← Don't Miss This Study
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- [00:00]
A
Hi, there. Welcome to Don't Miss this, a scripture study podcast with Dave Butler and Grace Freeman.
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Each week, we point out things in the scriptures that we love and think you don't want to miss.
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Thanks for listening. I'm overseer. I'm in control. I'm in charge. I'm God, I'm almighty, which means I can do anything, anytime, anywhere. I'm endless.
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What on earth would someone like that have anything to do with someone like me? God, you're too big for me. God, you're too good for me. God, you're too endless for me. Who even am I in comparison to God? The more you get to know about God, the more questions it raises about you.
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A
So therefore, unapproachable. Hi, I'm Dave Butler.
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B
I'm Grace Freeman. Welcome to Don't Miss this, our weekly scripture study podcast.
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A
Y', all, we're so excited. We're second weekend of the Old Testament. You know, we're in these chapters today. That made me think of this, the story I was. I was teaching seminary at Provo High years ago, and I was late. It was one of my first years. And I was late, like, preparing my lesson, just in my office. And the man who cleaned the seminary, the janitor there, came by, and he stopped. We'd always say hi to each other if I was ever late. And he stopped by, and he was just like, hey, how are you? And I was like, I'm good. And he's like, you need anything? And I said, no, I think I'm good. I'm good. And he was like, are you sure? And I was like, yeah, I'm good. Thank you so much for asking. He's like. And then he kind of walked down the hall and then came back, and he was like, because if you do. And then he pointed up to the. To the sky. He was like, I have an inn. And I was like, all right. And then he, like, looked to this, like, looked like, down the hallway, like, checking. And then he, like, leaned into my office and whispered, he's like, he's my father. And then he walked away. And I first of all, love the sweet confidence that he has in knowing that and asking me if I need anything, because he has an in. Like, that's the way he saw his relationship with God. And that is, I think, the value and the beauty of these first chapters that we start the study of the Old Testament with. Because we have a man who, you know. Bless you, Grace. We have a man, you know, named Moses, who we think there's statues of him, you know, in Rome. And he's just this great guy, but the way his story started out was just like all of ours, just confused and wondering about who am I? Who is God? What does he think of me? Is there a purpose for me? That one is like hitting my heart hard right now and I feel like the whole world's, I guess. Listen to this two hour long podcast about the history of discovering your purpose, finding your purpose, and that's what these chapters are all about. Help us answer those questions, what we call questions of the soul. So get your journal out. That is what you are going to need today because we're going to be on a page in the journal that we're going to fill out all together. If you don't have your journal yet, this is your sign. Go get your journal because we'll bring it out during our lessons and fill out things together. So the journal, you can snag at Good News Brand Co, or you can pick one up at Deseret Book. Grab that journal. Be your personal study journal for the whole Old Testament year. We're not using any tippins today, but when you're out getting your journal, if you haven't gotten those, grab those because in several lessons throughout the year, we'll add one of these in to help your Bible become a study Bible. Speaking of, let's say something about Bibles because today the new handbook change in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is kind of. Well, we read the old one last week. Yeah, Right. But it's now kind of expanded update now an expanded one that just says, listen, essentially the new handbook instructions say this, what Grace was saying last week. Find the Bible that you understand. Read the one that your kids understand. Right. They quote Elder Renlund in the article announcement and he says something along the lines of people are more inclined to love God and follow him when they understand what he's saying. You know, that's helpful. Yeah, right. And so some of the Bibles that the church recommends and says are the ones we recommended last week also. So an ESV is fantastic. An niv. NIV is probably a little bit easier to understand than the esv.
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B
The ESV matches King James Version. A little bit closer.
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A
Yeah, it's kind of a little bit closer to that NIV and then the new Living translation also. And then there's one or two other recommendations on there. And those are just recommendations. And I like that. I think it's in the article. Elder Clebinga just says, like there's been maybe A, a false assumption out there that these other Bible translations aren't true or they've been muddied or, or something like that. He's like, that's just simply not the case. In fact, more documents and more has become available, you know, to do those translations. So grab your Bible for this year and you might grab your trusty Bible you've been using or your phone, or you might try grabbing another Bible if you're one of those people who feels like it's really difficult to understand as you read.
