January Week 4 - Commandments of Christ

Introduction
Write question on board: "what is it you value in life?
Answers might be:
- family
- $$$
- food
- atonement
- car
- education
- friends
- nature
- art
- sports
- scriptures
- books
- star wars battlefront (xbox)
- love
- happiness
- animals

Give students 10 minutes or so to look up the commandments of Christ.  Limit search to the New Testament.  Guide them to look in NT, or 3 Nephi 11/12, Exodus 20:1-17, etc.

Fill in on board, the commandments, starting with the two great commandments, the 10 and all others.  Note that through personal study, I found about 45 commandments.

Next, have a discussion about what do these commandments tell us what we should value in life?

They tell us we should value our relationship with God (fate, universe) and our neighbors.  Note, that neighbors are everyone.

Then revisit list the students made.  Ask what of those things on there, fall into the categories of things that last forever.  The things that last forever tend to align with the two great commandments, the rest of them will be indifferent and will be consumed by time and fire.

Discuss the notion that "now" is "eternity"

The one-takeaway I want them to learn is that they should love others - serve others - be kind to others - forgive others.  That is the sole purpose of the commandments of Christ.

The Two Great Commandments
Matthew 22:36-40
1. Love God with all your heart, soul and mind
2. Love they neighbor as thyself

All other commandments fall under these two great commandments.

The Ten Commandments
Exodus 20:1-17
1. Do not worship or put anything ahead of God
2. Do not make or worship idols
3. Do not take the name of God in vain
4. Keep the Sabbath day holy
5. Honor your father and mother
6. Do not commit murder
7. Do not commit adultery
8. Do not steal
9. Do not tell lies against anyone
10. Do not covet others' possessions

Other Commandments of Christ
1. Forgive others (Matt 6:12, Mark 11:25-26)
2. Be born again (John 3:7)
3. Abide in Christ and let him abide in you (John 15:4)
4. Let people see your good works (Matt 5:16)
5. End disputes quickly (Matt 5:25)
6. Repent, stop sinning (Matt 5:29-30)
7. Do not swear oaths at all (Matt 5:34-37)
8. Turn the other cheek (Matt 5:38-39)
9. Give what others ask of you, give more than is required (Matt 5:40-42)
10. Love your enemies (Matt 5:43-45)
11. Give to the poor to please God, not others (Matt 6:1)
12. Pray privately, simply - not to impress others (Matt 6:5-7)
13. Fast secretly, not for show (Matt 6:16)
14. Do all that you do to impress God (Matt 6:19-21)
15. Do not worry about material things (Matt 6:25-26)
16. Do not worry about the future (Matt 6:34)
17. Make God your highest priority (Matt 6:33)
18. Do not judge other people (Matt 7:1-2)
19. Do not give/share holy/sacred things to the dogs/swine (Matt 7:-6)
20. Ask God (Matt 7:7)
21. Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless (Matt 25:34-36)
22. Follow the narrow path (Matt 7:13-14)
23. Beware of false prophets (Matt 7:15)
24. Love little children (Matt 18:10)
25. Resolve disputes in an orderly way (Matt 18:15-17)
26. Do not oppose other believers in Christ who are not in your group (Mark 9:38-40)
27. Have faith in God for everything (Mark 11:22-24)
28. Be like the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-35)
29. Love others as I have loved you (John 15:12)
30. Partake of the sacrament (Luke 22: 19-20)
31. Care for each others' needs (John 13:14)
32. Be merciful (Luke 6:36)
33. Keep my commandments (John 14:15)

Gospel Topics and Essays
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ Chose as Savior
Obedience

The Persecuted

Matthew 5:10-12 reads, "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

"Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake."

"Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."

3 Nephi 12:10-12 reads, "And blessed are all they who are persecuted for my name's sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

"And blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake."

"For ye shall have great joy and be exceedingly glad, for great shall be your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets before you."

The words and order are a bit different in these verses (between Matthew and 3 Nephi), but the ideas and concepts are the same.

Definitions ...

persecute: afflict, torture, torment; worry, badger, vex, bother, pester
revile: to assail with contemptuous or approbrious language; address or speak abusively

Observations ...

