Welcome back, you guys.

This is week eight of Our Mothers Knew It, and our first

big jump into Jacob's writing.

We've had just a taste of Jacob so far, but I think you're going

to love this week just because you get to see Jacob really close.

You get to hear his testimony, see how he writes and how he interprets

scripture, how he gets revelation on the fly and shares it with people.

I mean, he's just A really unique voice in the Book of Mormon, and

you get a lot of him this week.

So we're going to go from chapter 6 through 10 of 2 Nephi, and

this is Jacob's seminal sermon.

Like he will first teach us the words of Isaiah.

So almost like a come follow me commentary, you know, he's going to take

scripture that is already written and he will help his people understand what

it means and how it applies to them.

And then you're going to hear him.

kind of build on the themes that he got from Isaiah.

He's going to teach them new revelation that he's receiving that I'm sure

he also has learned from Nephi and from Lehi about the nature of Jesus

Christ, about this infinite atonement and their invitation to Come close.

I don't know exactly why he's given this assignment.

We know that Nephi calls him to this work.

Remember last week, he called him to be a high priest and a teacher, and now he's

kind of into that calling, and his first big assignment is to offer this sermon.

And I don't know what's happening in the hearts of the people.

You get some different feel as you read through these guidance from Jacob, like,

he seems to be concerned about them.

They're holiness level.

He seems to be concerned about them focusing on the wrong things.

I think he also was a little concerned about Their feelings of isolation.

You can almost hear it.

His whole focus is you are a child of the Covenant It's that same message We

heard from President Nelson about being a child of God, a disciple of Jesus

Christ, and a child of the Covenant.

That seems to be Jacob's message as well.

He's trying to get into their hearts.

This is so much bigger than you think it is.

And so he Reminds them of who they are and whose they are and why it's worth it

to stay and I just think it's powerful.

To me the biggest thing about all three of those Labels, you know,

to be a child of God and a child of the covenant, a disciple of Christ.

To me, what that means is you have an open invitation to come home.

And that's Jacob's message this week, you guys.

It's all about reconciling yourself to God through the

gift and grace of Jesus Christ.

In fact, it helped me to go to the very end of this week's study.

and read the last little bit of 10 first.

This is some of what you're going to find there.

So from 23 to 24 of chapter 10, he says this, Therefore, cheer up your hearts.

Remember, this is at the end of his sermon, after he's taught them

all these things, he says, cheer up your hearts, and remember that

you are free to act for yourselves, to choose the way of everlasting

death or the way of eternal life.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God and not

to the will of the devil in the flesh.

And remember, after ye are reconciled unto God.

That is, in and through the grace of Jesus Christ, ye are saved.

That's his invitation.

Come and be reconciled.

So if at this point in your life you are feeling distant in any way, which

all of us are just because we're in this mortal condition, Jacob's

words will help you come closer.

They'll help you inch closer to the goals and the plans

that God has in store for you.

I just think there's so much to learn.

So grab your scriptures, grab your notes.

It's time to get started.

Just like the last several weeks, we're going to do our seven,

five, three teaching approach.

I'm going to give you seven key insights, not even necessarily the most

important things I read in this week's verses, but things that felt fresh

to my eyes, something I hadn't seen before, something I delighted to study.

I'm going to share a few of those.

And then after that, I'll share five good questions with the hopes that you

will have really good conversations with people around you and get.

Curious to get into your own scriptures and we'll do a second video of the object

lessons I'll give you three of those just to help you find ways to delight

in the scriptures more for me There's almost nothing more fun than finding some

way to help someone else understand the scriptures and I think when you do it in a

creative cool way, it just brightens your countenance and makes people Enjoy it.

And that's my hope.

So we're going to do our seven, five, three approach.

So I'm going to kick things off with spark number one.

So this came to me right out of the gate in the very beginning of chapter six.

And this is about Jacob's motivation.

So we know he was assigned by Nephi.

You see that in the verses.

And then he talks about Why he's taking his time.

Remember this is a sermon that spans at least two days And I don't know

how much of the day this spans But it's a lengthy sermon and you have to

wonder where that's coming from But I think Jacob tries to answer that

for us in his own words in verses 2 3 of chapter 6 This is what he says.

Behold my beloved brethren, I, Jacob, having been called of God and

ordained after the manner of his holy order, and having been consecrated

by my brother, Nephi unto whom ye look as a king or a protector,

and on whom you depend for safety.

Behold, you know that I have spoken unto you exceedingly many things.

Nevertheless, I speak unto you again, for I am desirous

for the welfare of your souls.

Yea, mine anxiety is great for you, and ye yourselves know that it has ever been.

For I have exhorted you with all diligence, and I have taught you the

words of my Father, and I have spoken unto you concerning all things which are

written from the creation of the world.

I just found myself softened by Jacob's approach.

I just think he's so vulnerable.

You know, he's saying the whole reason he's doing this.

He has no ulterior motive.

There's nothing he's going to get out of it.

He's just concerned for their souls.

He wants them to succeed and he wants them to come closer to God and so he's going

to do Everything in his power that he can and I think what you see in two actually

links to what you read in one Because I think this is one of the beautiful

gifts of accepting a calling You know in verse one that he's been called of God.

He wasn't called by Nephi He was called of God and Nephi issued the calling

and then Nephi set him apart for this work He's been ordained after this

manner because remember he's gonna be the high priest at the temple.

These are big Weighty responsibilities on Jacob's shoulders.

And I don't think he's very old, you guys.

I mean, we know it's roughly 40 years since they left Jerusalem.

Which means, I think Jacob is probably in his 30s?

Maybe 40s?

He's pretty young.

I picture him really similar to the way I picture Joseph Smith, actually.

Like he's, he's young to lead this people in this really holy work.

But he's been ordained, and he has the Melchizedek Priesthood, and

he's been consecrated for this work.

And so, he'll be able to do it.

