Levity
Where is your heart?
“And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received” (DnC 84:54)
Before anything else I would like you to know that this speech was made for me and it is with great humility that I share this learning, its content is strong and reflective. May the Holy Spirit be strongly in our midst so that we may all be edified with this message, where words are lacking, may the Spirit be upon us.
Cain and Abel received the prophecy about the Designated Seed in which they should understand what kind of sacrifice would be made (Sealed Book of Moses 3:29)
Here we have two examples, one who was diligent and the other who was frivolous. We know that Abel paid extreme attention to prophecy, his body was full of light and all body full of light understands all things. (DnC 88:67)
God, refused Cain's offer, because he treated this prophecy lightly. His only desire was to surpass his brother Abel, to have his emblems accepted by God, as proof, according to his own feelings, of being better than his brother. He later becomes the first murderer by taking Abel's life as a sign of rebellion and opposition to God, as an offering, a sacrifice that would not be refused by Aija. Cain loved satan more than God, because satan promised to serve his personal interests.
We learn in the Sealed Book that while Cain created dogmas, Abel created doctrines.
(Sealed Book of Moses 3:30)
That the enemy of all righteousness has created an emotional parallel so that God's children can confuse the noble divine feelings with the simple desires of their hearts, thus exchanging the right motivations for a fleeting sense of grandeur in their way of feeling and thinking.
“And so, from the dawn of time, Cain and Abel foreshadow the two priestly castes in relation to the wicked priests of the Mahan class and the righteous men of the priesthood of the Son of God, that exist from the beginning and will exist until the end of time. Just like me, Moses, could see with my own eyes the similar power of the Mahan priests from Egypt in relation to the priesthood power of the Son of God resting upon me." (Sealed Book of Moses 3:50)
On a reflection level:
What can we learn from this experience?
What kind of priestly caste are we serving?
Yes, there being only two, by allowing oneself feelings contrary to the feelings derived from God's name, the inclination will tend toward Mahan. So, we have to see this example and understand that true worship comes from within, we cannot truly serve God if in our hearts there are parallel feelings and intensions (?). The feelings that govern the highest Heavenly characteristics were established even before the foundation of the world to interact with human sensibility, this gift had been granted to everyone, even those who do not possess the priesthood authority, which is our sure guide, light in the darkness.
Is there levity among us in these last days?
Are we subject to false interpretations?
Man is what he desires in his heart. Where is our heart?
Why does being obedient to God's laws and commandments bring us blessings and holiness?
Brothers and sisters, to be obedient requires sacrifice. We sacrifice our wills, our desires, our ego, for something greater. And only when we are obedient, we become worthy bearers of a broken heart and a contrite spirit. These requirements are indispensable for the power of God to be manifested in us and for His blessings to be given to us.
Now, moving forward a little in history, let's pause for a moment at Moses. When the prophet went away from the people to climb Mount Sinai for 40 days, the Israelites, pressured Aaron to build an idol that would walk ahead of the people.
“Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.” (Acts 7:40)
How could the creature create the creator? Do you see the similarity with Cain's offer?
Breaking the law, personal dogmas, envy, yes because at that moment the prophet Moses was talking to God himself, they desired in their hearts a tangible and manipulable God. In other words, in their hearts there was no memory of all the miracles performed by the prophet through the power of God, who had delivered them, there was no gratitude. They had come out of Egypt, but Egypt was still within them.
In what way can we compare ourselves to the Israelites under Moses?
Is it when we receive an assignment from the prophet and try to advise him to do it differently, or when we criticize a revelation, believing it could be another way, or when we try to do the things of God our way? Remember Moses' reaction, when he returns with the tablets containing the commandments, seeing all the people in worship of a golden idol? Can anyone try to imagine the pain and disappointment when he saw that Egypt was rooted in his people? That Babylon had not been totally destroyed, but was there before their eyes as they worshiped, offered burnt offerings and committed idolatry?
Moses broke the tablets of the law that God Himself had written, he did it because he knew that in the face of all that sin the people would be cursed and all that knowledge would be of no value to them. And today? How are we treating the knowledge we have received? Why are there still sealed scriptures? Are we still making the same mistakes? Isn't it time to break this cycle? Or are we going to wait for the Lord to curse us for being frivolous? Forty years in the wilderness was the punishment of the people who perished before they even reached the promised land, Canaan.
