Sermoncitos, a family tradition
The Gospel of Jesus Christ
After His series of visits with the people in America, they organized a church ”and they who were baptized in the name of Jesus were called the church of Christ.” 3 Nephi 26:21.
The 12 disciples traveled to preach and baptize. They were not alone; they knew they were acting in the name of Jesus Christ and under His direction. “...it came to pass that the disciples were gathered together and were united in mighty prayer and fasting.” And Jesus again showed himself unto them, for they were praying unto the Father in his name.” 3 Nephi 27:1, 2.
Jesus continued to teach them and answer their questions...”ye must take upon you the name of Christ, which is my name. For by this name shall ye be called at the last day; and whoso taketh upon him my name and endureth to the end, the same shall be saved at the last day... and ye shall call upon the Father in my name that he will bless the church for my sake.” 3 Nephi 27:5-7.
He makes it clear to them that each person must take upon himself the name of Christ and endure to the end to be saved, and explains what that means...”and this is my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you, that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me...that I might be lifted up upon the cross...that I might draw all men unto me..to stand before me, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil. And it shall come to pass, that whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world.” 3 Nephi 27:13-16.
Endure to the end, is clearly the doctrine of maintaining oneself clean by obeying the commandments throughout life. “Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day.” 3 Nephi 27:20.
He did not ask them to do anything that he wouldn’t do himself, in fact, he said, “...for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do; therefore if ye do these things blessed are ye, for ye shall be lifted up at the last day”. 3 Nephi 27:21, 22. He did not leave them without the resources to accomplish this great task: “Therefore, ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; for he that asketh, receiveth; and unto him that knocketh, it shall be opened..
He expressed great joy, knowing they would indeed endure to the end, “and now, behold, my joy is great, even unto fulness...” 3 Nephi 27:30. “And it came to pass that when Jesus had ended these saying he said unto his disciples: Enter ye at the strait gate; for strait is the gate, and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few there be that find it; but wide is the gate, and broad the way which leads to death, and many there be that travel them in, until the night cometh, wherein no man can work.”
Gospel Solutions
The problems we face today are similar to those suffered by our ancestors. We struggle to overcome the sins, pride, and wisdom of the world. Our children are subject to temptations and some don’t make good choices. Adam’s children were no different. Jacob’s children did not all follow the gospel. Jesus’s disciples and close friends did not all remain faithful. Faced with challenges, we can be tempted to seek solutions in the world, because relying upon God requires faith and patience. An internet search for solutions to problems led me to listings such as help for mental illness, parenting, alcohol, marriage, gambling, insomnia, behavior, health, debt, addictions, and 36,800,000 more. What I want to know is the Gospel solution to my problems.
Sometimes there is a Church solution. I can call upon the resources of the Church for short term remedies from the Fast Offering donations, such as a food order, or rent money. Church members can provide extra hands to haul furniture, or a sympathetic heart when I have grief. The Church can provide instruction to my children, and a place of peace where I can gather with people of a like mind to worship. But when I have had urgent problems, I sometimes have sought expensive solutions from lawyers or doctors or counselors or self medication instead of the Church, and wondered, isn’t there a Gospel solution?
Lehi saw in his vision of the Tree of Life that the Gospel solution to his family’s needs required action (1 Nephi 8, 11). First he had to find and taste of the fruit for himself. This filled him with an intense desire to share the love of God with his family. He called to them to come see and experience what he had discovered. He saw numerous challenges faced by everyone. Those who made it to the Tree of Life held on to an Iron Rod, which is the Word of God. Those who remained faithful rejected the mockings and temptations of the world.
When people come to me with problems, I seek inspiration to counsel them, but often my counsel is that they put themselves in tune with the Spirit so they can learn of the will of God through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. The first step in finding a solution is to put yourself in harmony with the Gospel, so I read to them the requirements for entering the temple. If they fall short in anything I pray that “...when thy people transgress, any of them, they may speedily repent and return unto thee, and find favor in thy sight, and be restored to the blessings which thou hast ordained to be poured out upon those who shall reverence thee in thy house” (D&C 109:21).
The Lord will fight our battles if we are on His side. His holy angels will accompany us, and the Spirit will light our path if we give priority to sharing the love of God. In 1836 the Prophet prayed, “O Lord, how long wilt thou suffer this people to bear this affliction, and the cries of their innocent ones to ascend up in thine ears, and their blood come up in testimony before thee...? [Bless us] that our garments may be pure, that we may be clothed upon with robes of righteousness, with palms in our hands, and crowns of glory upon our heads, and reap eternal joy for all our sufferings” (D&C 109:49, 76).
We all have problems. There are often solutions offered through the services of the Church. Our long term solutions come by living the Gospel and being in tune with the Spirit. The fruit of the Gospel is the love of God. Seek it, share it, hold to the rod and be faithful that you may be lifted up in the end.
