Embedded Files
05 Sep 2012 Wednesday
Opening Hymn: Oh, Holy Words of Truth and Love
Invocation: Brother Brown
Welcome Video: An Apostle’s Invitation
Elder M. Russell Ballard reflects on his own seminary experience with a group of students. Uses the parable of the Good Shepherd (Luke 15) to encourage students to teach each other to follow the Savior.
Class Business:
- Registration / Attendance
- Books / Manuals / Study Guides: New Testament Seminary Book
- Website: Church Website and/or www.johnofarch.com
- Grading (Letter Grade or P/I) --- Pass / Pass (Passing is the only option)
- Class Rules: No Reclining, Cinnamon Roll Wednesdays?
- Seminary Goals
- Other Business
Closing Hymn: Lord, We Ask Thee Ere We Part
Benediction: Abby See You Tomorrow at 6:45 am
06 Sep 2012 Thursday
Welcome to Seminary – Thursday, 06 September 2012, 6:45 am
Invocation: Jake
The New Testament
What is the New Testament?
“The Record of the Savior’s Mortal Ministry”, Study Guide, p8
Important Principles:
The New Testament helps us come unto Christ.
The New Testament was preserved for our day and for our benefit.
Why Should We Study the New Testament?
The Lord taught, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent” (John 17:3)
Also they are able to make one “wide unto salvation” (2 Tim. 3:15)
How is the New Testament Organized?
Collection of Books:
1.Historical Books The 4 Gospels & the Book of Acts
2.Epistles of Paul Romans through Hebrews
3.General Epistles Letters written by James, Peter, John & Jude
4.The Apocalypse
The Book of Revelation – a vision received by the Apostle John while imprisoned on the Isle of Patmos. John saw the history of the earth, including the events of the last days and the eventual victory of Jesus Christ over the kingdom of Satan.
Come Unto Me
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11: 28-30
The Work, Power & Majesty of Jesus Christ:
And were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, yea, millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of thy creations … Moses 7: 30
Scripture Study
Study Guide
Page 1 How to use this Manual
Pages 2-6 Studying the Scriptures
In 1979 the Church published a Latter-day Saint edition of the King James Version of the bible in English. Included in this edition were numerous helps to make a study of the scriptures more meaningful and rewarding. Speaking of this new edition of the scriptures, Elder Boyd K. Packer testified:
“This work … will one day emerge as an inspired event of our generation. Because of it, we shall raise up generations of Latter-day Saints who will know the gospel and know the Lord.”
Seminary (Church) Website:
The Plan of Salvation
We once lived in the presence of God
The Fall of Adam and Eve was the next step in the great plan of happiness.
The Fall brought about the conditions of mortality, including spiritual and physical death. Mortal life on earth is essential to becoming like God. It provides us with the opportunity to gain a physical body and to be able to continue to grow and learn by having the freedom to choose to follow the counsel of God or the enticements of Satan.
Where does the straight and narrow path lead?
What has our Heavenly Father given to help us stay faithfully on the path?
Elder Orson F. Whitney, who was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, taught:
“When Adam fell, it was as if the human race had fallen into a pit, from which they were powerless, by any act of their own, to emerge; having no means whereby to climb up and out, and not even knowing how to climb. But a Friend, all-wise and all-powerful, comes to the mouth of the pit . . . and proposes to rescue them from their unhappy situation. He makes of his own life a ladder; lets it down into the pit and says: ‘Now climb!’ They who climb, get out of the pit. They who refuse to climb, remain in the pit—and who is to blame but themselves?” (Conference Report, Oct. 1927, 149).
What is the path that leads us out of our fallen condition? What are the first steps we must take to get on that path? (see 2 Nephi 31:17–19)
What are some of the ways the gift of the Holy Ghost helps us overcome our fallen condition and press forward on the path? (see John 14:26 ; 15:26 ; 16:13 ; 3 Nephi 27:20 ; D&C 45:56–57)
Who provided and pointed out this path for us? What must we do to stay on it? (see 2 Nephi 31:19–21)
In addition to the covenant of baptism, what other ordinances and covenants has Heavenly Father given to help us rise above our fallen condition? (see D&C 84:33–40 ; 131:1–4 )
What will we be like when we return to live with Heavenly Father if we have been faithful in making and keeping our sacred covenants?
(see 1 John 3:1–4 ; Moroni 7:48 )
How does a knowledge of the plan of salvation help us understand why we are commanded to pray? to be baptized? to be honest? to be morally clean?
How does a knowledge of the plan of salvation help us understand why we are commanded to be free from addictive substances? to pay tithing? to serve a mission? to attend the temple?
“The leaders of the Church have, from the beginning, taught faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and we acknowledge him as our Savior and Redeemer. It is our duty … because [we] are children of God, … to be loyal to the royal spirit that is in [us]” (Conference Report, Sept.–Oct. 1966, 104).
Time Between the Old & New Testaments
Between Malachi and Matthew, 400 years passed in the Holy Land for which we have no prophetic record.
After the Babylonian captivity, Judea was ruled by the Romans, with a brief period of self-rule under the Hasmoneans.
The Old Testament was translated into a Greek version called the Septuagint, which is the version most often quoted in the New Testament.
This period saw the rise of the Pharisees and Sadducees and an increase in the influence of the scribes.
Benediction: Brittany
10 Sep 2012 Monday
Welcome to Seminary – Monday. 10 September 2012 - 6:45 am
Invocation: Jason
Come Unto Me
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11: 28-30
The Work, Power & Majesty of Jesus Christ:
And were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, yea, millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of thy creations … Moses 7: 30
(Video)
Matthew:
- Tax Collector, for the Romans (see Matthew 9:9)
- Levi (son of Alphaeus Levi) (see Mark 2:14)
- Spoke both Aramaic and Greek
Used Greek names: Esaias for Isaiah, Jonas for Jonah, Elias for Elijah, and Jesus for Jeshua
- One of the Original Twelve Apostles
- Quoted the Old Testament more than any
other New Testament writer.
- Matthew’s Testimony of Prophecies
Fulfilled by Jesus Christ (Chart in Text)
- Told more stories than Mark, Luke, or John about
how the leaders of the Jews rejected Jesus
Only in Matthew:
• Some of the details surrounding Jesus’ birth, such as
the story of Joseph’s dream and decision to marry Mary
the visit of the wise men, and
going to Egypt to avoid Herod and the killing of the children
• The complete Sermon on the Mount
• Ten parables not in the other Gospels
• The resurrection and appearance of Saints after the Resurrection
of the Savior
• Some often quoted and important sayings of Jesus, such as,
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28)
Matthew’s Audience:
Matthew’s Gospel was likely directed to the Jews. Matthew assumed his audience was already familiar with Jewish traditions and customs. He frequently quoted Old Testament sources in an effort to help Jews recognize the promised Messiah. He emphasized the Savior’s Davidic lineage and arranged the material so the Jews could see a reflection of their history in the life of Jesus Christ.
Historical Background:
At the time of the events described by Matthew, the Jews sought deliverance from Roman oppression. Many Jews saw Jesus as their deliverer until they realized He would not deliver them from the Romans.
