Setting
Following His death and resurrection in Israel, Jesus Christ visited a group of people on the American continent. He healed their sick, organized His church, and taught them the gospel. Over a two-day period, He preached a sermon which included the Sermon on the Mount and a discussion of several Old Testament prophecies regarding the gathering of Israel in the latter days.
Purpose
The Savior’s purpose in delivering this sermon was to broaden the perspective of His listeners in two ways:
- He wanted them to deepen their own discipleship, seeing past the mechanics of the gospel and applying the underlying principles.
- He wanted them to understand that they were part of a global and multigenerational effort: He and His Father are actively involved in saving people all over the world.
Outline
- The Sermon on the Mount
- How disciples of Christ should behave (3 Nephi 12, Matthew 5)
- The Beatitudes: acquire the attributes of Christ (3 Nephi 12:1-12).
- Let your light shine (3 Nephi 12:13-16).
- The principles behind the commandments (3 Nephi 12:17-48).
- Focus on heavenly rewards, not earthly ones (3 Nephi 13, Matthew 6)
- Serve others, pray, and fast for the right reasons (3 Nephi 13:1-18).
- Focus on heavenly treasures and keep your eye single to God (3 Nephi 13:19-24).
- Seek God’s kingdom first: He can provide earthly necessities (3 Nephi 13:25-34).
- Learn to discern between good and evil. (3 Nephi 14, Matthew 7)
- You will be judged as you judge others (3 Nephi 14:1-5).
- Don’t give sacred things to people who won’t respect them (3 Nephi 14:6).
- Ask, seek, knock. God will answer you (3 Nephi 14:7-11).
- The Golden Rule (3 Nephi 14:12).
- Don’t be fooled by false prophets who preach the gospel but don’t live it (3 Nephi 14:13-23).
- Build your life on a solid foundation by following these principles (3 Nephi 14:24-27).
- How disciples of Christ should behave (3 Nephi 12, Matthew 5)
- What it means for the law to be fulfilled (3 Nephi 15:1-10)
- You are some of my “other sheep.” I also have others. There will ultimately be one fold and one shepherd (3 Nephi 15:11-24, 16:1-3).
- Explanation of prophecies regarding the gathering of Israel
- The Gentiles will play a key role in both the scattering and the gathering of Israel, as prophesied in Isaiah 52:8-10 (3 Nephi 16:4-20).
- [Day 2] If the Gentiles don’t repent, then Israel will overpower them, as prophesied in Micah 5:8-9 and Micah 4:12-13 (3 Nephi 20:10-22).
- The scattering fulfills an important prophecy of Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15-19) and helps to fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12:3) (3 Nephi 20:23-28).
- The gathering fulfills the prophecies contained in Isaiah 52:8-10, 1-3, 7, 11-15 (3 Nephi 20:29-46 21:1-10).
- Those who reject the gospel will be separated from the people of the covenant, as prophesied in Micah 5:8-15. But all those who accept the gospel will become part of the covenant (3 Nephi 21:11-25).
- The work of the Father will commence among all nations. The people who participate need not be hurried nor anxious, because this is God’s work, and He will be with them, as prophesied in Isaiah 52:12 (3 Nephi 21:26-29).
- Isaiah 54: After much affliction, Israel will have peace and prosperity (3 Nephi 22).
My Takeaways
God’s work is expansive. In each of our lives, it extends far beyond religious activities to the development of Christlike attributes and, ultimately, the pursuit of perfection. Additionally, it reaches throughout the world, blessing people in every nation.
But in our daily lives, that perspective can be lost. We can become too fixated on the duties of the day and lose sight of the spiritual growth we are experiencing in the process. We can also be too provincial, thinking only of the people in our immediate surroundings, and failing to recognize God’s love for all of His children in every part of the world.
Jesus’s sermon at the temple in Bountiful reminds us that we are part of something extraordinary. The gospel will eventually touch all of God’s children and has the power to transform them. As Jeffrey R. Holland urged us in the most recent general conference, we need to “[rise] above any mechanical, function-without-feeling routine to the heartfelt discipleship articulated by the Savior” (“Be With and Strengthen Them,” General Conference, April 2018).
