Latest / Scripture Central / Alma 23-29 | Book of Mormon Insights: Revisited

Transcript

Alma 23-29 | Book of Mormon Insights: Revisited · Scripture Central

0:00
I'm Taylor. And I'm Tyler.
0:02
Today, Alma 23 through 29, and we'll recommend a couple of the
0:07
Book of Mormon Central short essays.
0:09
They're called Know wise #131 deals with the meaning of the
0:13
name anti Nephi Lehi, and we'll talk about that in the lesson
0:17
today. And then #134 talks about the
0:19
meaning of the word Jershon. And we think you'll enjoy
0:22
reading these essays and just the interesting things that are
0:25
going on in the Book of Mormon and how Mormon constructs the
0:27
narrative to make key points that help us to understand the
0:31
gospel of Jesus Christ. In chapter 23.
0:34
We pick up the story these people have for five. 100 plus
0:42
years been establishing their traditions as Lamanites.
0:48
They have been passing them on from generation to generation
0:51
and and with each succeeding generation, those stories about
0:54
what happened back in the distant past, they get bigger
0:57
and and worse. As far as their.
0:59
Perception of the Nephites. Now you get this incredible
1:03
experience where Ammon, Aaron, Amnor and Himnah and a couple of
1:06
their brethren go down on this mission.
1:08
With scriptures, With the story. Of what happened over 500 years
1:13
ago and they they learn about. God, they.
1:16
Learn about the creation, the fall and the redemption of man.
1:20
And they learn the stories all the way back from Lehigh moving
1:24
forward. And they are converted.
1:27
Now look at verse five in chapter 23.
1:31
And thousands were brought to the knowledge of the Lord.
1:34
Yeah, thousands. Were brought to believe.
1:37
In the traditions of the Nephites no longer the
1:40
traditions of the Lamanites that are 500 years in the making and
1:43
they were taught the records and prophecies which were handed
1:46
down even to the present time now.
1:48
Here's the key verse. Six because most of us have
1:53
experienced getting caught up in a movement or getting caught up
1:58
in a fad. Or a passing craze.
2:02
A look of verse 6. This is no passing craze with
2:05
them and AS. Sure, as the Lord liveth, so
2:07
sure. As many as believed, or as many
2:10
as were brought to the knowledge of the.
2:11
Truth through the preaching. Of Ammon and his brethren,
2:14
according to the spirit of Revelation and a prophecy and
2:18
the power of God working miracles in them.
2:21
Yeah, I say unto you as the Lord.
2:24
Liveth. As many of the Lamanites has
2:26
believed in their preaching and were converted unto the Lord
2:30
never did fall away. That's pretty impressive
2:35
retention to not have any of these Lamanites who were
2:39
converted. To ever fall away.
2:40
They have come into this covenantal connection with God.
2:44
So. Profoundly and so deeply and.
2:46
Powerfully that. Nothing can separate them from
2:50
God moving forward. This is This is powerful.
2:54
Now you'll also notice. As he lists all of.
2:57
These righteous people. Now he lists the seven cities of
3:02
Lamanites that have now become converted to the gospel in verse
3:06
9 through 12. And then notice what he says in
3:09
verse 14. The Amalekites were not
3:13
converted, save only one. Neither were any of the Emulite
3:17
Emulanites, but they did harden their hearts and also the hearts
3:21
of the Lamanites in that part of the land.
3:23
Wheresoever they dwelt. Yeah, and all their villages and
3:26
all their cities, not a single Emulanite and only one
3:31
Amalekite. These former Nephites that that
3:33
have become dissenters, they're not interested in in being
3:39
converted. Now the people in verse 16, all
3:42
these new converts, they wanted a name.
3:44
So verse 17, they picked the name the anti Nephi Lehis and
3:50
they were called by this name and we're no more called
3:52
Lamanites. Taylor Why would they?
3:55
Pick a name like anti Nephi Lehi.
3:59
So this verse caused confusion for a lot of people because anti
4:04
in the way we currently understand it comes from the
4:06
ancient Greek, which just means against.
4:09
And it shows up in the Book of Mormon when we describe people
4:12
who are Antichrist. They're against Christ, they are
4:15
not friends, they're not people you want to be spending time
4:17
with or listening to their message very carefully.
4:20
But what's interesting here is that when we label somebody an
4:22
Antichrist, it's a description. It's actually not a name.
4:26
Look at these verses and let's look at the difference here,
4:30
that people are actually taking a name upon themselves, not
4:32
necessarily a description. Here's what it says verse 17
4:37
came to pass that they called their names anti Nephi Lehis and
4:42
they were called by this name and were no more called
4:45
Lamanites. So this is significant that
4:48
there's something about the naming.
4:50
What I and other scholars who studied ancient languages have
4:54
discovered and looked at is that very often in scriptures, this
4:58
shows up all over the Old Testament, even into the New
5:00
Testament and throughout the Book of Mormon, that names often
5:05
are key themes or ideas within the stories.
5:10
And actually in the Book of Mormon, most of the names that
5:12
we see have been demonstrated to have plausible Hebrew or
5:17
Egyptian meanings, which is exactly what the Book of Mormon
5:21
claims of itself, which is actually quite stunning.