Unique Features:
Since Matthew wrote to a Jewish audience, he frequently recorded events and principles in his testimony that would appeal to them. He gave special emphasis to Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah that were fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ. Some of these prophecies are
Christ would be born of a virgin, that
He would be born in Bethlehem, and that
He would flee to Egypt with His family.
Matthew is the only one of the Gospel writers to include
the visit of the wise men to the Christ child and
the star appearing in the east,
the killing of the children in Bethlehem,
several of the Savior’s parables,
the most complete record of the Sermon on the Mount, and
the fact that “many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And
came out of the graves after his resurrection”.
Matthew’s Theme:
Matthew testified that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah prophesied of in the Old Testament.
Benediction: Brother Brown
11 Sep 2012 Tuesday
Welcome to Seminary – Tuesday, 11 September 2012 - 6:45 am
Invocation: Abby
Matthew 1
Ch1. Begets
14 generations ?
Joseph's dream to marry Mary
Genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:1-17)
Why would it be important that Jesus Christ be the heir of both an Israelite political leader and a religious leader?
And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.
Revelation 19:16
How are the titles in this verse used to describe the Messiah?
How could they apply to Him as both a political and a religious leader?
(For additional information see the commentary for Matthew 1:17 and Luke 3:23–28 in The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles, p. 21.)
Identify the woman spoken of both in Matthew 1:5 and Ruth 1:4.
From what country did this ancestor of Jesus come?
Of what nationality was she?
Jesus Christ had some ancestors who were valiant and others who succumbed to temptation.
How important is it to be born into a family that has been in the Church for many generations?
What advantages are there to having righteous ancestors?
What effect do our ancestors’ mistakes have on our ability to do what is right?
Matthew 1:18–23
Jesus Christ is the divine son of Heavenly Father and Mary.
From Mary He inherited mortality, which allowed Him to die.
From His Heavenly Father He inherited immortality and the power to resurrect.
Which of these miracles and experiences are unique to the Savior:
Fasted forty days (Exodus 34:28)
Healed the sick (2 Kings 5:10–14)
Multiplied food (1 Kings 17:10–16)
Walked on water (Matthew 14:25–29)
Raised the dead (3 Nephi 19:4)
Was scourged and put to death for the truth’s sake (Mosiah 17:13, 20)
If others also performed these miracles, how was Jesus different?
Mosiah 3:7 and Alma 34:8–10 --- Look for what the Savior did that no one else could do.
Benediction: Kimmy
12 Sep 2012 Wednesday
Welcome to Seminary – Cinnamon Roll Wednesday, 12 September 2012 - 8:45 am
Invocation: Brother Brown
Matthew 2
Those who understand and follow the teachings of the scriptures will be better prepared to meet the Lord. (Matthew 2:1–11; see also D&C 18:34–36)
• Are seeing the shape of the sign and knowing what it means the same thing?
• How many of you saw the new star in the room when you came in?
• Did anyone know what it meant?
• As we read in Matthew 2, what does the star appearing in the sky mean?
• Could there have been some who saw the star but did not understand its meaning?
• Why were the wise men able to discern the meaning of the star?
Why didn’t many others recognize the significance of the star?
Elder Bruce R. McConkie, who was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, wrote: “The probability is [that the wise men] were themselves Jews who lived, as millions of Jews then did, in one of the nations to the East. It was the Jews, not the Gentiles, who were acquainted with the scriptures and who were waiting with anxious expectation for the coming of a King”
What signs has God revealed today?
29 Behold I speak for mine elect’s sake; for nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
30 And again, because iniquity shall abound, the love of men shall wax cold; but he that shall not be overcome, the same shall be saved.
31 And again, this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come, or the destruction of the wicked.
Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:29–31
• To whom are these signs meaningful today?
These words are not of men nor of man, but of me; wherefore, you shall testify they are of me and not of man;
For it is my voice which speaketh them unto you; for they are given by my Spirit unto you, and by my power you can read them one to another; and save it were by my power you could not have them; Doctrine and Covenants 18:34–35
And it shall come to pass that he that feareth me shall be looking forth for the great day of the Lord to come, even for the signs of the coming of the Son of Man. Doctrine and Covenants 45:39
• How may we, like the wise men of old, find the Savior?
The purposes of the Lord cannot be frustrated or stopped Matthew 2:13–21; see also D&C 121:33
How long can rolling waters remain impure? What power shall stay the heavens? As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints. Doctrine and Covenants 121:33
• How is the difficulty of separating sugar and water like what is taught in this scripture?
• What power can stay the heavens?
Matthew 2:14–21
• What did Herod do in an attempt to destroy the work of the Lord?
• What did the Lord do to foil Herod’s actions?
• According to verse 14, what role did Joseph and Mary play in stopping Herod’s plan?
Application:
• How can we help to thwart the designs of Satan in our own lives?
• What difference does it make in your life to know that the Lord and His plans will be victorious and that His plan and purposes will all be fulfilled?
Benediction: Jake
13 Sep 2012 Thursday
Welcome to Seminary – Thursday, 13 September 2012 - 6:45 am
Invocation: Bro Brown
Matthew 3
Matthew 3 & 4 recounts the preparations Jesus made prior to His formal ministry.
His example of preparation reminds us that if we “are prepared [we] shall not fear”.
(D&C 38:30)
Important Gospel Principles
• We must be baptized in order to receive celestial glory
• The Godhead is made up of three separate individuals: the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Ghost
• Fasting helps us to draw closer to Heavenly Father, to gain spiritual
strength, and to obtain blessings
• By being righteous we gain power to resist the temptations of Satan
How would you use Matthew 3:13-17 to explain to someone who is not a member of the Church that Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are three separate beings?
Matthew 4
Fasting helps us draw closer to our Heavenly Father, gain spiritual strength, and obtain blessings.
Do you look forward to Fast Sunday? Why or why not?
Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
Matthew 4:1–2 The Savior fasted as preparation for His ministry.
What can we learn about fasting?
Matthew 17:14–21
Alma 5:46
Alma 17:2–3
Doctrine and Covenants 59:13–14
Matthew 6:16–18
Isaiah 58:3–5
• How much good does fasting do us if we fast without the proper spiritual motivation?
Fasting without spiritual motivation only engenders discomfort and irritability.
footnote 4b
Isaiah 58:6-7
• What provision has the Lord made for His Church and people to help the poor?
Matthew 5
Matthew, chapters 5–7, records what President Joseph Fielding Smith called the “greatest [sermon] that was ever preached”. (in Conference Report, Oct. 1941, 95).
This sermon is the first of five great discourses given by the Savior as recorded in Matthew.
(the other discourses are found in Matthew 10; 13; 18; and 24–25).
It has come to be known as the Sermon on the Mount and was given near the shores of the Sea of Galilee.
Luke records a sermon known as “the Sermon on the Plain” which is similar but not identical to the Sermon on the Mount.
Some have thought that the Sermon on the Mount was given before the selection of the Twelve Apostles, but Elder Bruce R. McConkie, then a member of the Seventy, pointed out that some of the material in the Sermon was directed specifically to the Twelve.