I particularly liked the sentiment of this Christian blogger, who said, "Believers who allow the corruption of the world to filter into their lives eventually become a weak testimony of Jesus Christ. Their values and behaviors run too closely alongside those whose lives are given over to all manner of selfishness and moral perversity. Christians who do not hold to their faith typically are not persecuted, for there is no reason to be. They are not making a loud enough stand against the systems of the world to merit being silenced."

"Unfortunately, when Christians lead this kind of life, they may not be experiencing adversity for the sake of the Gospel, but neither are they experiencing the blessing of living a life of genuine righteousness. Satan has no need to harass those who have strayed from the Word of God; they have already been rendered ineffective as witnesses for Christ, and therefore are no longer a spiritual threat to him."

With that said, I think it is logical to use persecution as a yard-stick to measure your own life - to see if it is righteous or not.

Harold B. Lee once noted that the evidence of a the true church is found in persecution.  He cited Matthew 5:10-12 as well as Luke 6:26, which reads, "Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets"  (link to his talk).

And lastly, this quote comes from a John Piper sermon from 1986:
"So we can see why a life devoted to righteousness or godliness will be persecuted or reviled or spoken against.
If you cherish chastity, your life will be an attack on people's love for free sex.
If you embrace temperance, your life will be a statement against the love of alcohol.
If you pursue self-control, your life will indict excess eating.
If you live simply and happily, you will show the folly of luxury.
If you walk humbly with your God, you will expose the evil of pride.
If you are punctual and thorough in your dealings, you will lay open the inferiority of laziness and negligence.
If you speak with compassion, you will throw callousness into sharp relief.
If you are earnest, you will make the flippant look flippant instead of clever.
And if you are spiritually minded, you will expose the worldly-mindedness of those around you."
(link to full sermon).

The point of the above is to show that by living a righteous life, you attack (stand in direct opposition to) the worldly pursuits of indulgence, luxury and pride.

The Peacemakers

Matthew 5:9 reads, "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."

3 Nephi 12:9 reads, "And blessed are all the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God."

Just as with the "pure in heart" verse, the Book of Mormon version adds the word "all".

In my mind, a peacemaker is someone one tries to prevent fighting and quarrelling.  It is someone whose heart aches as other people contend.

The blessing for being a peacemaker is to be called a child of God (as opposed to seeing God).

In doing a little internet searching on this topic, I came across this picture:

peacemaker during Greek riots Sept 2011

This image represents a real peacemaker - someone who, individually, is trying to calm the unrest (picture source).

Do we do the same in our homes?  Do we strive to bring a voice of calm to a heated discussion?

I'm always impressed with people who can have a spirited debate, but then turn on a dime and crack a joke and essentially diffuse a volatile situation.

Pure in Heart

Matthew 5:8 reads, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God."

3 Nephi 12:8 reads, "And blessed are all the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

As Mormons, we often associate the concept of "pure in heart" with the concept of Zion.  We will often cite 4 Nephi 1-18 as the model for Zion and the pure in heart.  As I noted yesterday, Spencer W. Kimball gave a talk about being pure in heart.  His talk was essentially about how we, as a church, can bring about Zion on earth.  Even the Book of Mormon version of this Beatitude adds and extra word - "all".  Instead of "the pure in heart", the Book of Mormon version reads "all the pure in heart" connoting social order rather than an individual admonishment.

Today, I did a general search on this beatitude - knowing full well that most hits would not come from LDS related pages, but rather from Catholic or Protestant related pages.  I like to do this with the Beatitudes to see other opinions and insights into Christ's teachings.  This search revealed that the "pure in heart" Beatitude is more generally viewed at the individual level than at the congregation level.  It is more equated to the concept of sanctification.

The first stop in my Internet search took me to an article by Eric Simpson entitled The Pure in Heart Shall See God.  He talked about fragmented and whole hearts.  Hearts can be fragmented by many things such as serving Mammon or other desires.  While the pure in heart have hearts that are whole and that are committed and centered on Christ.  To accomplish this one must pray and fast often.  The author connected the teaching of prayer to the concept of Nepsis.  I had never heard of this before, so I searched on Nepsis.

