Lesson 6 - Free to Choose Liberty and Eternal Life

Purpose:

Learn the correlation between blessings and penalties.  

Understand what it means to be in a deep sleep.

Learn about Jacob’s experience with God.

Learn the eternal significance of opposition and agency.  

Blessings of the Promise Land and the Penalties

There are over seven billion people on the earth. God works with each of his many children in a variety of fashions. However, with all of his children, whenever he provides a covenant there is a penalty equal in severity to the blessing that is provided. You cannot have a covenant without a penalty.

“...unto the inflicting of the punishment which is affixed is in opposition to that of the happiness which is affixed…” 2 Nephi 2:10

Let’s take the covenant and promise given from God to Lehi and his seed. Lehi is covenanted:

• He will be given a “choice land above all other lands.” - 2 Nephi 1:5
• The land will be an “inheritance of my seed...and to my children forever.” - 2 Nephi 1:5
• Only those who are “brought by the hand of the Lord” will come it this land. -  2 Nephi 1:6
• This land will be “a land of liberty.” - 2 Nephi 1:7
• Those on this land will “never be brought into captivity.” - 2 Nephi 1:7
• This land will be “kept as yet from the knowledge of all other lands.” - 1 Nephi 7
• Those on this land will “prosper upon the face of this land… and there shall be none to molest them or to take away their inheritance.” - 2 Nephi 1:9

On the flip side, these are the cursings for breaking the covenant:

• God “will bring other nations” into this land. - 2 Nephi 1:11
• God will “take away their possessions and cause them to be scattered and smitten.” - 2 Nephi 1:12
• There will be “bloodsheds” (wars) among them. - 2 Nephi 1:12
• They will be “cut off and destroyed.” - 2 Nephi 1:17
• They will be “visited by the sword.” - 2 Nephi 1:18
• There will be “famine.” - 2 Nephi 1:18
• They will be “hated.” - 2 Nephi 1:18
• They will be “led according to the will and captivity of the devil.” - 2 Nephi 1:18

If you look at the blessings, all of the inverse of the blessings can be found in the associated penalties for breaking the covenant.

This can be found in every aspect of life. It is risk and reward. When someone gets themselves into tens of thousands of dollars of student loan debt including postponing their life a few years to get an education, they are bringing onto themselves a potential lifetime blessing. Their blessing will consist of higher income, more enjoyable career opportunities and a better lifestyle. However, inherent in their choice is risk. If they do not use the blessing that they have received, then they are at risk of debt and default.

Lehi and his seed are receiving a great blessing. They have come from an environment where Egyptians, Philistines, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, etc. Have, are, or will be a threat to his people. He, on the other hand, has been promised a land of his own, with prosperity and safety.

All he needs to do is:

“Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of this land; and they shall be kept from all other nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves. And if it so be that they shall keep his commandments they shall be blessed upon the face of this land, and there shall be none to molest them, nor to take away the land of their inheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever.” - 1 Nephi 1:9

One of the blessings of having the sealing authority is to seal a blessing that outlasts generations, millenniums, time and eternity. (Think of the blessing at the veil of the temple.)

Lehi’s promised covenantal land included a penalty. If they forgot the God of this land, Jesus Christ, there would be consequences. However, Joseph of Egypt, Lehi, Nephi, Jacob and Enos were able to seal a blessing that:

“They [Lehi’s seed] shall be remembered again among the house of Israel; they shall be grafted in, being a natural branch of the olive-tree, into the true olive-tree.” - 1 Nephi 15:16

This sealed covenantal blessing outlasted the covenant breaking generation. It remembered the promise centuries after the fact. This is the power of the Holy Spirit of Promise and sealed blessings.

It appears that Joseph Smith had the same concern for his people in 1843:

“I told him [Jedediah M Grant] that I saw that Lucifer would exert his influence to destroy the children that I was blessing, and I strove with all faith and spirit that I had to seal upon them a blessing that would secure their lives upon the earth.” TPJS 280-281, March 14, 1843

Why do blessings go hand and hand with cursings and penalties?

