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SECTION 41-INTRODUCTION
Let's start with a little background first. Section 41 is a great introduction to section 42 and sets us up beautifully to understand its message. This is the first revelation that we have being received in Kirtland. Joseph has arrived and he's encountered some interesting things going on among the membership there. For one, there's a group of members that are calling themselves "the family" that are trying a communal living experiment where everything belongs to everybody. Also, you've got a lot of members that are experiencing what we would consider to be bizarre Pentecostal type spiritual manifestations, but we're go into a bit more detail on that in a future lesson. In Joseph Smith's original preface to this revelation, he says the following.
"The branch of the church in this part of the Lord’s vineyard, which had increased to nearly one hundred members, were striving to do the will of God, so far as they knew it; though some strange notions and false spirits had crept in among them. With a little caution, and some wisdom, I soon assisted the brethren and sisters to overcome them" (JS History, vol. A-1, p. 93, JSP).
I like some of the phrases in that description and we're going to collect a number of them from this statement and the section itself to help us really grasp what section 42 is all about. Sometimes strange notions and false spirits creep into the church and I think that can even happen nowadays. Sometimes we may allow ourselves to be a little too influenced by the ideas of the world OR, on the other hand, we can also become too overzealous and fanatical in our religious devotion and close our minds to progress and positive change. We've got to remember that the church is true AND living, or changing and growing. The things that we find in section 42 are going to provide us with a little caution and some wisdom to help protect us from strange notions, and false spirits.
Now to the section itself. It begins with:
1 Hearken and hear, O ye my people, saith the Lord and your God, ye whom I delight to bless with the greatest of all blessings, ye that hear me;
God delights to bless us with the greatest of all blessings. We don't really have to cajole and convince him to bless us. He enjoys it! And what is the greatest of all blessings? Perhaps the answer lies in verse 3
3 And by the prayer of your faith ye shall receive my law,
That's the title for section 42. It's referred to as "THE LAW"
So, God's greatest of all blessings is truth, instruction, knowledge, guidance, laws or commandments. I think that when we hear the word "blessings" we often think of temporal things. But God's preferred blessing to give us is instruction--instruction on how to best live our lives. And he delights to give it. Hopefully, we also delight to receive it. So, he's going to give us that law and instruction so that we may know
1. how to govern [his] church and
2. have all things right before [him].
I especially like that last phrase. The things that we study in section 42 are going to help us have all things right before God.
So what's our part here?
:5 We need to receive his law and do it. That's what's going to make us his disciples. Being a disciple is not just about believing certain things, but doing them.
AND :12 These words that are given unto us, that are pure. We need to "beware how we hold them, for they are to be answered upon our souls in the day of judgment". We've got hold on to the words. In rock climbing, there are specific rules to how you should hold the rope as it goes through your rappel device. The number one rule is to never let go of your brake hand. You may fall if you do this. Holding the rope correctly is essential to your survival. It's the same thing with the word of God and his instruction. If we don't hold on to them in the right way, we may fall.
With those principles in mind, let’s move into section 42. To put it all together, this law (the greatest of all blessings) will provide us caution and a little wisdom to help protect us from strange notions and false spirits that may come among us, so that we can know how to govern the church and have all things right before God.
Section 42 will
· Correct strange notions and false spirits
· Provide us with a little caution and some wisdom
· Give us the greatest of all blessings: law
· Help us to know how to govern the church
· Help us to have all things right before God
SECTION 42-THE LAW
Well section 42 is big, with many different facets and ideas in it. In a past lesson, we talked about how to eat an airplane, right? And how do we do that? By cutting it up into smaller pieces. Section 42 is a good section to cut up into the major laws of the gospel that God wanted to emphasize to the early Saints. We could sum up the entire section with just 7 simple words. Proclaim, teach, obey, consecrate, heal, receive, and correct. Let me show you what I mean.
1-10 Proclaim the gospel
11-17 Teach my word
18-29 Obey my commandments
30-42, 53-55, 70-73 Consecrate unto me (which comes up more than once here)
43-52 Heal the sick and the afflicted
56-69 Receive revelation
74-93 Correct with law
Now we're not going to cover each of these sections but there are three that I would like to zero in on. Teaching. Consecrating, and Healing.
So, number one:
42:11-17 TEACH MY WORD
If we want to have all things right before God and protect ourselves from strange notions and false spirits, we need to teach his word in a certain way.
ICEBREAKER
For an icebreaker on this section, try the following discussion questions. Either have your students turn to a partner or just ask the entire class. Who is a teacher that has had a profound impact on your life? What made them such a great teacher? For me, one of the greatest teachers I know of is my father and one of the things that I admire most about his teaching, is his ability to make profound things simple, simple things profound, and all things relevant. That's a mantra that I try to apply to my own teaching and hope to one day be as good at it as he is.