And I think one of the natural extensions of being called and

ordained and consecrated for a work is that your heart expands.

You know, Jacob, who already had a tender heart, and who knows what it's like to

be bullied and to be messed with and to feel a little bit isolated and lost, he,

he can, Heavenly Father can take those Gifts and talents of Jacob his gift

for compassion and he just expands it.

That's why I think He gives this sermon.

I think it's the same reason most of us show up for our callings today

because somehow God has Stretched the walls of your heart and you

will have all More people in it than you probably ever had before.

I only say that for my own personal experience.

You know, my calling right now, like I've talked about, is

I'm the YSA Institute teacher.

So I just teach this one class, one time a week.

And, you guys, it doesn't matter who walks in that door.

Because I never know who's going to come and who's not going to come.

No matter who walks in that door, my heart expands.

I don't want to just know their name.

I want to know their background.

I want to know what their struggles are.

I want to know where their testimony is at and what I can do to help.

Like there is an expansion of my heart that happens every

time someone walks in the room.

What I think is kind of hard about that for all of us is that

means you also feel more aches and pains when you see choices happen.

And that's Jacob.

It's not so much that I think the people are wicked.

Remember, these are the Nephites, so they've already

split off from the Lamanites.

They're already building a thriving city and living after the manner of happiness,

but his heart now is Increasingly sensitive to their deviations from God's

plan for them and that I think comes with callings to that you are you have an

expanded ability to love and an expanded sensitivity to what could go wrong.

And so you have anxiety and you worry and I just think it's sweet to see

that play out in Jacob's calling.

I think he he handles it with such heart and I love it.

I think one of the things that really helped me the most is I was thinking

about Jacob's words this week.

I went to the temple this week to do initiatories.

I'm trying to go every other week, so I'm switching between different

ordinances, but it was interesting to me as I sat and I listened to those

beautiful promises of the initiatory, because I, I realized at the time that

Jacob must have had this moment too.

You know, we read about in the Old Testament where Aaron and his sons are

Taken to the door of the tabernacle and then they're washed and they're anointed

like it's that you read all about it in the Old Testament Jacob must have had one

of those experiences probably with Nephi where he was set apart for this holy work

and Those promises that he received in those sacred ordinances helped him Do

this they helped him expand his heart so he could teach truth it probably helped

open his eyes so he could understand the words of Isaiah and then find a

way to teach it and Make connections to the people he's trying to teach.

I just there was something sweet about Thinking about Jacob, receiving

those promises, and then using those as a foundation to teach

this beautiful Sermon of Truth.

When I had an initiatory lens on my eyes as I read his

words, new things jumped out.

But to me, probably the most powerful of this first spark is just the

abundant gifts that God gives to those who are willing to accept callings.

If you will choose to serve in whatever capacity, whether it be an official

capacity or just you see a need and you serve, your heart will expand.

It'll make you a little more vulnerable, but it's worth it because you can

guide people towards a place where they will find safety and peace.

And Jacob seems to get that, and I love the way he shares it.

This second spark I call the ache of misunderstanding because we have this rare

glimpse, it's Isaiah's words taught by Jacob, but he's teaching us about the mind

of God and how he feels when the children of Israel speak about being cut off.

The children of Israel are complaining about their God forgetting them and

leaving them to wander and suffer and You hear the words of God taught

what he might be thinking or saying, and it's funneled through Isaiah

and taught with clarity by Jacob.

So it begins around, well, let's start with one and two.

This is of chapter seven.

It says, Yea, for thus saith the Lord, have I put thee away, or

have I cast thee off forever?

For thus saith the Lord, where is the bill of your mother's divorcement?

To whom have I put thee away?

Or to which of my creditors have I sold you?

Yea, to whom have I sold you?

For behold, your iniquities ye have sold yourselves, and for your

transgressions is your mother put away.

Wherefore, when I came, there was no man.

When I called, yea, there was none to answer.

O house of Israel, is my hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem?

Or have I, have I no power to deliver?

What I like about this is If Jacob's people are struggling by feeling

isolated, like they feel almost trapped.

In fact, later you're going to hear Jacob talk about their settings, almost

like being on the isles of the sea.

So you almost wonder if they feel a bit landlocked and frozen and struggling.

And he's trying to help them understand that the scriptures

are actually there to teach them.

Like the children of Israel felt the same way.

Let me show you what the Lord said to them.

We are not forgotten.

What I like about this is Well, I think it's easy to read these verses and think

this is God kind of angry or frustrated.

How dare you accuse me of this?

How dare you think this of me?

But I just don't read it that way.

I think because of my parenting experience, I've had

a few situations like this.

You probably have too.

Your kids forget your kindness.

You know, they, they think you're going to be so angry.

They make a dumb choice of some kind and then by the time you

are aware of it, you're like, why didn't you come to me sooner?

You know, if you ever had your kids like have a toothache that they didn't

bring to you for months and months and you're like, Why didn't you talk to me?

We could have fixed this or, you know, like any kind of little

mistake or problem that now has spiraled into something much bigger.

And for me, when I've had those moments, and I've had a few recently with some

of my kids where I just found myself sad that they didn't understand me

better, you know, that they thought I would be angry or that they thought

my love for them would somehow be.

adjusted based on their obedience to my rules.

Like I, my love for them surrounds them.

It doesn't have anything to do with how well they obey me.

Like the blessings I can give them, the, the way I can make

their life easier and happier.

Yes.

Those are contingent on their obedience, but my love for them is.

Boundless and it doesn't matter what their choices are and it was with

that lens that I found myself reading these words and thinking This must

be so hard It must be there must be an ache in these words because he's

saying like don't you know me at all?

Remember I've been with you all this time.

I am the God who helped you through the wilderness I am the God that created

this world for you and that need water gush from a rock and manifold from

heaven Don't you remember who I am?

I just think there's this Sweet ache, but what I think is so powerful is it

doesn't seem to shift into resentment.

