Post # 99 – Come Follow Me week 14 --“Be Not Afraid”
Dear Family and Friends
I guess
it’s time to get back to our lesson in the Come, Follow Me program -- we got a
bit off track so that we could get the Easter lesson in the right week. 😊 this
week’s lesson covers Matthew 14 – 15; Mark 6 –7; and John 5-6. The manual
instructs that as we read and study these scriptures, we should look for truths that are meaningful to us. We might ask ourselves
questions such as “How do the accounts in these chapters relate to me?” “What
messages do I find for my life?” or “What would I like to share with my family
or with others?”
We learn a lot about Jesus Himself, Heavenly
Father and Jesus’s relationship to the father. in these readings. It begins in
John chapter 5. Reading in these verses we find these truths about the
character of God, Jesus Christ, and Their relationship. The questions for this
section are: 1. How do these truths help us better understand our Heavenly
father and His son? 2. How can we follow Jesus Christ’s example of obedience to
the father? There is an activity in the Come Follow Me –For Individuals and
Families which invites the learners to note every time Jesus used the words
Father in John 5.
Jesus Christ honors His Father.
The relationship between
Heavenly Father and each of His children is meant to be a sacred one. In these
verses, Jesus Christ gave us an inspiring model to follow in our relationship
with Heavenly Father. Read John 5:17–47, and
mark or note each instance of the word Father. How
does the Son honor the Father, and how can you follow His example? What do you
learn about how the Father feels about the Son? How can strengthening your
relationship with Heavenly Father increase your willingness to seek and obey
His will?
He uses the word Father 14
times. Questions for this activity: 1. What insights did you gain about
Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son as you completed this activity? Jesus did
nothing of Himself. He only did as the Father did or told Him to do. Jesus honors
His Father, just as we should honor our own fathers. 2. What does the restored
gospel teach that helps us to better understand who our Father is and why we
worship Him? We can find some answers here in the Bible Dictionary entry for “God” here:
https://www.lds.org/study/scriptures/bd/god?lang=eng and in the entry “God
the Father”
in True to the Faith, 74-76. Here: https://www.lds.org/study/manual/true-to-the-faith/god-the-father?lang=eng
God the Father
God
the Father is the Supreme Being in whom we believe and whom we worship. He is
the ultimate Creator, Ruler, and Preserver of all things. He is perfect, has
all power, and knows all things. He “has a body of flesh and bones as tangible
as man’s” (D&C 130:22). We were each created in His
image, both male and female. So we are like Him in our bodies, He has flesh and
bones just as we have. He is our Creator.
Our
Heavenly Father is a God of judgment and strength and knowledge and power, but
He is also a God of perfect mercy, kindness, and charity. Even though we “do
not know the meaning of all things,” we can find peace in the sure knowledge
that He loves us (see 1 Nephi 11:17). I am here to tell you
that this is so very true. We can each find peace in Him, and feel His love, we
can honestly know for a surety that He knows each of us personally, He knows
our struggles and our strengths.
The Father of Our Spirits
One of life’s great questions is
“Who am I?” A beloved Primary song helps even little children answer this question.
We sing, “I am a child of God, and he has sent me here.” The knowledge that we
are children of God provides strength, comfort, and hope. To know
that I am a daughter of a loving Heavenly Father has helped me through some
very difficult times in my life. It has helped give me comfort in knowing that
He always loves me no matter what I have done or may continue to do. He knows
my heart and He loves me!!! The unlovable me!!!
You are a literal child of God,
spiritually begotten in the premortal life. As His child, you can be assured
that you have divine, eternal potential and that He will help you in your
sincere efforts to reach that potential. You are good enough!! You have a
divine birthright. You each have divine, eternal potential and your Heavenly Father
is there to help each one of you to reach that divine potential – if you let
Him, if you ask for His help – He will give it to you😊
The Supreme Creator
Heavenly
Father is the Supreme Creator. Through Jesus Christ, He created heaven and
earth and all things in them (see Moses 2:1). Alma said, “All things denote there is a
God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea,
and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form
do witness that there is a Supreme Creator” (Alma 30:44).
