During the month of June, I studied sermons in the Book of Mormon which were delivered to believers. Besides writing posts about those sermons, I also wrote a brief summary of each sermon in outline form. Here is a list of the sermons that I studied:
- Jacob’s first sermon to the people of Nephi, delivered shortly after they separated from the families of Laman and Lemuel (2 Nephi 6-10)
- Jacob’s second sermon, delivered after the death of Nephi (Jacob 2-3)
- King Benjamin’s speech at the temple (Mosiah 2-5)
- Alma’s speech to the people of Zarahemla (Alma 5)
- Alma’s speech to the people of Gideon (Alma 7)
- The sermon delivered by the Savior during His visit to the American continent (2 Nephi 12-16, 20-22)
- Mormon’s sermon on faith, hope, and charity (Moroni 7)
Here are some of the lessons I learned from these sermons this month:
Meekness and Humility
- We need to be meek and lowly in heart.
- We should take specific actions to humble ourselves.
- We need to recognize and appreciate the good things in our lives.
- God distributes blessings unevenly so that we will learn to share with each other. Those who have more must not think they are better than those who have less.
The Gathering of Israel
- The most important work going on in the world today is the gathering of Israel.
- Sometimes, God scatters some of his children in order to gather others.
Covenants
- A covenant is a “coming together,” or in other words, entering a special relationship.
- When we take upon ourselves the name of Christ, we have an obligation to represent Him well.
Enduring to the End
- Perfection is the ultimate goal, not a current expectation. We must not become discouraged when we make mistakes along the way.
- We should also avoid becoming discouraged or distracted when we are criticized for doing what’s right.
- We should do our work well, with the expectation that what we are building will last a long time.
- Personal religious activities help us maintain our conversion over time.
- We need to maintain good habits of physical and spiritual health.
- We are accountable, so we should remember that we will one day have to make an accounting of our actions.
Family
- Deep relationships are built on trust, so we must be particularly sensitive to the trust our immediate families have placed in us.
- Remember the impact of your daily decisions on your children.
- Learning about our ancestors can give us courage and perspective.
Teaching
- Gospel learners must be active participants in the learning process. Teachers can help by asking questions which invite the learners to think deeply.
- Effective teachers express love and respect for those they teach.
- Personal revelation will bring peace to those we teach.
Trusting in God
- When we are fulfilling assignments from the Lord, He will help us.
- God will “awaken” us and give us the capability to fulfill our assignments well.
- We can follow the example of the Lord’s Prayer, asking for both protection and deliverance.
- Religious practices may change over time, but the underlying truths of the gospel are eternal and unchanging.
- We must remember that He is powerful enough to help us overcome every obstacle. We may not see His hand in our lives today, but eventually we will.