#15 Eternally Indebted to your Heavenly Father

#15 Eternally Indebted to your Heavenly Father
Mosiah 1-3
In the Book of Omni (1:12) we saw that Mosiah and his righteous people were led out of the land of Nephi they came to Zarahemla where a group called Mulekites lived-they came to the Americas @ the same time as Lehi. Both groups joined together under 1 ruler, King Mosiah I-King Benjamin’s Father.
Mormon is now summarizing the record of Mosiah for us. The Book of Mormon from this point on are told from Mormons viewpoints not from the person who wrote them.

I’ve had a request for our lesson, and that is that many in this room would still like to get to know more of you, so we are going to split into groups and get to know one another and also learn something in theses three chapters in Mosiah.

Group #1
Chapter 1:2 What is King Benjamins 1st and most important role in his life? That of a King or a Father?

1:3-5 How did he teach his children? How strong is his language or passion for the scriptures? Look up in the topical guide under “Mysteries of Godliness? What are the mysteries he taught them?

Answers: King Benjamin’s most important role is that of a father to his children. He taught his children the gospel through the scriptures. He has a huge passion and appreciation for the scriptures. He bares testimony of them and how we would suffer in ignorance had we not had them. He taught them the “mysteries” in the TG is says they are Knowledge about God, Omniscience of God, knowledge, Learning, mystery, or in other words the principles of the Gospel and how we can apply them and how by doing so they can change our lives, therefore bringing us closer to God and a knowledge of who He really is and our relationships with Him.

Group #2
1:5 How did He teach His sons tolerance and love for the lamanites? How can we then learn love and tolerance for people who drive us crazy?
1:6 What does He bare testimony of to His sons, and in essence to us? How can we know for ourselves that they are “surely true”?
Has anyone in your group had an experience where they were reading and know without doubt that what they were reading was true?

Answers: v5 He teaches them that they only know what their ancestors taught them, they don’t know any better.
v.6 He bares strong testimony that the scriptures are true.
We know for ourselves because they are before us, we can read them, we can apply them, and put them to the test, we can see how throughout the books there is a pattern that we may or may not be following.

I have experiences all the time as I read the scriptures that they just open up to me, they completely come alive for me and I see exactly what it is I need to learn from them. It is amazing to me every week what I learn as I study the scriptures out and not just read them.

**After teaching his sons he notices he is getting along in age and figures he needs to get his affairs in order. (v.9-10)
He confers the kingdom to Mosiah his son, (v10) , He gives his people the name of Christ (v11) Tells his son what will happen to people if He, as king, doesn’t keep them focused on Christ.

Chapter 2 he calls a General Conference

Group #3
2:1-4 What kind of people were King Benjamin’s people? What does Love of all men mean to you? How does loving all men reflect how we love God?

Answers:
They sacrificed for the gospel, obeyed the commandments, grateful people, rejoicing, filled with love towards God and ALL Men!

Group #4
2:5-6 Which direction were the tents facing? What does that tell us about our own lives and homes?
How is sitting as ‘families’ significant here to us?

Answers: tents facing towards the temple- people interested in a higher learning. Do our households reflect a love of learning the gospel? Does the temple hold a special meaning and place for us? Do our children see that and believe it?

** King Benjamin also caused his words to be written for those who couldn’t hear.
V9 What does the word “trifle” mean in the sentence “I have not commanded you to come up hither to trifle with the words which I shall speak…”
**Word trifle in the D & C 32:5 says it means to give heed which means do something about them not just hear them.
How does doing the words open our hearts and minds to mysteries? (keeping in mind now what mysteries are-principles of the gospel)

Group #5
2:10-15 What are the keys to being a good (great) leader? Parent? Employee? Boss? Etc? Name some qualities that King Benjamin exhibited? How can we use these in our homes? Callings? Jobs? Etc?

