1. The Book of Mormon Another Testament of Jesus Christ
Lesson 20: 3 Nephi 15-19
Pray, Ponder, Receive the Holy Ghost,
& Become Like Him
Christina G. Hibbert

2. “I am the law & the light”
3 Nephi 15:9
Again, Christ introduces Himself as “the light” (see 3 Nephi 11:10-11—the “light and the life”)
This time, He proclaims Himself “the law and the light”
What is necessary to receive eternal life?
Look unto Him
Endure to the end

3. One Shepherd
“He depends upon the sheep to follow, and they in turn expect him to never leave them…” (Mackie, SM, p. 313)
“Jesus is so personal in His shepherding and tutoring!...Jesus knows and cares for each individual; He watches carefully over the seemingly smallest of things.” (Neal A. Maxwell)
Leadership (Covey, 6 Events)
Shepherd
Hired Sheepherder
Sheep
3 Nephi 15:17
The shepherd knows his sheep intimately. He is with them day and night, protecting, watching, loving them. Shepherd was asked if he counted his sheep every night and replied he did not. “Master,” said he, “if you were to put a cloth over my eyes and bring me any sheep and only let me put my hands on his face, I could tell in a moment if it was mine or not.” (George M. Mackie, Bible Manners and Customs)

4. Other Sheep… John 10:16; 3 Nephi 15:14-17 & 16:1-3 Abrahamic covenant:
1) eternal posterity
2) a land that would eventually be the celestial kingdom
3) God’s priesthood power
Read John 10:16 and 3 Nephi 15: Other faiths believe this verse in John refers to the Gentiles, but through Christ’s ministry recorded in 3 Nephi, and especially these verses, we know that this means so much more. In fact, Christ is fulfilling this prophecy even as He is teaching it to the Nephites. (Refers to the lost tribes of Israel)
Abrahamic Covenant:
1) We are part of this!
2) America is part of this covenant
3) This has been restored and is being now shared throughout the earth
Additionally, 3 Nephi 16:1-3 refers to “other sheep,” which are not of the land of Nephi, not Jews, nor part of any lands “whither [He has] been to minister.” This shows at least four groups He’s referring to, and we find further evidence of this in 2 Nephi 29:12, as Christ says, “I will speak unto…” “the Jews,” “the Nephites,” the other tribes of the House of Israel,” and.. all nations of the earth,” “and they shall write it.” Clearly there are people of the Lord about which we still know nothing, and records from these people we still have not received.

5. Power of Pondering 3 Nephi 17:1-3
Moroni: pondering is one of the essential parts of gaining a testimony of the Book of Mormon (Mor 10:3)
Nephi: 2 Ne 4:16; 1 Ne 11:1
“To weigh mentally, to think about deeply, deliberate, meditate”
“Pondering is, in my feeling, a form of prayer…”(Marion G. Romney)
“If we routinize our religion and do not assign the highest priority to the kingdom…our hearts and minds will quite naturally drift to other things.” (Neal A. Maxwell)

6. “Not Lost Unto the Father”
Neal A. Maxwell: “Lost books are among the treasures yet to come forth. Over twenty of these are mentioned in the existing scriptures. Perhaps most startling and voluminous will be the records of the lost tribes of Israel (see 2 Nephi 29:13). We would not even know of the impending third witness for Christ except through the precious Book of Mormon, the second witness for Christ! This third set of sacred records will thus complete a triad of truth. Then, just as the Perfect Shepherd has said, ‘My word also shall be gathered in one’ (verse 14). There will be ‘one fold and one shepherd’ (1 Nephi 22:25) in a welding together of all the Christian dispensations of human history (see D&C 128:18)” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1986, 70; or Ensign, Nov. 1986, 52).
Scattered Israel is not lost unto the Father—3 Nephi 17:4

7. Jesus Heals
3 Nephi 17:5-10
What signs of the Savior’s great compassion do you find in these verses?
How might the Savior heal you?