5:24
Last time I checked, I don't think Joseph Smith started
5:26
studying Hebrew until 1835, so he wouldn't have known Hebrew or
5:30
Egyptian. If people claim that Joseph
5:32
Smith wrote the Book of Mormon, he could not have invented
5:35
Hebron Egyptian names. So this is strong evidence that
5:39
the Book of Mormon is what it claims to be, an ancient
5:42
authentic witness of Jesus Christ.
5:45
Let's talk about what anti may mean in Egyptian.
5:50
The Egyptian word empty actually means he of, and I might
5:55
translate it a little bit differently to say belonging to.
5:58
So now actually look at what's going on, walking away from the
6:02
Lamanite name, which is a designation of the group they
6:06
are in. These Lamanites have renamed
6:09
themselves, They have joined with the group of Nephites who
6:13
have followed Lehigh's righteousness.
6:16
So we would call them those of Nephi and Lehigh, the righteous
6:21
followers of the covenant path. That is their name.
6:25
So it's not that they're against Nephi and Lehigh.
6:28
That is, you know, they didn't know Greek pretty confidently.
6:33
They weren't using that version. They're trying to demonstrate
6:36
that they have entered in to the covenant through baptism that
6:40
Lehigh and Nephi taught. Now, let's actually just finish
6:44
this chapter in verse 18. They began to be very
6:46
industrious people. Yeah, they were friendly with
6:48
the Nephites. Therefore, they did open a
6:50
correspondence with them, and the curse of God did no more
6:54
follow them. Let's just talk very briefly
6:56
about what that curse is. We can go back to 2nd Nephi
6:59
chapter one, verse 20. So this is Lehi speaking to his
7:04
family, and these promises are for their descendants.
7:07
Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper
7:10
in the land. But inasmuch as ye will not keep
7:13
my commandments, ye shall be cut off from my presence.
7:16
Well, the word prosper has the meaning of having God's spirit
7:21
to be with you. When you get baptized and
7:23
received the gift of the Holy Ghost, that is prospering.
7:26
When you go partake in the sacrament and promise to keep
7:28
the commandments and you get the blessing of always having His
7:31
Spirit be with you, that's prospering.
7:33
It's about having God's presence.
7:36
So the curse is to not have God's presence.
7:39
So when these Lamanites move in to the Nephite culture, the
7:44
religious culture, and join the covenant, they Get full access
7:47
to God's presence and so they no longer are cursed to not have
7:52
full access to God's presence. So let's read about both what it
7:56
means to have God's presence as a form of prospering and what
8:01
the curse is. Second Ephi chapter 4, verses 4
8:04
through 5. This is Lehigh putting blessings
8:07
on his family and their descendants.
8:09
The Lord God has said that in as much as ye shall keep my
8:12
commandments, ye shall prosper in the land, and inasmuch as you
8:16
will not keep my commandments, ye shall be cut off from my
8:18
presence. Pay attention to that.
8:21
The commandments lead to having God's presence, that is
8:26
prospering. And what's the opposite?
8:27
If you don't keep the commandments, you don't have
8:31
God's presence, and therefore you don't prosper.
8:33
It goes on and says in verse 6, Wherefore if you're cursed,
8:38
behold, I leave my blessing upon you, that the curse may be taken
8:41
from you and be answered upon the heads of your parents.
8:44
The curse here is back here in verse five.
8:46
He says, my sons and my daughters, I cannot go down to
8:48
my grave, save I should leave a blessing upon you.
8:51
For behold, I know that if you're brought up in the way you
8:53
should go, you will not depart from it.
8:55
Meaning if you keep the commandments, you'll prosper the
8:57
land. You won't be cursed.
8:59
If you don't follow the commandments I've revealed to
9:01
you, you will not have God's prospering presence.
9:05
And that is the curse. When you wonder about the curses
9:08
that we're talking about in the Book of Mormon, it's all about
9:10
whether you have God's presence or not.
9:13
Are you in the covenant or you're not?
9:15
It's pretty simple and it's pretty powerful.
9:18
So this sets up a real struggle. In the nation of the Lamanites,
9:24
in the land of Nephi. Because you've got all these.
9:26
Newly converted Lamanites and you've got the hardened
9:29
Amalekites and Emulanites and other many other Lamanites who
9:33
weren't converted and so all of the converted people assemble.
9:39
It tells us in verse five of chapter 24 that they meet first
9:43
in the land of Midian and then they come over to the land of
9:44
Ishmael where Ammon had begun this missionary effort with king
9:47
of Moni and it's. Here where we get.
9:50
This incredible speech from the the King's son, who is named
9:56
Antonitha. Alihai because.
9:57
The king of all the lame Knights has now died in the.
9:59
First few verses of chapter. 24 And he gets up and gives a
10:03
speech saying we've had some problems.
10:06
Problems that are so big that if we sitting.
10:09
Here in the 21st century, look back in time at the Book of
10:12
Mormon. What if we?
10:14
Looked at it through. This lens What if we.
10:16
Said this is this is. Odd that Mormon and Moroni saw.
