2 Nephi 26:33 “[H]e
inviteth … all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth
none that come unto him…”
The
chapters discussed in this lesson contain powerful prophecies about how people
will be deceived by Satan and fall away from the truth. However, Nephi also
foresaw the Restoration of the gospel and the blessings that will be given to
the righteous, and helps us understand how to avoid being deceived by
Satan’s falsehoods. (Book of Mormon Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s
Manual [BMGDTM], 42.)
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Regarding 2 Nephi 26:24, Church Patriarch Eldred G. Smith testified:“All He did was for others .
. . There was not one selfish act”(April 1976 Conference
Report). President James E. Faust said: “[F]ollowing the Savior means overcoming
selfishness .... [T]he Savior gave His life [for us] without any thought of recompense or recognition.
. . . Where there is selfishness, the Spirit of the Lord is absent.” (Oct 2002 Conference Report.)
What do 2 Nephi 26 verses 24 & 33 tell us about God’s motives & methods?
What do 2 Nephi 26 verses 24 & 33 tell us about God’s motives & methods?
2 Nephi 26:30) What related commandment has the Lord given us?
Regarding
2 Nephi 26:31, President Kimball
said, “Zion is ‘every one seeking the interest of his neighbor, and doing all
things with an eye single to the glory of God’ (D&C 82:19)… Zion can be
established only by those who are pure in heart, and who labor for Zion, ‘… for
if they labor for money they shall perish.”
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2 Nephi 26:22;
28:21) How does the adversary lead people to
destruction?
“A
flaxen cord was made of fine … individual strands soft and thin and easily
broken, but [woven into] a cord, [it is] soft to the touch yet strong and
unyielding. If we continually rationalize our involvement with ‘little sins’ we
are being subtly … led away by Satan until eventually we will become bound with
his ‘strong cords.’” (January 1996 Ensign, 29.)
Regarding
2 Nephi 28:21, Elder James E. Faust said,
“Alexander Pope expressed a similar thought concerning the acceptance of evil:
‘Vice is a monster of so frightful mien, As to be hated needs but to be seen;
Yet seen too oft, familiar with its face, We first endure then pity, then
embrace” (April 1989 Conference Report). Why
do you think the adversary leads people in this way?
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2 Nephi 27:29-30, 35)
What are some reasons to study the
Book of Mormon?
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What latter-day lies
are foretold in 2 Nephi 26: 20, 28:5–8, 21-22, 29?
2 Nephi 28:13) How might a desire for luxuries cause us
to “rob the poor”?
(See
also D&C 49:19-20; Jacob 2:17)
In
what ways can we help those who are less fortunate?
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Regarding
2 Nephi 28:21, Elder Dallin H. Oaks
has said, “Those who fall for this deception … are confident in their own
prosperity and conclude that God must have accepted their chosen route. * * * *
[They] are inclined to say that all must be well with us … because we are
prospering, thus relying on worldly success as a mark of divine favor.” (See Oct 2004 Conf. Report; Pure in Heart, 79; also Mosiah 12:14-15.) How can the
contentment of carnal security keep us from repentance?
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Regarding
2 Nephi 28:24-25, “‘Don't worry,’
says the devil; ‘the Lord will protect you, and besides, the world is so
corrupt and heading toward destruction at such a pace that you can't stop it,
so why try?’ Well, to begin with, the Lord will not protect us unless we do our
part. This devilish tactic of persuading people not to get concerned because
the Lord will protect them no matter what they do is exposed by the Book of
Mormon” which “warns us that… we should awaken to our awful situation (Ether
8:24). Now, why should we awaken if the Lord is going to take care of us
anyway?
“[But] suppose that it is too late to
[stop the world’s slide toward destruction[1]]. It is still accounted unto us for
righteousness' sake to stand up and fight. Some Book of Mormon prophets knew of
the final desolate end of their nations, but they still fought on, and they
saved some souls, including their own, by so doing….
“The last neutralizer that the devil uses
most effectively is simply this: ‘Don't do anything ... until the Church [stresses it]’ This
brings us back to the scripture about the slothful servants who will not do
anything until they are ‘compelled in all things’ (D&C 58:26).” (Ezra Taft Benson, April 1965
Conference Report.)
How can the Book of Mormon help us
avoid becoming “at ease in Zion”?
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Re:
2 Nephi 28:28 Elder Neal A. Maxwell
suggested that, whether or not we “choose to acknowledge it,” our conscience
“presses on us” so persistently “that we cannot bear to face the fact that we
are [not heeding] it” (The Smallest Part, 21). Why do the truths
of God often “stir [people] up to anger”?
2 Nephi 28:29,
29:3)
What reason will some people give
for rejecting the Book of Mormon?
[1]
President Hinckley said, “[T]here are millions upon millions of good people in
this and in other lands” and with “the strength of these” the tide “can be
turned” if we “positively express our convictions to those who enact the
regulations and the laws” (see Oct 1975 &
Apr 2003 CR ). Elder Maxwell said that since “the enemy is combined” we should combine in pursuing righteous causes, and testified that
“when we are combined” we will see
that, “they that be with us are more than they that be’” against us (Apr 1993 CR).
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