Here’s a talk I gave in Sacrament Meeting today
It’s been said that television is called a medium because it is neither rare nor well-done. The past two weeks I’ve been enjoying a rather large amount of television, watching the World Cup matches. I really enjoy the drama and simple entertainment of the games. But I also find it interesting to see how important this is to so many people in the world. It is definitely the most global event of the modern world.
But when it comes to events with real global reach, nothing from ancient or modern times even comes close to the impact of the life and mission of Jesus Christ. I was asked to speak today about the teachings of Jesus Christ in the new world. I am grateful that we have the account of His ministry among the Nephites after His resurrection, along with the entire Book of Mormon. The entire record is intended specifically to help us understand His role as our Savior, and to help us claim the blessings of His Atonement.
The narrative of the Book of Mormon begins in Jerusalem, six hundred years before the birth of Jesus Christ. From that first chapter, we have the words of many prophets such as Lehi, Nephi, King Benjamin, and Alma prophesying and teaching the people about the promised Messiah. In the words of Nephi:
“We labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God…
We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins” (2 Nephi 25:23,26)
The Nephites were taught of the Atonement, and to exercise their faith in Christ to repentance. They were also taught to look forward to the time when all these prophecies would be fulfilled. On the night before His birth in Bethlehem, Jesus declared to the believers who were waiting steadfastly for the sign of His birth:
“Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand. And on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfill all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets.
“Behold, I come unto my own, to fulfill all things which I have made known unto the children of men from the foundation of the world” (3 Nephi 1:13-14)
Jesus’ birth and life among mortal men was no accident. It was planned from before the creation of the world. Our Heavenly Father provided a plan for us, His children, to leave His presence, so that we might receive physical bodies and gain knowledge. Being removed from His presence, we became subject to death and sin. Jesus Christ was chosen in the councils in heaven to be the savior of mankind, to help us overcome death and sin and be able to return to the presence of God. As the prophet Alma taught, this plan was revealed to the righteous people of the earth from the days of Adam and Eve:
“Therefore, God conversed with men, and made known unto them the plan of redemption, which had been prepared from the foundation of the world; and this he made known unto them according to their faith and repentance and their holy works…
“But God did call on men, in the name of his Son, (this being the plan of redemption which was laid) saying: If ye will repent, and harden not your hearts, then will I have mercy upon you, through mine Only Begotten Son” (Alma 12:30,33)
To me, it is a great comfort to know that our Heavenly Father has provided a plan for us, and established this covenant that we will receive His mercy when we repent. Jesus came into the world to fulfill His mission to make that possible.
At the time of His death, the world was visited with great tempests and destruction. The Book of Mormon records these events as experienced by the Nephites upon the American continent. In the midst of the earthquakes and storms, the people heard the voice of Christ, proclaiming that these things had all been fulfilled:
“Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are. I was with the Father from the beginning. I am in the Father, and the Father in me; and in me hath the Father glorified his name.
“I came unto my own, and my own received me not. And the scriptures concerning my coming are fulfilled…
“Behold, I have come unto the world to bring redemption unto the world, to save the world from sin.” (3 Nephi 9:15-16,21)
Through His atoning sacrifice in the Garden of Gethsemane, and on the cross at Calvary, Jesus satisfied the demands of justice on our behalf, saving us from sin. This was the last and great sacrifice. The whole purpose of the Law of Moses prior to that had been to point towards and prepare the people for His sacrifice. Now the law has been fulfilled. But for us to lay claim on the great gift of mercy, we must offer our own sacrifice: “And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit.” (3 Nephi 9:20)
President J. Reuben Clark Jr, who was a member of the First Presidency, said:
“Under the new covenant that came in with Christ, the sinner must offer the sacrifice out of his own life, not by offering the blood of some other creature; he must give up his sins, he must repent, he himself must make the sacrifice” (Behold the Lamb of God [1962], 107).