Elder McConkie explained:
“It is clear that the Sermon on the Plain, as given by Luke, was delivered immediately following the selection and ordination of the Twelve. . . . The Nephite version [of the Sermon on the Mount] was given after the call of the Nephite Twelve, and portions of the sermon are addressed expressly to those apostolic ministers rather than to the multitude in general. (3 Ne. 13:25.) In Matthew’s account, as found in the Inspired Version [the Joseph Smith Translation], the Prophet adds a considerable amount of material that applies to those called to the Twelve rather than to people in general.
(I. V. Matt. 5:3–4; 6:25–27; 7:6–17.) . . .
“It follows that the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the Plain are one and the same”
(Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [1966–73], 1:213–14)
In this sermon, Jesus presented a higher level of living for His followers. Of the importance of this sermon, President Ezra Taft Benson said: “The Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount are the foundation principles upon which all civilized government and our present civilization are built.
(see Exodus 20:1–17; Matthew 5–7) To disregard them will lead to inevitable personal character loss and ruin. To disregard them as a nation inevitably will lead that nation to destruction”.
(The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [1988], 677–78)
Important Gospel Principles
• Our treatment of others affects the way God treats us.
• Christ fulfilled the law of Moses and restored the gospel fulness, bringing a higher law.
• We should strive to become perfect like Jesus and Heavenly Father.
• We should not boast of our righteous acts.
• Heavenly Father gave us prayer as a way to express our thanks and desires to Him. He answers our prayers and wants to bless us.
• We can discern the righteous from the wicked by their actions. Only those whose intentions and actions are righteous will “enter into the kingdom of heaven”.
An introduction to the Sermon on the Mount
• When was the last time you went to a Sunday fireside?
• If you knew Jesus would be the speaker at the next fireside, what would you do to be there?
Contained in Matthew 5–7 is a sermon given by the Lord, and while we weren’t there to hear it from the Savior, we can read and study what He taught.
In that matchless Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has given us eight distinct ways by which we might receive … joy …. These declarations of the Master are known … as the Beatitudes and have been referred to by Bible commentators as the preparation necessary for entrance into the kingdom of heaven. … They embody in fact The Constitution for a Perfect Life.” (Decisions for Successful Living [1973], 56-57)
Blessed are the poor in spirit:
“To be poor in spirit is to feel yourselves as the spiritually needy, ever dependent upon the Lord for your clothes, your food and the air you breathe, your health, your life; realizing that no day should pass without fervent prayer of thanksgiving, for guidance and forgiveness and strength sufficient for each day’s need.”
2. Blessed are they that mourn:
“To mourn, as the Master’s lesson here would teach, one must show that ‘godly sorrow that worketh repentance’ and wins for the penitent a forgiveness of sins and forbids a return to the deeds of which he mourns.”
3. Blessed are the meek:
“A meek man is defined as one who is not easily provoked or irritated and forbearing under injury or annoyance. Meekness is not synonymous with weakness. The meek man is the strong, the mighty, the man of complete self-mastery. He is the one who has the courage of his moral convictions, despite the pressure of the gang or the club.”
4. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness:
“Did you ever hunger for food or thirst for water when just a crust of stale bread or a sip of tepid water to ease the pangs that distressed you would seem to be the most prized of all possessions? If you have so hungered then you may begin to understand how the Master meant we should hunger and thirst after righteousness. It’s that hungering and thirsting that leads those away from home to seek fellowship with saints in sacrament services and that induces worship on the Lord’s Day wherever we are. It is that which prompts fervent prayer and leads our feet to holy temples and bids us be reverent therein.”
5. Blessed are the merciful:
“Our salvation rests upon the mercy we show to others. Unkind and cruel words, or wanton acts of cruelty toward man or beast, even though in seeming retaliation, disqualify the perpetrator in his claims for mercy when he has need of mercy in the day of judgment before earthly or heavenly tribunals. Is there one who has never been wounded by the slander of another whom he thought to be his friend? Do you remember the struggle you had to refrain from retribution? Blessed are all you who are merciful for you shall obtain mercy!”
6. Blessed are the pure in heart:
“If you would see God, you must be pure. There is in Jewish writings the story of a man who saw an object in the distance, an object that he thought was a beast. As it drew nearer he could perceive it was a man and as it came still closer he saw it was his friend. You can see only that which you have eyes to see. Some of the associates of Jesus saw him only as a son of Joseph the carpenter. Others thought him to be a winebibber or a drunkard because of his words. Still others thought he was possessed of devils. Only the righteous saw him as the Son of God. Only if you are the pure in heart will you see God, and also in a lesser degree will you be able to see the ‘God’ or good in man and love him because of the goodness you see in him. Mark well that person who criticizes and maligns the man of God or the Lord’s anointed leaders in his Church. Such a one speaks from an impure heart.”
7. Blessed are the peacemakers:
“Peacemakers shall be called the children of God. The trouble-maker, the striker against law and order, the leader of the mob, the law-breaker are prompted by motives of evil and unless they desist will be known as the children of Satan rather than God. Withhold yourselves from him who would cause disquieting doubts by making light of sacred things for he seeks not for peace but to spread confusion. That one who is quarrelsome or contentious, and whose arguments are for other purposes than to resolve the truth, is violating a fundamental principle laid down by the Master as an essential in the building of a full rich life. ‘Peace and goodwill to men on earth’ was the angel song that heralded the birth of the Prince of Peace.”
8. Blessed are they which are persecuted:
“May youth everywhere remember that warning when you are hissed and scoffed because you refuse to compromise your standards of abstinence, honesty and morality in order to win the applause of the crowd. If you stand firmly for the right despite the jeers of the crowd or even physical violence, you shall be crowned with the blessedness of eternal joy. Who knows but that again in our day some of the saints or even apostles, as in former days, may be required to give their lives in defense of the truth? If that time should come, God grant they would not fail!”
(Decisions for Successful Living, 57–62).
17 Sep 2012 Monday
Welcome to Seminary – Monday, 17 September 2012 - 6:45 am
Invocation: Kimmy
Matthew 6 & 7
Heavenly Father gave us prayer as a way to express our thanks and desires to Him. He answers our prayers and wants to bless us. Matthew 6:5–13; 7:7–11 (see also Luke 11:2–4, 9–13)
(Phone message to Kimmy)
• What problems would you have if you never waited for an answer when you
talked to your friends on the phone?
• If your friends never had the chance to respond to your questions, how long
would they continue to listen to you?
• How might this phone call resemble some prayers?
The Lord Himself instructed us in the Sermon on the Mount on how to pray.
Matthew 6:5–13
Matthew 7:7–11
What else did the Lord teach in the Sermon on the Mount about prayer?
Elder Boyd K. Packer said: No message is repeated more times in scripture than the simple thought: “Ask, and ye shall receive”
Alma 29:1–4
What caution does Alma give that we should consider when we pray?
And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. Matthew 26:39
How did Jesus applied this principle in His own life?
Hymn: “Prayer Is the Soul’s Sincere Desire” (no. 145)
What can you do to improve your prayers?
Scripture Mastery: Matthew 6:24:
Bruce R. McConkie said: “Mammon is an Aramaic word for riches. Thus Jesus is saying, ‘Ye cannot serve god and riches, or worldliness, which always results from the love of money.’”
