Come Follow Me LDS - Doctrine and Covenants 71-75
Jul 06, 2021
Joseph Smith's massive project of "translating" the Bible never ends. We are all to be stewards in the Lord's vineyards. We are to work and not be idle. Joseph Smith is sustained and ordained President of the High Priesthood. Victimhood is the opposite of Victory. The Lord, though a victim, overcame the world in victory.
Raw Transcript
all right welcome to the quick media
come follow me series we are covering
doctrine and covenants sections 71
through 75. opening up here with
71. this is given december 1st
1831. here again the prophet is at the
johnson
uh uh farm in hiram
ohio he is with sydney rigdon and they
are translating the bible
this is still ongoing he never really
finishes off what he wants to do with
this
he he has he gets a lot of this don but
he never
really really finishes this keep in mind
according to my king james version of
the bible adding both
of course the old and new testaments
together you have about
1589 pages
of translation that he's going through
and it's not a matter of
just the pages of the bible that he's
translating think about the book of
moses
and what he gets with that that's an
it's an entirely
entirely new story that we get
above and beyond what's even in
the uh uh what's in the scriptures and
that
that's the case not quite as much in
other places but in other places in the
bible he's adding quite a bit in there
so it's not an easy thing but the
environment here
in kirtland and in ohio is is getting a
little bit
testy right with with with uh
the other citizens around them what
happens is that remember ezra booth
ezra booth uh turns on
the church he's one of the elders that
had gone down to
independence missouri to zion and came
back up in the
canoe he was one of the problems
remember we talked about the
some of the elders they had some issues
with not seeing enough signs they were
expecting
to have the all of these miracles come
uh before them and the veil
opened up and and it didn't happen and
so he's being very negative that's one
of the reasons in this
this trip back up on the canoes that
they have all these dark feelings and
it's it's ezra booth is one of these
problems
remember they see the destroyer on on
the water or w.w
phelps does but he's turned on the
church
and he's printing pamphlets and things
that are uh
going against the church and he's
teaching against the church to the other
citizens of ohio in the area
he's joined by simon's writer who is
another
defector so to speak from from the
church
they misspelled his name on
something and so that ended up being
something that completely turned him
how can a prophet allow this remember
how we get into these talks sometimes
these talks these conversations
these thoughts of how fallible is a
prophet
we just spoke about this a little bit a
week or two ago on joseph smith
and the people that would have been
around him he's not perfect
he would have had many many mistakes
every day and you might question
yourself sometimes
is he a prophet right it's it's
that would be normal to think and it
would require an exercise of faith
being around him i think and of course
that
from time and again there's there's
revelation and there's
amazing miracles and visions and
different things that happen
but day to day could be a bit of an
issue and and
simon's writer here has an issue because
they misspelled his name
so the two of them are out really
bad-mouthing the church
and things aren't good so joseph smith
and sydney rigdon are are needed to go
out
and smooth things out get in front of
the people
especially joseph face to face and talk
to them
and make sure that there aren't issues
there so that's what we get here with
with section 71 that is the
context for this revelation let's go to
verse 1 here behold
thus saith the lord unto you my servants
joseph smith jr
and sidney rigdon that the time has
verily come that it is necessary and
expedient in me
that you should open your mouths in
proclaiming the gospel
the things of the kingdom expounding
mysteries thereof
out of the scriptures according to that
portion of spirit and power
which shall be given unto you even as i
will this is something that is right up
joseph's
alley right think about again just think
about what he's done with the
bible how it's not just a matter of
inspiration in the holy ghost think
about his study
as he's going through all of this and
praying about every chapter every verse
in in in the bible here so he's
he's he it's very fresh in his mind to
be able to go out and preach the bible
out to the citizens here of ohio
verse 4 wherefore labor ye in my
vineyard
call upon the inhabitants of the earth
and bear record and prepare the way
for the commandments and revelations
which are to
come higher in the lower laws there
and then we get this law of abundance
again we've gone over this several times
and the lord
has given this to us several times verse
5
now behold this is wisdom whoso readeth
let him understand and receive also
so there's that that word receive you
need to receive it
for unto him that receiveth it shall be
given more abundantly even power so
if we open our hearts we bring in the
revelations then we get
even more we we are given more
abundantly it's like the spiritual
capital
the more we use that the more we get
back in return
the law of abundance or law of spiritual
abundance verse 7 wherefore confound
your enemies
call upon them to meet you both in
public
and in private and in as much as you are
faithful their shame shall be made
manifest so
this is where especially with joseph
here we might have sometimes a hard time
with this
how much do we each know about the
scriptures how much are we able to
confound our enemies
uh we need to be close to the spirit
that's the most important thing but we
also need knowledge
and so they have this and sydney rigdon