TRANSITION
Well, these verses are an excellent section for teachers. And really, we're all teachers. We are a church of teachers. Whether we do it as missionaries, as ministers, as Sunday school or primary or seminary teachers, as parents, as grandparents, as speakers in Sacrament meeting, we all end up teaching at some point in this church, and quite often. Teaching is a skill that we all need to develop if we wish to magnify our discipleship in God's kingdom and the Doctrine and Covenants actually has a lot to say about the subject.
SEARCH
What I'd like you to do is study verses 11 through 17 looking for principles of gospel teaching. Plus, we're going to add verses 8-9 from section 43 as well. Funnily enough, we could label this activity "Teaching with Power". These verses are going to give you at least five different principles for teaching with more power. You could give them this handout that will help guide them through it. Then have them share the principles they've found. What do you find?
What I see?
In verse 11. Teach with authority. This is something that is going to help us to avoid strange notions and false spirits. Both as students of the gospel and teachers. Those that we listen to, need to have authority. That's why we can trust the living prophets. They have authority from God. Our bishoprics, relief society presidencies, youth leaders, stake leaders, have been given authority to teach us and are set apart for that purpose. That's why we can trust them. There will often be people in the world, or maybe even in the church who spread strange notions. We should ask ourselves whether they have authority to teach those things. Also, as teachers, we need to keep that principle in mind. We need to be very careful that we are not sharing our own opinions and notions. But that we're staying on safe ground by sticking to the doctrine that has been revealed by those with authority. We should only teach what we have been given authority to teach.
Second. verse 12. Teach from the scriptures. This is absolutely essential. The scriptures themselves and the teachings of the living prophets should be our major source of truth. Sometimes we may be tempted to turn to other sources as our main focus and only use the scriptures or the teachings of the living prophets as a springboard to jump into a discussion of the topic, rather than examining the scriptures themselves. If you're a teacher, you should ask yourself if the scriptures hold a central role in your classroom. How often do you refer to them? Are they in your hands? Do your questions draw your students into the scriptures? It's important to remember that it's the scriptures themselves that hold the power, not us. Like it says in Alma 31:5 "5 And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just–yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them–therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God." It's the word that has the power. That's actually a very comforting thing to realize as a teacher. If I go into the classroom thinking that I am the power. That my skill or eloquence or insight is going to make the difference as to whether I have a good lesson or not, I will probably fail. That's a lot of pressure to put on a teacher. But if you realize that the power is already baked into the scriptures--that you don't really have to create it, then you can have more confidence that your students will have the opportunity to be uplifted and edified as long as you are teaching the scriptures--as long as they hold the central focus in your class. That's something that I hope I am modeling well with these scripture videos. I hope that you sense that they are scripture centered. I never want to stray too far from the principles and truths in the scriptures. Of course, there's nothing wrong with telling stories, or encouraging discussion, or doing activities, or pondering personal application. We are going to be looking away from the scriptures at times. That's a part of the process. But we shouldn't stay away from them for too long.
Third, the first sentence of verse 13. And they shall observe the covenants and church articles to do them. Teachers should teach by example. I don't think that means that a teacher has to be living a certain principle perfectly in order to teach it, but they should be committed to living those principles. It seems like one of the biggest things that offended Jesus, was hypocrisy. His harshest criticisms were usually leveled at those who were not committed to the principles they professed to be living. They were more concerned with praise and self-aggrandizement. People seem to be really good at detecting hypocrisy. We've got to strive to be good examples of what we teach. "Do as I say, not as I do" just won't cut it when it comes to teaching the gospel.
Fourth, also verse 13 all the way to 17. The fact that it covers that many verses suggest its importance. Teach by the Spirit. We should seek to be directed by the Spirit as we teach. In fact, there's a warning in verse 14. If we receive not the spirit, then we shall not teach. I don't think that means that if you don't have the spirit that you won't be able to speak, or that the words won't come. I just think it means that real teaching will not take place. Your students will not leave edified, uplifted, or inspired. A lecture may have taken place, a discussion had, information may have been dispensed, but nobody was taught. We've got to get the spirit in order to teach with power. And how do you get the spirit? Verse 14, you pray for it. Always pray to have the spirit as you teach. But what does it actually mean to teach by the spirit? I think it means recognizing that the spirit is a real force and power that needs to be invited and relied on in the classroom. When I teach, I may be tempted to teach by the power of my charisma, my intellect, my eloquence, or my teaching techniques. And true, all of those things can aid in creating an effective teaching atmosphere. But they should not be the engine that drives it. The predominance of my teaching power must come from the spirit, not myself. Ourselves, stories, videos, pictures, commentaries, activities are all just tools, but the Spirit is the teacher. Teaching by the spirit can be hard to define but easy to identify. You can usually tell when the spirit is present in a lesson setting. There is a look in your students’ eyes, there is a feeling in the room, there is a depth of understanding, and a resolve created to act differently because of what is taught. Teach by the Spirit
Fifth, from section 43:8-9
What should be our major goal as teachers? To instruct, edify, and help each other to know how to act. Remember that the Spirit speaks to our minds and hearts. If we are teaching by the Spirit, we will also seek to touch both parts of the student's soul. Instructing seems more focused on the mind, while edifying seems more focused on the heart. I've known of teachers who are all head but no heart. Their lessons taught me a lot of information, but nothing really sunk deep into my heart. On the other hand, I've known of teachers that are all heart but no head. Their lessons are full of good stories and music and movies and inspirational messages but don't really teach me anything. We should seek a balance between the two. Head and heart. We should instruct, but also edify. To edify means to build up, to inspire, or to motivate. Edification sinks deep into our hearts and changes us. We should also be action focused in our teaching. Teach them how to act. Relevance and application should be a priority. People usually aren't as interested in knowing the Hebrew word for boat or our Book of Mormon geography theories as they are about how the scriptures can help them with their struggling marriage or their crisis of faith or overcoming their temptations. We want to teach in a way that helps them to act, to liken, and to apply what's been taught. That's the kind of teaching that really makes a difference.
