Doctrine and Covenants 64-66

Watch the video presentation on YouTube at:https://youtu.be/Q6Pgmf6SHNA

To purchase slides or handouts, go to: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TeachingWithPower

ICEBREAKER As an icebreaker to this section I like to do an object lesson. Over the years, I've gathered together a number of different heart shaped objects and I put them out on display for my students to look at or I pass them around. So I have a soft squishy heart. I have one that's made of stone. I have one with a smiley face on it. One with bendable arms and legs. A black heart. A wooden one with a crack down the middle. And then I ask them which one they feel God would most want them to have and why? Now if you have a class that's willing to talk, you can get some really fun answers. Sometimes they'll see the stone heart as a bad thing. God doesn't want us to be hard-hearted. Whereas sometimes they might see it as a good thing. We need to be firm and strong in our hearts. They like the squishy heart because we're supposed to have soft and receptive hearts. Usually somebody will mention the importance of having a broken heart and point to the one with the crack. However, they answer, the point is that nobody is right or wrong. It's just a fun way of getting their minds thinking about hearts. If you want to do this as an object lesson, I'll put some links in the description below to some hearts you can find on Amazon, OR you could keep it simple and just show this picture and ask them to do the same thing. Stone Heart: https://amzn.to/3ihwYfb Squishy Heart: https://amzn.to/34OOdfX Smiley Face Heart: https://amzn.to/3uUtdPr bendable arms: https://amzn.to/3ggDq3p Black Heart: https://amzn.to/3wU88pA Broken Heart: https://www.etsy.com/listing/825312029/broken-heart-001-unfinished- woodenga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_quer y=wooden+broken+heart&ref=sr_gallery-1-3&from_market_listing_grid_organic=1

TRANSITION Then you transition to the scriptures by saying that Section 64 has something to say about our hearts. Then give them the following challenge. Who can find the word heart or hearts somewhere in section 64? And it actually shows up 6 different times. And see if they can find all of them. You've got it in verse 8,11,16, twice in verse 22, and verse 34. And let's go first to verse 34 because I feel it's the crux verse, the climax, the handle for the lesson, and in fact it is the title the Come Follow Me manual gives to this week's lesson as well. It says: 34 Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days.

So God wants our hearts. He requires them. Now when the scriptures speak about our hearts, they're usually not referring to the beating organ that's pumping blood throughout our bodies. They're referring to our will, our commitment, our understanding, our loyalty. That's what God wants from us. He doesn't want automatons, or slaves, or scared subjects who mindlessly obey his every command. He wants beloved children who willingly, lovingly, trustingly follow Him, with their hearts.

I love what Neal A. Maxwell once said: "The submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. The many other things we “give,” brothers and sisters, are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us. However, when you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God’s will, then we are really giving something to Him! It is the only possession which is truly ours to give! (Neal A. Maxwell, Conference Report, Oct. 1995)

That, I think captures the spirit of what the scriptures mean here by "God requires the heart and a willing mind". He isn't so much after our money, or time, or effort, as he is after us. Our hearts, our wills, our agency. All the other things he asks us to give are urging us towards that end. Section 64, then is a kind of heavenly heart exam. A spiritual electrocardiogram. That's the handle for Section 64. How healthy and holy is your heart? As we study today, we're going to examine four heart conditions that will indicate the health of our heavenly hearts. To see if our spiritual arteries are flowing or clogged. So we'll use this handout as a template to identify four questions we should ask ourselves in this spiritual heart exam.

