Feb. 21, 2010
Craig Merrill has asked me to help with part of his lesson next Sunday and the topic is sacrifice.
Just having thought about it for a little bit, here are some of my beginning impressions:
At the heart of sacrifice is trust. If we are sacrificing something in a gospel sense, we need to trust that Heavenly Father is going to sanctify that sacrifice.
According to Stories from General Conference at the mormon channel, the most important sacrifice we can offer to God is a broken heart and a contrite spirit.
Feb. 22, 2010
This scripture was in the class study guide:
•
3 Ne. 9: 19-20
19 And ye shall offer up unto me ano more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings.
20 And ye shall offer for a asacrifice 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 bbaptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.
When I read this, it makes me think that we should be as diligent about offering our broken heart and contrite spirit as the people in the OT were about offering up their blood sacrifices.
What is a broken heart and a contrite spirit? I think it means that we offer our will and we continually give up our sins. It also makes me wonder how that is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Son of God. Jesus said He came into the world to do the will of the Father. Maybe offering a broken heart and a contrite spirit means that we don’t let the sacrifice of the Son be in vain, but that we continually repent and partake of the sacrament and remember Jesus. Does it mean to take advantage of the atonement?
But how is doing that a sacrifice? It makes me think of the scripture where it says, “I will give away all my sins to know thee.”
Here is the reference I am thinking of:
1. Alma 22: 18
18 O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day. And now when the king had said these words, he was struck as if he were dead.
Also, it would be helpful here to also mention another definition of broken. Broken can also mean a horse that is broken. I guess that is another way to say “submit up your will to do the will of the Father” or to I looked up the word “broken” in the dictionary and I can’t really find that meaning. Jesus said all the time that He came to earth to do the will of His Father.
Feb. 23
Joseph Smith taught:
"a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation; for, from the first existence of man, the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things."(Lectures on Faith, 6th lecture, paragraph 7)
Hartman Rector Jr., “Following Christ to Victory,” Ensign, May 1979, 29
3. Make the sacrifice. There is no such thing as “something for nothing” with the Lord. Blessings come because of obedience to the law upon which they are predicated (see D&C 130:21). The Lord requires sacrifice, meaning something above and beyond the minimum. The Master spoke of the “second mile” and told us to go there (see Matt. 5:41). Why? Because he wants to bless us. So he put all the blessings in the second mile, but we must go where they are before we get them.
The first mile, we owe; that’s what we are getting paid for. Recently I mentioned that to an elder who was hardly meeting the minimums. He responded, “Paid? I’m not getting paid.”
I said, “Oh? You can breathe can’t you?”
“Yes.”
“You think you have that coming to you or something? King Benjamin says the Lord is preserving you from day to day by granting you breath—even supporting you from moment to moment” (see Mosiah 2:21). Do we ever thank the Lord for the fact we can breathe? No, not usually, until we get to where we can’t breathe. Then we call upon him in a panic.
Another definition of sacrifice is that instead of endlessly doing what we want to do, we must do what the Lord wants us to do. Knowing that it is “sacrifice [that] brings forth the blessings of heaven” (Hymns, no. 147), then we should cheerfully do all things that lie in our power to bring to pass the Lord’s work, even to “wast[ing] and wear[ing] out our lives” if that be necessary (D&C 123:13). Then we may “stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed” (D&C 123:17).
Quentin L. Cook, “Are You a Latter-day Saint?,” NewEra, Dec 2009, 2–5
Separation from the evils of the world needs to be accompanied by holiness. A Saint loves the Savior and follows Him in holiness and devotion. Evidence of this kind of holiness and devotion is exemplified by consecration and sacrifice. Sacrifice is the crowning test of the gospel. It means consecrating time, talents, energy, and earthly possessions to further the work of God. In Doctrine and Covenants 97, verse 8, it concludes, “All … who … are willing to observe their covenants by sacrifice—yea, every sacrifice which I, the Lord, shall command—they are accepted of me.”
Saints who respond to the Savior’s message will not be led astray by distracting and destructive pursuits and will be prepared to make appropriate sacrifices. The importance of sacrifice to those who want to be Saints is exemplified by the atoning sacrifice of the Savior, which is at the center of the gospel (see Alma 34:8–16).