8. The Feeling, Compassionate Christ
17:6 “My bowels are filled with compassion towards you…”
17:7 “I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you…” “my bowels are filled with mercy.”
17:14 “Jesus groaned within Himself,” and was “troubled because of the wickedness of the people…”
17:20 “...because of your faith…my joy is full.”
17:21 “he wept…” and then “took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.”
17:22 “And when he had done this he wept again.”
17:23-24 “Behold your little ones…”
The Savior, in this chapter, lays to rest “Any notion that we might have that, in an exalted, resurrected, glorified condition, we might have risen above the things that make this life so enjoyable, which are feeling type things. Things such as compassion and mercy, and people attributes, are perfected in Him. They’re not put away. They’re highlighted.” (Robert D. Millet, Discussions…)
He is so attentive to the people, to their feelings, to the children. In the New Testament, Christ is clearly compassionate, but in this record, He is almost “one of the people,” and “so great was the joy of the multitude that they were overcome,” (v.18) which led to His statement, “because of your faith…now, behold, my joy is full” (v.20). He is interacting with the people and their emotions in a new and beautiful way we don’t see in previous scriptures. They are “in at-one-ment; they are one together” (Camille Fronk Olson).
He also is an example of how these emotions are righteous, and of how emotions will work in a resurrected body.

9. “Behold your little ones”
“It’s significant to me that … the Savior gave the most sacred teachings only to the children, then loosed their tongues so they could teach the multitude. Is it any wonder that following the Savior’s visit to the Nephites, they lived in peace and righteousness for two hundred years? …Let us not underestimate the capacity and potential power of today’s children to perpetuate righteousness. No group of people in the Church is as receptive to the truth”
(Michalene P. Grassli, “Behold Your Little Ones,” Ensign, Nov. 1992, 92–94).
3 Nephi 17:11-24
Church members in Chile had a similar experience when President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) visited them: “One of the greatest expressions of love for children that I have seen occurred when I was serving as a stake president in Chile. President Spencer W. Kimball visited Chile for an area conference. Members of the Church from four countries met together in a stadium that held about fifteen thousand people. We asked President Kimball what he would like to do after the conference. His eyes full of tears, he said, ‘I would like to see the children.’ One of the priesthood leaders announced over the microphone that President Kimball would like to shake the hands or bless each of the children in the stadium. The people were astounded—there was a great silence. President Kimball greeted about two thousand children one by one, crying as he shook their hands or kissed them or put his hands on their heads and blessed them. The children were very reverent and looked at him and cried too. He said he’d never felt this kind of spirit in his life. It was a tremendous moment in the lives of all the Church members there” (Janet Peterson and Eduardo Ayala, “Friend to Friend,” Friend, Mar. 1996, 6–7).

10. Christ’s Example of Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer 13:7-13; 18-19
Christ prays for and with the people 17:13-18
Incredible compassion and love!
Watch and pray always 18:15
Pray “as I have prayed” 18:16
“Whatsoever ye shall ask…” 18:20
“Pray in your families...” 18:21
“Meet together oft and pray...” 18:22-23

11. “…Which is Right”…
3 Nephi 18:20 “which is right”—How do we know what is “right?”
Read D&C 46:30.
When we ask “in the Spirit,” we will always be asking what is right, for it will be according to the Lord’s will.
As President Hinckley stated: “God, our Eternal Father, lives. He is the Creator and Ruler of the universe and yet He is our Father. He is the Almighty and is above all. He can be reached in prayer. … Does He hear a child’s prayer? Of course He does. Does He answer it? Of course He does. Not always as we might wish, but He answers. He hears and answers” (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley [1997], 468).
What experiences have you had receiving answers to your prayers? How has Heavenly Father guided and blessed you as you’ve turned in faith to Him?

