My Talk on The Book of Mormon

I had someone ask for a copy of my talk, so I thought I'd post it here. I felt really drawn to the topic and learned a lot in preparation. Hope you learn something too!

In “Preach My Gospel” we read, “Knowing that doubt, disbelief, and misinformation would remain after centuries of darkness, our loving Heavenly Father brought forth an ancient volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible, which contains the fullness of the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ. The volume of holy scripture provides convincing evidence that Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God. This record is the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

We were given the topic “The Restoration” to speak on today. When I read this paragraph, I knew that I wanted to talk about the Book of Mormon today, because if the Book of Mormon is true, and it is, then the restoration, all of it, really happened. Then our church is true. Then Joseph Smith was a prophet.

As I read several conference talks focusing on the Book of Mormon, two major themes stood out to me. The first is, the Book of Mormon truly is “A Testament of Jesus Christ.”

Elder Callister of the Seventy said, “ Would you like to have emblazoned on your soul an undeniable witness that the Savior descended beneath your sins and that there is no sin, no mortal plight outside the merciful reach of His Atonement—that for each of your struggles He has a remedy of superior healing power? Then read the Book of Mormon.”

That is a pretty powerful statement. We all know that our testimony is not a stagnant thing. It will grow or diminish. According to that statement, our testimonies of our Savior will grow to the point that we know our Savior has the remedy for all of our struggles, no matter what, if we read the Book of Mormon. We will know that there is nothing out of our Saviors reach to help us with. That is a huge promise and a blessing that each of us can use.

Boyd K Packer said, “The central purpose of the Book of Mormon is its testament of Jesus Christ. Of more than 6,000 verses in the Book of Mormon, far more than half refer directly to Him.

“So, 'we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.'”

Russell M Nelson said, “study of the Book of Mormon is most rewarding when one focuses on its primary purpose—to testify of Jesus Christ. By comparison, all other issues are incidental.”

Many other prophets and apostles have told us that the focus of the Book of Mormon is Jesus Christ. As we read, and focus on that topic, our testimonies of Christ will grow. Our knowledge of Him and what He has done for us will grow. And our relationship and ability to rely on Him will grow.

We have been counseled to “feast upon the words of Christ; [with the promise that] the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.” That brings me to the second topic that stood out to me. As we read the Book of Mormon with a focus on Christ, we will know the will of our Father for us in this day.

L. Tom Perry reminds us that The Book of Mormon “is a record of a fallen people, compiled by inspired men for our blessing today. Those people never hat the book—it was meant for us...God, who knows the end from the beginning, told [Mormon] what to include in his abridgment that we would need for our day.”

Jacob was told by Nephi that he “should not touch, save it were lightly, concerning the history of this people.” The book of Mormon is not meant to be a history for us to read, it is meant to be a book for our day, to guide us back to Christ and to our Heavenly Father.

Elder Perry, later in the same talk, outlines some of the lessons we learn from the Book of Mormon. Some of theme are, “the cause and effect of war and under what conditions it is justified...[the] evils and dangers of secret combinations, which are built up to get power and gain over the people..[the reality of Satan” and some of his methods. “It advises us on the proper use of wealth.” And so much more. We are advised on things of the world, but also of spiritual things, like the “plain and precious truths of the gospel...the purpose and principles of missionary work” and the “divinity of Jesus Christ and [the reality] of His atoning sacrifice for all mankind.”

Many people reject the Book of Mormon because they say they don't need it, they have the bible. Elder Callister gives a great analogy explaining why we need both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. If you are given a point on a piece of paper and told to draw a line through that point, the possibilities of where that line will point, end, etc... are endless. It is the same way with the Bible. Many people have found many different ways to interpret what the Bible teaches. Now if you are given two point on a piece of paper and told to connect them, there is only way the line can go. The Bible and Book of Mormon are those two points. They help each other. They leave no room for interpretation. He uses the example of baptism. Many faiths baptize in different ways. The Bible states, speaking of Christ's baptism, “He went up straightway our of the water.” “Could he have come up out of the water unless He first went down into the water? Lest there be any discord on this subject, the Book of Mormon dispels it with this straightforward statement of doctrine as to the proper manner of baptism 'And then shall ye immerse them in the water.'” There are multiple examples where the Book of Mormon can clarify what we learn in the Bible.