10:22
Our day they're writing the. Book predominantly for Lamanites
10:27
in the latter day and for all people in the latter days.
10:30
They know what we're struggling with today in our day and age
10:33
and one of the the major, major wrestles that we experience.
10:37
Culturally. Socially.
10:39
Is addiction. There are addictions.
10:42
All over the. Place in this world today and
10:45
yet the word addiction never appears once in the Book of
10:48
Mormon I find it interesting to. Read this story here of these.
10:52
People through the lenses of addiction and overcoming
10:56
addiction, wrestling with dealing with addictions and you
11:01
might ask, well what how in the world is addiction related here
11:04
well look at some of the. The ways that they describe
11:09
these people, they were a. Ferocious and a bloodthirsty
11:15
people. Who delighted?
11:18
In the shedding of blood, they delighted in warfare and in
11:23
violence. It's almost.
11:24
Like they're addicted to. To war and to killing and to
11:28
violence. Something seems to happen to
11:31
these people when you put a. Sword or a.
11:34
Cimeter or a weapon of some sort in their hand and get them it's
11:38
almost like. They're addicted to it.
11:41
And if you read chapter. 24 Very, very carefully.
11:46
What we now have through that lens is a handbook for what we
11:50
might be able to do in the 21st century to wrestle more
11:55
effectively with addictions, both for ourselves and to help
12:00
loved ones and family members and associates who are wrestling
12:03
with addictions. Because you're you're noticing
12:06
the way this king is talking about.
12:09
Their delight. In the shedding of blood, look
12:12
at what he. Says verse 12.
12:14
Now, my best beloved brethren, since God has taken away our
12:17
stains and our swords have become bright, then let us stain
12:21
our swords no more with the blood of our brethren.
12:24
God's wiped our swords. Clean.
12:26
They're they're bright, they're shiny.
12:27
At this point, let's not, let's not pick them up again for fear
12:31
of what might happen inside of us when we do that.
12:34
Regardless of what our. Intent for picking it up is even
12:37
self-defense, right? Look at verse 15.
12:40
Oh how merciful is our God. And now behold, since it has
12:44
been as much as we could. Do to get our.
12:47
Stains taken away from us, and our swords are made bright.
12:50
Let us hide them away, that they may be kept.
12:53
Bright. As a testimony to our God.
12:56
At the last day, or at that day, that we shall.
12:58
Be brought to stand before him to be judged, so he then invites
13:02
them to. Bury their swords verse. 16 deep
13:05
in the earth. Not just cast them aside, Not
13:08
just put them on a plaque on the.
13:10
Wall as a as. A memorial of what what our
13:13
former life used. To be.
13:14
But to absolutely bury them deep?
13:18
A few years ago, Elder Dale. Renland in general Conference.
13:23
Quoted the Shakespeare play As You like.
13:26
It and in there. He talked about these two.
13:30
Brothers in their younger years. One of them was awful.
13:36
To his brother. And Duke Frederick was just.
13:41
Terrible. He tried to actually have his
13:44
brother killed. Many, many years later, he had
13:49
experienced some things he had changed and some people, some
13:55
women who had known him in his. Earlier years.
13:59
Recognized him and said wait a minute, aren't aren't you the
14:03
one who was? So so.
14:06
Cruel and vile and and. Tried to kill your brother.
14:11
And Duke Frederick's response is very, very profound.
14:15
As it relates to this story, he said.
14:18
Twas I but tis not I brothers and sisters when dealing with
14:24
addiction or when dealing with false tradition or or patterns
14:29
of of negative behaviors and negative relationships.
14:32
I love that phrase. From the pen of William.
14:36
Shakespeare twas I but. Tis not I.
14:41
In other words, we're going to acknowledge the fact.
14:43
That, yeah, we've had struggles. But it doesn't define us today.
14:47
My present self is not going to be held hostage to my teenage
14:54
self or my 20s something self or my 30 something self.
14:59
Nor is my 40 something self going to hold my 60 something.
15:03
Self hostage The Story of the the.
15:06
Gospel of Jesus Christ moving forward in an individual life is
15:10
the ability to change. The ability to.
15:13
Bury some things with the help of the atonement to not just
15:16
bury stained swords. But swords?
15:19
That have been made bright. They're shiny.
15:21
When we bury them, we're not burying sin.
15:24
They've been forgiven. They've worked through a.
15:26
Process of conversion and repentance, and now we.
15:30
Bury the weapons of our. Rebellion.
15:32
OK, look at verse 19. This is one of the, for me, one
15:37
of the most amazing, little, often overlooked aspects of the
15:42
entire Book of Mormon. And that happens quite a few
15:45
times. Look at verse 19.
15:47
Thus we see that when these Lamanites were brought to
15:49
believe and to know the. Truth they were.
15:51
Firm and would. Suffer.
15:53
Even unto death rather than commit sin, and thus we.
15:58
See that they buried their. Weapons of peace.
16:01
Or they buried their. Weapons of War for Peace.
16:05
Did you notice what just happened?
16:06
I don't want to make too big. Of a deal of this, but it's but
16:09
it needs to at least be addressed.
