It's like a shot of spiritual adrenaline to a tired soul. Have desires to do your all to qualify for embarking in the Marvelous work of God.

SECTION 5

ICEBREAKER

I'll be briefer with Section 5. But for an icebreaker I ask this question. What does Joseph Smith have in common with each of these individuals?

  • Howard Carter

  • Johann Winckelmann

  • Thomas Young

  • Yang Zhifa

  • An Arab Shepherd Boy

Answer: they all made significant archeological discoveries

  • Howard Carter-found the Tomb of Tutankhamen

  • Johann Winckelmann-discovered the city of Pompeii

  • Thomas Young-The Rosetta Stone which made it possible for archeologists to decipher Egyptian Hieroglyphics

  • Yang Zhifa-Found the tomb of Emperor Chin with its thousands of Terra-Cotta Soldiers

  • An Arab Shepherd Boy-found the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Well what was Joseph Smith's great archeological discovery? The gold plates right, detailing the history of the ancient peoples of America. That's a pretty significant discovery.

TRANSITION

But many of you may wonder why God didn't have Joseph reveal the plates to the world. I mean, wouldn't that have been so much better? If we could allow scientists and historians and scholars examine the plates? Wouldn't our callings as missionaries for the restored church be easier? We could prove to the world that the Book of Mormon is true and is a legitimate witness of Christ. That would be the ultimate evidence--the gold plates themselves. There would be mass conversion, right? Well, let's examine that question today. Why didn't God allow Joseph to show the plates to the world?

BACKGROUND

This section comes about 9 months after the loss of the 116 pages and shows that Martin Harris is still learning some of those hard lessons. Similar themes run throughout it. Martin Harris wants to see the plates. He wants proof, he wants evidence. And so he begins to pressure Joseph to give him that chance. Now eventually Martin will see the plates, but at this point, God says he's not ready. His heart isn't pure. He needs to humble himself. Joseph approaches the Lord with Martin's request. Can I give this to him? Sound familiar? The Lord's answer.

1 Behold, I say unto you, that as my servant Martin Harris has desired a witness at my hand, that you, my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., have got the plates of which you have testified and borne record that you have received of me;

2 And now, behold, this shall you say unto him--he who spake unto you, said unto you: I, the Lord, am God, and have given these things unto you, my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and have commanded you that you should stand as a witness of these things;

The message. Joseph, YOU are his witness. He should believe YOUR testimony. In fact, look for and mark all the YOU's in 1-10. They're all over. Simply put: Joseph:

:10 But this generation shall have my word through you;

So no, at this time, you may not show him the plates. Later in verse 29

:29 And if this be the case, I command you, my servant Joseph, that you shall say unto him, that he shall do no more, nor trouble me any more concerning this matter.

So, I'm not going to play that game this time. Don't keep coming back to me with this question, Joseph. The answer is no. YOU are the witness.

And don't you think Joseph would have loved to have shown the plates to others? He wasn't being selfish with them and saying, "They're mine, nobody can see them but me". He wanted to show others. To prove that he wasn't a fraud. When we get to section 17, we'll take a look at how Joseph reacts when he finally does get to show the plates to the three witnesses.

So the big question of this lesson is: Why do you think God doesn't show the world the golden plates? Ponder that for a minute, and then read verse 7 before you answer.

7 Behold, if they will not believe my words, they would not believe you, my servant Joseph, if it were possible that you should show them all these things which I have committed unto you.

Do you understand what verse 7 is saying? He's saying, Joseph, it wouldn't make a bit of difference. If they don't believe the words of the Book of Mormon, they aren't going to believe just by seeing the plates. Does physical evidence convert people? No. There's lots of archeological and historical evidence for Jesus and the world of the Bible and has that led to mass conversion to Christianity? No. Did the people in Jesus's time believe and accept him after he showed them great miracles? No. Most didn't. Did Laman and Lemuel live righteously after seeing an angel. No. Did the Nephites stay true to their faith after seeing the great sign of the Savior's birth? Did seeing the Red Sea part and walking through it on dry ground give the children of Israel unshakeable faith in God's power. No. They're building a golden calf shortly thereafter. Miracles and physical evidence seem to do a poor job of converting people. In fact, if you look at the list of all the people that actually did see the plates, many of them fell away, while many others who never saw them stayed true their whole lives.