It never turns into, I gave you a chance and you didn't take it and I'm out.

Because he loves us as a father loves his children.

And so he will never be out.

He just rallies with them and please with them.

In fact, one of the things I loved about these verses, the

spark that hit me was in two.

Because despite the fact that they rejected him and turned away from his

laws and blatantly rebelled against what he asked them to do, he still comes.

You know, he says, Wherefore, when I came, there was no man.

When I called, there was none to answer.

To me, this is reassuring because it means no matter how far off

the path I am, He will continue to come and he will continue to call.

The fact that there was no one to answer doesn't make, doesn't mean

he's not going to come the next day.

In fact, we see that with the children of Israel.

He comes the next day and the next day he wanders with them for 40 years.

He helps them in the promised land.

He never abandons his people.

They've just.

Stepped back.

And for me, I just loved that spark.

It just as a reminder for myself There's peace in knowing I can never go too

far off the path He will come and he will call and my job is to answer.

I love the way it's phrased in 8 This is Isaiah's call for them to rally.

He says And the Lord is near, and he justifies me, who will contend with me?

Let us stand together.

Who is mine adversary?

Let him come near, and I will smite him with the strength of my mouth.

This is Isaiah saying, like, once you're back on the Lord's team, you

know, once you're back having him in your corner and appreciate the

fact that he's been with you the whole time, then we can go forward.

We don't have to be reactionary to our hard circumstances anymore.

We can be proactive, and we can choose to go forward.

Like, almost, you almost get this, like, Linking arms kind of

visual as you read these verses.

I just thought there was power in it.

There's this great quote from President Eyring.

This is what he said.

This is from a 1991 talk, but I loved it.

It's in the notes if you want the full link.

But it says, If you want to stay close to someone who has been

dear to you, but from whom you are separated, you know how to do it.

You would find a way to speak to them.

You would listen to them, and you would discover ways to do things for each other.

The more often that happened, the longer it went on, the deeper

would be the bond of affection.

If time passed without the speaking, the listening, and the

doing, the bond would weaken.

God is perfect and omnipotent, and you and I are mortal, but He is our

Father, and He loves us, and He offers us the same opportunity to draw closer

to Him as would a loving friend.

And if you will do it in much the same way, and you will do it in much the same

way, speaking, listening, and doing.

I feel like this is President Eyring saying, it's just not that hard.

You know, if you need to close the gap between you and God, then speak

to him, listen to his counsel, and do whatever he asks you to do.

Do it over and over again to prove your love, your affection, your trust in him,

and that let that relationship flourish.

That closes the gap.

Isaiah's pep talk rolls right into chapter 8.

This is when he's trying to say like, okay now once you realize who God really

is, who we really have on our side, and how constantly he has been here helping

us, then we can just surge forward.

In those first few verses you're going to see Jacob teach, well he's teaching

Isaiah's words, but he talks about looking to that rock from whence you are hewn.

You know those great verses where it's like he's trying to say Look how far

you've come and look who you belong to.

No matter how far on the Isles of the Sea they feel, they are still tethered

to that covenant promise of Abraham, no matter what the distance is.

That's what applies to us in the latter days as well.

It doesn't matter where we live or who we are.

We are tethered to those lines of Abraham and those covenant

promises can be claimed.

So you see him just pulling on them.

In fact, you're going to hear a lot of the same kind of phrasing in Isaiah's

words that we heard in Lehi's words.

It's this invitation to, like, shake off the dust and awake.

So if you look in 2 Nephi 8, this is 12 and 13, and then also 15, it says, I am

he, yea, I am he that comforteth you.

Behold, who art thou that thou shouldest be afraid of men who

shall die, and the son of men who shall be made unto like grass.

Meaning, like, why are you afraid of the people around you?

All of those people are limited in their abilities.

Infinite God is not limited, but everyone else is.

So he's saying, like, remember who's on your team.

And then he says, And forget us, the Lord thy Maker, that has

stretched forth the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth.

That's who's on your team.

That's who you are the team you are playing for so shed all of those fears

And then I love 15, but I am the Lord thy God whose waves roared the Lord of hosts

is my name There's two things I love and that sparked for me in that verse first.

I love the idea whose waves roared I just think we talked a little bit

about this back in Isaiah when we were in the Old Testament together

but this idea of Thinking about the sound of the sea when it was parted.

You can go in the footnotes and see this kind of ties into that Red Sea

imagery, but I just had never thought of what that must have sounded like.

You know, I've always thought about what it must have felt like to walk

on dry ground, but the sounds as you hear the waves parting around you and

chaos being held back at bay, like, I can't imagine what that sounded like.

Or if they could feel it in their feet, you know, as they walked across the the

dry ground could they feel the rumbling of this sea trying to crash back down

but being held back i just love it i also love that he uses the phrase the

lord of hosts because oftentimes i think when i hear that phrase now thanks to

isaiah when we studied isaiah deeply i i saw that phrase repeatedly and i think

he's trying to say this is not just me There are a host of angels on your side.

He is the Lord of hosts, meaning there are multitudes of people who are on this team.

And when you choose to join, all of those people rally for you.

Not just your own ancestors, but this web of people who are disciples

of Christ, who are just You know, all of a sudden, you are surrounded

on the right hand and on the left.

That's his promise.

He is the Lord of hosts and, you know, he'll never be outnumbered.

I also love what you see in 16 and 17.

I have put my words in thy mouth.

I have covered thee in the shadow of my hand, that I might plant the, that

I may plant the heavens and lay the foundations of the earth and say unto

Zion, Behold, thou art my people.

And then 17, awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, when you know who you are.

When you know about the covenants and the promises and the way you are

tethered to a source that is infinite in its power and scope, you can awake.

You can stand up.

In fact, I found myself researching what it means to awake.

Because I don't think it just means to like You know, snap out of it.