TRUTH
To teach with more power, we must teach with authority, teach the scriptures, teach by example, teach with the Spirit, and teach to instruct, edify, and help others to act on what is taught.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Pick one of the teaching with power principles we identified today and make a plan to implement it into your next teaching opportunity.
CONCLUSION
I believe that gospel teaching is one of the greatest privileges and opportunities that we have in the Church. Remember that the Savior of the world came to earth as a teacher. There is no greater call. There is nothing quite like that feeling of standing in front of a group of people and seeing the truths of the scriptures sink deep into their minds and hearts. There's a look in their eyes that is so rewarding to see. I've been teaching the scriptures for over 20 years now on a daily basis and I've never tired of it. There's nothing routine about teaching the gospel. It's an experience he wants all of us to have and so he provides us with ample opportunities to do it. I know for a fact, that it's not always easy to teach. That's the motivation behind this channel. To help gospel teachers feel confident, prepared and excited as they stand in front of their students. Please feed your students. Help them to feast on the words of Christ. It may be one of the most important things you do in this life.
42:30-42, 53-55, 70-73 CONSECRATE
This is a major idea taught by this section. We were set up for this one last week in section 38 as we built the foundation for consecration. Now we're going to actually learn how to do it.
ICEBREAKER
For an icebreaker, I like to do a magic trick that uses money or coins as a part of it. There are lots of different ones that you could try. Now I'm able to do more advanced tricks because I've had a lot of time and practice, but I was really racking my brains to try and come up with a simple yet effective magic trick that doesn't require hours of practice or gaffed coins. Now, if you are willing to pay a little money for an easy trick that does involve gaffed coins, I would get what's called a scotch and soda set. I wouldn't get one of the cheap ones because the coins look really fake. But I'll provide a link in the description below to a set that I think is a good quality one that costs about 30$ though.
The cheap ones cost about ten but don't look that great. But, if that's not the route you want to go, I would try the following trick, but I'm afraid it only works if you're wearing a tie. But what you do is tell them that you are going to make a quarter disappear. You pull out a quarter and invite somebody to come forward. You then take out a handkerchief and ask them to hold the coin through the handkerchief. They'll be able to feel it. But then, you tell them, that on the count of three, you want them to drop it. And when they do. 1, 2, 3. It disappears. Now the secret, is that the coin is actually in the tip of your tie. It's pretty easy to reach up into the end of tie, find where the cloth ends, and slip it into the tip, and all you do when you reach behind the handkerchief, is pull the coin down into your fingers and hand them the coin in the end of your tie. Then just be sure to keep the original coin hidden after the trick has been performed. I just usually hold it in the same hand as the handkerchief and then put both it and the coin into my pocket when the trick is done. Now if neither of those ideas work for you here is a link to another video that can give you some other good coin trick ideas that may just require a little bit of practice.
TRANSITION
But regardless of what trick you do, I would transition to the scriptures by saying that apparently, money has a funny way of playing tricks on people. It can be very deceiving. There are many strange notions and false spirits about when it comes to economic matters. Some people have even been tricked right out of their eternal salvation by money. They become so wrapped up in it, that they lose sight of what's really important. I love what Brigham Young once said was his biggest fear for the members of the church. He said:
“The worst fear I have about this people is that they will get rich in this country, forget God and His people, wax fat, and kick themselves out of the Church and go to hell. This people will stand mobbing, robbing, poverty, and all manner of persecution, and be true. But my greater fear … is that they cannot stand wealth.”
Brigham Young
(in Preston Nibley, Brigham Young: The Man and His Work [1936], 128).
SEARCH
Well, section 42 has something that is going to help us not to be fooled by money. It's a law that going to give us a little caution and some wisdom that will help us to be right before him. It's called, the law of consecration. To consecrate something is to set it apart for a sacred purpose. Consecration of our possessions, as well as our time, our effort, and our talents, will help us to stay humble, righteous and unified as a church. Now as a teacher, this is a lesson where it may be better to walk your students through the lesson together rather than having them do a lot of the searching and interpreting. It is a little more of a complicated principle and they're going to need a little help with understanding it. When I teach the law of consecration in this section, I like to point out 7 specific truths.
