SETUP
Computer / Monitor
Confessing aids ________. (forsaking)
If we entertain ________, soon they begin ________ us. (temptations, entertaining)
Matthew 3:1–12. John the Baptist preaches repentance and baptizes, preparing the way of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 3:13–17. Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist.
Matthew 4:1–11. Jesus withstands Satan’s temptations in the wilderness.
John 1:35–51. Some of John the Baptist’s disciples decide to follow Jesus.
Matthew 3:1–12
What was John the Baptist's mission?
Prepare the way of the Lord
How did John prepare the way of the Lord?
Preached repentance and baptized people
v.6 - John teaches them about confessing sins is an important part of repenting and preparing to receive Jesus Christ.
Quote 1 - Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught about the essential role of confession in repentance: “True repentance also includes confession: ‘Now therefore make confession unto the Lord God of your fathers.’ (Ezra 10:11.) One with a broken heart will not hold back. As confession lets the sickening sin empty out, then the Spirit which withdrew returns to renew. “All sins are to be confessed to the Lord, some to a Church official, some to others, and some to all of these. A few may require public confession. Confessing aids forsaking”
v.9 - God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham
The Jews believed that they were the only people who could provide righteous children for Abraham and that only Abraham’s literal descendants could be saved. But John rebuked their pride and unrighteousness by saying that God could raise up descendants of Abraham from stones.
Quote 2 - Elder Bruce R. McConkie gave the following explanation of this statement: “Our Lord’s forerunner is teaching the principle of adoption: that Abraham is ‘the father of all them that believe’ both Jew and Gentile; that through belief in Christ all men become ‘Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise’ that all who believe the gospel shall be accounted as Abraham’s seed and rise up and bless him ‘as their father.’
v.11 - John only had the Aaronic Priesthood
v.12 - Whose Fan Is in His Hand
The “fan” referred to in v.12 is a winnowing fan that was used to toss wheat into the air. This allowed the wheat to be separated from the chaff. Wheat kernels would fall back to the ground while the wind blew the lighter chaff away. The wheat was then gathered into a garner, or storehouse, and the chaff was burned with fire. John the Baptist taught that the Savior, who would come after him, would separate believers from nonbelievers in the same way that wheat was separated from chaff.
Matthew 3:13–17
v.13 - Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
Why was John hesitant to baptize Jesus?
Why did Jesus need to be baptized?
see also 2 Nephi 31:6–12
VIDEO - Baptism of Jesus
How did Jesus Christ’s Baptism Teach about the Godhead?
At the baptism of Jesus Christ, all three members of the Godhead were separately manifest: Jesus was in the water, the voice of Heavenly Father was heard from heaven, and the Holy Ghost descended upon the Savior like a dove.
Did the Holy Ghost Appear as a Dove?
Quote 3 - The Prophet Joseph Smith explained that the Holy Ghost did not appear as a dove after the baptism of Jesus Christ. Rather, the descending dove signified that the Holy Ghost was present on that occasion: “The sign of the dove was instituted before the creation of the world, a witness for the Holy Ghost, and the devil cannot come in the sign of a dove. The Holy Ghost is a personage, and is in the form of a personage. It does not confine itself to the form of the dove, but in sign of the dove. The Holy Ghost cannot be transformed into a dove; but the sign of a dove was given to John to signify the truth of the deed, as the dove is an emblem or token of truth and innocence.
Matthew 4:1–11
Quote 4 - Elder Bruce R. McConkie added these insights into why Jesus went into the wilderness: “Jesus did not go into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil; righteous men do not seek out temptation. He went ‘to be with God.’ Probably he was visited by the Father; without question he received transcendent spiritual manifestations. The temptations came after he ‘had communed with God,’ ‘after forty days’
Satan tempts when we are vulnerable.
When God has revealed Himself to a mortal, as recorded in the scriptures, Satan has often also revealed himself, seeking to diminish God’s influence. At the beginning of His ministry, the Savior went into the wilderness “to be with God”. While He was there, Satan came to tempt Him at a time when He was weakened by hunger.
