Why do we meet together? To edify, to grow, and to rejoice with one another. So as we go through this year, let's grow together, let's edify one another and let's rejoice in the Savior! As we start this lesson and this year, what scripture shall we look at? Who should we hear from about what we will find in the New Testament? ISAIAH! Isaiah is the most quoted prophet/person in the entire scriptures. Luke 3:4-11: John the Baptist quotes Isaiah (61:1-3) about an upcoming birth. WHOSE? Christ's of course. There are several missions that Isaiah says will be fulfilled when the messiah comes:
So John the Baptist says that Christ's mission is to take away our sins, bring Salvation to the Heathen nations, gather those who are lost (10 tribes), preach the gospel to gentiles, be a light to all who sit in darkness, bring justice to all, show those that are ungodly their ungodly deeds, and resurrected to break the bonds of death. Hmm, kind of sounds like Jesus the Christ is the promised Messiah. *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** John the Apostle, John the Beloved First we have to understand that John was there at the beginning. He was there at the creation of the planet and he KNEW God, the Father. Next thing we need to remember is that Christ's atonement is INFINITE! There is no ending, no beginning. It became so the moment it happened. And it's not just for this planet/this world. In the scriptures it says that there are other worlds--his atonement are for all of God's children. Though we are all responsible for our actions: Story time! A motorcycle was pulled over for speeding. He pulled over and waited for the police office to step out of his vehicle and begin walking toward him. At this point, the motorcyclist has a choice. He can stop and face the consequences of his actions, he can take off and speed away in the hopes of avoiding a ticket in a safe manner, or he can take off sporadically and without thought to his actions. The motorcyclist made his choice and punched the gas and took off at 120 mph. He sped through a red light and hit a truck. his tire bent beneath the truck and he went flying through the air. Miraculously, he survived. But now he has to face not only the speeding ticket, but also all the consequences of his actions from that point on. We are often like this motorcyclist. We have a caution placed in our review mirrors. We see it looming behind us as a flashing light warning of danger or caution. And yet instead of stopping and taking stock or facing the small consequence, we rush off in the hopes of avoiding them and find ourselves mired in the muck of our follies. Sister Hayes spoke in Sacrament giving her testimony. She said that Christ is ALWAYS there, no matter how many times we fail or fall and have to pick ourselves up. He's there. waiting. Christ can't open the door. The knob is on our side entirely. But he is ALWAYS there, waiting for us. John 20:31 This is John's Testimony. His entire purpose in sharing this is to testify that Jesus is the Christ, the promised messiah. He is the anointed one that has been foreordained to be our Savior. Challenge!D&C 50: 17-22 sums up to this: Be prepared to be taught. It is not the teacher's job to teach-it is your job to listen for the spirit. The spirit teaches.
So with that in mind this week's challenge is to read lesson 2: Teacher manual can be found here: https://www.lds.org/manual/new-testament-gospel-doctrine-teachers-manual?lang=eng Class member guide can be found here: https://www.lds.org/manual/new-testament-class-member-study-guide?lang=eng AND read the introduction of the class member guide and the helps for the teacher at the beginning of the Teacher's manual. This will help you become prepared to join in the full discussion next week! |
New Testament
I am making a scripture journal based off of The Redheaded Hostess' website! As I delve deeper, I will be adding my journal entries to each book of scripture. ArchivesCategories |