Come Follow Me LDS- 2 Nephi 31-33 (Mar 2 - 8)

'The Doctrine of Christ'

-  How we might understand better the Doctrine of Christ

-  Nephi was given the Doctrine of Christ with Lehi's Dream

-  John the Baptist,  Again!

-  The Doctrine of Christ and The Higher & Lower Laws

 

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LDS Mormon

 

all right in this episode we're going to

go over the doctrine of Christ here we

go so here we are in 2nd Nephi 31 to 33

these are the final words of Nephi and

of course what does he want to focus on

as he is left Jerusalem with his family

basically built a new civilization a new

small civilization he has left behind

his brothers who were out to get him and

we have a split between the Nephites and

Lamanites he comes to the land of Nephi

builds a temple like that unto the

temple of Solomon and teaches his people

along with Jacob to follow the gospel

and the fullness of the gospel and

he chooses as his final message here in

2nd Nephi the doctrine of Christ he

calls it the doctrine of Christ so I

want to go through this and try and dig

deep here a little bit into what this

doctrine really is we hear typically

about the first principles and

ordinances of the gospel which is

definitely true right you have faith

repentance baptism and the Holy Ghost

and we can look at those four areas as

we go through what Nephi talks about

here but I think that there's some

things that we can look at that make all

of that a little bit rich richer right

in understanding what Nephites the

specific message really is here he wants

us to understand what this means not

just a checklist to give us of what it

is he really wants us to understand this

I think so he starts off here in chapter

31 and says and now I need and of my

prophesying unto you my beloved brother

and again what is his final message he's

going to bookend all of this here from

the

this is all part of his small place

right this is from Nephi one first Nephi

chapter 1 where Lehi sees the Savior and

the con courses of angels around him and

has the book in his hand right we go to

that and then in the center here we kind

of have the vision of the Tree of

Life and everything that we saw that

Nephi saw beyond that about the Covenant

of Abraham and his people and the

role that they play in it and then he

finishes off here at the end by

basically summarizing all this and

focusing again on the doctrine of Christ

so he says here in verse 2 wherefore the

things which I have written suffice

a--the me save it be a few words which I

must speak concerning the doctrine of

Christ he wants to reiterate this right

bring it home I shall speak unto you

plainly according to the plainness of my

prophesying he's going to be very direct

for my soul delighteth in plainness for

after this manner death the Lord God

work among the children of men then he

goes down here and starts to deliver his

message about the doctrine of Christ and

again where does he go with this where

does he go first with this he goes to

John the Baptist he says here in verse 4

wherefore I would that ye should

remember that I have spoken unto you

concerning that prophet which the Lord

showed unto me that should baptize the

Lamb of God which should take away the

sins of the world why is he going to

John the Baptist here he is and saying

how important it is his final message is

about the doctrine of Christ and yet he

he goes to John the Baptist right away

why would that be what is he trying to

teach us here what was I saying to teach

us here when he talked about the Prophet

who would prepare the way and be crying

repentance in the wilderness remember

that in Lehigh's vision and Nephi's

vision they see John the Baptist there

also now if you go back and and/or

remember what we covered in the vision

of the Tree of Life is that in a way we

can look at the Tree of Life as the

doctrine of Christ

we've had these little pieces kind of

pulled together with the Tree of Life

right we have the love of God right joy

and the love of God is that is the fruit

we have Mary right that is Jesus's

mother who is referred to when Nephi

wants to know about the tree he first

goes to that angel first goes to Mary

and also we get this thing about John

the Baptist in the in the vision of the

Tree of Life here it is again why is he

bringing this up I think there's a

couple points here that we really need

to focus on when we think about the

doctrine of Christ right and one of

those things is well the first one is

well let's just talk about the higher in

the lower laws right we have baptism

which is a lower law ordinance it is

from the ironic priesthood and then we

have the Holy Ghost those two things are

going to be a big part of what Nephi

goes over here the Holy Ghost is the

higher law it comes from a Melchizedek

Priesthood ordinance and so what is

being explained here in my eyes is that

Jesus has got to lower himself remember

in the vision of the Tree of Life he

talks the angel says do you know about

the condescension of God and Nephi says

well I know some things but not all

things basically and then he goes on and