I think that's the very first stage.

But this idea of awaking and arising and stepping forth.

In fact, later we're going to hear about him referencing garments, like putting

on this sacred, holy clothing so that you can step into who you really are.

I just started researching it and digging it.

One of my favorite, Explanations about what it means to really be

awake came from Elder Pearson.

I love his writing.

So this is one from his 2015 talk.

He says, We stay because we are converted unto the Lord.

Alma taught, Behold, he changed their hearts, and yet he awakened them out of

a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God.

As we yield our hearts to God, the Holy Ghost changes our very natures.

We become deeply converted unto the Lord, and we no longer

seek the spacious building.

If we stop doing those things that bring about deepening

conversion, we regress spiritually.

Apostasy is the reverse of conversion.

True disciples continue to awaken unto God each day in meaningful personal

prayer, earnest scripture study, and personal obedience, personal

obedience and selfless service.

Stay by the tree.

Stay awake.

I love this because I feel like the world teaches us to seek out comfort, you know,

not an Isaiah kind of comfort that's like a really good coach, but the comfort

of the world, meaning things that will numb you from all the hard things that

will help you forget why you're here.

Things that will cushion you.

The world teaches you that you need those things.

You need to buy them.

You need to acquire them as fast as possible so that you

can be safe and comfortable.

And that's not the gospel, you guys.

His gospel is one of.

Being awake.

He wants you fully aware of all of your choices so that you can choose

the one that will lead to joy.

You simply can't experience a fullness of joy if your body is numb.

You know, if you've become sort of anesthetized by the ways of the world,

you can't feel a deep and abiding joy.

So the only way you can get us to feel that sense of True

joy is to be fully alert.

To me, being awake means being converted and choosing that every day I'm gonna

step up and I'm gonna do those small and simple things that will keep my

conversion Thriving that will make me feel and experience Everything this

world is supposed to give me so that I can progress forward You see it a little

further as you go deeper in the verses.

This is 24 and 25.

He says awake Put on, awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion.

Put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city, for henceforth

there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.

Shake thyself from the dust.

Arise, sit down, O Jerusalem.

Loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

I know it seems kind of weird to say that we should arise and then sit down, but to

me this is like this beautiful imagery of, remember what we heard from Elder Bednar

about putting on those wedding garments?

You know, this idea of choosing to live up to the privileges

that are in front of you.

Choosing to.

Put that on and then sit down at this feast of good things.

Come to the table and feast on what the Lord is offering you.

I just think that's his invitation.

I also love that he says, shake off the dust.

You know, like I asked you guys in the questions last week, dust to me is the

mortal, natural man version of yourself.

And so when he asks you to shake off the dust, it's like, get out of what

the world is telling you you are.

They think so small.

And look at yourself.

In my way, my way will always be bigger and it will always

involve you feeling All of it.

You know, you can't be numb.

You can't be apathetic.

You've got to be fully awake, fully converted.

And if you do that, miracles can flow.

I call spark number four the prodigal heart.

Because I think there is such lovely parallels between the prodigal

son story, parable, and what you see in Jacob's sermon in 9.

This is Jacob's opus on the atonement.

I mean, it's just this rich, deep doctrine that is also so easy to comprehend

and understand, and it's beautiful.

So it's almost like he's taking that stepping stone that he placed with

Isaiah's writings, and he's advancing it one step further, saying, let me teach you

what I know about why we need a Redeemer.

So it starts in One, this is 2nd Nephi 9 verses 1 through 3, and he says this,

And now, my beloved brethren, I have read these things, meaning the words of

Isaiah, that you might know concerning the covenants of the Lord, that he has

covenanted with all the house of Israel.

Thus he has spoken unto the Jews by the mouth of his holy prophets, even

from the beginning, down generation to generation, until the time comes

that they shall be restored to the true church and fold of God.

They shall be gathered from their home to the lands of their

inheritance, and they shall be established in their lands of promise.

And then this is verse three.

Behold, my beloved brethren, I speak unto you these things, that ye may

rejoice and lift up your heads forever, because of the blessings which the Lord

God shall bestow upon your children.

I found myself wondering, why does he send prophets at every age?

Why can't he just send them right before a new dispensation opens?

You know, because there's so many in the Old Testament who get rejected,

stoned, murdered even, like they are, why does he continually send messages?

And you know, it came to me, you guys, it was that talk from President

or Elder Uchtdorf where he was speaking about the Prodigal's dad,

you know, and waiting by the window and hoping that his son will come.

And I found myself thinking like if that dad knew where his son was staying, you

know, whatever city he was in or whatever friends he was living with when he was

living his high life, I think that dad would have sent a letter every day.

I don't think he just sat by the window.

I think he perpetually reached out.

The same way All of us who have loved ones who are wandering continually

reach out, we continually invite, we extend love in any possible way we can.

That's what I think the Lord did with the children of Israel.

That's why he continued to send them prophets, despite their

continued rejection of him.

Because he loves them, you guys, and he never gives up hope.

In fact, he knows that they will circle back eventually.

And he wants each and every generation, no matter where they are in time, to know

that he is there and that he loves them.

And that to me was so powerful.

Because what he promises, in fact what Jacob teaches, is not just that

these people will be restored, but they will be restored, they will be

gathered, and they will be established.

To me, that is exactly what happens with this prodigal dad.

When his son finally does come home, he doesn't treat him as a second class.

Son, he doesn't treat him as a servant, like the son wanted.

He gets the robe and the fatted calf and he puts his arm around him.

Like he rushes to meet him.

That's the love of a dad.

He's his son's status as, as a son, never changed despite the rejection

and the loss of funds and the betrayal that the dad must've felt.

His who his son was, couldn't change.

And I feel like that's.

That's the same thing he feels for us.

We, no matter where we go, or how far we wander, we are his.

And the moment we decide to come home, there will be a

robe, and a ring, and a fat cap.