certainly has this as well
so they're going to go out and they're
going to confound their enemies and
they're going to
um some would be enemies and others
they're mostly just trying to go out and
make sure that there's friendship there
that they understand where the
latter-day saints are coming from
that they are not the enemies
but i like what is said here and this is
something that i try to do
uh that i think is important especially
going into the times that we're going
into right now
with the decline of religion the decline
of faith the decline of the family
he says here in verse 8 wherefore let
them bring forth their strong reasons
against the lord
verily thus saith the lord unto you
there is no
weapon that is formed against you shall
pro
shall prosper right so
nothing is going to stop the work and we
need to always know that nothing will
stop the work we can always have hope in
the work
moving forward continuing here and if
any man lift his voice against you he
shall be confounded in mine own due time
wherefore keep my commandments they are
true and faithful
okay so that's part of what i try to do
here with this series with with the come
follow me series
i hope that we are it's not i don't
think it's enough to just know for
yourself it can't just be
um personal scripture study
that is right it can't just be personal
it's got to be we are no longer in a
time where we are learning for ourselves
only
we've got to be able to learn
uh absorb proper principles
and the word of god and be able to
expound on it
and be able to convince and be able to
bring the spirit
based on our knowledge hopefully this
series
gives you a little bit more of that
then we get back to a stewardship and i
would say that
each of us with even that knowledge of
the gospel that we have this is looking
at section 72
we have a stewardship that could be part
of our calling in the ward or it's a
knowledge of who we are or it's our role
as a parent
or a sibling or a friend
as a child as a a son or daughter to
somebody
here's what verse three verses three and
four say and verily in this thing
ye have done wisely for it is required
of the lord
at the hand of every steward to
render an account of his stewardship
both in time and in eternity
we are responsible
for opportunities that are given to us
and for the roles
that we are given the stewardship that
we are given
i think we're moving into a time right
now
where we see all these declines as i
covered but part of that
certainly is the decline of personal
responsibility
we see that in so many places right it's
it's
it's much more in fashion today to be a
victim
than it is to be responsible it's much
more fashionable today
to fight for rights and not
to exercise your duties
and to hold them close and to and to
work on those responsibilities and those
duties
and i think that's a good thing to think
about when
a social situation comes up either
personal or something that you
see and there's that idea of victimhood
and some of their
like there aren't victims there are of
course but
it's if that reigns supreme then you've
got a values hierarchy problem there's
an issue
you can't remain a victim you just can't
and you can't glory in it it's
it's horrible bankrupt capital
to hang on to victimhood
and when someone is fighting for rights
i think that's great
but a worthy response i think would
to something like that would be great
that that sounds good that you're
fighting for that
what about your duties what are your
responsibilities what are your duties
and how are you carrying those out
that's important to me
if i see a situation like that
and that's a big distinguisher between
attitudes of people
we're told based on our stewardship and
how we carry that out
in verse 4 for he who is faithful and
wise in time
is accounted worthy to inherit the
mansions prepared for him
of my father again the the works versus
grace
well you have to have both it's not one
or the other
and based on your faithfulness
you are given the mansion prepared for
you and that's
with anything based on your actions
based on your faith
based on your obedience
the rewards come after that
i do think here at the end this is
interesting those that are there's
certain
people that are called to go to zion
right from ohio
here and and get what they say here look
at what the lord says here to
to joseph smith it says versus the last
three verses here
it says a few words in addition to the
laws of the kingdom respecting the
members of the church
they that are appointed by the holy
ghost
to go up unto zion and they who are
privileged to go up unto design let them
carry
up unto the bishop a certificate
from three elders of the church or a
certificate from the bishop otherwise
he who shall go up under the land of
zion shall not
be accounted as a wise steward
this is also an ensemble or an example
right
okay so so i think that this is the way
judgment works
being in zion being able to get in
design or be
being able to get into the lord's rest
and and that is and i was just going
over this with someone
online today in a comment section on
on another episode of quick show and
it was basically this that exaltation
especially all degrees of glory to some
degree
no pun intended there but it's but
exaltation especially is a very social
state and what i mean by that is
think about how you progress it's
all through other people it's your
action it's giving your will to the lord
your agency
your stewardship but
it's all through other people so for
example it's the service
the love the charity that you offer
others
right other way around it's the ability
to receive
from others their service their love and
their charity
that benefits you and helps you to move
forward
uh how about forgiveness we know
from the words of the of of jesus that
you only get so far
if you are judgmental of others and you
can't let go of things
