3 Nephi 8-14

Quotes of the Week:

"The burning bushes, the smoking mountains, . . . the Cumorahs, and the Kirtlands were realities; but they were the exceptions. . . . Always expecting the spectacular, many will miss entirely the constant flow of revealed communication."

--Spencer W. Kimball, Munich Germany Area Conference, 1973, 77

"The commandment to avoid contention applies to those who are right as well as those who are wrong."

--Dallin H. Oaks, The Lord’s Way, 142

Further Reading:

Dallin H. Oaks, "Judge Not and Judging,”  Ensign, 8/99, 7-10
James E. Faust, “The Lifeline of Prayer,” Ensign, 5/02, 59
Gordon B. Hinckley, "What God Hath Joined Together," General Conference, April 7, 1991
Gordon B. Hinckley, "If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear,” Ensign, 11/05, 61-62
James E. Faust, "Enriching Your Marriage", Liahona, Apr. 2007, 2–6
Dallin H. Oaks, “Divorce,” Ensign, 5/07
Claudio R.M. Costa, “Obedience to the Prophets,” Ensign, 11/10, 11
Janet Scharman, “Chosen Witness for His Name,” Women’s Conference 2001, 14

Handouts:

3 Nephi 8:5-23--Nephite Destruction

The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, 440-41
Just as surely as Jesus was born in Bethlehem, just so surely will he come again, a resurrected, glorified being, and with him will come hosts, and there will be many spectacular changes.  It will not be the end of the world in the sense of annihilation, but the end of its present relationships, and there will be many, many changes.  Beginning with the bridegroom’s coming will come the celestializing of this earth and tremendous changes which we can hardly think of or believe.

Daniel Peterson, Ensign, 1/00, 22
The account of the great destruction given in 3 Nephi 8 finds remarkable parallels with what modern seismology and vulcanology show about cataclysmic geological events and with historical reports of such catastrophes.  Yet Joseph Smith never saw a volcano and never experienced a significant earthquake, nor is it likely he had read any substantial literature on the subject.

Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, 11/05, 61-62
We can so live that we can call upon the Lord for His protection and guidance. This is a first priority. We cannot expect His help if we are unwilling to keep His commandments. We in this Church have evidence enough of the penalties of disobedience in the examples of both the Jaredite and the Nephite nations. Each went from glory to utter destruction because of wickedness.

3 Nephi 8:25—Stoning the Prophets

Claudio R.M. Costa, Ensign, 11/10, 11
We are privileged to have the words of our living prophets, seers, and revelators during this wonderful general conference.  They will speak the will of the Lord for us, His people.  They will transmit the word of God and His counsel to us.  Pay attention and follow their instruction and suggestions, and I testify to you that your life will be completely blessed.

3 Nephi 9:2—the Devil Laugheth

Robert D. Hales, Ensign, 5/06, 6
Although the devil laughs, his power is limited. Some may remember the old adage: “The devil made me do it.” Today I want to convey, in absolutely certain terms, that the adversary cannot make us do anything. He does lie at our door, as the scriptures say, and he follows us each day.  Every time we go out, every decision we make, we are either choosing to move in his direction or in the direction of our Savior. But the adversary must depart if we tell him to depart. He cannot influence us unless we allow him to do so, and he knows that! The only time he can affect our minds and bodies—our very spirits—is when we allow him to do so.

3 Nephi 9:19-20--Sacrifice

Neal A. Maxwell, Ensign, 5/95
Real, personal sacrifice was never placing an animal on the altar.  Instead, it is a willingness to put the animal in us upon the altar and letting it be consumed.

Hartman Rector, Ensign, 5/79
Surely, in the work of the Lord, it is what we do after we think we have done enough that really counts with Him, for that is when the blessings flow.  If you would have a blessing from the Lord, put something upon the altar.  Make a sacrifice.

