Doctrine and Covenants 121-128: Sacrifice, Affliction, Baptism for the Dead, and Turning to Christ.

We lightly covered a little bit of the last three sections of our Come Follow Me study on Sunday:

1. Doctrine and Covenants 121-123, when Joseph Smith and others were unfairly imprisoned for four months. 

2. Doctrine and Covenants 124, when Joseph Smith continued to build temples.

3. Doctrine and Covenants 125-128, which talks about doing work for those that have gone before us.

I wish we had been able to cover more material but we had a great discussion. This is a highlight of some of the main quotes and videos focused mainly around the topic of adversity, some that we covered and some that we did not. If you were in my class, these slides are not in the order of our class discussion, but instead in chronological order of the sections. 

Highlights from Doctrine and Covenants 121

Joseph Smith and several other men were imprisoned for four months in a small, dark, space. Quentin L. Cook (Quentin L. Cook, "Personal Peace in Challenging Times, October 2021) shared his thoughts about this in our last General Conference:

"I was recently assigned to dedicate a portion of historic Nauvoo. As part of the assignment, I was able to visit Liberty Jail in Missouri. As I viewed the jail, I contemplated the events that make it such a significant part of Church history. The lives of the Saints were threatened as the result of an extermination order issued by the governor of Missouri. In addition, the Prophet Joseph and a few choice associates had been unjustly imprisoned in Liberty Jail. blessings. I was deeply moved as I read what the Prophet Joseph Smith declared as he was confined in Liberty Jail:"  

Our own desires, rather than a feeling of “Thy will be done,”2 create the feeling of a pavilion blocking God. God is not unable to see us or communicate with us, but we may be unwilling to listen or submit to His will and His time.

Our feelings of separation from God will diminish as we become more childlike before Him. That is not easy in a world where the opinions of other human beings can have such an effect on our motives. But it will help us recognize this truth: God is close to us and aware of us and never hides from His faithful children.

Henry B. Eyring, “Where is the Pavilion?” October 2012

When we become humble enough to submit ourselves to the will of Heavenly Father, we reflect the light of Jesus Christ, who always submitted Himself to the will of the Father (see John 6:38; 3 Nephi 27:13).

Adrian Ochoa, “The Choice of Humility,” Ensign, July 2020

The test a loving God has set before us is not to see if we can endure difficulty. It is to see if we can endure it well. We pass the test by showing that we remembered Him and the commandments He gave us.

Henry B. Eyring, “In the Strength of the Lord,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2004, 17.

Elder Hales suffered greatly, with health problems and major surgeries. About adversity he said:

This excerpt was taken from the talk, "“The Covenant of Baptism: To Be in the Kingdom and of the Kingdom.”

Highlights from Doctrine and Covenants 126

The Lord tells Brigham Young that his offering is acceptable to the Lord. He had served several missions far from his family and it was more important for him at that point to be with his family.

This reminds me of 3 Nephi 17, which was the time when the Savior had been crucified, and then resurrected, visited the people in the Americas, after many signs, including darkness for three days. The people had gone to the temple in the land of Bountiful when the Savior appeared. Of that time period, Bruce C. Hafen says: 

"The people in 3 Nephi 17 [3 Ne. 17] had survived destruction, doubt, and darkness just to get to the temple with Jesus. After listening to Him for hours in wonder, they grew too weary to comprehend Him. As He prepared to leave, they tearfully looked at Him with such total desire that He stayed and blessed their afflicted ones and their children. They didn’t even understand Him, but they wanted to be with Him more than they wanted any other thing. So He stayed. Their almost was enough.

Almost is especially enough when our own sacrifices somehow echo the Savior’s sacrifice, however imperfect we are. We cannot really feel charity—Christ’s love for others—without at least tasting His suffering for others, because the love and the suffering are but two sides of a single reality. When we really are afflicted in the afflictions of other people, we may enter “the fellowship of his sufferings”27 enough to become joint-heirs with Him.