STOP SEEKING OCCASION Our first question comes from verses 6, 8 and 16. It seems like the scriptures are always telling us to seek for things. Seek first the kingdom of God, seek the will of the Father, seek wisdom, Seek God early. Seek and ye shall find. Yet, there is something he doesn't want us seeking. Some things we shouldn't be looking for. What are they? We should not seek occasion against one another. We should not seek evil in our hearts. There's our word for the day. This is a kind of spiritual heart disease. We don't want a heart that seeks evil or occasion against others. What does it mean to seek occasion against someone? It means to look for problems, shortcomings, reasons to condemn. It's fault finding. And here, it's not that they're just noticing these things, but are actively seeking them. It's what we might call "mote picking". Remember that Jesus once asked "Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?" Specifically in this case, it's members of the church that are seeking occasion against Joseph Smith, picking at his motes. But look at verse 7. There's an admission there. Nevertheless, he has sinned. Joseph was not completely guiltless. He had made mistakes. He did have faults, and shortcomings, and motes in his eye. It's not that they didn't exist, but people were seeking for them. And whatever we seek, we shall find. We find the motes, because they're there! But Christ is saying, "I know they're there, but why are you looking for them!" "Mote-picking" or “occasion seeking" are such common problems these days aren't they. We have a culture of outrage. We're quick to condemn, quick to gossip, quick to judge. You see it in the media, in politics, on social media. Do you know what I'm talking about? Perhaps more importantly, do we see this problem in ourselves? Do we do this with our spouses? Our children? Our neighbors and ward members? Our coworkers? Do we talk about them behind their backs? Or constantly criticize or point out their faults? Christ says in verse 8 that this was a problem even in his day, among his disciples. So, this is nothing new. The temptation to seek occasion is common to the natural man. Or even worse, we could make the mistake of verse 16. More than seeking occasion, we might actually seek evil in our hearts and "condemn for evil that thing in which there was no evil". Sometimes we are looking so hard for something negative, that we end up manufacturing it ourselves. We create an evil that isn't even there. That's the extreme of occasion seeking. This is when we make a man an offender for a word, or cynically question people's motives, or falsely accuse in order to cast doubt on somebody's reputation. Christ says in verse 8 that "for this evil they were afflicted and sorely chastened". So our first heavenly heart exam question could be, "Does my heart seek occasion or evil in others?" If so, we have a heart problem. So what do you think might be a treatment for that heart problem? What's the solution to the problem of seeking occasion? You might discuss that with your class. My thought. We can still seek for something inside of others, but instead of seeking occasion, we can seek for the good. Seek for the good in all people, in all cultures, in all religions, in all circumstances. And the promise of seek and ye shall find will work here too. You are sure to find something good. And when we find it, we can recognize it, and praise it, and hold it up for all to see. This pleases our Heavenly Father when we do this. A heart that seeks for the good, is the kind of heart we can willingly give to God.

FORGIVE ONE ANOTHER THEIR TRESPASSES

Now our second heart exam question is related to the first. What do we do when not only are the mistakes and weaknesses and shortcomings and even sins of others evident to us, but those sins profoundly impact us? What do we do when we are sinned against? When we are hurt by someone? Betrayed? Lied to? Taken advantage of? Dismissed? Bullied? Neglected? One of the down sides of agency, is that it makes it possible for us to be hurt unfairly by that agency of others. So what should we do? I'm not seeking occasion here. I've been hurt. I've been sinned against. What should I do in this situation? I think the answer to this lies in the first 11 verses of section 64. I would invite my students to read these verses very closely and carefully for the answer to that question. See what they find. To help them in that search. Give them the following guiding questions to consider:

1. From verses 1-7, what is one major attribute of God's character? What apparently does he love to do?

2. Because God does this, what does he want us to do?

3. Why is it so important that we do this?

4. How do we do it?

So question #1: From verses 1-7, what is one major attribute of God's character? What apparently does he love to do? Hopefully they catch it, because it's kind of hard to miss. There are a number of "I" statements in these verses. The first "I" is "I will that you should overcome the world" which, by the way, could be another great handle for this section. These four things that we're discussing will not only help us to have a healthy heavenly heart, but will also help us to overcome the world. Then he says "wherefore, I will have compassion on you". He will be compassionate to us in our mortal state. The first two statements are connected, that's why there's a "wherefore" in there. In the New Testament Jesus declared "33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world". And how, we might ask, did he overcome the world? He overcame it with his compassion, with his graciousness, with his mercy. His atonement, performed in the spirit of compassion, allowed him to overcome sin, death, pain, and all worldly tribulation. This is one attribute of Christ's character that he really wants us to understand. In fact, he's going to say it three more times. :3 I have forgiven you your sins :4 I will be merciful unto you :7 I the Lord forgive sins. The Lord apparently loves to forgive. He forgives people who have sinned against him.

In these initial verses, he's establishing that principle for a reason. He's setting the example. He's moving us towards another very important wherefore. There's an implied action on our part.