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
1 Timothy 6:10
• According to this scripture, what is the root of all evil?
• How can we tell what we love the most?
What do you think about when you don’t have to think?
Doctrine and Covenants 20:77
What are the covenants that we make that could help us love God more than worldliness?
18 Sep 2012 Tuesday
Welcome to Seminary – Tuesday, 18 September 2012 - 6:45 am
Invocation: Kimmy
Matthew often organized his Gospel account by topic rather than by a chronological recounting of the Savior’s ministry. For example, he grouped many of Jesus Christ’s miracles into chapters 8 and 9, many Sabbath activities into chapter 12, and many parables into chapter 13. Matthew frequently included Old Testament citations showing that Jesus Christ was the promised Messiah. Watch for Matthew’s quotations from the Old Testament and consider what we might learn from the way Matthew grouped events.
Matthew 8 & 9
Video: “Thy Faith Hath Made Thee Whole”
The different kinds of miracles the Lord performed show that He has power over all things. He shared this power with the Apostles.
Benediction: Jake
19 Sep 2012 Wednesday
Welcome to Seminary – Tuesday, 19 September 2012 - 6:45 am
Invocation: Jason
Matthew 10
Matthew 10:1–4 • What priesthood powers did the Savior give them?
Matthew 10:7–8 What priesthood power were the Apostles given?
The Lord chose His Apostles and gave them priesthood power.
THE QUORUM OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES
Boyd K. Packer L. Tom Perry Russell M. Nelson
Dallin H. Oaks M. Russell Ballard Richard G. Scott
Robert D. Hales Jeffrey R. Holland David A. Bednar
Quentin L. Cook D. Todd Christofferson Neil L. Andersen
Matthew 10:5–7
The Lord selected Twelve Apostles. The number of Apostles corresponds to the number of the tribes of Israel because the Twelve Apostles taught and will help judge Israel.
Note: Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus, will not be among the Twelve Apostles who judge the twelve tribes. Matthias was chosen to take Judas Iscariot’s place among the Twelve. Acts 1:21–26
Who were the original Twelve Apostles?
Peter Andrew James
(Simon) (Peter’s Brother) (Son of Zebedee)
John Philip Bartholomew
(Brother of James)
Thomas Matthew James
(Levi) Son of Alphaeus
Judas Simon Judas Iscariot
(Lebbæus Thaddæus) (Zelotes, the Canaanite)
Benediction: Brittany
20 Sep 2012 Thursday
Welcome to Seminary – Thursday, 20 September 2012 - 6:45 am
Invocation: Jason
Matthew 11
The powerful miracles Jesus performed and His activities on the Sabbath day caused a great stir among the people. Many of the multitudes who followed Him believed He was the “son of David,” the promised Messiah. However, most the Jewish leaders of the day accused Him of doing miracles by the power of the devil. They wanted Jesus to show them a sign to prove His claims. They condemned Him for His Sabbath activities and “held a council against him, how they might destroy him”. At that time Jesus “withdrew himself from thence”. Thereafter he often spoke in parables to the public. Speaking in parables allowed Him to teach those who were spiritually attuned while hiding truths that would enrage or condemn those who were unattuned.
Among those “born of women,” there was not a greater than John the Baptist. Luke 7:28
The following statement from the Prophet Joseph Smith describes three reasons for John’s greatness:
“First. He was entrusted with a divine mission of preparing the way before the face of the Lord. . . .
“Secondly. He was entrusted with the important mission . . . to baptize the Son of Man. . . .
“Thirdly. John, at that time, was the only legal administrator in the affairs of the kingdom there was then on the earth, and holding the keys of power. . . .
These three reasons constitute him the greatest prophet born of a woman”
(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 275–76)
The burdens we experience in mortality can be lightened through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
• How is life different when you carry around the weight of your burdens?
• When burdens become heavy, what effect do they have on other areas of your life?
• What burdens do you think you might experience in the future?
• What can you do now to prepare for when they come?
The burdens we experience in mortality can be lightened through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28–30
How does the Savior lift our burdens? What is the lighter, easier yoke Jesus offers us in place of our burdens?
What is the lighter, easier yoke Jesus offers us in place of our burdens?
What relationship do we enter into with the Lord when we are baptized?
(A covenant relationship.)
serve him and keep his commandments … come into the fold of God, and be called his people, and … bear one another’s burdens … that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life. Mosiah 18:8–10
What are the heavy burdens we carry?
11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.
13 Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.
Alma 7:11–13
Suffering: pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; sicknesses
take upon him death, infirmities
suffereth according to the flesh, sins
Alma 7:11–13
Thesaurus
Pain: ache, affliction, agony, burn, catch, convulsion, cramp, crick, discomfort, distress, fever, gripe, hurt, illness, injury, irritation, laceration, malady, misery, pang, paroxysm, prick, sickness, smarting, soreness, spasm, sting, stitch, strain, tenderness, throb, throe, tingle, torment, torture, trouble, twinge, wound
Affliction: adversity, anguish, calamity, cross, crux, depression, difficulty, disease, disorder, distress, grief, hardship, illness, infirmity, misery, misfortune, ordeal, pain, plague, plight, scourge, sickness, sorrow, suffering, torment, trial, tribulation, trouble, woe
Temptation: allurement, appeal, attractiveness, bait, blandishment, coaxing, come-on, decoy, draw, enticement, fancy, fascination, hankering, inducement, inveiglement, invitation, provocation, pull, seducement, seduction, snare, tantalization, trap, yen
Sickness: affection, affliction, ailment, bug*, complaint, condition, disease, diseasedness, disorder, ill, ill health, illness, indisposition, infirmity, malady, nausea, queasiness, syndrome, unhealth, unhealthfulness, unwellness
Death: afterlife, annihilation, bereavement, casualty, cessation, curtains, darkness, decease, demise, departure, destruction, dissolution, downfall, dying, end, ending, eradication, eternal rest, euthanasia, exit, expiration, extermination, extinction, fatality, finis, finish, grave, grim reaper, heaven, loss, mortality, necrosis, obliteration, oblivion, paradise, parting, passing, passing over, quietus, release, repose, ruin, ruination, silence, sleep, termination, tomb
Infirmity: affliction, ailing, ailment, confinement, debilitation, debility, decay, decrepitude, defect, deficiency, disease, diseasedness, disorder, failing, fault, feebleness, flu, frailty, ill health, imperfection, indisposition, malady, malaise, shortcoming, sickliness, unhealth, unhealthiness, unwellness, vulnerability
Suffer: ache, agonize, ail, be affected, be at disadvantage, be convulsed, be handicapped, be impaired, be racked, be wounded, brave, complain of, deteriorate, droop, endure, experience, fall off, feel wretched, flag, get, go through, grieve, have a bad time, hurt, languish, pain, sicken, smart, undergo, writhe
Sin: anger, covetousness, crime, damnation, debt, deficiency, demerit, disobedience, envy, error, evil, evil-doing, fault, gluttony, guilt, immorality, imperfection, iniquity, lust, misdeed, offense, peccability, peccadillo, peccancy, pride, shortcoming, sinfulness, sloth, tort, transgression, trespass, ungodliness, unrighteousness, veniality, vice, violation, wickedness, wrong, wrongdoing, wrongness
According to Alma, which burdens and causes of anxiety would be included in what Jesus suffered?
