Last week the branch presidency asked me to give a five minute talk in sacrament meeting on the Scriptures.
This is basically what I said:
"The Lord gives us his word, commandments and knowledge little by little, some knowledge first to prepare us for more knowledge later, a commandment now and then another one. We read in Isaiah: "But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little." (Isaias 28:13).
That's the way Josepth Smith learned the gospel. That's the way we acquire knowledge. This means that we are always learning new things when we live the gospel. We always learn new things each time we read the Book of Mormon, regardless how often we read it, depending on the circumstances we are living.
The Pharisees believed in angels, spirits, resurrection and celestial marriage. The Sadducees did not believe in these things. One day, the Sadducees asked Jesus about a woman that had seven husbands in her life: "Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven?" (Matthew 22:28). Jesus answered: "Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God." (Matthew 22:29). They had the Scriptures but did not know them. They ignored the Scriptures. They used to explain their doctrine and situations of life through their own beliefs and traditions. They did not believe that God had power to raise the dead to life.
One day, a person asked to Joseph Smith how he could have so much knowledge and answer so many questions. He answered "because God had given (me) the key of knowledge." (Words of Howard Coray).
The key of knowledge is in the revelations of God to his prophets, in the Scriptures, through the channel of the Melchizedek priesthood by the power and gift of the Holy Ghost within the kingdom of God. The Pharisees received the key of knowledge but they took it away. Christ rebuked them: "Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge." (Luke 11:52).
Joseph Smith taught: "This, therefore, is the sealing and binding power, and, in one sense of the word, the keys of the kingdom, which consist in the key of knowledge." (D.C. 128:14). He also taught: "Now the great and grand secret of the whole matter, and the summum bonum of the whole subject that is lying before us, consists in obtaining the powers of the Holy Priesthood. For him to whom these keys are given there is no difficulty in obtaining a knowledge of facts in relation to the salvation of the children of men." (D.C. 128:11).
Moroni wrote: "Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things," so we have to read the Book of Mormon over and over, "if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them," the plates were hidden under ground for years until it was wisdom in God to reveal them to Joseph Smith. The first time we had the Book of Mormon in our hands it was the time God saw it wise we should read it. For me, it was when I was 14 years old, "that ye would ... ponder it in your hearts." (Moroni 10:3). Sometimes it is not possible to explain this knowledge with words, but we have a testimony. He also said by what power: "And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." (Moroni 10:5)."
So the key of knowledge comes from God. It is to obtain a knowledge through this key and live it. It is to receive a commandment and keep it. If we cannot live a Scripture in our own lives, that Scripture will be words only in our mind and a testimony against us. Knowldege and life have to go together. That way, we can obtain a living knowledge that leads us to understand the misteries of God, and then we can explain them to others. The key of knowledge is to understand a truth by the power of the Holy Ghost, then that knowledge leads us to more knowledge and joy.
This is basically what I said:
"The Lord gives us his word, commandments and knowledge little by little, some knowledge first to prepare us for more knowledge later, a commandment now and then another one. We read in Isaiah: "But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little." (Isaias 28:13).
That's the way Josepth Smith learned the gospel. That's the way we acquire knowledge. This means that we are always learning new things when we live the gospel. We always learn new things each time we read the Book of Mormon, regardless how often we read it, depending on the circumstances we are living.
The Pharisees believed in angels, spirits, resurrection and celestial marriage. The Sadducees did not believe in these things. One day, the Sadducees asked Jesus about a woman that had seven husbands in her life: "Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven?" (Matthew 22:28). Jesus answered: "Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God." (Matthew 22:29). They had the Scriptures but did not know them. They ignored the Scriptures. They used to explain their doctrine and situations of life through their own beliefs and traditions. They did not believe that God had power to raise the dead to life.
One day, a person asked to Joseph Smith how he could have so much knowledge and answer so many questions. He answered "because God had given (me) the key of knowledge." (Words of Howard Coray).
The key of knowledge is in the revelations of God to his prophets, in the Scriptures, through the channel of the Melchizedek priesthood by the power and gift of the Holy Ghost within the kingdom of God. The Pharisees received the key of knowledge but they took it away. Christ rebuked them: "Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge." (Luke 11:52).
Joseph Smith taught: "This, therefore, is the sealing and binding power, and, in one sense of the word, the keys of the kingdom, which consist in the key of knowledge." (D.C. 128:14). He also taught: "Now the great and grand secret of the whole matter, and the summum bonum of the whole subject that is lying before us, consists in obtaining the powers of the Holy Priesthood. For him to whom these keys are given there is no difficulty in obtaining a knowledge of facts in relation to the salvation of the children of men." (D.C. 128:11).
Moroni wrote: "Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things," so we have to read the Book of Mormon over and over, "if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them," the plates were hidden under ground for years until it was wisdom in God to reveal them to Joseph Smith. The first time we had the Book of Mormon in our hands it was the time God saw it wise we should read it. For me, it was when I was 14 years old, "that ye would ... ponder it in your hearts." (Moroni 10:3). Sometimes it is not possible to explain this knowledge with words, but we have a testimony. He also said by what power: "And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." (Moroni 10:5)."
So the key of knowledge comes from God. It is to obtain a knowledge through this key and live it. It is to receive a commandment and keep it. If we cannot live a Scripture in our own lives, that Scripture will be words only in our mind and a testimony against us. Knowldege and life have to go together. That way, we can obtain a living knowledge that leads us to understand the misteries of God, and then we can explain them to others. The key of knowledge is to understand a truth by the power of the Holy Ghost, then that knowledge leads us to more knowledge and joy.
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