talks about Mary and Jesus being born of

her and coming in and getting a body

coming into the world but then he says

it again he talks again about the

condescension of God the angel does and

goes right to John the Baptist and

that's why this is such an important

event

that happens is that God Himself Jehovah

is condescending first in the sense that

he comes down and is born and receives a

body and comes down into mortality from

heaven and secondly it's the

condescension that he is going to go

through the same things we do

even lowering himself at the very

beginning stages of the exact same

process that we have to go through right

so think about Gethsemane here and what

he did he lowered himself below you and

and what that means is he made

himself the least of all of us the

greatest of all made himself the least

of all of us by lowering himself below

the sins of the world each one of our

sins and in doing so and then coming

through it bearing all of it going

through because really that's a process

right that sacrifice of bearing those

sins is a process and it was a process

carried out in mortality so he felt

everything and both spiritually and

physically in a mortal body and went

through the process from the beginning

at the lowest end and came up through it

and beat it I think that's important to

understand that is part of the

condescension he says then him then

rising up through it so he went through

everything that you go through that you

have gone through that you are going

through and that you will go through

that to me is very significant because

it's how at least for me it's

a nuance right of how I look at how I

place my faith in that sacrifice in

Gethsemane

I want to know that everything I'm going

through and we'll go through has already

been beaten right it's already been

overcome and so by knowing that I have

something to reach out to and to grab on

to and we talk about our sins being paid

for but if we understand that they've

been paid for by the actual experience

of going through it and coming out the

other end on top I think that gives us

that ability to have a greater faith so

he lowered himself came up through

everything that we go through and here

with John the Baptist what we understand

is that he's going through the same

thing with the ordinances he's going

through the paths that we must go

through and so that is part of his

condescension he is being brought

together with John the Baptist at his

baptism and here we have the

representatives of the Aaronic law the

lower law in John the Baptist and the

representative of the higher law the

Melchizedek law in Jesus Christ right

and John the Baptist says there a couple

of things that are pretty important

first he says you should be baptizing me

I shouldn't be baptizing you but what is

what does Jesus say here and even if I

was gonna answer this question he says

it is incumbent on us basically to

fulfill all righteousness and this is

what he says about it let's back up here

in verse 4 again wherefore I would that

she should remember that I have spoken

to you concerning that prophet which the

Lord showed unto me that should baptize

the Lamb of God which should take away

the sins of the world he's way up here

but he's condescending himself down

below into baptism and into taking on

the sins and now if the Lamb of God he

being holy should have need to be

baptized by water to the need to

condescend

to fulfill all righteousness oh then how

much more need we being unholy to be

baptized yeah even by water so to me

what I'm learning from Nephi here is

that statement by Jesus where he says

that they have to fulfill all

righteousness is that even God the

greatest among us must go through these

things because he's got a he's got to go

through the action he's got to go

through the experience and he's got to

pave the way for us otherwise what is

the atonement really mean what is the

sacrifice really mean what how would

that change our faith in that event and

in the example that Jesus Christ gave us

if our objective is to become more like

him then he has to show the example in

everything he has to condescend down to

us and so then Nephi asks this question

here and he says and now I would ask you

my beloved brethren wherein the Lamb of

God did fulfill all righteousness and

being baptized by water know ye not that

he was holy

but notwithstanding he being holy he

showeth unto the children of men that

according to the flesh he humble with

himself below the Father or before the

Father that fluid hierarchy he has to

condescend right and he has to show his

reverence that's the second point I was

going to over his reverence and his

worship outside of himself right so he's

showing us the example of being humble

through his condescension by making sure

we understand that he is in that fluid

hierarchy just as we are just much much

higher and he witnesseth unto the father

that he would be obedient unto Him in

keeping his Commandments again it's

example he's got to show us the example

wherefore after he

was baptized with water alright here's