So question number 2: Because God does this, what does he want us to do? :9 Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; So, since I am so forgiving of your sins against me, remember that, when others sin against you. And forgive them. Have compassion on them. Be merciful to them. This is the doctrinal commentary version of the parable of the unmerciful servant that Jesus tells in the New Testament. Do you remember that one? You have the servant who owes his lord the unimaginable sum of 10,000 talents. A debt so large that it would be unrepayable no matter how hard or long the servant worked. And he forgives him--10,000 talents, just like that. Isn't that amazing? Not only does it show that God is merciful, but that he is incredibly merciful. Extremely merciful. Our Heavenly Father is the kind of being that can forgive 10,000 talent type offenses. But the parable doesn't end there. That same servant goes out and there is a man that owes him 100 pence. Which isn't necessarily a small debt, but in comparison with 10,000 talents it certainly is. His fellow servant begs for forgiveness with, ironically, the exact same words that he used with his lord. But he refuses to forgive the debt and sends his fellow servant to prison. The lord, upon hearing this, calls the servant back in and says "O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: (or "just because you asked for it) 33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? 34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

That leads us beautifully into our next question. Why is it so important that we do this? That we forgive others? Because "he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin". As Spencer W. Kimball once said, "He who will not forgive others breaks down the bridge over which he himself must travel." (Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1969], .) If somebody were to ask, "How do I know if someone has repented?" The scriptures reply, "Have they confessed and forsaken their sins?" But if somebody were to ask, "How do I know if someone has been forgiven?" The scriptures seem to say, "Have they asked, and have they forgiven all others?"

That's how we know if we've been forgiven. We cannot receive forgiveness if we refuse to forgive. In fact, he even goes a step further than that. He says "there remaineth in him the greater sin". And we need to be really careful in how we approach this teaching because depending on the situation, the application of this truth can be very different. In some cases, if the offense committed against us is not of an incredibly serious nature, then yes, I believe that we are guilty of a more serious sin in not being forgiving of those weaknesses, shortcomings, or lapses in judgment in others. If that person comes to us, humbly seeking for our grace and mercy, then we're obligated to give it. It is a sin to make of ourselves a higher judge than God, when we don't have a full Godly understanding of all of the facts. God has been infinitely gracious to us. He's forgiven our 10,000 talent sins and weaknesses. Surely, we can grant our fellow-servants a small measure of the same understanding and clemency. On the other hand, what if the offense is serious, deeply hurtful, damaging, premeditated or intentional in nature. Are we really going to say to an innocent victim that unless they forgive that person, that all of a sudden, they've done something worse than the original horrific act? I don't think that's the way we interpret these verses. I don't think God wishes to add to the pain that has already been inflicted on the individual. So, not only have you suffered this crime at the hands of this person, but now you're worse than them because you find it difficult to have feelings of forgiveness for them. I don't think that's what God is saying at all. Context is important here. The kinds of offenses that have been committed by Joseph and the others that God is addressing in this section were not deep and ugly crimes of abuse, violence, or hatred. But, probably your more average kinds of offenses that can often show up in marriages, families, and friendships. They're not good, but a bit different in nature. STILL, I believe God's desire that we seek to forgive in all situations remains. Not that it makes us worse if we struggle to do it, but because he wants us to heal. Perhaps part of this commandment to forgive others is not only for the benefit of the perpetrator, but the victim as well. Hatred and vengeance and anger are feelings incompatible with the Spirit. He doesn't want us to feel those things. He wants peace, and happiness and love to fill our lives. As long as those other feelings are there, we'll struggle to find peace. That peace can come much quicker and easier when we forgive and let go of the hurt. Christ himself was an innocent victim of terrible abuse and injustice and yet, even then, he was able to forgive. Remember while on the cross he sought forgiveness for the Roman soldiers driving nails through his hands and feet. Now it's one thing to forgive people after they've hurt us, but it's completely another to forgive while they're hurting us. But I think Christ knew something about forgiveness. He didn't want to harbor any negative feelings in his heart, even for a second, and so he forgave, immediately. That being said, I also believe that Christ

understands the pain of betrayal, of neglect, of cruelty, of abuse and oppression. I believe he understands that forgiveness can take time. That it doesn't always come immediately or easily for us. Especially the kind of forgiveness he's talking about here. Remember we're talking about hearts here.

