2/10/2018 - Section 84:1-41

February 10, 2018

Section 84:1-41

Draw Near Unto Me, Magnify Callings, Temple Importance,

It is now the end of September 1832, Joseph has spent much of his time over the summer working on the translation of the scriptures. And now, many of the men called to be missionaries are making their way back and reporting on their missions. This revelation concerns the priesthood, and the importance of priesthood ordinances and guidance in our lives. Some of the jewels I found in this section:

1)    The heading, in describing v’s 102-110 says “Let every man stand in his own office and labor in his own calling.” I feel the importance of that statement for each of us: serving with all our heart and mind in the positions we are asked to fulfill is a path that will bring us closer to Heavenly Father and closer to our fellow saints. Elder Bruce R McConkie said, “The gathering of Israel consists of receiving the truth, gaining again a true knowledge of the Redeemer, and coming back into the true fold of the Good Shepherd” and for me, this is a cyclical process—and I am so thankful for my opportunities for growth.

2)    This section speaks of the power of temple ordinances for “in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.” (v 19) This is another reason to make the temple the center of my life. The Israelites increased their problems because they ‘hardened their hearts’ (24)

3)    V 33 speaks of magnifying our calling, and gives the promise that in doing that we are” sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies”. The student manual states that to magnify is to increase the importance of, or to cause to be held in greater esteem or respect, and then gives 4 suggestions

a.     By learning one’s duty and executing it fully (D&C 107:99-100)

b.     By giving one’s best effort in assigned fields of labor

c.     By consecrating one’s time, talents, and means to the Lord’s work as called upon by our leaders and the whisperings of the Spirit

d.     By teaching and exemplifying truth

And from Miracle of forgiveness p 123 “in the words ‘magnifying their calling,’ far more seems to be implied than the mere attending of priesthood meetings, administering to the sacrament and the sick, and serving in Church work. I think it implies a yearning to, and active working toward, being closer to Heavenly Father—in prayers and in thoughts and in spirit. I think it implies that I should be continually thinking about how I might be loving & helpful to those I am called to serve. And that I should continually yearn to do my very best. And Spencer W Kimball indicated that when we make these efforts: “Perfection of body and spirit seems to be included here.” I think this must be a lifetime goal.

7/26/2021 – D&C 84:1-20

This revelation was received at Kirtland, on September 22 & 23, 1832. Some of the men who had been called in January of that year to go on missions in the eastern United States had returned and were reporting on their missions. It was during this reunion that Joseph inquired of the Lord and received this revelation. Joseph and Emma had just moved from the Johnson home in Hiram, Ohio to living quarters in the Newel K. Whitney store in Kirtland. 

I liked this paragraph in the study manual: “In this revelation the Lord explained how the priesthood prepares the Saints to enter God’s presence and receive all that He has. The Lord taught of the importance of hearkening to His words and reproved the Saints in Jackson County, Missouri, for treating the Book of Mormon and His commandments lightly. The Lord also commanded the Saints to preach the gospel to the world and provided instructions for doing so.”

In v 2 the Lord describes this section as “the word of the Lord concerning his church, established in the last days for the restoration of his people…” 

In v 4 the Lord explains that there will be a temple built in Missouri in what will be “the city New Jerusalem”. He also explains that the temple will be in the center of the city, which makes me think that the temple should hold a place in the center of OUR lives.

Things did not develop in Missouri as the saints had hoped. They were, in fact, driven from Missouri, finally establishing themselves in Nauvoo. They later learned (in D&C 101:1-6 and 105:1-6) that their own transgressions had contributed to their expulsion from Zion. Thus neither the city of New Jerusalem nor the temple was built at that time.  But in D&C 124:49-51, given in Nauvoo, the Lord declared that they were excused from the commandment to build the city of New Jerusalem and the temple. That temple is something that the Lord promises us will happen in the future.

In verses 6-17, the Lord describes how the priesthood was bestowed upon man in the beginning of time and passed down from Adam to Moses—this priesthood “which continues in the church of God in all generations, and is without beginning of days or end of years.” (v 17) He goes on in v 18 to speak of the Melchizedek Priesthood, and that “this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God--[sacred knowledge withheld from the world…possibly the things we learn in the temple—this is from an institute class I attended].  The in v 20 He goes on to let us know that “in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.” (Section 38:32 also talks about this: “Wherefore, for this cause I gave unto you the commandment that ye should go to the Ohio; and there I will give unto you my law; and there you shall be endowed with power from on high.”)

7/27/2021 – D&C 84:21-30

V 20 spoke of the “power of godliness”—which means to act and to become like God. All the ordinances of the temple are given to men and to women. Those ordinances help us to grow in our ‘godliness’. It is in the temple that men and women alike are given access to the priesthood.  The ordinances we go through there are not about what we receive, but instead they are about what we can give. That is a step forward in our ‘godliness’. 

What we can receive in the temple is a tutorial in coming closer to the Lord, but being just a little more like Him. These are called the “blessing of the father”, and those blessing include greater happiness, peace and rest.

Joseph Fielding Smith taught that as members of the restored Church we should “rejoice to think that we have that great authority by which we may know God. Not only the men holding the priesthood know that great truth, but because of that priesthood and ordinances thereof, every member of the Church, men and women alike, may know God.”