Wikipedia's entry states, "Nepsis (or nipsis; Greek: νῆψις) is an important idea in Orthodox Christian theology, considered the hallmark of sanctity. Nepsis is a state of watchfulness or sobriety acquired following a long period of catharsis."  To me, this is essentially the concept of sanctification as taught in the LDS church.  Later in the same wiki entry on nepsis, it talks about nepsis in Eastern Christianity.  In that section it states, "As the Christian becomes purified, in time he reaches the stage of illumination. At this point, the contemplative life begins, and watchfulness takes on a whole other meaning. Ultimately, the goal of the Eastern Christian is called theosis, the "deification" of man. According to St. Athanasius and others, "God became man so man can become god.""

A search of this phrase was quite revealing.  Of course, there are a number of wiki entries, but there are also other single-page essays on this topic.  One article on The Catholic Exchange, entitled Is Man to Become God?, brings up the things I learned in my Humanities class at BYU - that the idea man could become like God was openly discussed a long, long time ago.

Practically speaking, what does all this mean?  To me, it means I am not pure in heart as I've not seen God yet.  Is it possible?  I think it is not only possible, but it is our duty to become pure in heart.  I've learned that to be pure in heart requires, first, a desire to have a pure heart.  Second, a pure heart not only is clean, but it is single to (focused only on) Christ and the glory of God.  Third, to achieve purity of heart, we must pray often, fast often, meditate, think of Christ and His teachings and strive to act in accordance with those teachings.  We are to attune our desires and will to God's desires and will.  Lastly, this process takes a lifetime of daily commitment.

The Merciful

Matthew 5:7 reads, "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy."

Nephi 12:7 reads, "And blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."

This teaching is as clear as any teaching can be; yet the practice of it can be difficult.

I won't expound on this one too much, other than to point out a recent and popular talk given in the April 2012 general conference.

The Merciful Obtain Mercy by Dieter F. Uchtdorf.

Hunger and Thirst After Righteousness

Matthew 5:6 reads, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."

Nephi 12:6 reads, "And blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost."

To me, hungering and thirsting for an object simply means having an intense desire for that object - really wanting it, whatever 'it' is.  So, to hunger and thirst after righteousness, means to have an intense desire to be righteous.

And what does rightous mean?  It means being upright or moral - being good, honest or fair.

The difference between the Matthew and Nephi versions is interesting.  In Matthew, those who desire righteousness are simply filled.  While in the Nephi version, they are filled with the Holy Ghost.

The phrase 'filled with the Holy Ghost' reminded me of D&C 121:45-46, which reads, "Let they bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven."

"The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever."

Now - to go down this trail a bit more - scepters are symbols of power or authority or dominion.  Therefore, it seems that if you desire (really desire) righteousness, that you will be filled with the Holy Ghost - He will be your constant companion; always there to advise and guide you.  And as He is always there to advise, guide and comfort you, your power and authority will be derived from righteousness and truth.  And since your power and authority are founded on righteousness and truth, there will be no need to compel that which is in your kingdom - all things will gravitate to you naturally.

The ultimate lesson to be learned here is to train your desires on righteousness.

Reference Links
wikipedia entry for scepter
wikipedia entry for was (a type of scepter)

Other Worthwhile Reading Material
He Hath Filled the Hungry With Good Things by Jeffry R. Holland
Nourishing the Spirit by Dallin H. Oaks
Spiritual Nutrients by James E. Faust

The Meek

Matthew 5:5 reads, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."

3 Nephi 12:5 reads, "And blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

It was timely that I read and studied this beatitude today.  I need much meekness - especially after a 'conversation' I had last night.

Neal A. Maxwell, who relentlessly focused on discipleship throughout his life, dissected the topic of meekness in a talk he gave just over 30 years ago today: Meekness - A Dimension of True Discipleship.

The talk should be read in its entirety - several times.  But I will copy a few poignant excerpts into this post.

