Living Righteously in a Wicked World

'And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, hat he said, escape for they life, look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest though be consumed'(Genesis 19:17)

1. We need to be more like Abraham- who was kind, gracious and loving. He had a deep concern for family-which wax a priority for Abraham. ' Let there be no strife' a soft answer turneth away wrath.
2. He also had faith in the Lord. He had his tent pitched toward Zion, toward the Lord and all things righteous and good. Lot however had his tent pitched toward Sodom(a very wicked city)
3. Lot was selfish, Abraham was unselfish. You can't have one foot in Babylon, and one in Zion. "And they pitched their tents round about the temple, every man having his tent with the door therof towards the temple, that thereby they might remain in their tents and hear the words which king Benjamin should speak unto them;"(Mosiah 2:6) They pitched their tents toward the temple, just as we must learn to do as well. In Gen 14- Melchizedek arrives and establishes the Sacrament. He is also called Shem, a righteous high priest. "The sacrament of the Lord's supper is a ordinance of salvation in which all the faithful must participate if they are to live and reign with him. It may well have been prefigured , some two thousand years before its formal institution among men, when 'Melchizedek, king of Salem, bought forth bread and wine, and he brake bread and blest it, and he blest the wine, he being the priest of the most high God. and he gave to Abram'....It had its beginning as an authorized ordinance and as a required rite when Jesus and his apostolic witnesses celebrated the feast of the Passover during the week of our Lord's passion"(Bruce R McConkie, The Promised Messiah)
4. Avoid even a thread of unrighteousness, if we do, it has the potential to grow and spread to immorality. We should want to become like Abraham. We need to take the time to accept the Lord's message. Even one person can make a difference, if we are righteous and be able to be helping others as well.

Recognizing the Voice of God- I Samuel 1-15

In theses chapters we learn about the faith of Hannah, and her giving son Samuel to the Lord. We also learn about the sins of Eli and his sons, and Israel's desire to do away with judges and have an earthly king. In effect, Israel was rejecting their true king, Jesus Christ. We also learn about the strengths that made Saul a good king, and weaknesses that led to his downfall and death.
Overview:
Year --------------------------- Event
1105 ---------------------------Birth of Samuel- The Prophet
1080----------------------------Birth of Saul
1050----------------------------Saul Anointed King of Israel
1040----------------------------Birth of David
1025----------------------------David Anointed as Saul's Successor
1010----------------------------Death of Saul
Principle If you read the scriptures, you can hear the voice of God every day!
Readiness
There is a story from the National Geographic special about seals. There were thousands of seals on a beach who had just given birth. The mothers went out hunting for fish, but when they came out of the water, they had lost sight of their babies. So the mother seals began barking, and listened to the barks of the baby seals, and then in a amazing display, they waddled right to their own even though there were thousands of pups all barking at once, they recognized the sound of their own.
In 1 Samuel 3:1-10 What sound did Samuel hear that he did not recognize at first? We see in these verses that at first Samuel thought it was the voice of Eli, but after three times, Eli realizes that it is the voice of the Lord and he informs Samuel of this.
Scripture Search
Reference---Person-Action---------------Result----------God's Voice
1 Sam 1:17--Hannah-Prayed at the temple-Had a son-------Leaders
1 Sam 2:27--Eli-Allowed his sons to sin---Sons killed--Angels
1 Sam 3:15--Samuel-Was living worthy---Became a Prophet--Visions
1 Sam 8:19--Israel--Refused to Hearken--Lost their inheritance--Prophets
1 Sam 15:11-Saul-Disobeys Instructions--Rejected by God------Spirit
* The best way to hear the Lord's voices are:
1)Prophets "And the arm of the Lord shall be revealed; and the day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people;"-Doctrine and Covenants 1:14
2)Scriptures "These words are not of men nor of man, but of me; wherefore, you shall testify they are of me and not of man; For it is my voice which speaketh them unto you; for they are given by my Spirit unto you, and by my power you can read them one to another; and save it were by my power you could not have them; Wherefore, you can testify that you have heard my voice, and know my words."-D&C 18:34-36

"I can testify to you that none of you will have any adventure greater than findout out how to interpret the spirit. We have to find out the technique by which the spirit whispers inour hearts. We have to learn to hear it and to understand it, and to know when we have it, and that sometimes it takes a long time"-S. Dilworth Young

"The Spirit does not get our attention by shouting or shaking us with a heavy hand. Rather, it whispers, it caresses so gently that if we are preoccupied we may not feel it at all. It will press just firmly enough for us to pay heed. But most of the time, if we do not heed the gentle feeling, the Spirit will withdraw and wait until we come seeking and listening and say in our manner and expression like Samuel of ancient times, "Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth"-Boyd K Packer

Wintnesses of redemption from the Old Testament: Ruth the Romance of Redemption

Ruth-------------------------------Judges
Light------------------------------ Spiritual Darkness
Purity------------------------------Disloyalty
Devotion----------------------------Wickedness
Love--------------------------------Sin
Peace
Kindness
Obedience brings blessings
Oasis of Righteousness
Faithfulness of Gentiles
Deciding for the one true God
-The romance of redemption-reconciling Ruth: 3 laws to remember:
1. The Law of Gleaning-Lev 19:9, Deaut 24:19-21(The Lord's welfare system
a)one reaping, anything left for the poor
2. The Law of Redemption- Lev 25:47-50
(Redemption=Pay a debt)
a)land's subject to redemption by a kingsmen Goel(Redeemer) Certain conditions applied:
I) He had to be a blood relative
II)Had to be able to perform
III) Be willing to perform
IV)Assume obligation
3. The Law of Levite Marriage (Deut 25:5-10)
Names in the Book of Ruth:
Emilech: My God is King
Naomi: Pleasant,delight
Mahlon: Sick
Chillon:Pining, Falling, Puny
Orpah:Gazelle(Fleeing, apostasy)
Ruth:Friendship, Beauty, Desirable
Judah: Praise
Ruth wanted a gentile to go to Israel
Boaz: A type of Christ:
1. Boaz: in him is strength- she will find grace in his protection(Boaz is Christ) Its her character that Boaz has given grace for her.
2. mighty in pedigree
3. Mighty in power
4. total authority
5. Rich in Grace
6. Large in provision
7. plateous in Redemption
8. Star of Bethlehem
9. His fields are ripe 'ready to harvest'
Chapter 3 vs 9- she is proposing marriage to Boaz
Boaz is her redeember
symbolizes we must come unto Christ
Boaz redeems Ruth to be his bride
Obed: a Son who is worshipped
A message from the Savior!!