lesson 8: "the restoration of the priesthood"

7/30/2019 Lesson 8: "The Restoration of the Priesthood"

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To download past handouts, go to: highlandvalleysundayschoolnotes2012.blogspot.com

#1 President Brigham Young:The Priesthood of the Son of

God, which we have in our midst,is a perfect order and system ofgovernment, and this alone can

deliver the human family from all the evilswhich now afflict its members, and insurethem happiness and felicity hereafter.(Discourses of Brigham Young, 130)

#2It is the purpose of the high or holy

priesthood to bring the children of Godback into his presence both in this lifeand in the world to come. The ordinances(rites or rituals) of the priesthood are de-signed to prepare both men and womento stand in the presence of God. (JosephFielding McConkie, Revelations of the Restoration, 591)

#3 President Stephen L. Rich-

ards: The Priesthood is usuallysimply defined as the power ofGod delegated to man....Thisdefinition, I think is accurate. But

for practical purposes I like to define thePriesthood in terms of service and I fre-quently call it the perfect plan of ser-vice.(Thomas S. Monson, Duty Calls, Ensign, May 1996, 43))

#4Although John is loosely mentionedas having conferred the Aaronic Priest-hood, Joseph was specific in outlining thetwofold nature of this confirmation say-ing, he laid his hands upon my head, andordained me to a Priest after the order ofAaron, and to hold the keys of this Priest-

#5As the Melchizedek Priesthood holdsthe keys or authority to perform the ordi-nances by which men come into the presence of God, so the Aaronic Priesthoodholds the authority to perform the ordi-

nances by which we are preparedto receive the ministration of an-gels. For instance, Joseph Smithsaid, All Priesthood is Melchizede

hood. Differentiating between the authoity and the keys conferred on this occa-

sion, Elder Bruce R. McConkie noted,When John came, he did two things, Hconferred upon Joseph and Oliver theAaronic Priesthoodhe gave them au-thority. The second thing that he did wato give them the keys of the priesthood,the keys of presidency, the right to pre-side in the Aaronic Priesthood, and the

right to authorize either themselves orsomeone else to use the priesthood,within the field and scope that people aentitled to use that particular priesthoodAs keys are not always conveyed whenpriesthood is conferred, President JosepF. Smith emphasized that, a distinctionmust be carefully made between the geeral authority, and the directing of the la

bors performed by that authority [i.e.,keys].(Robert E. Millet and Kent P. Jackson, Studies inScripture, 1:88-89)


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but there are different portions or degreesof it. That portion which brought Moses tospeak with God face to face was takenaway; but that which brought the ministryof angels remained. (Teachings, 80-81)Elder Dallin H. Oaks explained: In general,

the blessings of spiritual compan-ionship and communication areonly available to those who areclean...Through the AaronicPriesthood ordinances of baptism

and the sacrament, we are cleansed of our

sins and promised that if we keep ourcovenants we will always have His Spirit tobe with us. I believe that promise not only

refers to the Holy Ghost but also to theministering of angels, for angels speak bythe power of the Holy Ghost So it is thatthose who hold the Aaronic Priesthood

open the door for all Church members whoworthily partake of the sacrament to enjoythe companionship of the Spirit of the Lordand the ministering of angels Angelic

messages can be delivered by a voice ormerely by thoughts or feelings communi-

cated to the mind(CR, Oct. 1998)

#6 President Wilford Woodruff: Iwent out as a priest, and mycompanion as an elder, and wetraveled thousands of miles, andhad many things manifested to

us. I desire to impress upon you the factthat it does not make any differencewhether a man is a priest or an apostle, ifhe magnifies his calling. A priest holds thekey of the ministering of angels. Never inmy life, as an apostle, as a seventy, or asan elder, have I ever had more of the pro-tection of the Lord than while holding the

#7 In a letter by Addison Everett, 1881he relates that he overheard a conversation between Joseph and his brother Hyrum a few days before their martyrdom

which Joseph told how he and Oliver habeen arrested at Colesville for preachingand were being held at the home of theJustice of the Peace. Their attorney, Mr.Reid, helped them escape through a window as a mob had begun to gather infront of the house. Everett goes on tosay, it was night and they traveledthrough brush and water and mud, fell

over logs, etc., until Oliver was ex-hausted; then Joseph helped him alongthrough brush and water, almost carryinhim. They traveled all night, and just atthe break of day Oliver gave out entirelyand exclaimed, O Lord! Brother Joseph,how long have we got to endure thisthing? They sat down on a log to rest

and Joseph said that at that very time Pter, James, and John came to them andordained them to the Apostleship. Theyhad 16 or 17 miles to go to get back toMr. Hales, his father-in-laws, but Oliverdid not complain any more of fatigue.