J. Reuben Clark, as cited in Unlocking the Book of Mormon, p. 425
It is difficult for us today to realize the tremendous revolution involved in altering the ritualism of the Law of Moses into the humble and lowly concept of worship, not with the sacrificial blood of animals, but with this broken heart and contrite spirit of the worshiper. . . .  [Animal sacrifice] was always a vicarious sacrifice, apparently with little actual sacrifice except for the value of the animal sacrificed, by the individuals themselves, to cancel the debit, so to speak, against their lives and living in the eyes of the Almighty One.  The sinner seemingly, in general, took on no obligation and considered himself under no obligation to abandon his sins, but took on only the obligation to offer sacrifice therefore.
But under the new covenant that came in with Christ, the sinner must offer the sacrifice out of his own life, not by offering the blood of some other creature; he must give up his sins, he must repent, he himself must make the sacrifice, and that sacrifice was calculated to reach out into the life of the sinner in the future so that he would become a better and changed man. . . .
This change represents a transition in emphasis from the physical to the spiritual and a change from a vicarious sacrifice to a personal one.  The principle involved is that one can only come unto Christ by removing barriers between the individual and the Savior.

3 Nephi 9:19-20--Baptism of Fire

Mormon Doctrine, p. 73

Baptism of fire—actual enjoyment of the gift which is offered by the laying on of hands at the time of baptism.

Ezra Taft Benson, “A Mighty Change of Heart,” Ensign, 10/89, 5
Day by day [Latter-day Saints] move closer to the Lord, little realizing they are building a godlike life.  They live quiet lives of goodness, service, and commitment.  They are like the Lamanites, who the Lord said “were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.”

Boyd K. Packer, "The Power of the Priesthood", Ensign, May 2000,  6–10
Too many of us are like those whom the Lord said “[came] with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, … [and] at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.”
Imagine that: “And they knew it not.” It is not unusual for one to have received the gift and not really know it.
I fear this supernal gift is being obscured by programs and activities and schedules and so many meetings. There are so many places to go, so many things to do in this noisy world. We can be too busy to pay attention to the promptings of the Spirit.
The voice of the Spirit is a still, small voice—a voice that is felt rather than heard. It is a spiritual voice that comes into the mind as a thought put into your heart.

3 Nephi 10:6-7--Repentance

Eldred G. Smith, CR, 1954, 88
Let us not be so self-righteous that we think that we have no need for repentance, for the Savior himself preached repentance to the more righteous who were spared from the great destruction at the time of the crucifixion.

3 Nephi 11:1—Gathering at the Temple

Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, 5/87, 85
I promise you that, with increased attendance in the temples of our God, you shall receive increased personal revelation to bless your life as you bless those who have died.

Howard W. Hunter, Ensign, 11/94, 8
Look to the temple of the Lord as the great symbol of your membership.  It is the deepest desire of my heart to have every member of the Church worthy to enter the temple. . . . The things that we must do and not do to be worthy of a temple recommend are the very things that ensure we will be happy as individuals and as families.  Let us be a temple-attending people.   Attend the temple as frequently as personal circumstances allow.  Keep a picture of the temple in your home that your children may see it.  Teach them about the purposes of the house of the Lord.  Have them plan from their earliest years to go there and to remain worthy of that blessing.

Howard W. Hunter, Ensign, 2/95, 5
Let us truly be a temple-attending and a temple-loving people. . . . We should go not only for our kindred dead but also for the personal blessing of temple worship, for the sanctity and safety that are within those hallowed and consecrated walls. . . . Let us make the temple, with temple worship and temple covenants and temple marriage, our ultimate earthly goal and the supreme mortal experience.

3 Nephi 11:3-5--The Voice of the Father

Henry B. Eyring, Ensign, 5/91, 67
Now, I testify it is a small voice. It whispers, not shouts.  And so you must be very quiet inside.  That is why you may wisely fast when you want to listen.  And that is why you will listen best when you feel, “Father, thy will, not mine, be done.”  You will have a feeling of “I want what you want.”  Then, the still small voice will seem as if it pierces you.  It may make your bones to quake.  More often it will make your heart burn within which will lift and reassure.