12. The Wisdom of Christ “Forgive…” 13:14-15
“Fast...in secret...” 13:16-18
“...lay up...treasures in heaven...” 13:19-21
“The light of the body is the eye...be single...” 13:22-23
“No man can serve two masters...” 13:24
*“Consider the lilies...” 13:28-32
*“Seek ye first the kingdom of God...” 13:33
*“Take no thought for the morrow...” 13:34
“Judge not” 14:1-2
“..cast the beam out of thine own eye…” 14:3-5
“...neither cast your pearls before swine...” 14:6
“Ask...seek...knock...” 14:7-11
The Golden Rule 14:12
“Enter ye in at the strait gate...” 14:13-14
“Beware false prophets...” 14:15-16
“...by their fruits ye shall know them” 14:17-20
“...doeth the will of my Father...” 14:21-23
“Build upon the rock” of Christ 14:24-27
*In 13:28-34, Jesus speaks to the 12 disciples. Then, in 14, he turns back to the multitude.

13. The Sacrament
3 Nephi 18:1-14
The people eat and are “filled.”
So, too will we be “filled”—with the Holy Ghost
Jesus taught “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35)
As we partake, we partake of His Divinity, & He becomes part of us.
“Do we truly realize the importance of the sacrament? This opportunity for cleansing? For connection? This opportunity to ‘have our souls remade?’” (Robert Millet)

14. (in Conference Report, Oct. 1998, 50–51; or Ensign, Nov. 1998, 38–39).
Dallin H. Oaks
“These ordinances of the Aaronic Priesthood are also vital to the ministering of angels. ..Angelic messages can be delivered by a voice or merely by thoughts or feelings communicated to the mind. …Most angelic communications are felt or heard rather than seen. …Through the Aaronic Priesthood ordinances of baptism and the sacrament, we are cleansed of our sins and promised that if we keep our covenants we will always have His Spirit to be with us. I believe that promise not only refers to the Holy Ghost but also to the ministering of angels, for ‘angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ’ (2 Nephi 32:3). So it is that those who hold the Aaronic Priesthood open the door for all Church members who worthily partake of the sacrament to enjoy the companionship of the Spirit of the Lord and the ministering of angels”
(in Conference Report, Oct. 1998, 50–51; or Ensign, Nov. 1998, 38–39).
What are your feelings about the sacrament?
Truly, the sacrament is the “re-at-one-ing” that The Atonement is all about.

15. “Always Remember Him”
Jeffrey R. Holland: “We could remember the Savior’s premortal life and all that we know Him to have done. … “We could remember the simple grandeur of His mortal birth to just a young woman. … “We could remember Christ’s miracles and His teachings, His healings and His help. … “… We could remember that Jesus found special joy and happiness in children and said all of us should be more like them. … “We could remember that Christ called His disciples friends. … “We could—and should—remember the wonderful things that have come to us in our lives and that ‘all things which are good cometh of Christ’ (Moroni 7:24). … “On some days we will have cause to remember the unkind treatment He received, the rejection He experienced, and the injustice … He endured. … “… We can remember that Jesus had to descend below all things before He could ascend above them, and that He suffered pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind that He might be filled with mercy and know how to succor His people in their infirmities” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1995, 90–91; or Ensign, Nov. 1995, 68–69).
How?

16. Fellowship & Love
3 Nephi 18:22-32 Reach out to all and “not cast them out”
18:24-25 What is the “light” we are to hold up?
How can we hold up this light?
President Gordon B. Hinckley counseled: “With the ever increasing number of converts, we must make an increasingly substantial effort to assist them as they find their way. Every one of them needs three things: a friend, a responsibility, and nurturing with ‘the good word of God’ (Moroni 6:4). It is our duty and opportunity to provide these things” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1997, 66; or Ensign, May 1997, 47).
How can we hold up this light?
By doing what He has done—by seeking to come unto Him, and to become like Him—by doing His works. This includes prayer. Christ has set the example for us, and we are commanded to follow Him in word and deed. We are commanded to help others come unto Him, to love one another as Christ loves us.

17. The Gift of The Holy Ghost
3 Nephi 19:6-9
What do the people most desire?
Is this what we most desire?
How can we continually receive, open, and use the gift of the Holy Ghost more fully in our lives?
3 Nephi 19:13-15
Through desiring the Gift of the Holy Ghost, the people received this gift, and as they received it, they literally were visited by the Savior!