Bruce C. Hafen, “The Atonement: All for All,” General Conference, April 2004

Highlights from Doctrine and Covenants 127 
Joseph Smith had been falsely accused, and to avoid imprisonment, was hiding out in friends' homes. In the meantime, he wrote letters, much like Paul did as he traveled around preaching and teaching the gospel, often with what he called "a thorn in his side." He starts his letter to members in this section as follows:

Joseph himself draws parallels to Paul. We can gain further insight from this observation by Seely:

The Prophet Joseph Smith must have felt a deep kinship with the Apostle Paul.

•  Both began their service to the Lord through a life-changing vision. 

• Both were true to the vision they received and acted with unrelenting faith and courage to fulfill their missions, bearing testimony to a skeptical world (see JS—H 1:24–25). 

• And both sealed their testimonies with their blood as witnesses to the gospel they had so fervently preached throughout their lives.  

    "Paul, Untiring Witness of Christ," by David Rolph Seely and Jo Ann H. Seely

Some observations about affliction:

When faced with unfairness, we can push ourselves away from God or we can be drawn toward Him for help and support. For example, the prolonged warfare between the Nephites and the Lamanites affected people differently. Mormon observed that “many had become hardened” while others “were softened because of their afflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God.”25

Dale G. Renlund, “Infuriating Unfairness,” April 2021 General Conference

Do not let unfairness harden you or corrode your faith in God. Instead, ask God for help. Increase your appreciation for and reliance on the Savior. Rather than becoming bitter, let Him help you become better.26 Allow Him to help you persevere, to let your afflictions be “swallowed up in the joy of Christ.”27 Join Him in His mission “to heal the brokenhearted,”28 

strive to mitigate unfairness, and become a stonecatcher.29

Dale G. Renlund, “Infuriating Unfairness,” April 2021 General Conference

Doctrine and Covenants 124:4 also has a focus on temple work:

When I was serving as the Executive Director of the Temple Department, I heard President Gordon B. Hinckley refer to this scripture spoken by the Lord about the Nauvoo Temple: “Let the work of my temple, and all the works which I have appointed unto you, be continued on and not cease; and let your diligence, and your perseverance, and patience, and your works be redoubled, and you shall in nowise lose your reward, saith the Lord of Hosts.”12 (D&C:127:4)

Our work in the temple is tied to our eternal reward. Recently we have been put to the test. The Lord has called us to work in the temples with “diligence, … perseverance, and patience.”13 Being “recommended to the Lord” requires those qualities. We must be diligent in living the commandments, persevere in our attention to our temple covenants, and be grateful for what the Lord continues to teach about them and be patient as we wait for temples to reopen in their fulness. 

Ronald A. Rasband, “Recommended to the Lord,” October 2020 General

Highlights from Doctrine and Covenants 128

In Doctrine and Covenant 128, the Saints learned about Baptism for the Dead, that work could be done for those that died without learning about the gospel. This was a huge relief for Joseph Smith, who had struggled and worried about his brother Alvin, that had died. There is a great video about it here, called Glad Tidings: The History of Baptisms for the Dead. 

Here are some thoughts about temple work:

“Jesus’s Atonement in behalf of all represents a great vicarious sacrifice. He set the pattern under which He became a proxy for all mankind. This pattern under which one man can act in behalf of another is carried forward in the ordinances of the house of the Lord. Here we serve in behalf of those who have died without a knowledge of the gospel. Theirs is the option to accept or reject the ordinance which is performed. They are placed on an equal footing with those who walk the earth. The dead are given the same opportunity as the living. Again, what a glorious and wonderful provision the Almighty has made through His revelation to His Prophet”

(Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Great Things Which God Has Revealed,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2005, 82

83). 

Many of your ancestors did not receive those ordinances. But in the providence of God, you did. And God knew that you would feel drawn to your ancestors in love and that you would have the technology necessary to identify them. He also knew that you would live in a time when access to holy temples, where the ordinances can be performed, would be greater than ever in history. And He knew that He could trust you to accomplish this work in behalf of your ancestors.