I just loved it.

If you want to go back and read Elder Uchtdorf's words, I clipped

a few of them to share with you.

I love the way he phrased it.

He said, Who among us has not departed from the path of holiness, foolishly

thinking we could find more happiness going our own self centered way?

Who among us has not felt humbled, brokenhearted, and desperate

for forgiveness and mercy?

Perhaps some may even have wondered, is it possible to go back?

Will I be labeled forever, rejected, and avoided by my former friends?

Is it better just to stay lost?

How will God react if I try to return?

The parable gives us the answer.

Our Heavenly Father will run to us, His heart overflowing

with love and compassion.

He will embrace us, place a robe around our shoulders, a ring on our finger,

and sandals on our feet, and proclaim, Today we celebrate, for my child who

was once dead has come back to life.

Heaven will rejoice at our return.

That's what it feels like to be restored.

How can something that is so broken and so distant be restored and established?

The missing piece that we're going to need to help us understand how

to bridge that mighty gap comes in the rest of this chapter as we

go into the infinite atonement.

So let's go there next.

One of Jacob's most powerful teachings in this week's study is about the

gift of the infinite atonement.

That because of what Christ did for us, we have the power to conquer death and hell.

So his first focus will be on death.

That's in like the first half of chapter 9.

You're gonna see him teach the people about Their inevitable end this idea

of without the gift of the atonement of Jesus Christ all of us end in

dust In fact, I call this spark learning from Legos because that's

what my mind kept thinking of You know the way my boys love Lego sets.

We've got a bajillion Lego sets and Every time I go to buy one, my brain

thinks about the pile of Legos they will inevitably become, you know, at

some point, somebody's going to knock that Hogwarts castle off the shelf,

and it's going to be this pile of Legos on the ground, or maybe when

the age out of their Avengers sets, I will be hauling a big pile of Legos

to DI to give to someone I can see.

that inevitably they end in destruction and sort of this box of chaos.

And I just think that's sort of what Jacob sees on an eternal level.

He sees that everything that is here in front of you has to die.

There's a great, I think originally it came from Hugh Nibley, but I read

it in Jack Welch's writings this week, but he talks about this, the

entropy of the universe and that things are slowly breaking down.

And the only thing that holds everything back together is this understanding about.

The Atonement, what it offers us.

And a big piece of that comes with the resurrection.

So if you look in 6 and 7, this is what he says.

For as death hath passed upon all men to fulfill the merciful plan

of the great creator, there must needs be a power of resurrection.

And the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall.

And the fall came by reason of transgression.

And because man became fallen, they were cut off from the presence of God.

That's his first step.

He's trying to help us understand why the fall occurred.

Remember how I said we were going to build on those agency blocks?

I think Jacob is trying to help us get a better grasp of what

happened in the Garden of Eden.

That basically where Adam and Eve were, they were at a terrestrial

level in the Garden of Eden.

They, they needed to descend in order to experience all the

things they needed to experience.

The good and the bad.

the light and the dark, they, they needed to descend.

In order to descend, they have to do something to offend God.

In order to be separated from God, there has to be a transgression in place.

So that's kind of more about, that's more of the understanding that I gained as

I studied Jacob's words, is that their transgression allowed them to descend.

But there would be no point in them being at this telestial level where they can

make mistakes and live in this gritty hard world and learn and strengthen each other.

And, you know, like when you read Adam and Eve's words about feeling joy in

their posterity and rejoicing, what would be the point of all that if

there wasn't a chance for resurrection?

If they couldn't ever get back up again, you know, they couldn't ever.

Come back to that judgment scene and see their savior again.

What would be the point of all that?

So they need a chance to be resurrected.

That's, that's the justice and mercy of God.

He provides a redeemer so that they, their bodies can be resurrected and they go

back to that terrestrial level to face.

Judgment.

That's why I think when we talk about the second coming that we talk about the

earth being restored to its terrestrial level It's a place where you can come

back where people are resurrected where you have these Chances to learn and to

grow in a different way I think that's what he's trying to help us understand

is we needed that gift and it can't just be a partial gift, it must be infinite.

So we look in verse 7, it says, Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement.

Say, if it should be an infinite atonement, this corruption

could not put on incorruption.

Things that are broken down can't last forever.

Legos that are in pieces can't be built again without this infinite atonement.

Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon men must needs have

remained in an endless duration.

And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its

mother earth and to rise no more.

The inevitable end result of all things here in this telestial level

without the atonement is Crumbling.

We all break down again.

And that's what I think they're trying to help us understand.

That's what Jacob wants to get across.

That's how much we need the Atonement.

Remember we've talked about if you don't understand the Fall, then you won't

understand the need for the Atonement.

When you realize that there is no other way to get back to that place,

there is no other way to ascend, then you realize how much we need His gift.

There's this beautiful talk from Elder Johnson, I've mentioned it in the

past, maybe a couple of years ago, but he talks about his daughter's

cancer battle, that she eventually loses that battle and she passes away.

And he has this sweet about resurrection and this gift that he gives.

I only have a portion of it here.

I hope you go back and find it.

It's in the notes if you want to read the full thing, but it says,

Each of us has physical, mental, and emotional limitations and weaknesses.

These challenges, some of which we seem so intractable now,

will eventually be resolved.

None of these problems will plague us after we are resurrected.

Elisa researched survival rates for persons with the type of cancer she had,

and the numbers were not encouraging.

She wrote, But there is a cure, so I'm not scared.

Jesus has already cured my cancer and yours.

I will be better, and I'm glad I know this.

We can replace the word cancer with any of our other physical, mental, or

emotional ailments that we might face.

Because of the resurrection, they have already been cured, too.

The miracle of resurrection, the ultimate cure, is beyond the

power of modern medicine, but it is not beyond the power of God.

We know it can be done because the Savior is resurrected and will bring to pass

the resurrection of each of us, too.

