His Grace is Sufficient

This Sunday in Sunday School our new instructor referenced this talk. I just had the opportunity to review it and I highly recommend that your listen to it. It will be the best 32 minutes you spend this week. I have had a real strong impression that the way we Mormons talk about grace is a little off. I think Brother Wilcox nails it. I love the analogy that he uses about the parent paying for piano lessons. It works for me. Enjoy!

Brad Wilcox - His Grace is Sufficient

It’s been a long time since I posted. Life gets kind of crazy and you lose track of the days. I hope you all are enjoying the Christmas season. It is a wonderful time to think about the Savior and his miraculous birth.

Two weeks ago I was asked to give the lesson in the High Priest Group. The topic was “How the Savior birth affects us all”. While I was studying this topic I came across an Ensign article publish in 1997 titled Birth of the Messiah. It was very interesting and taught me many things.

I went back in the Old Testament to look for images that would help explain the Story of the Nativity.  I came across Ezekiel 34 and it was like I had never read it before. It is a beautiful chapter where the Lord identifies the leaders of the Jews as the Shepherds. And then reprimands them for not feeding the sheep. He then goes on to say that he will seek after the lost sheep of Israel and they will be brought to his pastures and find peace. It is extremely beautiful and poignant. It is worth the read.

So I’m thinking that the first century Jews and Christians are familiar with this image and so when they read the story of the Nativity, they might be confused. The angels did not appear to the ruler of the Jews but to humble Shepherds in the field. Men who didn’t have authority, but were just doing their jobs. This is an immense privilege. What could be the meaning of this? Some will say that it is just a story. It doesn’t have to have any meaning. I believe it does. It describes those who are diligently working to prepare those who will serve in the church.

In the above mention article the writer explains that according to Jewish law, sheep and other herds where keep a distance away from the cities. Living next to a dairy I can understand the need for space. But according to the story, the shepherds where close by, as after the angels appeared they went and visited the child.

So it turns out that the Jews would keep flocks of sheep near the town that were to give birth to Passover lambs.  And more than likely they were birthing them during the time the star appeared. These were no ordinary flocks. They were separated from the rest and were preparing for the Passover. A very important celebration in the Jewish calendar.

So important was the work these men were performing that the heavens saw fit to announce and celebrate the birth of the Savior.  Christ the Savior of the entire world, born in this country and lambs born to take on themselves individual sins of those willing to offer them as sacrifice. I think this is a type of the work of the church. We are all involved in the process of preparing Passover lambs. Those that will sacrifice their time, talents and everything they are blessed with in building the church and kingdom of God on this earth.

Whatever calling we have is important. It helps us and others to do his work. Be diligent and patient in do the work and great blessing will be yours. Hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

Stray sheep

The other day I followed a link to Isaiah 53. This is a beautiful chapter that talks of Christ and describes our part in his sufferings. This verse jumped out at me.

 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

It dawned on me that the Jews knew Isaiah and were very familiar with his writing. This image would have been known by them, so when Christ came along and taught the parable of the ninety and nine. They would have connected the parable with this revered verse in the scriptures.

 11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

 12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?

 13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoice thmore of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.

 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. Matthew 18:12

While searching for these scriptures I did a search for ninety and nine and the first reference to come up was this one

 24 And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. Genesis 17:24

So now we have two Old Testament references that would be very clear and recognizable to the Jews, or at least Jews that are well versed in the Old Testament. Ninety and nine is a reference to the House of Israel, the circumcised.

In the parable of the lost sheep the Jews are complaining to the Savior that he spends his time with sinners, those that are not clean. The Lord teaches them that God rejoices over the return of the Lost more so then the ninety and nine.

I noticed something else in this parable. If you go to the Bible Dictionary and look up Sacrifices you will learn a lot about the Great Atoning Sacrifice that is Christ. The Dictionary states that sacrifices where instructive. They taught the individual the importance of the sacrifice and his relationship to it. It then gives six points that were important to make the sacrifice valid. In studing this idea I came to realize that there is possible a seventh point and it is one that would be recognizable to the Jews.

If I were a Shepard and I was preparing for the Passover. I would need to go out to my flock and find the Passover Lambs. I would know who they are as I would pay attention to every female sheep that would give birth to its first born. I would be able to recognize her and I would pay attention to that lamb to make sure that I could recognize him when I need him. None the less I would still have to seek him out when I needed him.

So the search for Lambs would have been common.  Notice in Luke's version of the parable that the Lamb is brought home to a celebration with the Shepard's friends and not returned to the ninety and nine. Another important characteristic of a sacrifice, it must be set apart from the flock.