**From my study and thinking, here are some words that are related to sacrifice:
trust, faith, obedience, broken heart and a contrite spirit, unselfish, submitting your will, giving up your sins, sacrament, repentance, love, deny yourself of all ungodliness, devotion
M. Russell Ballard, “The Blessings of Sacrifice,” Ensign, May 1992, 75
The degree of our love for the Lord, for the gospel, and for our fellowman can be measured by what we are willing to sacrifice for them.
Ezra Taft Benson, “This Is a Day of Sacrifice,” Ensign, May 1979, 32
My beloved brethren and sisters, humbly and gratefully I approach this sacred assignment with a prayer in my heart that what I say will strengthen our resolve to live the principle of sacrifice as a prerequisite to a godly life, for this is a day of sacrifice.
The Lord said in September 1831, “Now it is called today until the coming of the Son of Man, and verily it is a day of sacrifice … of my people” (D&C 64:23; italics added).
I am in complete accord with this statement by the Prophet Joseph Smith:
“It is in vain for persons to fancy to themselves that they are heirs with those … who have offered their all in sacrifice … unless they, in like manner, offer unto him the same sacrifice (Lectures on Faith, 6:8; italics added).
It is a willingness to forgo personal bad habits such as tobacco, alcohol, profanity, an unruly temper, and immorality—habits which cause us, the children of God, to be less than our destiny.
Elder M. Russell Ballard has taught that “the word sacrifice means literally ‘to make sacred,’ or ‘to render sacred’ ” (“The Law of Sacrifice,” Ensign, Oct. 1998, 8; Liahona, Mar. 2002, 13).
Feb. 25
I thought I would turn to the new Gospel Principles manual to see what it had to say about sacrifice. This is the first paragraph:
Chapter 26: Sacrifice,” Gospel Principles, (2009),149–54
“Sacrifice means giving to the Lord whatever He requires of our time, our earthly possessions, and our energies to further His work.
The Lord commanded, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).
Our willingness to sacrifice is an indication of our devotion to God.
People have always been tried and tested to see if they will put the things of God first in their lives.”
So sacrifice measures our devotion to God.
I was wondering about the connection between the words sacrament and sacrifice and found this article by M. Russell Ballard that shows how they are similar:
M. Russell Ballard, “The Law of Sacrifice,” Ensign, Oct 1998, 7
As we contemplate the replacing of animal sacrifice with the sacrament, we cannot help but notice a strong relationship between the two. Both sacrifice and sacrament:
• Are affected by a person’s attitude and worthiness (see Amos 5:6–7, 9–10, 21–22; 3 Ne. 18:27–29; Moro. 7:6–7).
• Were designed to be performed by priests officiating in the Aaronic Priesthood (see D&C 13:1; D&C 20:46).
• Focus on Christ (see Luke 22:19–20; Alma 34:13–14).
• Use emblems that represent Christ’s flesh and blood (see Luke 22:19–20; Moses 5:6–7).
• Provide a means whereby one can make and renew covenants with God (see Lev. 22:21; D&C 20:77, 79).
• Are performed regularly on the Sabbath as well as on other special occasions (see Lev. 23:15; D&C 59:9–13).
• Are associated with meals that symbolically represent the Atonement (see Matt. 26:26; Lev. 7:16–18).
• Are the only saving ordinances in which members participate for themselves more than once.
• Provide an important step in the process of repentance (see Lev. 19:22; 3 Ne. 18:11; Moses 5:7–8).
This is such a great talk, I want to include the link so I can refer to it again:
Elder Ballard's talk on "The Law of Sacrifice"
Listen to the language of the scriptures as they describe the level of sacrifice the Lord requires of us: “Offer your whole souls as an offering unto [God]” (Omni 1:26; see also Mosiah 2:24). “Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God” (Rom. 12:1). The Lord Himself has said that we should keep our “covenants by sacrifice—yea, every sacrifice which I, the Lord, shall command” (D&C 97:8). The sacrifice the Lord asks of us is to wholly rid ourselves of the “natural man” (Mosiah 3:19) and all the ungodliness associated with it. When we completely surrender ourselves to the Lord, then He will cause a mighty change in us and we will become a new person, justified, sanctified, and born again with His image in our countenances (see Mosiah 5:2; Alma 5:14; Moses 6:59–60)
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