Quote 5 - President Howard W. Hunter explained that Satan’s temptations are often strongest when we are vulnerable: “When Jesus had completed the fast of forty days and had communed with God, he was, in this hungry and physically weakened state, left to be tempted of the devil. … Such a time is always the tempter’s moment—when we are emotionally or physically spent, when we are weary, vulnerable, and least prepared to resist the insidious suggestions he makes. This was an hour of danger—the kind of moment in which many men fall and succumb to the subtle allurement of the devil”
Jesus Christ Gave No Heed to Satan’s Temptations
Quote 6 - Elder Neal A. Maxwell said of the Savior’s example in resisting temptation: “By emulating the Master, who endured temptations but ‘gave no heed unto them’, we, too, can live in a world filled with temptations ‘such as are common to man’. Of course Jesus noticed the tremendous temptations that came to Him, but He did not process and reprocess them. Instead, he rejected them promptly. If we entertain temptations, soon they begin entertaining us!”.
Quote 7 - President Spencer W. Kimball taught that showing interest in sin can make us more vulnerable to being tempted: “It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the devil to enter a door that is closed. He seems to have no keys for locked doors. But if a door is slightly ajar, he gets his toe in, and soon this is followed by his foot, then by his leg and his body and his head, and finally he is in all the way”.
Scripture Study and Obedience Help Us Overcome Temptation
The Savior’s response to each of Satan’s temptations included the phrase, “It is written”. Christ’s knowledge of the scriptures was part of what had prepared and strengthened Him to turn aside from temptation. The Savior later taught, “Whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived”.
John 1:35–51
v.46. “Can There Any Good Thing Come Out of Nazareth?”
Nazareth was a small village of approximately 200 to 400 residents, situated 15 miles west of the Sea of Galilee and 20 miles east of the Mediterranean Sea. Archaeological remains indicate that no paved roads existed in the village, nor did any significant social, political, or economic activity occur there. While Nazareth was commonly thought of as insignificant by many people during the Savior’s lifetime, it became known later in New Testament times as the hometown of the Redeemer of mankind. Nathanael’s question about whether any good thing could come from Nazareth reflected the thinking of many others.
Quote 8 - President Thomas S. Monson posed an answer to Nathanael’s question:
“From Nazareth came he who made blind men to see, lame beggars to walk—even the dead to live. He set before us an example to emulate. He lived the perfect life. He taught the glad tidings that changed the world. …
“Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?
“From Nazareth came example.
“From Nazareth came sight.
“From Nazareth came strength.
“From Nazareth came life.
“From Nazareth came faith.
“From Nazareth came peace.
“From Nazareth came courage.
“From Nazareth came Christ”.
v.47. Without Guile
Quote 9 - Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained what it means to be without guile: “To be without guile is to be free of deceit, cunning, hypocrisy, and dishonesty in thought or action. To beguile is to deceive or lead astray, as Lucifer beguiled Eve in the Garden of Eden. A person without guile is a person of innocence, honest intent, and pure motives, whose life reflects the simple practice of conforming his daily actions to principles of integrity. To be without guile is to be pure in heart—an essential virtue of those who would be counted among true followers of Christ. If we are without guile, we are honest, true, and righteous. All of these are attributes of Deity and are required of the Saints. Those who are honest are fair and truthful in their speech, straightforward in their dealings, free of deceit, and above stealing, misrepresentation, or any other fraudulent action. I believe the necessity for the members of the Church to be without guile may be more urgent now than at other times because many in the world apparently do not understand the importance of this virtue”
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles discussed what we can learn about being disciples from the experiences Jesus’s disciples had as He called them to follow Him:
VIDEO - Come Follow Me
CLOSING
The invitation to “come and see” the Savior is extended to each of us. We can accept that invitation by repenting, being baptized, keeping our baptismal covenants, and withstanding temptation.
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