Written by Harm Wierda
I'm happy to be able to share a few words with you. I want to start with Psalm 23, The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. Why is it that we shouldn't want?
It is because we feel at our place. We feel at peace, we have our bellies filled. We are not Not thirsty or anxious of neighbors, or bad feelings surrounding us. And because we are familiar with our Lord and Saviour, even Jesus Christ.
So next I want to share something from John 10 about our Good Shepherd. John 10:4.
And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
When I was young, i grew up on a farm and was blessed with cows and horses and sheep, dogs and cats, but especially the sheep, they were moving always as one almost vehicle, like birds in the sky, in a school-like way.
But all the animals had their own call, we used to call the cows with "YU-YU-YU", the sheep with "SIK_SIK_SIK" and the chickens with "KRIEK KRIEK KRIEK", so they knew when we were calling them.
We had to be trustworthy. As their care takers.
And if they would not listen, you could always rattle with the food, and they would come.
That’s why probably why Jesus fed the people first at the beatitudes, with the fish and the bread, and then came the higher food.
So the next is that they know, they know His voice and then verse 9: I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture Verse 11: I am the Good Shepherd. the Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep
14. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15.As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
So this is even more personal for me because this was when my parents were married in 1970, they used this text from John, they used for their wedding sermon, yes, it had an deep impact on my life, so when I did meet the Book of Mormon, 27 years after I as born, I was familiar with this. And now, even now, with The Sealed Book of Mormon , and the sacred text of the Nemenha . So how can we recognize this voice?
I was thinking about this, about the understanding. And it’s so beautiful in The Sealed Book, Acts of the Three Nephites 12:5, where we get additional insight of our Shepard. And Jesus said, as he gazed slightly upon the book Mosiah: “O Elect generation, that shall dwell in the limit of the times, appointed by my Father, to whom these words shall be trusted, when it is time to recover my people, who are a remnant if the house of Israel, fort the last times.” And verse 6: remember the precedents among you,ye, of the days of King Benjamin, that he caused his children to be instructed, that they might become men of understanding, and that they might know of the prophecies which were made by their fathers for the purpose to lead their own children on the path of understanding and having with them these same directives which King Benjamin had with his little ones.” So, only in the final part of the fullness of times, verse 7: Then the people of the covenant in the latter days would remain in ignorance in what it says in respect to the United Order of Enoch. And i was studying this, and thinking about the pure language which also is spoken of in The Sealed Book, the Sealed book of Moses chapter 4: 2, that they began to call on the name of the Lord because it was this time that these men began to relive the true feelings derived from the name of God in their way of feeling bringing a rescue of the priesthood powers of the Son of God among brothers who began to share in common all things, including a language which was pure and virtuous. So, as i was studying this pure language, I sometime do that, i open up scriptures, this fell open at Ezekiel 34, i will read a few verses, this s verse 2: 2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
and verse 10
Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them. 11 For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seek-eth out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. 13 And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.
Dear brothers and sisters, I want to give my testimony that i know and have laid it before the Lord and prayed about it and read about and know this is the work of the God, the Second Invitation and Mauricio Berger is his prophet. And i am so glad, i am so happy, this is an amazing time we live in and i thank you and i hope to mee you soon, dear brothers and sister, thank You, Amen.