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B
And you might even do both. That's how I read. Usually when I study the Old Testament, I have three or four Bibles open and all of them are guiding the words to me. I'm like, okay, I'm confused at this verse. Let me read it in a different translation. Let me read it in a different translation. What am I understanding now?
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A
Yeah, right. The point is coming closer to God, understanding what he wants for your life and, you know, his will for you. And so that's, that's the end game. So don't worry, you have a week to get that because today we're in the book of Moses, which is, would not be found in a typical Bible. This is in the Pearl of great price. So fear not, you have another week for that. So you'll need your journal. This week we'll have a poster that we'll talk about. And our 365 calendar is up and rolling, everybody. So put that out on your counter. And one other thing you can get ready for next week we will not use today is our free timeline PDF printout that you can grab. So this is the smaller version that I'm showing you, the 11 by 17 because the 24 by 36 is so huge to hold right here at this table, but you could get a 24 by 36. And next week, I believe, is when we'll put the first timeline piece on this one. So you can go download this for free, get this printed out, get this ready to go, and just if you are, you're, you know, we're ready. Here we go. You're still, you're not behind, so grab all of your things, but let's open up our journal. And we're coming into this first chapter, which is Moses 1 and Abraham 3, and really looking for the answer to these questions. So if you turn over, you'll get to this page called Digging Deeper. And this is the page we're going to rest on and, and really spend some time filling this out. Now when you read it, you'll see in the upper left hand box, it says, I am. This is. This worksheet is put together as if God is the one speaking. So I am is God saying, this is who I am, and you are is him talking to Moses, which you'll see in. In the language of this. I just maybe want to say this right now that there's something about, you know, there's. There's affirmations that we can say in the mirror. And there's a lot of research to those, and those are fantastic and, and great. But I can see how I would second guess and double guess what I say I am about myself, you know, because what if I just made that up? Or what if that's wishful thinking? So there's something, I think, and I'm not saying those aren't good and powerful, but there's something uniquely powerful about God assigning your identity to you.
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B
Well, and this is so interesting that you brought that up, because a few weeks ago I was talking to one of my students at seminary and they were saying, you're not gonna believe it. They were so excited. They were so proud to tell me. They're like, I'm changing my life right now. And I was like, oh, I'm so excited for you. How are you changing your life? And they're like, I do affirmations every single day. And I said, tell me how it's changing your life. And they were like, oh, I have never before walked around with as much confidence as I'm walking around with right now. And I was like, wait, I'm obsessed with that. I wanna live that. And I said, are you just making up the affirmations? Where are you getting them from? And they were like, oh, no, no, no, no, no. And they said, me and my mom sat down and we read through my patriarchal blessing, and. And we wrote all of my affirmations based on my patriarchal blessing. And then they stopped and they said, I guess that God made up my affirmations. And immediately I realized why they were so powerful, because affirmations are good. They're going to change the way you see yourself. But those affirmations aren't just random things that they decided they want to be. They are who they were divinely made to be. They're the affirmations that God spoke into that person's soul. And immediately I went home and on my patriarchal blessing, I just, like, wrote all of the affirmations to the. Of, like, what my patriarchal blessing says about me. And as I was Reading these chapters, it felt the same way. They almost felt like we were getting a glimpse not into who Moses is, but rather who God sees that Moses is. And it changed the way I read it because it changed the way I saw myself. I wanted to see myself the same way. I'm not Moses, but it's teaching me the way God sees his kids, which I can translate to how God sees me.
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A
Right? Right. Oh, that's so awesome. Okay, let's jump into this I am box. Okay, so we just snuck into UR for just a second, but let's just start with some of these verses about who God is. And I think this is really powerful to learn because, you know, my friend, you know, at Provo High, who said, he's. He's my father. You could say anyone. Everyone has a father, right? And so when you say I'm the son of so and so, that only matters if so and so is. Is noteworthy. Right? And so we learn about who God is and then. And then it even enhances like who we see ourselves as as his daughter or as his son. But we start here in verse three. It's the first one we're gonna look at. And. And he says, I am the Lord God Almighty and endless. And I actually wrote those down in my box as four different words. And you can have take a chance to kind of define what those mean. I'm. I'm Lord, which means I'm. I'm overseer. I'm in control. I'm in charge. I'm God, I'm almighty, which means I can do anything, anytime, anywhere. I'm endless. So I'm never going to get tired of you. You're never going to run out of minutes with me. That was an old reference to when we used to have minutes on phones, when it was I'm unlimited. Yeah, you don't even know that world. Right, Grace. But it's just like I'm. I'm endless without beginning and without end. Right there. There's like I'm. I was there before the problem ever existed, before you existed. I'll be there after the. I'm just. There's something about those words you can really look into and, and read. I. I like that in verse two, it talks about this glory of God is going to come upon Moses and you're going to see that a couple of different times, that he's a being of glory, that he's someone that Moses is going to be inclined to worship not by command, but just by choice, based off of his interactions with them. So I don't know. How do you define glory? You could say brightness, you know, but I don't know. When you. When you see that word, what do you.
