53 This Thing Is a Similitude

 53 This Thing Is a Similitude

This Thing is a Similitude


Do you ever struggle to understand animal sacrifice?

Do you ever struggle to understand what the Lord did in sacrificing Himself for all of us?

The Law of Sacrifice in ancient Israel helped the people understand the Lord’s mission for all of us, and it helped them to feel love for Him and to look forward to Him coming to earth?

How do you yourself feel about the Lord’s sacrifice, and are you preparing to meet Him when He returns to earth?

Do you feel gratitude to the Savior for the blessings He has brought into our lives through His atonement for us?

How would you describe the Gift that our Father gave to us in sending His Son to be our Savior? How would you describe the great love Jesus has for all of us in suffering for us and giving His live for us? What does that all mean to you?

Gratitude can change everything for us; it definitely can increase our understanding.

President Oaks:

In a Saturday evening meeting at a stake conference many years ago, I met a woman who said her friends had asked her to come back to church after many years of inactivity, but she could not think of any reason why she should. To encourage her, I said, “When you consider all of the things the Savior has done for you, you have many reasons to come back to worship and serve Him.” I was astonished when she replied, “What’s He done for me?”

Moses 5:6–7 6 And after many days an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying: Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him: I know not, save the Lord commanded me.

 

7 And then the angel spake, saying: This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth.

Alma 34:10 10 For it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice.

Leviticus is basically the Church’s handbook for that day and time.

The Lord was very specific on how animal sacrifices were to be made.

Today He is also very specific. What kind of sacrifice does He expect from us?

3 Nephi 9:19–20 19 And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings.

20 And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.

Read Leviticus 16:15–16 (sin offering) and 16:21–22 (scapegoat), looking for what reminds you of the Savior and what He has done for us.

Study two of the following references, looking for connections between these verses and the Day of Atonement: 1 Nephi 11:32–33; Alma 7:11–13; Alma 39:15.

Jesus Christ willingly offered Himself as a sacrifice for us.

We can be forgiven of our sins because of Jesus Christ.

Through His atoning sacrifice, Jesus Christ paid for our sins by taking them upon Himself.

President Oaks:

Jesus Christ did all of this because He loves all of the children of God. Love is the motivation for it all, and it was so from the very beginning. …

I … pray that we all will remember what our Savior has done for each of us.

Always Remember Him

Joseph Smith:

Certainly, the shedding of the blood of a beast could be beneficial to no man, except it was done in imitation, or as a type, or explanation of what was to be offered through the gift of God Himself—and this performance done with an eye looking forward in faith on the power of that great Sacrifice for a remission of sins.

“I Stand All Amazed” 

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