2024 April General Conference, Sunday Afternoon Session

It Is Wisdom in the Lord That We Should Have the Book of Mormon

President Mark L. Pace
Sunday School General President

Main Points

  • It is my prayer that reading the Book of Mormon this year will be a joy and a blessing for each of us.
  • Study implies effort.
  • We can have a personal experience with the love of God by prayerfully studying the Book of Mormon.
  • We need the Book of Mormon every day.

Gospel Principles taught

 Jesus Christ, Agency, The Holy Ghost, Prayer, Scriptures, Second Coming

Gospel Doctrine taught

Prophets and Revelation, Prophets

Scriptures

Doctrine and Covenants 64:33, Doctrine and Covenants 11:13, Moses 5:12–16, Daniel 2:34–35, 44–45; Doctrine and Covenants 65:2, Doctrine and Covenants 50:22; see also verses 17–21, Jacob 1:3–4, Jacob 4:6, 1 Nephi 5:21–22, 1 Nephi 8:14–16,  2 Nephi 25:26, Doctrine and Covenants 6:22–24

Other Sources

Related talks: 

Look for Jesus Christ:

  • Testimony of Christ.
    • Heavenly Father lives. Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. The Book of Mormon contains His words and conveys His love. President Russell M. Nelson is the Lord’s living prophet on the earth today. I know these things to be true because of the confirming witness of the Holy Ghost, which witness I first received while reading the Book of Mormon as a boy. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Inspiring Words & Phrases

  • Your daily connection with God and His word has profound consequences.
  • Now, today, we live in the dispensation of the fulness of times. This is the only dispensation that will not end in an apostasy. It is this dispensation that will usher in the Second Coming of the Savior Jesus Christ and His millennial reign. So, what’s different about this dispensation? What has the Lord provided us today, especially for our time, that will help us draw near to the Savior and never leave Him? One answer that comes to my mind is the scriptures—and particularly the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
  • While God has promised there will never be another general apostasy, we need to be mindful and careful to avoid a personal apostasy—remembering, as President Russell M. Nelson has taught, “We are each responsible for our individual spiritual growth.”
  • Studying the Book of Mormon, as we are doing this year, always brings us closer to the Savior—and helps us stay close to Him.
  • Sometimes reading the Book of Mormon is just about feeling connected to God today—nourishing the soul, being strengthened spiritually before heading out to face the world, or finding healing after a rough day out in the world.
  • The great worth and spiritual power of the scriptures continue undimmed in our lives today.
  • There has never been a people in history with the access to the Book of Mormon and other scriptures that we enjoy today.
  • The most important copy of the Book of Mormon is our personal copy. It is the copy that we read.
  • From the time I started reading the Book of Mormon, I felt that Heavenly Father was aware of my efforts. And I felt that I mattered to Him. As I read and prayed, comfortable, peaceful feelings rested upon me. Chapter by chapter, the light of faith was growing brighter inside my soul. In time, I realized that these feelings were confirmations of truth from the Holy Ghost. I came to know for myself that the Book of Mormon is true and that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world.
  • Nephi said it right. It was wisdom in the Lord that we should carry the scriptures with us throughout our lives. The Book of Mormon is the “keystone” that makes this dispensation different from all previous dispensations.

Lists

Reading the Savior’s teachings in the scriptures:

  • Helps us transform our homes into sanctuaries of faith
  • Helps us transform our homes into centers of gospel learning
  • Invites the Spirit into our homes
  • Enables the Spirit to fill our souls with joy
  • Enables the Spirit to convert us into lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ

Reading in the holy books of scripture, we find the following pattern in every dispensation:

  • God restores or reveals the gospel of Jesus Christ through His prophets. 
  • The people follow the prophets and are greatly blessed. 
  • Over time, some people stop heeding the words of the prophets and distance themselves from the Lord and His gospel. This is what we call apostasy. 
  • We see a pattern of restoration and apostasy repeated in the dispensations of Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and others.

President Nelson’s promises to those who study the Book of Mormon prayerfully every day:

  • You will make better decisions every day
  • The windows of Heaven will open
  • You will receive answers to your own questions
  • You will receive direction for your own life

Invitations/Challenges

  •  It is my prayer that reading the Book of Mormon this year will be a joy and a blessing for each of us and will draw us ever nearer to the Savior.

Warnings

  • we need to be mindful and careful to avoid a personal apostasy 

Blessings/Promises

  •  Studying the Book of Mormon, as we are doing this year, always brings us closer to the Savior—and helps us stay close to Him.
  • We study the scriptures so the Holy Ghost, the great teacher, can deepen our conversion to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and help us become more like Them.
  • “Heavenly Father wants you to know for yourself. But you must put in the effort. You need to read the Book of Mormon and pray to know by the Holy Ghost. Heavenly Father will answer your prayers.”
  • As we study the Book of Mormon and follow the living prophet, there will be no personal apostasy in our lives.

Stories:

  • The story of Lehi’s vision of the tree of life. This vision teaches us how important it is that we have a personal experience with the love of God. Lehi was an intentional parent – he led his children to partake of the fruit with clear directions so he couldn’t be misunderstood.
  • President Pace had a similar experience with his mother, who instructed him to work to know for himself that the gospel is true. “Her question ignited in me a desire to know for myself.” He read from the Book of Mormon every night before going to bed, then knelt and prayer to know of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon

Equations:

  • IF ‘we improve our learning at home’ THEN ‘we improve our teaching at Church’
  • IF ‘it was wise for Lehi and his family to have the scriptures’ THEN ‘it is just as wise for us today’

Application Ideas

  1. “What has the Holy Ghost taught us this week during our study of the Book of Mormon?” Write your answer in your journal or scripture journal.
  2. Ask yourself, “How does what I studied this week bring me closer to the Savior?” Write your answers in your journal.
  3. How can you have a personal experience with the love of God this week?
  4. How can you increase your experience with the Book of Mormon this week?

 

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