This leads us to our last question: How do we do it? We do it "from our hearts” or "in our hearts". This is forgiveness from the heart, not just the lips. Forgiveness from the lips is easy. It's like when my kids apologize. You tell them they need to say sorry, and how do they do it? Sorry. I'm not always sure it's from the heart. Section 64 tells us that we need to forgive from our hearts. So I believe he'll work with us. He'll be patient with us. And he'll give us the time we need to heal and forgive. That may take time. But we should be working on it. We should never abandon our efforts to forgive another person. In some cases, I think the Lord can help us do it even when we feel we can't. I love this story that was told in General Conference by Elder Timothy Dyches. Corrie ten Boom, a devout Dutch Christian woman, found such healing despite having been interned in concentration camps during World War II. She suffered greatly, but unlike her beloved sister Betsie, who perished in one of the camps, Corrie survived. After the war she often spoke publicly of her experiences and of healing and forgiveness. On one occasion a former Nazi guard who had been part of Corrie’s own grievous confinement in Ravensbrück, Germany, approached her, rejoicing at her message of Christ’s forgiveness and love. “‘How grateful I am for your message, Fraulein,’ he said. ‘To think that, as you say, He has washed my sins away!’ “His hand was thrust out to shake mine,” Corrie recalled. “And I, who had preached so often ... the need to forgive, kept my hand at my side. “Even as the angry, vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them. ... Lord Jesus, I prayed, forgive me and help me to forgive him. “I tried to smile, [and] I struggled to raise my hand. I could not. I felt nothing, not the slightest spark of warmth or charity. And so again I breathed a silent prayer. Jesus, I cannot forgive him. Give me Your forgiveness. “As I took his hand the most incredible thing happened. From my shoulder along my arm and through my hand a current seemed to pass from me to him, while into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me. “And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world’s healing hinges, but on His. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along with the command, the love itself.”1 Timothy J. Dyches (Conference Report, October 2013)

Some struggle with the idea of forgiveness because they think it gives the offender a free pass. That it's like telling them that what they did was OK, or that no consequence should come to them because of their action. But not true at all. Look at the next verses. This continues to answer our question of how we forgive. 10 I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men. 11 And ye ought to say in your hearts--let God judge between me and thee, and reward thee according to thy deeds. So, when we forgive, we are not letting them off the hook. We're letting them off our hook and placing them on God's. Because God is going to be able to judge that person with a full and perfect understanding of them and the situation. He is the only one who can judge them with the perfect balance of mercy and justice. It's the way we all want to be judged, and God is the only one capable of doing that. So he says "Your job is not to judge. That's my job. I release you from the need to make a judgment. I'll take on the burden of that responsibility. Your job is to forgive, so you can heal. Leave the judgment to me. Put it into my hands, and I will see that justice is served, as well as mercy". One other quick thing to consider. It does seem to me that there is a bit of a difference between what we are instructed to do when someone seeks for forgiveness from us, and when they do not. Apparently, when someone asks for our forgiveness, we are always to give it, no matter what. But when someone is unrepentant about hurting us, or continues to offend and provoke us, perhaps the instruction changes a little. We'll explore that idea a little more deeply when we get to section 98. So, what's our second heavenly heart exam question? Is my heart the type that can forgive others?

OVERCOME SELFISHNESS BY PAYING TITHING Our third heart exam question. In verses 22-25 we're given another means of opening and giving our hearts to God. He says in verse 22: 22 And after that day, I, the Lord, will not hold any guilty that shall go with an open heart up to the land of Zion; for I, the Lord, require the hearts of the children of men. And what is something that will help us to offer our hearts to him? 23 Behold, now it is called today until the coming of the Son of Man, and verily it is a day of sacrifice, and a day for the tithing of my people; for he that is tithed shall not be burned at his coming. So, the paying of tithing is something that will help to purify and open our hearts. Money is such a personal thing that is really easy for our hearts to get wrapped up in.

So tithing gives our hearts the chance to loosen its grasp on the temporal and open it up more to the spiritual. Giving of our material means is a sacrifice that helps us get outside ourselves. I think we often see the purpose of tithing as a test of faith, which it is, but perhaps more importantly the purpose of tithing is to help make my heart more unselfish--to overcome the natural tendency we have to want to hoard our resources for ourselves. Tithing requires us to think of something past, and bigger than ourselves. The church and other members of it. I think of some of the temples and church buildings that have been built in various places in the world. Some of those church populations could probably never afford to build those types of buildings with their own resources. So, worldwide, as a church, we sacrifice our means and money to benefit and bless all. There is an interesting blessing attached to this sacrifice. The verse says, "He that is tithed shall not be burned at his coming". That's why some jokingly refer to tithing as fire insurance. But perhaps the reason they shall not be burned isn't so much a matter of whether they paid their tithing or not, but more about the state of their hearts. The fact that they paid tithing throughout their lives indicated something about the state of their heart. It was an unselfish heart, a giving heart, a sacrificing heart. That's the kind of heart that can abide the great burning. So our third heart exam question: Can my heart sacrifice to bless others? OR Do I pay my tithing?