16:12
Thus we see that they did bury their weapons of peace.
16:15
Makes no sense. Is it Mormon scratching
16:19
characters into a metal? Plate Have you ever?
16:21
Have you ever done this where your brain is thinking through
16:25
something as you write it out by hand or even type it and somehow
16:29
your brain gets. Ahead of your.
16:31
Hand and you you write something or type something a little bit
16:35
out of order and you look at it whoa that was wrong and you.
16:38
Quickly fix it. I love the fact that we have.
16:42
Things like this in the Book of Mormon if Joseph Smith is making
16:46
up the book. He's.
16:48
Dictating it to a scribe if he messes up and says thus we.
16:51
See that they did bury their weapons of peace, he would say.
16:54
Oh, wait. That makes no, no, sorry.
16:56
Scratch that. Write it this way.
16:58
Thus we see that they did. Bury their.
16:59
Weapons of War for peace. Got that, Oliver?
17:02
Yes. OK.
17:02
Let's move on. That's how you.
17:04
Would do it if you're making this thing up, but if you're
17:07
translating an ancient record that is written on metal plates,
17:10
then you're probably going to translate however that's working
17:14
in that. Process according to what was
17:16
written. Can you picture Mormon riding
17:20
along saying? Thus we see that they did bury
17:23
their. Weapons of peace and then him
17:25
pausing, going Oh no I did it again because there are multiple
17:29
times previous to this where similar things have happened.
17:31
This just happens. To be the really obvious.
17:33
One notice that he then doesn't scratch it out or doesn't start
17:38
over and rewrite the entire. Plate, he says.
17:42
Oh, actually, what I. Really meant to.
17:43
Say there was or buried the weapons of war or peace.
17:48
And then he moves on. Brothers and sisters, here it.
17:51
Shows us a beautiful pattern and the pattern the the the
17:55
unwritten message for me is Tyler, when you mess up, then
18:02
recognize that you messed. Up fix it.
18:05
And then move on. And that's exactly what Mormon
18:09
does over and over and over again, whenever.
18:12
There's a struggle with the. Writing, he just recognizes.
18:15
It fixes it. And moves on.
18:17
He doesn't wallow in the mire of his mistake.
18:21
And I love that. For us today, in the 21st
18:23
century, when we're struggling to be as good as we can, we're
18:27
going to occasionally mess up. We're going to say things wrong.
18:29
We're going to do things wrong. Recognize it, do the best you
18:33
can to make it right, and move on.
18:35
It's a beautiful pattern. And there are a.
18:37
Lot of these throughout. Bookworm and you can start
18:39
finding them. Let me show you just one more.
18:42
Now there are dozens of these simple ones like Ammon saying, I
18:47
will show forth my power unto these my fellow servants back in
18:50
almost 17 and they says. Or the power which?
18:53
Is in me, so there are little corrections that that it's not
18:56
like a mistake. But it's just.
18:58
AI don't like the way that came out so I'm going to fix.
19:01
It so that it it's. More accurate to what happened.
19:04
One of the more amazing ones. That, he corrected, is.
19:08
Found in Alma. 43 verse 38. In this verse, listen to this
19:13
we're talking about the battle between Captain Moroni and
19:16
Zarahemna, it says. While on the other hand, there
19:18
was now and then a man fell among the Nephites by their
19:22
swords in the loss of blood, they the Nephites being shielded
19:27
from the more. Vital parts of the body.
19:29
Did you catch that there aren't very many Nephites dying in
19:32
this? Battle because they're shielded.
19:33
From the more. Vital parts of the body if you
19:37
read it literally. That means the Lamanites are
19:39
throwing vital body parts around the battlefield.
19:43
And notice Mormon recognizes it again.
19:46
And he says or the more. Vital parts of the body.
19:49
Being shielded from the strokes of the Lamanites, the Lord could
19:53
have made it so that the wording was perfect, that we see no
19:58
human frailty coming through, no mistakes of any kind.
20:02
I love the Prophet. Mormon.
20:04
He's one of my heroes and I am so.
20:06
Grateful that the the. Lord allows these things to come
20:09
through. Because it teaches.
20:10
Me. It gives me hope that when I'm
20:13
trying my hardest to do my best and I still mess up, I too can
20:17
recognize it. Repair it.
20:20
And move on and not have it define me now.
20:24
They've buried. Their weapons of their rebellion
20:27
deep in the earth to make it really hard.
20:30
For them to go back if they ever.
20:32
Decide to descend and go back on their old life and then they go
20:36
out and bow themselves down as this army comes and 1005 of
20:42
them. Are just killed while.
20:45
They're in the act of praising God.
20:47
So this army. Says this is really silly.
20:51
And that day more than 1005. We don't know the exact number,
20:55
but it says more. People joined.
20:57
Them of the Lamanites, none of the Amalekites and Emulanites,
21:01
they join them they. Throw their their weapons.
21:03
Down and say we're done and it converts them in this very.
21:06
Act of. Slaughtering these people over
21:09
1000 now are converted and the. Rest get tired of.
21:12
Fighting. So they say let's go fight
21:14
Nephites. So they leave.
