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Behold, I Am Jesus Christ, The Savior of the World

Behold, I Am Jesus Christ, The Savior of the World. Finally, the testimony that is given of Jesus Christ, his divinity, his majesty, his perfection, his love, and his redeeming power, makes this book of great value to the human family and of more worth than the riches of the whole earth.

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Behold, I Am Jesus Christ, The Savior of the World

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  1. Behold, I Am Jesus Christ, The Savior of the World

  2. Finally, the testimony that is given of Jesus Christ, his divinity, his majesty, his perfection, his love, and his redeeming power, makes this book of great value to the human family and of more worth than the riches of the whole earth. • D&C 50:44 • D&C 76:22-24

  3. Video The Times and Teachings of Joseph Smith #4 • Any insights or feelings you had as you read about the Savior in the D&C this week?

  4. No life nor substance • “[The Atonement of Jesus Christ] is the very root of Christian doctrine. You may know much about the gospel as it branches out from there, but if you only know the branches and those branches do not touch that root, if they have been cut free from that truth, there will be no life nor substance nor redemption in them” • Boyd K Packer, Ensign, May 1977, 56 The Atonement of Jesus Christ

  5. The D&C increases our understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ

  6. Context for D&C 19 • Martin Harris mortgaged 240 acres of his farm to pay forl for the printing of the Book of Mormon • The plan was to sell the first copies printed to pay off the $3000 debt in 18 months • A group met in Palmyra to boycott the purchase of the Book of Mormon • Martin Harris worried he would lose part of his farm • Asked Joseph for a “commandment” • Joseph said “live what you have already received” • Repeatedly asked Joseph for a “commandment” • Joseph received Section 19 • Martin heeded the admonition and eventually sold 151 acres to make the payment

  7. Why this revelation forMartin Harris’ problems at this time? • Worried about losing a large portion of his property • Losing his status in the community as a “gentleman and a farmer of respectability” • Feeling pressure and unhappiness in his marriage • Martin, 47 yrs old, is struggling to take council from Joseph who is 25 years old So what council does he receive from the Lord? D&C 19:23,40-41

  8. D&C 19:1-3,16-20 Suffering and Repentance • Why did this revelation to Martin Harris contain this description of the suffering of Christ? • What does this passage teach about the Savior’s suffering for us? Dallin H Oaks, Sin and Suffering, BYU Dev, Aug 5, 1990

  9. Why this revelation at this time?D&C 19:40 • …if we could feel or were sensitive even in the slightest to the matchless love of our Savior and his willingness to suffer for our individual sins, we would cease procrastination and ‘clean the slate,’ and repent of all our transgressions. This would mean keeping God’s commandments and setting our lives in order, searching our souls, and repenting of our sins, large or small. • David B Haight, Ensign, May 1988,23

  10. D&C 19:16 Does this mean that a person who repents does not need to suffer at all because the entire punishment or suffering is borne by the Savior? • That cannot be the meaning because it would be inconsistent with the Savior's other teachings. What is meant is that the person who repents does not need to suffer "even as" the Savior suffered. Sinners who are repenting will experience some suffering, but, because of their repentance and the Atonement, they will not experience the full "exquisite" extent of eternal torment the Savior suffered. • Dallin H Oaks, Sin and Suffering, BYU Dev, Aug 5, 1990

  11. The suffering that is part of repentance is not the same as the suffering that the Savior experienced in the Atonement. His suffering was for the payment of sins and was infinitely more difficult. • D&C Seminary Manual

  12. As significant as the Savior’s suffering seemed, was it tempered by the fact that he possessed godly attributes? • Did he have superhuman powers of resistance that allowed Him to more easily face and endure the human plight? • Tad Callister, Infinite Atonement, 119

  13. The Savior yielded to the mortal plight • “took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham…in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren” • “touched with the feeling of our infirmities” • “taste death for every man” Heb 2:9,15-17 • “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” Is 53:3 • “the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh” Alma 7:13

  14. He was in all respects subjected to every mortal failing experienced by the human family. Not once did he raise the shield of godhood in order to soften the blows. Not once did he don the bulletproof vest of divinity. That he also had godly powers did not make his suffering any less excruciating, any less poignant, or any less real. To the contrary, it is for this very reason that his suffering was more, not less, than his mortal counterparts could experience.