Answers: v10 humble, v11 knows he’s chosen and is confident and not cocky, He takes responsibility for it. V11 recognizes Gods power in his life and uses that strength to serve God. V12 doesn’t tax people to live off them. Instead he serves them. V13 Because he is a fair leader and kept all people equal there was no need for prisons. Teaches all to keep commandments v14 He labors himself to provide for his family. V15 humble man-righteous who knows he can stand at saviors feet knowing he’s done His best.
**There is a definite difference of being confident and knowing what he can do with the Lord at his side and being cocky to think he’s all that . Do we sometimes put off aires that we as parents know everything and are unwilling to listen and to hear our children’s point of view? Do we tell our kids get to work do this and that etc. And then unwilling to work ourselves? Do we work along side our children, employees, co-workers to get through a project that we can take pride in? Benjamin served them, do you serve your spouse, kids, co-workers? I know that I tell my kids all the time I serve them, “I do your laundry, cook your meals, buy you things on and on, yet that isn’t really serving them because I do it begrudgingly. Same with Keith I treat him the same way sometimes. Yet when my kids say mom can you bring down my homework or a drink or whatever, my response “Don’t your legs work?” and then I complain when they won’t bring me a drink. Are they not mimicking me? Unfortunately, they mimick a little to well.

**Now we get into the doctrine He tells them in his address. This brings to mind our last conference. It was exactly 3 weeks ago What did our new prophet have to tell us? Do we remember?

Group #6
Go through the talks by Pres. Monson what are the basic themes of His talks? And is there any particular quotes or stories he told that touched your heart and bore testimony to you that the principle he was teaching was true?

Answer:

www.lds.org


**King Benjamin had great things to say concerning his people. 1-serve one another 2-he spoke of Christ and these are the answers to all problems of the earth!

Group #7
2:17, 21-26 Whom should we seek to serve 1st? the most? What does it meant that we will always be unprofitable servants?
2:31 what do we need to do so that our enemies won’t have power over us?
2:41 How are we blessed when we obey commandments? What is HAPPY? (look in TG)

Answers: Serve god 1st and by doing that we should be serving each other. We will always be unprofitable because, Heavenly Father gives us life. And no matter how hard we serve to repay him we will never be ahead because when we do something good we are blessed for it. And the cycle continues.
If we keep the commandments our enemies cannot have power over us.

**if we are busy doing good we don’t have time to offend others and get lazy about doing our duties as parents, leaders, etc.
**We are happy, blessed in all things both temporal and spiritual, received into heaven
Happiness in TG=Abundant life, blessed, cheerfulness family, love within, glad gladness, joy, merry, pleased, pleasure

Chapter 3 King Benjamin prophecies of Christ and His life on earth in his general conference

Group #8
3:1-3 Where did He learn about Christ?
3:19 We are all natural men-fallen men what must we do to get back to our Godly state?
What does it mean to become like a saint? (see footnotes-go to TG)
3:19 How do we live like a saint? How can we come to that point? King Benjamin tells us what we need to do to get to that point what do we need to do?

Answers: he learned of Christ from an angel
Yield to the spirit, meaning listen and obey
Saint see Divine Guidance in TG: God, wisdom of God, spirit of God, Holy Ghost, mission of, inspiration, revelation, spirit, walking with God,
Romans 8:4 says righteousness is fulfilled when we walk in the spirit.

**That is powerful to me-to become a saint we need to be living as if there was God telling us every moment what we are to do next in that moment- boy if that isn’t pressure. We’d all like to live that way How do we? Benjamin tells us
3:19 How do we live like a saint? How can we come to that point?
1-invoke the power of the atonement to cover us on each thing we did that day that needs it. 2-become as a child submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things etc. Of all these pick one that has blessed your live when you have conformed your life to it? How has it brought you closer to becoming a ‘saint’?

**So according to these definitions and referring back to 3:1-3 where he spoke with an angel, had King Benjamin made it to this point? If he can speak with an angel and learn whatever it is he needs to I believe he made it to that point? So if He can, can we?

To me this is a strong testimony that if king Benjamin can get to this point and by my following his lead in leadership skills/ parenting skills and Saintly attributes, I too need to, and can, follow his same path. In the name of Jesus Christ amen.