18. The Savior in Mighty Prayer
19:15-36
For what does The Savior pray?
For unity (21-23)
Elder D. Todd Christofferson: “Surely we will not be one with God and Christ until we make Their will and interest our greatest desire. Such submissiveness is not reached in a day, but through the Holy Spirit, the Lord will tutor us if we are willing until, in process of time, it may accurately be said that He is in us as the Father is in Him. At times I tremble to consider what may be required, but I know that it is only in this perfect union that a fulness of joy can be found” (in Conference Report, Oct. 2002, 76–77; or Ensign, Nov. 2002, 72–73).
In verses 35-36, He reminds us that miracles come to those who exercise faith!
Unity & The Holy Ghost—Elder Jeffrey R. Holland:
“From the Savior’s language, we see clearly it is the Holy Ghost that provides such unity, a doctrinal point not so clearly communicated in the New Testament account. Furthermore, it is significant that one of the ultimate evidences God has of our belief in Deity is that we are seen and heard praying. Christ noted this evidence on behalf of the Nephites. To the Father he said, ‘Thou seest that they believe in me because thou hearest them’ [3 Nephi 19:22]. … It is the key to the miraculous manifestations of heaven and the personal companionship of the Holy Comforter(s)” (Christ and the New Covenant [1997], 280).

19. “Watch and Pray Always”
President Henry B. Eyring: “What does the Master mean when He warns us to ‘pray always’? I am not wise enough to know all of His purposes in giving us a covenant to always remember Him and in His warning us to pray always lest we be overcome. But I know one. It is because He knows perfectly the powerful forces that influence us and also what it means to be human. … “… He knows what it is like to have the cares of life press in upon us. … And He knows how our human powers to cope are not constant. …As the forces around us increase in intensity, whatever spiritual strength was once sufficient will not be enough. And whatever growth in spiritual strength we once thought was possible, greater growth will be made available to us. Both the need for spiritual strength and the opportunity to acquire it will increase at rates which we underestimate at our peril. … “Start with remembering Him. You will remember what you know and what you love. …The Lord hears the prayers of your heart. The feelings of your heart, of love for our Heavenly Father and for His Beloved Son, can be so constant that your prayers will ascend always” (“Always” [CES fireside for young adults, Jan. 3, 1999], 2–3, 5; see also “Always,” Ensign, Oct. 1999, 8–10, 12).
3 Nephi 18:18

20. Become Like Him
Elder Neal A. Maxwell: “Each of us plays various roles in family, Church, community, business, education, and so forth. Though we have differing needs, we have in common the need to focus on all Christ’s qualities, especially those which individually we most need to develop more fully. …We can, of course, stop short and merely adopt a few techniques illustrated by the Savior. But unless we emulate Him as completely as we can, we will have deprived ourselves of the great model. Moreover, our emulation is to be of both style and substance. God’s love underwrites his listening, for instance. Can we conceive of a God who is a nonlistener? Or who is lacking in power? Or who is unwilling to assert Himself on an issue of principle? As we become more like Him it will take place in both attributes and actions” (A Wonderful Flood of Light [1990], 110).

21. Become Like Him
“President Harold B. Lee used to say, ‘We know we are growing spiritually when our hearts begin to tell our heads things our heads didn’t know already’...Religion is truly a thing of the heart.” (Robert J. Millet)
How do we know if we are becoming like Him?...

22. Personal Inventory
Set aside time to ponder the love of the Savior—shown in these chapters and shown in your own life. Pray to know His will for you. Listen. Write down your impressions.
What experiences have you had receiving answers to your prayers? How has Heavenly Father guided and blessed you as you’ve turned in faith to Him? Write about this.
What are your feelings about the sacrament? How can you better keep your covenant to “always remember Him?” Select one thing and do it this week.
Prayerfully consider ways you can fellowship the people you thought of—not out of an assignment but out of sincere love for them. You can cross-reference 3 Nephi 18:22–25 with Moroni 6:4 for more ideas.

23. Next Week
3 Nephi 20-26
Student Manual 44-45