Truth 1
The first truth of consecration is found in verse 30. It says:
30 And behold, thou wilt remember the poor, and consecrate of thy properties for their support that which thou hast to impart unto them, with a covenant and a deed which cannot be broken.
In order to be right before God, we need to remember the poor and consecrate of our property for their support. Sometimes it's easy to forget the poor because we've surrounded ourselves with the rich and the prosperous. We may be tempted to turn a blind eye to the suffering and poverty in the world because we ourselves have no need. That cannot be. We must remember the poor and do something about it. What do we do?
Truth 2
:31-32
31 And inasmuch as ye impart of your substance unto the poor, ye will do it unto me; and they shall be laid before the bishop of my church and his counselors, two of the elders, or high priests, such as he shall appoint or has appointed and set apart for that purpose.
32 And it shall come to pass, that after they are laid before the bishop of my church, and after that he has received these testimonies concerning the consecration of the properties of my church, that they cannot be taken from the church, agreeable to my commandments, every man shall be made accountable unto me, a steward over his own property, or that which he has received by consecration, as much as is sufficient for himself and family.
Now we don't apply the law of consecration in this exact same way nowadays. We don't actually go to the bishop and deed over to him our property and possessions. BUT we are asked, in a sense, to do the same thing on a more personal level, without so much of the church's formal involvement. The principle is to consecrate or set aside for a sacred purpose all that you have to God. Today, we're invited to take this step in spirit. And though we can't talk about the sacred nature of the temple experience, those that have received their endowments should connect with this principle on an even deeper level. In our minds and hearts, we should all go through this mental and spiritual exercise of consecrating all that we have to the work of God. To recognize that all that we have actually belongs to him and that we are willing to offer any or all of it up to Him if asked. This is the attitude towards our possessions that God wants us to develop and helps us to place our heart on heavenly things rather than temporal ones. Now even in the early church, the idea wasn't that the church now legally owned everything. In a sense, they gave it right back to you. This wasn't the elimination of private ownership. The deeding was more of a formal effort to help you develop a different kind of relationship with your possessions. You no longer saw yourself as an owner (even though you legally were) but something else. A title we saw in verse 32. Did you catch what it was? You became a steward over your own property. A steward is someone that manages or looks over another person's property. In this case, you are managing what actually belongs to God. YOU became a steward over your own property, not the church, but you. Now to be fair, there were some cases that people would actually deed their property over to the church which could then be divided up to be given to other members, but your horses, your carriage, your home, your clothing, did not become the legal property of the church. It was still yours, but hopefully, you looked at it differently. You now saw yourself as a steward. We too should develop this mindset. Because it's going to help us to apply the next truths.
Truth 3
We still need to give something though. But how much? Well, there is standard of living that God wishes for all his children to have. Four things that he wants satisfied for every household. Three of them are mentioned here in section 42, but the easiest place to see the standard is found in section 51. So let's go there first. What four standards does God wish to fulfill for every household in Doctrine and Covenants 51:3? According to his family, circumstances, wants and needs. There are things that a household needs in order to satisfy their family, circumstances, needs and wants. Now that standard is not going to be the same for everyone. Not all households are the same. Some have large families, others small, and some are single. Those with more mouths to feed, and bodies to clothe are going to need more for their support. However, family size is not the only factor to consider when it comes to determining how much they need. Some households have different circumstances. For example, one household may have a family member that has a disability and requires expensive medical treatment-- or the head of that household is not able to work because of an injury or sickness. Also, some households have different needs. Some may need more food, more space, more time, more help. Now the fourth standard seems to surprise people sometimes. Apparently, what else does God wish to satisfy? Our wants. Interesting. There is room for our wants in this formula. God doesn't expect us to just live at a bare minimum lifestyle. In fact, I think our father in heaven wishes for us to live abundantly. What does that look like though? It's hard to say. Does it look like living in a giant mansion, driving exotic vehicles, and eating at expensive restaurants every night? I don't know. All must judge for themselves. But somebody might be tempted to say: Oh, God wants to satisfy my wants? Well, I want a lot! I want my own private jet, I want to spend my life traveling the world and partying and swimming in my penthouse pool. Is that the vision God has for our lives? Again, I can't make that judgment for you. But the Lord does offer us a little help and tempers that standard a little in Section 82:17 where he adds a qualification to our wants. Can you see it? He desires to satisfy our wants "Inasmuch as [our] wants are just". Our wants need to be just; they need to be righteous and reasonable. Back in section 42 you can see three of those four words do come up. Each household was to receive as much as is sufficient for himself and family, and then "that every man who has need may be amply supplied and receive according to his wants". Sufficient and ample. Two interesting balancing words that may help us to determine how much we should hold on to for our support and how much we should give. In the early days of the church, that line was determined by a conversation between the bishop and the member. They would counsel together about it. Joseph Smith said:
“The matter of consecration must be done by the mutual consent of both parties; for to give the Bishop power to say how much every man shall have, and he be obliged to comply with the Bishop’s judgment, is giving to the Bishop more power than a king has; and upon the other hand, to let every man say how much he needs, and the Bishop be obliged to comply with his judgment, is to throw Zion into confusion, and make a slave of the Bishop". [Documentary History of the Church, 1:364]
We don't do have those kinds of conversations with the Bishop now, but we should all have that conversation as families, couples, and individuals.
