Sacrament Service
First Speaker
13th Article of Faith
We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.
A person who is honest is truthful and sincere.
One who is true has integrity, authenticity, and reliability.
To be chaste is to have self discipline.
To be benevolent is to be kind. More than just being nice, but having a genuine desire to do good for others.
To be virtuous means to have moral excellence.
To hope all things means to expect the best in others, to trust God, and to refuse despair.
Next Speaker
Since the prophet was called, he has counseled us to:
Actively develop and nurture a personal testimony of Jesus Christ and his gospel.
Study our Savior’s atonement weekly and repent daily.
To stay on or return to the covenant path.
To come to know our Savior better and emulate his life and teachings.
And so much more.
Act sooner rather than saying, “I’ll do it someday.”.
Be united or in other words build Zion.
“As we ponder having been commanded by Jesus to become like Him, we see that our present circumstance is one in which we are not necessarily wicked, but, rather, is one in which we are so half-hearted and so lacking in enthusiasm for His cause—which is our cause, too! We extol but seldom emulate Him.” (Neal A. Maxwell, Even as I Am (1982), 16.)
“the Lord loves effort, because effort brings rewards that can’t come without it.” (President Russell M Nelson, from a meeting with Primary children 2020)
Next Speaker
“The purpose of becoming spiritually and temporally self-reliant is to better serve the Lord and care for others.”
Financial self reliance can help us more fully obey the law of consecration.
“We invite you to diligently study and apply these principles and teach them to your family members. As you do so, your life will be blessed. You will learn how to act on your path toward greater self-reliance. You will be blessed with greater hope, peace, and progress.
“Please be assured that you are a child of our Father in Heaven. He loves you and will never forsake you. He knows you and is ready to extend to you the spiritual and temporal blessings of self-reliance.”
(First Presidency letter, in My Foundation: Principles, Skills, Habits (2014), 2.)
Elders Quorum
Lesson based on Elder Gary E. Stevenson - “And We Talk of Christ” and Elder David A. Bednar - “The Times of Restitution of All Things”
The prophet and apostles have been emphasizing preparing for the second coming a lot in the last couple of years.
Elder Stevenson
“We teach that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and during His earthly ministry, Jesus taught His gospel and established His Church.
We testify that at the end of His life, Jesus atoned for our sins when He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane, was crucified on the cross, and then was resurrected.
We rejoice that because of the Savior’s atoning sacrifice, we can be forgiven and cleansed of our sins as we repent. This brings us peace and hope while making it possible for us to return to God’s presence and receive a fullness of joy.
Christ and Mary at the tomb.
We prophesy that because of Jesus’s Resurrection, death is not the end but an important step forward. ‘We will all be resurrected after we die. This means that each person’s spirit and body will be reunited and live forever.’”
“Living prophets in our day—who receive revelation from God to teach and lead us—are increasingly inviting us to come unto Christ. They are helping us to center our hearts, ears, and eyes more fully on Him. We could cite numerous examples of adjustments and enhancements announced by the First Presidency that are designed to focus us on Jesus Christ.”
“The symbol includes the name of the Church contained within a cornerstone, a reminder that Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone...
“The center of the symbol is a representation of Bertel Thorvaldsen’s beloved marble Christus statue, which has become widely associated with the Church and is found in visitors’ centers and on temple grounds around the world. Its prominence in the Church symbol suggests that Christ should be the center of all we do. Likewise, the Savior’s outstretched arms indicate His promise to embrace all who will come unto Him. This symbol is a visual representation of the love of the Savior Jesus Christ and a constant reminder of the living Christ.
“...Jesus Christ stands under the arch. This represents the resurrected Savior emerging from the tomb. We truly celebrate the resurrected, living Christ, even in the use of the Church symbol.”
“In recent First Presidency messages concerning Easter, we have been challenged to “celebrate the Resurrection of our living Savior by studying His teachings and helping to establish Easter traditions in our society as a whole, especially within our own families.” In short, we have been encouraged to move to a higher and holier celebration of Easter.”
“We have always enjoyed a special Easter Sunday meal, Easter baskets, and an Easter egg hunt, and we still do. However, adding an intentional spiritual dimension that focuses on Jesus Christ and His Atonement to our celebration has brought a sweet balance to our commemoration of these most holy of all events.”
Elder Bednar
“Please note that Joseph did not pray merely to know what was right. Rather, he prayed to know what was right so he could do what was right. Joseph asked in faith and was determined to act in accordance with the answers he received.”
“Through this vision and subsequent supernal experiences, Joseph Smith came to understand that God and Jesus Christ knew him as an individual, cared about his eternal salvation, and had a mission for him to perform. He also learned vital lessons about the attributes, character, and perfections of the Godhead—and that the Father and the Son are separate and distinct Beings. Jesus Christ is the literal Son of God in spirit and in the flesh.”
Doctrine and Covenants 130:22
22 The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.
Doctrine and Covenants 130:22
22 The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.
My Thoughts
{
The bible contains an erroneous translation that says, “God is a spirit”. God’s body is quickened by spirit and not blood, as is true of all resurrected or eternal beings.
}
“Elias committed the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham, including the restoration of the Abrahamic covenant.”
My Thoughts
{
Why Elias and not Abraham? Who is Elias?
}
DnC 65
2 The keys of the kingdom of God are committed unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth.
My Thoughts
{
Stone - Maybe much like the water that will flow from the temple to heal the whole Earth. The stone comes from the mountain and fills the Earth.
Mountain - Maybe The temple
}
In this greatest and last of all gospel dispensations, “a whole and complete and perfect union, and welding together of dispensations, and keys, and powers, and glories should take place, and be revealed from the days of Adam even to the present time. And not only this, but those things which never have been revealed from the foundation of the world … shall be revealed … in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times.” (Doctrine and Covenants 128:18)
“… All the ordinances and duties that ever have been required by the Priesthood, under the directions and commandments of the Almighty in any of the dispensations, shall all be had in the last dispensation, therefore all things had under the authority of the Priesthood at any former period, shall be had again, bringing to pass the restoration spoken of by the mouth of all the Holy Prophets.” (Teachings: Joseph Smith, 511.)
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