Personal Revelation and the Two-Edged Sword
These are my notes from my Elders Quorum lesson today. They're kind of half-baked, since I got the assignment last night and had to change my topic this morning (the original topic I picked was already assigned for a lesson two weeks from now). I didn't use everything here, and I did use some things that are not here. Still, draw from this what you will. The formatting is funny because I just copied and pasted this from Word.
My thoughts are not your thoughts
The necessity of Revelation to guide our path
The Sword of the Spirit – Having the spirit is the same thing as having the word of God: or revelation.
Pierce them to their very soul
Two-edged Sword
What are the two edges of the sword?
Justice
Mercy
The Sum of the Matter
Personal Revelation
EQ Lesson 7/3/11
My thoughts are not your thoughts
Isaiah 55:8-9
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my awaysbhigher than your ways, and my cthoughts than your thoughts.
The necessity of Revelation to guide our path
1 Nephi 8:19-20
And I beheld a arod of iron, and it extended along the bank of the river, and led to the tree by which I stood.
And I also beheld a astrait and narrow path, which came along by the rod of iron, even to the tree by which I stood; and it also led by the head of the fountain, unto a large and spacious field, as if it had been a bworld.
1 Nephi 11:25
And it came to pass that I beheld that the arod of iron, which my father had seen, was the bword of God, which cled to the fountain of dliving waters, or to the etree of life; which waters are a representation of the love of God; and I also beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God.
1 Nephi 12:17
And the mists of darkness are the temptations of the devil, which blindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men, and leadeth them away into broad roads, that they perish and are lost.
Instead of a schoolmaster, like the Law of Moses, we have an iron rod to guide our steps. There are many good things in the world that lie off the path, and often Satan tempts us after them. This is how we get into broad roads. Broad roads can be traveled by many. They often allow faster and freer movement, but they are much more dangerous, and lead many places, none of which we really want to end up at. Broad roads are places where many people can all walk side by side, arm in arm, straight to hell. Or they can each choose their own personal exit to whichever form of damnation serves them best. The straight path is also narrow: a single-file line in which travelers can encourage those ahead of and behind them, but cannot safely relax their grip on the iron rod – not even to prevent the fall of another. We must be more devoted to maintaining our hold on the rod than to any of the other travelers on the path.
Proof of that:
Matthew 10:34-37
Think not that I am come to send apeace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
He that aloveth father or mother bmore than me is not worthy of me: and he that cloveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
So what is the sword that Christ has sent? It has two edges, and, like the iron rod, is called revelation, or the word of God.
The Sword of the Spirit – Having the spirit is the same thing as having the word of God: or revelation.
Ephesians 6:17
And take the helmet of asalvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Pierce them to their very soul
35 Behold, ye have done greater iniquities than the Lamanites, our brethren. Ye have broken the hearts of your tender wives, and lost the confidence of your children, because of your bad examples before them; and the sobbings of their hearts ascend up to God against you. And because of the strictness of the word of God, which cometh down against you, many hearts died, pierced with deep wounds.
3 And it came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard; and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn.
Two-edged Sword
Hebrews 4:12
For the aword of God is bquick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged csword, dpiercing even to the dividing asunder eofsoul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a fdiscerner of the gthoughts and hintents of the heart.
Behold, I say unto you, my servants Ezra and Northrop, open ye your ears and hearken to the voice of the Lord your God, whose word is quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, to the dividing asunder of the joints and marrow, soul and spirit; and is a discerner ofthe thoughts and intents of the heart.
Reveleation 2:12
And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp asword with two edges;
What are the two edges of the sword?
Justice
And when ye shall see these sayings coming forth among you, then ye need not any longer spurn at the doings of the Lord, for the swordof his justice is in his right hand; and behold, at that day, if ye shall spurn at his doings he will cause that it shall soon overtake you.
If justice is one edge of the sword, what do you suppose the other is?
Mercy
When the sword of justice is hanging over the people, what is the other edge of the sword doing? It is pointing the other way. We want to be on that side of the sword. In fencing this is called the “true edge,” or the edge of the sword that faces the direction of the cut. If the true edge of justice destroys us, then the opposite edge, or mercy, spares us from the wrath of God. Justice cuts us off from God. Mercy cuts us off from the world. In other words, when we are on the merciful side of the sword of Justice, we are made separate from the world. Nephi’s interpretation of his father’s dream bears this out:
And the large and spacious building, which thy father saw, is vain imaginations and the pride of the children of men. And a great and a terrible gulf divideth them; yea, even the word of the justice of the Eternal God, and the Messiah who is the Lamb of God, of whom the Holy Ghost beareth record, from the beginning of the world until this time, and from this time henceforth and forever.
The Sum of the Matter
Joseph Smith:
Our heavenly Father is more liberal in His views, and boundless in His mercies and blessings, than we are ready to believe or receive; and, at the same time, is more terrible to the workers of iniquity, more awful in the executions of His punishments, and more ready to detect every false way, than we are apt to suppose Him to be. He will be inquired of by His children. He says, "Ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find;" but, if you will take that which is not your own, or which I have not given you, you shall be rewarded according to your deeds; but no good thing will I withhold from them who walk uprightly before me, and do my will in all things--who will listen to my voice and to the voice of my servant whom I have sent; for I delight in those who seek diligently to know my precepts, and abide by the law of my kingdom; for all things shall be made known unto them in mine own due time, and in the end they shall have joy. (Aug. 27, 1842.) DHC 5:134-136.
Questions:
How do we make sure we can continually receive revelation?
What is the value of personal revelation and what is its scope?
What forms can revelation take?
How does revelation help us as Priesthood holders, husbands, fathers, sons, etc?
What role does prayer take in the process of personal revelation?
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