Elder Erastus Snow gave a similar account of Joseph and Olivers experience a conference address delivered in 1882:It was at a period when they were beinpursued by their enemies and had totravel all night, and in the dawn of thecoming day when conferring upon themthe Apostleship, the keys of which theythemselves had held while upon theearth, which had been bestowed uponthem by the Savior.(Studies in Scripture, 1:92-9

office as a priest(Discourses, 300)


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#8The conferral of the keys of the dispen-sation of the fulness of times was an ap-

pointment for Joseph and Oliver to presidejointly over this last and most glorious dis-

pensation. Aside from these keys beingtaken from Oliver when he lost his standing

in the Church and given to Josephs olderbrother Hyrum , these keys were not passedon to others, but continue to reside with Jo-

seph and Hyrum. Presiding under Adam,who holds the keys of all dispensations un-

der the direction of Jesus Christ, they willstand throughout eternity at the head of thisdispensation. (Studies in Scripture, 1:96-97)

#9 President Joseph FieldingSmith: The reason Zachariascould not ordain John is becauseof the fact that John received cer-tain keys of authority which his

father, Zacharias, did not possess. There-fore this special authority had to be con-ferred by this heavenly messenger, whowas duly authorized and sent to confer it.Johns ordination was not merely the be-stowal of the Aaronic Priesthood, whichhis father held, but also the conferring ofcertain essential powers peculiar to thetime among which was the authority tooverthrow the kingdom of the Jews andto make straight the way of the Lord.Moreover, it was to prepare the Jews and

other Israelites for the coming of the Sonof God. This great authority required aspecial ordination beyond the delegatedpower that had been given to Zachariasor any other priest who went before him,so the angel of the Lord was sent to Johnn his childhood to confer it.(Answers to Gospel

Questions, 5:2)

#10 President Joseph Fielding Smith:Today the question is, which is thegreaterthe High Priest or the Seventy,the Seventy or the High Priest? I tell youthat neither of them is the greater, andneither of them is the lesser. Their call-ings lie in different directions, but theyare from the same Priesthood. If it werenecessary, the Seventy, holding the Mel-chizedek Priesthood, as he does, I say IIT WERE NECESSARYhe could ordain High Priest; and if it were necessary for High Priest to ordain a seventy, he coulddo that. Why? Because both of them ho

the Melchizedek Priesthood. Then againif it were necessarythough I do not expect the necessity will ever ariseandthere was no man left on earth holdingthe Melchizedek Priesthood except anElder, that Elder, by the inspiration of thSpirit of God, and by the direction of theAlmighty, could proceed, and should proceed, to organize the Church of JesusChrist in all its perfection, because heholds the Melchizedek Priesthood. But thhouse of God is a house of order, andwhile the other offices remain in theChurch, we must observe the order of thPriesthood, and we must perform ordi-nances and ordinations strictly in accor-dance with that order, as it has been es-

tablished in the Church through the in-strumentality of the Prophet Joseph Smand his successors.(CR, October 1903)


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D&C LESSON 8 OUTLINE

Needed: Disney Ticket, pen, Temple Recommend

~Does anyone in here like Disneyland?

Its really expensive, these days, isnt it?! Well, youll be thrilled to know that I havehere a 4-day family passport to Disneyland to give away to one of you!

-Dont worry that its for Tokyo Disney,-or that it expires in 2005

Ill just cross that out (write never above expiration date) and sign it Meg Crofton

You know Meg is the president of Worldwide Operations for Disney Parks and ResortIm sure she wont mind if I just sign her name right here. Okay! Now thisll be good

at any Disney park in the world!~Whats wrong with this scenario? (no authority from Disney Corporation) ~But what if Im very sincere, and genuine in my desire to bring happiness to

one of you?Obviously my point is that in the same way we cannot presume to act as Gods reprsentative without His priesthood authority. This lesson will focus on the organizationof the priesthood and its keys. Lesson 25 will be about the oath and covenant of thepriesthood and how individuals can lose this authority through unrighteous dominionetc.

We all know the priesthood is the authority to act in Gods name.~But what is the overall purpose of the priesthood? (to bring back into Gods

presence eternally, see Moses 1:36)We also know that Heavenly Father is not a God of confusion. Thousands of churcheall claiming to be organized in His name and teaching conflicting doctrines is confus-ng, is it not?

