In Jacob we see that Jacob presents us with the two goals of the Book of Mormon. The first goal is to teach people plainly of Christ and His gospel. The second goal is to show the enemies of Christ and how to know they are the enemy. In chapter 6 Jacob teaches us about Christ when he says, "repent ye, and enter in at the strait gate, and continue in the way which is narrow, until ye shall obtain eternal life." Then he tells his people Brother Merrill's favorite (maybe ALL TIME favorite scripture). This scripture is one Harrison has heard many, many times. O BE WISE; WHAT CAN I SAY MORE?
In chapter 7 we meet the first anti-Christ in the Book of Mormon, Sherem. We find out how to know the enemy. Sherem comes to the people preaching that there is no Christ. He was learned and had a perfect knowledge of the language. He used much flattery and power of speech and his power was from the devil. Sherem tells Jacob that he cannot say that there is going to be a Christ because no man can tell of things to come. Then Sherem says that there is no Christ, neither has been, nor every will be. Didn't he just say that NO MAN CAN TELL OF THINGS TO COME? With the Holy Ghost as his guide, Jacob was able to confound Sherem in his words.
DINNER CONVERSATION: Who do you know that uses tactics like Sherem to get us to believe them?
Jacob teaches us three ways to not be deceived. First the scriptures....what do the standard works have to say about it? Second the prophet....what do the latter-day Presidents of the Church have to say on the subject -- particularly the living President. Third the Holy Ghost....this can only be fully effective if one's channels of communication with God are clean and virtuous and uncluttered with sin.
SCRIPTURE MASTERY
- **Alma 41:10** "Do not supppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness."
- **Alma 37:35** "O, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God."
- **Alma 37:6-7** "Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls."
- **Alma 34:32-34** "For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors. And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of ife, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed. Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world."
- **Alma 32:21** "And now as I said concerning faith -- faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true."
- **Mosiah 4:30** "But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not."
- **Mosiah 3:19** For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."
- **Mosiah 2:17** "And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."
- **Jacob 2:18-19** "But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good--to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted."
- **2 Nephi 32:8-9** "And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray. But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform anything unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul."
- **2 Nephi 32:3** "Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do."
- **2 Nephi 28:7-9** "Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us. And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God--he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God. Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner, false and vain and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the Lord; and their works shall be in the dark."
- **2 Nephi 9:28-29** "O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish. But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God."
- **2 Nephi 2:27** "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."
- ***2 Nephi 2:25*** "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."
- ***1 Nephi 19:23*** "And I did read many things unto them which were written in the books of Moses; but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning."
- ***1 Nephi 3:7*** "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."
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