To Keep them in the Right Way

To Keep them in the Right Way • Moroni 1-6 1

Moroni Overview420-421 AD 1 2 6 7 8 9 10 Intro Quotes from Mormon’s sermon Letters from Mormon to Moroni Farewell and challenge Church Handbook of Instruction 2

Moroni 1:1-4; Alma 45What were Moroni’s circumstances when he wrote this book? • Alone • Hiding 3

Christmas Lost and Found • I LOST a lot during that eventful school day – productivity, concentration and my ability to maintain composure in the wake of such a surprise. • I FOUND that Christmas is about putting aside our own desires, and making time to celebrate and appreciate those people and events that make our lives possible. • You’ll make everyone happy when Christmas is through • As long as you realize it’s not about you 4

I LOST interest in singing with my fellow carolers and I ran off between the houses • I FOUND as the ;music faded, s did the fun of my infraction • Comapanionship is reserved for those who stay in tune with the Christmas spirit 5

I LOST my spirit when the Christmas season wasn’t making me happy • I FOUND that happiness doesn’t come to me; it comes out of me • Those who have difficulty going within often go without…happiness is an inside job. 6

Moroni 1:1-4; Alma 45What were Moroni’s circumstances when he wrote this book? • Alone • Hiding from the Lamanites who would put to death every Nephite who would not deny the Christ • Threatened with death because of his faith in Christ • Continued concern for the descendants of his enemies 7

Perseverance Remain SteadfastKeep Commitments • “The life of Moroni is especially instructive in teaching perseverance. The obstacles he faced may seem beyond belief to us. He saw the entire Nephite nation destroyed by the sword in a terrible war because of the wickedness of the people. His father and all of his kinsfolk and friends were slain. He was alone for about twenty years, perhaps hiding and fleeing from savage Lamanites who sought to take his life (see Mormon 8:2–7). Yet he continued to keep the record as his father had commanded him” • Joseph B Wirthlin, Ensign, Nov. 1987, 8. 8

Flakiness outside of the kitchen Sarah Westerberg, Dec 02, 2008, BYU Devotional 9

Moroni 10:32Ye can in nowise deny…How can we have that kind of unfailing commitment? • Know what commitments you have made • Decide now to keep commitments • Put your trust in and follow the Master • Set realistic goals • Anticipate opposition • Reap temporal and eternal blessings 10

A successful life, the good life, the righteous Christian life requires something more than a contribution, though every contribution is valuable. Ultimately it requires commitment—whole souled, deeply held, eternally cherished commitment to the principles we know to be true in the commandments God has given. • Howard W. Hunter, “Standing As Witnesses of God,” Ensign, May 1990, 60 11

Moroni 9:3-6,25Robert the BruceKing of Scotland What advice did Mormon give to his son? • According to legend, at some point while he was on the run during the winter of 1305-06, Bruce hid himself in a cave on Rathlin Island off the north coast of Ireland, where he observed a spider spinning a web, trying to make a connection from one area of the cave's roof to another. Each time the spider failed, it simply started all over again until it succeeded. Inspired by this, Bruce returned to inflict a series of defeats on the English, thus winning him more supporters and eventual victory. The story serves to explain the maxim: "if at first you don't succeed, try try again.“ -Wickipedia 12

I will not deny! • Joseph B. Wirthlin, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve: • “Many years ago, large packs of wolves roamed the countryside in Ukraine, making travel in that part of the world very dangerous. These wolf packs were fearless. They were not intimidated by people or by any of the weapons available at that time. The only thing that seemed to frighten them was fire. Consequently, travelers who found themselves away from cities developed the common practice of building a large bonfire and keeping it burning through the night. As long as the fire burned brightly, the wolves stayed away. But if it were allowed to burn out and die, the wolves would move in for an attack. Travelers understood that building and maintaining a roaring bonfire was not just a matter of convenience or comfort; it was a matter of survival. (See Mary Pratt Parrish, ‘Guardians of the Covenant,’ Ensign, May 1972, p. 25.) 13