"if one needs any further persuasion as to how vital this virtue is, Moroni warned, 'none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart.' (Moroni 7:43-44).  If we could but believe, really believe, in the reality of that bold but accurate declaration, you and I would find ourselves focusing on the crucial rather than the marginal tasks in life!  We would then cease pursuing the lifestyles which, inevitably and irrevocably, are going out of style!"

...

"God, who has seen billions of spirits pass through His plan of salvation, has told us to be meek in order to enhance our enjoyment of life and our mortal education.  Will we be meek and listen to Him?  Or will we be like the Gardarene swine, that pathetic example of totus porcus - going whole hog after the trends of the moment?"

...

"Since God desired to have us become like Himself, He first had to make us free to learn and to experience; hence, our humility and teachability are premiere determinants of our progress and our happiness.  Agency is essential to perfectibility, and meekness is essential to the wise use of agency - and to our recovery when we have misused our agency."

...

"Meekness ... is more than self-restraint; it is the presentation of self in a posture of kindess and gentleness, reflecting certitude, strength, serenity, and a healthy self-esteem and self-control."

...

"Granted, none of us likes, or should like, to be disregarded, to be silenced, to see a flawed argument prevail, or to endure gratuitous discourtesy.  But such circumstances seldom constitute that field of action from which meekness calls upon us to retire gracefully.  Unfortunately, we usually do battle, unmeekly, over far less justifiable things, such as 'turf.'

...

"there are some things worth being aroused about, as the Book of Mormon says, such as our families, our homes, our liberties, and our sacred religion.  (see Alma 43:45.)  But if all our anxiety amounts to is our so-called image, it's an image that needs to be displaced anyway, so that we can receive His image in our countenances. (see Alma 5:14)."

...

"the meek are not awestruck by the many frustrations of life; they are more easily mobilized for eternal causes and less easily immobilized by the disappointments of the day."

"Because they make fewer demands of life, the meek are less easily disappointed.  They are less concerned with their entitlements than with their assignments."

"When we are truly meek, we are not concerned with being pushed around, but are grateful to be pushed along.  When we are truly meek, we do not engage in shoulder-shrugging acceptance but in shoulder-squaring, in order that we might better bear the burdens of life and of our fellow beings."

"Meekness can also help us in coping with the injustices of life - of which there are quite a few.  By the way, will not these experiences with mortal injustices generate within us even more adoration of the perfect justice of God - another of His attributes?"

...

"Meekness means less concern over being taken for granted, and more concern over being taken by the hand.  Less concern over revising our own plans for us and more concern about adopting His plans for us is another sure sign of meekness."

...

"There are, brothers and sisters, ever so many human situtations in which the only additional time and recognition and space to be made available must come from the meek who will yield - in order to make time and recognition and space available for others.  There could be no magnanimity without humility.  Meekness is not displayed humility; it is the real thing.  True meekness is never proud of itself, never conscious of itself."

...

"The meek use power and authority properly, no doubt because their gentleness and meekness reflect a love unfeigned, a genuine caring.  The influence they exercise flows from a deep concern: 'No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion , by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned.' (D&C 121:41)"

...

"even if our being meek results in our being abused in this world, we need to remember that we are being fitted for chores in another and better world - one which will be everlasting, not fleeting."

...

"You will see far more examples of those in desperate need of meekness than you will ever see of the truly meek being abused."

...

"Yes, there are real costs associated with meekness.  A significant down payment must be made.  But it can come from our sufficient supply of pride.  We must also be willing to endure the subsequent erosion of the unbecoming ego.  Furthermore, our hearts will be broken in order that they might be rebuilt.  As Ezekiel said, one's task is to 'make you a new heart and a new spirit.' (Ezekiel 18:31)  There is no way that such dismantling, such erosion, such rebuilding can occur without real cost in pain, pride, adjustments, and even some dismay.  Yet since we cannot be 'acceptable before God save [we are] meek and lowly in heart' (Moroni 7:44), the reality of that awesome requirement must be heeded!  Better to save one's soul than to save one's face."

As I read this talk, and especially toward the end, the only image in my mind was that of the Savior shrinking not before the bitter cup (see D&C 19:18).  He was given to drink and he drank ... and did not shrink.  He was meek and did His father's will.  He took it.