That's the gift.

And that's what I hope, I think Jacob's trying to get across to us is you don't

need to be afraid no matter what your physical body is experiencing or the

loved ones you watch experience hard.

All of those things have been cured and you will be risen.

All of those blocks will come back together again and you will stay intact.

And that's a beautiful promise.

Spark number six I call spiritual merit badges because recently I've

been studying Elder Sabin's talk in a lot more depth You know the one

where he talks about his son who?

was trying to get a merit badge for archery and he's got these physical

ailments that make it virtually impossible for him to Shoot like

the other boys shoot and Elder Sabin talked about when his son came back.

He was so overjoyed to see that his son had earned a merit badge.

In fact, the son was lighting up because he'd hit a bullseye.

And he says, it was on the target next to mine, but I got a bullseye.

And I just, something about that opened up my heart to these verses this week.

I just think one of the sweetest things Jacob teaches is that you get.

Rewards for trying for the desires of your heart.

He also talks about how the atonement covers.

Everything you don't know and don't understand, you know, this applies to

things like infant baptism and, you know, those who have mental disabilities or

whatever, whatever your situation is, you are only held accountable to what

you understand and know, because I think Heavenly Father always sees weakness

differently than he sees rebellion.

He knows we have weaknesses.

He knows we have insufficiencies in our knowledge so we make dumb choices

sometimes and he understands that and so often in scripture he talks about

the desires of our hearts I love the way it's phrased in chapter 9 this

is 25 through 27 or so says wherefore he has given a law wherefore there is

no law given sorry where there is no law given there is no punishment and

where there is no punishment there is no condemnation and when there is no

condemnation the mercies of the Holy One of Israel have claim upon them because

of the atonement they are delivered by the power of him He's basically saying

if you didn't know the laws, he's not going to hold you accountable for them.

He's not going to condemn you for not keeping commandments you didn't

know, which is why I think our work of teaching people and bringing people

to an understanding of the covenants and the promises is so pivotal because

he wants everyone to have all the choices clearly in front of them.

Remember when we were teaching in the Doctrine and Covenants about Section

76, we compared it to the prices, right?

And that idea of like, Section 76 is basically like throwing open all

those bays and saying, here's all the prizes, which one do you want?

That's kind of what I feel like he does with Joseph Smith.

And it's what Jacob is doing here, too.

He's saying, if you couldn't see behind the doors, You're

not accountable for that.

He will make sure that you have as much light and knowledge as you can.

And if you live this mortal life and you don't get that light and

knowledge, the Atonement will cover you.

Isn't that just a beautiful doctrine?

It's kind of unique to our faith, but it is such a, an incredible component

of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

It, it gets even deeper as you go into 26 and 27.

For the atonement satisfieth the demands of justice upon all those

who have not the law given to them.

They, that they are delivered from the awful monster death and hell, and the

devil, and the lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment, and they are

restored to that God which gave them breath, which is the Holy One of Israel.

But woe unto him that has the law given, yea, that has all the commandments of

God likened to us, that transgresseth them, and wasteth the days of his

probation, for awful is his state.

To me, this is his warning to say, if you do know what is true, and if you

do have light and knowledge, act on it.

That's why you are here.

In fact, I've started to read those phrases, President Nelson often

will say things like, The very air you breathe is a gift from God.

I think it's Elder Sabin who talked about how he always prays, he's so

grateful that he has lungs that work because of watching his kids struggle.

And I just think there's something about that in that probationary state.

This is not just a time to repent and come to know God.

It is this space he's given you.

He is holding your body together.

He is allowing you time and breath and a heart that beats so

that you can come close to him.

It's almost as if you can see his hands holding back that red sea around

your life, that entropy and chaos that the universe is trying to happen,

trying to create for you, and he's saying, Nope, I'm giving you space.

The probationary state phrase is what sparked for me, probably because

of an experience I had this week.

So, I'm writing an article for LDS Living, I'm at the very early stages,

and this is fairly new ground for me, so I'm trying to figure this out.

And what I loved is I was reading the kind of rubric of, guidance that they gave me.

And what the editor recommended is take this first draft and just make it messy.

You know, like she basically said, it's not going to be pretty.

Just send it to me, take this space and do as much as you can to get

your thoughts out, get the arc there, get the flow, get the feel,

don't worry about the little things.

And I can tell you guys, it totally changed my writing process

because I knew that that's what she was expecting me to send her.

I felt so much freedom to just.

You know, I didn't worry about every comma being in the right place or

getting my quotes exactly correct.

Like I just, I just got the flow out.

And because I knew she was going to be this gracious editor who expected

a rough draft, I wasn't afraid.

That's how I feel about the probationary state, you guys.

I feel like the savior is basically saying this mortal

experience is your rough draft.

It's going to be messy.

You're going to make mistakes.

Just come to me.

Don't be afraid of your imperfections.

Come to me and let me help you place those commas.

Let me help you put the quotes in exactly the right spot and format things right.

Just get the flow, which is why I think it's so beautiful that

he repeatedly teaches us about the desires of your hearts.

I think what the editor can see in me is, what's the desire of

Maria's heart when she wrote this?

What is she trying to say and how can I help her do it better?

I think that's what the Savior does with His atonement.

It doesn't just offer us resurrection and a body that can stay intact forever.

It also offers us a chance to make mistakes and to learn and to grow

and take risks and You know, advance on, in this earth life, and that

I think is just a remarkable gift.

I love the way Elder Maxwell says this.

This is from 96.

He says, Therefore, what we insistently desire over time is

what we will eventually become, and what we will receive in eternity.

Kind of sounds like President Oaks and even President Nelson.

For I said the, for I, said the Lord, will judge all men according to their works,

according to the desires of their hearts.

I know that God granteth unto men according to their desire,

I know that He allotteth unto men according to their wills.

To reach this equitable end, God's canopy of mercy is stretched out, including

all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of the gospel, who would

have received it with all their hearts.