if you can't forgive others that's the
platinum
rule i go over where again the golden
rule would be
doing to others as you would have others
do unto you
but the platinum rule is do unto others
as you would have the lord do unto you
that's a very
clear principle and law of the gospel
the way that you treat others the way
that you judge others
whether or not you forgive others that
is the way you're going to be treated
from the lord
and and so it again it's a social thing
all of these things are
it's a very social state of being
it's it's done as a group it's done with
other people
no man or woman is an island and here i
think what that's saying
is that certificate it's kind of like
here are the people that i have served
that i have received service from
that i have forgiven that have forgiven
me
it's kind of like that and i and i think
that
and and i've read this in different
places from the pulpit
that that's how it's going to be
right you're going to be in front of
other people that you share your
life with and what you have done for
them and what they have done for you
and and that is how you become one
that's how you become a zion people
where they're
being appointed to go to but a very
very social state okay 73 just real
quick this has been about six weeks that
joseph smith and sydney reagan have been
out about preaching the gospel
smoothing things over with the residents
there
uh we do have a little comment here from
sydney rigdon
that we get about section 73 here it
says a revelation to joseph and sydney
this is
written down in a manuscript for for
section 73
a revelation and it's in the handwriting
of sidney rigdon a revelation to joseph
and sydney the word of the lord unto
them concerning the elders of the church
of the living god established in the
last days
making known the will of the lord unto
the elders
what they shall do until conference
the conference is referring here to what
they're going to hold here this is
january 10th in section 73
two more weeks uh on january 25th
they're going to be having a conference
in amherst ohio it's about 50 miles away
from here
so they have done what they needed to do
in in with in speaking with the other
residents and preaching the gospel
and now they're going to get back to
translating
verse 3. now verily i say unto you my
servants joseph smith
jr and sidney rigdon saith the lord it
is expedient to translate again
and in as much as it is practicable this
is by the way the word of the lord here
using the term translate
again we don't this is used very
differently in the early 1800s
and and and he's not taking this from
one language to another
that's not what the translation is
he's taking it and expounding on it
based on what he receives from the
spirit
right and in as much as it is
practicable
to preach in the region's round about
until conference and after that it is
expedient to continue the work
of translation until it be finished
which
it does not end up being fully finished
so when they do begin translating in one
of the first things they translate is
first corinthians chapter 7.
in fact verse 1 of section 74 here
which is about first corinthians uh
chapter 7
is a an exact copy of what
we get in the bible right in the king
james version it says for the
unbelieving husband
is sanctified by the wife and the
unbelieving
wife is sanctified by the husband
else were your children unclean but now
are they
holy remember you say well why would
that have anything to do with whether
the kids are holy it has a lot to do
with whether the kids are holy because
if there's someone striving after
holiness
and the ordinances in the home that's a
parent
then they are hopefully transmitting
that to their kids
holy means to be sacred or
set apart right so they're they're
making things a little different based
on their actions based on their love
based on that what they're
teaching the kids so this is the same
policy that we have today in the church
that if you have an unbelieving spouse
you're not supposed to go and get a
divorcement right that's not
that's not the recommendation of the
church
as long as as long as the kids are
allowed to be
taught the gospel and to be members of
the church and to
be in activity right that's the same
policy we have today that paul gave in
his time in first corinthians
so let's just go over this we use we use
the example of circumcision here
remember in the time of paul this is
after the time of jesus
and and so those that are still getting
circumcised under
the law of moses are not
being brought up then in a
uh they're not being brought up in a a
christian tradition
so this is what it says in verse three
and it came to pass that there arose a
great contention
among the people this is in the time of
of
paul concerning the law of circumcision
for the unbelieving husband was desirous
that his children should be circumcised
and become subject to the law of moses
which law was fulfilled so here's the
problem right
the it's kind of like when we are um
you know if we were to if you were to
have your kids
all be baptized into another religion
it's the same idea of circumcision it's
like an ordinance
and it's a commitment it's part of a
covenant to what
to the law of moses so that's a problem
right that means that's that's that
means that the parent the father in this
case
is a is unbelieving and is going to be
committing his kids to the law of moses
and not to the law of the gospel
of jesus christ so verse 4 and it came
to pass that the children
being brought up in subjection to the
law of moses
gave heed to the traditions of their
fathers and believed
not the gospel of christ right it's
competing
wherein they became unholy so why were
they unholy it's not because they're bad
people it's not because they're going to
be judged greater
it's because of they're not set apart
under
the ordinances of the gospel of christ
they're not set apart