I will respond to Jesus’s sermon at the temple in Bountiful by lifting my sights higher. I will strive to live the gospel more fully—applying gospel principles and not merely completing tasks. I will also think more broadly about whom I can serve and how, remembering that God loves all of His children throughout the world and is working to bless them.
Blog Posts about Jesus Christ’s Sermon at the Temple in Bountiful
- “Taught of the Lord” – 3 Nephi 22:13 (2/26/2021)
- “A Little Sin” – 2 Nephi 28:8 (2/11/2021)
- Wisdom > Cunning (2/6/2021)
- The Work, the Sword, the Sickle, and the Prayer (1/28/2021)
- “If Thine Eye Be Single” – 3 Nephi 13:22 (1/21/2021)
- Old Testament Scriptures Quoted by Moroni to Joseph Smith (1/13/2021)
- “Cut Off from Among the People” (1/2/2021)
- How to “Come unto Christ” (12/22/2020)
- “Every Good Gift” – Moroni 10:18 (12/18/2020)
- “That He May Prophesy” – Moroni 10:13 (12/16/2020)
- Moroni Wrote to the Lamanites (12/6/2020)
- Book of Mormon References in Moroni 6 (12/5/2020)
- “Hid up unto the Lord” – Mormon 1:2, 4:23, 5:12 (10/31/2020)
- “Even as I Am” – 3 Nephi 27:27 (10/20/2020)
- “Taught of the Lord” – 3 Nephi 22:13 (10/17/2020)
- “The Heritage of the Servants of the Lord” – 3 Nephi 22:17 (10/16/2020)
- “For a Small Moment…” – 3 Nephi 22:7 (10/15/2020)
- “When These Things…Shall Come Forth…” – 3 Nephi 21:1-7 (10/14/2020)
- The New Jerusalem (10/13/2020)
- “I Know My Sheep, and They Are Numbered” – 3 Nephi 18:31 (10/11/2020)
- “Which I Have Shown unto You” – 3 Nephi 18:7 (10/2/2020)
- “Blessed Are the Gentiles” – 3 Nephi 16:6 (9/27/2020)
- “All Things Have Become New” – 3 Nephi 12:47 (9/26/2020)
- “With What Judgment Ye Judge…” – 3 Nephi 14:2 (9/25/2020)
- Behold the Fowls, Consider the Lilies – 3 Nephi 13:28 (9/24/2020)
- “Suffer None of These Things to Enter into Your Heart” – 3 Nephi 12:29 (9/23/2020)
- Blessed – 3 Nephi 12:1-12 (9/22/2020)
- No Contentions, No Disputations – 3 Nephi 11 (9/19/2020)
- What Is a “Remission” of Your Sins? (4/23/2020)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Clarify? (12/31/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Fulfill? (12/30/2019)
- What Is Meekness? (12/22/2019)
- What Is the Role of Music in the Gospel? (12/17/2019)
- What Can We Learn about Children from the Savior? (12/17/2019)
- What Is Wisdom? (12/13/2019)
- Would God Lead Us Into Temptation? (12/5/2019)
- What Are the “Vessels of the Lord?” (11/24/2019)
- What Is Lust? (11/20/2019)
- What Are the Purposes of Fasting? (11/18/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About the United States of America? (10/28/2019)
- What Does It Mean to “Cast Out Devils?” (10/24/2019)
- How Can I Be a Both a Defender of Truth and a Peacemaker? (10/19/2019)
- When Is Violence Justified? (10/17/2019)
- How Can I Follow the Savior with “Full Purpose of Heart?” (9/29/2019)
- Why Did Jesus Tell Us to Be Perfect? (9/27/2019)
- What Does It Mean to “Publish Peace?” (9/26/2019)
- How Will the Meek Inherit the Earth? (9/21/2019)
- What Is the Relationship Between the Family and the Church? (9/18/2019)
- Why Are We Blessed When We Are Reviled? (9/9/2019)
