Seek Ye for the Kingdom of God

Book of Mormon Lesson 12

Purpose: to help class members feel a greater desire to magnify their callings, be chaste,
and invite others to come unto Christ

Jacob 1:4
And if there were preaching which was ____________, or _____________________
which was great, or prophesying, that I should engrave themupon these plates.
What are some examples of each of these types of teachings found in the Book of
Mormon?

Sacred preaching

Great revelation

Prophesying

Something about this verse has always intrigued me. Notice the break in
parallelism: preaching goes with sacred, revelation goes with great, and
prophesying is all by itself. Is not revelation sacred? Is not preaching great?
And what is the difference between revelation and prophesying?
The Hebrew words may give us a clue.
Sacred in Hebrew means separate from human infirmity, impurity and sin
Preaching means proclamation
Great in Hebrew means absolute and emphatic
Revelation means to command and
Prophesying means Inspired teaching
Put together could these phrases mean the following?
Sacred preaching: proclaims the difference between worldly standards and
heavenly standards
Great Revelations are forceful and emphatic commandments that cannot be
misunderstood
Prophesying is inspired teachings about the future consequences of heeding or
ignoring the sacred preaching and great revelations?
Other thoughts?

Jacob 1:17-19 How to Magnify Our callings

Step 1 (v17-18 ) Receive your errand from the Lord
You are called of God. The Lord knows you. He knows whom He would have
serve one very position in His Church. He chose you. Henry B Eyring
Step 2 (v19) Take Responsibility
You are called to represent the Savior. Your voice to testify becomes the same
as His voice, your hands to lift the same as His hands. His work is to bless His
children. A, you calling is to bless lives. Henry B Eyring
Step 3: (v19) Teach the people (No matter your calling in the church, you are
ALWAYS teaching)
Each of us is responsible for the welfare and the growth and the development
of others. We do not live only unto ourselves. As we serve with diligence, as we
teach with faith and testimony, as we lift and strengthen and build convictions
of righteousness in those whose lives we touch, we magnify our callings.
Gordon B Hinckley

Step 4 (v19) Be diligent

Your call has eternal consequences for others and for you. In the world to come,
thousand may call your name blessed, even more than the people you serve here. They
will be the ancestors and the descendants of those who chose eternal life because of
something you said or did, or what you were. You see, there are no small callings to
represent the Lord. Your call carries grave responsibility. But you need not fear, because
your call comes with great promises. Henry B Eyring
Step 5 (v19) Labor with all your might
There will be times when you will feel overwhelmed. One of the ways you will be
attacked is with the feeling that you are inadequate. But you have access to more than
your natural capacities and you do not work alone. The Lord will magnify what you ay
and what you do in the eyes of the people you serve. What you say and do will carry
hope and give direction to people far beyond your natural abilities and your own
understanding Henry B Eyring
What is one thing you can do TODAY to better magnify your calling?

Jacob 2:15-22
Jacob reminds us of our need to be humble and to, think of your brethren like unto
yourselves.
True humility is not thinking lowly of yourself but thinking accurately of yourself. The
humble heart does not say, I cant do anything. But rather, I know my part and am
happy to do it.
When Jacob writes, Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, he uses a verb that
means to calculate, or to reckon. The word implies a conscious judgment resting on
carefully weighed facts. To the Romans, Paul gives this counsel: Be kindly affectioned
one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another (Romans 12:10).
Thus, the humble heart honors others.
Jesus , as in all things, is our example. Content to be known as a carpenter. Happy to be
mistaken for the gardener. He served his followers by washing their feet. He serves us
by doing the same. Each morning he gifts us with beauty. Each Sunday he calls us to his
table. Each moment he dwells in our hearts. And does he not speak of the day when he
as the Lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird
himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and will serve
them (Luke 12:37)?
If Jesus is so willing to honor us, can we not do the same for others? Make people a
priority. Accept your part in his plan. Be quick to share the applause. And, most of all,
regard others as more important than yourself. Love does. For love vaunteth not itself, is
not puffed up (1 Cor. 13:4).
I hope that you are piecing this all together. That your thoughts are going something like
this: If I think you are more important than I am . . . and you think I am more
important than you are . . .
and he thinks she is more important than he is . . . and she thinks he is more important
than she is . . . then in the end everyone feels important but no one acts important.