Correct Principles
When my children were small, my wife often had to take them to church alone, as my Sunday assignments took me far from home. As the District Sunday School President I regularly visited each of the 13 branches throughout Maine, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. Although I saw each Sunday School teacher only every few months, and then only briefly, I had confidence that they would teach their lesson each week and teach correct doctrine. I also was certain that my children would be in church learning their duty, even if I was doing my duty elsewhere. I was following the pattern Jesus set when he would preach and organize, then move on. Joseph Smith was asked in Nauvoo how he could govern such a large body of people scattered across the land. His response was “I don’t govern them, I teach them correct principles and they govern themselves”. Each one of us must learn and do our duty.
We can learn from the example of Joseph Smith. At age 14 he read the scriptures and responded to the challenge to ask of God. At age 24 he was the President of a new Church. By age 34 he was the Mayor of Nauvoo. At every age we can accept roles in the Kingdom of God. His assignments put him in harm’s way, so the Lord comforted him: “The ends of the earth shall inquire after thy name, and fools shall have thee in derision, and hell shall rage against thee, while the pure in heart, and the wise, and the noble, and the virtuous, shall seek cousel, and authority and blessings constantly from under thy hand, and thy people shall never be turned against thee by the testimony of traitors; and although their influence shall cast thee into trouble, and into bars and walls, thou shalt be had in honor, and but for a small moment and thy voice shall be more terrible in the midst of thine enemies, than the fierce lion, because of thy righteousness; and thy God shall stand by thee forever and ever.” The Lord will comfort and support each of us who is true to the priciples of service in the Kingdom.
Joseph taught that the first principles of the Gospel are “Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and repentance for the remission of sins”. He reintroduced the ancient financial principles of tithes and offerings and debt reduction. He was prophetic about the changing role of alcohol and tobacco in our society and taught principles of health that were validated in our day. According to his contemporaries he lived the principles he taught, including “friendship, one of the grand fundamental principles of ‘Mormonism’; it is designed to revolutionize and civilize the world, and cause wars and contentions to cease and men to become friends and brothers”. Our lives are blessed as we foster our friendships by serving side by side in our church duties.
Joseph taught principles of kindness based on love. “...As you increase in innocence and virtue, as you increase in goodness, let your hearts expand, let them be enlarged towards others; you must be long suffering, and bear with the faults and errors of mankind. How precious are the souls of men!” His kindness was extended to saints and sinners alike. “The nearer we get to our heavenly Father, the more we are disposed to look with compassion on perishing souls; we feel that we want to take them upon our shoulders, and cast their sins behind our backs”. We live correct principles when we forgive one another, and reach out to those in need.
Write your experiences and testimonies and insights about the scriptures in order to teach correct principles to your family and friends. Live the principles you believe in, as that is how you will achieve success, peace, and prosperity.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ
After His series of visits with the people in America, they organized a church ”and they who were baptized in the name of Jesus were called the church of Christ.” 3 Nephi 26:21.
The 12 disciples traveled to preach and baptize. They were not alone; they knew they were acting in the name of Jesus Christ and under His direction. “...it came to pass that the disciples were gathered together and were united in mighty prayer and fasting..” And Jesus again showed himself unto them, for they were praying unto the Father in his name.” 3 Nephi 27:1, 2.
Jesus continued to teach them and answer their questions...”ye must take upon you the name of Christ, which is my name... For by this name shall ye be called at the last day. And whoso taketh upon him my name and endureth to the end, the same shall be saved at the last day... .. and ye shall call upon the Father in my name that he will bless the church for my sake...” 3 Nephi 27:5-7.
He makes it clear to them that each person must take upon himself the name of Christ and endure to the end to be saved, and explains what that means...”and this is my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you, that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me... that I might be lifted up upon the cross...that I might draw all men unto me..to stand before me, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil.... And it shall come to pass, that whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world..” 3 Nephi 27:13-16.
Endure to the end, is clearly the doctrine of maintaining oneself clean by obeying the commandments throughout life. “Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day. 3 Nephi 27:20.
He did not ask them to do anything that he wouldn’t do himself, in fact, he said, “...for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do. 3 Nephi 27:21, 22.
He did not leave them without the resources to accomplish this great task: “Therefore, ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; for he that asketh, receiveth; and unto him that knocketh, it shall be opened. 27: 29.
He expressed great joy, knowing they would indeed endure to the end, “and now, behold, my joy is great, even unto fulness..." 3 Nephi 27:30.
“And it came to pass that when Jesus had ended these saying he said unto his disciples: Enter ye at the strait gate; for strait is the gate, and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few there be that find it; but wide is the gate, and broad the way which leads to death, and many there be that travel them in, until the night cometh, wherein no man can work. 27:33.