Eyes to see and ears to hear

1
Eyes to see and ears to hear

• www.kevinhinckley.com

2
Top 10 Reasons to Vote for Mitt Romney

• 10) The National Cathedral could be renamed
  the National Tabernacle
• 9) NASA could commission a satellite to 'hie
  to Kolob
• 8) He already has a Vice President in mind
• 7) All official government prayers could
  include the phrase 'that we all can get home
  safely
• 6) Napoleon Dynamite could get someone other than
  Pedro elected
• 5) The President could not only explain things in
  Layman's terms, butalso Lemuel's terms
• 4) The President could issue pardons in exchange
  for 100 home teaching
• 3) Not only could he pronounce 'Nuclear' but also
  'Mahonri Moriancumer'and 'Maher Shalal Hash
  Baz'.
• 2) At his inauguration he would swear on the
  Bible 'as far as it istranslated correctly.
• 1) finally a first family large enough to fill up
  the White House

3
Always a Challenge
Family, Classes, Investigators
Our Knowledge and Beliefs
Question What works and doesnt work?
4
Brother Wells, BYUParenting

• Parents are tradition bearers, and one's faith
  must be kept alive and growing in order for it to
  be felt as true to children who listen to them
  and watch them.
• There is strong evidence that narratives, the
  stories we tell or hear, may be our most natural
  register for learning about human behavior. Some
  of the work of David Dollahite of BYU in family
  stories and the research of Richard Bounforte,
  also of BYU, suggest people can teach their
  fundamental beliefs most deeply in personal
  stories, stories in which listeners and the
  storyteller participate together
• (Writing His Law in Their Hearts The Development
  of Religious Faith in Children, 1995 BYU
  Devotional)

5
Matthew 13

• The same day went Jesus out of the
  house, and sat by the sea side.
• And great multitudes were gathered together unto
  him, so that he went into a ship, and sat and
  the whole multitude stood on the shore.
• And he spake many things unto them in parables,
  saying,

6
The Saviors own explanation

• Then the disciples came and said unto him, Why
  speakest thou unto them in parables?
• He answered and said unto them, Because it is
  given unto you to know the mysteries of the
  kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
• For whosoever receiveth, to him shall be given,
  and he shall have more abundance
• But whosoever continueth not to receive, from him
  shall be taken away even that he hath.
• Therefore speak I to them in parables because
  they, seeing, see not and hearing, they hear
  not neither do they understand.
• And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias
  concerning them, which saith, By hearing, ye
  shall hear and shall not understand and seeing,
  ye shall see and shall not perceive.

Question Who is them
Question Where is this verse in Isaiah?
7
The Parable of the Sower

• And he spake many things unto them in
  parables, saying, Behold, a sower went
  forth to sow.

Wait, one more question! Why this parable, right
now?
8
Prophet Joseph Smith

• I have a key by which I understand the
  scriptures. I enquire, what was the question
  which drew out the answer, or caused Jesus to
  utter the parable
• To ascertain its meaning, we must dig up the root
  and ascertain what it was that drew the saying
  out of Jesus."
• (Joseph Fielding Smith, comp. Teachings of the
  Prophet Joseph Smith. 276-77.)

9
The Parable of the Sower (Matt 13)

• The Parable (4-7)
• And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the
  wayside, and the fowls came and devoured them up.
• Some fell upon stony places, where they had not
  much earth and forthwith they sprung up and
  when the sun was up, they were scorched, because
  they had no deepness of earth and because they
  had no root, they withered away.
• And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprung
  up and choked them.
• But others fell into good ground, and brought
  forth fruit some an hundred-fold, some
  sixty-fold, and some thirty-fold. Who hath ears
  to hear, let him hear.

• The Saviors Explanation (18-22)
• When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and
  understandeth not, then cometh the wicked one,
  and catcheth away that which was sown in his
  heart
• But he that received the seed into stony places,
  the same is he that heareth the word and readily
  with joy receiveth it, yet he hath not root in
  himself, and endureth but for a while for when
  tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the
  word, by and by he is offended.
• He also who received seed among the thorns, is he
  that heareth the word and the care of this world
  and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word,
  and he becometh unfruitful.
• But he that received seed into the good ground,
  is he that heareth the word and understandeth and
  endureth which also beareth fruit, and bringeth
  forth, some an hundred-fold, some sixty, and some
  thirty.

Lehis Tree of Life Vision (I Nephi 8)
v. 23 There arose a mist of darknessinsomuch That
they who had commenced did lose their way and
were lost
v. 28 And after they had tasted of the fruit
they were ashamed, because of those who
were scoffing at them and they fell away into
forbidden paths and were lost
v. 31 other multitudes were feeling their Way
towards that great and spacious building And
many were drowned in thefountain
v. 12 and as I partook of the fruit thereof it
filled my soul with exceeding great joy
wherefore I began to be desirous that my family
should partake also
10
Elder McConkie

• Parables are a call to investigate the truth to
  learn more to inquire into the spiritual
  realities, which, through them, are but dimly
  viewed. Parables start truth seekers out in the
  direction of further light and knowledge and
  understanding they invite men to ponder such
  truths as they are able to bear in the hope of
  learning more.
• Parables are a call to come unto Christ, to
  believe his doctrines, to live his laws, and to
  be saved in his kingdom. They teach arithmetic to
  those who have the capacity to learn calculus in
  due course. They are the mild milk of the word
  that prepares our spiritual digestive processes
  to feast upon the doctrinal meat of the kingdom.
  MM 2245)

11
Elder Marvin J. Ashton

• Four condition that might cause us to lose
  the law of the harvest, as seen in the parable
  of the Sower.
• 1- Unwillingness to accept human qualities.
• 2- Unwillingness to accept change.
• 3- Unwillingness to follow instruction.
• 4- Unwillingness to be totally committed.

12
Elder Featherstone

• Elder Featherstone tells of a young man who came
  to him for a mission interview. Elder
  Featherstone inquired as to the young mans
  transgressions. In a haughty manner the young man
  replied, there isnt anything I havent done.
  Elder Featherstone inquired about
  specificsmorals, drugs, and so on. Again he
  replied, I told you I have done everything.
  Elder Featherstone asked, What makes you think
  youre going on a mission? Because I have
  repented, came the reply. I havent done any of
  these things for a year.
• Elder Featherstone then looked at the young man
  across the tabletwenty-one years of
  agesarcastic, haughty, with an attitude far
  removed from sincere repentance.
• My dear young friend, he said, Im sorry to
  tell you this, but you are not going on a
  missionyou shouldnt have been ordained an elder
  and you really should have been tried for your
  membership in the Church. What youve committed
  is a series of monumental transgressions. You
  havent repented youve just stopped doing
  something. Someday, after you have been to
  Gethsemane and back, youll understand what true
  repentance is. At this, the young man started to
  cry. It lasted for about five minutes. There was
  no exchange of words, only silence. Then he left
  Elder Featherstone office.

13
Elder Featherstone Cont.

• About six months later, Elder Featherstone was
  speaking to an institute group in Arizona.
  Following the meeting he saw this same young man
  walking up the aisle towards him, and the details
  of the interview flashed though his mind. Elder
  Featherstone reached down from the podium to
  shake his hand.
• As the young man looked up, Elder Featherstone
  could see that something wonderful had taken
  place in his life. Tears streamed down the young
  mans cheeks and an almost holy glow came from
  his countenance. Youve been there, havent
  you? asked Elder Featherstone. Through the tears
  he said, Yes, Bishop Featherstone, Ive been to
  Gethsemane and back. I know, Elder
  Featherstone replied. It shows in your face. I
  believe now that the Lord has forgiven you.