3 Nephi 11:10-11--Christ Introduces Himself

Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant, 251
Of all the messages that could come from the scroll of eternity, what was the declaration he brought?  The Nephite faithful listened as he spoke: “I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.”  56 words.  The essence of his earthly mission.  Obedience and loyalty to the will of the Father, however bitter the cup or painful the price.  That is a lesson he would teach these Nephites again and again during the three days he would be with them. By obedience and sacrifice, by humility and purity, by unflagging determination to glorify the Father, Christ had become the light and the life of the world.

Neal A. Maxwell, CR, 1989, 77
At the end, meek and lowly Jesus partook of the most bitter cup without becoming the least bitter. . . . By their very nature, tests are unfair.

3 Nephi 11:14-17--An Individual Savior

Jeffrey R. Holland, "Teaching, Preaching, Healing", Ensign, Jan. 2003, 13
However dim our days may seem, they have been a lot darker for the Savior of the world. As a reminder of those days, Jesus has chosen, even in a resurrected, otherwise perfected body, to retain for the benefit of His disciples the wounds in His hands and in His feet and in His side—signs, if you will, that painful things happen even to the pure and the perfect; signs, if you will, that pain in this world is not evidence that God doesn’t love you; signs, if you will, that problems pass and happiness can be ours. Remind others that it is the wounded Christ who is the Captain of our souls, He who yet bears the scars of our forgiveness, the lesions of His love and humility, the torn flesh of obedience and sacrifice.
These wounds are the principal way we are to recognize Him when He comes. He may invite us forward, as He has invited others, to see and to feel those marks.
 
Discourses of President Gordon B. Hinckley, 1:515
We are concerned with the individual. .  . . We don’t deal in mass of people; we deal with individuals. All of us are just alike.  We get sick. We have pain. We worry about our affairs.  We worry about our children.  WE worry about all of these things which are individual problems. . . . It is imperative that you bless one another with acts of kindness and outreach, to assist all who are in distress, to assist all who are in need and reach out to those in trouble and sorrow and sickness and pain who need our help.

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, 131
[God] has infinite attention to spare for each one of us.  He does not have to deal with us in the mass. You are as much alone with Him as if you were the only being He had ever created.  When Christ died, He died for you individually just as much as if you had been the only man [or woman] in the world.

3 Nephi 12--Celestial Law

Unlocking the Book of Mormon, 430
The Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, delivered the higher law to the people at the temple.  This is the law of celestial living.  This is the law which, when kept, leads to eternal life.

Robert J. Matthews, Symposium on the Book of Mormon, 52
The sermon to the Nephites was given to a mixture of people.  There was a multitude of believers, and among them there were also twelve special disciples who had been called to be the Lord’s personal representatives.  The biblical Sermon on the Mount, on the other hand, was given to a small number of believers, primarily the twelve Apostles whom Jesus had chosen in the Holy Land.
The Jewish Sermon on the Mount was a missionary-oriented discourse preparatory to sending forth the Twelve to preach.  The Nephites’ sermon was directed to the multitudes, with only portions of it being specifically pointed to the twelve Nephite disciples.

3 Nephi 12:1-2

Unlocking the Book of Mormon, p. 431
[These two introductory verses are not included in the King James or the Catholic Bibles.]   Thus, most Christians have a misconception as to the meaning of the Sermon on the Mount.  They assume that this sermon was meant either for the whole world or for only the chosen disciples.  However, the Book of Mormon and the Inspired Version of the Bible indicate that the major parts of this sermon were intended for all those who were willing to accept Christ and keep his commandments.

3 Nephi 12:5--Blessed are the Meek

The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, 232-33
If the Lord was meek and lowly and humble, then to become humble one must do what he did in boldly denouncing evil, bravely advancing righteous works, courageously meeting every problem, becoming the master of himself and the situations about him and being near oblivious to personal credit.
Humility is not pretentious, presumptuous, nor proud.  It is not weak, vacillating, nor servile. . .
Humble and meek properly suggest virtues, not weaknesses.  They suggest a consistent mildness of temper and an absence of wrath and passion.