Henry B. Eyring, “Gathering the Family of God,” April 2017 General Conference

There are quite a few videos in the Come Follow Me for Sunday School manual related to Baptisms for the Dead. This is just a few of the ones I considered highlighting for the class. I wish we had time to watch them.

A Visit from Father - President Russell M. Nelson shares a personal family history story that bears testimony of the importance of temple and family history work for all families."

Connected to Eternal Families

If We Put God First

Redeeming the Dead Redeemed Me

The Restoration of the Church on Earth

This week's Come Follow Me study covered Doctrine and Covenants 20-22, in April 1830 when the Church of Christ was restored on earth once again. 

A brief reminder of the timing:

• 1820 - At age 14, Joseph Smith went into the woods to pray (Joseph Smith History 1:14-20)
• 1829 - At age 23, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery received the Aaronic Priesthood (Section 13)
• 1830 - At age 24, Joseph Smith gathered with 40-ish believers in the home of Peter Whitmer and organized the church (Section 21)

The Come Follow Me manual references a history of the church called "Build Up My Church" by Jeffrey G. Cannon. It helps bring the experience and story to life, of what was happening in the restoration of the gospel on the earth at that time. It strengthens my testimony and understanding of the gospel as I read this account and picture 40-ish faithful followers of God squeezing into the home of Peter Whitmer, as they partook of the first sacrament of the restored church on earth and experienced something that, I, as someone who grew up learning about the gospel, and grew up attending church regularly, have always known as a part of my life.

Click to enlarge:

I taught Sunday School today, and we talked about the comparison of the full gospel of Christ on earth at this time (above). I want to highlight a couple of points discussed during class today:

• How true it was that the gospel was once again restored on the earth because you can see that having the doctrine, ordinances, priesthood authority, and prophets are the same.
• How slowly the gospel of Christ unfurled in ancient times (as they moved away from the law of Moses) and how relatively quickly the principles of the gospel came forth on the earth today.

In April 2020, President Russell M. Nelson, our prophet of God on the earth today, shared a proclamation, "The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ." It's a great time to study this proclamation as we study the restoration of the church on the earth, and what that meant for those who were willing to listen and learn. I love how this proclamation starts with, 

"We solemnly proclaim that God loves his children in every nation of the world." 

In October 2020, President Russell M. Nelson reiterated the love of our Heavenly Father and Savior for us. 

"God does not love one race more than another. His doctrine on this matter is clear. He invites all to come unto Him, 'black and white, bond and free, male and female.'" ("Let God Prevail," Russell M. Nelson, October 2020 General Conference).

The Lord Speaks through Prophets
In Doctrine and Covenants 21:5-6, the Lord says, "For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith. For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you ..."

What a blessing it is to have prophets on the earth today, that we can receive the Lord's word "as if from mine own mouth."

President Nelson has given us plenty of advice and encouragement over the last few years. For instance, he told us to in April 2018 that we should be taking more efforts to receive personal revelation. He encouraged us that as we pray and study, that we should write down the feelings and follow through on the promptings that come to our mind. As a result of his guidance, I have a notebook that I keep next to my bed stand and take with me to other parts of the house when I study scriptures. As I read, if something comes into my mind, I write it down. If I am a praying, and have a thought about something, I write it down. I'm not always great or consistent about this, but I am improving. President Nelson has counseloed us that "As you repeat this process day after day, month after month, year after year, you will "grow into the principle of revelation." ("Revelation for the Church, Revelation of Our Lives," Russell M. Nelson, April 2018 General Conference)

Also powerful in the above scripture is that, by following direction from the prophet, "the gates of hell shall not prevail against you."

The theme of "prevailing" has been particularly poignant in a year where the turmoils of individuals around the world are perhaps more shared evident, but where trials and tribulation in one's life are certainly nothing new.

President Nelson said, 

"The Lord is gathering those who are willing to let God prevail in their lives. The Lord is gathering those who will choose to let God be the most important influence in their lives. For centuries, prophets have foretold this gathering, and it is happening right now! As an essential prelude to the Second Coming of the Lord, it is the most important work in the world." ("Let God Prevail," Russell M. Nelson, October 2020 General Conference)

Doctrine and Covenants 20 talks about the organization of the different duties of elders, priests, teachers, deacons, and members. 