21:15
There and they go. Up secretly to a place.
21:18
Where no Nephite would ever expect them to come in, which is
21:21
up north in the land of Amaniah and they wipe out the city of
21:25
Amaniah in one day. It's that same army that goes
21:29
and fulfils the prophecy of Elma and Amulek and wipe out the city
21:33
of Amaniah. That takes you clear back.
21:35
To chapter Alma 16 where. Where that city is destroyed.
21:39
And now you get these crossover points in our in our timing in
21:43
the book of Alma. And then they keep fighting and
21:47
when they can't prevail, they come home.
21:48
And many more Lamanites say, you know, this is dumb.
21:51
We want to go and join. So there are all of these points
21:54
where people keep joining these anti Nephiliites and they make
21:58
the the covenant with God. It's powerful.
22:03
Now you go to chapter 25. Look at verse 15.
22:07
This is describing after verse 14 they buried their.
22:10
Weapons of. War, according as their brethren
22:12
had, and then it describes what they do to enter into that
22:15
covenant. Verse 15.
22:16
Yeah, they did keep the law of Moses, for was expedient that
22:20
they should keep the law of Moses as yet, for it was not all
22:22
fulfilled and won't be until Jesus comes, but notwithstanding
22:27
the law of Moses. They did look.
22:28
Forward to the coming of Christ, considering that the law of
22:31
Moses was a type of his coming and believing that they must.
22:34
Keep these outward. Performances until the time that
22:38
He should be revealed unto them. So let's read that and let's
22:41
just remind ourselves about the two major covenants in the
22:44
Bible, the Abrahamic covenant, the Mosaic covenant.
22:46
So verse 16, they did not suppose that salvation came by
22:50
the law of Moses, but the law of Moses did serve to strengthen
22:53
their faith in Christ, and thus they did retain a hope through
22:57
faith unto eternal salvation, relying upon the spirit of
23:01
prophecy which spake of those things to come.
23:04
Significantly, if you look at the two major covenants in the
23:08
Bible, which we have talked about, the Abrahamic covenant is
23:12
God's duties and obligations to His people, people of Abraham,
23:16
and we are all His children, either by blood or by adoption.
23:22
God offers salvation symbolically through the Hemic
23:26
covenant. For us to access that, we need
23:30
to step into the Mosaic covenant, at least anciently.
23:32
That's how it was. It's all been updated through
23:33
Jesus and modern day revelation. The Mosaic covenant or the Law
23:37
of Moses was revealed at Mount Sinai.
23:40
And when we hear the Law of Moses, sometimes we think, oh,
23:43
it's a law. You're going to get in trouble
23:45
if you break it. And it's interesting, the
23:47
underlying word here for law actually is Torah, a Hebrew word
23:51
that actually means instruction. Instead of thinking like this
23:54
legalistic, like you've got to do these things.
23:56
It's instruction. It's Moses instructions that God
23:59
gave to him. And it really ultimately is
24:03
covenantal instructions. So what the Lamanites have now
24:12
done is said we are willing to listen to the covenantal
24:16
instructions revealed from God to Moses and preserved an and
24:21
continue to be taught by prophets all the way down
24:23
through Lehigh, Nephi, Almanamulek.
24:26
We will follow those covenantal instructions so that we can
24:30
access the free gift of salvation that God has offered,
24:34
which will be fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
24:37
So when you hear phrases like law of Moses, don't think about
24:40
list the legalism. Think about the instruct that
24:43
it's an instructional manual for how to be covenantally faithful
24:48
to God. Now to put this into modern day
24:50
context, the Law of Moses has been updated to the higher law
24:56
through Jesus. And so our obligations now are
24:59
revealed through Jesus and through modern day prophets.
25:02
So pay attention to living day prophets, pay attention to
25:05
Jesus, and that keeps you on the covenant path.
25:08
So as Taylor has described, how these.
25:10
Nephites and Lamanites, their approach of looking at the law
25:15
of Moses, we can take that same thing and.
25:19
Apply it to today rather. Than looking at the law, even
25:23
the law of the gospel, or the law of consecration, or the law
25:27
of tithing, or the law of anything that's really
25:30
important. None of those.
25:32
Laws today will save us. Every single one of those laws
25:37
is US looking to Christ, and they all serve to strengthen our
25:42
faith in our Savior and our Redeemer.
25:45
The Lord Jesus Christ, those are all gifts that he has.
25:48
Given us. To be able to.
25:50
Strengthen that connection with him and allow us to to learn and
25:56
grow and become more like him through the process of time.
25:59
Now chapter 26, this is a famous chapter that's often quoted
26:04
because here Ammon in this little meeting.
26:07
He starts to get pretty excited about the successes that
26:11
they've. Experienced among the Lamanites.
26:14
At which point in verse 10 Aaron kind of interrupts him and
26:18
rebukes him and says Ammon I. Fear that thy joy doth.
26:21
Carry thee away unto boasting. Careful, Ammon.
26:25
And he says, No, I'm not boasting in my own strength or
26:28
in my own wisdom, but my joy is. Full.
26:32
Why? Because I'm going to rejoice in
26:35
my God. Look at verse. 12 Yeah, I know
26:38
that I am nothing. As to my strength, I am weak.