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Well, and it's so interesting because it says it so much in this.
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A
Yeah.
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Chapter that it made me ask the exact same question. And it says, like, you will be like the glory of God was upon you. And like, I think initially when you hear the word glory, it feels like power almost. It's like his, like, power. But it is really interesting to just pause and be like, well, what is that really? We don't usually say that word in our everyday life right now.
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A
Right. Yeah. That I have. You know, he has glory.
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Yeah. You know, it feels like like victory or something, Right? Like that. But it's like.
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A
But it feels like it's just this idea of. I like that he's compelled to worship him. Right. So his glory is almost his goodness. You know, there's that line in the hymn. Oh, I almost said Unchained Melody. It's not that. That is the ghost song. What is the movie? Ghost. What's the song? Come Thou found. I don't know. Everything you just said, you just. Everyone took a trip through my brain as I was trying to find the. That one. But the. What's the name of the song? Come thou fount. Oh, my gosh. Come thou fount of every blessing. It's verse three. Ow. To owe to grace. How great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be. Let thy goodness, like a fetter, which is like a chain, bind my wandering heart to thee. And the thing in this verse, the writer of this hymn says, the thing that's binding me to you is your goodness. I'm. I right? It's not your command. It's, you're so good, which I would use right now as a synonym of that glory that I want to bind myself to you. I want to worship you. I want to be in your. In your presence. When we talk about his light, it means his warmth, His. You know, his love just fills the immensity of. Of. Of space. It's his goodness that is his glory. That's. That's the way I, you know, think of it and, and see it. What else is in here? If you go back to Moses, chapter one, and. And they're going to talk with each other. It says, where are they? Is that verse 31? All the verses are written here in here in your boxes. And there's other ones that you're going to find. But I love that in verse 31, it says the glory of Moses was. The glory of the Lord was upon Moses. Which I want to say about God some. If I want to say who he is, it's someone who shares his glory, uses his glory, whatever that, his power, his ability, and, you know, gives it to Moses. There's something about God that we're learning there, but he says that he stood in the presence of God and talked with him face to face. And one of the things I wrote in my journal is that God is close. To speak with someone face to face means that you're familiar, that. That you are. That you're close to Him. So you're going to find verses like that this, this week. We also have Abraham Ch. 3, which is a part of this. And there's a lot of similarities in Moses chapter one and, and in Abraham three that you could be studying both of those chapters to kind of learn the answers to these questions. Who is God? Who am I to Him? What is his work and what is mine? I was going to say, so you want to say anything else about that before you go?
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B
And I think one thing that is really interesting is these all feel very connected. It almost feels like the more you get to know about God, the more questions it raises about you. And I think maybe it's just because, like, I am like, filled, I'm super mortal and I am just filled with insecurity that there's some moments when I learn more about God, it makes me wonder more about myself. Partially because you hear about the goodness of God, how incredible he is, how almighty, how endless he is, how big he is the Creator. The like, it just is almost like so big and so much that you begin to think to yourself, what on earth would someone like that have anything to do with someone like me? And in the moments that we sin or we doubt or we don't feel good enough or things feel too overwhelming, it is so easy to look at God and be like, God, you're too big for me. God, you're too good for me. God, you're too endless for me. Like, I am just. I am going to live for like the tiniest amount on earth, that I am just so small, you are going to forget about someone like me. And that question, that doubt, that wonder is so easily seen in the first chapter of Moses and the third chapter of Abraham because it goes through and you get this glimpse into God and his glory, into his goodness. And there is like these moments in these verses. You're gonna see it in verse 10, that wonder and it came to pass that for the space of many hours, Moses did receive his natural strength. He had this moment, this face to face interaction with God. He realized the glory and the goodness and the grand. And then it says this, now for this. Cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed. He never realized how little he was, how small he was, until he realized how big God was. And then there comes this moment when you're like, wait, who even am I in comparison to God, in comparison to God's plan? Where do I even fall? Who am I in that? And what I love is. If you go right back to verse number six, he's gonna introduce and he's gonna say, moses, you are my son. But even before, like right immediately after that, he says this, and at the very last line of verse number six. And all things are present with me, for I know them all. And there, you see this again. I'm gonna do the numbered verse. Can I. Is that gonna be fine right now in Abraham 3.