Truth #4
Well, once we've determined how much we need to fulfill our family, circumstances, needs and wants, what do we do next? Sometimes I like to do the following object lesson to help them visualize this. I take 3 or 4 mason jars and draw lines at different points across the front. I then take some candy and pour it into each jar. Some with a lot, and some with little. The jars represent different households in the church. The line represents that household's family, circumstances, needs and wants. Some families may have more than they need, while others have less. Rich and poor. Now all of these households have made a covenant that they will consecrate all that they have to God. They view what's in their jars as belonging to God, not them. They are stewards over their own property. What should this family be able to do if they have less than that line? Hopefully, they can go to the church for help. What if a family has more than that line? (which is probably the case for the majority of the members of the church) Go to verses :33-35 for the answer.
33 And again, if there shall be properties in the hands of the church, or any individuals of it, more than is necessary for their support after this first consecration, which is a residue to be consecrated unto the bishop, it shall be kept to administer to those who have not, from time to time, that every man who has need may be amply supplied and receive according to his wants.
34 Therefore, the residue shall be kept in my storehouse, to administer to the poor and the needy, as shall be appointed by the high council of the church, and the bishop and his council;
35 And for the purpose of purchasing lands for the public benefit of the church, and building houses of worship, and building up of the New Jerusalem which is hereafter to be revealed
So what do we do? We give it. We give it to God or his church. At this point, I'll scoop the candy out of the jars that are above the line and put it into a pitcher that represents the church. These families are giving, voluntarily of course, of their consecrated means to the church. And with our excess, the church can now administer to the poor and the needy. Scoop some candy out of the pitcher and place it into the jar that does not have enough until it reaches the line. This way, all households within the church have enough. We become unified in the church. We become like Zion and have "no poor among us". These verses also suggest that that excess could be used to build up Zion by building churches and temples. Once again, we don't quite apply the law of consecration today in the same way that they did then. Tithing is a principle that is going to be revealed later and fulfill that need, but the idea is the same. God asks us to consecrate 10% of our increase to help build up his kingdom. Which should be easy for us pay because we already view all that we have as his. Fast offerings and humanitarian aid contributions are the way the church supports and helps the poor nowadays. But the idea is really the same. We view all that we have as God's and we give to the church that which is above our line of what is sufficient for us, to build up his kingdom and bless those in need.
Truth #5 comes from verse 37.
37 And it shall come to pass, that he that sinneth and repenteth not shall be cast out of the church, and shall not receive again that which he has consecrated unto the poor and the needy of my church, or in other words, unto me.
That first part is basically just saying that once you have made a donation of property to the church, you can't take it back again. So, let's say you decide you want to leave the church and no longer be a member. You can't go back and demand a refund of all the tithing and offerings you've made. Once you've written the check, or made the donation, it belongs to the church. Like he said back in verse 32 that after the bishop "has received these testimonies concerning the consecration of the properties of my church, that they cannot be taken from the church." That's what he's referring to there. But what I like most about that verse is the last line. That the consecration has been done unto him. That truth may help make it easier to consecrate or give. If we realize what King Benjamin taught us that "When ye are in the service of your fellow being ye are only in the service of your God" we may be more likely to give. Because He is the one that has given us so much. So when you give, give with that in mind. You're not just giving to help other people; you're giving to God. You are serving Him.
Truth 6
Verses 40-41 Consecration will only work if people remember this.
40 And again, thou shalt not be proud in thy heart; let all thy garments be plain, and their beauty the beauty of the work of thine own hands;
41 And let all things be done in cleanliness before me.
These verses offer us some more help in determining the extent of our needs and wants--where we draw the line. We got to beware of pride, the Nephite disease. Pride will kill consecration every time. And pride is often shown in outward things because people just seem to need a way to express outwardly, their wealth. Now, in the past, your clothing was often they way that you did that. Find clothing was a status symbol. So the Lord says here, to them, let your garments be plain. Nowadays, it's not quite the same. Now we tend to show our wealth by the size of our homes, or the type of car we drive, or the activities we pursue. Still, the same word can help guide us. Let our tastes be plain. In a talk given by apostle Robert D. Hales, he gave us some other words we can use. Speaking of debt, he said
"Of course some debt incurred for education, a modest home, or a basic automobile may be necessary to provide for a family." (Conference Report April 2009)
Did you catch the guiding words there? Modest and basic. We can add those words to plain. Still, what we have doesn't need to be junky or old or deficient. There are other words to guide us. Beauty. It's ok to have beautiful things. Cleanliness. It's ok to have things that are nice and clean. We can also add some words from Alma 1:27.