From
time to time, ponder the beauties of creation: trees, flowers, animals,
mountains, the waves of the ocean, a newborn child. Take time to gaze into the
heavens, where the courses of the stars and planets are evidence of “God moving
in his majesty and power” (see D&C 88:41–47). All we need to do – what we must do
occasionally to keep us on track, is to look around us and see the great beauty
in our lives. There are so many evidences of Heavenly Father’s great work in
the creation of all things through His Son Jesus Christ.
It is good sometimes
just to stop and ‘smell the roses’ so to speak😊
to look around and realize that Heavenly Father created
all these things to beautify our world. Can you just imagine living in a world
that was desolate, with no flowers, trees, or other beautiful things –
mountains, meadows, creeks, rivers, and oceans… All these things and more show
that He cares, that He loves us and wants us to have the beauty to enjoy our
lives while here on our mortal journey.
The Author of the Plan of Salvation
Our
Father in Heaven wants us to dwell with Him eternally. His work and glory is
“to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). In order to make this possible, He
prepared the plan of salvation. He sent His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to loose
the bands of death and atone for the sins of the world: “For God so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). This sacrifice is the greatest expression
of our Father’s love for us. Our Heavenly Father loves us so much that He gave His
Only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to pay for the sins of the world. He did this so
that we could one day return to live with Him and Jesus Christ.
Coming to Know God the Father
As children of God, we have a
special relationship with Him, setting us apart from all His other creations.
Seek to know your Father in Heaven. He loves you, and He has given you the
precious opportunity to draw near to Him as you pray. Your prayers, offered in
humility and sincerity, are heard and answered. Isn’t this great? That we can know our
Heavenly Father and develop our individual personal relationship with Him and
with His son, Jesus Christ – I think this knowledge is priceless and these
relationships are worth all of our time and effort to develop.
You
can also come to know your Father by learning about His Beloved Son and
applying the gospel in your life. The Savior taught His disciples: “If ye had
known me, ye should have known my Father also. … He that hath seen me hath seen
the Father” (John 14:7, 9).
You
draw near to God the Father as you study the scriptures and the words of
latter-day prophets and as you give service. When you follow God’s will
and live as He would have you live, you become more like Him and His Son. You
prepare yourself to return to live in Their presence.
Our Heavenly Father
has a great plan for us to return to live with Him and His Son, Jesus Christ. We
learn about this plan as we learn about Him and His son Jesus Christ, as we
study the scriptures. Then as this paragraph says: we can come to know our
Heavenly Father by learning about His Beloved Son and applying the gospel in
our own lives. We draw near to our Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ as
we study the scriptures and the words of our latter-day prophets and as we
serve others. Then as we choose to follow God’s will in our lives and
continually choose to live as He would have us live, we then become more like
Him and His son. As we are doing these things we are preparing ourselves to
return and live with Them after our mortal probation is over.
Jesus Christ is the Beloved Son of Heavenly
Father.
New Testament
16 And
therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on
the sabbath day.
17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. (Jesus followed the example set by His
Father.)
18 Therefore
the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the
sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
19 Then
answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can
do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things so ever he doeth, these also
doeth the Son likewise. (Jesus is teaching us that He, Himself
could do nothing without the Father’s example)
20 For
the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and
he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.
21 For
as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son
quickeneth whom he will.
23 That
all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath
sent him.( Jesus is setting the example here, for us
to honor Him and His Father)
24 Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
25 Verily,
verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear
shall live.
27 And
hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
28 Marvel
not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
29 And
shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
30 I
can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge:
and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. ( through Jesus’s example we learn to do the
will of the Father and not our own will)
31 If
I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
32 There
is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true.
34 But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I
say, that ye might be saved.
36 But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.
37 And
the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any
time, nor seen his shape.
38 And
ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.
39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have
eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
40 And
ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
41 I
receive not honour from men.
42 But
I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you.
43 I
am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name,
him ye will receive.
44 How
can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that comethfrom God only?
45 Do
not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye
trust.
47 But
if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?