One thing that I want to emphasize here is that in our all responsibilities, President Uchtdorf said, 

"From the newest ordained deacon to the most senior high priest, we all have lists of what we could and should do in our priesthood responsibilities. That what is important in our work, and we need to attend to it. But it is in the why of priesthood service that we need to discover the fire, passion, and power of the priesthood. The what of priesthood service teaches us what to do. They why inspires our souls. The what informs, but the why transforms." ("The Why of Priesthood Service," Dieter F. Uchtdorf, April 2012)

While Doctrine and Covenants 20 focuses on the duties of different priesthood callings, its focus, as it says in Doctrine and Covenants 20:38, is also "and members of the church of Christ," including ensuring they are baptized when ready and that they partake of the sacrament. 

The topic guide about priesthood power on www.churchofjesuschrist.org addresses this, quoting from Joseph Smith's teachings about Priesthood, Temple, and Women.

Click to enlarge.

I hope today's thoughts are one that fill you with a sense of purpose in how and WHY to overcome, and a feeling of hope that we CAN overcome. I love the reminder that the Lord loves all of us, no matter what kind of person that we are, where we were born, where we live now. What he cares about is that we know that he loves us and that because he does, he wants us to prevail. And, as we do, it will open the doors to let him help to carry us: 

"Now how does the Lord feel about people who will let God prevail? Nephi summed it up well, "[The Lord] loveth those who will have him to be their God. Behold, he loved our fathers, and he covenanted with them, yea even Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and he remember[s] the covenants which he [has] made. And what is the Lord willing to do for Israel? The Lord has pledged that He will "fight [our] battles, and [our] children's battles, and our children's children's [battles] ... to the third and fourth generation."  ("Let God Prevail," Russell M. Nelson, October 2020 General Conference)

Doctrine and Covenants 14-17 - Stand as a Witness

Doctrine and Covenants 14-17 all takes place in June 1829, when Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and Emma Smith have moved in with the Whitmer family.

I taught adult Sunday School, and two of the participants in class talked about visiting the Whitmer home and being a little surprised to see the reality of how small it was to be housing extra guests. This reminder brings home some of the great sacrifices that the Whitmer family made because they believed that what Joseph Smith was doing was the work of the Lord. Keep in mind that there were three Whitmer sons, a Whitmer daughter, and the parents living in the home at the time, and then Joseph, Oliver, and Emma joined them. This was notably a great strain on Mary Whitmer, the mother, as it increased her workload when she already had quite a lot to do. They also of course, now had extra mouths to feed.

There are so many excellent sources about this time in history that I don't want to re-tell something that can be told elsewhere. Here are a few relevant points for today, and then I will recommend some places for great additional insight.

Mini-summary of background to Doctrine and Covenants 14-17

• Joseph Smith was translating the scriptures, with Oliver Cowdery as scribe, in Harmony, Pennsylvania (with some financial backing from Joseph Knight, Sr.) 
• The locals in Harmony had become hostile and Oliver and Joseph were concerned about their safety. 
• Oliver Cowdery wrote to David Whitmer to ask if he, Joseph, and Emma could move in with them. Oliver asked his father for permission, and after a miracle where the field had been plowed overnight (angels), Peter Whitmer, Sr. said yes, and willingly met with and brought them into their home.
• As Joseph and Oliver were translating the scriptures, some of the Whitmers express concern about what they should be doing, and Joseph, praying on their behalf, received individual revelation fro David Whitmer, John Whitmer, and Peter Whitmer, Jr.

There's so much more between the lines here but the point is the great faith of the Whitmer family, and that with all they were already doing to advance the work of the Lord, that they still wanted to know what else they could. Just as the Lord had replied to Joseph Knight Senior in Doctrine and Covenant 12, he did the same for David Whitmer (D&C14), John Whitmer (D&C14), and Peter Whitmer, Jr. (D&C 16). 