Sheep were not pets and so the only reason that one would come home is because it was part of peace offering which is the only time a part of the lamb would come home for a sacrificial meal or feast. Another image that the Jews would understand.

I think of the many hours that I spent on my mission search for the one. At the time it was very discouraging. It’s comforting to know that it is a part of a pattern that is essential to our salvation. As missionaries we have the privilege of being the "Good Shepard" and seeking the one. Then in turn offer ourselves as a sacrifice that others might live.

I'm thinking this great search works two ways. The Savior seeks us and we in turn must seek him.

 17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me Proverbs 8:17

that ye have seen me....

The truth is, those who diligently seek to learn of Christ eventually will come to know Him. They will personally receive a divine portrait of the Master, although it most often comes in the form of a puzzle—one piece at a time. Each individual piece may not be easily recognizable by itself; it may not be clear how it relates to the whole. Each piece helps us to see the big picture a little more clearly. Eventually, after enough pieces have been put together, we recognize the grand beauty of it all. Then, looking back on our experience, we see that the Savior had indeed come to be with us—not all at once but quietly, gently, almost unnoticed.                 President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
This past Sunday I was reminded by one of the speakers at church that President Uchtdorf used this analogy. To understand this a little better I would like to add John 14:22-23 which says

22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?

 23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

I believe this is the gift of those that truly seek him. Now lets add D & C 88:49-50

49 The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not; nevertheless, the day shall come when you shall comprehend even God, being quickened in him and by him.

 50 Then shall ye know that ye have seen me, that I am, and that I am the true light that is in you, and that you are in me; otherwise ye could not abound.

So most of us are looking for the day that he will come and the reality is that in some peoples lives he has already and if we are in tune with the spirit and know what we are looking for we will find him.

One Sunday after the sacrament a priest age young man walked down from the sacrament table and sat next to his dad. His father put his arm around his shoulder and pulled him towards him. The both looked at each other and smiled. The Spirit instantly bore witness to me that I had just witness the love that the Father has for the Son.

I have come to understand that this is how we come to know God. Through our own experiences, particularly as parents. We cant know what its like to be a father unless we are one and take our roles seriously. As we faithful fill our roles and live the gospel, we become like him. We should recognize this in our lives and in the lives of others.

So looking back I can say that I have know many people who through their diligent have illustrated the powerful attributes that are Christ. I feel very blessed and humble to know so many. I strive each day to be more like them so that I may stand in his presents.

The Young Ruler

I have always loved this painting. It is beautiful and elegant. Its impossible not to recognize the story and in one view to understand the dilemma that the young man finds himself in.Both figures are imposing and dominate the frame. Christ arms show great compassion and tenderness towards the poor. How could he resist the plea for assistance.

We have two of these painting in our chapel. One in each foyer. On a couple of occasion I have had the opportunity to sit in the foyer and study the painting.  I have wondered what would have happened if the young ruler followed the Savior and sold everything and gave it to the poor. I have wondered what the young man would do now with nothing to sustain himself or the poor for that matter. He would have had to live entirely by faith and wait on the Lord for his daily needs. I would image there would be great blessing for making that commitment.

I've wondered why the Lord didn't ask him to use his fortune to sustain the poor. There are many able men who use their wealth in very charitable ways that in reality benefit people for generations. Why wasn't he asked to do that. The young ruler could still live in comfort and provide through out his life for the poor. Wouldn't that be worthy too?

I have wondered why the artist used an elderly naked man and a women to represent the poor. The scriptures indicate that he was to give to the poor. I have thought that they were an adequate representation of the poor. But of late I have decided that the artist was inspired to compose such an image as it gives further light into an alternative meaning of this painting.

To tell you the truth, I have struggle to relate to this parable. I am not wealthy to the point that I feel compelled to give away my substance and I am not as poor as those depicted in the painting. So I have never thought that Christ was speaking to me.

Until one day I realized that there was a second lesson to learn from this painting and it would be one that could only be taught to those who have prophets as leaders and additional scriptures as guides.

So you need two keys to change the meaning. I believe that the young ruler is the natural man.  The woman represents the church. So now he is speaking to us. We all have physical bodies and are subject to the desires of the flesh which are described as the "Natural Man". We have all been blessed to come to mortality have physical bodies, experience the lessons of life and if we make the right choices and live worthily we become joint heirs with Christ and inherit all that the Father has. I don't think we are being asked to give everything to the poor but we are asked to sacrifice and consecrate all that we have to the poor (the Church). So this whole parable is more about the Law of Consecration. We don't give it away but we use it to build the kingdom.