As part of this
discussion, you might sing, listen to, or read “O
My Father,” Hymns, no. 292, as a class.
The Savior can magnify our offering to
accomplish His purposes.
·
What could help each one of us to find personal meaning in the
miracle of Jesus feeding the five thousand? How does reading about the miracle
increases their faith in the Savior’s ability to bless us each personally? Have
any of you ever felt that your means or abilities were insufficient to
accomplish a goal or a commandment from God? I know that I have, but I have
also found out through my personal experience to know that the Lord qualifies
those whom He calls. Have any of you ever felt that the Savior magnified or
multiplied your efforts to help you accomplish something that seemed
impossible?
Jesus miraculously fed 5,000 people with five loaves and two
fishes. You can watch the video of this here: https://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/the-feeding-of-the-5000?lang=eng
This story is found in these verses: Matthew 14:13-21
13 When Jesus heard of
it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people
had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities.
14 And when Jesus went
forth,and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and
healed their sick.
15And it was evening, his
disciples came to him, saying: this is a desert place, and the time is now
past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy
themselves victuals.
16 But Jesus said unto them,
They need not depart; give ye them to eat.
17 And they said unto
him, We have here but five loaves, ad two fishes.
18 He said, Bring them
hither to me.
19 And he commanded the
multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves and the two
fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to
his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
20 And they did all eat
and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets
full.
21 And they that had eaten
were about five thousand men, beside women and children.
·
we should ponder the
miracle described in these passages. What details can we find in this account
that increase our faith in the Savior? In what ways can the Savior feed us
spiritually? When have we been fed and sustained by Jesus Christ? For an
example of a miracle in our day that is similar to the miracle of the loaves
and fishes, see the video “Pure and Simple Faith” (LDS.org) you can view it
here: https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2014-06-1110-pure-and-simple-faith?lang=eng&_r=1 or Paul
VanDenBerghe, “Power in Prayer,” New Era, July
2012, 34–36. You can read it here: https://www.lds.org/study/new-era/2012/07/power-in-prayer?lang=eng
Jesus Christ invites us to set aside our fears
and doubts so that we can more fully come unto Him.
·
The account in Matthew
14:22–33 can help each one of us to increase our faith in the
Savior as well as our desire to follow Him. The invitation was given for class
members, which I am extending to each one of you to read this account, paying
special attention to the words spoken by Christ, Peter, and the other Apostles.
·
·
New
Testament
·
22 And straightway Jesus constrained his
disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while
he sent the multitudes away.
·
23 And
when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the
evening was come, he was there alone.
·
24 But
the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was
contrary.
·
26 And
when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they
were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
·
28 And
Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the
water.
·
29 And
he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the
water, to go to Jesus.
·
30 But
when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and
beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
·
31 And
immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him,
O thou of little faith, wherefore
didst thou doubt?
·
32 And
when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
·
33 Then
they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art
the Son of God.
·
Here are the questions that were asked during class for this
section: 1. How might Jesus’s words have helped Peter have faith to leave the
boat and walk on the water? How do Jesus’s admonitions to “be of good cheer”
and “be not afraid” (verse 27) apply to us today? I think we should each remember these
phrases as we go through our life challenges. We should be of good cheer and
remember that the Lord is there for us all we need to do is to reach up to Him
for His hand😊 2. What can we learn from Peter about what it
means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and to trust Him? Wow!! I don’t know if I
have enough faith and trust to walk on water but I do know that if we have
faith and put our trust in our Heavenly Father and in our Savior They will help
us through this life..
We were asked to search these passages for words and phrases
that might inspire us to exercise greater faith in the Lord. The questions what
were asked for this section: 1. Could any of us relate to Peter’s experience? What
about any of you? Can you relate to Peter’s experience? When you took action to
follow the Savior and the outcome was uncertain? 2. How has Jesus Christ came
to your rescue in your moments of fear or doubt?
As disciples of Christ, we must be willing to
believe and accept the truth even when it is hard to do.
