Jewish Independence Day - The Passover

Scripture Lesson: Exodus 12:13-14
"And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever."

More than anything else, the Jewish Independence day expresses this one fact: God did it! Their independence day resembles a worship service, not a party. No Israelite armies stood against the mighty Egyptians. Freedom came in the blackest night while Jewish families huddled around the Passover table, their bags packed, waiting for deliverance. For the Jews, independence from the Egyptians meant total dependence on God. God came back to this event to describe Himself through the Bible as: "I am the God who brought you out of Egypt." When the wilderness wanderers ran out of water, God provided (Exodus 17). When food supplies failed, God provided (Exodus 16). When the raiders attacked, God provided. Independence day merely set the tone for a national history that was an active movement to God.

Notice how the details of the Passover paralleled the events surrounding the death of Christ:

The sacrifice must be a lamb (Exodus 12:3)
Christ was the Lamb of God (1 Corinthians 5:7)

The lamb must be without spot or blemish (Exodus 12:5)
Christ was without spot or blemish (1 Peter 1:18-19)

The lamb must be in the prime of life when offered (Exodus 12:5)
Christ was in the prime of His manhood when He died (John 8:57)

Lamb's blood was shed that Israel might have life (Exodus 12:23)
Christ's blood was shed that the world might have life (John 3:16)



"If the things of this world are all an empty show, 'a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.' what is important? The atonement of Jesus Christ - that is the one supreme reality of our life upon this earth!" - Hugh Nibley (OAT, p.6)

"Everything that He did was prompted by His unselfish, infinite love for us" - Ezra Taft Benson

Therefore,

"The principle question before us is not do we comprehend the atonement, but do we accept it" - George Q. Morris (CR, April 1956, p.112)
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I do not mean to come across as being callous, cruel, or mean-spirited, but the older I get, the more discouraged and dishearten I become as I watch some of our young people - the future of our world, place themselves in a proverbial box called defeatism. Unquestionably, some of us have grown up in unfavorable conditions and in an unkind society that constantly reminds us, and in some cases has thoroughly convinced us, that our father never amounted to much, and our mother has never amounted to much, and so, as the proverbial apple never seems to fall far from the tree, we ourselves can expect to never amount to much either.

Where has the time gone? It is hard to believe that in just a few short hours another year will have come and gone and will have taken its place among the annals of history. It seems that with each passing year, though the amount of days and hours remain the same, the hands of time seem to move at a much swifter rate. With all of the incidences that occur in life over the course of a year, sometimes even the swiftest runner in the race can find it difficult to maintain a steady pace.

Wise men of old came from afar asking the timeless question, "Where is he that is born King of the Jews?" (Matthew 2:2). Following the star that they had seen in the east, they were led to where the Christ Child was. Upon their arrival they presented the new born baby with precious gifts of frankincense, gold, and myrrh.

The tiny babe who in Bethlehem’s manger lay was no ordinary child. Some people called Him the son of David. Others called Him the son of Joseph. The scriptures call Him the son of David, the son of Mary, the son of man, the Son of God. He whose name is Immanuel, meaning God is with us, was born to be the King of kings and the Lord of lords. This child was the promised Messiah - even Jesus the Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God.

Every year, 11 November is set aside as the day that we celebrate Veterans Day. The purpose of the day is to pay honor and tribute to the men and women of the Armed Forces who have either served, or are currently serving this great nation of ours by putting their lives on the line to defend and protect the freedoms that we so dearly cherish.

The Apostle Paul Preaching At the Areopagus (Mars Hill)

While on his second missionary journey, the Apostle Paul visited the city of Troas on the Mediterranean coast. While in Troas, a vision appeared to Paul in the night. In that vision "There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us" (Acts 16:9).

I know that someone is going to read the title of this article and their first thought is going to be, "Keith, I think that you might have that a little backwards. Shouldn't the title read "Why do bad things happen to good people?" Perhaps it should, for that seems to be the question that is asked with great frequency these days. People have a hard time understanding why it is that the harder they try, there always seem to be some obstacle that stands in their way of succeeding.

The word “service” can be defined as the action of helping or doing work for someone. “Service” can also be defined as someone’s contribution to the welfare of others. After a long and perhaps arduous week at work and studying in the classroom, most people treasure their weekends as time for themselves to relax, unwind and do some of the things that they enjoy doing.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.

This talk was given on Saturday, September 03, 2011, on the occasion of the baptism of Andrew Jerry Calabrese.
President Gordon Bitner Hinckley
President Gordon Bitner Hinckley
President Gordon Bitner Hinckley
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13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
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The Joseph Smith Papers

On February 25th, 2008, the Church announced the establishment of a new imprint for publishing works that relate to the origin and growth of the Church.

The first project by the Church Historian's Press is The Joseph Smith Papers. This comprehensive series of journals, letters, legal documents, and business papers chronicles the life of Joseph Smith. When finished, this project will include more than 30 volumes.

The first three volumes are scheduled for publication later this year and will include Joseph Smith's early journals.

In time, the published volumes are expected to be made available in their entirety through the Web site Joseph Smith Papers.
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