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A
Oh, yeah.
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The word. It's the word.
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Verse. I did not know what you were.
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Talking about, but yes, Sorry, I was just wanting to make sure that you weren't sad if I was gonna take it. Because what happens is. Where even is that verse? It's in Abraham 3, is it?
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No, back in Moses 1. I know you're talking about 35.
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Oh, yeah, 35, yeah. Then you're going to see this again in Moses 1. 35, that he says at the very end, the last line again, but all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I know them. And that's our word of the week actually comes from that verse. And it's that word numbered. And immediately when you realize God's glory, God's goodness, God's grandness, it makes you wonder where you fall. And that question is immediately answered in Moses, chapter one. And he says, I have numbered you. You are mine. And not only am I aware of you, aware of you enough to number you, but also, I know you. I know who you are. I know your heart, I know your soul. So when you wonder who you are in comparison to me, right. Remember that I am accounting for you. You are numbered. And also you are known. So when I speak about who you are, believe it and trust it. And the rest of this is filled with moments when God is going to look at Moses and he's going to say, I know exactly who you are. First things first, in verse number six. You are my kid. You are my son. I know you. That's Why I know you. That's why you're numbered is because you are my kid. You can't forget your kid. You can't forget they exist. They are yours. He says, you are my son. I have a work for you. You are not just going to wander in this plan of mine and just go forgotten. I have a grand work for you. And not even just one that I'm giving to you as like a side note, like, oh, here, do this while I'm working on the rest of my plan. It's going to be important and it's going to be specific. That, to me, is one of the most beautiful things we believe about God, is that he doesn't just number his kids. He's not just aw of them, but he is divinely integrated into our lives, specifically aware of who we are, what we need, and what we're going to do. I think. Are you gonna do this? Verse number 25, do it?
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A
No, I'm gonna do it right now.
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B
Is that okay? Well, actually, it's okay. I can't wait because I forgot I'm gonna do my work. But I think that's something that I am obsessed with, is that the more you go through this, God is gonna look and make you so aware, not just of who he is, but of who you are in comparison to him. And those are moments when we might feel, oh, I'm so small. I'm nothing. And then God will look at us and remind us, no, no, no. You are not nothing to me. I'm aware of you. I know you. You are my kid.
- [20:27]
A
Yeah. And the contrast, I think, is so beautiful that it starts, this is who I am. I am God. Lord God Almighty, endless and almost. You could put the next line under that. So therefore, unapproachable, distant. And then right after it, he says, and you are my son, or you are my daughter. And just those being right next to each other. You know, God's not saying, like, do you know who I am? Right. But he was like, I'm listing all those things so you know who you are. That's the reason I'm introducing those things to you. And I like that you were talking about when we talk about that. He knows all things. This is in context of all of Moses mistakes, too. In addition to knowing all things about the universe, he knows all things about Moses. And he says, I'm still choosing you, and I still have a work for you, and I'm still claiming you as. As my. As my son. Right. And there's something about this. This Poster that I think would be great. So our plan as a family is to take whatever the word of the week is and sort of have our mini Sunday lesson about it and then put up the poster somewhere so that everyone remembers that one lesson. I want the kids to remember from all the things that we, that we talked about, right? And this one being numbered more. It's our first one, but it might win the entire thing because this is a lesson I want my kids to remember. This is one that I want to remember. And now when you teach this, you might start in Moses. Just give the story of Moses, chapter one, which is, here's Moses after he's left Egypt, being called by God for this thing that feels way bigger than him. And God gives him. They have this one on one conversation with each other. And then he gives Moses this vision and he sees worlds without number, and he sees the particles of the universe and the earth and it overwhelms him. And that's when he says that line that you read earlier, which is like, I. I now know that man is nothing. You know, like, and that's not, that's not about his identity. He. This is about where he's just like, I kind of thought I was a big deal.