We are all vulnerable to attack. However, we can fortify ourselves with the protection provided by a burning testimony that, like a bonfire, has been built adequately and maintained carefully. 14

“Unfortunately, some in the Church may believe sincerely that their testimony is a raging bonfire when it really is little more than the faint flickering of a candle. Their faithfulness has more to do with habit than holiness, and their pursuit of personal righteousness almost always takes a back seat to their pursuit of personal interests and pleasure. With such a feeble light of testimony for protection, these travelers on life’s highways are easy prey for the wolves of the adversary” • Joseph B Wirthlin, Ensign, Nov. 1992, 34. 15

1867Heber C Kimball • 1867 prophecy by President Heber C. Kimball, who was a member of the First Presidency: • “Let me say to you, that many of you will see the time when you will have all the trouble, trial and persecution that you can stand, and plenty of opportunities to show that you are true to God and his work. This Church has before it many close places through which it will have to pass before the work of God is crowned with victory. . . . • “. . . The time will come when no man nor woman will be able to endure on borrowed light. Each will have to be guided by the light within himself. If you do not have it, how can you stand?” (in Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball [1945], 449–50). 16

Why did he write about ordinances and covenants? Moroni Outline400-421 AD Church handbook of instruction 17

Why ordinances and covenants? • Come, thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace; streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise. Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above. Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it, mount of thy redeeming love. • Here I raise mine Ebenezer; hither by thy help I'm come; and I hope, by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home. Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God; he, to rescue me from danger, interposed his precious blood. 18

1 Samuel 7:12-14 • Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us. —1 Samuel 7:12, 19

After a long period of sadness and trouble, a consequence of Israel's disobedience, Israel repented under the leadership of a new priest and judge, Samuel. God restored their political security, and the people, for their part, re-committed their hearts and minds to their Lord. Samuel placed a large stone at the place where this restoration began. He publicly dedicated it as a monument to God's help, God's faithfulness, God's eternal covenant. And as the people got on with their lives, the stone stood there, visible to all who passed that way, a reminder of judgment and repentance, mercy and restoration. Ebenezer = stone of help • memorial stone • commemorates divine assistance 20

Why ordinances and covenants? • For our purpose here today, a sacrament could be any one of a number of gestures or acts or ordinances that unite us with God and His limitless powers. We are imperfect and mortal; He is perfect and immortal. But from time to time-indeed, as often as is possible and appropriate-we find ways and go to places and create circumstances where we can unite symbolically with Him, and in so doing gain access to His power. 21

Those special moments of union with God are sacramental moments-such as kneeling at a marriage altar, or blessing a newborn baby, or partaking of the emblems of the Lord's supper. This latter ordinance is the one we in the Church have come to associate most traditionally with the word sacrament, though it is technically only one of many such moments when we formally take the hand of God and feel His divine power. These are moments when we quite literally unite our will with God's will, our spirit with His spirit, where communion through the veil becomes very close. At such moments we not only acknowledge His divinity but we also quite literally take something of that divinity to ourselves. Such are the holy sacraments. • Jeffrey R Holland, Souls, Symbols and Sacraments 22

Moroni 2Bestowing the Gift of the Holy Ghost • By the laying on of hands in the name of Jesus Christ 23

Moroni 3Ordaining Priests and Teachers • What were priests and teachers ordained to do? • To preach repentance and remission of sins. • How are these responsibilities similar to the duties of priesthood holders today? (See D&C 20:46–59.) How can we help Aaronic Priesthood bearers understand and fulfill their assigned duties? 24

Moroni 4-5Administering the Sacrament • What covenants do we make through the sacrament? • What are we promised in return? • How do you feel when you have partaken of the sacrament reverently and worthily? 25

Possible Sacrament Prayer Outline • I. Ask • A. To bless and sanctify • a. Eat in remembrance • b. Witness • 1.willing to take upon us the • name of Christ • 2.always remember Him • 3.keep His commandments • c. Always have his Spirit 26