So if we are going to gain a testimony of Christ through reading the Book of Mormon which was written for us can we just pick it up and read it? Though I think reading the Book of Mormon, with good intent, is always a good idea, I love the counsel that Elder Perry has given, “Let us show our commitment to reading the Book of Mormon by approaching our study with a specific plan.”

I have to admit that pretty much every time I have read the Book of Mormon, my “specific plan” was to get to the end and hopefully glean something from it. I have made small plans like, “I'm going to finally get through Jacob 5 all in one sitting.” But I've never had a “specific plan” for an entire reading of the Book of Mormon. I had never really even thought about it. Now that I have, I am going to try it. I'm going to decide what my approach to studying will be as I read through the Book of Mormon. I am going to focus on the references to my Savior. I am going to try to find ways to draw closer to Him specifically, not just read about a group of people that lived centuries ago.

Elder Packer stated that, “anyone, anywhere, could read the Book of Mormon and receive inspiration.”

My grandmother has macular degeneration and can't see much of anything. My mother visits Grandma every evening. Every other night they read the Book of Mormon. My mom has been reading the Isaiah chapters in Second Nephi. As she read, she realized that it was hard for her to understand them so, just listening to someone else read them would be even harder. So, she would try to stop every few verses and share a thought or an insight about what she had just read. My grandma would thank her because she was struggling with understanding. My mom commented on how amazing it was to get and understand these insights about the Savior that she had never caught on to before. Reading with a “specific plan” to help my grandma understand led to greater insight for both of them. They have both been members of the church their entire lives and they are still learning from the Book of Mormon. It proves that what Elder Packer said is true; “anyone, anywhere, could read the Book of Mormon and receive inspiration.”

Elder Packer talks about having different passages stand out to him at different times in his life. The Book of Mormon was written with all of us in mind. Its hard to imagine a book that can inspire such a variety of people in so many different ways, but it can, because it is true and Holy Ghost will come in to your mind and your heart as you read and tell you what you need to know. Elder Packer also says, “life moves all too fast. When you feel weak, discouraged, depressed, or afraid, open the Book of Mormon and read. Do not let too much time pass before reading a verse, a thought, or a chapters.”

“My experience has been that a testimony does not burst upon us suddenly. Rather it grows, as Alma said, from a see of faith.”

We don't know where life is going to take us. We don't know what trial are ahead, but we do know that if we are reading the Book of Mormon every single day, our testimonies will be strong enough to endure those trials that will inevitably come our way. Elder Nelson supports that by saying, “...this book can help with personal problems in a very real way. Do you want to get rid of a bad habit? Do you wan to improve relationships in your family? Do you wan to increase your spiritual capacity? Read the Book of Mormon!”

When we first moved to Tooele, I would get up with Michael every morning around 5:00 am to make his lunch and send him off to work. The main reason I woke up that early, though, was so I would have some quiet time before my kids woke up to read the Book of Mormon. When I was in the habit of reading, I not only felt my testimony strengthen, but I had the ability to do more. I wrote in my journal. It was easier to be aware of others in the ward needing my help. I was in tune with the spirit. And as huge trials fell on my family, I was able to handle them. I was able to have the perspective I needed to listen to the Holy Ghost and do what I needed to do. I don't know that I would have had the strength to do the hard things required of me if I hadn't kept my spiritual tank full.

I will be the first one to admit that I have not always been good at reading my scriptures. But, when I make it a habit, I can see a change in my life, and in my attitude. When you hear an apostle tell you that reading the Book of Mormon can literally help with personal problems in your life, it can be hard to believe if you haven't experienced it. But it is true. You may or may not read a verse that gives you a sudden insight that you had never thought of before, but you will, for sure, have an increased measure of the spirit, which will help you push through whatever it is you are struggling with.

I know this gospel is true. I know the Book of Mormon came from God. That Joseph Smith translated it. That is was written for us, to help us in this day. I say these things, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.