And the heirs of the kingdom.

For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according

to the desire of their hearts.

This is my favorite part.

God thus takes into merciful account not only our desires and our performance,

but also the degrees of difficulty which our varied circumstances impose on us.

No wonder we will not complain at the final judgment, especially

since even the telestial kingdom's glory surpasses all understanding.

God delights in blessing us, especially when we realize joy

in that which we have designed.

Don't you just love that addition to the atonement that Jacob teaches,

that Elder Maxwell teaches, that so many others in scripture have taught.

He is not looking at where that arrow lands.

He is looking at What did you try to do?

What was the desire of your heart when you let that arrow fly?

And no matter what target it hits, whether it's the one you expected or another, you

will make a connection and he will say, Well done, thou good and faithful servant.

That's his promise.

Spark number seven I call a portal to power.

That's how I visualize it.

Let me tell you some context about why this week, because my

Institute class, I'm teaching the foundations of the restoration.

So this week's lesson was all about Keystone, what the Book of Mormon

offers as this Keystone, just like what we talked about a few weeks ago.

And what I liked is we were sketching it out right on the, on the blackboard.

And I was talking about those same things I talked to you about that each of those

stones, because they're part of this arch now has purpose and power and permanence.

And we started to talk about.

What that keystone offered what I like is what I add into that in my study of

Jacob's words I didn't get it in when I was teaching the YSAs But it that

visual of that keystone on the blackboard came back to me as I was studying

This is what you see in the verses.

So this is chapter 9 verse 39 and 41 says Oh my beloved brethren Remember

the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy God and also the awfulness of

enticings of the cunning one Remember to be carnally minded is death and

to be spiritually minded is life eternal Oh, then my beloved brethren,

come unto the Lord, the Holy One.

Remember that his paths are righteous.

Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him.

And the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel, and

he employeth no servant there.

And there is none other way save it be by the gate, for he cannot be

deceived, for the Lord God is his name.

What I started to think about when I was picturing that keystone on the

chalkboard is how much weight is above it.

You know, if you've ever seen like, um, those drawings of the ancient city of

Jerusalem, that they've got these kind of keystone arches in certain places

along those walls, and up above those arches are thousands upon thousands

of pounds of pressure pushing down, you know, because each of those blocks

was multiple thousands of pounds, and that's why it's so amazing that the

Romans were able to get all of them.

Um, completely broken down because they're huge.

And what I loved about this visual is I started to appreciate the power

of that portal that is created.

This archway with that keystone on top where the savior stands, you know,

he doesn't have any servants there.

It is this, he is holding back everything else so that you can pass through.

He is holding up all that pressure and all that weight so that you have this

open entry To the joy he wants for you.

Something about visualizing that portal.

Was powerful to me.

I just thought what a sweet offering this is.

You can almost feel the weight of it on his shoulders as he creates this

archway for you to pass through.

What I love is he doesn't ask much of us in return.

What he does is he asks that we can fit . I mean, I think what he

is trying to say is you're gonna need to set down what doesn't fit.

That's why I love this description of it being a narrow opening, this gateway.

You know, it's not so much a gate like.

an iron gate as much as as an opening and it never closes remember we learned

that from john and revelation they are open all the time but you have to fit

through them and in order to fit through those narrow openings you have to shed

some things you know we have to set down the natural man we have to set down our

Weaknesses and our, you know, struggles and our sins, all those things have to be

cast off before we can fit in that portal.

And something about that does help me.

Uh, when you look a little further, he talks about some of

the things you might need to shed.

So, if you look in 42, And whoso knocketh, to him will he open.

And the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed

up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches.

Yea, they, they are they whom he despiseth.

and they say they shall cast these things away and consider themselves fools

before God and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them.

This is him just trying to be really clear, like you can't

carry any of that in with you.

You have to, you know, you have to be able to shed all of that weight and

come with this posture of childlike humility to realize how much you

need him in order to proceed through.

And so then you get this invitation from Jacob from 50

to 52 that I can't summarize.

I, I just think it's worth it to read.

Come, my brethren, and everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters.

He that hath no money, come by and eat.

Yea, come by wine and milk without money and without price.

Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your

labor for that which cannot satisfy.

Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken, and

come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not.

Neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness.

This is Jacob's invitation to feast on what can fit through that portal.

You know, he's saying, you can set all that extra stuff down.

You don't need it anymore.

You won't find joy there, but you can delight in the things that will last.

And when you think about the things that last in our worlds, you know,

our relationships, our families, our testimonies, he wants you fatness of those

things and then let everything else go.

It's just this invitation to come.

joyfully through his gate.

And I love the way Jacob phrases it.

Time for the question side of week eight.

Okay, guys, my hope here is just to prompt ideas in your head and get

you to open up your scriptures and see what the Spirit teaches you.

Then, of course, if you come up with an answer, if you have something in

mind already, I hope you'll share it.

Put it in the comments thread if you want, or on the discussion boards

on the course, or better yet, just talk to somebody in your sphere.

Bring it up in the classes that you're in, or talk to somebody on your way to work

and see about what their thoughts are.

I just think it's a way for us to dive into our scriptures

in a lot of different ways.

Okay, so here's my five questions.

The first one comes from 2 Nephi chapter 6.

This is when he's talking about the gathering, and he's talking about

what the gathering will look like.

It says, And now these are the words, Thus saith the Lord God, Behold,

I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standards to

the people, and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters

shall be carried upon their shoulders.

It's, it's this rich visual that I just think teaches us so

much about this gathering work.

My mind, I always think about this with like a firefighter, you know, almost

like what you picture on the cover of time magazine after a, you know, natural

disaster of some kind that you'd see some emergency responder carrying someone.

