Doctrine and Covenants Lesson 16

Introduction

How do you feel when you enter a temple? (During this discussion, contrast the atmosphere in the temple with the atmosphere in the world.)

Read D&C 109:13 with class members. What makes a temple different from other places? (The Lord has sanctified it. It is His house.)

Read Genesis 2:1–3 with class members. Explain that this is the account of the Lord instituting the Sabbath. According to this account, what makes the Sabbath different from other days? (The Lord has sanctified it. The Sabbath is His day.)

This lesson is about the Sabbath day. In many ways, we can “enter” each Sabbath day with the same reverence we feel when we enter the temple. We can remember that the Lord has sanctified the Sabbath and that it is our privilege to worship and serve Him on His day.

(Sanctify: To make holy; to consecrate. Set aside for sacred or ceremonial use.  To free from sin; to purify.)

The Lord established the Sabbath

Read Exodus 31:13, 16–17.  What reason does the Lord give in these verses for instituting the Sabbath?  How does this “sign” help us keep our covenants?  Notice that just as God sanctified the Kirtland Temple and the Sabbath day, he does the same for us as His children.

Read D&C 59:9–13 for the Lord’s counsel to the Saints in our dispensation.

Pay devotions to God by worshiping Him in Sunday Church meetings

The Lord has said, “Thou shalt go to the house of prayer … upon my holy day” (D&C 59:9). Why do you think it is important to meet together to worship God on the Sabbath? How is attending Church meetings on Sunday a blessing to you?

President Spencer W. Kimball, the 12th President of the Church, said: “We do not go to Sabbath meetings to be entertained or even solely to be instructed. We go to worship the Lord. It is an individual responsibility, and regardless of what is said from the pulpit, if one wishes to worship the Lord in spirit and truth, he may do so by attending his meetings, partaking of the sacrament, and contemplating the beauties of the gospel. If the service is a failure to you, you have failed. No one can worship for you” (“The Sabbath—A Delight,” Ensign, Jan. 1978, 4–5; italics added).

Pay devotions to God by partaking of the sacrament

The Lord has commanded us to partake of the sacrament on the Sabbath (D&C 59:9, 12). Why is it important to partake of the sacrament each week? 

• In verse 12, we are commanded to confess our sins unto thy brethren and before the Lord.  In a certain sense, if we fail to partake of the sacrament, we are suggesting to the Lord or others that we don’t really need Jesus’ Atonement.
• In a related idea, our ability to keep this commandment is an additional reason to avoid committing sin.  If we violate God’s commandments and not permitted to partake of the sacrament for a time as part of the repentance process, we are not allowed to keep this commandment.
• How has partaking of the sacrament been a blessing in your life?  How can we make the ordinance of the sacrament more meaningful in our lives?

On the Sabbath we not only partake of the sacrament, but we also should offer our own sacraments and oblations to the Lord (D&C 59:9, 12). This means we should make offerings or sacrifices that show our devotion to Him. What sacrifices should we offer?

Read D&C 59:12, focusing on footnote b.  Also read D&C 64:34.  We should willingly offer our time, talents, and means to serve God and our fellow man.

Offering a broken heart

Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve said:

“After His mortal ministry, … Jesus told his Nephite Apostles that He would no longer accept burnt offerings but that His disciples should offer ‘a broken heart and a contrite spirit’ (3 Ne. 9:19–20; see also D&C 59:8, 12). Instead of the Lord requiring our animals or grain, now He wants us to give up all that is ungodly. This higher practice of the law of sacrifice reaches into the inner soul of a person. …

“… When we overcome our own selfish desires and put God first in our lives and covenant to serve Him regardless of the cost, we are then living the law of sacrifice” (“The Law of Sacrifice,” Ensign, Oct. 1998, 10–11; italics added).

This week Abbie asked Julie what it means to “break a horse.”  She was picturing her toy horse with a broken leg, and couldn’t understand why anyone would want to do that!  Julie explained that that’s not what is meant.  What does it mean to break a horse?

• You break the horse of its bad habits.
• You get the horse to trust and love you.
• When properly broken, the horse serves you because it wants to.

To me, this suddenly gives new meaning to offering a broken heart to God.  I do the best I can to break my heart of its bad habits; I love and trust God; and I serve Him because I really want to, even if he rides me hard or asks me to do things that are difficult.

Honor the Sabbath by “not doing [our] own ways”

Read Isaiah 58:13-14.  What do these verses require?

Presiding Bishop H. David Burton taught: “I … know that remembering to keep the Sabbath day holy is one of the most important commandments we can observe in preparing us to be the recipients of the whisperings of the Spirit” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1998, 9; or Ensign, Nov. 1998, 9; italics added).

Resting from our labors does not mean we should be idle. Rather, we should follow the Savior’s example and “do well on the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:12; see also Luke 13:10–17; John 5:1–19).  As a family we read John 5 last week, and my children could not understand the reaction of those who accused Jesus of breaking the Sabbath when he healed the cripple.

President Spencer W. Kimball taught: “The Sabbath is a holy day in which to do worthy and holy things. Abstinence from work and recreation is important, but insufficient. The Sabbath calls for constructive thoughts and acts, and if one merely lounges about doing nothing on the Sabbath, he is breaking it. To observe it, one will be on his knees in prayer, preparing lessons, studying the gospel, meditating, visiting the ill and distressed, writing letters to missionaries, taking a nap, reading wholesome material, and attending all the meetings of that day at which he is expected” (Ensign, Jan. 1978, 4).

We have a responsibility to strengthen our families by keeping the Sabbath day holy

President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “Let the Latter-day Saints be in their homes, teaching their families, reading the scriptures, doing things that are wholesome and beautiful and communing with the Lord on the Sabbath day” (“Excerpts from Recent Addresses of President Gordon B. Hinckley,” Ensign, July 1996, 73).

President Hinckley also counseled: “Now I do not want to be prudish. I do not want you to lock your children in the house and read the Bible all afternoon to them. Be wise. Be careful. But make that day a day when you can sit down with your families and talk about sacred and good things” (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, 559–60).

The First Presidency gave the following counsel when announcing the consolidated Sunday meeting schedule in 1980:

“A greater responsibility will be placed upon the individual members and families for properly observing the Sabbath day. More time will be available for personal study of the scriptures and family-centered gospel study. …

“It is expected that this new schedule of meetings and activities will result in greater spiritual growth for members of the Church” (Church News, 2 Feb. 1980, 3).

Conclusion

The Lord has promised that those who observe the Sabbath will receive “the fulness of the earth” and “the good things … of the earth” (D&C 59:16–17; see also Isaiah 58:14).  As we work to truly call the Sabbath a delight, the Lord will joyfully bless us, our families, and our communities.