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B
Yeah.
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A
Like I was a prince in Egypt. There's a movie about me, you know, and I. And, and he's like, oh my gosh. And he's like, I had no idea that God was so big. But then he realizes, but that grand God is having a conversation with me. So he's big, but not too big for me. And that is this idea of numbered. And then take them to those, you know, take them to verse 33 worlds without number have I created. And you're just like, wow, God is so vast and so big and so able and so magnificent. And then come to 35 and where he just says, but you're numbered. And I know you and I have time for you, and you're the center of everything that I do. So. And then when they see that word, they'll just be like, oh, that I remember that lesson and I know what that is. And you know, there's something else in this chapter that I want to say. Well, are we going to talk about this? Let's talk about this part first. Back in this you are box. Because right after he has this vision, God shows him this vision. He has an encounter with the devil. And that's just the devil's move to always show up after a spiritual experience, before a spiritual experience, trying to ruin the Entire thing. And he has this interaction with the devil and he just says, you know, Satan comes in verse 12 and he tempts him and he tells him, worship me, give me your heart. And Moses is able to look, look at the devil and say, listen in verse 14 or in 13, who are you? For behold, I am a son of God in the similitude of his only begotten. And where is thy glory that I should worship thee? I can look upon, I could not look upon God, but I can look upon you. So he's just like I, I see a difference between the, the two of you. And he's able to resist Satan's temptations because of his understanding of who he is. And I think something that's important and I love about this chapter is Moses learns who he is from a one on one face to face encounter and interaction with God. That's where he gets it from. He doesn't necessarily get it from a book that he reads or a lesson or a talk that he heard, but from his own individual experience that he had with God. And this chapter opens the door wide open for any and everybody to have that. So this affirmation came, this understanding of who he is came from an experience and an individual encounter that he had with the Lord. And I think that's one of the reasons that we're invited into moments like that, right? To open our scriptures to know, kneel down in, in, in prayer, to put ourselves in places where God can speak these truths to our hearts.
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B
Well, and I think it's so interesting because one of the things Moses says to Satan in the middle of that conversation is in verse 18. And again Moses said, I will not stop calling upon God. I have other things to inquire of him. And what I love about that verse.
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A
What verse is that?
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B
That's verse 18 is in Moses 1, Moses 1, 18. And there's this moment that Moses realized how impactful that experience was with God. It changed him. It changed the way he saw himself. It changed the way he saw God, it changed the way he saw life. And all of a sudden when Satan showed up, what gave him confidence, what gave him the strength to turn away? Satan was saying that experience was like gold to me. That was treasured. That changed me. And I don't want those to end. I don't want that to be a one time experience. I know that God still wants to speak with me and I will not give up that opportunity to speak with God again. There's more things I wonder, there's more things I want to ask him about. There are more things I want to experience with God. I will not sacrifice the potential I have in mind. And God's relationship for this instance with you, that moment with Satan was not going to be worth how great and glorious glorious his experiences with God were and would be.
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A
Yeah, and you're making me think about one other reason. I like the word endless now, the name endless, so cool. Because he's like, listen, you had these great experiences. I'm endless.
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B
They're not going to stop with this.