the other side of this the Holy Ghost

descended upon him in the form of a dove

now I think it's I don't know this is

just me right this is just me personally

here I don't know exactly what that

means I still don't know exactly what

that means maybe you do but here's what

I do know is that what you have here in

John the Baptist is the Aaronic

priesthood and the baptism of water

and what you have with the Holy Ghost is

the Melchizedek Priesthood ordinance and

the baptism of fire and that's what John

the Baptist tells Jesus when Jesus is

baptized right he says behold the lamb

of God I can baptize you with water but

he can baptize you with fire and with

the Holy Ghost in other words I'm the

ironic priesthood he is the Melchizedek

Priesthood and so part of this doctrine

of Christ is this bringing together

right he condescends below into an

ironic state we can say into a lower law

state below us all and then brings

together heaven and earth or the higher

in the lower laws he brings heaven and

earth together through his sacrifice and

through his example showing us the way

and those two baptisms remember baptism

is by water is only half of baptism

we're baptized by water and then we're

baptized by the spirit and how do we

renew our baptismal covenants we renew

it was something that first represents

the baptism of water which is not the

water it's the bread our physical carnal

law so to speak and then we renew our

baptism of fire with the spiritual side

of that sacrament which is the water or

the wine that has to do with a higher

law then he comes back here we get this

idea of what we talk about often in the

procession right he says here

in verse nine and again it's showeth

unto the children of men the

straightness of the path and the

narrowness of the gate by which they

should enter he having set the example

for them there we get the example he

goes through the gate also when he comes

in through his triumphant entry which I

prefer to call a royal procession he

comes through the gate - he goes through

the procession also to go and be crowned

and as a king and a high priest in the

temple and we're to do the same thing

that is the plan of salvation it's a

plan of happiness and he says here in

verse 10 and he said unto the children

of men follow thou me or come follow me

right wherefore my beloved brethren can

we follow Jesus save we shall be willing

to keep the commandments of the Father

so Jesus does the ordinance and he in

doing so gives us the example of

obedience to the Father and he goes back

to example here again and this come

follow me

idea here in verse 12 and also the voice

of a son came unto me this is Nephi

saying he that is baptized in my name to

him will the Father give the Holy Ghost

like unto me okay so the same thing

right so we talked about hid the sign of

the dove he probably I this is not

doctrine this is he probably received

the baptism by fire - though right he

wouldn't need that ordinance makes sense

to me wherefore follow me and do the

things which he have seen me do so this

whole idea of this program that we're

following now come follow me he is not

just us reaching to him because he is

Jehovah is Jesus Christ but it's

following him in other words he actually

lays down the footsteps in front of us

in everything and so really when we are

in Baptism taking on the name of Christ

as we're told here in verse 13

we're taking on his way of being

were agreeing to what he taught us what

his example was but that's not all right

it's not just being baptized and

receiving the Holy Ghost here in verse

14 he says but behold my beloved

brethren thus came the voice of the son

and to me this is Nephi saying after ye

have repented of your sins and witness

unto the father that ye are willing to

keep my Commandments by the baptism of

water so it's an agreement the contract

and have received the baptism of fire of

the Holy Ghost and can't speak with new

tongues yea even with the tongue of

angels and after this you should deny me

it would have been better for you that

he had not known me well of course

that's a true principle in anything

right where much is given much is

expected and so that that principle

plays out in life all the time

are we ready to accept the

commitment a commitment are we you know

I can think of somebody right now I know

somebody that is not ready to accept the

commitment of moving forward spiritually

they want to write this person who wants

to and this person's a really good

person but they are not ready they're

just not ready to make the commitment

because either a they don't want to

change or B they are afraid of failing

so if we want to move forward which we

must do we want to do so with faith and

hope and with charity right all positive

energies moving forward but again just

like with the tree of the knowledge of

good and evil there's two sides to this

right the tree of knowledge of good

and evil

right gives us agency and the upside of

agency well we just heard the downside

right we're given more and then we fall

short that's the downside of the tree of

