To download past handouts, go to: highlandvalleysundayschoolnotes2012.blogspot.

com

#1 Brigham Young: We cannot own anything, in the strict sense of the word, until we have power to bring into existence and hold in existence, independent of all other powers. (Journal of Discourses, 8:118)

kum, of course; Satan never owned the earth; he never made a particle of it, said Brigham Young; his labor is not to create, but to destroy. But to demonstrate his authority, when three strangers (usually descried as angels) appeared on the scene at this moment, he at once challenged them as trespassers, asking them if they had any #2 Brigham Young: I do not know that, money. He explained to Adam that everyduring thirty years past, I have worn a coat, thing in this world could be had for money, hat, or garment of any kind, or owned a and then got down to business. For the felhorse, carriage, &c., but what I asked the low was all business, a person of integrity, Lord whether I deserved it or notShall I ready to keep his part of an agreement (the use this? Is it mine to use, or not? (JD 8:343) agreement always turns out to be a trap for If I have horses, oxen, and possessions, the other party), pious and God-fearing, they are the Lords and not mine; and all I dedicated to hard workhe works, in fact, ask is for him to tell me what to do with like a demon. He was there to offer Adam them. (JD 6:46) the chance of a lifetime to buy in on a scheme tat would give him anything he #3 Hugh Nibley: As Adam was praying wanted in this world. It was an ingenious one day, runs the story, a distinguished and simple self-financing operation in which gentleman appeared on the scene and enone would buy power with wealth and then gaged him in conversation. There was noth- more wealth with the power, until one ing of the hippy or tramp about the might end up owning and controlling everystranger; he was well-dressed and came to thing. The initial capital? It was right under Adam with cunning and smooth talk, as a their feet! You begin by taking the treasures true friend genuinely concerned for his wel- of the earth and converting them to cash, fare. He began with some harmless gener- gold, and silver; by exchanging them for alitiesthe weather and the scenery: it the services of important people in key powas, he observed, a most glorious and sitions you end up running everything your beautiful world. This was, however, by way way. What if your rule is one of blood and of leading up to his next point, which was terror? Better to reign in Hell, as Miltons that he happened to be the owner and pro- Satan puts it, than serve in Heaven. (Mans Dominion, New Era, Jan-Feb 1981) prietor of it all. Yes sir, as far as the eye could see it was all his, and he tolerated no nonsense in it: nobody dared make trouble where he was in charge. This was all ho-

#4 Brigham Young: It is the privilege of the Saints to enjoy every good thing, for the earth and its fulness belong to the Lord, and he has promised all to his faithful Saints; but it must be enjoyed without [the] spirit of covetousness and selfishness That is where all but a few fail the test: The earth is organized for a glorious resurrection, and life and death are set before the people, true riches and false riches; and the whole world are gone after the false riches. (Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, 13:34) #5 Brigham Young: It is not our privilege to waste the Lords substance.

For whatever you have, it is the Lords. You own nothing, I own nothing The Lord has placed what I have in my hands, to see what I will do with it I have neither wife nor child they are only committed to me, to see how I will treat them. If I am faithful, the time will come when they will be given to me. The same applies to the world of nature, which we also hold in trust: Not one particle of all that comprises this vast creation of God is our own. Everything we have has been bestowed upon us for our action, to see what we would do with it whether we would use it for eternal life and exaltation or for eternal death and degradation. (Ibid, 33)

When we reach the state of having the pure love of Christ, our desire to serve one another will have grown to the point where we will be living fully the law of consecration.
~President Marion G. Romney, CR Oct. 1981

What prohibits us from giving as much in fast offerings as we would have given in surpluses under the United Order? Nothing but our own limitations
~Elder Marion G. Romney, CR Apr. 1966

I think sometimes we think that when we submit to the Lords will that it wont be what we really want, but when we submit to the Lords will its actually better than we could ever imagine. ~Sister Salcido, Church News, April 28, 1013

Other thoughts too great not to include:

President Monson: Old Bob came into our lives in an interesting way. He was a widower in his eighties when the house in which he was living was to be demolished. I heard him tell my grandfather his plight at the three of us sat on the old front porch swing. . . He said, Mr. Condie, I dont know what to do. I have no family, no place to go. I have no money. I wondered how grandfather would answer. Slowly grandfather reached into his pocket and took from it [an] old leather purse . . . He removed a key and handed it to Old Bob. Tenderly he said, Bob, here is the key to that house I own next door. Take it. Move in your things. Stay as long as you like. There will be no rent to pay and nobody will ever put you out again. (CR, April 1981) Elder Christofferson: At the end of July this year, young single adults from several countries in eastern Europe gathered outside Budapest, Hungary, for a conference. Among this group were 20 young men and women from Moldova who had spent days obtaining passports and visas and over 30 hours traveling by bus to get there. The conference program included some 15 workshops. Each person needed to select the two or three that he or she most wanted to attend. Rather than focus exclusively on their own interests, these Moldovan young adults got together and made plans so that at least one of their group would be in each class and take copious notes. Then they would share what they had learned with each other and later with the young adults in Moldova who could not attend. In its simplest form, this exemplifies the unity and love for one another that, multiplied thousands of times in different ways, will "bring again Zion" (CR, Oct. 2008) Elder Groberg: (This note was included with a check for $1000 to the presiding Bishop from Elder Groberg): Recently, while visiting one of the far distant islands that is very difficult to get to, I went late in the day to the home of one of the good widow sisters there. When I first approached her hut the sun was still quite bright and I could not help but notice the stark poverty of her surroundings. It had been raining earlier. The mud and decay and the ever-present smell of drying fish were at first repulsive. But the warmth of meeting with a fellow Church memberespecially after years of separationtogether with tears of appreciation for the long-awaited visit, soon pushed the unpleasantness of the surroundings temporarily into the background. As we conversed in her fluid native tongue and she told of her love for and faith in the Church and of all the blessings she had received, I could not help but think about her apparently miserable circumstances. All sorts of ideas went through my mind, and I must have let my thoughts wander as I suddenly became aware that somewhere between phrases about blessings and poverty and service she had gone to her hut and was now returning with a small knotted rag. Suddenly my mind seemed to fill with light, and the words fast offerings flooded in. I was so excited with the idea that had come so suddenly and so clearly, that you can imagine my utter amazement and unpreparedness when she took a threepence (a coin worth about 3) from her rag and said softly, Here is my fast offering to help the poor. I wanted to explain that fast offering was to help her, not for her to help others. The explanation never came, for as I looked through misty eyes, first at the threepence then back at the good sister, the whole scene changed. The hut was a glowing mansion and the mud was gold. The world seemed to stand still for a moment. All of nature seemed to stop and listen as from the heavens the whole universe seemed filled with the reassuring words: Blessed are the poor for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. As the setting sun signaled the end of the day, so it also told of the approaching end of

her beautiful life of service. I took the threepence, and as I write this check the whole experience once again fills my mind and I wonder, How many threepences to make a thousand dollars? (Victor L. Brown, CR, April 1981) First Presidency Message: Communism and all other similar isms are merely the clumsy counterfeits which Satan always devises of the gospel plan. Communism debases the individual and makes him the enslaved tool of the state to whom he must look for sustenance and religion; the United Order exalts the individual, leaves him his property, according to his family, according to his circumstances and his wants and needs, (D&C 51:3) and provides a system by which he helps care for his less fortunate brethren; the united Order leaves every man free to choose his own religion as his conscience directs. Communism destroys mans God-given free agency; the United Order glorifies it. Latter-day Saints cannot be true to their faith and lend aid, encouragement, or sympathy to any of these false philosophies. They will prove snares to their feet. (CR, April 1942) Brigham Young: Instead of teaching them personally, [the Lord] has raised up his authorized teachers to do this work He requires us to take [converts] and teach them how to live, and how to become healthy, wealthy and wise [If] the property of the whole community were divided today equally amongst all, a year from today we should need another division, for some would waste and squander it away, while others would add to their portion. The skill of building up Zion is to take the people and teach them how to take care of themselves and that which the Lord has entrusted to their care If we could take this people, in their present condition, and teach them how to sustain and maintain themselves and a little more, we would add to that which we already have; but to take what we have and divide amongst or give to people, without teaching them how to earn and produce, would be no more nor less than to introduce the means of reducing them to a state of poverty. I do not wish for one moment to recognize the idea that in order to establish the United Order our property has to be divided equally among the people, to let them do what they please with it. But the idea is to get the people into the same state of unity in all things temporal, that we find ourselves in with regard to things spiritual. Then let those who possess the ability and wisdom direct the labors of those not so endowed, until they too develop the talents within them and in time acquire the same degree of ability I am opposed to taking away property from one man and giving it to another who knows not how to take care of it. (JD 18:354-357) Brigham Young: The brethren wished me to go among the Churches, and find out what surplus property the people had, with which to forward the building of the Temple [in] Far West Before I started, I asked brother Joseph, Who shall be the judge of what is surplus property? Said he, Let them be the judges themselves, for I care not if they do not give a single dime. So far as I am concerned, I do not want anything they have. (JD 2:307) Elder Neal A. Maxwell: Increased consecration is not so much a demand for more hours of Church work as it is for more awareness of Whose work this really is! For now, consecration may not require giving up worldly possessions so much as being less possessed by them. (Settle This in Your Hearts, Ensign, Nov. 1992)