NOW IT IS CALLED TODAY If I might add another brief unrelated principle from these verses, I wanted to say something about the second coming. Sometimes I like to tell my students that I know when Jesus Christ is coming. That I know the day when the Second Coming will happen. And they start to get wide eyed and excited, and they ask "When? When?" And I say the answer is very clear in verses 23-25. The day he is coming is tomorrow. Jesus Christ is coming tomorrow. Because now, it is called TODAY until the coming of the Son of Man. So we are living in the time period called today. And literally, that's true isn't it. It's always today. We are always living in the moment. Yesterday and tomorrow exist only in our minds. So what we need to do is act and live as if he were coming, TOMORROW. Because he is. God apparently only has two days on his calendar. Today, and tomorrow. :25 Wherefore, if ye believe me, ye will labor while it is called today. So labor today, while it's still called today, because Christ is coming tomorrow.

BE NOT WEARY IN WELL-DOING On to our final heart exam question. 33 Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great. 34 Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days.

Sometimes it can be easy to get a little weary in well-doing. Daily scripture study, daily prayer, weekly sacrament meetings, paying tithing every paycheck, biannual general conferences, and the constant need to be on our guard to resist temptation and be an example to the world. Sometimes living the gospel might start to seem routine, get old, or wearisome. It takes a lot of dogged determination to continually walk the straight and narrow path through the mists of darkness. When I envision Lehi's vision of the tree of life, I imagine the rod and the path stretching out for miles and miles and miles. It's not a short path. It takes time and clinging, and perseverance to get to the end. The scriptures tell us that when the faithful finally reach the tree, they "fall down" at it. That's telling us something about the journey. It's difficult. It's hard. Well- doing is a long-term commitment. It's not a weekend service project, it's a lifetime career. It's not a hill, but a Himalayan peak to climb. The only way we're going to arrive at the top, is step by step. This is how we lay the foundation of Zion. And establishing Zion is more about establishing ourselves than building an actual city. We've got to establish Zion in our hearts. Zion is only as good as the hearts of the people in it. That was something that the early members of the church struggled to grasp. They were so wrapped up in trying to build an actual Zion, that they failed to develop the heart of a Zion people first. We lay the foundation of Zion by unwearyingly laying the bricks of obedience and sacrifice day by day in our lives. All those small things that we do are laying the foundation of a great work. Don't underestimate the power of small consistent acts of obedience and sacrifice done repeatedly over time. It's the accumulation of those things that has the power. Like the Buddha said: "Drop by drop is the water pot filled. Likewise, the wise man, gathering it little by little, fills himself with good." Buddha (The Dhammapada, 9:122) I've been amazed at how much water can be accumulated by just drops. You could try this as an experiment sometime. Place a milk jug in your sink. Turn your faucet on to just a drip. Then time it. How long does it take to fill the jug? It's probably a lot quicker than you think. A dripping faucet can accumulate up to 5 or 6 gallons in a day. We may think that our small little acts of obedience and sacrifice and service aren't really doing much. And by themselves, it may not seem like it. But done over and over and over again great things can proceed. How many times do you have to study the scriptures before a deep understanding of God's wisdom is forged in your mind, how many morning and evening prayers does it take before a meaningful relationship with deity is formed, how many visits to church, and general conference, before an unshakeable testimony is rooted the heart, how many times do we say "I love you" before an inseparable bond with our spouses and children are created. So don't be weary in these things. I love the Shackleton family motto. By endurance we conquer. The Saints that overcome the world, will not always be the strongest, the smartest, the most talented, or the most popular. Rather, they will be the ones that

endured. The ones that were able to keep putting one righteous footstep after another behind them. One day, they will be able to look back, and see the mountain that they've climbed, the sea made up of millions of tiny drops, the foundation that they've built brick by brick. They will see something great borne out of the endurance of their well-doing. So our last heart exam question. Can my heart persevere continually in well-doing?

CONCLUSION So there you have it. Our heavenly heart exam is complete. And how did you do? As a teacher I would invite my students to ponder their answers to those questions. And I invite you to ponder the same things. How's your heart? Is it a heart that can overcome the tendency to seek occasion others? Is it a heart that can forgive? Can it sacrifice? Is it a heart that isn't weary in well doing? If so, you've passed! Your heavenly heart is healthy. If not, what do you need to do to improve your heart health? Do you need to lower your worldly cholesterol? Do you need to exercise your faith a little more? Do you need open heart surgery to open your heart a little more to God? Or do you need a complete overhaul, a heart transplant? Whatever it is you feel the Spirit is prompting you to do, I invite you to follow it. One day, God is going to require our hearts. I hope that we will be able to offer him a worthy and willing one. Because if we do, then we "will eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days".

