1 Nephi 1: 9
9 And it came to pass that he saw One descending out of the midst of heaven, and he beheld that his luster was above that of the sun at noon-day.
Purposes of Book of Mormon
From the title page of the Book of Mormon, the Prophet learned that one of the two purposes of the book was "the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ" (BM Title Page).
For the accomplishment of this purpose, the book is from beginning to end a witness for Christ. Its first chapter contains an account of a vision in which Lehi beheld Jesus "descending out of the midst of heaven" in luster above the noonday sun. (1 Ne. 1:9) Its last chapter concludes with Moroni's great exhortation to come unto Christ and be perfected in him, with this assurance: ". . . and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be . . . sanctified." (Moro. 10:32-33)
Numerous and great are the stirring testimonies that illuminate the five hundred pages between these two chapters.
Click here to find the full talk by Marion G. Romney October 1970
1 Nephi 1: 10
10 And he also saw twelve others following him, and their brightness did exceed that of the stars in the firmament.
1 Nephi 1: 11
11 And they came down and went forth upon the face of the earth; and the first came and stood before my father, and gave unto him a book, and bade him that he should read.
The Net Cast in the Sea
“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a net that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind, which when it was full they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.”3 For the work of this pattern, behold the seed of Joseph,4 spreading forth the Gospel net upon the face of the earth,5 gathering of every kind, that the good may be saved in vessels prepared for that purpose, and the angels will take care of the bad.6 So shall it be at the end of the world—the angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire, and there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.7
“Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto Him, Yea, Lord.”8 And we say, yea, Lord; and well might they say, yea, Lord; for these things are so plain and so glorious, that every Saint in that last days must respond with a hearty Amen to them.
“Then said He unto them, therefore every scribe which is instructed in the kingdom of heaven, is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things that are new and old.”9
For the works of this example, see the Book of Mormon coming forth out of the treasure of the heart.10 Also the covenants given to the Latter-day Saints, also the translation of the Bible—thus bringing forth out of the heart things new and old,11 thus answering to three measures of meal12 undergoing the purifying touch by a revelation of Jesus Christ,13 and the ministering of angels,14 who have already commenced this work in the last days, which will answer to the leaven which leavened the whole lump.15 Amen.
So I close, but shall continue the subject in another number.
In the bonds of the New and Everlasting Covenant,
JOSEPH SMITH, JUN.
—Messenger and Advocate, Dec. 1835, also DHC 2:264-272.
1 Nephi 1: 12
12 And it came to pass that as he read, he was filled with the Spirit of the Lord.
Overcoming Evil Habits
I have a longtime friend who owned a very successful business. Occasionally, to find relief from the stress of his responsibilities, he would partake of substances forbidden by the Word of Wisdom. As the stress in his life increased, so did his consumption of alcohol. Indeed, he was becoming a prisoner to alcohol.
One afternoon he felt the enticings of the Spirit prompting him to overcome this addiction, which had begun to impair his moral agency. He left his office for several hours and drove to a very secluded spot far removed from the city. There he knelt in humble prayer and pled with the Lord with all the energy of his heart for added strength to overcome this addiction, which robbed his spirituality and threatened to destroy his very soul. He remained on his knees for a very long time, and eventually a sweet, purifying spirit began to distill upon his soul, cleansing him from any desire to drink and fortifying him with a firm resolve to keep the commandments.
A spiritually sensitive bishop noticed a change in my friend and extended a call for him to work with the young Aaronic Priesthood brethren of the ward. He was a natural, enthusiastic leader of youth, and about a year later he was called to be the new bishop, dearly loved by all for his ability to counsel those who were prisoners of sin.
President Joseph Fielding Smith taught us: “Habits are easily formed. It is just as easy to form good habits as it is to form evil ones” (New Era, July 1972, p. 23).
I know another good man who was reared in a family without the blessings of the gospel. Through a series of unfortunate events in his early youth, he was introduced to homosexuality, and gradually he became a prisoner of this addictive behavior.
One day two young missionaries knocked on his door and asked if he would be interested in learning of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. In his heart of hearts he wanted to be freed from his prison of uncleanness, but feeling unable to change the direction his life had taken, he terminated the missionary discussions. Before leaving his apartment, the two elders left a copy of the Book of Mormon with him, and testified of its truthfulness.
My friend placed the book on his bookshelf and forgot about it for several years. He continued acting out his homosexual tendencies, assuming that such relationships would bring him happiness. But alas, with each passing year, his misery increased.
One day in the depths of despair, he scanned his bookshelf for something to read which might edify and uplift him and restore his self-worth. His eye caught hold of the book with a dark-blue cover, which the missionaries had given him several years before. He began to read. On the second page of this book, he read of Father Lehi’s vision in which he was given a book to read, and “as he read, he was filled with the Spirit of the Lord” (1 Ne. 1:12). And as my good friend continued reading, he too was filled with the Spirit of the Lord.
He read King Benjamin’s benedictory challenge to undergo a mighty change of heart—not a little change, but a mighty change. He was given hope by the comforting conversion stories of Enos, Alma, Ammon, and Aaron. He was also inspired by the account of the Savior’s visit to the ancient Nephites. By the time he reached the final page of the Book of Mormon, he was prepared to accept Moroni’s loving invitation to “come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness” (Moro. 10:32).
My friend contacted the Church and was taught the gospel and was baptized. Within a relatively short time, he married a lovely young woman, and they are the parents of several beautiful children. He and his wife are very dynamic and committed servants of the Lord, influencing many others for good.
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