How does the Savior lift our burdens?
When did the Savior suffer the burdens mentioned in Alma 7:11–13?
36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
(Matthew 26:36–39)
Results of the Atonement
“If we are in sorrow, if we have heavy burdens, or are in any manner perplexed, He will hear us; He will lift our burdens, lighten our sorrows, dispel darkness, and fill us with light and with that heavenly feeling that comes from Him through the presence of the Holy Ghost”
(“Blessings Not Appreciated,” in Brian H. Stuy, ed.,
Collected Discourses Delivered by President Wilford Woodruff,
His Two Counselors, the Twelve Apostles, and Others, 5 vols. [1987–92], 4:12)
“To keep the commandments and serve with fidelity and devotion in the Church is to wear the Yoke of Christ, the yoke of service and devotion. Those who love the Lord and desire salvation willingly shoulder this yoke, thereby finding rest to their souls and discovering that the Lord’s commandments are not grievous.”
(Elder Bruce R. McConkie; Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. [1966], 853)
Ultimately a righteous life leads to greater peace and happiness than a wicked life.
How Gentle God’s Commands
1. How gentle God’s commands!
How kind his precepts are!
Come, cast your burdens on the Lord
And trust his constant care.
2. Beneath his watchful eye,
His Saints securely dwell;
That hand which bears all nature up
Shall guard his children well.
3. Why should this anxious load
Press down your weary mind?
Haste to your Heavenly Father’s throne
And sweet refreshment find.
4. His goodness stands approved,
Unchanged from day to day;
I’ll drop my burden at his feet
And bear a song away.
24 Sep 2012 Monday
Welcome to Seminary – Monday, 24 September 2012 - 6:45 am
Invocation: Abby
Matthew 12
DANGER!
• Why is it a good idea to place a barrier around this dangerous item?
• If you cross the barrier, could you be injured? Why or why not?
• Would it be fair to treat as injured those individuals who crossed over the tape without touching the dangerous item? Why or why not?
Some religious leaders in the Bible did something similar.
They built rules and regulations around the commandments to protect people from breaking them. While their original intent may have been good, they sometimes went too far.
This would be like cordoning off the whole room for the “dangerous object”, or even the whole building.
By Jesus’ day, the religious leaders felt that crossing one of these man-made barriers was the same as breaking the actual commandment.
At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.
But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.
Matthew 12:1–2
• What commandment did the Pharisees claim Jesus’ disciples broke?
And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.
And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.
Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.
Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.
Matthew 12:10–14.
What did Jesus do then that enraged the Pharisees?
On the Sabbath day we should rest from our daily labors and be actively engaged in good works.
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Exodus 20:8–11
And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my dholy day; For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High;
Doctrine and Covenants 59:9–10
For the Son of Man made the Sabbath day, therefore the Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath.
Joseph Smith Translation of Mark 2:27
Exodus 20:8–11 Doctrine and Covenants 59:9–10
According to these verses, was there anything wrong with what Jesus or His disciples did?
Joseph Smith Translation of Mark 2:27
• What gave Jesus power over the Sabbath day?
• What general principle did Jesus teach to help us know what is appropriate on the Sabbath?
(How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. Matthew 12:12)
Exodus 20:8–11 Doctrine and Covenants 59:9–10
• What are appropriate activities for the Sabbath?
• What are some of the blessings you receive by keeping the Sabbath day holy?
• According to the Lord, for whom was the Sabbath made?
Doctrine and Covenants 59:9, 13–17
• What blessings has the Lord promised if we honor the Sabbath day?
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Exodus 20:8–11
And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my dholy day; For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High;
Doctrine and Covenants 59:9–10
For the Son of Man made the Sabbath day, therefore the Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath.
Joseph Smith Translation of Mark 2:27
25 Sep 2012 Tuesday
Welcome to Seminary – Tuesday, 25 September 2012 - 6:45 am
Invocation: Brittany
Matthew 13
(Symbols)
Why do some of you know the meaning of the symbols while others don’t?
Parables:
Most teachers, especially teachers in the Orient, have used some form of parable in their instruction, but none so exclusively as Jesus at one period of his ministry. During part of the Galilean ministry the record states that “without a parable spake he not unto them” (Mark 4:34). From our Lord’s words we learn the reason for this method. It was to veil the meaning. The parable conveys to the hearer religious truth exactly in proportion to his faith and intelligence; to the dull and uninspired it is a mere story, “seeing they see not,” while to the instructed and spiritual it reveals the mysteries or secrets of the kingdom of heaven. Thus it is that the parable exhibits the condition of all true knowledge. Only he who seeks finds. First paragraph of “parables”, Bible Dictionary
How are parables like symbols?
Why might Jesus want to veil His teachings from some? …
Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him. Matthew 12:14
In the last days the righteous will be gathered as they accept the gospel.
The wicked will be destroyed at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
“Gathering Israel in the latter days consists of the following:
(1) the spiritual gathering, which includes coming to know that Jesus is the Christ and joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints;
(2) the assembling of Church members to organized stakes; and
(3) the gathering of the descendants of Jacob’s twelve sons—including the lost ten tribes to the lands of their inheritance”.
“Israel: Gathering of Israel,” in Daniel H. Ludlow, ed., Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 5 vols. [1992], 2:351
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that the parables in Matthew 13 “afforded us as clear an understanding upon the important subject of the gathering, as anything recorded in the Bible”.
(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 94)
26 Sep 2012 Wednesday
Welcome to Seminary – Wednesday, 26 September 2012 - 6:45 am
Invocation: Kimmy
Matthew 14
Those who unselfishly put the needs of others before their own are more Christ-like and experience greater happiness.
• What do you think you would do if you found yourself in this situation?
• How difficult would it be to press on and encourage others?
And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother. And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus. When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart … Matthew 14:10–23
• What was Jesus’ reaction?
Christ’s Actions of concern for others
14 – he healed their sick
15 – Apostles wanted to send people to villages to buy food
16 – They need not depart; give ye them to eat
19 – Gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude
20 – And they did all eat, and were filled
“Selflessness is righteousness. It embraces the true spirit of companionship. It is the very essence of friendship. It is the portrayer of true love and oneness in humanity. Its reward is the freeing of the soul, a nearness to divinity, a worthiness for the companionship of the Spirit. Every requirement that God’s plan for our salvation places upon us is based on the giving of one’s self” (Elder William R. Bradford, a member of the Seventy in Conference Report, Oct. 1987, 92; or Ensign, Nov. 1987, 76).
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. Mark 8:35
What can we do to develop the ability to put others first in our lives?
(Try to think of how the Savior would act, try to imagine ourselves in others’ situations, try to think how others feel when suffering.)
When we focus our faith on the Savior, we can accomplish His will.
But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
Matthew 14:24–33
When we focus our faith on the Savior, we can accomplish His will.
• Who in this scripture was like the blindfolded student?
• Who was like the friend who guided the blindfolded student?
• What did Peter do that was like walking on the tape while listening to his guide?