(Click to zoom in/expand)

I think it's meaningful that the Lord responded to these Whitmers separately as every individual is of great worth, but it's also important because the Lord, throughout the scriptures, has emphasized important things through repetition. So, what kind of things does he repeat? He tells all of them the importance of missionary work and bringing souls unto him. The Lord repeatedly reminds us, 

"For behold the field is white already to harvest; therefore, whoso desireth to reap let him thrust in his sickle with his might, and reap while the day lasts, that he my treasure up for his soul everlasting salvation in the kingdom of God." (Doctrine and Covenants 14:3 ... but similar scriptures in D&C 4, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16). 

Behold the Field is White Already to Harvest
I found a little visual lesson in the April 2015 New Era Magazine called, "Thrust in Your Sickle." It talks about how a sickle is a tool, sharp, common, and personal, and what those qualities mean. I am sharing it as I feel like it's a great visual took for a conversation with your family. I talks about how we have many tools, like social media, to open our mouths. One of the reminders is that a sickle is sharp. Elder Kevin R. Duncan, quoted in this visual, talks about how, "we kept a file on hand to sharpen our sickle every day. In missionary work and indeed in all areas of life, we need to keep our spiritual sickles sharp so that we can achieve our own best potential."  (This quote was from his article, "Abandoned Seeds in Rocky Places," New Era, July 14, 18).

Witnesses
Several of these men became witnesses to the gold plates. This is significant because the Lord has said repeatedly throughout the scriptures that "in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established." (Doctrine and Covenants 6:28). 

Dallin H. Oaks said, 

Witnesses and witnessing are vital in God’s plan for the salvation of His children. In the Godhead, the function of the Holy Ghost is to bear witness of the Father and the Son (see 2 Ne. 31:18). The Father has borne witness of the Son (see Matt. 3:17; Matt. 17:5; John 5:31–39), and the Son has borne witness of the Father (see John 17). The Lord has commanded His servants to testify of Him (see Isa. 43:10; Mosiah 18:9; D&C 84:62), and all of the prophets have borne witness of Jesus Christ (see Acts 10:43; Rev. 19:10). ("The Witness: Martin Harris," Dallin H. Oaks, May 1999)

So how do we remain true to what we know? I'd like to share some quotes from church leaders over the years.

Ezra Taft Benson on sharing our witness of the Book of Mormon said:

“The Book of Mormon is the instrument that God designed to ‘sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out [His] elect.’ (Moses 7:62.) This sacred volume of scripture needs to become more central in our preaching, our teaching, and our missionary work.

“… In this age of the electronic media and the mass distribution of the printed word, God will hold us accountable if we do not now move the Book of Mormon in a monumental way.

“We have the Book of Mormon, we have the members, we have the missionaries, we have the resources, and the world has the need. The time is now!

“My beloved brothers and sisters, we hardly fathom the power of the Book of Mormon, nor the divine role it must play, nor the extent to which it must be moved” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson [2014], 143–44). (Quote from the Come Follow Me Sunday School manual.)

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, in talking about Daniel being taken captive to Babylon to learn their ways, while still faithfully holding on to the God that he had been taught about and knew to be true, said:

Many of you know how it feels to defend an unpopular truth. In the Internet slang of today, we talk about getting “flamed” by those who disagree with us. But Daniel wasn’t just risking public ridicule. In Babylon, those who challenged the religious authorities understood what it means—figuratively and literally—to be “flamed.” Just ask Daniel’s friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.²

In the same talk he also said: 

Because of our belief, we will never hunger, never thirst.¹³ The gifts of God’s grace will enable us to be true to our faith and will fill our soul like “a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”¹⁴ We will experience true and lasting joy.¹⁵

("Be Not Afraid, Only Believe," Dieter F. Uchtdorf, October 2015 General Conference)

Gordon B. Hinckley reminds us 

I wish that every member of this church would put those words where he might see them every morning as he begins his day. They would give us the courage to speak up, they would give us the faith to try, they would strengthen our conviction of the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that more miracles would happen over the earth.