Whats more important to youthat the work be done or that you be seen? When a
brother or sister is honored, are you joyful or jealous?

Describe the last time you did an excellent job at something or served someone and
kept completely silent about it.

Read Romans 12:3-10

What general principle does Paul give us in verse 3?

How does verse 4 give us a practical way to show our humility? How could you put this
into practice in your daily life?

How does remembering the body of the church help us to remain humble? (v4-8)

How are we are to honor one another above ourselves (v10)? What does this mean that
you have to do in your own life?

Jacob 2:35; 3:1-2

Gods Counsel to Those That Have Abused

Our Savior emphasizes that he understands your pain when he tells the
perpetrators of abuse that they have broken your heart, destroyed your
confidence, and pierced you with deep wounds. And because he
understands, we can come to him. He has been where you are and can
relate to how feel. If his life on earth doesnt convince you, his death on
the cross should. Whenever we approach our Savior we will be treated
with kindness and we will find help. Trust him. His love is bigger than our
pain. Arent we tired of trusting the people of this earth for understanding.
Arent we weary of trusting the things of this earth for strength. A
drowning sailor doesnt call on another drowning sailor for help. A prisoner
doesn't be another prisoner to set him free. He knows he needs someone
who is stronger than he is. Jesus is that person. When you struggle, he
listens. When you yearn, he responds. When you question he hears. Trust in
him.
1. Believe that you are Pure in HeartJacob uses this phrase TWICE to
describe those who have been the victims of abuse. Satan would have you
believe that it is your fault that this happened to you, that you deserved it,
that you sinned, that you are to blame. But not your Savior. He looks on
you as pure in heart understanding that you never asked to be mistreated
and that you never deserved it. Rest assured, you are indeed pure in
heart.
2. Look unto God with firmness of mind: Remember that you are a child of
God. Your relationship with him is more important than your relationship with
your abuser. When you look to God with a firmness of mind you remember
that you are his. His creation, his pride, his joy, his beloved. No one can take
that from you. No one can touch it. What you have in the eternities is more
important than what you have lost here on earth.
3. Pray unto him with exceeding faith: Nothing brings us to our knees faster
than pain or misfortune or unfairness. When you need help follow the
example of the blind men. They cried out saying , Have mercy on us, O
Lord, Son of David. They didnt ask for Peter or John. They made no
request of the disciples or followers They went straight to the top. They
cried out to Jesus. Persistently, personally, passionately. I need help. Heal
me. Here is why you need to do the same. Gods goal for you is wholeness.
He will heal youinstantly or gradually, I do not know, but I do know that
he will heal you. If Jesus heals you instantly praise him. If you are still
waiting for healing, trust him. Help is on the way.

4. Life up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God: Its not enough to
keep the bad stuff out, we have got to let the good stuff in. Its not enough to
simply not dwell on the past, we have to cultivate a list of blessings. Think of the
woman in Samaria. Her life was changed in one hour with Savior, not just because
of what Jesus did, though that was huge. But because she let him do it. She let
him love her. He found her heart and mind filled with thoughts of uselessness and
despair. He left her with a heart and mind full of Grace.
5. Feast upon his love. Read Titus 3:3-7. God loves you simply because he has
chosen to do so. He loves you when you dont feel lovely. He loves you when no
one else does. Others may abandon you, divorce you and ignore you, but God will
love you. Always. No matter what. Trust in him and begin today to live loved.
What does that last phrase, live loved, mean to you? Are you living loved? How
can you learn to rely Gods love an a day-to-day, minute by minute basis?

Live
Loved