Why do sealed blessings outlast the living generation?

Why would Joseph Smith be concerned about leaving a sealed blessing if this dispensation would never fall away?

Awake. Awake from the Deep Sleep

“O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and woe.” - 1 Nephi 1:13

What is the deep sleep of hell?

This heartfelt cry from Lehi is directed at Laman and Lemuel. This is nothing new. From his admonitions in the valley of Lemuel, to his descriptions of them in his vision of the tree of life, to the pleadings to them on the waters of the sea, Laman and Lemuel have always been a concern for their father.

In this last heartfelt pleading, Lehi is trying to get them to turn toward God.

“Awake; awake from a deep sleep” - this is a spiritual sleep, even a numbness to the things of God

“...even from the sleep of hell” - hell encompasses the inability to progress

“....shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound” - “I believe all that God ever revealed, and I never hear a man being damned for believing too much; but they are damned for unbelief.” - TPJS 374

The chains of unbelief are the most concerning chains. Unbelief has nothing to do with morality. You can be the most moral person in the world and still be encompassed about with chains of hell because of unbelief.

Unbelief = believing incorrect doctrine or incomplete doctrine

Remember, for salvational faith one must 1) believe in God, 2) believe in his correct character, attributes and perfection, 3) know the course in life you are pursuing is according to his will.

If you do not have those things, you just might be living in unbelief and in “a deep sleep.”

Lamen and Lemuel are unwilling to let go of the traditions that they were raised with.

What are some things in your life you’ve had to let go to know God?   

What are some things that keep you asleep to spiritual things?

Jacob’s Ascent

“Wherefore, thy soul shall be blessed, and thou shalt dwell safely with thy brother, Nephi; and thy days shall be spent in the service of thy God. Wherefore, I know that thou art redeemed, because of the righteousness of thy Redeemer; for thou hast beheld that in the fulness of time he cometh to bring salvation unto men.

And thou hast beheld in thy youth his glory; wherefore, thou art blessed even as they unto whom he shall minister in the flesh; for the Spirit is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. And the way is prepared from the fall of man, and salvation is free.” - 2 Nephi 2: 3-4

Jacob, like his father Lehi and brother Nephi, ascended to the throne of God and was brought back into his presence. For Jacob, this occurred in his youth,  just like Nephi.

What is interesting is both Nephi and Jacob pulled faith from the fact that God is “the same yesterday, today and forever.” 1 Nephi 10:18; 2 Nephi 2:4 They knew they could get access to God and behold his “glory” because it had been achieved before. They put their faith in the unchangeableness of God. If others had been brought back into the presence of God, why couldn’t they?

Success breeds success.

Throughout the United States there are leading industries contained in a relatively small geographic area.

• Los Angeles - Entertainment
• San Francisco - Technology, Venture Capital  
• Houston - Oil
• Chicago - Marketing Agencies, Mericalie Trade
• New York - Finance
• Detroit - Automotive
• Nashville - Healthcare, Country Music
• Orlando - Family Entertainment

Within each of these cities there is an abnormally strong ecosystem to support the flagship industry. The ecosystem is a product of earlier successes. For example, HP was one of the first technology companies in Silicon Valley. Once HP became successful, the team within HP suddenly had knowledge capital and financial capital to start new businesses and assist others in achieving the same results. Success breeds additional success. The same is true with all the other cities and their industries listed above.

The same is also true with the gospel. Once one person becomes successful in coming to Christ, those who are around them have a greater chance of achieving the same results. Remember, salvational faith requires the correct understanding of God and the knowledge that the course pursued in live is according to his will.

Going back to the HP example, many people want to start businesses. However, an overwhelming number of businesses fail. HP wasn’t a failure though. Those at HP acquired a correct understanding of what a successful company looked like. They also knew the course that was required to achieve the results of a successful company.

Lehi also had examples of those who exercised salvational faith, these included contemporary “many prophets prophesying”. Lehi’s success breed Nephi’s success. Nephi was able to replicate what his father achieved. Later, Nephi’s success assisted Jacob in his ascent.