27 And they did impart of their substance, every man according to that which he had, to the poor, and the needy, and the sick, and the afflicted; and they did not wear costly apparel, yet they were neat and comely.
So plain, modest, basic, beautiful, clean, neat, comely as opposed to costly or prideful. Consecration will only work if we are not extravagant in our tastes.
Truth #7
Verse :42 Consecration will only work if people remember this as well.
42 Thou shalt not be idle; for he that is idle shall not eat the bread nor wear the garments of the laborer.
Consecration will not work if people are idle. If people sit back and say "Well, I'm just going to let others support me" then that is going to cause a lot of problems as well. Living off the sweat of another person’s labor is not a divine principle. God is not into giving handouts. I spoke about this last week. The church believes firmly in the principle of self-reliance. All must be working towards that end. There is a plan in place that aims at self-reliance with every request for help from the church's welfare program. We must all be committed to working and doing what we can to support ourselves so that we can consecrate something. I don't think this verse though is just a warning to the idle poor. You also have the idle rich. There are those that sit back and live off the labor of others because they're in charge, or they own the business, or they were born into wealth. There is an unlaboring wealthy class that seems to live by the motto "Give the laborer the lowest you can, and make massive profits for yourself." I believe that God is displeased with both forms of idleness.
TRUTH/LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Well, I hope I was able to help you understand the law of consecration a little better and here are each of the principles we've discussed all in one place. There is going to be more about consecration in the future and we'll talk about a specific application of the law of consecration that was tried in the early church called the United Order. That's for another time. But here, to liken the scriptures-a question: From the principles we've learned today, what is one thing you feel the Lord wants you to do now?
Will you do it?
CONCLUSION
I hope that I've not offended anyone in speaking about these things. I realize that money matters can be a bit sensitive. Don't forget that this isn't just about money either. We also consecrate our time and effort and talents in the same way. In a calling, you may be asked to give a large portion of your time and effort to building up God's kingdom. Full-time missionaries are asked to give up entire years of their lives to building Zion. You may be called on to share your gifts and talents with others. Your musical talents, your speaking talents, your leadership talents, your gift of charity, or kindness, or service. The idea here is to be thinking about more than just yourself and your own household. As disciples of Christ, we want all to have sufficient for their family, circumstances, needs, and wants. This is what will allow us, as a church, and even as a world, to live in peace and unity with each other.
Our third law from section 42
42:43-52 HEAL THE SICK AND THE AFFLICTED
ICEBREAKER
I'll be more brief here. But still, a quick icebreaker. Pull out a vial of consecrated oil, and a bottle of aspirin or some sort of medicine and ask: When we get sick or hurt, which of these should we rely on? and let them share.
SEARCH
Then send them into Doctrine and Covenants 42:43-44 for the scripture's answer.
43 And whosoever among you are sick, and have not faith to be healed, but believe, shall be nourished with all tenderness, with herbs and mild food, and that not by the hand of an enemy.
44 And the elders of the church, two or more, shall be called, and shall pray for and lay their hands upon them in my name; and if they die they shall die unto me, and if they live they shall live unto me.
So what do we do? We rely on both. I think being nourished with all tenderness, with herbs and mild food could be interpreted as medicine and medical care. Most medicines do come from herbs or plants. So it wouldn't be wise for someone who has just been in a serious accident or is deathly ill to say "Oh, I'll just get a priesthood blessing and do no more". Sometimes there can be strange notions when it comes to health and healing. I believe that God has blessed mankind with medical knowledge and plants for medicine for a reason. We can and should rely on them. I also think it would be unwise to completely rely on modern medicine and disregard the power of the priesthood. People can and have been healed by priesthood authority. I've seen it personally. I like in that verse that it says that the elders shall pray for and lay their hands upon them in my name. Not all priesthood blessing need to be pronouncements, but they can be prayers. The giver of the blessing may express words of hope and faith and pleading to God without necessarily pronouncing a healing or an act of divine intervention. The power of the priesthood is not just given to remove all pain and suffering and death from our mortal experience. Sometimes it can, but not all the time. That's why I love the rest of these verses. They provide us with a lot of understanding on suffering, death, and healing.
I would send my students in to those verses looking for principles that they teach us about healing.
45 Thou shalt live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die, and more especially for those that have not hope of a glorious resurrection.
So, it is certainly appropriate for us to mourn the death of those we love. That is not at odds with our faith in resurrection or immortality.
46 And it shall come to pass that those that die in me shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them;
47 And they that die not in me, wo unto them, for their death is bitter.
That's an interesting one that I'm not totally sure what to make of it. But apparently, dying righteous is a different experience than dying wicked. Is that difference physical, or more spiritual or emotional in nature? Or a combination of all? I'm not sure. Whatever it means, death to the righteous is sweet.
48 And again, it shall come to pass that he that hath faith in me to be healed, and is not appointed unto death, shall be healed.