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A
Yeah, you can expect more from me. So he has this, you know, encounter with, you know, with God and then an encounter with the adversary, which he overcomes because of the memory of his encounter with God. And then God comes back for a second vision and shows us exactly what you were saying. He promised. He promised him. And in that second part, I think, is one of the most theologically important verses in Scripture. I would fight somebody on it because I think it can frame so much about life and purpose and, and commandments, ordinances, restoration, every kind of, you know, it gives a framework for all of this. And I want to introduce it by asking this question. If you could choose, you know, if we so dare to pick one word that we would say this single word. I know you have many words you want to pick, but you have to pick one, one word to describe what God's intention and purpose and hope and wish and dream is behind everything that he's doing. What one word would you choose? He was like, this is why I do everything that I do. Our heavenly parents are doing everything that they're doing to this one end. If you were to pick a word, what would that word be? And all the words would be good. I'm sure there might be some bad ones, but all of most of them are, are going to be good, Right? And there's a lot of words that would work. That is true. That is true about, about God. One I used to rest on, settle on, was return. That's a word I used in the past that. Oh, I think God's whole intention, purpose, wish, dream is for me to return, you know, to him. Until somebody asked me, once upon a time, wait, we lived with God before we came to the world? And I said, yes, I believe that. And he said, and he sent us away. And I was like, yes, to see if we would return. And I was like, yes. And he was like, that makes zero sense to me. And I was like, it actually makes zero sense to me too, sir. You know, I was like, I Never thought about this before because. And now I'm a dad, and it's like, makes even more sense. And he was a dad and I wasn't at the time. To, like, who drops off their kids somewhere and says, let's just see if you can make it back. That's like, that's not. That's not a good. You know, dads don't do that. Someone listening might say, my word. But, you know, they just. They just don't do that. So I think it's got to be something bigger than that. Yes, we're separated and we want to return, but what's the reason we're even separated in the first place? There seems to be something bigger. And in my humble opinion, Moses, chapter one, verse 39, answers that question and doesn't give us the word in that verse, but gives us the idea of the word. And this I'm going to put inside the box, it says my work, because this is the work of God. And he says, for behold, this is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. Now, those sound like they are similar words to each other. Immortality means to live forever. And eternal life sounds like forever living. Right? They sound similar to each other in a lot of scripture. Now, I'm not going to say 100% of them, but the way we use the phrase eternal life in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, generally, it means something more than just living forever. It means living the kind of life that God lives, the kind living in the kind of glory that he was, that he showed us he wants to share with his children. So another word for that or phrase for that. If you go to the opening of the journal, you'll see this line in, like, the list of fun facts. It's the third one. Immortality means to overcome death and sin. And eternal life means exaltation. So exaltation is to exalt, is to take something from one station and move it up to a higher station. It's a progression word which leads me to the word I would pick and grace. You can fight me on this, but I bet I'm gonna be right. If you fought me, and I might win, but I would pick the word become, that God our heavenly parents, wish, hope, intention, purpose for us is for us to become something more than we are, to grow in love for our natures to become the kind of natures that make us more happy, more fulfilled, more thrilled, as a journey that ends in something we call exaltation, whatever that may be. But it's a. Their hope is. So why send us away to the world? Well, I think the answer to that is because there's something about life and mortality that's going to help us to become. It's going to change our nature. There's something about. Why allow Satan to tempt us? Well, because there's something about resisting his temptations that changes our hearts, that leads us to become something. So that verse gives us the motivation, the heartbeat of our heavenly parents. Like what they want more than anything, why they allow what they allow, why they have done and do and are doing what they have done, doing whatever the English I'm trying to say there, right.
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B
Done doing. Will do.
- [32:44]
A
Yeah. Will do is. I want. I'm. My whole intention is to bring, to pass the immortality which has been done. You know, this is pre Jesus, right? This conversation. But. And through the grace and terribly painful sacrifice and Jesus offering himself, immortality has been won, that victory has been won, and the door is now open for eternal life for all people to become something more, to overcome and to become something. So of all the verses, and there's some great ones right here, I. My favorite, I think is that Moses 1:39, because it explains so perfectly and beautifully, this is what I'm. I'm. I'm trying to do. And I like that you can back up one verse in 38. And he says, and there is no end to my works. Back to endless again. I'm going to keep. I'm. I'm not giving up on you, is what that says to me. That you're my. You're my whole. The center of my whole purpose is you. It's. It's you. You're. You're my birthday wish. You're my wish on a star. You are what. This is what I want for you. And it's my full work to help bring that about. And now we're gonna get into what you. Maybe our work is in, you know, in connection and relationship to that. And before we do, let me just say this about Abraham. 3. Kind of a tricky chapter, to be honest with you. When you read it. And you have to remember this is coming to a man who understands Egyptian ways of thinking. And so he's speaking Abraham's language here to him. And so it's a little bit tricky for us. But I. I just want to show you a similar thing, the way he's teaching this same idea to Abraham. Like if you go to verse 19, he says these two facts do exist if there are two spirits. First he starts with stars, if there's two stars, one is going to have more glory than the other, right? One's going to be brighter in the sky than the other one. But in this one, he's like, and same. If there's two spirits, one is going to be more intelligent than the other. There shall be another more intelligent than that one, right? So he's kind of showing that there are degrees of progression. And, and, and he says, and I am more intelligent than they all, right? And so in a kind of different orbit star way, Abraham 3 is teaching the same lesson, which is this idea of progression. The whole point of Abraham 3 is you can move orbits, you can come closer and closer and closer to how God is and who God is. So there's just a little bit of help in understanding Abraham 3.
