Transcript The Kingdom of God is like…

Eyes to see and
ears to hear…
www.kevinhinckley.com
Top 10 Reasons to Vote
for Mitt Romney
10) The National Cathedral could be renamed the
National Tabernacle
9) NASA could commission a satellite to 'hie to Kolob‘
8) He already has a Vice President in mind…
7) All official government prayers could include the
phrase 'that we all can get home safely‘
6) Napoleon Dynamite could get someone other than Pedro elected
5) The President could not only explain things in Layman's terms, but
also Lemuel's terms
4) The President could issue pardons in exchange for 100% home
teaching
3) Not only could he pronounce 'Nuclear' but also 'Mahonri Moriancumer'
and 'Maher Shalal Hash Baz'.
2) At his inauguration he would swear on the Bible 'as far as it is
translated correctly‘.
1) finally a first family large enough to fill up the White House
Always a Challenge
Our Knowledge
and Beliefs
Family,
Classes,
Investigators
Question:
What works and doesn’t work?
Brother Wells, BYU
Parenting…
Parents are tradition bearers, and one's faith must be kept
alive and growing in order for it to be felt as true to
children who listen to them and watch them.
There is strong evidence that narratives, the stories we tell
or hear, may be our most natural register for learning
about human behavior. Some of the work of David
Dollahite of BYU in family stories and the research of
Richard Bounforte, also of BYU, suggest people can
teach their fundamental beliefs most deeply in personal
stories, stories in which listeners and the storyteller
participate together…
(Writing His Law in Their Hearts: The Development of Religious Faith in Children, 1995 BYU
Devotional)
Matthew 13
The same day went
Jesus out of the house,
and sat by the sea side.
And great multitudes were gathered
together unto him, so that he went into
a ship, and sat; and the whole
multitude stood on the shore.
And he spake many things unto them in
parables, saying,
The Savior’s own
explanation…
Then the disciples came and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto
them in parables?
He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know
the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
For whosoever receiveth, to him shall be given, and he shall have more
abundance;
But whosoever continueth not to receive, from him shall be taken away
Question
even that he hath. Who
is “them”
Therefore speak I to them in parables; because they, seeing, see not;
and hearing, they hear not; neither do they understand.
And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias concerning them, which
saith, By hearing, ye shall hear and shall not understand; and
seeing, ye shall see and shall not perceive.
Question
Where is this verse in Isaiah?
The Parable of the
Sower
And he spake many things unto them in
parables, saying, Behold, a sower went
forth to sow.
Wait, one more question!
Why this parable, right now?
Prophet Joseph Smith
I have a key by which I understand the
scriptures. I enquire, what was the
question which drew out the answer, or
caused Jesus to utter the parable
To ascertain its meaning, we must dig up
the root and ascertain what it was that
drew the saying out of Jesus."
(Joseph Fielding Smith, comp. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. 276-77.)
The Parable of the Sower (Matt 13)
The of
Parable
(4-7)
Lehi’s Tree
Life Vision
(I Nephi 8)
The Savior’s Explanation (18-22)
And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the
v. 23wayside,
There arose
a mist
of darkness…insomuch
and the
fowls
came and
Thatdevoured
they whothem
had commenced
did lose their
up.
way… and were lost
When any one heareth the word of the
kingdom, and understandeth not, then
cometh the wicked one, and catcheth
away that which was sown in his heart;
Some fell upon stony places, where they had
v. 28
And
afterearth;
they had
of the
fruit they
not
much
and tasted
forthwith
they
were
ashamed,
because
those
sprung
up; and
whenof
the
sun who
was were
up, they
were
scorched,
because
they
had
no
scoffing at them; and they fell away into
deepness
of earth;
andlost…
because they had
forbidden
paths
and were
no root, they withered away.
But he that received the seed into stony
places, the same is he that heareth the
word and readily with joy receiveth it,
And some fell among thorns, and the thorns
v. 31
…other
[were]
sprung
upmultitudes
and choked
them.feeling their
Way towards that great and spacious building…
And many were drowned in the…fountain
He also who received seed among the
thorns, is he that heareth the word; and
the care of this world and the
deceitfulness of riches, choke the word,
and he becometh unfruitful.
But he that received seed into the good
ground, is he that heareth the word and
understandeth and endureth; which
also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth,
some an hundred-fold, some sixty, and
some thirty.
v.
12others
and as
I partook
ofground,
the fruitand
thereof
it
But
fell
into good
brought
filledforth
my soul
exceeding
great joy;
fruit;with
some
an hundred-fold,
some
sixty-fold,
and some
thirty-fold.
Who
wherefore
I began
to be desirous
that
myhath
ears
to
hear,
let
him
hear.
family should partake also…
yet he hath not root in himself, and
endureth but for a while; for when
tribulation or persecution ariseth
because of the word, by and by he is
offended.
Elder McConkie
“Parables are a call to investigate the truth; to learn more;
to inquire into the spiritual realities, which, through
them, are but dimly viewed. Parables start truth
seekers out in the direction of further light and
knowledge and understanding; they invite men to ponder
such truths as they are able to bear in the hope of
learning more.
Parables are a call to come unto Christ, to believe his
doctrines, to live his laws, and to be saved in his
kingdom. They teach arithmetic to those who have the
capacity to learn calculus in due course. They are the
mild milk of the word that prepares our spiritual digestive
processes to feast upon the doctrinal meat of the
kingdom.” MM 2:245)
Elder Marvin J. Ashton
Four condition that might cause
us to lose the law of the harvest, as
seen in the parable of the Sower.
1234-
Unwillingness
Unwillingness
Unwillingness
Unwillingness
to
to
to
to
accept human qualities.
accept change.
follow instruction.
be totally committed.
Elder Featherstone
Elder Featherstone tells of a young man who came to him for a mission
interview. Elder Featherstone inquired as to the young man’s
transgressions. In a haughty manner the young man replied, “there isn’t
anything I haven’t done.” Elder Featherstone inquired about specifics—
morals, drugs, and so on. Again he replied, “I told you I have done
everything.” Elder Featherstone asked, “What makes you think you’re going
on a mission?” “Because I have repented,” came the reply. “I haven’t done
any of these things for a year.”
Elder Featherstone then looked at the young man across the table—twentyone years of age—sarcastic, haughty, with an attitude far removed from
sincere repentance.
“My dear young friend,” he said, “I’m sorry to tell you this, but you are not
going on a mission…you shouldn’t have been ordained an elder and you
really should have been tried for your membership in the Church. What
you’ve committed is a series of monumental transgressions. You haven’t
repented; you’ve just stopped doing something. Someday, after you have
been to Gethsemane and back, you’ll understand what true repentance is.”
At this, the young man started to cry. It lasted for about five minutes.
There was no exchange of words, only silence. Then he left Elder
Featherstone’ office.
Elder Featherstone Cont.
About six months later, Elder Featherstone was speaking to
an institute group in Arizona. Following the meeting he
saw this same young man walking up the aisle towards
him, and the details of the interview flashed though his
mind. Elder Featherstone reached down from the
podium to shake his hand.
As the young man looked up, Elder Featherstone could see
that something wonderful had taken place in his life.
Tears streamed down the young man’s cheeks and an
almost holy glow came from his countenance. “You’ve
been there, haven’t you?” asked Elder Featherstone.
Through the tears he said, “Yes, Bishop Featherstone,
I’ve been to Gethsemane and back.” “I know,” Elder
Featherstone replied. “It shows in your face. I believe
now that the Lord has forgiven you.”