knowledge of good and evil that we've

all partake enough and we've partaken of

it a lot if we've been a member of the

church a long time and been baptized and

been taught that got the gospel but the

upside of this which must be which is

the plan of the Father in 15 we get and

I heard a voice from the Father saying

yeah the words of my beloved are true

and faithful he that endureth to the end

the same shall be saved

but again the gate is just a step and

from then on it's a matter of following

that straight and narrow path he says

here rhetorically and now my beloved

brethren after ye have gotten into this

straight and narrow path I would ask if

all is done think about a lot of

religion out there right is that all I

do this and then everything's good right

maybe if I get baptized where I believe

then everything is set of course the

problem with that is that it is a

dilution of the doctrine of Christ isn't

it takes away the whole idea of us

following him a whole idea of come

follow me it takes away the whole idea

of progression for each of us and

becoming like him he says behold I say

unto you nay but that's not all for ye

have not come thus far save it were by

the words of Christ the word of Christ

with unshaken faith in him relying

wholly on the merits of him who is

mighty to save so again this is the

opposite of the Tower of Babel right

this is the opposite of the law of Moses

on its own which is dead in other words

our merit alone can't get us

well I can't get us past the gate he

doesn't get us any further because we're

not perfect but his merit will get us

there along with our merit

that's covenant that's the higher in the

lower laws that is faith and works or

grace or mercy and the law that is the

Aaronic priesthood and the Melchizedek

priesthood the higher in the lower laws

what we do to work toward him and what

he has done and does to work toward us

and I think that's in a way we can look

at baptism the whole the totality of

baptism in that way where Christ Lord

Himself below in the water right into a

position of death so to speak and then

came up out toward God reached up toward

him that's the ironic law and then what

is given downward is the Holy Ghost

right it's coming down you typically

even we can think about it where we're

usually sit it seated and Melchizedek

Priesthood holder is above us and coming

down from heaven so to speak down

through those hands on your head

is the higher laws the Melchizedek

Priesthood and the gift of the Holy

Ghost

so baptism is a wrapping or a connecting

of both the lower and the higher laws of

heaven and earth of our bodies and our

spirits of our efforts and God's efforts

of our love for God and God's love for

us we're for and this is an interesting

scripture here the way this is outlined

by Nephi again I think that this is

something where they have a source that

Paul probably also had down in 20 here

we get wherefore ye must press forward

with a steadfastness in Christ right

steadfastness means faith

that's what that is right it is

trust its integrity it's tying ourselves

together with him steadfastness is faith

think of it that way

wherefore you must press forward with a

steadfastness in Christ having a perfect

brightness of hope so Faith Hope and a

love of God charity right so right there

with just words are a little bit

different here but it's steadfastness

hope and love or faith hope and charity

so Nephi is bringing in what Mormon

Moroni and Paul all talk about where

these are essential attributes and

principles of the plan of salvation and

they have to do with enduring to the end

they have to do with continuing down

that path toward the Tree of Life or

toward the Holy of Holies in the temple

says let me repeat that again wherefore

ye must press forward with a

steadfastness in Christ having a perfect

brightness of hope and a love of God and

of all men what are the two great

Commandments wherefore if ye shall press

forward feasting upon the word of Christ

and endure that would be the same as

hanging on to the iron rod and endure to

the end behold thus saith the father ye

shall have eternal life think again of

the procession and getting to the holy

of holies and then very importantly

right when we come to earth and then

everything kind of unravels as far as

direction and temptation and ideas and

philosophies of men again Nephi wants to

be very very plain in 21 and now behold

my beloved brethren this is the way and

there is none other way nor name given

under heaven whereby man can be saved in

the kingdom of God

and now behold this is the doctrine of

Christ and the only and true doctrine of

the Father and of the Son and of the

Holy Ghost which is one God one in

purpose without end amen so he launches

off here in 31 with the ending of his

prophesying and speaking his theological

discourse that he wants to leave with

his people by going over really what

this means what Christ is all about

and why this is so important

he didn't just suffer and therefore we

have empathy for him or feel that we

need a tie ourselves to him he is our

example he condescended he bore others