D&C 132:8

The organization of the priesthood is the order of Gods house. Lets read BrighamYoungs words about it:

Quotations #1-3

Now lets get into how the priesthood was restored to the earth. We know that almoevery revelation comes in response to a question.

~What were the circumstances that brought about the restoration of the Aaronpriesthood? (While translating the Book of Mormon, Joseph and Oliver re


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about baptism and wanted to ask about it)~Where did they go to pray? (in the woods by the Susquehanna River)~Who came to them? (John the Baptist)~Why? (He was the last to hold the keys of the Aaronic priesthood, though no

the last to hold the Aaronic priesthood. Well explain keys in a bit)

The major function of the Aaronic, or lesser, priesthood is to prepare Israel to receivthe Melchizedek, or greater, priesthood. John the Baptist prepared the way for Chriswho held the keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood. Now John is restoring these keys preparation for Christs second coming. (See Matthew 17:11-13)

~Is there a difference between receiving the Aaronic Priesthood and receivingthe keys of that priesthood?

D&C 13:1Lets look closely at how Joseph Smith described this confirmation:

Quotation #4~Who holds all the keys? (the prophet)

I like how Mormon Doctrine clarifies it: a seventy who presides over a mission has more priesthood than a seventy who labors under his direction; and the president oan elders quorum, for example, has no more priesthood than any member of thatquorum. But he holds the power of directing the official labors performed in the mis-sion or the quorum (p. 411) Its a divvying up of stewardships and providing theauthority and power to carry them out.

Now lets talk about what the Aaronic priesthood enables us to do, and its not insignificant!

D&C 13:1 (again)

What are the keys of this priesthood? (ministering of angels)Quotation #5

In the early history of the Church, those holding the office of a priest were occasionally called to serve as missionaries. This was the case with Wilford Woodruff, who ha

this to say about it:Quotation #6

The Aaronic Priesthood was restored 15 May 1829.~Do we know when the Melchizedek Priesthood was restored? (no, but likely

within about 2 weeks.)~Who restored it? (Peter, James and John)~We know Peter and James were resurrected beings, what about John?


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(translated)An interesting 2nd had description of what happened comes to us from AddisonEverett:

Quotation #7~Just so were clear, what 3 things did Peter, James and John commit to Josep

and Oliver? ( Melchizedek Priesthood, keys of that priesthood, keys of the

dispensation of the fulness of times, or the apostleshipthese keys are tdistinctive characteristic of the apostleship, see Revelations of the Restoration, 203)

D&C 27:12-13~What did those keys enable Joseph and Oliver to do, that no one else was au

thorized to do? (organize the Church of God on the earth, or begin a newdispensation!)

Quotation #8~What was Oliver, and then Hyrums calling? (Assistant President, or Co-

President to Joseph, Essentials in Church History, 581)

Its easy to understand why Peter, James and John were needed to restore the Mel-chizedek Priesthood. Its a little more confusing to understand why John the Baptisthad to restore the Aaronic Priesthood. To do so, we need to go back to the Old Testment.

~When Moses was taken out of [Israels] midst, was the Melchizedek Priesthood also taken? (yes, see D&C 84:25)

~So did the prophets after Moses not have the Melchizedek Priesthood? (JosepSmith said: all the prophets had the Melchizedek Priesthood and were odained by God himself(Teachings, 181) So the keys were taken, but the prieshood remained with the prophets)

~And by the way, what keys did Moses confer on Joseph? (the keys of the gatering of Israel, see D&C 110:11)

Back to John the Baptist:D&C 84:28

~Who was he baptized by? (dont know, probably his father)

~Who ordained him? (an angel)~Why not Zacharias, his father? (he didnt have the keys that John needed for

his mission)Quotation #9

There is so much we could discuss about the priesthood! Lets cover one more aspewith this question:

~Which office in the priesthood is greater: the seventy or the high priest?


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Quotation #10

We began our lesson today with a passport to the happiest place on earth.~But where are the greatest blessings of the priesthood to be found? (in the

temple, see D&C 124:40-41)

So, although Disneyland may be considered the happiest place on earth by many,we know that true and eternal happiness is only found in the presence of our Fathern Heaven. Therefore the most valuable passport of all cannot be purchased. Itmust be obtained through personal worthiness (show temple recommend), as determined by Gods authorized servants.That we may obtain THIS passport and keep the priesthood covenants we make inthe temples of God is my prayer...


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lesson 8: "the restoration of the priesthood"

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