The naked man represent the process we begin when we strip ourselves of the concerns of the world and humble ourselves before the church. The church then uses all that it poses to dress and care for the individual until such time that the individual can make the same commitments and participate in the work of the church.

So now we are faced with the same dilemma. Do we follow after the world and enjoy our riches or do we decide to use them to build the church and kingdom on earth. If we choose the later the blessing of eternity are ours.

One more Key and two you already know...

In revelation John tells us that those who overcome the world will be made pillars in the temple of his God to go no more out. For us latter-day folk this reference may be  hard to understand. In John's day large buildings were difficult to build and if there was any height to the building it required the use of pillars. Not just pillars around the outside of the building but all through the interior of the building.

Most of the Greek and Roman Temple were filled with pillars and the open rooms were very small. The pillars would be massive and would hold tremendous weight. They were elegant and very impressive features. They stood motionless and they were very capable in fulfilling the function they were designed for.

The first century Christians were also taught that they were the body of Christ. This analogy would be easy to understand. As we become righteous we become part of God's abode and we become fully capable in fulfilling our callings no matter how much pressure is place upon us.

Now to my point. I recently decided to read the Book of Mormon. I started reading a couple of months ago but I haven't gotten past the first 10 pages. I keep seeing things differently, so I just keep going through the 10 pages trying to get it all.

In the first chapter Nephi talks about the dreams and vision that his father had. His father prays to God and see a pillar of light on a rock and he learns much. He is so tired from the experience that he goes home and falls on his bed and has a vision where he thinks he sees God.

I've wondered why he thinks that he sees God. At first I thought maybe since this was the first time for him to see God he just wasn't sure. I also wondered why he would use an image like a pillar of fire.

As you read on you find out that the Jews didn't like what Lehi had to say and they wanted to kill him. That was one of the reasons that he left Jerusalem. I have since come to realize that prophets had the same problem that Christ had. Christ often wouldn't come right out and say he was the Son of God, cause if he did the Jews would seek his life. I believe the ancient prophets had the same problem. If they came right out and said they saw God, the Jews would seek to take their lives.

So they would use images to describe who they were speaking with. Until recently I didn't know for sure who Lehi was talking about. Lets apply the keys we know have and decide who he spoke to.

So he spoke to a pillar of fire that was on a rock. The pillar an impressive piece of architecture that demonstrates strength and greatness. Fire represents the presents of God. So which God is he speaking to? Remember a few weeks ago I show you that there were multiple reference in the old testament that indicate that Jehovah is the Rock of Israel.

So Lehi is speaking to the pre-mortal Christ, to Jehovah himself. He has just vailed the being he is talking to in images that would only be understood by the faithful few who understood the scriptures and were looking for the truth. Everyone else would just be confused and think that Lehi was some batty old guy that wasn't worth their time.

I was excited to learn this as I have always wondered about this and feel the Spirit showed me the answer. I hope you learned something. My next post will answer the question.. "What three gifts do wise men give us?" If you know the answer please leave a comment or send me an email.

Oh one more thing. The next time you read the Book of Mormon, pay attention to how many of the prophets in the book claim to have see Christ. I would say that all of the writers of the book make the claim and many of the prophets make the claim. I think that is one of the prime purposes of the book, to teach us to see Christ.

Two new keys!

Sitting in High Priest Group today I had a wonderful experience. First of all the brother that gave the lesson on obedience did a wonderful job. He had a very nice manner and had great insight and there was allot of good discussion. I love those type of group meetings. The Spirit was very strong and after class as I was wiping away my tears, our Group Leader indicated that we should have had a box of Kleenex to pass around. I was relieved, I thought I was the only one.

As I was looking at this picture I started to wonder. I had never seen it and I started thinking differently. I have always loved this passage of scripture. "I know not save the Lord commanded me." We often worry too much about what the world thinks and don't realize that simple faith leads to great faith.

But looking at the picture I wondered what the fire represented.  So I open to the Bible Dictionary and looked up fire. "Fire represents the presents of God....". The Jews keep a fire burning in the temple at all times. A beautiful illustration of the fact that God will dwell with us, if we offer the right type of sacrifice.  I look on the next page and there is the word "Flesh". A little ways into the definition it states that "Flesh represents mortality". So now the brain is in high gear and I am exploring the many ways that we need to sacrifice the mortal man in order to be close to God or even to be like him.

I'm just coming to understand the full meaning of these images, but know I have a place to start. An idea a concept that illustrates eternal truth that God is trying to teach us and help us to understand his ways.