So, we don't have the gold plates to show as a witness. But what do we have?

SEARCH

Here's your assignment. Look in the following verses for the witnesses we do have of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon

:7

:10

:11-12

:16

:18

I'm going to end with verse 7, so hang on. But let's go to :10

We've already looked at this one. We have the witness of Joseph Smith himself. The Book of Mormon is too complex and theologically and literarily rich to have been written by an inexperienced and uneducated 22-year-old. We have his character to consider. And just look at what he was willing to do for his testimony of the Book of Mormon. He died for it. In Section 135, John Taylor tells us that Joseph would seal his testimony of the Book of Mormon with his own blood. Joseph gave the ultimate witness in giving his life. Interesting side note. Look at verse :22. A bit of a hint of that future sacrifice for Joseph.

What's the witness in :11-12?

Eventually, God IS going to have more than one person actually see the plates.

11 And in addition to your testimony, the testimony of three of my servants, whom I shall call and ordain, unto whom I will show these things, and they shall go forth with my words that are given through you.

12 Yea, they shall know of a surety that these things are true, for from heaven will I declare it unto them.

So, three more witnesses will not only see the plates but also the angel Moroni. Then he'll give 8 more people a chance to see the plates. And you could add Mary Whitmer's witness in their too. 13 people. That's plenty of evidence. The kind of evidence a lot of us like. 13 witnesses are strong enough to stand in a court of law. And though a number of those witnesses fell away from the church, none ever denied their experience with the plates. I mean, some of them became very disaffected with the church. If they wanted to put a nail in the coffin of the church, they certainly had the opportunity. They could have said, yeah, we made it up. It was a hallucination. None of them ever do that.

And that's not all. :16

16 And behold, whosoever believeth on my words, them will I visit with the manifestation of my Spirit; and they shall be born of me, even of water and of the Spirit

The Spirit will manifest the truth of it unto us. As the Lord will say in the next section to Oliver Cowdery. 6:23 "What greater witness can ye have than from God?"

That's a powerful witness. We can come to know it's true by the power of Holy Ghost. "And by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things". (Moroni 10:5)

Then skip to 18

18 And their testimony shall also go forth unto the condemnation of this generation if they harden their hearts against them;

Those that have the experience talked about in verse 16. Those who experience the manifestation of the Spirit--the "whosoever’s". They become witnesses, and they declare these things to the world. There are a lot of "whosoever's" out there. The living prophets and apostles. Church leaders, parents, friends, teachers, missionaries and millions of individuals whose lives have been touched and changed by the Book of Mormon. We can gain confidence in our own faith by considering the testimonies of all these witnesses. That the Book of Mormon has had the power to touch the hearts of so many people. That counts for something.

Now for my favorite witness. It's the one he brought up first. In verse :7, what is the witness here? The words of the Book of Mormon itself are one of its' greatest witnesses. I mean, how many members of the church do you know believe in the Book of Mormon because of the testimony of the three or the eight witnesses. Yeah, it's nice to know that, and it helps, but I don't think many really ground their testimony in the fact that certain people did see the plates. It's the words that hold the real power.

I love that truth because I love the Book of Mormon. You know this if you studied it with me last year. The power of the words and the truths of the Book of Mormon and the confirming Spirit they bring are undeniable to me. If I ever start to feel doubt, or someone has challenged my faith, or Joseph Smith's reputation, or I'm experiencing some spiritual darkness, if I just turn to the words of the Book of Mormon, my faith and conviction and the light of the Spirit come flooding back. Just listen and feel the power in a few examples of the words of the Book of Mormon:

Adam fell that men might be, and men are that they might have joy.

We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ.

When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.

Wickedness never was happiness

Remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, that ye must build your foundation

CONCLUSION

And on, and on, and on. Are these the words of a deceiver? Are these the words of an uneducated farm boy? No. They're God 's words, and they carry with them, intrinsic in them, the witness of their truth. So, we don't need to see the gold plates to have a firm testimony of the Book of Mormon. Even if we did, I doubt the church and world would be much different now. There are witnesses enough for us. Witnesses far more powerful and penetrating than mere physical evidence.

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

And a nice way to end this class might be to ask:

How do you know that the Book of Mormon is true? What is your witness of the Book of Mormon?

and then have some share or write down their thoughts .


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