The Lord offered these things to the children of Israel as they made their long journey in the desert. “…Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the wilderness and sought diligently to sanctify [make holy] his people that they might behold the face of God; But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his presence; therefore, the Lord in his wrath…swore that they should not enter into his rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the fulness of his glory.” (v’s 23-24)

At first they covenanted to do all that the Lord commanded them to do (Exodus 19:7-8), and some of them, including Aron and two of his sons, ‘Saw the God of Israel” (Exodus 24:9-10) However, the children of Israel hardened their hearts and “corrupted themselves” with idolatry, and because of that they lost the privilege of receiving the ordinances and covenants of the Melchizedek Priesthood, which would have enabled them to “enter into the God’s rest…which rest is the fulness of his glory.” But the Lord gave them a lesser priesthood, the Aaronic Priesthood. 

Bishop Keith B McMullin of the presiding bishopric explained how the Aaronic Priesthood prepares us for the fulness of the Savior’s gospel: “The lesser portion of the gospel encompasses vital, saving truths and rests on the corner stones of obedience and sacrifice. These truths school men and women, boys and girls in the fundamentals of righteousness. They consist of repentance, baptism, and observance of the law of carnal commandments unto the remission of sins. Carnal commandments are those that enable us to overcome the lusts, passions, and desires of our natural, or mortal, bodies and minds….This lesser portion of the gospel will nourish those who are new in the Church, lead back those who have strayed, help young people recognize and overcome the temptations and deceptions of the world. Without this preparation, the fulness of gospel blessings cannot be realized or enjoyed. The responsibility of administering this preparatory portion of the gospel is entrusted to the Aaronic Priesthood.”

Elder David A. Bednar taught how the power of godliness is related to the blessings that come from the Savior through His atoning sacrifice: “Covenants received and honored with integrity and ordinances performed by proper priesthood authority are necessary to receive all of the blessings made available through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. For in the ordinances of the priesthood, the power of godliness is manifest unto men and women in the flesh, including the blessings of the Atonement (see D&C 84:20–21)” (“Bear Up Their Burdens with Ease,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2014, 88).

7/28/2021 – D&C 84:31-40

To sanctify is to “make holy”. I loved listening to the sacrament prayers when we lived in the Netherlands. Where the prayers in English pray ‘to sanctify’, the prayers in Dutch say ‘to make holy’. While those two phrases mean the same thing, the Dutch ‘to make holy’ made it so clear to me. That realization also helps me as I read the scriptures: v 33: “For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining of these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying of their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.”

When I go to the temple, I am experiencing the strength of the highest priesthood. When my osteoporosis was first diagnosed, I was working as a mother/baby nurse in the hospital. One evening when I was in the nursery at the American Fork Hospital. I bent over too quickly. I heard a noise from my back, and felt a pop. I knew I had hurt my back in two places. This discomfort I had felt immediately continued to grow, and by the time my shift was over, I could barely walk to the car. I was in agony, and as the hours went by, my pain increased. Bob was out of town. Then Sunday morning came. I was to teach the gospel doctrine lesson, and I was also scheduled to speak in sacrament meeting. Due to the intense pain and the effect it had on the rest of my body, I knew I couldn’t drive to church. I called the Hall’s and they not only gave me a ride, but once we were at church Brother Hall and Brother Graham gave me a wonderful blessing. My ability to move improved somewhat, and my pain became bearable. As the weeks went on, I knew I couldn’t fully do my nursing duties at the hospital, and that’s when my hospital nursing ended. I was now dealing with a lesser pain, but still the pain affected everything I did. I couldn’t sit for long, and I couldn’t stand for long. I knew the pain was less than those first days, and I knew I could do limited things at home, but I also knew that my lifestyle was changed. There were now so many things that I couldn’t do. It was not quite a year later that I asked my bishop if I could serve as a temple worker. When the temple president of the Provo Temple interviewed me, he asked if I thought I could physically perform the tasks at the temple. I knew I was still hampered by my back pain, but I told the temple president that I had carefully watched the older workers in the temple. Some of them were hunched as they walked. I told him if they could do their jobs, then I certainly could do the jobs I was asked to do. I was asked to take the 5 AM to noon shift at the temple each Monday. I had to cope with pain, but it was never so painful that I couldn’t go on. Then after a maybe 8 or 9 weeks of my working in the temple, I realized I was able to stand for longer periods of time, and I also realized that my back pain was slowly decreasing. I truly feel that I had experienced, as v 33 states, that I had been “sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies”. 

The verses from 35 to show us what we refer to as the covenant path: 35: “And also all they who receive this priesthood receive me, saith the Lord: 36: And he that receiveth me receiveth my Father; 38. And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him. 39 And this is according to the oath and covenant with belongeth to the priesthood.”

Elder Paul B Pieper: “It is in the temple that men and women—together—obtain and receive the blessings and power of both the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods.” (Ensign, Jan 2016, 21)

And so, to take me back to the thoughts I had in 1990 as I learned my Dutch and listened to the sacrament prayers in church, I now realize that almost two decades later I was sanctified –in my heart and in my body.        I am so thankful for the blessings I have received, and for the spiritual knowledge those experiences brought to me.