in the traditions of christianity
so in this example here and we can use
this metaphorically today
if one of the parents is insisting
that the kids follow a different
tradition and
not the church not the gospel of jesus
christ
then you've got a different issue there
it's it's a completely different
scenario
than if the unbelieving parent or spouse
is is willing to let the kids be brought
up in the church
still policy today okay and then 75
uh this is the conference that we were
just talking about that happens a couple
weeks later on
january 25th 1832 in
amherst ohio a couple of things on this
verse three behold i say unto you that
it is my will that you should go forth
and
not tarry neither be idle but labor with
your might that
is a universal principle for all of us
and and that's given to us right in the
story of adam and eve
right you're going to work by the sweaty
brow you need to work
and not be idle that's important we are
we're creators we are learning to be
creators like our heavenly parents
and so that means laboring that means
creating
that means being productive
and again we get the response of those
that do labor right
and thus if ye are faithful you shall be
laden with many sheaves
and crowned with honor and glory and
immortality
and eternal life now is it right to seek
after those things
yes it is those are righteous desires
for growth
and for for a state of hope
right faith hope and charity because
the the wonderful thing about the gospel
is that you can hope for those
things and not that growth and that
increased
well-being and state of mind and
closeness to the lord
one of the reasons you can do that
without worrying about it or being
guilty about it
is because again how do you get there
it's a social state
of being it's a it's social production
for the most part that's the most
important thing
you are helping others that's how you
grow
you are helping others that's how you're
being christ-like
and another statement again that you
know i like verse 16 and he who is
faithful shall overcome
all things that
is something we should be striving
we're not victims that is the exact
opposite of accepting yourself as a
victim
he who is faithful shall overcome all
things that's what the lord wants
that's what your baptismal ordinance
represents
part of it that's what the lord did
that's what he wants for you
and he shall be lifted up
like the brazen serpent like the
resurrection
at the last day and then down in 22
we get another reference to this
therefore gird up your loins and be
faithful
and ye shall overcome all things that is
a goal of ours that's what we need to do
overcome all things and be lifted up at
the last day
and then in 29 about being idle again
let every man be diligent in all things
and the idler shall not have place in
the church
except he repent and meant his ways this
is a sin
to be idle so we need to work now part
of the context for this by the way in 75
is joseph smith being ordained
as the uh high priest right let's see
the exact words that we get here
in the summary of 75 the occasion was a
conference at which joseph smith
was sustained and ordained president
of the high priesthood now we have
different levels of that
the president of the high priesthood is
the president of the church
right of the melchizedek priesthood the
high priesthood is the melchizedek
priesthood
we also have presidents of the high
priesthood
at a stake level so the president
of the state presidency is also a
president
of the high priesthood over the stake
the stake
is a melchizedek priesthood unit
and this is what orson pratt said about
this event
said at this conference the prophet
joseph was acknowledged president of the
high priesthood
and hands laid on him by elder sidney
rigdon
this is kind of like having oliver
cowdery do the baptism with joseph smith
it's not somebody that's higher than him
it's actually somebody that's lower
today you have the
president of the quorum of the twelve
the next
you know when there's a new prophet it's
going to be the president of the quorum
of the twelve
the new president of the quorum of the
twelve
that will be laying his hands upon the
new prophet's head
right that's the same same thing that's
happening here with sydney rigdon
at this conference by the request of the
priesthood the prophet inquired of the
lord
and a revelation was given and written
in the presence of the whole assembly
so he's actually there with everybody uh
in the assembly
at the conference receiving this
revelation maybe through prayer
i i don't know the history on this
appointing many of the elders to
missions among whom elder lyman e
johnson and myself were named and
appointed on a mission
to the eastern states and i think
there's two actually two different
sections of this revelation two
different revelations that were given
here
so that's kind of the context right so
this whole idea about
don't idle don't be idle and before
in the previous sections what is your
stewardship
and overcome the world don't be a victim
you need to overcome the world and be
lifted up
at the last day this is this is the
story of the gospel what is this what
does the gospel mean
god the term gospel comes from the old
english
god spell which means good
tidings or the good word
or the good news and what is the good
news the good news is that jesus
suffered and died for you so that
you can overcome the world and be lifted
up at the last day
so i love that about that that context
where joseph smith
is being sustained and
and ordained as the president of the
high priesthood the president of the
church
and all of these ideas about stewardship
and being and working and laboring
and and succeeding and being victorious
are all kind of combined in with all
that
i'll talk to you next time
Come Follow Me LDS
Doctrine and Covenants 71-75
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