SECTION 65

ICEBREAKER For an icebreaker to the section, I like to talk about my wedding. I show them a few pictures and talk about how amazing and beautiful my wife looked on that day. If you’re not married, you could talk about weddings in general. I ask them a few questions. Who do you think usually spends more time preparing for their wedding day? The bride or the groom? The bride right. What things might a bride do to get ready for her wedding day? Some of the things they might share. She picks out her dress, tries it on, gets it fitted. She chooses a hair style, the makeup she will wear, the flowers, the pictures, the reception, etc. And on the actual day of the wedding, how long do you think the bride spends getting ready? Usually hours, right? Making sure every hair is in place, the makeup immaculate, the dress perfectly white, with no wrinkles or stains. Why do they do that? With my wife, I like to think that it was for me. She wanted to make herself her most beautiful for me, her future husband. And she did, she looked amazing. If you turned off the lights, she would've glown in the dark. So beautiful. All dressed in flowing white, hair gorgeous. Her beautiful smile, her excitement. She radiated love and anticipation.

TRANSITION That feeling, that excitement is the spirit of section 65. If you look in the section

heading, you'll see that it says that this is a revelation on prayer. In Church History we find that not only is this section on prayer, but that the section itself is a prayer. A prayer that pleads for and looks forward to a glorious future event-The Second Coming. Like a bride on her wedding day, it radiates love, excitement, and anticipation for that long-awaited event. Can you find the verse that draws on wedding imagery? It's verse 3. 3 Yea, a voice crying--Prepare ye the way of the Lord, prepare ye the supper of the Lamb, make ready for the Bridegroom. This is a common metaphor in the scriptures. You see it in the parable of the ten virgins, the Book of Revelation, and a number of other places. Christ is the groom and the Church, or Zion, is his bride. At the second coming, they will be brought together and united in millennial matrimony. So what does the bride do in anticipation of this joyous occasion? She prepares herself for him. She gets ready. What's the implication for us, as the bride of Christ? We need to make sure we are ready for him!

SEARCH-FAVORITES So for a study activity, since this section is so short, I like to teach it with a simple technique I call "favorites". I invite my students to read the prayer, the entire section, and to identify their favorite word, phrase, verse, or idea that will help us to prepare for the coming of Christ. This leaves things very open-ended and usually leads to a really good discussion. INSIGHTS Here are a couple of my thoughts that may help you in responding to and building on what your students share. In verse one, one of the things we can do to prepare ourselves for the wedding, is to prepare THE WAY for him, and to make his paths straight. That's a direct quote from Luke 3:4 regarding the role of John the Baptist preparing the way for Christ's first coming, which is a direct quote from Isaiah 40:3. That quotation in Luke 3 continues with the following explanation: 5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; According to section 65 verse 1, that's our job. We are to be latter-day John the Baptists, preparing the way for the Lord. How do we do that? We fill the valleys, we bring the mountains low, we straighten out the crooked places and make the rough ways smooth. If you can imagine a road like that--with all those obstacles in the way- -you realize that your main duty as a member of the church of Jesus Christ is road construction. We've got to make the path straight. I recently took a little trip with my family out to Promontory, Utah where the golden spike in the transcontinental railroad was driven. And we took a little trip out to a place called the big fill, where a giant valley was filled with rock and dirt to allow for a straight path for the railroad to pass over. In other places you could see giant cuts in the hills that would also allow for a steady grade for the railroad to pass through. And then to realize that thousands of similar projects had to be done to complete a smooth track that would run all the way across the United States--even through the rugged Sierra Nevada mountains. These were amazing feats of engineering that took planning, time, and incredible effort to take the rugged, rough landscape of the American West and create a smooth path through it. It cut the travel time across the country from months into days. It cut the cost, and the danger of the journey as well. That's what we want to do for Christ. We want to prepare the way so that he can come quickly to us. I think this can viewed on a churchwide scale and a personal one as well. As a church, we proclaim the gospel to all the world, we do temple work for the living and the dead, we build temples, and churches, and publish scripture, and provide humanitarian aid, and broadcast the words of the prophets to all that will listen. We're preparing the way for Christ to return with every act. We can also do this on a personal level. We can ask ourselves what we're doing to prepare the way for Christ to come into our own lives? What valleys of neglect do we need to fill, what mountains of sin need to dig down, what rough places of our character do we need to smooth out? We want to build a freeway into our hearts for Christ, not a rocky off-road 4X4 trail.