26:42
Therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my
26:47
God, for in His strength I can do all things.
26:52
Yeah, behold, many mighty, mighty miracles have we wrought
26:54
in this land. For which we will praise.
26:56
His name forever. You'll notice that in verse 15
27:02
he's describing the Lamanite converts.
27:05
He says, yeah, they were encircled about with everlasting
27:08
darkness and destruction, but behold, He has brought them into
27:11
his everlasting light, yet into everlasting salvation, and they
27:15
are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love.
27:18
Yeah. And we have been instruments in
27:22
his hands of doing this. Great.
27:25
And marvelous work, that to me. Is is.
27:29
Beautiful and profound because Ammon's recognizing.
27:33
Who he is? And who the missionary, his
27:35
fellow missionaries are, And who God is.
27:37
And who? Really did the work here if you
27:40
look at the. Word, Instrument.
27:42
And then analyze it for a minute.
27:44
How many of you have ever been to a really famous or or popular
27:50
Art Museum of any kind? And you've walked into that Art
27:54
Museum and you've seen paintings.
27:55
Or sculptures. Or some.
27:57
Pieces of art. And your first response was wow.
28:02
I wish I could see. The chisels that that formed.
28:06
That that sculpture or I wish I could see the paint.
28:09
Brushes and the palettes and the paints that made that painting.
28:14
Nobody ever does that. The focus and the attention is
28:18
on the artist, not on the instruments.
28:20
And Ammon says we've been instruments.
28:23
If you use the chisel analogy for making a sculpture, the
28:27
master artist, the person who's doing the sculpture, is going to
28:32
look at those instruments and sometimes say, hmm, this one's.
28:36
Shaped a little. Wrong.
28:37
I need. It to be a different.
28:38
Shape. If you're taking certain kinds
28:41
of instruments to change them, you put them in a hot fire and
28:45
then you put them on an anvil and you bang them until.
28:48
They're the right shape. And then you cool them off and
28:51
then you can do. Glorious work.
28:53
With them, brothers and sisters in the.
28:55
Work of the Lord. To be an instrument in the hands
28:58
of the Lord. To be picked up.
29:01
Into the almighty hand of the Son of God to be.
29:05
Used to do his work. Means that sometimes he has to
29:09
reshape us, sometimes he needs to clean off some edges that
29:15
have grown dull or rough. And this is never a fun
29:18
experience. But oh, it's a necessary and a
29:22
glorious experience in order to then be taken in his hand and do
29:27
the work that he wants us to do. And at the end rather than
29:33
saying. Look at what I created.
29:36
Look at what I carved out. It's to give all the credit.
29:39
Back to the master artist my life.
29:44
Is worth very little every. Time I try to do what I want to
29:49
do in isolation and cut off from heaven things things don't work
29:53
so well for me, but when you give yourself.
29:56
To the. Lord and say repeatedly, here I
29:59
am, take me, shape me, mold me, make me, make me what thou would
30:05
need me to be in order to. Do the work that thou.
30:07
Has in store for me. It's a profound thing.
30:11
It means that you need to prepare yourself for some
30:15
shaping experiences and. These brothers here they
30:19
describe. In chapter 26, Ammon describes
30:23
some of the difficulties. So hard that look at verse. 27
30:28
now, when our hearts were depressed and we were.
30:31
About to. Turn back, behold, the Lord
30:35
comforted us and said, go amongst thy brethren, the
30:38
Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and
30:42
I will give you success. I know that the chances are
30:47
pretty good if President Eyring's talk in General
30:51
Conference many years. Ago is.
30:53
Accurate, which I think it. Is, he said.
30:55
Treat everybody that you meet. As if they're.
30:58
Having they're going through serious trials and tribulations
31:01
and more than 50% of the time, you'll be right.
31:05
If that's true, many of you who are watching this might
31:09
currently be wrestling with. A very difficult.
31:13
Circumstance. Some of you might be moving
31:16
through a profound trial of your faith, some of you wrestling
31:21
with physical and mental and emotional and relational
31:24
struggles and issues. If any of.
31:26
That's the case for you. I hope you can hear Ammon's
31:30
voice repeating verse 27. When our hearts were depressed
31:34
and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us.
31:38
It doesn't mean He comes and takes.
31:40
Away all those trials. And and struggles.
31:42
It just means he gives us the means to say, keep trying, hold
31:47
on, keep pressing forward. Even if you're holding on with
31:50
the fingernail of faith, you hold on with all that you've got
31:54
and know that. He will give you success.
31:58
In this chapter, one other concept Ammon mentions the fact
32:03
that many of their name or many of their Nephite friends before
32:08
their mission had kind of made fun of them saying what?
32:11
You think you're going to go among the Lamanites and teach
32:13
them? You think you're going to do any
32:14
good among the Lamanites? Seriously.
32:17
This reminds me of a statement, one of my favorite statements
32:20
from Abraham Lincoln. As the story goes.
32:24
One of. His close associates said.
32:27
To him, I don't understand you. You.
32:30
Have the power to destroy. Your enemies, but you insist on
32:34
trying to make friends with them.