D&C LESSON 14 OUTLINE On the Board: For of him unto whom much is given much is required (D&C 82:3) D&C: 42:30 42:35 42:40 42:42 51:9 78:3-7 78:14 82:17-19

In your minds eye, will each of you go home and look around? Look at all the things youve worked so hard to acquire: maybe your home itself, a car, furniture, electronics, jewelry, animals, other things that you love. Now decide which of these things are your most valued possessions. With those things in mind, lets turn to: D&C 104:13-14 ~What do we learn here about the true owner of all we possess? I like how Brigham Young put it in: Quotation #1 ~If we are not owners of our things, what are we? (stewards, see D&C 104:14) ~And what does that mean, exactly, to be a steward? Quotation #2 This concept, that God is owner of all things both in the heavens and here on earth is imperative. To really appreciate this we need to go back to father Adam. Hugh Nibley put together excerpts from many different books, called Adam literature, which have been discovered both in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hamadi library unearthed in Egypt: Quotation #3 ~If the riches of the earth do not belong to Satan, how can we imagine they belong to us? Quotation #s 4 & 5 ~When are we using what weve been blessed with for eternal death and degradation? (when we begin to seek our own will rather than Gods) In order to help us see our things in the proper perspective, Heavenly Father revealed the Law of Consecration. (D&C 42:30) The Church was not even a year old

when Joseph received this law through revelation in Kirtland. 2 ~What does consecrate mean? (to set apart, or dedicate something to the service of the Lord) So the Law of Consecration is an organized way for us to consecrate all that we have and are to help in Heavenly Fathers work. ~What is Heavenly Fathers work? (to get us all home to Him, see Moses 1:39) Lets turn to our first scripture on the board: (Were going to scan about 8 scriptures in order to get an overview of this GREAT BLESSING of a LAW!!) D&C 42:30 Care for those in need 35 Build churches/temples, etc 40 Overcome pride (How does this help?) 42 Be industrious 51:9 Be one (How does this help? Pride is thinking more of ourselves than others) 78:3-7- =earthly =heavenly (How does being equal in earthly things help us obtain heavenly things? By seeking the welfare of others, we become like our Father in Heaven) 78:14 Church independent (Why is this important?) 82:17-19 Charity President Marion G. Romney taught: When we reach the state of having the pure love of Christ, our desire to serve one another will have grown to the point where we will be living fully the law of consecration. ~Where in the scriptures do we find this law being practiced by people of other dispensations? (Enoch, Moses 7:18; Saints following the Saviors resurrecttion, Acts 4:32, 34-35; Nephites after Saviors visit, 4 Nephi 1) ~Is this an eternal law, meaning, will we be living it in the Celestial Kingdom? Does Heavenly Father live this law? (YES!) ~Even though the Lord is not now requiring the Church to live the Law of Consecration in an organized way, can we still live it individually? ~How? First lets concentrate on the harder answers: things we can consecrate other than property and money: -Accept and magnify callings extended through the Bishop -Serve wherever the Spirit guides -Sustain everyone in their callings, as we promise when we raise our hand to the square in sacrament meeting

-Seek the Lords will first, build His kingdom and He will guide us in every3 thing else -Give freely and humbly of our time, talents, etc ~And what opportunities are ours to give of our surplus? -Generous fast offerings Elder Marion G. Romney: What prohibits us from giving as much in fast offerings as we would have given in surpluses under the United Order? Nothing but our own limitations (CR Apr. 1966) -Humanitarian Aid -Ward/General Missionary fund -Perpetual Education fund -Book of Mormon -Temple construction -Other -Serving as a full-time missionary Elder Robert D. Hales: Going on a mission teaches you to live the law of consecration. It may be the only time in your life when you can give to the Lord all your time, talents, and resources. In return, the Lord will bless you with His Spirit to be with you. He will be close to you and strengthen you (CR, Apr. 1996) In Abraham 3:25 it says, speaking of the purpose of creating this earth, And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them. In this weeks Church News, theres an article about a mother and daughter who were both inspired, separately, to serve missions. They ended up leaving just a week apart, and after explaining all the miracles involved, the article ends with a quote from the mother: There is no way anyone couldve ever orchestrated how everything has worked out, Sister Salcido said. I think sometimes we think that when we submit to the Lords will that it wont be what we really want, but when we submit to the Lords will its actually better than we could ever imagine. (Church News, April 28, 1013) I pray that we will ponder the law of consecration, and how we can better live it, so that we can qualify for the blessings which will come as we do so...