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Introduction
1. "To sacrifice is
to give up something we value for the sake of something of greater worth"
(True to the Faith, Sacrifice).
2. "The Lord
commanded, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). Centuries
later, when Jesus was asked, “Which is the great commandment in the law?” He
answered, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all
thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:36–37).... Thus we offend God when
we “serve” other gods—when we have other first priorities....
"The principle is not whether we have
other priorities. The question posed... is “What is our ultimate priority?” Are
we serving priorities or gods ahead of the God we profess to worship? Have we
forgotten to follow the Savior who taught that if we love Him, we will keep His
commandments? (see John 14:15)" (Dallin H. Oaks, October 2013 General
Conference).
Q How can we know what and
when we should sacrifice?
3. "And, behold,
one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may
have eternal life?... If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith
unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt
do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt
not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love
thy neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I
kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
"Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be
perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have
treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that
saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
"Then answered Peter and said unto him,
Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? And
Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in
the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory.... And
every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or
mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold,
and shall inherit everlasting life" (Matthew 19:16-22,27-29).
Q What can we learn
about the principle of sacrifice from this story?
4. "The rich young
man had given almost everything. When the Savior told him he must sell all his possessions,
that wasn’t just a story about riches. We can have eternal life if we want it,
but only if there is nothing else we want more" (Bruce C. Hafen, April
2004 General Conference).
We are Commanded
to Sacrifice
Q Why does God ask us
to sacrifice?
5. “A religion that does
not require the sacrifice of all things never has the power sufficient to
produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation" (Joseph Smith).
6. "When things of
the world crowd in, all too often the wrong things take highest priority. Then
it is easy to forget the fundamental purpose of life. Satan has a powerful tool
to use against good people. It is distraction. He would have good people fill
life with “good things” so there is no room for the essential ones"
(Richard G. Scott, April 2001 General Conference).
7. "An angel of the
Lord appeared unto Adam, saying: Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the
Lord? And Adam said unto him: I know
not, save the Lord commanded me. And then the angel spake, saying: This thing
is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is
full of grace and truth. Wherefore, thou shalt do all that thou doest in the
name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son
forevermore" (Moses 5:6-8)
Q What does the atoning
sacrifice of Jesus Christ teach us about how we should sacrifice?
Q What are some ways
God asks us to sacrifice?
·
Give
of our time, talents, and possessions to strengthen the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints and our families.
·
Keep
God's commandments (including following the prophet).
8. "And ye shall
offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart
and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost"
(3 Nephi 9:20).
Q What does it mean to
have a broken heart and a contrite spirit?
9. "The submission
of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on
God’s altar. The many other things we “give,” brothers and sisters, are
actually the things He has already given or loaned to us. However, when you and
I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in
God’s will, then we are really giving something to Him! It is the only
possession which is truly ours to give!" (Neal A. Maxwell, October 1995
General Conference).
Blessings of
Sacrifice
10. "Wherefore,
redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and
truth. Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of
the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto
none else can the ends of the law be answered" (2 Nephi 2:6-7).
11. "Verily I say
unto you, all among them who know their hearts are honest, and are broken, and
their spirits contrite, and are willing to observe their covenants by
sacrifice—yea, every sacrifice which I, the Lord, shall command—they are
accepted of me" (D&C 97:8).
Q How do we become more
prepared to return to live with our Heavenly Father as we sacrifice?
Q How do we become more
like our Heavenly Father as we sacrifice?
Conditional Blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ: Forgiveness, salvation, exaltation, eternal families, hope, overcome weaknesses, godly character/divine attributes, self control, guidance, comfort, joy, peace, strength, healing, etc.
To receive the conditional blessings of the atonement, we must live the Gospel of Jesus Christ:
· Faith- belief in, trust in, and commitment to obey Christ
· Repent- submit will to Christ and change behavior to follow Him; seek forgiveness and a change of heart
· Covenants- make/keep promises by priesthood authority to follow the example of Jesus Christ, such as baptism.
· Holy Ghost- receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, invite and follow His guidance
· Endure to the end- consistently grow our faith, repent, keep our covenants, and receive the Holy Ghost
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Q How does sacrifice help us to live the gospel and receive
the blessings of the atonement of Jesus Christ?
Q How have you been
blessed as you have made sacrifices to follow Jesus Christ?
Q What is something that
was hard for you to sacrifice and how have you been blessed for it?
Q What other examples
of sacrifice inspire you to give more of yourself to God?
Q How can we becoming
more willing to sacrifice?
12. "And it came to
pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young... and also having great desires to
know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he
did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which
had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto
my brothers" (1 Nephi 2:16).
13. We can pray like
Joseph Smith: " Help
thy servants to say, with thy grace assisting them: Thy will be done, O Lord,
and not ours" (D&C 109:44).
14. "For the natural
man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be,
forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and
putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of
Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient,
full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to
inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father" (Mosiah 3:19).
15. "And if men come
unto me I will show unto them their weakness.
I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is
sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble
themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become
strong unto them" (Ether 12:27).
16. We can be grateful
like Jacob when he prayed to the Lord "Of all that thou shalt give me I
will surely give the tenth unto thee" (Genesis 28:22).
Ultimately, it is by living the gospel
of Jesus Christ that we can be strengthened and changed by the atonement so
that we are willing to sacrifice all that we have, and all that we are and ever
will be to the Lord. Anything that helps us to grow our faith, repent, make and
keep covenants, or invite the Holy Ghost into our lives will help.
Conclusion
17. "And now, my
beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One
of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole
souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure
to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved" (Omni 1:26).
Key talks containing Sacrifice can be found at
Key talks about the Atonement of Jesus Christ can be found
at
Key talks about Strengthening Families can be found at
Key talks about Commandments can be found at
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