burdens he got baptized he received the

Holy Ghost he goes down the path and

hangs on to the iron rod and he beat it

all and that is what we are to do that

is the doctrine of Christ that is why

the angel in giving me Fife etic tour

talked about Mary when Nephi asked about

the tree of life because it was all

about him lowering our see his self and

we can kind of look at lowering oneself

to others as mercy as payment that's

what that is when we do the same thing

when we lower ourselves to bear somebody

else's burden to consider them that is

love that is mercy and then he kind of

goes over and backing up here a little

bit he takes a step back and he says

look imagine him giving this

discourse out in front of everybody and

he starts to kind of see people's

reactions or maybe he's spoken to

individuals about this and he's had

these types of reactions but he says

here in chapter 32 and now behold my

beloved brethren I supposed the II

ponder somewhat in your hearts

concerning that with that which he

should do after you have entered in by

way again this this is exactly pertinent

to us in this day that's the way most of

Christianity is in many ways not

knocking it right but it's this is

the fullness of the doctrine of Christ

it's not watered down but behold why do

ye ponder these things in your hearts do

you not remember that I said unto you

that after he had received the Holy

Ghost he could speak with a tongue of

angels and now how could you speak with

a tongue of angels save it were by the

Holy Ghost so he goes right in to look

this baptism that you've received your

commitment in in being baptized and

repenting and being baptized and taking

on the name of Christ well that comes

with reciprocation it's the Holy Ghost

the gift of the Holy Ghost and that now

that you're in through the gate you have

companionship from the Lord to help you

down the path and if we can think of you

know we can talk about the speaking in

tongues or the tongue of angels and what

that means but in a sense the way that I

see this here in verses 2 & 3 is that

what that means is you're gonna know

what to do and what to say just like an

angel wouldn't know what to do and what

to say like the angel that guided Nephi

right in verse 3 it says angels speak by

the power of the Holy Ghost wherefore

they speak the words of Christ wherefore

I say unto you feast upon the words of

Christ for behold the words of Christ

will tell you all things what ye should

do so it seems to me that he's tying the

tongue of angels here

with knowing what we should do it's kind

of like having the Liahona right we can

look at like the Liahona in a sense a

physical manifestation of the tongue of

angels maybe and then he comes up with

this to everybody and he says look I

hope you get

I'm trying to be as plain as I can says

there in verse four wherefore now after

I have spoken these words if he cannot

understand them it will be because ye

ask not neither do you knock wherefore

ye are not brought into the light but

must perish

in the dark so if you can't understand

this you're not asking enough you're not

trying hard enough that's what he's

saying

those were his words not mine I do think

it's interesting when we get to third

Nephi when Christ visits the Lamanites

in the end the Nephites he's out here

giving his words in person a resurrected

being and he's talking about Isaiah and

he's talking about the doctrine of

Christ and all these things but then he

says to everyone it's getting late and

what I want you to do is I want you all

to go home and I want you to pray about

it and ask for yourselves if these

things that I'm saying aren't true can

you imagine I mean he's there saying

these things to them but it doesn't

matter it's like the sign he doesn't

want to be the sign right he sends

everybody home and says go home and pray

and know of these things for yourself

so that's kind of what I imagined Nephi

is his message kind of is here and he

says here again in wrapping this up a

little bit on the doctrine of Christ it

says for behold again I say to you that

if you will enter in by the way and

receive the Holy Ghost which is

something that's going to guide you that

we can imagine receiving that every day

right as we're going down the path it

will show unto you all things what ye

should do that's very plain but

that's tough doctrine to me I

guess it is I think about that because I

don't think I'm always worthy enough

to receive that everyday right I don't

know that I hear you saying look you've

got the gift of the Holy Ghost now

you're gonna know everything that you

should do but you know I probably don't

ask enough I probably don't exert enough

faith sometimes but it's a it's a pretty

incredible ideal maybe it's a pretty

incredible truth that if we have the

gift of the Holy Ghost that we can know

all things what we should do I'd like to

be more in that position he says behold

this is the doctrine of Christ and there

will be no more doctrine given until

after he shall manifest himself unto you

in the flesh so in other words when he