• What did he do that was like walking on the tape without listening to his guide?
• What made the difference between success and failure? …
“‘While [Peter’s] eye was fixed on his Lord, the wind might toss his hair, and the spray might drench his robes, but all was well’ [Frederic W. Farrar, The Life of Christ (1964), 311]. Only when with wavering faith he removed his glance from the Master to look at the furious waves and the black gulf beneath him, only then did he begin to sink. . . .
“It is my firm belief that if as individual people, as families, communities, and nations, we could, like Peter, fix our eyes on Jesus, we too might walk triumphantly over the swelling waves of disbelief and remain unterrified amid the rising winds of doubt. But if we turn away our eyes from him in whom we must believe, as it is so easy to do and the world is so much tempted to do, if we look to the power and fury of those terrible and destructive elements around us rather than to him who can help and save us, then we shall inevitably sink in a sea of conflict and sorrow and despair”
(President Howard W. Hunter, then President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
in Conference Report, Oct. 1992, 24; or Ensign, Nov. 1992, 19).
• What are ways that we can “fix our eyes on the Lord” today?
• What are the blessings of doing so?
Matthew 15
27 Sep 2012 Thursday
Matthew 16
Matthew 16:15–19 records a powerful testimony Peter gave that Jesus is the Christ, as well as Jesus’ promise to give him the “keys of the kingdom.” Less than a week later, the Lord took Peter, James, and John into seclusion to give them these keys:
He saith unto them, But whom say aye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained that the four of them “spent a sacred night enwrapped in the visions of eternity. This blessed night was one of those seeric periods when the mysteries of the kingdom, ‘which surpass all understanding,’ are shown forth to souls who are in tune with the Infinite. So marvelous are such revealed truths that it is ‘not lawful for man to utter’ them, ‘Neither is man capable to make them known, for they are only to be seen and understood by the power of the Holy Spirit.’ They are reserved by the Lord for those prophets and seers who, ‘while in the flesh,’ are yet able ‘to bear his presence in the world of glory.’ (D&C 76:114–118.)” (Mortal Messiah, 3:54)
Faith does not come from signs and miracles, but signs follow those who believe.
The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring [dark, gloomy], O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
Matthew 16:1–4
• How do these verses relate?
(Signseeking to gain knowledge is not the same as exercising faith to gain knowledge.)
• What basic principle of the gospel were the Pharisees and Sadducees lacking
when they asked for a sign?
(Articles of Faith 1:4)
And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith. Ether 12:6
And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust.
Mormon 9:20
• What purpose do signs and miracles serve?
• Can signs be interpreted by two people differently?
• What kind of people will the Lord show signs and miracles to?
• Why do signs not permanently persuade or convert?
• What is the difference between seeking a sign
and being worthy to witness miracles in our lives?
• What difference do our motives make?
Faith precedes miracles in the Lord’s Church.
Testimonies come by revelation through the Holy Ghost.
• What did Nephi’s older brothers do to him after they failed the second time to retrieve the brass plates?
(They beat him; see 1 Nephi 3:28)
• What happened next?
(An angel appeared; see v. 29)
• Which of the brothers saw the angel?
And after the angel had departed, Laman and Lemuel again began to murmur, saying: How is it possible that the Lord will deliver Laban into our hands? Behold, he is a mighty man, and he can command fifty, yea, even he can slay fifty; then why not us?
1 Nephi 3:31
• Do you think seeing an angel gave Laman and Lemuel a testimony? Why or why not?
And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
1 Kings 19:9–12
President Joseph Fielding Smith said that knowing that Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior of men “comes only through the testimony of the Holy Spirit. Men may believe Jesus to be the Christ, but to know it requires revelation from the Holy Ghost”.
(The Way to Perfection [1978], 158)
What is the only way we can gain a testimony?
How will we feel the Holy Ghost witness to us of the truthfulness of the gospel?
Doctrine and Covenants 8:2; 9:8
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Matthew 16:18–19
What blessings did Peter received after sharing his testimony.
Additional blessings we receive from having faith and a testimony:
• Romans 5:1 (peace through Jesus Christ).
• Mormon 9:21 (the faith needed to receive answers to our prayers).
• D & C 42:12–14 (the ability to teach by the power of the Holy Ghost).
• D & C 52:9 (the ability to be taught by that same Spirit).
• D & C 121:45 (confidence to stand before God).
False doctrine will corrupt those who are not on their guard against it.
• What did the Pharisees and Sadducees want Jesus to do?
• What difference would performing another miracle make to them?
• How does that help explain why Jesus called them hypocrites?
The “sign of the prophet Jonas” refers to Jesus being resurrected in three days, just like Jonah came out of the belly of the great fish after three days.
The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring, O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
Matthew 16:1–4
And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
Matthew 16:5–12
• What did the disciples forget to take with them?
• What did Jesus say that they misunderstood?
• Considering the feeding of the five thousand and the four thousand,
why is it strange for them to think that Jesus was worried about bread?
• How was the false doctrine and the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and Sadducees
like leaven?
(It takes just a little to affect the whole lump of dough.)
“We should work to stem the tide of sin and evil instead of passively being swept along by it. We each need to help solve the problem rather than avoid or ignore it. I like this simple little poem:
“All the water in the world
No matter how it tried
Could never sink the smallest ship
Unless it got inside.
All the evil of the world
And every kind of sin
Could never damn a human soul
Unless we let it in”
(Elder M. Russell Ballard, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve:
in Conference Report, Apr. 1989, 101; or Ensign, May 1989, 80).
01 Oct 2012 Monday
Matthew 17
• If you wrote a book, who is the most famous person you know whom you could ask to write an introduction?
• Who would you ask if you could ask anyone?
And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Matthew 3:17
• Who introduced (or testified of) Jesus to the people?
• What was the occasion of this introduction?
Christ’s baptism.
• Why was this event so significant?
• On what other occasions has the Father testified of His Son?
Joseph Smith—History 1:17
3 Nephi 11:7
While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
Matthew 17:5
Today we will be studying another event so important that Heavenly Father again testified of His Son.
Matthew 17: 1-13
• What happened to Jesus on the mountain?
• Why are mortals transfigured?
But now mine own eyes have beheld God; but not my natural, but my spiritual eyes, for my natural eyes could not have beheld; for I should have withered and died in his presence; but his glory was upon me; and I beheld his face, for I was transfigured before him. Moses 1:11
• What three Apostles were frequently with Jesus on important occasions?
• Which Apostles were with Jesus at the time of His Transfiguration?
• Who else appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration?
(Note: “Elias” is the Greek form of “Elijah”)
• What kind of bodies did Moses and Elijah have when they appeared?
… But behold, the scriptures saith the Lord took Moses unto himself; … therefore, for this cause we know nothing concerning his death and burial.
Alma 45:19
And it came to pass … there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
2 Kings 2:11
… another great and glorious vision burst upon us; for Elijah the prophet, who was taken to heaven without tasting death, stood before us …
Doctrine and Covenants 110:13
How did Moses and Elijah leave mortality? (They were translated.)
What happened on the Mount of Transfiguration?