3 Nephi 12:13—Salt of the Earth

Book of Mormon Student Manual, p. 305
In the Mosaic sacrificial ritual, salt was a reminder that we should remember and preserve our covenants with God.

Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p 668
Among the ancient Hebrews salt was an indispensable element having both temporal and spiritual uses. It was used as a preservative, in seasoning food, and in all animal sacrifices.  So essential was it to the sacrificial ordinance that it was the symbol of the covenant made between God and his people in connection with that sacred performance. . . .
They had power, in other words, to be the seasoning, savoring, preserving influence in the world, the influence which would bring peace and blessings to all others.

3 Nephi 9:20-22; 3 Ne 12:19—A Broken Heart and a Contrite Spirit

Richard G. Scott, "Jesus Christ, Our Redeemer", Ensign, May 1997, 53
I witness that “redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; … unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.” This absolute requisite of “a broken heart and a contrite spirit” prescribes the need to be submissive, compliant, humble (that is, teachable), and willingly obedient.

D. Todd Christofferson, "When Thou Art Converted", Ensign, May 2004, 11–13
After His Atonement and Resurrection, the Savior said He would no longer accept burnt offerings of animals. The gift or sacrifice He will accept now is “a broken heart and a contrite spirit.” As you seek the blessing of conversion, you can offer the Lord the gift of your broken, or repentant, heart and your contrite, or obedient, spirit. In reality, it is the gift of yourself—what you are and what you are becoming.
Is there something in you or in your life that is impure or unworthy? When you get rid of it, that is a gift to the Savior. Is there a good habit or quality that is lacking in your life? When you adopt it and make it part of your character, you are giving a gift to the Lord. Sometimes this is hard to do, but would your gifts of repentance and obedience be worthy gifts if they cost you nothing? Don’t be afraid of the effort required. And remember, you don’t have to do it alone. Jesus Christ will help you make of yourself a worthy gift. His grace will make you clean, even holy. Eventually, you will become like Him, “perfect in Christ.”

Henry B. Eyring, To Draw Closer to God, 109-110
What are some things you could do to have a soft heart? First of all, don’t think of repentance as something you do after you’ve made a very serious mistake.  Think of repentance as what you do every day.  Find a moment each day to review in your mind those things that might have disappointed your Heavenly Father and your Savior, and then go and humbly plead for forgiveness.  I would suggest that you do that especially on Sundays when you take the sacrament. . . .
Another way to obtain a soft heart is to make sure you don’t focus too much on yourself or your personal problems and struggles.  Instead of thinking of yourself primarily as someone who is seeking purification, think of yourself as someone who is trying to find out who around you needs your help.  Pray that way and then reach out.

3 Nephi 12:30—Take up Your Cross

Neal A. Maxwell, Ensign, 5/87, 71
The daily taking up of the cross means daily denying ourselves the appetites of the flesh.

3 Nephi 12:31-32—Divorce See Deuteronomy 24:1-4

James E Talmage, Jesus the Christ, p. 474
Jesus announced no specific or binding rule as to legal divorces; the putting away of a wife, as contemplated under the Mosaic custom, involved no judicial investigation or action by an established court.

James E. Faust, Ensign, 5/93, 36
Those marriages performed in our temples, meant to be eternal relationships, then, become the most sacred covenants we can make. The sealing power given by God through Elijah is thus invoked, and God becomes a party to the promises.
What, then, might be “just cause” for breaking the covenants of marriage? . . . Only the parties to the marriage can determine this. They must bear the responsibility for the train of consequences which inevitably follow if these covenants are not honored. In my opinion, “just cause” should be nothing less serious than a prolonged and apparently irredeemable relationship which is destructive of a person’s dignity as a human being.
At the same time, I have strong feelings about what is not provocation for breaking the sacred covenants of marriage. Surely it is not simply “mental distress,” nor “personality differences,” nor having “grown apart,” nor having “fallen out of love.” This is especially so where there are children.

