To accompany your Come Follow Me study for the week of September 30 to October 6
You will enjoy the following related videos this week:
And you will want to consult the following related commentary in the Institute of Religion Book of Mormon Student Manual:
- Chapter 41: 3 Nephi 12–14 (churchofjesuschrist.org)
- Chapter 42: 3 Nephi 15–17 (churchofjesuschrist.org)
If you would like a Kahoot game related to this material which you could use for personal study or use with your family or your class, click here: https://create.kahoot.it/share/3-nephi-12-16/75c60f03-96f5-4122-af62-4de5f9275f07 . To use it with a group, after clicking on this link, you will need to log into Kahoot, creating a free account if you have not done so previously, then click on the blue “Host Live” button or the gray “Assign” button, depending on how you wish to use the Kahoot. Some of the Kahoot questions may presuppose that the player has read through the suggested answers to the following Points to Ponder and at least has browsed the Institute student manual as well.
Points to Ponder in 3 Nephi 12-16
Give chapter and verse where the following are stated or implied:
- The high ethical standards of the Sermon on the Mount were not intended to be lived by ordinary people just trying harder on their own, but they are the typical behavior of those who have accepted the gospel, been baptized, and received the Holy Ghost.
- There’s nothing praiseworthy about just being depressed or having an inferiority complex. You have to do something about it.
- Those who are truly sorry for their sins will receive the Holy Ghost
- This planet will someday become the location of the celestial kingdom.
- The Spirit of the Lord is given not to those who merely passively agree the gospel is true but to those who actively and energetically strive to find the truth and do what’s right.
- The Savior has assigned us to be a good influence in the world. He has not necessarily complimented us for already being one, just by virtue of our Church membership.
- In the Nephite version of the Sermon on the Mount, the Savior omitted a phrase found in Matthew 5, thereby clarifying that there is really no acceptable reason for us to be angry with someone else.
- We should try to clear up any serious misunderstandings with our fellow men before partaking of the sacrament.
- Much in the popular media needs to be avoided.
- A passage which reflects the divine ideal but is not a law applied in the Church today.
- Origin of the phrase “going the extra mile.”
- Jesus set a perfect example for us to follow.
- Don’t publicize how much you pay in fast offerings or give to the Church’s humanitarian fund.
- Wordy, flowery prayers are inappropriate—especially at church.
- Don’t hold onto grudges against others if you don’t want God to hold one against you.
- Don’t complain publicly about how hungry you are on Fast Day.
- Eternal family relationships, testimonies, and gospel knowledge are more eternally valuable than stocks and bonds.
- To a true Latter-day Saint, making money will always be less important than serving the Lord.
- Those who think Jesus taught that we shouldn’t be concerned about earning a living and providing for our families have misunderstood the scriptures.
- We are called primarily to perfect ourselves, not others.
- Scriptural justification for not letting people into the temple without a recommend.
- A passage which (as it appears in the Bible) could have just as easily led Joseph Smith into the Sacred Grove as the famous passage in James 1:5
- The Golden Rule.
- There will be no population problem in the celestial kingdom.
- A passage which is sometimes cited from the Bible as an argument against Joseph Smith but which, if properly considered, is really an argument in his favor.
- Latter-day Saints should be visibly happier, more productive, and more blessed than others as a sign to others of which Church is true.
- An answer to those who teach that mere belief in Jesus saves us without our needing to be concerned with doing anything else.
- In one sense, it’s not what we do but whom we know that is the key to our eternal success.
- Jesus was the Jehovah of the Old Testament, who spoke to Moses on Mt. Sinai.
- Those who look to the Savior can receive direction directly from him on such matters as what they should do on the Sabbath, whether to pay tithing on their gross or net income, and whether or not it is okay to eat coffee flavored ice cream. It doesn’t all have to be spelled out in the scriptures with a “one size fits all” answer.
- After His ministry to the Nephites, Jesus went to make a similar visit to the descendants of the Lost Ten Tribes.
- Someday missionaries may no longer be sent to Germany and Japan or even New York but will be concentrated in such places as Mexico, Peru, and Guatemala.
Possible Answers to Points to Ponder in 3 Nephi 12-16
You may have discovered that the answers are all in chronological order.
1. The high ethical standards of the Sermon on the Mount were not intended to be lived by ordinary people just trying harder on their own, but they are the typical behavior of those who have accepted the gospel, been baptized, and received the Holy Ghost.
12:1-2. This passage is missing from the Biblical version of the Sermon on the Mount. Many have therefore felt the kind of behavior taught in the sermon, such as loving our enemies, was simply unrealistic. It was never intended that men live this way just by gritting their teeth and exerting their own strength. But it is the natural behavior of those who have been “born again” and had the mighty change of heart the scriptures speak of.
2. There’s nothing praiseworthy about just being depressed or having an inferiority complex. You have to do something about it.
12:3. The “poor in spirit,” whether you interpret it as feeling depressed or as being humble, can’t expect to be blessed unless they come unto Christ. That part is missing from the Biblical version of this verse.
3. Those who are truly sorry for their sins will receive the Holy Ghost.
12:4. The promise is not meant for everyone who is sad for whatever reason. It applies specifically to those who mourn for their past sins. It is the Holy Ghost, the “Comforter,” who brings peace to the repentant heart.
4. This planet will someday become the location of the celestial kingdom.
5. The Spirit of the Lord is given not to those who merely passively agree the gospel is true but to those who actively and energetically strive to find the truth and do what’s right.
12:6. The Bible just says such will be “filled.” It doesn’t specify with what they will be filled.