Verse 2 is a reference to the famous prophecy found in the book of Daniel with Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the little stone cut from the mountain without hands that rolls forth, destroys a giant statue that represents the kingdoms of the world, and eventually fills the whole earth. That little stone represents the church or Zion. It starts small, but as it rolls, it's like the snowball effect, it gathers and gathers exponentially until it fills the whole earth. The message is that you can't stop the stone. There are only two possible outcomes for when the stone reaches us. We can either become a part of it, or it crushes us. We decide which outcome it will be. This is a prophecy that can fill our hearts with comfort and confidence. When opposition is strong, when criticism is loud, when the powers of darkness seems to be winning, remember the rolling stone of Daniel. It can't be stopped. I've often thought that the church magazine could aptly be called Rolling Stone magazine, couldn't it? But I think somebody else has already claimed that title.

What other things must we do to prepare ourselves for the wedding? We can pray unto the Lord and call upon his holy name. The Doctrine and Covenants has already taught us to pray always that we may come off conquerors.

We can make known his wonderful works among the people. We express joy to others around us. When I was dating my wife, I couldn't say enough good things about her. When my family and friends asked me about this girl that I was dating, I would list all the wonderful things about her. She's fun to be around, she's easy to talk to, she likes to do things in the outdoors like me, she's a returned missionary and has a strong commitment to the gospel, she supports me becoming a seminary teacher regardless of the economic implications that has, and besides all that, she's beautiful, and I want to spend my life with her. When we're in love, we tend to make known all the wonderful things about our beloved to everyone around us. That's what we do when it comes to Christ. We make his wonderful works known to all the world. We talk about the joy his gospel brings us, the beauty of his temples and the covenants made there, the welcome guidance of scripture, and commandments, and prophets, the comfort and understanding that the plan of salvation offers. We want to radiate a spirit of delight in Christ's restored church. If we teach people the wonderful works, they will be much more likely to receive it.

Finally, we can express joy and excitement over his impending arrival. It's not something we dread or hope that is delayed. We'll only feel that if we're ready. So we pray, as it says in verse 6: 6 Wherefore, may the kingdom of God go forth, that the kingdom of heaven may come, that thou, O God, mayest be glorified in heaven so on earth, that thine enemies may be subdued; for thine is the honor, power and glory, forever and ever. Amen. That's how the Book of Revelation basically ends as well. With a prayer. John says: 17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

TRUTH If we prepare ourselves and others for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, it will be a joyous and glorious event. (Like a wedding)

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES How are you preparing yourself and others for "the wedding"?

How can you make Christ's wonderful works known to the world?

CONCLUSION Well, I'd like to echo John's sentiments about the second coming. Let it come. Like I felt before my wedding. The day couldn't come fast enough. Like we saw back in section 63, we want TODAY to finally become TOMORROW. I hope to be prepared for TOMORROW. Like a bride, I want my life, my efforts, my sacrifices, my righteousness to adorn my soul for Him. I want my offering to be beautiful to Him. This line from Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" captures the feeling I want to always have as I prepare myself to meet Christ. Portia says the following to her future husband Bassanio:

You see me, Lord Bassanio, where I stand, Such as I am. Though for myself alone I would not be ambitious in my wish, To wish myself much better; yet for you I would be trebled twenty times myself-- A thousand times more fair. William Shakespeare, "The Merchant of Venice"

May we also, like Portia, as a church and as individuals, wish ourselves a thousand times more fair in righteousness for Christ's coming. That we will make his paths straight, make his wonderful works known, and make ourselves ready for Him. Then, I'm certain, we will enjoy a wedding celebration and feast like no other. The union of Christ with his bride Zion, will mark the beginning of an eternal marriage between heaven and earth, spirit and body, and deity and mankind.

SECTION 66 ICEBREAKER I'm not going to spend as much time in Section 66 but a quick idea here. For an icebreaker, you can ask the following question: If you could have any question answered by God, right now, what would you ask Him? That could be a doctrinal question or personal question about something in your life. What would you ask?