Wouldn’t even think of doing it! 27

Now, once again, I know of no one who would, for example, rush into the middle of a sacramental service, grab the linen from the tables, throw the bread the full length of the room, tip the water trays onto the floor, and laughingly retreat from the building to await an opportunity to do the same thing at another worship service the next Sunday. No one within the sound of my voice would do that during one of the truly sacred moments of our religious worship. Nor would anyone here violate any of the other sacramental moments in our lives, those times when we consciously claim God's power and by invitation stand with Him in privilege and principality. • Jeffrey R. Holland , BYU devotional, 12 January 8 in the Marriott Center. 28

Extend that respect for sacramental moments beyond the short time of the ordinance • When you partake of the sacrament, you witness to God that your remembrance of His Son will extend beyond the short time of that sacred ordinance. • True to the Faith 29

Moroni 6:1-3Baptism • What did Moroni teach about the requirements for baptism? • Do we continue to live these requirements? 30

Conditions for baptism • The conditions for baptism do not change from one age to another. Moroni recorded that to be baptized a person must— 31

Moroni 6:4 • “they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken” • Why were their names recorded? 32

Moroni 6:5-6Meet together oft • How do Church meetings give us an opportunity to speak to each other “concerning the welfare of [our] souls”? • Why is it important that we meet together to partake of the sacrament? • What did Moroni teach about how Church meetings were conducted? (See Moroni 6:9.) What can each of us do to invite the Spirit into our meetings? 33

Moroni 6:5-6 • “Unless the Saints attend their meetings it will be hard for them to keep alive in the Gospel” • Anthon H Lund, (in Conference Report, Oct. 1907, p. 9). story 34

: “Any convert whose faith grows cold is a tragedy. Any member who falls into inactivity is a matter for serious concern. The Lord left the ninety and nine to find the lost sheep. His concern for the dropout was so serious that He made it the theme of one of His great lessons. We must constantly keep Church officers and the membership aware of the tremendous obligation to fellowship in a very real and warm and wonderful way those who come into the Church as converts, and to reach out with love to those who for one reason or another step into the shadows of inactivity” • Gordon B Hinckley,(in Church News, 8 Apr. 1989, 6). 35

What can we do to follow President Hinckley’s counsel? • How have you been blessed by others who have remembered and nourished you? 36

Moroni 6:7-8 • Church courts and the policies that govern these courts serve three general purposes: • to protect the sacred name of the Church, • to clear the name of the innocent who are falsely accused, • to provide an opportunity for the guilty to repent 37

Sacrament • What promises are you about to make? • What blessings may you receive from this experience? • Why is this ordinance important to you? • What can you do to improve your experience of partaking of the sacrament? 40

Moroni 2-5Why important? • they help us see the consistency of gospel ordinances through different periods of time • How does it strengthen you to see the same ordinances present in different dispensations of the Lord’s Church? 41

Moroni 6 • Who has the responsibility to see that both long-time and new members are “remembered and nourished by the good word of God”? 42

“With the ever increasing number of converts, we must make an increasingly substantial effort to assist them as they find their way. Every one of them needs three things: a friend, a responsibility, and nurturing with ‘the good word of God’ (Moroni 6:4)” • Gordon B Hinckley, Ensign, May 1997, 47). 43

Elder Carl B. Pratt told of the feelings his family experienced as they visited different wards in the Church. Share the following excerpt with class members: • “Some wards our children loved to visit because they quickly found friends among the youth, and we all received a warm and hearty welcome. But there were other wards to which our children returned with less enthusiasm, and there was a noticeable absence of the warm and hearty welcome. • “We then began to observe that in some wards we visited … , if we had been investigators or new members, we would not have felt very welcome. … • “These experiences … made us conscious of the need we all have to improve what we call our fellowshipping skills. … • “Brothers and sisters, we have the richest blessings that God can give to His children. We have the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We ought to be the most open, friendly, happy, kind, considerate, thoughtful, loving people in the whole world. … • “Will nonmembers, new converts, and visitors to our chapels recognize us as His disciples by the warmth of our greeting, by the ease of our smiles, by the kindness and genuine concern that shine in our eyes?” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1997, 12; or Ensign, Nov. 1997, 11–12). • • How do you think visitors or new converts would feel in our ward or branch? (Ask class members to ponder this question rather than answer it aloud.) How can we improve the way we treat visitors and new converts? • ^ Back to top 44