32:36
Why? Why don't you?
32:37
Just destroy them. It's way easier.
32:40
And Abraham Lincoln's wise response was something like, am
32:45
I not destroying my enemies when I make them my friends?
32:50
I love that that principle as it's portrayed here, these men
32:57
went and took 14 years and taught them and loved them and
33:01
brought them into the gospel. And in so doing they destroyed
33:05
their enemies and they made eternal friendships.
33:10
And what a what a beautiful example for us today in our
33:15
relationships, rather than trying to destroy each other,
33:18
trying to find how to to break down those barriers and re
33:24
establish peace and and build friendship on the chapter 27.
33:29
It gets so bad, these missionaries.
33:31
Realize all of our new. Converts are going to be killed
33:34
off by the Amalekites, the Amylonites and the angry
33:36
Lamanites. So they decide.
33:39
Let's ask the Lord if we should take.
33:42
Them to the land of Zarahemla. And the answer was yes, do.
33:46
And so when they go north in Chapter 27, they meet Alma and
33:51
there's this incredible reunion and they find out.
33:56
That the. Voice of the Nephite.
33:57
People is yeah, we'll. Let them come in and we're going
34:01
to give them actually some lands on which to establish.
34:05
When these anti Nephi Lehis, these people who want to belong
34:09
to the tribe of Nephi and the tribe of Lehi and to be part of
34:13
that religious covenant making community, they move into the
34:16
land of the Nephites and they're given a land by the Nephites and
34:20
Nephites actually vacates land and the land gets a very
34:23
interesting name, Jershon. And in Hebrew, this word
34:30
literally means actually before I tell it to you, if you have
34:34
just received a land of inheritance and you want to name
34:38
that land that it is a land of inheritance, you might just call
34:42
it inheritance. And no surprise at the word
34:45
jershan in Hebrew means inheritance because they have
34:50
now inherited this gift from the Nephites where they can prosper
34:54
in the land, where they can fully experience the presence of
34:57
God in their lives as they keep the commandments in the land.
35:01
And that's what Jershan means. And I want you to think about
35:03
today, all of us can have Jershan.
35:06
All of us can prosper in our lands of inheritance by keeping
35:10
the commandments, and we will have God's presence with us.
35:14
Wherever you live can be a land of inheritance, a land of
35:18
prospering, a land of having God's presence if you keep the
35:22
commandments. And one of the most powerful
35:23
ways of doing it is each week be very thoughtful about the
35:27
covenant you are making and renewing at Sacrament, where you
35:31
are promising to keep the commandments, and you'll receive
35:33
His presence to be with you. In chapter 28, it's this major
35:38
war 10s of thousands of. People are killed.
35:43
As the conflict is in increasing and then in 29 we shift away
35:48
from that story and we come over to Alma.
35:52
Notice how Alma starts this chapter.
35:54
Oh, that I were an Angel and could have the wish of mine
35:58
heart that I might go. Forth and speak with the.
36:01
Trump of God with a. Voice to shake the earth.
36:04
And cry repentance unto every. People do.
36:07
You notice this is Alma the Younger who's saying this.
36:11
You remember what experience it was that.
36:13
Was. A turning point in his life and
36:17
even in his eternal progression. It was an Angel who came and
36:21
spoke with the trump of God and. Shook the very.
36:23
Earth on which he was standing, and he's saying, oh, I wish.
36:26
I could do that for everybody. But then his response in.
36:30
Verse three is Behold. I am a man and do sin in my
36:35
wish. For I ought to be.
36:37
Content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me,
36:41
he launches in verse five and six into this incredible
36:44
discussion about agency, moral agency, our our freedom to
36:48
choose and to live and to. Be however we feel like we we.
36:53
Want. To act, look at verse.
36:54
Five. Yeah, and I know that good and
36:57
evil have come before all men. He that knoweth not good from
37:00
evil is blameless, but he that knoweth good and evil to him it
37:03
is given according. To his desires, whether he
37:06
desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or.
37:10
Remorse of conscience men are. Free women are.
37:13
Free. They're not bound down.
37:15
Look at verse. Six Now seeing that I know these
37:17
things, why should I desire more than to perform the work to
37:20
which I have been called? Pretty profound statement.
37:24
People have their agency. God's going to allow me in my
37:29
sphere of influence to do whatever I can to be an
37:31
instrument in His hands to do His work.
37:34
Now look at verse 8. For behold, the Lord doth.
37:37
Grant unto all nations, that's 100% all nations of their own
37:45
nation and tongue to. Teach His word yet in.
37:49
Wisdom all that he seeth fit. That they should have.
37:54
Therefore we see that the Lord doth.
37:55
Counsel in wisdom according to that which is just and true.
37:59
A lot of people. Will ask questions like what do
38:01
you think about? The other sacred texts.
38:05
Out in the world or. People who who have.
38:09
Elements that they're teaching that sound like there's some
38:12
similarities. To the Gospel.
38:13
But there are some differences too.
38:15
My answer to all of those questions.
38:16
Is go back to chapter? 29 verse 8.