- How Can I Be a More Effective Leader? (8/23/2019)
- What Does It Mean to Be a Disciple of Jesus Christ? (8/22/2019)
- Who Is the House of Israel? (8/14/2019)
- What Is the Gathering of Israel? (8/13/2019)
- Why Were the Children of Israel Scattered? (8/12/2019)
- Why Did the Nephites Keep the Law of Moses? (8/11/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Jacob (Israel)? (8/9/2019)
- How Can I Be More Forgiving? (8/7/2019)
- What Does It Mean to Minister? (8/3/2019)
- What Is the New Jerusalem? (8/1/2019)
- What Is Zion? (7/31/2019)
- What Does It Mean to Seek the Kingdom of God? (7/30/2019)
- What Can We Learn from the Lord’s Prayer? (7/25/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Abraham? (7/20/2019)
- Where Did the Sacrament Prayers Come From? (7/15/2019)
- What Are “Vain Repetitions,” and Why Should We Avoid Them? (6/29/2019)
- How Can I Heal a Relationship with Someone Who Doesn’t Want the Relationship Healed? (6/23/2019)
- How Will the Remnant of Jacob Be Like a Lion Among Sheep? (6/15/2019)
- What Is the Role of Isaiah’s “Servant Songs” in the Book of Mormon? (6/14/2019)
- Who Is the “Prophet” that Moses Promised Would Come? (6/11/2019)
- How Can I Heal a Broken Relationship? (6/10/2019)
- What Is the Meaning of the Phrase “Sufficient Is the Day Unto the Evil Thereof?” (6/2/2019)
- How Does Isaiah Point Us Toward Christ? (6/1/2019)
- Which of Isaiah’s Writings Are Quoted in the Book of Mormon? (5/31/2019)
- Why Is Isaiah Quoted So Much in the Book of Mormon? (5/27/2019)
- What Does It Mean to Endure to the End? (5/14/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Anger? (5/9/2019)
- What Does It Mean to Consecrate Something? (5/4/2019)
- What Is A Contrite Spirit? (4/30/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Forgiving Others? (4/27/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Kindness? (4/10/2019)
- What Is Priestcraft? (4/9/2019)
- What Does It Mean to Pray in Your Closet? (3/27/2019)
- What Does It Mean to Eat and Drink the Bread and Water to Our Souls? (3/21/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About the Sacrament? (3/20/2019)
- What Does It Mean for Jesus to Be Our “Redeemer?” (3/10/2019)
- What Does It Mean to Be “Baptized with Fire?” (2/23/2019)
- How Does the Savior Invite Us to Come Unto Him? (2/12/2019)
- What Is the Fulness of the Gospel? (1/27/2019)
- Why Do the Scriptures Use the Phrase “Your Father, Which,” Instead of “Your Father, Who?” (1/25/2019)
- What Does It Mean to Search the Scriptures? (1/5/2019)
- No Weapon That Is Formed Against Thee Shall Prosper – 3 Nephi 22:16-17 (12/20/2018)
- Enlarge the Place of Thy Tent – 3 Nephi 22:1-3 (12/19/2018)
- I Will Be Their Rearward – 3 Nephi 21:29 (12/18/2018)
- Then Shall the Remnants…Be Gathered In – 3 Nephi 20:13 (12/17/2018)
- The Fulness of the Gentiles – 3 Nephi 16:4 (12/13/2018)
- One Fold, and One Shepherd – 3 Nephi 15:21 (12/12/2018)
- This Is the Law and the Prophets – 3 Nephi 14:12 (12/11/2018)
- I Never Knew You – 3 Nephi 14:21-23 (12/10/2018)
- They Have Their Reward – 3 Nephi 13:2, 5, 16 (12/9/2018)
- Whosoever Is Angry with His Brother – 3 Nephi 12:21-22 (12/8/2018)