- [35:27]
B
I think when you read Moses 1:39, it is obviously an explanation of God's work. But you even mentioned this. I think immediately when you find out that God's goal, God's hope, God's dreams are that we become the person we're meant to become, I think it gives us a glimpse into our work. And what. Why we even need work, why God has given us individual purpose, why we're even here. And it's because we are meant to become. And then all of these questions that we begin to ask about our work. Well, why do I struggle so much? Well, why do I need the commandments then? Well, why is there so much suffering on earth? Well, then why do I have to go through this? Then why are you asking me to do things that I don't feel capable of? Why are all of these things building on my work? Why is this my work here? And then there's just seems to be that little whisper from heaven when you read that verse. Oh, it's because you're meant to become something here. It's because he has a glimpse of who you're meant to be. So your work, everything he is going to ask you to do is going to allow you to become the person he hopes you become. And as you read what the work of Moses is, you see who he wants you to become. You get a glimpse of it in verse number six, Moses 1:6. I have a work for you. You are in similitude.
- [36:52]
A
Similitude.
- [36:53]
B
Similitude of mine only begotten. He is the Savior. He is full of grace and truth. But like what we know about Jesus is he sacrificed, he suffered. And our work is going to include a glimpse. Nothing compared to that, obviously, but we're gonna suffer while we're here. He's gonna ask us to sacrifice things, and that's nothing he didn't ask Jesus to do, even just a penny of what he asked Jesus to do. But our work here is going to be difficult. We're gonna sacrifice. He's gonna have something individual and specific for us to do so we can become the person we're meant to become. You see it even more specifically for an individual, I think, in verse 25 and 26, these verses, we read them with, like, a little grin on our face because we know Moses story. But before that, God was just almost whispering, like, a glimpse and an idea and a dream of who Moses would become. He says, blessed are you, Moses, for I, the Almighty, have chosen you. I have a work for you. I know exactly who you are. You are numbered. And then he says, oh, and can.
- [37:58]
A
I throw this in real fast? Because I was thinking this earlier, and I wanted to just. In every chapter in the journal, there's. At the beginning, we give a name, and what that name means in ancient language, in Hebrew. And for this chapter, we picked Moses. And it says drawn out. And it's, I think, in reference to him being pulled out of the river, right? Or, you know, but there is a chosen. There is a picked kind of, like, feel to that, right? To be drawn out. Like, you were preserved. You were saved. You were. You were set aside for this particular purpose. So I think it's cool that Moses's name actually teaches. Means this whole idea about you. Were you chosen? I've chosen you. Yeah.
- [38:41]
B
Oh, so cool. And then he says this. And you will be made stronger than many waters, for they shall obey thy command as if thou were God. And we, like, Moses was probably like. In my head, I love to imagine this conversation between Moses and God, because I bet Moses was like, oh, that sounds really good. And then all of a sudden, it's like, but why do I care to be stronger than water? Like, he's like, especially.
- [39:08]
A
Especially living in a desert. Yeah. You're just like, okay, of all the.
- [39:12]
B
Gifts, like, give me something good.
- [39:14]
A
Like, I need something bigger, better.