6. The Savior has assigned us to be a good influence in the world. He has not necessarily complimented us for already being one, just by virtue of our Church membership.
12:13-16
7. In the Nephite version of the Sermon on the Mount, the Savior omitted a phrase found in Matthew 5, thereby clarifying that there is really no acceptable reason for us to be angry with someone else.
12:22. See the comparable verse in Matthew 5:22, which includes the phrase “without a cause.”
8. We should try to clear up any serious misunderstandings with our fellow men before partaking of the sacrament.
12:23-24
9. Much in the popular media needs to be avoided.
12:28-29. “Suffer none of these things to enter into your heart.”
10. A passage which reflects the divine ideal but is not a law applied in the Church today.
12:32. The ideal would be that all marriages last forever. Unfortunately, divorce occurs—and sometimes needs to occur. The Church does not consider that divorced individuals are committing adultery if they remarry.
11. Origin of the phrase “going the extra mile.”
12:41
12. Jesus set a perfect example for us to follow.
12:48. The Matthew 5 version tells us only to be as perfect as God the Father. But to the Nephites Jesus said we should aspire someday to be as perfect as either He or His Father.
13. Don’t publicize how much you pay in fast offerings or give to the Church’s humanitarian fund.
13:1-4
14. Wordy, flowery prayers are inappropriate—especially at church.
13:5-7. Elder Bruce R. McConkie once taught that an opening prayer in sacrament meeting should last no longer than two minutes and that thirty seconds was plenty for a closing prayer.
15. Don’t hold onto grudges against others if you don’t want God to hold one against you.
13:11, 14, 15
16. Don’t complain publicly about how hungry you are on Fast Day.
13:16-18
17. Eternal family relationships, testimonies, and gospel knowledge are more eternally valuable than stocks and bonds.
13:19-20
18. To a true Latter-day Saint, making money will always be less important than serving the Lord.
13:24. “Mammon” means “riches” or “money.”
19. Those who think Jesus taught that we shouldn’t be concerned about earning a living and providing for our families have misunderstood the scriptures.
13:25-33. In the Matthew version of the Sermon on the Mount, it appears as though Jesus told everyone to “take no thought” for what they were to eat, drink, or wear, but to simply seek to build God’s kingdom in full confidence that He would then automatically provide for their temporal needs. The Book of Mormon version clarifies that this was instruction given to the Twelve, not to everyone. It is the same today. General authorities are called to dedicate full time to the Church, without having to worry about their living expenses. But members in general certainly are expected to energetically plan, prepare, and work to earn what they need to support themselves and their families, even though it should not be their only or highest goal in life.
20. We are called primarily to perfect ourselves, not others.
14:3-5
21. Scriptural justification for not letting people into the temple without a recommend.
14:6. The Lord is not referring to those who don’t attend the temple as “swine.” But He is saying not to share sacred spiritual truths with those who are not prepared to appreciate them, any more than you would give jewels to pigs.
22. A passage which (as it appears in the Bible) could have just as easily led Joseph Smith into the Sacred Grove as the famous passage in James 1:5.
14:7. In fact, in his 1835 account of the First Vision, Joseph Smith cites the Matthew 7:7 version of this passage before mentioning the passage in James 1:5 as his motivation for going into the woods to pray.
23. The Golden Rule.
14:12. This, and its counterpart in Matthew 7:12, is the scriptural wording of the familiar maxim “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
24. There will be no population problem in the celestial kingdom.
14:13-14. “Few there be that find it.”
25. A passage which is sometimes cited from the Bible as an argument against Joseph Smith but which, if properly considered, is really an argument in his favor.
14:15. The fact that Jesus warns us against false prophets is in itself evidence that there must also be true ones, or He would simply have warned us against anyone who pretends to have prophetic powers.
26. Latter-day Saints should be visibly happier, more productive, and more blessed than others as a sign to others of which Church is true.
14:16-20. “Ye shall know them by their fruits.”
27. An answer to those who teach that mere belief in Jesus saves us without our needing to be concerned with doing anything else.
14:21
28. In one sense, it’s not what we do but whom we know that is the key to our eternal success.
14:23; Joseph Smith indicated that the corresponding passage from the Bible should read “And then will I say, Ye never knew me….” (JST Matt. 7:33.) See also Mosiah 26:24 and John 17:3.
29. Jesus was the Jehovah of the Old Testament, who spoke to Moses on Mt. Sinai.
15:5
30. Those who look to the Savior can receive direction directly from him on such matters as what they should do on the Sabbath, whether to pay tithing on their gross or net income, and whether or not it is okay to eat coffee flavored ice cream. It doesn’t all have to be spelled out in the scriptures with a “one size fits all” answer.
15:9. “I am the law, and the light. Look unto me….” The Lord may, in fact, give different answers to different people, depending on their level of spiritual maturity.
31. After His ministry to the Nephites, Jesus went to make a similar visit to the descendants of the Lost Ten Tribes.
16:1-3
32. Someday missionaries may no longer be sent to Germany, Japan, Nigeria, or even New York but will be concentrated in such places as Mexico, Peru, and Guatemala.
16:10-11. The nations of Europe, Asia, and Africa in general, as well as most of the US and Canada, are primarily “Gentile” or non-Israelite nations. Those genetically of the “house of Israel” are concentrated primarily in Latin American countries and perhaps in Polynesia, as well as in some southern states of the US where there are a lot of Latin American immigrants. Of course, those of “the house of Israel” are also found in the nation of Israel, but past prophets have suggested that missionaries may not be sent there until after the Second Coming, when our Jewish friends will at last understand the answer to the question, “What are these wounds in thine hands?” (Zechariah 13:6.)