One of the other commonalities between Lehi, Nephi and Jacob was what they saw:

• Lehi - “and also the things which he read in the book, manifested plainly of the coming of the Messiah, and also the redemption of the world.” - 1 Nephi 1:19
• Nephi - “And I, Nephi, saw that he was lifted up upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world.” - 1 Nephi 11:33
• Jacob - “for thou hast beheld that in the fulness of time he cometh to bring salvation unto men.” - 2 Nephi 2:3

Lehi, Nephi and Jacob all saw the redemption of man through the Son of God.

Opposition in All things

The eternal destiny of man is to become as God. It is to know God and Jesus Christ and become as they are.

“This is my works and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” - Moses 1:39

God is interested in one family. His family. His sons and his daughters.

“And who overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true.

They are they who are the church of the Firstborn.

They are they into whose hands the Father has given all things

They are they who are priests and kings, who have received of his fulness, and of his glory;

And are priests of the Most High, after the order of Melchizedek, which was after the order of Enoch, which was after the order of the Only Begotten Son.

Wherefore, as it is written, they are gods, even the sons [and daughters] of God.” - D&C 76: 53-58

The goal of God is to become apart of His family. Being a part of His family consists of overcoming this world by faith.

There is no way to overcome this world unless there is opposition. Opposition is the key to growth. Opposition is the key to becoming someone new. Opposition is essential for qualifying yourself to be a son or daughter of God.

“For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.” - 2 Nephi 2:11

Righteousness and holiness cannot be brought to pass without wickedness and corruption. One cannot ascend into the throne of God without also having the consequence of descending into the pits of hell.

This is one of the most profound doctrinal declarations contained within the Book of Mormon. In order to have faith in God, we must understand who He is and how he operates. God is a perfected man who ascended into his throne. His ascent required opposition. His Son’s ascent required opposition. Our ascent requires opposition.

Opposition is a primary characteristic of this telestial world. The telestial world is at the bottom of Jacob’s ladder. It is a world perfectly balanced between good and evil. There is just as much reason in this world to believe in God as there is to not to believe in God. For example:

There is a God and everything testifies of Him verse God is fiction made up by man. We can only understand what we observe. God is not observable.

Joseph Smith is a Prophet who restored truth necessary for salvation verse Joseph Smith was a con-man, manipulating his people through their desire of something more divine.  

Commandments teach us how to be holy verse man is not accountable to anyone but his own morality.

Truth is found in God and is eternal. Truth draws you to God verse there is no moral truth. Truth is subject to your surroundings. The only thing that can be true is that which is observed and tested.

There is no better arena to grow, get refined, and ascend then this mortal experience in the telestial realm. It is only in the telestial realm that good and evil are equally balanced.

“Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other.” - 2 Nephi 2:16

In order to have complete control over your choices and agency, God has to be unpredictable in his methods of presenting right and wrong. For example, in school there are many test questions which follow a predictable structure. If you are solving for X, it might require a formula that follows a predictable path to get to X. However, if all test questions followed the same path, even if one question called X, X and another called X, M; if they followed the same path then the test would be too easy. Essentially, you would only have to solve the first problem. The subsequent problems would then, by default, already be solved.

The agency of man is affected by predictability. If all you had to do to know if God was speaking was to look at a priesthood position within a hierarchical structure and see what that person or people were saying, it would compromise your agency. Pure agency must encompass choices, which are right, that one would have every reason not to follow.

God is required to add in that darn test question that doesn’t play by the rules, that if you don’t think it through all the way, but apply the same formula as the previous questions you’ll get it wrong. Agency, requires unpredictability.

“Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit.” - 2 Nephi 2: 27-28

Summary:

One cannot have a blessing without a cursing.  

Being in a spiritual sleep is usually caused by unbelief - believing incorrect or incomplete doctrines.  

Jacob learned from the examples of his father and brother how to achieve salvation by being brought back into the presence of God.

Opposition and choice is essential for salvation.