TRANSITION Then you can explain that there was an early convert to the church named William E. McLellin that basically had the opportunity to have that type of an experience when he first met Joseph Smith. Unbeknownst to the prophet, he asked for a revelation from Joseph with 5 different questions that he had in mind. Now we don't know what those questions were, but William McLellin later described what happened. He said: "I now testify in the fear of God, that every question which I had thus lodged in the ears of the Lord of Sabbath, were answered to my full and entire satisfaction." (1 Jan Shipps and John W. Welch, editors, The Journals of William E. McLellin, 1831–1836 (Urbana:University of Illinois Press, 1994), 46–47.) Now McLellin will eventually become an apostle but will ultimately leave the church during the Missouri period. He's kind of hot and cold for a number of years He joins and leaves a number of break off groups from the church and eventually dies associated with none of them. But his witness of Joseph Smith's prophetic calling still stands. Section 66 answered his questions.

INSIGHT

In summary, there is somewhat of a pattern to section 66. The Lord starts out by telling him what he had been doing right. He starts with the positives. The Blessed's . So :1 Blessed are you, inasmuch as you have turned away from your iniquities, and have received my truths, :2 blessed are you for receiving mine everlasting covenant, even the fulness of my gospel, Then, the Lord says that there are some weaknesses and areas in his life that he needed to work on. So he says in verse 3 :3 Verily I say unto you, my servant William, that you are clean, but not all; repent, therefore, of those things which are not pleasing in my sight, saith the Lord, for the Lord will show them unto you. Now he immediately changes the subject and doesn't return to it until verse 10. Perhaps the Lord is easing into the correction here. But in verse 10 we find out what William was struggling with: 10 Seek not to be cumbered. Forsake all unrighteousness. Commit not adultery--a temptation with which thou hast been troubled. Ooh. How would you like that canonized for the whole church to see? He had struggled with adultery. He was cumbered. Perhaps he had taken on too much. He was too wrapped up in worldly concerns and had some things that he needed to forsake. In verses 4-9 we hear what the Lord's will for Him was. Verse 4 says: 4 And now, verily, I, the Lord, will show unto you what I will concerning you, or what is my will concerning you. 5 Behold, verily I say unto you, that it is my will that you should proclaim my gospel from land to land, and from city to city, yea, in those regions round about where it has not been proclaimed. And he continues with some instructions regarding a mission. :9 Lay your hands upon the sick, and they shall recover. Return not till I, the Lord, shall send you. Be patient in affliction. Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Then the Lord makes a promise to him: :11-12 11 Keep these sayings, for they are true and faithful; and thou shalt magnify thine office, and push many people to Zion with songs of everlasting joy upon their heads. 12 Continue in these things even unto the end, and you shall have a crown of eternal life at the right hand of my Father, who is full of grace and truth.

DISCUSSION QUESTION With that brief review in mind. What do you think could have been some of the questions William McLellin had asked? Here's what I came up with. I could only come up with four, not five, but here's my guess.

1. What am I doing right?

2. Where do I need to improve?

3. What is God's will concerning me?

4. What blessings does God have in store for me?

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES Regardless of what his 5 questions were, I believe that these are four excellent questions for all of us to ponder and consider. To help us to liken the scriptures from this section. I give my students the following "Personal Pondering" handout. This is not something to be handed in or shared publicly, but rather a personal spiritual experience to encourage. It invites your students to contemplate what the Lord might say to them if they were in William McLellin's shoes. What things do they imagine God would praise them for? What are they doing right? Then, what things in their lives might not be pleasing in God's sight. What things do they need to work on? What do they feel would be God's will for them? And then what blessings do they think God has to offer them if they are obedient. I honestly believe that this doesn't have to be just an exercise of the imagination, but a real communication between them and the Spirit. I believe that God can and does answer those who honestly seek the answers to these questions in their lives. In fact, while putting this lesson together, I decided to do this activity myself--to do a kind of self-interview and reflect on these questions. I can say with all honesty that I did feel the Spirit whisper answers to these things to me. I did feel that there were things in my life right now that are pleasing to God. And it felt good to sense that approval. I also got some distinct impressions of areas in my life that I need to do better at. Not a rebuke, but a recognition of things I need to work on. I also felt some distinct promptings of actual, practical actions that I could take that I feel are God's will for me. It may not be a bad idea to do this kind of spiritual self-assessment on frequent occasions in our lives. Perhaps during the sacrament each week.

TRUTH/CONCLUSION The major truth that I garner from this section is that God can and will give us personal, individualized guidance as we make our way through life. God gives guidance. When we seek for it in faith, that knowledge will be forthcoming. Our patriarchal blessings are a good example of that truth. What the Lord did for William E. McLellin, he can do for us too. Ask and ye shall receive. Seek and ye shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.