Church Services This Week at Oak Ridge Ward Layton North Stake Layton Utah 23 Aug 2020

Online Elders Quorum

The lesson was based on "Finding Refuge from the Storms of Life" By Elder Ricardo P. Giménez. The link to the talk can be found here:  https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/04/53gimenez?lang=eng

“Faith is the antidote for fear.” (Elder Russell M. Nelson, “Let Your Faith Show”, April 2014 General Conference)

“Suffering is universal; how we react to suffering is individual. Suffering can take us one of two ways. It can be a strengthening and purifying experience combined with faith, or it can be a destructive force in our lives if we do not have the faith in the Lord’s atoning sacrifice” (“Your Sorrow Shall Be Turned to Joy,” Ensign, Nov. 1983, 66).

Do our challenges make us stronger or do we wallow in them?

“The Lord has said, ‘If ye are prepared ye shall not fear’ (D&C 38:30).

“The primary preparation is also set forth in the Doctrine and Covenants, wherein it says, ‘Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come’ (D&C 87:8).”

Alma 28

13 And thus we see how great the inequality of man is because of sin and transgression, and the power of the devil, which comes by the cunning plans which he hath devised to ensnare the hearts of men.

“To one who has faith no explanation is necessary.  To one without faith, no explanation is possible.” (St. Thomas Aquinas)

Doctrine and Covenants 121:7–8

7 My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

8 And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.

God is not a celestial butler.

Church Services This Week at Oak Ridge Ward Layton North Stake Layton Utah 9 Aug 2020

Online Elders Quorum

The lesson was based on "Fulfillment of Prophecy" By Elder Ronald A. Rasband, the talk link is here: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/04/41rasband?lang=eng 

Daniel 2:34 

34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.

Daniel 2:34 is being fulfilled now.

DnC 58

26 For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

Joseph Smith wasn’t told how to do everything.  He had to go through a process of figuring it out and making mistakes.

Rev 14:6

6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,

Rev 14:6 was fulfilled when Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith and set into motion the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the gathering of Israel around the world.

Malachi 4:5-6 

5 ¶ Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:

6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

Malachi 4:5-6 was fulfilled when Elijah appeared to Joseph Smith and restored the keys of gathering Israel on the other side of the veil.

Isaiah 2:2

2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

Isaiah 2:2 

Was fulfilled when the Salt Lake temple was built and the saints from all over the world emigrated to it.  Isaiah chapter 2 opens by saying it is concerning Judah and Jerusalem.  It describes that this emigration will happen because Judah and Jerusalem had followed idols and pride.

Church Services This Week at Oak Ridge Ward Layton North Stake Layton Utah 2 Aug 2020

Online Sunday School

Alma 39-42

“With worldly sex, anything goes. With marital intimacy, exquisite care is taken to avoid anything and everything—from language to music to movies—that offends the Spirit, your spirit, or your spouse’s.

While worldly sex is lustful and kills love, marital intimacy generates more love.

Worldly sex degrades men and women and their bodies, while marital intimacy honors men and women and celebrates the body as one of the great prizes of mortal life.

With worldly sex, individuals can feel used, abused, and ultimately more lonely. With marital intimacy, spouses feel more united and loved, more nurtured and understood.

Worldly sex ravages and eventually ruins relationships. Marital intimacy strengthens marriages. It supports, heals, and hallows the lives of spouses and their marriage.

Worldly sex has been likened to the toot of a flute, while marital intimacy has been likened to the grandeur of an entire orchestra.

Worldly sex becomes a total obsession because it never fulfills its promises. God-ordained marital intimacy is glorious and will continue eternally for covenant-keeping husbands and wives.” (Wendy Watson Nelson, “Love and Marriage”, Worldwide Broadcast Jan 2017)

“Let me point out the need to differentiate between two critical words: worth and worthiness. They are not the same. Spiritual worth means to value ourselves the way Heavenly Father values us, not as the world values us. Our worth was determined before we ever came to this earth. ‘God’s love is infinite and it will endure forever.’

“On the other hand, worthiness is achieved through obedience. If we sin, we are less worthy, but we are never worth less! We continue to repent and strive to be like Jesus with our worth intact. As President Brigham Young taught: ‘The least, the most inferior spirit now upon the earth … is worth worlds.’ No matter what, we always have worth in the eyes of our Heavenly Father.”(Joy D. Jones, “Value beyond Measure”, Oct 2017 General Conference)