 3 Nephi 12:48—“Be Perfect”

James E. Faust, Ensign, 5/99, 19
Perfection is an eternal goal.  While we cannot be perfect in mortality, striving for it is a commandment which ultimately, through the Atonement, we can keep.

 C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, 172
The command Be ye perfect is not idealistic gas.  Nor is it a command to do the impossible.  [Christ] is going to make us creatures that can obey that command.  He said (in the Bible) that we were “Gods” and He is going to make good His words.  If we let Him—for we can prevent Him, if we choose—He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a god or goddess, a dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine, a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly (though, of course, on a smaller scale) His own boundless power and delight and goodness.  The process will be long and in parts very painful; but that is what we are in for.  Nothing less.  He meant what He said.

3 Nephi 13:1 –8, 16-18—Do Not Your Righteous Acts Openly

Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, 5/83, 55-57
Loving service anonymously given may be unknown to man—but the gift and the giver are known to God.

3 Nephi 13:9-13—The Lord’s Prayer

James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ, 238
Prayer is made up of heart throbs and the earnest yearnings of the soul, of supplication based on the realization of need, of contrition and pure desire. . . . God without our prayers would be God; but we without prayer cannot be admitted to the Kingdom of God. 

Teachings of the Presidents of the Church—David O. McKay, 74
Praying for His will to be done and then not trying to live it, gives you a negative answer at once.  You would not grant something to a child who showed that attitude towards a request he is making of you. . . . It is the height of disloyalty to pray for God’s will to be done, and then fail to conform our lives to that will.

3 Nephi 13:13-14--Forgiveness

Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, 269
He who will not forgive others breaks down the bridge over which he himself must travel.

Henry B. Eyring, Ensign, 11/99, 34
We are to forgive to be forgiven.  To wait for them to repent before we forgive and repent is to allow them to choose for us a delay which could cost us happiness here and hereafter.

3 Nephi 13:19-24--Treasures on Earth

Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign, 11/93, 75
In light of the ultimate purpose of the great plan of happiness, I believe that the ultimate treasures on earth and in heaven are our children and our posterity.

3 Nephi 13:34--Sufficient is the Day

Brigham Young, as cited in Unlocking the Book of Mormon, 435
The men and women who desire to obtain seats in the Celestial Kingdom will find that they must battle with the enemy of all righteousness every day.

3 Nephi 14:1-5—Judging

Neal A. Maxwell, Ensign, 5/04, 45
The wise father of Elder Henry B. Eyring observed once how the Lord had a perfect Church until He let all of us inside!

Joseph Smith, as quoted in Latter-day Prophets Speak, 59
Our acts are recorded, and at a future day they will be laid before us, and if we should fail to judge right and injure our fellow beings, they may there, perhaps, condemn us.

3 Nephi 14:3-5—Mote/Beam

Thomas B. Marsh, Journal of Discourses, 5:206-07 spelling original
I have frequently wanted to know how my apostacy began, and I have come to the conclusion that I must have lost the Spirit of the Lord out of my heart.
The next question is, “How and when did you lose the Spirit?” I become jealous of the Prophet [Joseph Smith], . . . and spent all my time in looking for the evil; and then when the Devil began to lead me, . . . I could feel it within me; I felt angry and wrathful;. . . . I was blinded, and I thought I saw a beam in brother Joseph’s eye, but it was nothing but a mote, and my own eye was filled with the beam; . . .
Well, this is about the amount of my hypocrisy—I meddled with that which was not my business.  But let me tell you, my brethren and friends, if you do not want to suffer in body and mind, as I have done,--if there are any of you that have the seeds of apostacy in you, do not let them make their appearance, but nip that spirit in the bud; for it is misery and affliction in this world, and destruction in the world to come.