The events we study about
in John 6 can provide a helpful perspective when there are people in
our lives who question the doctrine, history, or policies of Christ’s Church. As we study these verses we find that some of
Jesus’s followers refused to accept His teachings that He was the Living Bread
and that they could be saved only through His sacrifice of flesh and blood.
New Testament
22 The
day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw
that there was none other boat there, save that one where into his disciples
were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were
gone away alone;
23 (Howbeit
there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat
bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:)
24 When
the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they
also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.
25 And
when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him,
Rabbi, when camest thou hither?
26 Jesus
answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye
saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
27 Labour not for
the meat which perisheth, but for that meat
which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall
give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
28 Then
said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
29 Jesus
answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him
whom he hath sent.
30 They
said therefore unto him, What sign shewest
thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?
31 Our
fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from
heaven to eat.
32 Then
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that
bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
33 For
the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto
the world.
34 Then
said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
35 And
Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he
that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
36 But
I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.
37 All
that the Father giveth me shall
come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
39 And
this is the Father’s will which hath sent
me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up
again at the last day.
40 And
this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son,
and believeth on
him, may have everlasting life:
and I will raise him up at the last day.
41 The
Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from
heaven.
42 And
they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father
and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?
43 Jesus
therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not
among yourselves.
44 No man can come to me,
except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will
raise him up at the last day.
45 It
is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God.
Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto
me.
46 Not
that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the
Father.
47 Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me
hath everlasting life.
48 I
am that bread of life.
49 Your
fathers did eat manna in the
wilderness, and are dead.
50 This
is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man
may eat thereof, and not die.
51 I
am the living bread which
came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever:
and the bread that I
will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the
world.
52 The
Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
53 Then
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh
of the Son of man, and
drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54 Whoso
eateth my flesh, and drinketh
my blood, hath eternal
life; and I will raise him up at
the last day.
55 For
my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He
that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me,
and I in him.
57 As
the living Father hath sent me, and I
live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
58 This
is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna,
and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
59 These
things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.
60 Many
therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can
hear it?
61 When
Jesus knew in himself
that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
63 It
is the spirit that
quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
64 But
there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who
they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
65 And
he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were
given unto him of my Father.
67 Then
said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
68 Then
Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of
eternal life.
70 Jesus
answered them, Have not I chosen you
twelve, and one of you is a devil?
71 He
spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon:
for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.
To help us to apply this account to our lives, we can ask
ourselves questions like the following an then to look for answers to those
questions in verses 22–71: What were the people expecting? seeking for Jesus (see verse 26). What did Christ offer them
instead?
living bread (see verse 51). What did the people
misunderstand? Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then
that he saith, I came down from heaven?(see verses 41–42, 52). What are some ways we can
choose to walk with Christ even when we have questions?
In class we were invited to ponder the Savior’s question and Peter’s
response in verses 67–69. What are some
doctrines, ordinances, or other “words of eternal life” that can be found only in
Christ’s restored Church? In class we were asked to share how these doctrines and ordinances
have blessed us and our families. For insights from a modern-day Apostle, in
class we were invited to read Elder M. Russell Ballard’s statement in “Will ye also go
away?”
“For some, Christ’s invitation to believe and remain continues to
be hard—or difficult to accept.
Some disciples struggle to understand a specific Church policy or teaching.
Others find concerns in our history or in the imperfections of some members and
leaders, past and present. Still others find it difficult to live a religion
that requires so much. Finally, some have become ‘weary in well-doing’ [D&C 64:33]. For these and other
reasons, some Church members vacillate in their faith, wondering if perhaps
they should follow those who ‘went back, and walked no more’ with Jesus.
“If any one of you
is faltering in your faith, I ask you the same question that Peter asked: ‘To
whom shall [you] go?’ …
“… Before you make that spiritually perilous choice to leave,
I encourage you to stop and think carefully before giving up whatever it was
that brought you to your testimony of the restored Church of Jesus Christ in
the first place. Stop and think about what you have felt here and why you felt
it. Think about the times when the Holy Ghost has borne witness to you of
eternal truth” (“To Whom Shall We Go?” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2016,
90–91).
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