Jesus said, Follow thou me.

I don’t believe in obedience


Maybe, I’m just a rebel, but I do not believe in doing something for no other reason than someone said I had to, or that I should. Even as a child, I wanted to know why. Why did I need to do the dishes right now? Mom would always tell me, because she said so. That answer infuriated me. It made me think she thought me too stupid to understand. The results were that we were always in opposition.

Fortunately, my father would take the time to explain. For example, he said that a potato cutting placed in the furrow with the eye up, had a better chance of reaching the surface. If the sprout from the eye had to wind its way around the potato it might die trying to find its way up to the sunlight.

He did not have to tell me that would mean wasted work, and a poor harvest if the cuttings were not placed properly. The end result of my father’s approach was trust. He showed me respect by explaining and he gained my respect. I felt I could talk to him about anything and he would explain. With Mom, I had to find the reasons myself. I think we are all a little like that.

I think the same is true with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. If we know them, if we pray, study, meditate and gain a personal relationship with them, then we trust, respect and love them. We have a personal relationship with them and we obey not for the sake of being obedience but out of trust, respect, and love.

In the words of Nephi, after he reminds us that Jesus said; “Follow thou me.” Nephi asks, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall keep the commandments of the Father?” 2 Nephi 31:10

When the Lord scatters the people where do they go?

 In the eleventh chapter, verse one, of Genesis we read “And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.”  V4 “And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto  heaven.” The Lord saw what they were doing and said, “Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. … scattered them abroad … upon the face of the earth.”  

So the people being scattered where did they go?  In chapter 12 of Genesis  he continues  and he says to Abram, “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house , unto a land that I will shew thee.”

From this we see that although the people are scattered,  if they are aware of Him and are righteous and call upon his name he knows where they went -- or where he sent them. Remember he said he would shew Abram the land were he was to go.  The Bible does give an account of Abram who later became Abraham (Genesis 17:5)  In the Book of Mormon there is also a record of a righteous people - the Jaredites -  who  were scattered at the time of the tower of Babel and came to the Americans. The Nephites or the people of Lehi found their record after arriving here.  

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Shortly after Lehi and his group came to the American Continent they split into two groups, the Nephites and the Lamanites. The Nephites were those who believe that the Messiah would come, and followed the teachings of the Scriptures. The Lamanites were for the most part a blood thirsty people who robbed and plundered.

After they had been here eighty –six years, the Nephites became a wicked people. And there came one called Samuel the Lamanite among the Nephites crying repentance and telling them to prepare the way of the Lord. “And behold, there shall a new star arise, such an one as ye never have beheld; and this also shall be a sign unto you.” Helaman 14:5  "And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall believe on the Son of God, the same shall have everlasting life." Helaman 14:8

And so it was about six years later a star arose and there was a,day and a night and a day without darknes that all might know that nearby Jerusalem, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord was born.       

Beliveth thou that the scriptures testify of Christ?

In the book of Jacob chapter 7, in the book of Mormon a man named Sherem comes among the people and attempted to convince them that there was no Christ. That they could not know of things which were to come. This was between 544 and 421 B.C.


Jacob said to him, “Beliveth thou the scriptures? And he said , ‘Yea’”. To this Jacob answered. “Then ye do not understand them for they truly testify of Christ. Behold, I say unto you that none of the prophets have written, not prophesied, save they have spoken concerning this Christ.”

Keep in mind that at this time all the people of Nephi had were the books of Moses, Isaiah, and prophets previous to the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah. Since that time, many books and testaments have been written testifying of Christ-- that he would come, that he did indeed come, that he suffered for us in Gethsemane, that he died on a cross , that he rose from the grave and was seen by many. And we know that he will come again. Amen.

Lehi a prophet in Old Testament times prophesied of Jesus Christ

Lehi was a prophet and spoke much of the Messiah that was to come. He prophesied that the great city of Jerusalem would be destroyed and that many would be carried away into Babylon. In due time they would return.  Six hundred year after Lehi left Jerusalem, a Messiah would come who would save the world.  Many prophets of Old Testament times also prophesied of these things.

  Lehi  like others also spoke of another who would come to prepare the way for the Savior of the world and that this prophet would baptize the Messiah. And afterwards he would behold and bear record that he had baptized the Lamb of God.  

And so we see that the Lord does nothing save he shall tell us, and tell us, and tell us.  We are told in 2 Nephi 26:11 “For the Spirit of the Lord will not always strive with man. And when the Spirit ceaseth to strive with man then cometh speedy destruction...”  

It does not matter if you believe the Book of Mormon or not because you have the Holy Bible which also bears record of the Messiah, the Savior of the world, the Lamb of God even Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the Christ the Eternal God

After Lehi and his company arrived in the Promised Land they split into two groups. The Lamanites (the unbelievers) and the Nephites   (the believers).

Nephi records the following in 2 Nephi 26: 12 :

“I spake concerning the convincing of the Jews, that Jesus is the very Christ. It must needs be that the Gentiles be convinced also that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God: and that he manifest himself unto all those who believe in him by the power of the Holy Ghost;  Yea unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, working mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of men according to their faith. “     

The resurected Christ appears to the Nephits in America

3 Nephi 9: 15 Behold I am Jesus Christ the Son of God, I created the heavens and the earth and all things that in them are.  (18) I am the light and the life of the world.  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. (21) Behold, I have come unto the world to bring redemption unto the world, to save the world from sin.

The Book of Mormon is another testimony of Jesus Christ

There is only one Jesus Christ, only one God, who is of the God Abraham, Isasc and Jacob, the God of the Old Testement and the New Testement.

And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the son of God ...

And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the son of God, the Father of Heaven and earth, the creator of all things from the beginning and his mother shall be called Mary.
Mosiah 3:6

That our children may know what source they may look to for a remission of their sins.

... we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy or Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remision of their sins.  2 Nephi 25:26