comes and manifests himself in the flesh

and fulfills the law of Moses there will

be more that he will reveal both to

those in Palestine and to those in the

Americas and who knows where else

possibly and then he gives us a really

interesting principle here in seven he

says look I can't speak any more about

this though the Spirit is constraining

me there's more he wants to say

specifically on this but it's probably

too sacred and it's too much of again

putting the cart before the horse for

people's faith so he doesn't but he says

I'm left to mourn because of the

unbelief and the wickedness and the

ignorance and the stiff neck and nests

of men for they will not search

knowledge nor understand great knowledge

when it is given unto them in plainness

even as plain as word can be right so

sometimes things are too clear and too

perfect and we want to you know we want

the philosophies of men according to

Nephi it is very very plain and we

should be searching this great knowledge

presumably through prayer and the

scriptures he says right here in verse

eight

if you would hearken unto the spirit

which teacheth a--the a man to

pray you would know that ye must pray

for the evil spirit teach if not a man

to pray but teach of him that he must

not pray so you know prayer right prayer

is again going back to the example of a

Savior sending the Lamanites and the

Nephites home to know for themselves

there we have it right there the Spirit

tells you to pray and to ask and to

search great knowledge the spirit of the

adversary teaches you not to pray and

then in chapter 33 he finishes off here

and he says in verse 2 behold there are

many that harden their hearts against

the Holy Spirit I'm definitely guilty of

that sometimes I you know I'm

gonna close up sometimes I admit that

that it hath no place in them wherefore

they cast many things away which are

written in esteem them steam them as

things of not again they cast him away

they invert their values hierarchy

prayer and the spirit help keep that

values hierarchy the way it's supposed

to be and he says but I Nephi have

written what I have written

and I esteem it as of great worth puts

it up at the top and especially end of

my people and then we get this idea here

again of weakness with the prophets we

get this oftentimes that they are again

in the fluid hierarchy they want

everyone to understand that it is the

opposite of what we have learned about

priestcraft

they are not building themselves up at

all and they want to make sure that we

understand that he says here in verse 4

and I know that the Lord God will

consecrate my prayers for the gain of my

people and the words which I have

written in weakness he's putting that

out there the words which I have written

in weakness will be made strong unto

them for it persuaded them to do good

it maketh known into them of their

fathers and it speaketh of Jesus and

persuaded them to believe in him and to

endure to the end which is life eternal

and that's really his whole message

that's the whole message of the Book of

Mormon and he comes in here at the end

with that second purpose here of the

Book of Mormon which is tied closely to

the doctrine of Christ and that is

covenant he says down here talking about

charity

I have charity for my people I have

charity for the Jew I also have charity

for the Gentiles but for none of these

can I hope accept they shall be

reconciled unto Christ that means that

we are following the doctrine of Christ

and enter into the narrow gate and walk

in the straight path which leads to life

and continue in the path until the end

of the day of probation and then he says

it just brings it home and hits it hard

here he says hearken unto these words

and believe in Christ and if he believe

not these words believe in Christ and if

he shall believe in Christ you will

believe in these words right because he

has the tongue of angels for they are

the words of Christ and he hath given

them unto me and they teach all men that

they should do good and then very boldly

with his testimony finishes off here in

verse 11 and he says and you and I you

and I shall stand face-to-face before

his bar and ye shall know that I have

been commanded of him to write these

things notwithstanding my weakness I

believe him by the way I believe him and

then he says here in verse 13 and now my

beloved brethren all those who are of

the house of Israel and all ye ends of

the earth so all the Gentiles I speak

unto you as the voice of one crying from

the

in other words from his words in the

Book of Mormon farewell until that great

day shall come so what a powerful

testimony that Nephi has given us and

here we end with his words from all of

1st and 2nd Nephi and his message to you

and I is about the plan of salvation and

about the doctrine of Christ and he lays

the foundation for the entire rest of

the Book of Mormon through all that he

did in building up this little

civilization in teaching his children

and others about the doctrine of Christ

in the Abrahamic covenant and in turn by

crying from the dust teaching us the

same I'll talk to you next time