38:20
God gives to. All of the inhabitants of the
38:23
earth as much. As they are able to bear of the
38:27
gospel. As many elements of the gospel
38:29
as they can, and there may be other things added in there that
38:32
people make up. But God.
38:34
Is going to give as much as they will possibly.
38:37
Be able to take. Now look at verse 9 to finish
38:40
this discussion. I know.
38:41
That which the Lord has. Commanded me, and I glory in it.
38:44
I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord has
38:49
commanded me. Yeah, and this is my glory, that
38:53
perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring
38:57
some soul to repentance. And this is my joy.
39:02
Sounds very familiar to what Ammon was sharing back in
39:05
chapter 26, doesn't it? Now, as we close this lesson
39:09
today I want to finish. With a little story to tie it
39:12
all together. From something that CS Lewis
39:15
wrote in The Voyage of the Don Treader, which is part of the
39:19
Narnia series in this. Story.
39:22
You have this character who is quite.
39:26
Frankly, very annoying. Eustace Clarence Scrub and for
39:30
the. First part of this book.
39:33
Nobody can stand this kid. And then he has an experience on
39:37
one of the islands where he actually goes into a Dragon's.
39:43
Cave where a dragon. Has just come out and died he
39:46
goes in and when he. Wakes up through a series.
39:51
Of events, he discovers that he has turned into a dragon.
39:54
He has become something he would never have wanted to become
39:59
because of some internal greed and selfishness and other
40:03
things. He has now become a dragon and.
40:07
Through the course of this. Chapter he's he's really
40:11
wrestling with his identity, trying to trying to figure out
40:16
what happened and he really. Loathes the way he.
40:20
He now is in his existence and he wants to be done with it one
40:25
night. In this story, Aslan, who's the
40:29
lion? Who's our Christ figure comes to
40:32
Eustace the. Dragon and bids him to follow
40:34
him. It's a moonless night, but
40:36
Eustace says there's moonlight all around the lion, and it
40:39
follows him and he takes him up into a high mountain, a place
40:43
where Eustace has never been, and there is a beautiful pool
40:47
and Eustace wants more than anything else.
40:49
To be bathed to get. Into that pool and feel clean.
40:53
There's a nice analogy here to baptism entering into a covenant
40:58
with God, but he knows he can't enter in as a dragon.
41:02
As he steps. Up to the water wanting to go in
41:05
and sees. Those.
41:07
Horrible dragon scales. They're repulsive to him and so.
41:10
He's the the. Lion Aslan says to him that he
41:16
must he. The words are the Lion said.
41:19
I must undress you. 1st. Eustace thinks, no, I've got
41:24
this. And so he starts scratching at
41:25
some of the scales and they come up and he scratches a little
41:28
deeper and off comes the skin and he thinks I'm free.
41:32
And he sees this dragon scaly skin on the ground and he says,
41:36
now I can get into the pool. And he goes to get into the pool
41:39
and he notices a Dragon's hand still a foot.
41:45
And he realizes that, oh, maybe. There's a deeper layer, so he
41:48
scratches. Off another skin and there it's
41:50
laying next to the first and he goes to get in and he recognizes
41:54
he's still a dragon. So he comes back and he does it
41:57
a third time. There's now three dragon skins
42:03
and he goes to get into the pool and he's still a dragon.
42:07
Then the lion said, but I don't know if it.
42:10
Spoke used to says you will have to let.
42:13
Me undress you. I was afraid of his.
42:16
Claws. I can tell.
42:17
You, but I was. Pretty nearly desperate now.
42:20
So I just lay flat. Down on my back to let him do
42:23
it. His very first tear.
42:25
He made was so. Deep that I thought it.
42:27
Had gone right into my heart, and when he began pulling the
42:31
skin off, it hurt worse than anything I've ever felt.
42:34
The only thing that made me. Able to bear it was just the
42:37
pleasure of. Feeling the stuff peel off.
42:40
Well, he peeled the beastly stuff right off, just as I
42:43
thought. I'd done it myself the other
42:44
three times, only they hadn't hurt.
42:47
And there it was, lying on the grass, only ever so much thicker
42:51
and darker and more knobbly looking than the others had
42:53
been. And there was I, as smooth and
42:56
soft as a peeled switch, and smaller than I had been.
43:00
And then he caught hold of me. I didn't like that much, for I
43:03
was very tender underneath now that I had no skin on.
43:07
And he threw me into the water. And then Eustace goes on to
43:10
describe how pleasant and wonderful and amazing that swim
43:17
in the clean pool was for him. That new life that was given to
43:22
him. He was given a new opportunity
43:25
to live his life as a new. Creature brothers and sisters.
43:28
We live in a. World filled with struggles.
43:30
Filled with addiction, filled with issues all around us.
43:34
The message to me, one of the the strong messages to me of
43:37
this book is we have hope only in Christ.
43:43
We can't peel the skin off of our self.
43:45
We can't take the dragon off of our self.
43:49
We have to submit to Christ and let him do the peeling and let
43:55
him put us into the. Water to establish.
43:58
And re establish that covenant over and over again.
44:01
Know that He lives and know that He loves you, and we leave that
44:04
with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.