The restored church received a condemnation for treating the book of Mormon and its teachings with levity, vanity and unbelief, and for this they did not get the knowledge that we are receiving today, with the translation of the first sealed part. What about us whose mission is to build the heavenly Zion?
Now, in the final part of my speech, I share the words of our current prophet, Maurício Artur Berger.
“On April 6, 1830, baptized members from everywhere, USA, Canada, England, traveled many times for months thousands of miles, some crossing the vast ocean and others across desert plains or wild prairies. Hostile territories, and they did this, putting their own lives and those of their families at risk with only one intent in their hearts, to be present at the conference.
To see for themselves the prophet Joseph speak, because of the message that the elders left from the book of Mormon to their searchers. But mostly because of the enthusiasm with which they bore witness to a living prophet among them.
In fact, the missionaries of that time, having such a high regard for the living word of the prophet, pledged their names in a document signed by them and given to the researchers, promising that if they could only be at the conference and hear a few words from Brother Joseph, that the Holy Spirit would not only testify to them that he was an authentic prophet of the Lord, but also promise them that through the prophet in the pupit, God Himself would speak to their hearts.
But what about today? Can we revive this promise among the seekers of the second invitation?
Because I could, without a shadow of a doubt, take your thoughts back to the beginning and lead your minds to the highest level of knowledge that can exist on this earth. From the act of creation to the final extent of the exaltation of your spirits. I could, here and now, or at any moment explain about the deepest mysteries of the Gospel of Christ, or who knows yet, approach about complex themes such as life in other worlds, after all it was the Lord Jesus himself, who said that in our FATHER's house there are many mansions. Yes, because of this, we could revive the invitation to the new members to be in the conference and hear the prophet expose a knowledge that until now has not reached the general knowledge of the children of men.
And those who pay attention to my simple words, may at any moment have a start, which will completely change your understanding about everything you imagine you know so far.”.
Am I listening to the prophet?
Am I desiring to make history when I should only desire to be obedient?
Am I understanding what the prophet says?
Has he not been clear enough?
Or, are his instructions not comfortable for me?
Where is my heart?
Where is yours?
What am I allowing myself to feel?
Let us not be lighthearted toward this wonderful work, let us be obedient and courageous, because there is no room for less than that.
“I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.”. (DnC 82:10)
May we have the discernment to ponder which kind of servant we are. One who divides and multiplies, or one who collects for himself. Be careful about the feelings that we allow into our hearts, we should not treat them only with words from our mouths. When we try to explain a feeling and we don't find the words, then we will know, what transformation has begun, because it comes from inside and because the spiritual is not explained, it is felt.
Let us not be like Cain, who became a slave to bad feelings by being frivolous in seeking what pleased him, let us not be like Moses' Israelites who, even though God blessed them and led them safely out of captivity by means of a prophet, still, when he went away to climb the mountain, these same people broke laws and commandments by allowing feelings contrary to those they were taught.
We have a living prophet, instructing us and revealing God's will and plans, and I am sure that if we are obedient, we will be blessed like Enoch's people or more. We must treat this work of the second invitation with seriousness, respect and diligence and then we will continue to see God speak through the prophet Maurice, who like Moses will lead us safely. May we be courageous and committed, we will not have another opportunity after this eleventh hour. The time is now, it is today, so find out where your heart is and take back the mastery of what you allow yourself to feel and treasure inside.
The path has been marked out, but it is you who decides to follow it, don't be afraid to deconstruct and reconstruct as many times as necessary.
And now, to finish this speech, I share my testimony from spirit to spirit, before heaven and all the congregation, I declare that this work of the second invitation is true and has Jesus Christ himself as its architect. I know this because I have searched for it myself. I can testify that the sealed book is true and that it has been translated by the power of God. Even though I have not seen the plates, its contents touched me so deeply that it was impossible not to recognize God's hands and power in the words that were written. I know with every cell in my body, with the blood that runs through my veins, that the translator, yes, Maurício Artur Berger, is a seer and revelator prophet, and I recognize his authority on this earth. I was in Palhoça to receive a testimony, and when he laid his hands on my head and confirmed me a member of Christ's church, I felt, felt a heavenly power like no other and instantly recognized his prophetic mantle. I wish I could describe it accurately but, I cannot find words to express this experience. Experiences so real and profound, that's why I say where words are lacking, may the Spirit be upon us.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.