The account in 3rd Nephi contains many invitations from Christ to come unto him, so that we can partake in the blessings of the Atonement. Speaking to the survivors of the destruction, he said: “…will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?” (3 Nephi 9:13). Darkness covered the earth for three days, and they heard the voice of Christ again, saying: “…how oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if ye will repent and return unto me with full purpose of heart.” (3 Nephi 10:6). After the darkness was lifted, the survivors rejoiced at the things they had heard, and they gathered together in the land Bountiful to talk about all the things that had happened. While they were gathered at the temple, Jesus descended from heaven and taught them. He invited them to all come forth and feel the prints of the nails in His hands and His feet. He blessed and healed them, and taught them.
Many years ago, President N. Eldon Tanner, also a member of the First Presidency, recounted an experience of traveling with President Kimball to area conferences in Brazil and Argentina:
“It was heartwarming to feel their love as President Kimball, our prophet, came into their midst, and to see their tears of joy as he moved among them to bless and counsel them. I envisioned what a beautiful, heavenly experience it must have been for those early Nephite people in the Western Hemisphere who were privileged to have a visit from the resurrected Lord himself, who came to visit his other sheep, that they too might be brought into the fold and have an organization for teaching and practicing his gospel.” (“Christ in America”, Ensign, May 1975, 34)
Over the course of a number of days and a number of different visits, Jesus Christ organized His church among the people, and taught them His gospel. He gave them additional scriptures, and taught of others of the lost sheep of Israel. Most importantly, he commanded them to follow His example, and repeated His invitation to come unto Him and be sanctified. We glorify and worship Jesus Christ best when we imitate His example.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught:
“True and perfect worship consists in following in the steps of the Son of God; it consists in keeping the commandments and obeying the will of the Father to that degree that we advance from grace to grace until we are glorified in Christ as he is in his Father. It is far more than prayer and sermon and song. It is living and doing and obeying. It is emulating the life of the great Exemplar…
“To worship the Lord is to follow after him, to seek his face, to believe his doctrine, and to think his thoughts.
“It is to walk in his paths, to be baptized as Christ was, to preach that gospel of the kingdom which fell from his lips, and to heal the sick and raise the dead as he did.
“To worship the Lord is to walk in the Spirit, to rise above carnal things, to bridle our passions, and to overcome the world.
“It is to pay our tithes and offerings, to act as wise stewards in caring for those things which have been entrusted to our care, and to use our talents and means for the spreading of truth and the building up of his kingdom.
“To worship the Lord is to be married in the temple, to have children, to teach them the gospel, and to bring them up in light and truth.
“It is to perfect the family unit, to honor our father and our mother; it is for a man to love his wife with all his heart and to cleave unto her and none else.
“To worship the Lord is to study the gospel, to treasure up light and truth, to ponder in our hearts the things of his kingdom, and to make them part of our lives.
“It is to pray with all the energy of our souls, to preach by the power of the Spirit, to sing songs of praise and thanksgiving.
“To worship is to work, to be actively engaged in a good cause, to be about our Father’s business, to love and serve our fellowmen.
“It is to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to comfort those that mourn, and to hold up the hands that hang down and to strengthen the feeble knees.
“To worship the Lord is to stand valiantly in the cause of truth and righteousness, to let our influence for good be felt in civic, cultural, educational, and governmental fields, and to support those laws and principles which further the Lord’s interests on earth.
“To worship the Lord is to be of good cheer, to be courageous, to be valiant, to have the courage of our God-given convictions, and to keep the faith.
“It is ten thousand times ten thousand things. It is keeping the commandments of God. It is living the whole law of the whole gospel.” (“How to Worship”, Ensign, Dec 1971)
God has established a new covenant with us, through the mediation of Jesus Christ. The new covenant requires positive action, not just passive commitment. Elder John A Widtsoe explained that a covenant “is merely a promise to give life to knowledge by making knowledge useful and helpful in man’s daily progress. … The covenant gives life to truth and makes possible the blessings that reward all those who use knowledge properly” (Assembly Hall Lecture, 12 Oct. 1920, quoted in “Temple Worship,” CES Temple Media Kit, Salt Lake City: Corporation of the President, 1986, p.6).
We have been given so much knowledge through the Book of Mormon and the account it gives of the teachings of Jesus Christ. Let us be true to that covenant, to “give life to knowledge.” Let us worship Jesus Christ through imitation of His example. I’m grateful to be reminded of these things, and grateful for the opportunity to share it with you.