Elder Bruce R. McConkie listed:
“(1) Jesus singled out Peter, James, and John from the rest of the Twelve; took them upon an unnamed mountain; there he was transfigured before them, and they beheld his glory. . . .
“(2) Peter, James, and John, were themselves ‘transfigured before him’ (Teachings [of the Prophet Joseph Smith], p. 158). . . .
“(3) Moses and Elijah . . . appeared on the mountain; and they and Jesus gave the keys of the kingdom to Peter, James, and John. (Teachings, p. 158.)
“(4) John the Baptist, previously beheaded by Herod, apparently was also present. . . .
“(5) Peter, James, and John saw in vision the transfiguration of the earth . . . that is to take place at the Second Coming when the millennial era is ushered in. [D&C 63:20–21]. . . .
“(6) It appears that Peter, James, and John received their own endowments while on the mountain. ([Joseph Fielding Smith,] Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 2, p. 165.) . . .
“(7) Apparently Jesus himself was strengthened and encouraged by Moses and Elijah so as to be prepared for the infinite sufferings and agony [of the] atonement. ([James E. Talmage,] Jesus the Christ, p. 373.) . . .
“(8) Certainly the three chosen apostles were taught in plainness ‘of his death and also his resurrection’ [JST, Luke 9:31]. . . .
“(9) It should also have been apparent to them that the old dispensations of the past [symbolized by Moses and Elijah] had faded away. . . .
“(10) Apparently God the Father, overshadowed and hidden by a cloud, was present on the mountain, although [Peter, James, and John apparently] heard only his voice and did not see his form” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 1:399–401).
• Which of the events of Matthew 17:1–13 are most likely to happen to you any time soon?
• How many of you have a goal to go to the temple? Why?
For verily I say unto you, that after you have had sufficient time to build a house to me, wherein the ordinance of baptizing for the dead elongeth, and for which the same was instituted from before the foundation of the world, your baptisms for your dead cannot be acceptable unto me;
D&C 124:33
• What ordinances are performed in the temple?
And inasmuch as my people build a house unto me in the name of the Lord, and do not suffer any unclean thing to come into it, that it be not defiled, my glory shall rest upon it; Yea, and my presence shall be there, for I will come into it, and all the pure in heart that shall come into it shall see God.
Doctrine and Covenants 97:15–16
• What preparations are necessary for going to the temple?
And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.
Matthew 17:9
Sacred personal experiences should be shared only when the Spirit prompts us.
• Why could it be a problem to give a baby the only existing photograph of it’s great-grandfather?
• What would most babies do to a photograph?
• Why would it be better to wait until the baby is older?
And now Alma began to expound these things unto him, saying: It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.
Alma 12:9
Remember that that which cometh from above is sacred, and must be spoken with care, and by constraint of the Spirit; and in this there is no condemnation, and ye receive the Spirit through prayer; wherefore, without this there remaineth condemnation.
Doctrine and Covenants 63:64
• Why would Jesus command His disciples not to speak of His Transfiguration?
• How would telling about the experience of the Transfiguration be like giving
a baby a valuable photograph?
“I have learned that strong, impressive spiritual experiences do not come to us very frequently. And when they do, they are generally for our own edification, instruction, or correction. Unless we are called by proper authority to do so, they do not position us to counsel or to correct others.”
“I have come to believe also that it is not wise to continually talk of unusual spiritual experiences. They are to be guarded with care and shared only when the Spirit itself prompts you to use them to the blessing of others”
(Elder Boyd K. Packer from “The Candle of the Lord,” Ensign, Jan. 1983, 53)
The Transfiguration is recorded in every Gospel except John.
• Which of the four Gospel writers was actually present at the Transfiguration?
Matthew 17:1
• Why might John have not recorded this event in his Gospel?
Matthew 17:9
• What kinds of experiences do people have today that they should probably
share only when prompted by the Spirit?
(Patriarchal blessings, father’s blessings, personal or family spiritual experiences, bishop’s interviews.)
• According to Alma 12:9 and Doctrine and Covenants 63:64,
when is it appropriate to share sacred personal experiences?
02 Oct 2012 Tuesday
Matthew 18
The Savior taught that to enter His kingdom we must become as a little child.
Little children can say and do strange things.
• Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Matthew 18:1–4
• Why would the Savior ask us to become like a child?
• What do you think it means to become as a little child? (see Mosiah 3:19)
• What is the difference between becoming “childish” and “childlike”?
But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Matthew 18:6
How serious is it to offend or harm the children of our Father in Heaven?
To physically or verbally abuse a child is one of the most serious of spiritual offenses. Another way to harm children is to teach them false principles or to fail to teach them correct ones.
For behold he judgeth, and his judgment is just; and the infant perisheth not that dieth in his infancy; but men drink damnation to their own souls except they humble themselves and become as little children, and believe that salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.
For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.
Mosiah 3:18–19
• Who might the term “little ones” apply to other than children?
• Who else should we not offend or harm?
If we physically or verbally abuse our younger brothers or sisters or any of God’s children, we are guilty of an offense that the Savior severely condemned.
Matthew 19
In Matthew 19–20 the Savior begins the trek to Jerusalem for the Passover to offer Himself as the sacrificial lamb. Along the way He continues to minister and teach, and multitudes follow Him. The teachings and events of these two chapters bring us to the time just before Jesus’ triumphal entry and the beginning of the last week of His life.
We all fall short of perfection, but if we ask humbly, the Lord can lead us to perfection step by step.
Worship
Elder Bruce R. McConkie’s definition:
“Perfect worship is emulation”
(The Promised Messiah: The First Coming of Christ [1978], 568)
And know ye that ye shall be judges of this people, according to the judgment which I shall give unto you, which shall be just. Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am.
3 Nephi 27:27
How does this verse relate to Elder McConkie’s statement?
In Matthew 19:16–26:
What did the young man need to do to become more like the Savior?
More Holiness Give Me, hymn no. 131
“The rich young ruler did not need to be taught repentance from murder nor from murderous thoughts. He did not have to be schooled in how to repent from adultery, nor from stealing, lying, defrauding, or failing to honor his mother. All these he said he had observed from his youth. . . .
“The Master, with His keen discernment and the power of a Great Teacher, diagnosed the young man’s case perfectly: His need and his lack were to overcome his love for worldly things. . . .
“Every one of us, if we would reach perfection, must one time ask ourselves this question, ‘What lack I yet?’ if we would commence our climb upward on the highway to perfection. The effective leader is one who helps the learner to discover that lack, to diagnose his basic difficulties, and then to prescribe his spiritual remedies”
(President Harold B. Lee in Stand Ye in Holy Places [1974], 208–10)
What we should learn from Chapter 19:
We must put forth real efforts to change our lives to become better people.
We should pray to know what else we can do to become more like the Savior.
Matthew 20
Leaders have the greatest responsibility to serve.
But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Matthew 20:25–28
In Matthew 20:25–28, the Lord says about a leader:
let him be your minister; let him be your servant.
Mosiah 2:11–19, 27
Count the number of times the words serve or service appear.
11 serve; 12 service; 13; 14 serve; 15; 16 service, service; 17 service, service; 18 serve, serve; 19 service, service; 27 served = 12
• How did King Benjamin feel about service?