To play a variation on the phrase, just do it, I offer the phrase, just take it.  If you are pressed to go a mile, then go two - just take it.  If your coat is taken from you, give also your cloke.  If you are cursed, hated, abused, judged wrongly, persecuted, condemned, accused, thought ill of, pushed to your wits end ... just take it.  Did not Jesus take all of this?  Are we not to be perfect, like Jesus?

Those Who Mourn

Matthew 5:4 reads, "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted."

3 Nephi 12:4 reads, "And again, blessed are all they that mourn, for they shall be comforted."

When I read that beatitude, I tend to think of it as a comforting statement.  It seemingly seems to say, "I know you're in pain, but soon, you will find comfort."  It is almost a statement of reassurance to the one mourning.

But let's take a step back and look at the underlying premise of that statement.

For one to mourn, one first has to have had a desire or deep love for something.  Then, the object on which that love or desire is placed must be removed from the one desiring or loving.  Once the separation takes place and a void is left, then comes the mourning.

Is Jesus really saying, that those who are in mourning, they will find comfort in Him?  Does Christ fill the void?  I think the answer is: yes!

Whatever was lost; whatever void is in our life, Christ can fill it; Christ can comfort us.

If we mourn the death of someone close to us, Christ can comfort us.

If we mourn a lost or wayward child or loved one, Christ can comfort us - He can also rescue the wayward child!

If we "mourn" the loss of a habit we are trying to break, Christ can comfort us - He can fill the void left by the removal of addictions.  He can even heal the scars.

If we "mourn" our sins, Christ can and will comfort us.

And not only when we have lost something and are mourning can we find comfort, but we are also to mourn with those that mourn.

Mourning with those that mourn essentially means we have charity for them ... that we place ourself in their shoes and feel their mourning.

We are to mourn.
We are to seek Christ to comfort us.
We are to mourn with others that mourn.
We are to be Christ-like and comfort those that stand in need of comfort.

Related scriptures:
Mosiah 18:8-9

Poor In Spirit

Recently, I've been deeply impressed to minimize the breadth of my scripture study to two things: reading the Book of Mormon and studying the New Testament.

To help with my studying of the New Testament, I decided to delve deep and truly learn and understand what the Savior taught.  Too often I have brushed over the words and have not internalized what has been taught.

As I learn and internalize, I will post my notes to this blog.

By the way, the complete Sermon on the Mount is up at biblevideos.org.  I watched all four parts this morning and was deeply moved by the production.

Matthew 5:3, Luke 6:20 and 3 Nephi 12:3 all discuss the topic of the "poor in spirit"

Matthew 5:3 reads, "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Luke 6:20 reads, "And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of heaven."

3 Nephi 12:3 reads, "Yea, blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

If one were poor in wealth or money, that would mean that person does not have much money - they experience some degree of poverty in which their needs are not met or their needs are barely met.  They do not have much or any money in their account.

Therefore to be poor in spirit would seem to mean that ones spiritual needs are not met or are barely being met.  They do not have any or they have very little spiritual assests.  Spiritually speaking, they have everything to gain and nothing to lose.  In which case, if they "come unto [Jesus]" and follow his teachings, they will inheirit the kingdom of heaven.

In the October 1974 conference, Elder O. Leslie Stone gave a talk on The Beatitudes and had this to say, "What is meant by 'poor in spirit'? Is it not humility, which renders us teachable and eager to learn? They who feel themselves spiritually poor approach God, asking him to supply their needs. They who have faith in him, learn his laws and try diligently to obey him. They thus become eligible for the great blessings he has promised, including salvation, exaltation, and eternal life, which are the greatest of all the gifts of God."

I also like what the NIV Bible footnote as to say about what poor in spirit means, "poor in spirit, In contrast to the spiritually proud and self-sufficient."

To be poor in spirit means to be:
humble
contrite
meek
teachable
dependant on God and Jesus
submissive

Related scriptures:
Mosiah 3:19
Mosiah 4:11
Helaman 3:35