Out of the flames and inevitably what you see is the strain of it, you know,

that's what makes those photos So gripping is because you see the danger

behind them You see the soot and the ash that they're covered in you you see the

worry on their face you you see the the contrast and that grips you and I just

feel like There's a reason this is such a beautiful metaphor for missionary work.

And I guess that's my question to you is, as you think about this idea

of carrying sons and daughters on your shoulders, hefting things and

bringing them out of danger towards safety, especially the safety of Zion,

where do you see connecting points between that and missionary work?

Why does that metaphor work so beautifully?

And maybe if you want to talk to your classes or your families,

think about a time when you've.

seen missionary work do this in your life?

Where you've seen someone spiritually carried to truth

and what did that look like?

Okay, question number two.

This actually isn't a direct quote from scripture, but it comes from

commentary I read about scripture, and this is from President Nelson.

He was talking about the gathering.

This is way back, 2014, you guys.

He's been talking about the gathering forever because That's the

mind of an Apostle of God, right?

This is what they're focused on.

And he says this, A loving but grieving father scattered Israel far and wide, but

he promised that one day scattered Israel would be gathered back into the fold.

This promise was just as emphatic as the promise of the scattering of Israel.

Isaiah, for example, foresaw that in the latter days, the Lord would

send swift messengers to these people who were scattered and peeled.

My question is, I thought his word choice was particularly interesting.

When he says, A loving but grieving father scattered Israel far and wide,

With this understanding of a promise that one day they would be gathered back in.

I guess I wonder how you can relate to that.

What experiences in your life have you seen where you had to scatter something?

Obviously not in the same way, but where do you see love and pain in that choice?

Especially when it comes to the scattering of his chosen people.

Where do you see these emotions?

How do you see him loving and grieving and Where do you see

that connecting with your life?

So, that's my first, my second question.

Third question.

This one comes from chapter 8, verses 1 and 2.

This is when Isaiah is teaching about, look unto the rock

from whence you are hewn.

One of the things I love about the way Jacob teaches it and Isaiah

teaches it, is they use both Abraham and Sarah in those verses.

He says, you know, look back to Abraham, look back to

Sarah from which you are born.

I can't remember how he said it.

Like she, they together represent this covenant, which I just love in particular.

But, I guess my question is, what do you think that verse means?

There's some obvious answers that come to mind first, but I think we

can take it a few levels deeper.

Or maybe the obvious answers are the right answer.

I'm just kind of curious about what you think it means.

What is the rock that you're hewn from?

Who's doing the hewing?

And what is the end result as you're being carved out?

What, what does that refer to?

I have some thoughts, but I'm anxious to hear yours.

Okay.

Question number four.

This one comes from chapter eight as well.

This is in those first couple verses, but I think it's, Oh, sorry.

I take it back.

This is nine verse 18.

So it says, But behold, the righteous, the saints of the Holy one of Israel,

they who have believed in the Holy one of Israel, and they who have endured

the crosses of the world and despised the shame of it, they shall inherit the

kingdom of God, which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world

and their joy shall be full forever.

There's this interesting connection between Those who endure the crosses

of the world, the suffering and the strain in a type and a shadow

of the Savior himself, those who endure those things, experiencing

a richness and a fullness of joy.

You can go in the notes and you can learn more.

President Eyring has, I think it was a BYU devotional.

This is back in 2008.

You can go find the full quote in the notes.

He says, trials are necessary for us to be shaped and made fit to receive that

happiness that comes as we qualify for the greatest of all the gifts of God.

I thought his word choice was so interesting.

Kind of like president Nelson's word choice that he says the trials actually

shape us so that we can hold the joy.

And I want to know what that means.

You guys, where do you see that connecting with Jacob's words,

Isaiah's words, and president Eyring, where do you see adversity

shaping you so that you can hold joy?

I don't, I don't entirely know what that means.

But I have some thoughts and I'm hoping to hear yours.

Okay, last one.

This comes from 2 Nephi 9, verse 50.

We just read this at the end of the Insights, but he says, Come, my

brethren, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that

hath no money, come by and eat.

Come by wine and milk without money and without price.

I think it's really interesting that what he says in this verse is not, you

don't have to have money, come and eat.

What he says is, come and buy, even if you don't have wealth, come and buy.

And I.

Wondered why?

I, I think it's an interesting word choice and I started digging and pulling

back some layers to try and understand what relief he's really offering here.

And I'm curious what you think.

Why does it say buy and not just eat or drink?

Why is he giving them the opportunity to purchase something?

And then maybe by extension, what other nourishment might he be offering?

something beyond what is obvious.

When he says, I'm going to allow you to buy without money.

What other nourishment is he giving them spiritually?

I would love to hear your thoughts.

I think there's a lot we could discuss on just that question.

Okay, go study, seek out answers, and then come back and share what you learned.

Before we head into the creative, I just wanted to wrap up with a thought.

I think maybe one of the reasons Jacob chose to focus here, one Nephi thought

this study of Isaiah would Help assuage their feelings of isolation or fear or

being cut off from these great promises Is that that's what the understanding

the atonement of jesus christ offers to each of us He can sucker us, you know,

he is someone who has been through every struggle every combination of struggles

every adversity He knows all of them.

So anyone that's struggling with Those feelings of being left alone can

find comfort and solace by studying the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

It is the ultimate answer that fills all gaps.

And I, I learned and felt so much this week as I studied Jacob's writings.

I hope you will too.

I, I, I felt the same.

Well, at least when I heard Jacob talk about the greatness of God's plan, I

could almost picture the joy in his face.

Maybe because we've seen it in President Nelson's eyes, you know, when he talks

about God's plan being fabulous and his eyes light up, that's how I picture Jacob.

I think what he wants us to understand is that this This plan was mapped out

long ago, and it has every possible opportunity for you to find joy.

No matter where you are and how, how much, how big that gap seems, the infinite

atonement of Jesus Christ can fill that gap, and it will do it beautifully.

And I hope you find that in the verses this week as well.