  15. He took upon him infinite suffering, but chose to defend with only mortal faculties, with but one exception – his godhood was summoned to hold off unconsciousness and death that would otherwise overpower a mere mortal when he reached his threshold of pain. For the Savior, however, there would be no such relief. His divinity would be called upon, not to immunize him from pain, but to enlarge the receptacle that would hold it. He simply brought a larger cup to hold the bitter drink. • Tad Callister, Infinite Atonement, 119

  16. His Sufferings • "Let no one think that [the sufferings of our Lord] were less because He was more. The more delicate the nature, the more alive to all that is lovely and true, lawful and right, the more does [one] feel the antagonism of pain, the inroad of death upon life; the more dreadful is that breach of the harmony of things whose sound is torture. He felt more than man could feel, because He had a larger feeling. • George Macdonald [Rolland Hein, ed., Creation in Christ [Wheaton, Illinois: Harold Shaw Publishers, 1976], p. 334]

  17. D&C 19:15The depths of His suffering The simple truth is, we have no tools to measure it or sufficient language to explain it. Part of the sacredness of this event lies in the fact that we feel much more than we can tell. We may not know, we can not tell, What pains he had to bear, But we believe it was for us He hung and suffered there. • Tad Callister, Infinite Atonement 128

  18. Why was Jesus willing to experience such great suffering for us?

  19. What can we learn about the Resurrection from the D&C?D&C 88:14-18, D&C 93:33, Alma 11:42-44 a.  Resurrection is the redemption of the soul. The spirit and the body are reunited, inseparably connected in a perfect form (D&C 88:14–16; D&C 93:33; Alma 11:42–43). b.  Resurrection prepares us for the celestial glory (D&C 88:18). c.  Resurrection is necessary for us to receive a fulness of joy (D&C 93:33). d.  All people will be resurrected (Alma 11:44).

  20. D&C 93:19 • How can we show the Savior our gratitude for His Atonement? • What can we do to feel this power more completely?

  21. How can we show the Savior our gratitude for His Atonement? • “Surely the best evidence of our adoration of Jesus is our emulation of him” • (Russell M. Nelson, “Gratitude for the Mission and Ministry of Jesus Christ,” in Brigham Young University 1997–98 Speeches [1998], 349). • “Perfect worship is emulation” • (Bruce R. McConkie, The Promised Messiah, 568). Contrast with Oaks negative examples

  22. D&C 93:12-14,20How do we worship? • “Perfect worship is emulation. We honor those whom we imitate. The most perfect way of worship is to be holy as Jehovah is holy. It is to be pure as Christ is pure. It is to do the things that enable us to become like the Father. The course is one of obedience” • Bruce R McConkie (The Promised Messiah, 568).

  23. D&C 93:12,20He marked a path for us • Grace – divine means of help or strength • True grace is more than just a giant freebie, opening the door to heaven in the sweet by and by, but leaving us to wallow in sin in the bitter here and now. Grace is God presently at work in our lives. • John F MacArthur Jr, Faith Works, 32

  24. D&C 93:12,20He marked a path for us • “Grace for grace” • To receive “grace for grace” is to receive assistance on the condition of giving assistance. • Apparently, it was necessary for the Lord to grow through this process. In order to do so, he first received grace, or divine assistance from the Father. This grace he extended to his brethren. As he did so he received even more grace. The process continued until he eventually received a fulness of the glory of the Father. • Richard Draper, Light, Truth, Grace, Sperry Symposium, 2004

  25. The AtonementStrengthens Us • A person who sins is like a tree that bends easily in the wind. On a windy and rainy day the tree bends so deeply against the ground that the leaves become soiled with mud, like sin. If we only focus on cleaning the leaves, the weakness in the tree that allowed it to bend and soil its leaves may remain. Merely cleaning the leaves does not strengthen the tree. Similarly, a person who is merely sorry to be soiled by sin will sin again in the next high wind. The susceptibility to repetition continues until the tree has been strengthened.

  26. To be admitted to his presence we must be more than clean. We must also be changed from a weak person who once transgressed into a strong person with the spiritual stature that qualifies one to dwell in the presence of God. We must as the scripture says, become “a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord” (Mosiah 3:19) • Dallin H Oaks, Sin and Suffering, BYU Dev, Aug 5, 1990

  27. Next Week: The First Vision

  28. Why was Jesus willing to experience such great suffering for us?

  29. Oaks, the tree clean but stronger • Withdrawal of the spirit callister 143

  30. Wilcox bitter cup

  31. Compare His motives to our motives

  32. Atonement • When have you felt the power of the Atonement in your life? • What can we do to feel this power more completely? • How should our understanding of the Atonement affect us in our daily lives?

  33. What blessings can we receive through the Savior’s Atonement?D&C 18:11-12; 19:16-17; 19:20; 58:42; 76:62-70 • We can repent of our sins and come unto Him (D&C 18:11–12). • If we repent, Christ has taken upon Himself the suffering for our sins (D&C 19:16–17, D&C 19:20). • If we repent, the Lord forgives us and remembers our sins no more (D&C 58:42). • We can come forth in the first resurrection, be made perfect through Christ, and inherit celestial glory (D&C 76:62–70).