• In what ways do you think you might be called to lead?
(All of us are called on at some time in our lives to give leadership at church, school, work, or in our families.)
• What can you do now to prepare to be a leader?
• How can we support our leaders now in ways that help them fulfill their responsibilities?
03 Oct 2012 Wednesday
Matthew 21–23 begins the last week of the Savior’s mortal life. For three years the Savior had taught, healed, encouraged, and shown such love that multitudes followed Him. At His triumphal entry and later in the temple, the people acknowledged Jesus as the promised Messiah This infuriated the Jewish leaders, who sought all the more to take away His life. After cleansing the temple, Jesus spent much time teaching the people there.
Matthew 21
Your Doctor called and informed me that you will die next Wednesday.
• What would you do the last week of your life?
• Who would you spend your time with?
• What would you tell your family?
• How would you want people to remember you?
• How would you prepare to meet your Heavenly Father?
Christ knew He would die in a few days and only had a short time left to teach.
Jesus taught many important doctrines during these days before His death.
Matthew 22
Video: “Justice and Mercy”
If we do not live up to the gospel standards we profess, we can influence others negatively.
Which of the three cups would you not want to drink from?
• Which is the only safe cup to drink from?
• In what ways are people like these cups?
Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Matthew 23:2–4, 15, 23–28
• What two groups did Jesus warn the people about? (see v. 2)
• What were they doing that Jesus condemned?
• What did Jesus call those who did these kinds of things? (see v. 23)
• Which of the cups in the object lesson were they most like? (see v. 25)
• These scriptures teach about one kind of hypocrisy.
What might be another kind?
04 Oct 2012 Thursday
Just days before the Crucifixion, the disciples asked Jesus about His Second Coming. Within Matthew 24 and 25 we find many explanations and prophecies about that time. The events of these chapters are of particular interest to us now because we are preparing the world for the Second Coming and because we live in a day when many of these prophecies are being fulfilled. The Prophet Joseph Smith made a number of changes and additions to Matthew 24 in the Joseph Smith Translation.
Matthew 24 JST
For I say unto you, that ye shall not see me henceforth and know that I am he of whom it is written by the prophets, until ye shall say: Blessed is he who cometh in the name of the Lord, in the clouds of heaven, and all the holy angels with him. Then understood his disciples that he should come again on the earth, after that he was glorified and crowned on the right hand of God.
And Jesus left them, and went upon the Mount of Olives. And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying: Tell us when shall these things be which thou hast said concerning the destruction of the temple, and the Jews; and what is the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world, or the destruction of the wicked, which is the end of the world?
Matthew 1:1, 4 - JST
What did His disciples asked Jesus?
The pieces of the puzzle will be events prophesied to precede the Second Coming as found in Joseph Smith—Matthew.
Therefore, verily, thus saith the Lord, let Zion rejoice, for this is Zion—the pure in heart; therefore, let Zion rejoice, while all the wicked shall mourn.
For behold, and lo, vengeance cometh speedily upon the ungodly as the whirlwind; and who shall escape it?
Nevertheless, Zion shall escape if she observe to do all things whatsoever I have commanded her.
Doctrine and Covenants 97:21–22, 25
What can we do now to prepare for the calamities that precede the Second Coming of Jesus Christ?
08 Oct 2012 Monday
Matthew 25
While no one knows the exact time of the Second Coming, the righteous can know in a general way when the time is near.
From the Joseph Smith Translation of Matthew 1:38–54:
• How do we relate events that precede the Second Coming of
Jesus Christ to dropping a raisin into the 7Up? (see vv. 38–39)
• What do these verses say about the exact time of the Second Coming?
(see v. 40)
• Why do you think the Lord doesn’t want us to know the exact time of
His Coming? (see vv. 47–54)
• Why would it be important to know about the events that lead to the
Second Coming?
• What commandment are we given in verse 46?
• Since we don’t know exactly when the Second Coming will be, how can
we best prepare for it?
Scripture Mastery
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Matthew 25:40
We show our love for God by the way we treat His children.
• What are the first and second great commandments?
(Love God and love your neighbor; see Matthew 22:36–39.)
• What are some ways we can show our neighbors that we love them?
• What are some ways we can show God that we love Him?
• How can we keep both the first and the second great commandments at the same time?
And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.
Mosiah 2:17
The final chapters of Matthew describe the last few days of the mortal life of Jesus Christ. Here are recorded such sacred events as the institution of the sacrament and Christ’s Atonement, death, and Resurrection. The Prophet Joseph
Smith taught the supreme importance of these when he said:
“The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony
of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He
died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended
into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion
are only appendages to it” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph
Smith, 121).
These chapters contain the great doctrinal scriptures about the Atonement and Resurrection.
09 Oct 2012 Tuesday
Matthew 26
Once we come to learn who the Savior is and what He did
for us, we cannot be neutral in our feelings for Him.
• Is lemon flavor mild or strong?
• Does anyone like the flavor of raw lemon?
• Who doesn’t like to eat raw lemons?
• Are there any who are neutral?
• Could you have an opinion on the flavor of lemons if you had never tasted one?
Why?
There are few who have tasted a raw lemon who would be neutral. The flavor is so strong that most people either like it or dislike it.
It is also difficult to be neutral toward people with strong or powerful personalities.
And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
Matthew 26:30
• What role does music play in your lives?
• Have you listened to some kind of music in the last twenty-four hours.
• Have you ever learned something by putting it to music?
(The alphabet, the books of the New Testament.)
• How can music also be valuable even if it has no words to it?
• What evidence is there that music is part of the Lord’s plan?
Matthew 27
With the example and blessings of the Lord we can endure the difficult trials we face.
What difficult trials have you endured?
(examples: the death of family members, severe illnesses, financial loss, lost friendship, or family or school challenges.)
In the hours between Gethsemane and His Crucifixion, the Savior endured terrible abuse.
• How can our sufferings and trials give us a greater appreciation for what the
Savior suffered?
• How can we show our love and gratitude for what He did for us?
If ye love me, keep my commandments. John 14:15
Thirteenth Article of Faith.
• Which part of this article of faith applies to what we have just studied about the
Savior?
(“We have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things.”)
Matthew 28
Through the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, all mankind will also be resurrected.
• (Matthew 28:1) What day of the week was it?
• (Matthew 28:1) Who went to the sepulchre?
• (Matthew 28:2) Who appeared?
• (Matthew 28:2) How was the stone rolled away from the sepulchre?
• (Matthew 28:4) What happened to the soldiers?
• (Matthew 28:5–7) What did the angel say?
• (Matthew 28:8) Where did the women go?
• (Matthew 28:9–10) What happened to them on the way?
• (Matthew 27:52–53) What happened to some of the dead in Jerusalem after
Christ was resurrected?
• How can the glove represent our physical body?
(Our spirit gains or “puts on” a body when we are born.)
• How can we represent death?
(Remove the glove.)
• How can we represent the Resurrection?
(Place the hand back in the glove.)
• What difference does it make to know that you will be resurrected and that
after your resurrection you can never get sick or die?
• What difference does it make to know that you can live again with loved ones
who have died?
• Who do you think will be the most excited for the Resurrection? Why?
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