Moroni 7-9: “May Christ Lift Thee Up” (December 7-13)

In chapters 7-9 of his book, Moroni recorded three messages from his father: a sermon and two letters. Here is what I have learned from each of these messages:

How to receive “every good thing” (Moroni 7)

Moroni tells us that his father’s sermon in the synagogue is about “faith, hope, and charity” (Moroni 7:1). Mormon first explains how to distinguish between good and evil (Moroni 7:2-19). He then introduces the attributes of faith, hope, meekness, and charity by saying, “I will tell you the way whereby ye may lay hold on every good thing” (Moroni 7:21).

Here is an outline of the sermon with some key takeaways: Mormon’s sermon on faith, hope, and charity.

Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned from this sermon:

• An assignment from God is a blessing, not a burden: The Gift of His Calling – Moroni 7:2.
• The Savior can help us overcome anxiety, live in harmony with others, and eventually enter “the rest of the Lord”: How Does the Savior Bring Us Peace?
• If you’re going to do something, then commit fully. Don’t be half-hearted about it: What Does It Mean to Do Something with “Real Intent?”
• We should regularly ask the simple question, “Is this thought leading me to do good?” How Can I Learn to Recognize the Holy Ghost?
• Don’t overanalyze the source of your positive promptings: How Can I Tell the Difference Between Promptings from the Holy Ghost and My Own Thoughts?
• In our search for truth, it’s important to reject falsehoods, but it’s even more important not to reject truths. We should avoid what statisticians call a “type I error”: They Cast Many Things Away – 2 Nephi 33:2.
• Jesus is on our team, championing our cause: What Does It Mean for Jesus to Be Our Advocate?
• If we exercise faith in Jesus Christ, we will experience miracles: Has the Day of Miracles Ceased? – Moroni 7:35-37
• Faith and hope are inseparable: What Is It That Ye Shall Hope For? – Moroni 7:40-42.
• We should strive to do God’s work without drawing undue attention to ourselves: What Is Meekness?
• Be gentle and patient when you disagree with others: Meek and Lowly in Heart – Moroni 7:43-44.
• The characteristics of charity can help us have happier relationships: Charity Never Faileth – Moroni 7:45-48
• Narrow-mindedness is not appropriate for a disciple of Jesus Christ: What Does It Mean to Believe, Hope, and Endure All Things? 
• Developing charity is a process, not an event: That Ye May Be Filled with This Love – Moroni 7:48.
• Even if we can’t see them, angels are nearby, providing guidance, encouragement, and support: What Is the Ministering of Angels?
• What we see depends on who we are: What Does It Mean to “See Him as He Is?”

“Little children are alive in Christ” (Moroni 8)

Moroni quotes a letter in which his father corrects a doctrinal misunderstanding that was beginning to emerge in the church. Little children do not need to be baptized. Until they are old enough to be accountable for their actions, they are “alive in Christ.” Mormon refers to the “infinite grace and goodness” of God and refers to the Savior as “his Holy Child, Jesus” (Moroni 8:3). He says that adults must repent, be baptized, and humble themselves like little children in order to be saved (Moroni 8:10).

Here is an outline of this letter with key takeaways: First epistle from Mormon to Moroni.

Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned from this letter:

• Prophets help us avoid fallacies: What Does the Book of Mormon Refute?
• It’s one thing to acquire faith; it’s another to sustain it over time: What Does It Mean to Endure to the End?
• Baptism follows naturally from repentance, and it also leads us toward repentance: What Does It Mean to Be “Baptized Unto Repentance?”
• As we teach children, we need to learn from them as well: As Their Little Children – Moroni 8:10.
• Parents should be attentive to their children: Mindful of You – Moroni 8:2-3.
• A formula for discipleship: Moroni 8:25-26 The First Fruits of Repentance is Baptism.

Remaining positive and hopeful under adverse circumstances (Moroni 9)

Moroni quotes a second letter in which his father encourages him to keep working hard and not to lose hope. After describing the brutality of their enemies and of their own people, Mormon says, “Be faithful in Christ; and may not the things which I have written grieve thee, to weigh thee down unto death; but may Christ lift thee up” (Moroni 9:25).

Here is an outline of this letter, with key takeaways: Second epistle from Mormon to Moroni.

Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned from this letter:

• “Faith means trusting God in good times and bad” (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland): Cumorah.
• It’s important to express confidence in our children: How Can I Be a Better Father?
• We should point our children toward Christ: What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Being an Effective Parent?
• Sensitivity is good; callousness is bad: What Does It Mean to Be “Past Feeling?”
• There are some tasks that we can only complete while we are mortal: What Is the Significance of the Phrase “a Tabernacle of Clay?”
• Persistence is an essential component of effective teaching: We Have a Labor to Perform – Moroni 9:4-6.
• Your service is never wasted because it benefits you: We Have a Labor to Perform – Moroni 9:6.
• We can trust God because His character and actions are consistent over time: He Changeth Not – Mormon 9:19.
• “It’s better to look up” (Thomas S. Monson): May Christ Lift Thee Up – Moroni 9:25-26.