www.kevinhinckley.com
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A few days ago I was having some work done at my
local garage. A woman came in and asked for a
seven-hundred-ten.
We all looked at each other and another customer
asked, "What is a seven-hundred-ten?"
She replied, "You know, the little piece in the middle of
the engine, I have lost it and need a new one.." She
replied that she did not know exactly what it was, but
this piece had always been there.
The mechanic gave her a piece of paper and a pen and
asked her to draw what the piece looked like. She
drew a circle and in the middle of it wrote 710.
He then took her over to another car which had its
hood up and asked "is there a 710 on this car?" She
pointed and said, "Of course, its right there."
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1- Isaiah is written in Poetry,
not prose.
-Each word is carefully chosen
to project an image and
message.
2- Isaiah’s symbolism is
multilayered (the lion and the
lamb)
-always remember, WE are the
ultimate audience
3- Understanding of history
helps unlock certain chapters
4- In terms of prophecy, what
he saw has been seen by other
prophets. Other visions
(Moses, Lehi, Nephi, Enoch,
Joseph Smith, will help unlock
the imagery.
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Isaiah 49 (I Nephi 21: 1-3)
[Hearken, O ye house of Israel,
all ye that are broken off and are driven out
because of the wickedness of the
pastors of my people;
yea, all ye that are broken off, that are
scattered abroad,
who are of my people, O house of Israel.]
Listen, O isles, unto me;
and hearken, ye people, from far;
The Lord hath called me from the womb;
from the [womb] of my mother hath he made
mention of my name. (49:1)
And he hath made my mouth like a sharp
sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid
me,
and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver
hath he hid me; (49:2)
And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel,
in whom I will be glorified. (49:3)
Joseph Smith
I am like a huge, rough stone
rolling down from a high
mountain;
and the only polishing I get is
when some corner gets
rubbed off by coming in
contact with something else,
striking with accelerated force
against religious bigotry,
priestcraft, . . . corrupt men
and women—
all hell knocking off a corner
here and a corner there.
Thus I will become a smooth
and polished shaft in the
quiver of the Almighty."
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Then I said, I have laboured in vain,
I have spent my strength for
nought, and in vain:
surely my judgment is with the
Lord,
and my work with my God. (49:4)
And now, saith the Lord that
formed me from the womb [that I
should] be his servant,
to bring Jacob again to him—
Though Israel be not gathered,
yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of
the Lord,
and my God shall be my
strength. (49:5)
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1 Nephi 19:23
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It is my firm belief that when we read
these scriptures and try to "liken them
unto [our]selves," as Nephi suggested
(1 Nephi 19:24), we will see many
parallels between the ancient worship
of graven images and behavioral
patterns in our very own experience.
The Lord has blessed us as a people with
a prosperity unequaled in times past.
The resources that have been placed in
our power are good, and necessary to
our work here on the earth.
But I am afraid that many of us have been
surfeited with flocks and herds and
acres and barns and wealth and have
begun to worship them as false gods,
and they have power over us.
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Do we have more of these good things than our
faith can stand?
Many people spend most of their time working
in the service of a self-image that includes
sufficient money, stocks, bonds, investment
portfolios, property, credit cards, furnishings,
automobiles,
and the like to guarantee carnal security
throughout, it is hoped, a long and happy
life.
Forgotten is the fact that our assignment is to
use these many resources in our families and
quorums to build up the kingdom of God -to further the missionary effort and the
genealogical and temple work;
to raise our children up as fruitful servants unto
the Lord; to bless others in every way that
they may also be fruitful. Instead, we expend
these blessings on our own desires…
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1 Nephi 19:23
1 Nephi 20: 1- 10
How do you
respond to
“the furnace
of affliction?
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1 Nephi 22: 1-3
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During time of sin
Why a scattering?
And then, 1Nephi
22: 6, 12
Sin
Repent
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In our spiritual
life, what must
we do to be
‘gathered in’,
rather than
scattered?
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