Come, thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace; • streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise. • Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above. • Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it, mount of thy redeeming love. 45

2. Here I raise mine Ebenezer; hither by thy help I'm come; • and I hope, by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home. • Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God; • he, to rescue me from danger, interposed his precious blood. 46

3. O to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be! • Let thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee. • Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love; • here's my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above. 47

Great essay and postings! I love the ebenezer story. Going through a very rough and depressing week in my life, I found a stone big enough to fit in the palm of my hand, and I held on to it in my times of sorrow, saying over and over to myself, "Thus far the LORD has brought me, and He will lead me through." I also remembered the Israelites' crossing of the Jordan where Joshua was told by the LORD to set up stones taken from the MIDDLE of the river while God held the waters back, a testimony of faith that God got them half way through the river and the best thing to do was to keep on walking forward, trusting Him to get them to the other side. That stone I held was so good for me as a tie to the LORD and His goodness at a time when I felt like I was coming apart and unattatched from all the good in my life. What emotional healing application the Ebenezer and Jordan stones have for us, and what great gifts from a truly awesome and wonderful God! Praise Him! • Posted by: christy at September 9, 2006 5:33 AM • i was in prayer at church on 10/27 when i heard in my spirit the word Ebenezer spoken 48

Here I Raise My Ebenezer • Here I raise mine Ebenezer;hither by thy help I'm come;and I hope, by thy good pleasure,safely to arrive at home.Jesus sought me when a stranger,wandering from the fold of God;he, to rescue me from danger,interposed his precious blood. —Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing • After a long period of sadness and trouble, a consequence of Israel's disobedience, Israel repented under the leadership of a new priest and judge, Samuel. God restored their political security, and the people, for their part, re-committed their hearts and minds to their Lord. • Samuel placed a large stone at the place where this restoration began. He publicly dedicated it as a monument to God's help, God's faithfulness, God's eternal covenant. And as the people got on with their lives, the stone stood there, visible to all who passed that way, a reminder of judgment and repentance, mercy and restoration. • The Ebenezer stone represented a fresh beginning, a reversal of course for God's people. It also said something important about God: his mercies are everlasting; his covenant is forever. • I have friends who keep prayer journals. They record their requests to God and the answers they receive. In this way, they can go back into the past and review their walk 49

with God; they are reminded of his faithfulness. • Prayer journals are a type of Ebenezer stone. • Members of AA can tell you how long they have been sober. They keep alive the memory of the last drink they took, and with each new day, one day at a time, they move farther down the road of sobriety. AA is on to something important. Do they ask their members to count the number of years spent in drunken waste? No. They count the days spent walking in a new direction. All that went before is water over the dam. • I tend to beat myself up about mistakes I made long, long ago. I don't forgive myself, even though I accept the fact of God's forgiveness. Perhaps you can identify with me. But that's not what God desires. • Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven. —Philippians 3:13b,14, NLT (The Apostle Paul writing) • I should set up an Ebenezer stone, I think, to serve as a continual reminder that I am forgiven, that I have chosen a new direction, that God has made a permanent covenant with all who put their faith in Jesus Christ. • Samuel was a wise and godly man with a good idea. He recognized something that's true about human nature—we're forgetful. At Ebenezer, Israel could stand next to that big old rock and remind themselves, "Yes, we serve a living and faithful God, whose mercies are everlasting." • Update: Gary Parrett of Gordon-Conwell has written a thoughtful article for Christianity Today called Raising Ebenezer, in which he argues for preserving archaic language in Christian hymns because they inform our faith in ways that contemporary language cannot. Some good things to think about. • Photo credit: Machrie Moor standing stone (Scotland), NVM Digital • Posted by Charlie at April 8, 2005 5:05 PM | print this! | TrackBackPosted to Essays on Faith • Comments • I found myself, especially when 50

To Keep them in the Right Way