- [39:16]
B
Let me, like, speak really good. Let me, like, understand things. Let me have, like, this, like, gift of discernment. And instead, God's like, you're gonna be stronger than water. And I just. Like, in my soul, what I know about God is like, God was smirking when he gave him that line. Like, he's like, oh, you're gonna have no idea. And Moses is probably like, okay, what will I do with that? I don't exactly know. But we know because we get the full story. And what I love is that God's gonna say your work in verse 26. And lo, I am with you even until the end of your days, for you will deliver my people from bondage, even Israel, my chosen. He says, moses, your work is going to be to save my people. You are going to be called to deliver them, to stand up and do things that I need you to do, save people I need you to save. And I'm going to be with you even so much that I will give you gifts to accomplish things that you never would have been able to accomplish on your own. I will give you gifts that you don't even know know that you need to be asking for right now. You do not know that you need to be stronger than the Red Sea. But I know what I'm calling you to do. I know who I'm calling you to become. And I will give you exactly the gifts you need to accomplish what I've asked you to accomplish. And the more you go through, you're going to see more works. There's another one. I'm pretty sure that it's an Abraham 3. Let me just make sure that that's true. That talks about verse number 25, Abraham 3. 25. And we will approve them herewith to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them. And it comes to this level that you're like, okay, well, like, why is my work. Why is God going to ask me to obey him? Why is he giving me commandments? Why is my work limited to what God has commanded me to do? And I think that you will not understand your work if you don't first understand his. His work is asking you to become something. So when he asks you to do things, when he commands something of you, when he gives you your work. And part of your work will be obedience. That's true. Biblically, that's true. Doctrinally, that's true. Our work is going to require obedience. You remember that he is not just asking you to be obedient for no reason. He's saying, I know who I need you to be. The reason I'm asking you of things, the reason I'm like, commanding you to do things is because I know who you will become. And I think that you will understand your work better if you first understand his. And you get a glimpse of that in Abraham 3 and Moses 1.
- [41:53]
A
Well, and I think that's a verse that will come up in church and in thought and discussion, because it's really famous and it almost seems to say, as if the purpose of Earth is to prove people, is to test people. And I want to say back to that discussion earlier. I was like, you might pick that as your word, and that would be true, that God has, you know, given us agency and a chance, a chance for choosing here. Right. And proving, but not for the sake of just testing. God's not making life on earth a test of choice, just simply to have a test of choice, but because in the choosing, we become something. Right? Yep. And I, and I love that idea. And I also love this idea about obedience. Just as you were talking to almost say that obedience is, is a form of trust. It's a way of saying, okay, I trust you. I trust that you're almighty and you're endless and you're good. And I'm going to trust what you say because I know that you know me. Yeah. Yes. Yeah, yeah. And I know you have my best intentions. So I'm going to give my heart over to you and I'm going to give my will over to you. Because what you can do with my heart and will is better than what I can do with it. So obedience really is a way of us saying, I'm putting my life and my heart into your hands to see what you can do with it. And because I trust you can do something better. And the scriptures are full of stories of people who, Moses says, okay, I trust you. I'll go, I guess. But I, I don't know what this is going to look like. We do. And we're like, you know, shouting, go, Moses. Say yes, Moses. You know, because we know. But, but when we're in Moses shoes, we're just like, okay, I, I, I, I don't see the end of this. But I, I trust you. And, and I'm gonna go, and I'm gonna, I'm gonna do this. And so I, I, I think maybe we end with that line that you read, which is so good, that 26, you know, which is his promise. Oh, back in Moses, chapter one. I'm with you even until the end of your days when we talk about God's work and then we talk about my work. You know, sometimes it might be, we might be tempted to think like, oh, I did this, or whatever. And I think God's giving us the dignity of being a part of it. And it's, you know, and we have to, we have to choose this for ourselves. We have to give ourselves, you know, over to God. But I love that. He's just not saying, like, hey, this is my job. And then that's your job. But rather he's like, we're doing this together, right? I. You're, you're my son, and we are going to. And until the very end of your days, I am going to be with you through the hard, through the mistakes, through the victories, through every part of it, I am, I'm going to be with you. And just a reminder about, you know, as we start with, oh, I'm almighty, I'm endless. I'm, you know, I'm unapproachable. He says, no, I'm, I'm approachable. I'm available, and I'm going to be with you all the way until, until the very end. You know, it's a good plan. Yeah. So good, good, good chapters, you guys. I told you the Old Testament. We told you. I didn't just tell you is so good. So many relatable, so many encouraging lessons in here, and this is just lesson number one. So we're excited to see you next week. If you want to follow along in everything we're doing, you can find us on Instagram at Don't miss this study, at this week's Grace and at MrDave Butler.
- [45:22]
B
And if you want to subscribe to the app or get our weekly newsletter, all of the information can be found@don'tmissthisudy.com.
- [45:27]
A
See you next week.