49 He who hath faith to see shall see.
50 He who hath faith to hear shall hear.
51 The lame who hath faith to leap shall leap.
52 And they who have not faith to do these things, but believe in me, have power to become my sons; and inasmuch as they break not my laws thou shalt bear their infirmities.
So, at times, people can be healed through their faith and the power of the priesthood. At the same time though, one should not feel like they lack faith if they or someone they love remains sick or dies. Sometimes, we are just appointed unto those things by God or by life itself. Don't judge the effectiveness of your blessing or your faith by whether healing occurs or not. When my Mom got cancer, President Nelson, who was not the president of the church of the time, came to our home, and there, gave her a priesthood blessing, which was an experience I'll never forget. He promised her future joy which I know became a fulfilled promise in her life. Still, she died. I know for a fact that President Nelson was not lacking in faith. I also know for a fact that my mother was not lacking in faith. I also know that we tried every medical thing that we could. But she still died. The priesthood is not there to eliminate all death and suffering. The atonement is the only thing that can do that, and it will, eventually. That's why we all look forward to a glorious resurrection, where all death, and suffering, and disease, and sickness will be overcome, but until that day, we've got to live in faith.
43 VOICE LESSONS
Now for one thought from section 43.
ICEBREAKER
For an icebreaker, you can play Guess that Voice. What you do is play the voices of a number of famous people and see if they recognize them. I'll provide you with a link here to a YouTube video that has it all set up for you. But then, make sure that you also play some of the general authorities’ voices and see if they can recognize them. Some of our apostles have very distinct voices. Dallin H. Oaks comes to mind, and Elder Ballard, and Elder Bednar. See if they can recognize those voice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rrg55USh2U
TRANSITION
Well section 43 is all about listening to voices. In fact. See how many times you can find the word voice or voices in this section. I see it about 15 times. This section is going to teach us why it's so important to listen to the voices of God. I say voices because I feel there are three very distinct voices that God speaks to us with. Let me give you an example of each from the scriptures.
The First Voice:
Doctrine and Covenants 85:6
6 Yea, thus saith the still small voice, which whispereth through and pierceth all things, and often times it maketh my bones to quake while it maketh manifest, saying:
The first voice, is the still, small voice of the Spirit. It speaks to our minds and hearts. Some examples of the still, small voice? Conscience, spiritual promptings, and personal revelation. But people don't always listen to that voice. Sometimes they are too distracted, or too busy, or too apathetic, or they've filled their lives with too much of the noise of the world to hear that voice. So God tries something else.
The Second Voice:
Doctrine and Covenants 124:45
45 And if my people will hearken unto my voice, and unto the voice of my servants whom I have appointed to lead my people, behold, verily I say unto you, they shall not be moved out of their place.
The second voice is the voice of his servants. Now that' s a bit easier to hear, isn't it? It's unmistakable. I may struggle to recognize the still, small voice, but I can certainly recognize a prophet's voice, or a missionary's voice, or a bishop's voice, or a parent's voice. I can actually hear those physically and audibly. Still, many will choose to ignore those voices, block them out, or reject them. So what's a loving God to do? He really needs us to hear him. Well, if his first two voices won't work, he has to turn to his 3rd voice.
The Third Voice
Doctrine and Covenants 88:90
90 And also cometh the testimony of the voice of thunderings, and the voice of lightnings, and the voice of tempests, and the voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds.
I would call this the voice of nature. Or the voice of consequence. One example of this voice is the destruction that will come at the second coming, or the actual voice of God that speaks from the heavens at that point. It's a voice that's impossible to ignore. At some point, every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ. You can't ignore the third voice. But I think it can be more than just that. It can also be the voice of the natural consequences of sin. The disease that comes because of disobedience to the word of wisdom. The relationships that are destroyed by immorality. The trust that's lost through dishonesty. The penalties of crime. The regret of lost opportunities. We can't ignore or disregard those voices. The consequences are real. This is a very loud and painful voice that speaks when we've ignored the other two.
Do you notice anything interesting about the order of the voices?
One thing that stands out to me is that they get progressively louder. Just like when you were a kid. The volume of Mom or Dad's voice was directly related to how much trouble you were in. The louder the voice, the worse the trouble. It's the same with God.
Which voice do you think the Lord prefers us to respond to?
The still, small voice of course. But even then, he recognizes that that voice is sometimes difficult to recognize it. So hopefully, he reasons, they will at least listen to the voice of my servants. God doesn't like to shout at us. Just like parents who wish their children cleaned their rooms the first time they asked them nicely and quietly. Not the 3rd or 4th time when they feel they need to turn up the volume a bit to emphasize your need to do it. Unfortunately, many people won't respond until the voice reaches those higher decibels.
SEARCH
An activity then from section 43. It's a good place to examine the three voices of God and the consequences for not heeding them. I want you to read the following verses and circle which voice is being described in those verses. The first, second, or third voice of God.
