Come Follow Me for Oct 12-18 - 3 Nephi 20-26

Final chapter of The Book of Mormon. Moroni gives us 8 exhortations, starting with exhorting us to remember how merciful God is to us and culminating with the exhortation to come unto Christ. The Book of Mormon is a record of God’s mercy to a small group of wanderers somewhere in the American continent and its ultimate purpose is to help us come unto Christ. Moroni also promises that by the power of the Holy Ghost we can know the truth of all things, which I understand to be not a question of historicity, but whether something is true to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Ultimately our greatest desire should be for the Holy Ghost to testify that we are true to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we have no better tool to help us stay true than The Book of Mormon!

Moroni shares the teachings of his father, Mormon, including a sermon he gave to the Nephite church and letters he wrote to Moroni. His sermon teaches the importance of doing the right thing for the right reason, which is the only way the we can attain personal growth and progress. Through the grace of Christ, we are able to “lay hold” of the good that we do, meaning that it helps us to progress back towards our heavenly goal. Once we have hope, in that we believe in where we are going, and we have faith, in that we believe in the path to get there, then we add to that charity, which is the fuel the enables us to move forward on that path towards our goal. All three work together in the Plan of Salvation and are made possible through the atonement of Jesus Christ. Mormon condemns the practice of infant baptism, in that it denies the grace and goodness of the Plan, replacing it instead with “dead works,” as opposed to being alive in Christ.

Moroni, finding himself still alive, gives guidance to members of the future Church of Jesus Christ about a few critical aspects of a church, choosing to focus on the power to give the gift of the Holy Ghost, ordaining and calling teachers, the sacrament, baptism, and meeting together. In a world where COVID has forced many of our normal church activities online, we discuss the limitation of virtual church and the importance of having physical experiences to further our spiritual growth. In addition to the covered chapters, this lesson also draws from (1) Melvin J. Ballard’s talk “The Sacramental Covenant,” delivered at a Mutual Improvement Association conference on June 8, 1919, which you can find here: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/new-era/1976/01/classic-discourses-from-the-general-authorities-the-sacramental-covenant?lang=eng&id, and (2) David A. Bednar’s talk “Things as they Really Are,” delivered at a Church Education System fireside on Mary 3, 2009, which you can find here: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2010/06/things-as-they-really-are?lang=eng&id

Moroni finishes his account of Ether, the great prophet and rightful heir to the Jaredite throne. Ether teaches to believe in God, repent, and hope for a better world. Moroni then discourses on faith and hope, and how both are necessary in order to receive the “heavenly gift,” which is returning to the presence of God. Hope is believing in the destination; faith is believing the map that takes us there. God cannot perform miracles in our lives if we do not have faith, and the greatest miracle is taking us back to his presence, which is our eternal destination. The Jaredites reject Ether and his message and, rather than building a society to bring them closer to God, they descend into hell and eventually destroy themselves.

Moroni recounts nearly 2,000 years of Jaredite history, beginning with the journey across the ocean in eight barges by the light of 16 small stones touched by the hand of God. Discussion of the meaning of this journey to us 4,000 years removed and its importance to the Jaredites going forward. Moroni then goes into unusually detail as to the historical record, while only occasionally drawing spiritual conclusions for the reader. One of the important conclusions is the dangers of secret combinations, which caused the destruction of the Jaredites, the Nephites, and any other nation for which darkness replaces light.

Discussion of the beginning of Ether. Moroni condensed the Jaredite record to focus on two main events: their coming to the promised land and their destruction. The former teaches us about Christ, the temple and the Plan of Salvation, while the former is a warning to everyone that has entered into covenants with God. The Brother of Jared is a type of Christ, while Jared was also likely a righteous and spiritual man. The Brother of Jared has a temple experience when he learns the true nature of God, and just as Christ revealed himself as he touched the stones to bring light to the Jaredites in their voyage, so too will the Nephite record reveal Christ and give light to all who read The Book of Mormon as we struggle to return to the presence of God.

Mormon finishes his record by pleading with the Lamanites to come to the knowledge that their fathers had of the plan of salvation and their covenant relationship with Jesus Christ. Moroni takes charge of the Nephite records and prepares to close up his account by testifying that The Book of Mormon is not perfect and likely contains mistakes. We must be charitable in judging this book, because our ability to recognize God’s hand in this book likely speaks volumes as to our ability to recognize God. The Book of Mormon will come forward in a day in which the same mistakes that caused the fall of the Nephites will be prevalent, including the denial by many of miracles. If we believe in Jesus Christ, we believe in a God of miracles and expect God to perform miracles in our lives.

Mormon details the fall and destruction of the Nephites. He was given charge over the Nephite records when he was very young because he was “sober” and “quick to observe,” and so his account is intended to be a spiritual record of the Nephites, recording his spiritual observations and explanations as to what happened. Because of their lack of faith, the Nephites are not able to observe the miracles of God and eventually they aren’t even able to hold on to the things which are theirs. Ultimately, rather than coming unto Christ where there is safety and permanence, they are scattered around by their enemies until they are ultimately destroyed.

The Savior teaches the importance of taking upon ourselves His name and building upon His Gospel, and if we do this then we are His disciples and members of His church. He teaches the Gospel, which is that He came to be lifted up so that when we are lifted up to judged, we are judged by Christ based upon our relationship with Him, or in other words whether we have taken upon ourselves His name. Three of the Nephite disciples are blessed to remain on the earth and teach the Gospel. The Nephites keep the commandments and become one because of the love of God in their hearts, but this unity doesn’t last as pride causes them to take upon themselves names other than that of the Savior, and as a result their Zion society begins to fall apart.

The Savior concludes his teaching to the Nephite masses by administering the sacrament through His apostles and teaching about the gathering of Israel. He makes sure their scriptures include important events and teachings that they had failed to record, including evidence of His ability to overcome death on behalf of everyone, which is the fundamental purpose of the atonement. He teaches the importance of tithing, but not as a way for us to achieve temporal security, but for spiritual blessings, including those relating to our families. Mormon did not record all of Christ’s teachings, but if we are to know what else Christ taught we must seek for it ourselves.