47 And all that heard him were astonished at his aunderstanding and answers.
48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.
49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? awistye not that I must be about my bFather’s business?
50 And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.
51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was asubject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her bheart.
52 And Jesus aincreased in bwisdom and stature, and in cfavour with God and man.
Joseph Smith Translation of Matthew 2:23,26
No one needed to teach him.
Jesus comes to fulfill all righteousness. The example of being baptized.
How did John the Baptist prepare people to receive Jesus Christ? He taught them like Alma.
Mosiah 18:7
preach unto them repentance, and redemption, and faith on the Lord.
8-9
What do we commit to?
8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are adesirous to come into the bfold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;
9 Yea, and are awilling to mourn with those that bmourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as cwitnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the dfirst resurrection, that ye may have eternal life
10 Invites:
10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being abaptized in the bname of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a ccovenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?
Story of James not feeling the Spirit at his baptism but later at door of Newport Beach Temple.
John the Baptist: Came to see John and hear him. That's when he says,
Mark 1: 7 And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.
Matthew 3:8-9 clarifying JST: Why is it you have rejected this? For your sins ye have cloak, God is able to raise up children unto Abraham. "If ye are not one, ye are not mine." We need to use the greater responsibility to share with what we have been blessed to know. John was bold and wasn't afraid of these "powerful" people.
Also, baptism came first just like we need to repent of our sins first.
It may seem odd but when acted on in faith, promised blessings are received.
17 If any man will ado his bwill, he shall cknow of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
Notes of Elder Christofferson's October 2022 talk: "And for religion to shape one's life, it needs to be public and communal; it needs to be connected to the dead and the unborn." (Irving Kristol)
Ordinances provide order: a physical act with spiritual meaning. Consistency
Sister Holland:
Let me share with you two scriptures I love in the Old Testament that use some of that very language. Isaiah says:
“Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all … the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb: …
“… Even to your old age … and even [when you turn gray] will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; … I will carry, and will deliver you.”18
And Jeremiah writes:
“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.
“Then when you call upon me and … pray to me, I will hear you.”19
I offer you this one simple little sequence. Faith is the conviction that there is a God, hope is trusting He will help us, and charity is His love and ability working through us to bless others.
Sister Kimball, "It's always been our charge to gather and do the work."
Matthew 3:17 And lo he heard a avoice from heaven, saying, This is my bbeloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye him. (JST translation)
Elder Johnson: "The devil takes away power whereas the Lord gives us power."
To be complete... repentance requires a covenant of obedience...This is the covenant witnessed by baptism in water, sometimes referred to in the scriptures as 'baptism of repentance' or 'baptism unto repentance', inasmuch as it is the culminating step, the capstone of our repentance." D. Todd Christofferson
Robert J. Matthews: "A change of mind and a fresh view of the world."
Story of the plane crash, "Did God put you here for his." "yeah, I think He did."
Institute manual "Repentance will stop the devil and keep him from entering the hearts of men."
Christ healing the man, Mark 2:
5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be aforgiven thee.
6 But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
7 Why doth this man thus speak ablasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?
9 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?
10 But that ye may know that the aSon of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
Elder Maxwell, "No coincidences,
Doctrine and Covenants SECTION 93
Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio, May 6, 1833.
1–5, All who are faithful will see the Lord; 6–18, John bore record that the Son of God went from grace to grace until He received a fulness of the glory of the Father; 19–20, Faithful men, going from grace to grace, will also receive of His fulness; 21–22, Those who are begotten through Christ are the Church of the Firstborn; 23–28, Christ received a fulness of all truth, and man by obedience may do likewise; 29–32, Man was in the beginning with God; 33–35, The elements are eternal, and man may receive a fulness of joy in the Resurrection; 36–37, The glory of God is intelligence; 38–40, Children are innocent before God because of the redemption of Christ; 41–53, The leading brethren are commanded to set their families in order.
1 Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who aforsaketh his bsins and cometh unto me, and ccalleth on my name, and dobeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall esee my fface and gknow that I am;
2 And that I am the true alight that lighteth every man that cometh into the world;
3 And that I am ain the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one—
4 The Father abecause he bgave me of his fulness, and the Son because I was in the world and made cflesh my dtabernacle, and dwelt among the sons of men.
5 I was in the world and received of my Father, and the aworks of him were plainly manifest.
6 And aJohn saw and bore record of the fulness of my bglory, and the fulness of cJohn’s record is hereafter to be revealed.
7 And he bore record, saying: I saw his glory, that he was in the abeginning, before the world was;
8 Therefore, in the beginning the aWord was, for he was the Word, even the messenger of salvation—
9 The alight and the Redeemer of the world; the Spirit of truth, who came into the world, because the world was made by him, and in him was the life of men and the light of men.
10 The worlds were amade by him; men were made by him; all things were made by him, and through him, and of him.
11 And I, John, abear record that I beheld his bglory, as the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, even the Spirit of truth, which came and dwelt in the flesh, and dwelt among us.
12 And I, John, saw that he received not of the afulness at the first, but received bgrace for grace;
13 And he received not of the fulness at first, but continued from agrace to grace, until he received a fulness;
14 And thus he was called the aSon of God, because he received not of the fulness at the first.
15 And I, aJohn, bear record, and lo, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove, and sat upon him, and there came a voice out of heaven saying: This is my bbeloved Son.
16 And I, John, bear record that he received a fulness of the glory of the Father;
17 And he received aall bpower, both in heaven and on earth, and the glory of the Father was with him, for he dwelt in him.
18 And it shall come to pass, that if you are faithful you shall receive the afulness of the record of John.
19 I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and aknow what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness.
20 For if you keep my acommandments you shall receive of his bfulness, and be cglorified in me as I am in the Father; therefore, I say unto you, you shall receive dgrace for grace.
21 And now, verily I say unto you, I was in the abeginningwith the Father, and am the bFirstborn;
22 And all those who are begotten through me are apartakersof the bglory of the same, and are the cchurch of the Firstborn.
23 Ye were also in the beginning with the Father; that which is aSpirit, even the Spirit of truth;
24 And atruth is bknowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come;
Robert J. Matthews podcast- stories
Joseph Smith was a plow boy and became the prophet of the restoration. God uses his children to do His great work. Callings are privileges.
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Think of promises to keep as eternal promises I made before this earth life and fulfill through covenant keeping here.