  34. D&C 122:8Succor • Read D&C 122:8 with class members. • In what way has the Savior “descended below” all things? (See Alma 7:11–12; D&C 62:1; D&C 133:53. Note that the word succor means to help. Because the Savior has experienced all our sorrows, pains, and afflictions, He understands how we feel. He knows how to help us.) • How can this knowledge help us when we experience trials?

  35. “When … difficult times come to us, we can remember that Jesus had to descend below all things before He could ascend above them, and that He suffered pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind that He might be filled with mercy and know how to succor His people in their infirmities (see D&C 88:6; Alma 7:11–12)” • Jeffrey R. Holland, Ensign, Nov. 1995, 69

  36. Savior’s roles and attributes • To be able to exercise faith in God, we must have “a correct idea of his character, perfections, and attributes” • (in Joseph Smith, comp., Lectures on Faith [1985], 38).

  37. Why is it important for you to know these roles and attributes of the Savior? • How have the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants enriched your testimony of the Savior?

  38. I Stand All Amazed • Lines from the hymnSupporting passages“I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me”D&C 34:3“For me, a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died”D&C 19:16–19“I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine”D&C 88:6; D&C 122:8“I think of his hands pierced and bleeding to pay the debt”D&C 6:36–37“Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget?”D&C 20:77

  39. Our “advocate with the Father” • Our “advocate with the Father” (D&C 45:3) • Write Advocate on the chalkboard. Explain that several times in the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord says that He is our Advocate (D&C 29:5; D&C 45:3; D&C 62:1; D&C 110:4). • •     What is an advocate? (Someone who pleads the cause of another.) • •     Read D&C 45:3–5 with class members. Why do we need an “advocate with the Father”? In verses 4 and 5, what evidence does the Savior present to the Father to show that we should receive everlasting life? (First He speaks of His Atonement—His sufferings, death, and blood. Then He refers to our belief in Him.)

  40. His titles • Bearing witness of Jesus Christ through His titles • Explain that the Doctrine and Covenants contains more than 60 titles for Jesus Christ, each of which invokes special respect for Him. For example, the Lord refers to Himself as “Redeemer,” “Savior,” and “the light and the life of the world.” • Have class members scan pages 174–85 in the index to the triple combination to find other titles for Jesus Christ. List on the chalkboard the titles they find. • •     What do Jesus’ titles teach about His attributes and His mission?

  41. The Light of Christ • Explain that the Light of Christ is sometimes referred to as our conscience, but it is much more than that. To help class members gain a greater understanding of the Light of Christ, have them read the second and third paragraphs under “Light of Christ” on page 725 of the Bible Dictionary. Then have them read D&C 88:6–13; D&C 93:2; Moroni 7:13, Moroni 7:16–19. • •     What can we learn about the Light of Christ from the Bible Dictionary and these passages? (Answers could include those listed below.) • a.  The Light of Christ “[fills] the immensity of space” and “giveth life to all things” (D&C 88:12–13). • b.  It is an uplifting influence that is given to every person who is born into the world (D&C 93:2). • c.  It helps us know good from evil and invites us to do good and believe in Christ (Moroni 7:13, Moroni 7:16–19). • •     How can we allow the Light of Christ to be a greater influence in our lives?

  42. D&C 19 • In order to get Palmyra printer Egbert B. Grandin to agree to print 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon, Martin Harris guaranteed to pay the cost of the printing. He could do this because he owned property worth more than the $3,000 the printer charged. Before the printing was completed, however, “a number of people held a meeting and passed resolutions not to purchase the book when it came from the press. When Grandin grew nervous, the Prophet Joseph Smith returned to Palmyra to reassure him that the printing costs would be paid. Martin Harris, fearing that he might lose his farm if the Book of Mormon did not sell, approached the Prophet and requested guidance. By revelation Martin was commanded not to ‘covet’ his own property, but to ‘impart it freely’ for the purpose of covering the costs of printing the Book of Mormon (see D&C 19:26). One hundred and fifty-one acres of Martin Harris’s farm were sold at a public auction in April 1831 to pay off Mr. Grandin. This sacrifice made the printing of the Book of Mormon possible” (Church History in the Fulness of Times, 65).

  43. D&C 19 • As you read Doctrine and Covenants 19, think of how this revelation might have affected Martin Harris and helped him see how his personal problems fit into a larger plan. What is the biggest sacrifice the Lord is asking from you at this time? Keep it in mind as you read this revelation, and consider how the principles the Lord taught Martin Harris apply to what He asks from you now—or in the future.

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