18 For the day cometh that the Lord shall utter his voice out of heaven; the heavens shall shake and the earth shall tremble, and the trump of God shall sound both long and loud, and shall say to the sleeping nations: Ye saints arise and live; ye sinners stay and sleep until I shall call again.
That would be the 3rd voice. Right. A voice out of heaven, the shaking earth and the trump of God sounding. But look at what he says, "Ye saints arise and live; ye sinners stay and sleep until I shall call again". You know, go back to bed, sinners. You've slept through every single one of my other voices, why change now. Let me gather all my sheep now for their glory. Don't worry, go back to sleep and I'll call you again soon enough. But it won't be for glory. This is the voice of the second coming right? That's why it's so important that we learn to listen to the other two voices before that day comes. We need to be able to recognize it so that we will wake up, when he calls for his elect.
43:20
20 Lift up your voices and spare not. Call upon the nations to repent, both old and young, both bond and free, saying: Prepare yourselves for the great day of the Lord;
This would be the 2nd voice. The voice of his servants. To help make sure that people have ample opportunities to hear the voice before it's too late. He sends his servants out to call them to repent and change and prepare themselves for the great day of the Lord.
43:21-24
21 For if I, who am a man, do lift up my voice and call upon you to repent, and ye hate me, what will ye say when the day cometh when the thunders shall utter their voices from the ends of the earth, speaking to the ears of all that live, saying--Repent, and prepare for the great day of the Lord?
22 Yea, and again, when the lightnings shall streak forth from the east unto the west, and shall utter forth their voices unto all that live, and make the ears of all tingle that hear, saying these words--Repent ye, for the great day of the Lord is come?
23 And again, the Lord shall utter his voice out of heaven, saying: Hearken, O ye nations of the earth, and hear the words of that God who made you.
24 O, ye nations of the earth, how often would I have gathered you together as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, but ye would not!
There is a little bit of the first voice at the beginning of verse 21, but the rest is all third voice right. The thunders are speaking now. Their ears will tingle at the sound of this rebuke. We get the imagery of the mother hen that we saw back in section 29. I would have gathered you. I called to you. I clucked my warnings. BUT YE WOULD NOT. You wouldn't listen, and now instead of the calming voice of the mother hen, you get the voice of thunders, and lightnings.
43:25
25 How oft have I called upon you by the mouth of my servants, and by the ministering of angels, and by mine own voice, and by the voice of thunderings, and by the voice of lightnings, and by the voice of tempests, and by the voice of earthquakes, and great hailstorms, and by the voice of famines and pestilences of every kind, and by the great sound of a trump, and by the voice of judgment, and by the voice of mercy all the day long, and by the voice of glory and honor and the riches of eternal life, and would have saved you with an everlasting salvation, but ye would not!
That's all the voices isn't it. Can you sense the exasperation in the Lord's voice? It's like he's saying, "I've tried everything! I've tried all the voices I could think of! But my voice is hoarse now though. I've called and called but you wouldn't listen. Nothing works with you." I tried speaking softly to you with the voice of mercy, and glory and honor. That didn't work. So I tried speaking with the voice of judgment and consequence, that didn't work. So now, you've left me no choice. Therefore, verse 26
26 Behold, the day has come, when the cup of the wrath of mine indignation is full.
You have procrastinated the day of your repentance until it is everlastingly too late. The day for listening is over. The day for consequence has come.
So what should we do?
43:28
28 Wherefore, labor ye, labor ye in my vineyard for the last time-for the last time call upon the inhabitants of the earth.
That's the second voice. Which can be our voice, right? God doesn't want to lose any of his children. So he commissions us to go out and call to them, to be his second voice. So that they will repent, and not have to suffer the third voice.
Also,
43:34
34 Hearken ye to these words. Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Treasure these things up in your hearts, and let the solemnities of eternity rest upon your minds.
That's the first voice. Hopefully we learn to listen to, recognize, and treasure up the messages of the first voice, and let those solemnities of eternity rest upon our minds. Then, that day when he calls to all the earth, we will know that voice because we've heard it so well for years through the Spirit and his servants.
TRUTH
God calls to us with many different voices.
If we listen to and heed those voices, we will receive glory.
If we ignore those voices, we will receive condemnation.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
How well do you think you are doing at hearing the still, small voice?
How well do you think you are doing at hearing and obeying the voice of his servants?
What can you do now to avoid the consequences of the third voice?
CONCLUSION
One of the things that strikes me most about this section is the Lord's persistence and patience in calling to his children. It reminds me of something CS Lewis once said:
I believe that if a million chances were likely to do good, they would be given.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain
God is a god that is willing to give his children many chances to listen to his voice. He doesn't give up on us easily. He calls and calls in many different ways and many different voices. My hope and prayer for each of us is that we will HEAR HIM in every way that he seeks to speak to us.
SECTION 44
One brief thought on section 44. This section calls all members of the church to gather for a general conference of the church. That tradition has remained until today and what glorious events they continue to be. In section 44, look for and mark all the blessings you can see that can come from general conference. I'm going to let you do that one on your own though.
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