        ("Be Not Afraid, Only Believe," Gordon B. Hinckley, First Presidency Message, February 1996) 

Sources I recommend for additional study:

The Knight and Whitmer families (This one was linked from the Come Follow Me manual)

Map showing where Joseph Knight Sr. lived in context to where Joseph Smith was translating scriptures in Harmony.

Details about the Knight family from BYU (writer William G. Hartley)

An Ensign article about how the Whitmers nourished the church.

Another Ensign article about how the Whitmers were true to the Book of Mormon

Excerpt from Saints Volume 1

"The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn to their Fathers"

This week's Come Follow Me Study (Jan 11-17) covered Doctrine and Covenants 2 and Joseph Smith History 1:27-65. 

The Come Follow Me manual chose this line from D&C 2:2 as its topic title "... and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers." 

This really stood out to me as I read the assigned scriptures first, and then went back and looked at the manual. For context, this section of scripture study takes place after what is known as the First Vision (summary here on the church's website), when an angel of the Lord (Moroni) came to visit Joseph 3 times during the night, then 1 more time during the day, in the scripture leading up to this one.

Joseph Smith - History 1:49-50:

"The first thing that I can recollect was a voice speaking unto me, calling me by name. I looked up, and beheld the same messenger standing over my head, surrounded by light as before. He then again related unto me all that he had related to me the previous night, and commanded to me to go my father and tell him of the vision and commandments which I had received."

"I obeyed; I returned to my father in the field, and rehearsed the whole matter to him. He replied to me that it was of God, and told me to go and do as commanded by the messenger. ..."

When I was reading in Joseph Smith History, I thought it was significant and memorable that Joseph Smith was told by an angel to turn to his father and that he did, and that he listened to the guidance of his father. This obedience and respect for his father reminded me of that moment in 1 Nephi 3:7 when Nephi said to his father:

"I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."

The next verse, 1 Nephi 3:8, says:

"And it came to pass that when my father had heard these words he was exceedingly glad, for he knew that I had been blessed of the Lord."

Joseph Smith and Nephi both obeyed the commandments of God and they both respected their fathers.

As a child, this phrase, "The hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers," was confusing for me. We can turn our hearts to our fathers by listening to what they taught (e.g., studying the Book of Mormon and the Bible) and doing temple work for ancestors (e.g., baptisms for the dead).

There's a great article in the October 2020 Ensign called, "Turning Our Hearts," by Margot Hovley,  where she talks about this concept. First, we turned our hearts to our fathers when Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon so that we could learn from the prophets of old. We continue to turn our hearts to our fathers as we learn about our family histories. Hovley's article has great ideas on how you can help children to explore ways to work on family history that are fun and interesting.

I have been interviewing my parents bit by bit over the years, but this year in particular,  I have been astounded by what I have learned. My parent's faith and perseverance through difficult challenges that I never knew about teaches me about how I can proceed with my own challenges. I have felt my heart turning to my ancestors as I have turned to my parents to learn their stories and as my parents have done to make sure their temple work is completed. (More on The Purpose of Temple and Family History Work can be found here.)

In recent years, our prophet has emphasized the importance of hearing the Lord in our life. 

During General Conference October 2020, President Nelson said, "... our ultimate security comes as we yoke ourselves to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ! Life without God is a life filled with fear. Life with God is a life filled with peace. This is because spiritual blessings come to the faithful. Receiving personal revelation is one of the greatest of those blessings. The Lord has promised that if we will ask, we may receive 'revelation upon revelation.' I promise that as you increase your capacity to receive revelation, the Lord will bless you with increased direction for your life and with boundless gifts of the Spirit." ("Embrace the Future with Faith," President Russell M. Nelson). 

We can Hear Him in so many ways, but one of them, is in turning our hearts to our fathers. You can looked up "Hear Him" at the churchofjesuschrist.org to listen to different men and women that are close to the Lord and what they do to Hear Him in their lives.